Sol Blade

From Golden Sun Universe

Sol Blade
Visual effect of Megiddo
Trade values
Item class	Long Sword
Buy value	31200
Sell value	23400
Statistics boosts
Attack Boost	200
Unleash effect
Effect name	Megiddo
Unleash rate	35%
Extra damage	0
Side effect	Always does three times the normal amount of damage

The Sol Blade is a Long Sword-class weapon Artifact available in Golden Sun: The Lost Age, and is the best weapon in the series. It is found in a treasure chest deep in Mars Lighthouse, as a rather easy reward for solving a platform-based ice puzzle shortly before a boss battle with the Flame Dragons. This Long Sword-class weapon is unique in that only Isaac and Felix can wield it. Its buy value is 31200 coins and its sell value is 23400.

The Sol Blade increases the wielder's base Attack rating by 200 points. Its Unleash effect is Megiddo (the location of Armageddon), with the standard base activation rate of 35%, which is a physical attack whose resulting damage is either increased or decreased based on how the user's Venus power measures against the target's Venus resistance, and then the resulting damage there is multiplied by three, an extremely powerful and consistent effect. Possibly the most visually elaborate of all Unleash effects, the user leaps high into the air, the sword glowing bright red over his head. He then touches the blade of the sword into a great sphere of burning plasma that is summoned off the top of the screen (this could be said to represent a star such as the Sun itself), and slings the searing object onto the target.

The Sol Blade is verifiably the best weapon in the game. Its 200 Attack is only beaten out by a Darksword's 210 Attack, but as that weapon's Venus-based Unleash doesn't multiply damage it does not compare to the Sol Blade in the long run. Its only competition among other weapons are the Masamune, Excalibur and Tisiphone Edge, all weapons that have Unleash effects that have the potential to multiply the damage done; while Excalibur and Tisiphone Edge may triple the damage done, the Sol Blade's Megiddo always scores triple damage, so it will always end up being in the player's inventory by the game's end because of its extreme power. A less significant advantage the Sol Blade has is that it is found in a chest, rather than as a random drop or forge, making it much more available over Excalibur or Tisiphone Edge.

To maximize the weapon's power, you can equip on an Adept a specific weapon setup that will increase the chance the weapon will Unleash Megiddo whenever its wielder launches a physical attack: The Sol Blade itself Unleashes Megiddo with a base rate of 35%. The Venus Adept can equip the Valkyrie Mail to add 20% to the Unleash rate to make it 55%. Then he can equip Riot Gloves to increase it by 20% more (as well as increase attack power somewhat), then equip a Mythril Helm to increase it by 12% more, and finally Hyper Boots to increase it by 12% more to make for an Adept that has a 99% chance of Unleashing Megiddo every time he attacks. This character becomes a complete powerhouse warrior that will help the party defeat the Doom Dragon final boss much quicker than otherwise and can fell most common enemies in one hit.

In the code for the original Golden Sun there exists the Sol Blade, including its item icon and its status as a Long Sword-class weapon artifact. During development the Sol Blade was apparently originally planned to be the game's "ultimate weapon", but was reserved for an appearance in the sequel and remains normally inaccessible to players of the first game without a hacking device that either grants the weapon directly or grants access to the game's Debug Room, where it can also be acquired. The Sol Blade in this incarnation has "???" as its item description and has no Unleash coded for it; it is merely a weapon artifact that increases base attack by 138, which is technically the highest attack rating increase in the original Golden Sun more than the "proper" recipient of that honor, the Gaia Blade's 135 Attack power. If this version of the Sol Blade is present in the party's inventory when the Golden Sun game file is saved as a Clear Data file, and the file data is transferred over to The Lost Age, the Sol Blade becomes its properly working, full-powered, Megiddo-unleashing self.

Long Swords in Golden Sun
Long Sword • Broad Sword • Arctic Blade • Claymore • Great Sword • Shamshir • Silver Blade • Muramasa • Gaia Blade
Long Swords in Golden Sun: The Lost Age
Storm Brand • Robber's Blade • Lightning Sword • Soul Brand • Cloud Brand • Hestia Blade • Huge Sword • Mythril Blade • Rune Blade • Levatine • Fire Brand • Darksword • Excalibur • Sol Blade