Long Sword (weapon)


 * This article is about the specific item. For the class of weapons this item belongs to, see List of Long Swords.

A Long Sword is a common Long Sword-class weapon found throughout the Golden Sun series. In each game, it is one of the first weapons available to players and will likely be their strongest starting weapon.

Basic description by game
A Long Sword increases the wielder's base Attack rating by 14 points. As a Common item, it can be bought repeatedly from vendors for 200 coins each and sold for 150 coins each. In the original Golden Sun, Long Swords are sold in Vale, Vault, and Bilibin, and can be equipped by Isaac and Garet. In Golden Sun: The Lost Age, Long Swords are sold in Daila, Madra, and Alhafra, and can additionally be equipped by Felix and Piers.

In Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, a Long Sword is the same as before, but due to changes to the Unleash system, Long Swords now have an Unleash, "Critical Strike", which deals damage equal to the wielder's resultant physical attack damage times 1.5. Long Swords are sold in Patcher's Place, Carver's Camp, and Harapa, and can be equipped by Matthew and Tyrell.

Analysis
In Golden Sun, after the prologue segment of the game, the player begins in present-day Vale with a level-1 party of Isaac and Garet each holding a Short Sword and Jenna as a guest character holding a Wooden Stick, and just over 300 coins in their inventory. The Long Sword is the strongest weapon available in the weapon shop at the town, and it is a good idea to buy one for one of your party members and spend the rest of the money on defensive equipment. As an alternative, if you sell one of your equipped Short Swords and your Wooden Stick to have over 420 coins, you can buy two Long Swords for Isaac and Garet, and give Jenna the remaining Short Sword, which is an equipment setup that emphasizes straight offense against the enemies in the upcoming Sol Sanctum dungeon over defending against the damage of their attacks. After Vale, the Long Sword will likely remain in your party's inventory until arriving at Bilibin.

In Golden Sun: The Lost Age, the Long Sword serves much the same role as before, being a shop item in the first town of Daila. However, the game strongly emphasizes completing puzzles in dungeons that reward the player with weapon artifacts far superior to commonly bought weapons and even weapon artifacts that can normally be bought in vendors, so at the beginning of the game you're much better off using the 200 coins you start out with on defensive equipment.

In Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, the Long Sword will be the strongest weapon available to Matthew and Tyrell when they first arrive at Patcher's Place. However, the Themis' Axe, which is acquired in a chest on Goma Highlands Road, and the Battle Axe, bought at Carver's Camp, provide much better Attack bonuses. Thus, it may be better to spend coins upgrading defensive equipment. However, the extra attack power can be useful in the Boss Battle with the Dim Dragon and its stronger counterpart Dim Dragon Plus, should the player fight them before going to Carver's Camp.