Cosmos Shield

A Cosmos Shield is a Shield found in Golden Sun: The Lost Age and Golden Sun: Dark Dawn. It is notable for giving the highest defensive boost of any Shield-class item, and thus of any hand armor in either game.

Basic Description by Game
The Cosmos Shield increases the wielder's defense by 49, and also increases the wielder's resistance to all elements by 20. The Cosmos Shield is bought for 12200 coins and sold for 9150 coins.

In The Lost Age, it is obtained by giving Orihalcon to Sunshine in Yallam, who will then forge it into one of six items determined at random. There is a 15% chance Sunshine will create a Cosmos Shield from the Orihalcon. After Sunshine forges the Cosmos Shield, the player must purchase it. As a shield, it can be equipped by Felix, Piers, Isaac, and Garet. In Dark Dawn, the player must give Orihalcon to Obaba in Champa. She will forge the Orihalcon into one of five items determined at random. After forging the Cosmos Shield, she will give it to the player free of charge. As a shield, the Cosmos Shield can be equipped by Matthew, Tyrell, and Eoleo.

Analysis
In The Lost Age, the Cosmos Shield's high defense and its ability to resist all elements makes it the best defense-oriented armwear in the game. In fact, it is worth obtaining multiple copies, which is possible since Orihalcon is dropped by Sky Dragons in Anemos Sanctum, although very rarely. For Adepts whose strategy involves physical attacks, however, the Riot Gloves would be a better choice, since they boost attack power and, more importantly, the Adept's Critical Hit and Unleash rates. Another alternative is the Big Bang Gloves, which can also be obtained by forging Orihalcon. The Big Bang Gloves offer an ample boost to an Adept's Mars power, making it a valuable piece of equipment to Mars Adepts, as well as anyone who uses Mars Psynergy.

In Dark Dawn, the Cosmos Shield will generally make its way to either Tyrell or Eoleo, as Matthew will already have the Aegis Shield. The choice between the Cosmos Shield or the Big Bang Gloves for these two Mars Adepts largely depends on player preference. Both Adepts are fairly strong defensively, and thus the Cosmos Shield's benefits will further increase their endurance. However, the Big Bang Gloves are an excellent choice if Eoleo or Tyrell use Mars Psynergy or have Mars-based Unleashes.