Dark Matter

Dark Matter is forgeable material in Golden Sun: The Lost Age. It is described as "Twisted black stuff". It is found in various areas after the Wings of Anemos are acquired, such as in Prox, and it can also be dropped extremely rarely from a Wonder Bird in Islet Cave (fell it with Mercury Djinn to increase drop rate by four times). Being an Artifact, it can be sold and later repurchased. It can be bought for 3000 coins and sold for 2250 coins. It can be forged into the following powerful equipment:


 * Warning: All equipment made from Dark Matter is cursed. This means that, unless the Adept equipping it also has the Cleric's Ring equipped, there is a chance the Adept might be unable to move when attempting to attack in battle. Cursed items can only be removed at a Sanctum.

Darksword: Long Sword class: Attack +210: A cursed item. Unleashes Acheron’s Grief, which converts to Venus damage, adds 76 attack points, and can badly poison the target. It is bought for 24200 coins and sold for 18150 coins. The chance of it being forged is 10%. Demon Circlet: Circlet class: Defense +50: Raises Critical Hit and Unleash rate by 15%: A cursed item. It is bought for 15800 coins and sold for 11850 coins. The chance of it being forged is 15%. Fear Helm: Helm class: Defense +48: Attack +10: A cursed item. It is bought for 12800 coins and sold for 9600 coins. The chance of it being forged is 20%. Stealth Armor: Armor class: Defense +48: Venus resistance -10: A cursed item. It is bought for 14000 coins and sold for 10500 coins. The chance of it being forged is 30%. Terra Shield: Shield class: Defense +48: Attack +5: A cursed item. It is bought for 11200 coins and sold for 8400 coins. The chance of it being forged is 25%.

Analysis
Despite the presence of the equipment curse downside, the equipment forged from Dark Matter is not the best in the game otherwise. The only equipment with specific endgame uses are the Darksword having the highest base attack rating in the game, and the Demon Circlet for providing a large unleash-rate-boost to a mage-style Adept than any other piece of headwear a mage-style Adept may have.

Random Number Generator methods
Normally, the player can get Dark Matter by defeating Karst and Agatio on top of Jupiter Lighthouse, by scooping a piece out of the ground in Prox, in a chest in Yampi Desert Cave, and players are able to gain both titanic amounts of EXP and ocassional Dark Matters by battling the Wonder Birds at Inner Islet Cave over and over again, being sure to KO each one with an offense-oriented Mercury Djinni to increase EXP and the chance of the Dark Matter dropping (the famous "Dark Panther method"). There also exists several Random Number Generator methods that can be used to accumulate Dark Matter very quickly and easily in comparison.

Make your battling party Felix, Jenna, Sheba, and Piers. It doesn't matter what order the first three of these characters attack based on their comparative Agility ratings; what's mandatory is that Piers should be slow enough to act after the other three that turn, yet still be fast enough to move before the first attack of the Wonder Bird on the second turn (note that the first battle you fight in any sitting of GS:TLA will always be preemptive, if the first battle is in the same screen of your starting point). The battling four must also not be afflicted by any status effect (Haunt, Curse, Poison, Venom). When you're done making these preparations, save anywhere in the Inner Islet Cave area, turn off the system, turn it on and get back to the save file, and walk/run around the area you start off in (don't switch between separate areas). If the first battle in the area you start off in does not have any Wonder Bird enemy around, turn the game off and on again and repeat until you get into a battle with any of the enemy formations detailed below:


 * Encounter either two Wonder Birds or one Wonder Bird and one Chimera Worm.

ON TURN 1: Sheba casts Storm Ray on the target Wonder Bird. Jenna casts Flare Wall on the target Wonder Bird. Felix casts Clay Spire on the target Wonder Bird. Piers casts Glacier on the target Wonder Bird.

If the other enemy is a Chimera Worm, and if it is still alive, use the Turn 2 portion of the Wonder Bird-with-Cruel Dragon/Druj method detailed after this method. Otherwise, if the other enemy nest to the target Wonder Bird is either a dead Chimera Worm or a second living Wonder Bird, use this Turn 2 method:

ON TURN 2: Sheba casts High Impact on the party. Jenna defends. Felix defends. Piers unleashes Gel (or any other Mercury Djinni that damages) on the target Wonder Bird.

The target Wonder Bird flashes and dies, and your Dark Matter is assured by battle's end.


 * Encounter one Wonder Bird with either one Cruel Dragon or one Druj.

ON TURN 1: Sheba casts Storm Ray on the Wonder Bird. Jenna casts Flare Wall on the Wonder Bird. Felix casts Clay Spire on the Wonder Bird. Piers casts Glacier on the Wonder Bird.

ON TURN 2: Sheba casts High Impact on the party. Jenna casts Fume on the Cruel Dragon/Druj. Felix defends. Piers unleashes Gel on the Wonder Bird.

Wonder Bird flashes and dies, and your Dark Matter is assured.


 * Encounter one Wonder Bird alone.

ON TURN 1: Sheba casts Storm Ray on the Wonder Bird. Jenna casts Flare Wall on the Wonder Bird. Felix casts Clay Spire on the Wonder Bird. Piers casts Glacier on the Wonder Bird.

ON TURN 2: Sheba casts Impact on herself. Jenna casts Cool Aura on the party. Felix casts Quake on the Wonder Bird. Piers unleashes Gel on the Wonder Bird.

Wonder Bird flashes and dies, and your Dark Matter is assured.