Demonic Staff

The Demonic Staff is a Staff found throughout the Golden Sun series. It is one of several Cursed items available throughout the series.

Basic Description by Game
In all appearances, the Demonic Staff, increases the wielder's attack by 92 points. It can be bought for 10000 coins and sold for 7500 coins. Because it is a cursed item, the Demonic Staff cannot be removed after it is equipped without the help of a Great Healer in a Sanctum. In battle, there is a chance each turn that the Adept it is equipped to will be rendered incapable of motion. However, the in-battle part of the curse may be eliminated with the help of a Cleric's Ring.

In Golden Sun, the Demonic Staff is sold in the town of Lunpa, and can be equipped by Ivan and Mia. In Golden Sun: The Lost Age, it is sold in Champa, and can be equipped by Jenna and Sheba. The Demonic Staff's Unleash attack is Bad Omen. Bad Omen converts all damage to Venus damage and attacks with an additional 43 attack points. Also, it has a chance of haunting the target. Visually, Bad Omen resembles a normal strike with purple clouds rising out of the ground upon impact.

In Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, the Demonic Staff is sold in Harun Village, and can be equipped by Karis, Rief, Amiti, and Himi. It retains Bad Omen as its main Unleash, but also gains two secondary Unleashes: Gale Force and Critical Strike. Gale Force is a physical attack that converts all damage to Jupiter Damage and multiplies damage by a factor of 1.3. Critical Strike is a non-elemental physical attack that multiplies damage by 1.5.

Analysis
Like most cursed equipment, the Demonic Staff is a powerful weapon. Unlike most cursed equipment, it isn't acquired late enough into the game to prevent stronger equipment from becoming available. The end result is that it will only be used for a short time, quite possibly not at all due to the curse. If, however, it is used, it is advised to give the Demonic Staff to an Adept wearing the Cleric's Ring to minimize the effects of the curse, as well as giving that Adept more cursed equipment to maximize the effectiveness of the Cleric's Ring.

In Dark Dawn, the Demonic Staff's usefulness drops even more. As a Staff-class weapon, it is outclassed by the Zodiac Rod, which is available earlier, has a higher Attack increase, and has the advantage of not being cursed. Additionally, the Cleric's Ring is not available until after the main portion of the game has been finished. Finally, by this point, stronger (and non-cursed) Forgeable weapons are available as soon as the player can take the necessary materials to Obaba. Thus, the Demonic Staff will most likely see no use.

Gallery of Dark Dawn unleashes