Armored Shell

An Armored Shell is an Armor-class bodywear available throughout the Golden Sun series.

In and
In Golden Sun, Armored Shells are sold at Tolbi but are generally not necessary, as the player can win more useful armor in the nearby Tolbi Spring. The Lucky Medal minigame freely dispenses all sorts of equipment that is very powerful and useful at that point in the game, with one of the best prizes being the armor Artifact Spirit Armor. This armor, which adds 32 Defense and 15 points to all four elemental resistances for the equipped Adept, is so good that it is actually better to equip than the Armored Shell's two later commonly-sold counterparts, the Plate Mail and the Steel Armor. Redeeming all your Lucky Medals at Tolbi Spring for equipment like Spirit Armors before even stepping into the shop at Tolbi is how a "perfect" game of Golden Sun would likely be played.

In Golden Sun: The Lost Age, Armored Shells can first be bought in Apojii Islands, meaning they are available to buy as soon as you get the Lemurian Ship to sail the Great Eastern Sea with. It's true an Armored Shell is a significant-enough defense boost over a Psynergy Armor a warrior Adept might be wearing to consider replacing that with this, but the next level of common armor, the Plate Mail, also becomes available for buy at a shop in a Great Eastern Sea settlement (Champa, namely) at the same time as the Armored Shell.

In
In Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, by the time Armored Shells become available in the shops at Belinsk and Port Rago, they are completely outclassed by the Plate Mails that can be bought at Saha Town, which becomes accessible at the same time on account of being a Morgal Region village as well. This is not to mention the Spiked Armor that the player can get in a chest at Craggy Peak Ruins before stepping into Morgal in the first place, and there is also the Planet Armor found in Port Rago Docks. Therefore, there is absolutely no reason to buy an Armored Shell, which remains the case even when it continues to be sold at Champa Camp.