Valkyrie Mail

The Valkyrie Mail is a Armor-class piece of armor introduced in Golden Sun: The Lost Age. It is acquired from a treasure chest early on in Mars Lighthouse in The Lost Age and from a treasure chest at Apollo Ascent in Golden Sun: Dark Dawn; both are the final dungeons of their respective games. It is considered one of the best pieces of armor in the game. In the European version of Golden Sun: Dark Dawn the Valkyrie Mail is called Berserker Mail.

The Valkyrie Mail features a defense rating of 53, and it increases the wearer's Critical Hit and Unleash Rates by 20%, a very powerful effect. The Valkyrie Mail is bought for 25500 coins while its resale value is 19125 coins. As a piece of Armor, it can be worn by a total of seven Adepts: Isaac, Felix, Garet, and Piers in The Lost Age, and Matthew, Tyrell, and Eoleo in Dark Dawn.

Analysis
Many players would instinctively identify this as the best piece of body armor in the Golden Sun series. Its 53 Defense is the highest Defense rating afforded by any piece of equipment in the game, and it provides 20% boost to the Adept's Critical Hit and Unleash rates, a powerful effect that can be immensely useful depending on an Adept's equipment setup. The Valkyrie Mail outperforms the Mythril Clothes, which has 49 defense and a 15% boost to Unleash rate (but it is wearable by any Adept), and the Xylion Armor, which has 50 defense and increases attack by 12. The Valkyrie Mail's only drawback is that only one can be found, but it is an easy to reach treasure chest, so all players will make it to the end of The Lost Age with this armor in their possessions.

Combined with other specific equipment, an Adept can become a complete powerhouse warrior. Most weapons have an Unleash rate of 35%, including the obscenely powerful Sol Blade. In The Lost Age a Venus Adept using the Sol Blade wearing the Valkyrie Mail increases the Unleash rate by 20%. Adding the Riot Gloves to add 20% more, then a Mythril Helm to add 12% more, and then a pair of Hyper Boots to add 12% more, will allow that warrior to have a 99% chance to unleash the Sol Blade's Megiddo effect whenever he attacks physically. This is strong enough to One-Hit KO most normal enemies, and is excellent against the Doom Dragon final boss.

In Dark Dawn, a similar set up is possible if Matthew equips the Valkyrie Mail, Aegis Shield, Ninja Sandals, Warrior's Helm, and Lord Sun's Ring. With this set up, the Sol Blade can reach a nearly 100% Unleash Rate, though the specific unleash will vary due to revisions to the Unleash system.

The Valkyrie Mail's name has caused some confusion among Golden Sun fans because, despite the valkyries being female warriors, it can only be equipped by males. This is probably what prompted the European localisation team to change its name in Dark Dawn.