Crystal Rod

The Crystal Rod is a Staff-class Artifact weapon found in the Golden Sun series. In Golden Sun, it is notable for being the strongest Staff-class weapon available.

Basic Description by Game
In all it's appearances, the Crystal Rod increases the wielder's attack by 106 points. It can be bought for 13400 coins and sold for 10050 coins.

In Golden Sun, it can be bought in Lalivero, and can be equipped by Ivan and Mia. In Golden Sun: The Lost Age, it can be bought in Shaman Village and can be equipped by Jenna and Sheba. The Crystal Rod's Unleash effect in both games is Drown, which converts all damage to Mercury damage and attacks with an additional 47 attack points. Also, it has a small chance of instantly killing the target, an undeniably powerful effect. Visually, Drown resembles a multitude of bubbles converging on the target from multiple directions.

In Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, the Crystal Rod can be bought in Champa Camp, and can be equipped by Karis, Rief, Amiti, and Himi. The Crystal Rod retains Drown as its primary Unleash, but gains two secondary Unleashes: Gale Force and Spiral Assault. Gale Force and Spiral Assault are both physical attacks that convert all damage to Jupiter damage and multiply the damage by 1.3. Spiral Assault has the added benefit of targeting up to 3 opponents.

Analysis
In Golden Sun, the Crystal Rod is one of the game's most powerful weapons. Considering it may take an enemy out in one hit, it is definitely worth investing in. Ivan will probably be equipped with the Swift Sword or Kikuichimonji, so the Crystal Rod is best for Mia. In The Lost Age, the Crystal Rod is unavailable until late in the game, and so players will probably have already acquired stronger and more reliable weapons. A good example is the Goblin's Rod, which has a similar but stronger Unleash and is found just before the Crystal Rod becomes available.

In Dark Dawn, the Crystal Rod, if it is used at all, will most likely end up in the hands of Rief. The other Adepts capable of wielding Staffs can also wield Light Blades; by the time the Crystal Rod is available, stronger Light Blades can be found for them. Rief's naturally high Mercury Power increases the strength of Drown. However, he requires Jupiter Djinn to make full use of Gale Force and Spiral Assault, which are fairly weak to start with. By exploring the Great Eastern Sea, the player can easily find better weapons for Rief, and thus the Crystal Rod will be quickly outclassed.