Character class

A Character class is a gameplay-based method many RPGs use to arbitrate the capabilities of playable characters. In Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age, character classes serve just this purpose, dictating enhancements to characters' base statistics and what arrangements and elements of Psynergy they may use.

Unlike many RPGs, such as Final Fantasy, characters in Golden Sun games do not specifically select classes to pursue and develop abilities in; Classes are merely "settings" that can be instantly changed anytime based on what their level of skill in a particular element is. This is determined both by their own innate element, as well as how many and what elements of Djinn are Set onto each character.

Classes serve several important roles from a gameplay perspective. Firstly, they add a great deal of diversity to the game, opening up a large number of Psynergy and statistical (and hence strategic) combinations. Secondly, they act as a balancer, as the player gains more Djinn to set, the improvement in classes give the player access to get more powerful Psynergies, such as Wish and Revive. This both serves as an incentive for the player to collect Djinn (and hence complete the associated optional, but more complex, puzzles) and acting to stop the player gaining spells that are too powerful too early on. Because of this, the player's selection of classes can aversely change the outcome of a battle. This is most evident when the Monster Skill Djinn Storm is used on the player. The removal of all Djinni cripples an otherwise strong party by reverting the Adepts to their default classes, which serves to make the battle much more challenging. By extension, this is also a feature that balances the powerful summon sequences, as putting a Djinn on Standyby stops it from influencing an Adept's class, hence weakening the party, which in turns creates a tactical dilemma that forces the player to think more carefully about their actions.