Growth Psynergy series

Growth (グロウ Grow), Mad Growth (マッドグロウ Mad Grow), and Wild Growth (ジャングルグロウ Jungle Grow) are a series of Venus attack Psynergy featured throughout the Golden Sun series. The first stage of the series, Growth, is also a utility Psynergy featured in each game.

Basic Description
Growth, Mad Growth, and Wild Growth are ranged, Psynergies. The overall power of each stage is determined by comparing the user's Venus Power and the target's Venus Resistance, and multiplying the resultant ratio by the base power of the Psynergy being used.

Visually, each stage of the series resembles a group of thorny vines growing from the ground around the target. The size and number of vines increases with each successive stage.

Damage Calculation
Elemental Power attacks such as the Growth series use a set base power as the base damage to be modified. For example, the base power of Wild Growth is 110. Thus an unmodified Wild Growth would deal around 110 points of damage.

Wild Growth's attack takes this base damage value and uses it in the following equation:


 * final damage = (base damage) * (1 + (User's Venus Power - Enemy's Venus Resistance) / 200)

To word this in prose, The Growth series takes the base damage of the particular attack, and then modifies this by how much higher or lower the user's Venus Power is than the target's Venus Resistance. The difference between the user's Venus Power and the user's Venus Resistance is then divided by, then 1 is added to this, resulting in what can be called the "elemental damage multiplier". This number is what the Psynergies' damage is multiplied by.

For example, if an Adept with a Venus Power of 150 casts Wild Growth on a monster with a Venus Resistance of 50:
 * damage = (base damage) * (1 + (Power - Resistance) / 200)
 * damage = (110) * (1 + (150 - 50) / 200)
 * damage = * (1 +  / 200)
 * damage = (110) * (1 + )
 * damage = 110 *
 * damage = 165

Therefore, a Wild Growth cast under these circumstances would deal 165 points of damage to the main target. Since Wild Growth is a ranged Psynergy, adjacent targets would take a percentage of the total damage, with the percentage decreasing as the distance from the main target increases.

Growth as a Utility Psynergy
Growth is a Utility Psynergy found in each game in the Golden Sun series. In the first two games, Growth is used uncommonly, to grow small plants into climbable ladders. Its use is generally not required, and in fact the ability to use Growth can be missed, due to the player being required to change classes to access it. Besides its standard use, in The Lost Age, Growth can also allow the player to navigate the maze within Gaia Rock leading to the Serpent, where the player can use Growth on the plants to see which way to go. If not used on a plant, Growth works much like in battle, but as it is deprived of a target, it is effectively useless.

In Dark Dawn, Growth-related puzzles are much more common, and the player no longer needs to change classes to use it; Matthew will know Growth regardless of class. Growth can now be used with in a circular range, similarly to Move. In Belinsk Ruins, Growth is used in several puzzles as a representative for the element of Venus.



Availability
The Growth series is available to many classes, such that Adepts of any element may use the series. The series is available to the Venus-based mono-elemental class, the Miko class series, unique to Himi. In addition, the series is available to the dual-elemental classes: the Brute class series, both Seer Class series (Mercury and Jupiter, and the Scrapper class series. Growth is learned at Level 1 by the Brute and Scrapper classes, Level 2 by the Miko class, and Level 3 by the Seer classes. Mad Growth is learned at Level 12 by all classes. Wild Growth is learned at Level 28 by the Brute class, and at Level 29 by all other classes.

In a special case, the Venus Adept Matthew, will know Growth starting at Level 1, regardless of class. However, he will not learn the other two stages unless in the Brute class.

Analysis
General: As far as basic series go, the Growth series could be considered the staple area-of-effect Venus Psynergy. Early in the game, it can serve as an effective combat tool, but later in the game, Grand Gaia is generally considered more effective than Wild Growth. However, Wild Growth is obtained almost twice as early as Grand Gaia, level-wise, and can still serve well up until then.

By Game
Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age: If the player does not switch classes, the Growth Psynergy will go unused. In both games, the Growth series is the only source of Venus Psynergy for the Seer classes, and is a mid-power Psynergy for the Brute class, but since the Brute has a poor PP pool, it still sees use since Wild Growth is cheaper than Stone Spire.

Golden Sun: Dark Dawn: Since Matthew will have access to Growth from Level 1, it is a decent choice for the random encounters in the introductory dungeon, as an equivalent-power Psynergy does not come along until Earthquake is learned at Level 4. Even when Matthew borrows Isaac's Djinn, it is still useful, as it allows for conservation of PP in comparison to the more expensive Fireball. However, once the introductory dungeon is completed, Matthew will have leveled up enough to have learned more powerful Psynergies. Afterwards, Matthew will only use Growth for its utility purposes.

In regards to other Adepts, the Growth series is Himi's weakest offensive series in her base class. By the time she joins the party, she will already have access to the more powerful Roaring Dragon Psynergy series, thus the Growth series will see little use. For Sveta, the Growth series is the only ranged offensive Psynergy in her Scrapper class. Its main use would be to soften up opponents before using her more powerful physical elemental attacks.