CHRONO CROSS GUIDE & FAQ
By ToastyFrog 
(Jeremy Parish - tfrog@camalott.com)
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REVISION 1.3.3
July 7, 2000
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PLEASE READ BEFORE USING THIS GUIDE:

This is the final revision of this guide prior to the US release of the game.
(Yeah, I know I said Rev. 1.3.2 was, but I noticed a couple of dumb mistakes.)
There are many, many minor corrections yet to be made in light of the many name
changes to the US version. PLEASE DON'T WRITE WITH ANY CORRECTIONS AT THIS
POINT. I do NOT want my inbox flooded with a million messages saying "Hey dude,
what's this Friction spell you mention? Shouldn't that say 'FreeFall' instead?"
or "U IDIOT U R SO STUPID POSHUL'S L3 ATTACK IS K9-BALL, NOT POSHURURURR OR
WHATEVER U SUXK!!!" So anyway, if you're using this guide (which I have written
out of my boundless love for each and every one of you) please have the
courtesy to wait until revision 2.0 before sending corrections.

I will do everything within my power to have this guide fully updated within a
week of Chrono Cross' official release (if you're playing a warezed copy,
please go die). In the meantime, I plan to play through the import version once
more to develop a thorough Bestiary (with enemy HP, skills and Pilfer items), a
Morph list, weapon upgrades guide, endings and so on and so forth. However, I
stress again that I need time to do this, so please don't pester me with
trivial corrections until I've had the chance to play through the US version.

Thanks for your courtesy.

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CONTENTS:

I. ABOUT THIS FAQ
II. ABOUT THE GAME
 A. KNOWN GAME DETAILS (PRE-RELEASE)
 B. GAMEPLAY SYSTEMS
  1. COMBAT
  2. MAGIC (ELEMENTS)
   a. CLASSES
   b. CUSTOMIZATION
  3. WEAPON UPGRADES
  4. FIELD EFFECT & SUMMONS
  5. COMBINATION ATTACKS
  6. THE MENU SCREEN
  7. AFTER THE BATTLE
  8. STATISTICS
 C. GENERAL GAMEPLAY TIPS
III. WALKTHROUGH - DISC ONE
 A. CHANGES FROM THE DEMO
 B. CHRONO'S MYSTERIOUS DUNGEON
 C. WE... ARE MEN... OF ARNI!
 D. THIS IS NOT MY BEAUTIFUL HOUSE!
 E. TO TERMINA... AND BEYOND!
 F. TERMINA DOGMA
 G(A). MANSION OVER THE HILLTOP - GUILE'S PATH
 G(B). STORMING THE GATES - PIERRE'S PATH
 G(C). INTO THE WOODS - NIKKI'S PATH
 H. MANIAC MANSION
 I(A). MISSION OF MERCY
 I(B). THE NON-MEDICINAL ROUTE
 J. INTO THE GREAT WIDE OPEN
 K. RECURSIVE LOOP
 L. OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE
 M. SAIL THE SEVEN SEAS
 N. INTO THE VORTEX
 O. FAMILIAR TERRITORY
 P. DRAGON QUEST VI
 Q. IN THE FLESH?
IV. WALKTHROUGH - DISC TWO
 A. THE THREE FATES
 B. CHRONOPOLIS
 C. ASHES OF MEMORIES
 D. THE STAR TOWER
 E. FINAL BATTLE
 F. NEW GAME+
V. CHARTS
 A. MAGIC
 B. COMBO ATTACKS
 C. WEAPONS
 D. ARMOR
 E. ACCESSORIES
 F. KEY ITEMS
 G. CHARACTERS (POSSIBLE SPOILERS!)
 H. MORPHS
 I. STOLEN ITEMS
 J. SOUNDTRACK LISTING
VI. FAQs
VII. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, ETC.
 A. REVISION HISTORY
 B. LINKS
 C. MUCHAS GRACIAS
  
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PART I: ABOUT THIS FAQ

The ultimate goal for this Guide is to be a comprehensive resource for the
game Chrono Cross in conjunction with my website (for the simple reason
that it's a little tough to use images and screenshots in a text-only FAQ). 
However, this Guide has a few limitations. One being that I can't read
Japanese, just English words written in Japanese alphabets. So while I can
tackle the systems pretty easily, I will have very little idea of the
actual story of the game, just vague guesses. So please, don't ask me
things like, "Hey, why did Serge deep-kiss Lynx at the beginning of
Disc Three?" or whatever, because I'm just as clueless as you.

This Guide may be distributed, reproduced, copied, folded, spindled or
cited, so long as you credit me and don't change the text. If you don't
like the way I write, feel free to create your own guide - all I ask is
that you respect my intellectual property and investment of time! This
Guide may NOT be distributed for profit, under penalty of, uh... death, or
something. Thanks. 

The most recent version of this document will always be available at
http://www.toastyfrog.com and http://www.gamefaqs.com. Please compare it to
the latest version before writing to me!

And finally, there are going to be spoilers in this Guide. If you don't
want to spoil the game for yourself, for crying out loud, DON'T READ THIS
GUIDE! You'd think that would be obvious, but then again some woman made
millions of dollars because McDonald's didn't tell her that coffee is hot,
so you can't be too safe these days.

Anyway, enjoy - I'm sure you're sick of my prelude, so here's the Guide.
  
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PART II: ABOUT THE GAME

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A. KNOWN GAME DETAILS (PRE-RELEASE)

Chrono Cross, as you hopefully know, is the sequel to 1995's extremely
successful uber-RPG Chrono Trigger. The game takes place 20 years after the
original... well, 20 years after the main time period, I suppose, making it
65,000,020 years after Ayla's time and about 979 years before the Day of
Lavos. Erm, anyway.

The battle system is similar to, yet shockingly different from, the system
in Chrono Cross. I'll get to that later; but another major difference is
the premise of the game. While Chrono Trigger focused on time travel and
the resulting paradoxes (as well as the malleability of the past - who
would have known that selling a piece of beef jerky would generate 20
generations of greed?), Chrono Cross focuses more on inter-dimensional
travel and the causes thereof. Not dimensions as in 2D and 3D (although CC
*does* make the jump from 2D to 3D), but rather parallel worlds and alternate
realities. So don't expect to hear Serge say, "Ich bin ein Flatlander!" On the
other hand, having seen those Evil Kirk episodes of Star Trek will probably
come in handy....

A few CT characters are known to be returning. First and foremost is Lucca,
whose presence was indicated by the sight of her home in flames at the end
of the Chrono Cross demo. It should also be noted that in the recent
Playstation rerelease of Chrono Trigger, new endings were added that
presumably lead in to Chrono Cross. Of particular note are the marriage of
Crono and Marle (why, Crono, why?!), the marriage of Ayla and wuss-boy Kino,
Frog's transformation back into Glenn and his subsequent knighting, and
Lucca's adoption of an orphaned child bearing a mysterious pendant.
Additionally, the Masamune Sword (aka Grandleon, for those playing the Japanese
version) was stolen in one of the new endings. Surely they wouldn't go to the
trouble of adding these new details unless they planned to DO something with
them, right?

The initial plot is based on a Super Famicom text adventure called Radical
Dreamers, which was briefly available by Satellaview (a dial-up
downloadable Super Famicom game service in Japan). In that regard, Chrono
Cross is more of a remake than a new game, with a plot centered on finding
a relic called the Frozen Flame, which can grant the ability to twist
reality according to the will of whomever holds it. Lynx (who is known as
Yamaneko in the Japanese version), an anthropomorphic cat in a Soviet military
dress uniform, appears to be the main villain. However, this is a Square game,
and Square games are noted for their plots twists; I imagine defeating Lynx
and acquiring the Frozen Flame are about as likely to be the ultimate goals of
the game as much as beating President Shinra was the goal of Final Fantasy
VII.

The game is being designed so that random battles are rarely necessary. Not
only can you see your enemies on screen to avoid them, but you can win the
game without spending much time leveling up (boss fights, of course, will
be necessary). No doubt people who take time to boost their levels will
blow through, but those who are tired of constant combat won't be penalized
for their reluctance to fight. Additionally, traditional experience levels
are not an element of this game; you earn status improvements a little at a
time after many battles, like in the SaGa games.

Small, piddling production details: the characters, for better or for
worse, are designed by Nobutero Yuuki. Yuuki also designed characters for
Record of Lodoss War, Seiken Densetsu 3 and more recently, Tail Concerto.
The prerendered FMV is being churned out by the amazing people who put
together Final Fantasy VIII's video sequences. Yasunori Mitsuda (composer
for Chrono Trigger and Xenogears) has written the music, which so far
sounds excellent. In fact, much of the Chrono Cross staff is comprised of
Chrono Trigger alumni, which really shows as you play the game.

B. GAMEPLAY SYSTEMS -------------------------

While I can't yet provide a lot of details on the game's story or events, I
do know a few things regarding the gameplay itself. Some of this is
guesswork, so please feel free to correct me if I say something stupid.

-- 1. COMBAT ---------------------------------

Neither turn-based nor active-time - what madness is this? Why, it's the
Chrono Cross battle system, of course.

Describing Chrono Cross' battle system is much easier with visuals, so if
this text is incomprehensible for you, check the charts I've made at
http://www.toastyfrog.com/ Anyway, here's my best effort at a text-based
description.

Chrono Cross has three numbers which indicate a character's battle status. 

  The first and most obvious is HIT POINTS, which determine who lives and 
  who dies. 

  The second number is the ELEMENT LEVEL. Rather than using Magic Points, 
  Chrono Cross Element use is determined by a histogram which rather 
  resembles the level displays on a stereo. Refer to the Magic section 
  below for more information.
  
  The third number is shown at the bottom of the character status 
  indicator, and that is STAMINA. Stamina determines who can attack, and 
  the number and power of their possible attacks at once.

Each character begins battle with his or her stamina at 7 (maximum), the
Elements at 0 (minimum) and with however many hit points are carried over
from previous battles. Because the game is not real-time like Final
Fantasy's Active-Time Battle system, you can stand and stare at your enemy
for as long as you want while you devise a strategy. 

What does determine the flow of battle is Stamina points. For each attack a
character launches, that fighter uses a set number of Stamina points.
Similar to Xenogears, a strong attack uses 3 Stamina points, a medium
attack uses 2, and a weak attack inflicts little damage but uses a paltry 1
Stamina point. But while a fighter's Stamina is being used up by physical
attacks, 2 things are happening. One, other characters (enemies and allies
alike) are recharging their own Stamina to prepare for an attack. Secondly,
the active character builds his or her Element Level for each successful
attack landed. A successful attack that costs 3 Stamina Points will add 3
Levels to the Element meter; but a 1-Stamina Point attack will only add a
single level to the meter. A strong attack that misses is a real waste -
not only do you lose 3 Stamina Points, but you earn nothing on your Element
Meter, leaving you more vulnerable. Using an Element attack drains seven
Stamina points - so if you have only 1 Stamina point left, an Element will
knock you out of combat for 6 ticks on the Stamina meter. Additionally, you
must have at least 1 full point of Stamina in order to initiate a move,
otherwise you must wait until enough combat "time" elapses to bring you up to
one Stamina point.

When you begin to attack an enemy, a small box opens that displays your
chances of landing a successful blow. With each successive strike, your
chances improve. Weak attacks are more likely to hit than strong attacks,
especially at the beginning. But as you score more damage, you will have
more success with strong blows. A 3-point attack may have only a 60% chance
of connecting at the beginning of a round, but after landing a few 1- or
2-point strikes, a strong attack may rise to 85% success or even higher.
Balancing your attacks is imperative.

However, despite the obvious advantage of consecutive strikes, you're not
required to strike only a single enemy per move. Nor are you required to
attack with the same fighter. At any time, you can switch your attacks to a
different foe; you may also choose to have a different character pick up
the attack. However, switching targets or fighters will destroy the
statistical advantage your successful attacks against an enemy may have
generated. But aborting attacks is the key to effective Summoning and
Combinations, rather like Xenogears' AP but less tedious.

Personally, I rarely use all 7 Stamina points for attacks. If I'm down to
one last enemy, I'll use my last Stamina point for an Element to end the
fight quickly. But if I'm up against multiple enemies, especially those
which use strong attacks, I'll use my last Stamina point to Defend and
reduce damage. Yes, that's right - Chrono Cross may be the first RPG ever
in which defending is not only useful, but something that can be done
frequently without bogging down the battle. Amazing but true! Defending
cuts physical attacks by as much as 2/3, so judicious defending is a wise
combat decision.

-- 2. ELEMENTS (MAGIC) -----------------------

Elements serve the role of Magic in Chrono Cross; a rose by any other name
kicks just as much butt. Like in Chrono Trigger, Elements are divided into
a series of classes. Additionally, spells have a power level to them which
can be enhanced or diminished depending on their placement in your magic
hierarchy.

-- a. CLASSES --------------------------------

This is fairly straightforward. Each spell is ranked in a category that
seems to match up with Chrono Trigger's system, with a few small changes.
Each character seems to have an Elemental affinity; while they can cast
spells of various kinds, it seems the spells for which they have the most
affinity will be more effective. For instance, Serge is White/Cosmic, Kid
is Red/Fire and Glenn is Green/Wind (in the demo he was Blue/Water, just like
Frog, but they wisely changed that for the final game).

 1. WHITE - This seems to be the equivalent of CT's Lightning magicl class. 
      Attacks are both energy-based (Holy, Laser, Photon) and physical 
      (Comet, Shooting). Also includes Recovery magic, like Revive.
 2. RED - Fiery attacks. Surprising, huh? Spells include Volcano, 
      Meltstone and the Salamander Summon.
 3. BLUE - Ice, water and healing. Spells include Flood, Ice Lance, and 
      Cure/Cure-ra. 
 4. GREEN - Air and nature-based attacks, such as Leaf and Tornado. Also 
      incorporates earth-based attacks, like Needle.
 5. YELLOW - This seems to encompass a number of different spells types, 
      really. Some of them are straightforward electrical attack spells, 
      like Lightning and ElectroJolt. Also, there seems to be a number of 
      earth-elemental spells here as well, such as Uplift.
 6. BLACK - The antithesis of White. As you might well imagine. This seems 
      to consist of complimentary versions of White Elements, such as Hell
      Laser, the yang to Laser's yin.
      
Elements exist in pairs - White and Black, Blue and Red, Green and Yellow.
Enemies with a certain elemental affiliation will be weak to its opposite
Element - a Green enemy will take more damage from a Yellow attack than from a
Blue or White attack. But Green elements will also damage a Yellow enemy in
turn. Furthermore, sometimes using spells of an enemy's type will actually
heal it (for instance, certain plants recover HP when hit with Green spells).
Use this to your advantage, but be aware that enemies aren't shy about
exploiting Elemental opposites either - I've noticed that enemies tend to go
after characters who are opposite to their own nature. 

Additionally, each element can inflict a certain status ailment on your party
or on enemies. An (*) indicates a condition that heals automatically after
battle. Each condition can be healed with Stock Elements of the same color.

GREEN:  Poison (saps HP - 1 HP for every battle increment)
        Cowardice (receive critical hits easily)(*)
BLACK:  Blind (hit accuracy % is cut in half)(*)
        Curse (Lose stamina when struck in battle)(*)
RED:    Burn (receive more damage in battle/on "damage zone" ground).
        Berzerk (characters attack randomly)(*)
YELLOW: Sprain (attack down/characters can't run while exploring)
        Dizzy (dodge rate decreases)
BLUE:   Frozen (characters are inactive for several turns)(*)
        Cold (Slow stamina recovery/hard to control in field)
WHITE:  Stamina Drain (characters exert additional stamina with each move)(*)
        Sleep (Character is immobile and vulnerable)(*)
 
-- b. CUSTOMIZATION --------------------------

The Element system is an interesting hybrid of other magic systems. It
resembles Suikoden and the original Final Fantasy in that each character
has a hierarchy of spells to use - Level One spells are weak, but can be
cast with only a single level built on the Element Meter in combat. Level
Five spells take five successful physical strikes to activate, but are much
more powerful than Level One spells.

However, what makes the Element system different from those terribly
limited games is that it's completely customizable, like Junctioning in
Final Fantasy VIII. By opening the status screen, you will have access to a
grid that allows you to switch around the Elements you find. Yep, magic in
this game is not learned but rather earned and found. The more you find of
a particular Element, the more frequently you can use it. 

Each spell slot on your grid can only be used once per battle, so you need
to use them with discretion. Choosing which Elements to take into battle
(should you equip 5 slots with Cure-ra, or focus more on heavy-hitting
attacks and eschew the curative Elements in favor of offensive spells?)
will offer many hours of tingly fulfillment for people who like to twiddle
with stats, but it's still simple enough a system not to be overwhelming to a
casual player.

An interesting note about Elements is that each spell has a basic power
level. If you put a Level 3 Element in a Level 3 slot, it will be at its
natural power. However, if you want to be able to cast that spell more
quickly, you can knock it down to a Level 1 slot; but, you will lose some
of that Element's power, which will be denoted by a negative number after
the spell's name (i.e., Tornado-2). On the other hand, you can crank up an
Element's power by dropping it into a higher level slot - so taking a Level
One spell like Cure to a Level 5 slot will yield Cure+4. Additionally,
there are non-Elemental items you can equip, such as curative tablets and
capsules. The possibilities are sickeningly immense. Some limitations apply:
Summons and high-level Elements like Tornado and Volcano can only be used by
characters who have an affinity toward those elements (i.e., Iceburg is only
available to Blue characters).

When you're equipping Elements, press the Triangle button to bring up a menu
with three choices. These allow you to organize your Element list by function
and color, which can make scrolling through the list MUCH easier.

As a small aside, casting Elemental attacks requires 7 Stamina points. So
if your Stamina meter is low, using an Element will knock it into a
negative number, forcing you to sit out a portion of the battle until your
Stamina builds back up.

-- 3. WEAPONS --------------------------------

As is becoming increasingly common in RPGs these days, you can't just run to
the store and say, "Hey! I'd like to buy Excalibur please!" Instead, you have
to build your weapons and armor, much like the system in Final Fantasy VIII -
or more specifically, like the barter system in Chrono Trigger's 65,000,000 BC
era. However, you don't have to keep trekking to the Hunting Grounds to find
your weapon components this time; rather, you find components during regular
combat and in chests all around the archipelago. You may then take those bits
and pieces to a forge, where you can have a smithy assemble them into new
parts. Old gear can be disassembled and the components salvaged; why sell an
old copper item when you can use the hard-to-come-by Carapace it's made from to
build a better Iron item? Another way to acquire components is to speak to a
trader, who will swap Elements for components (however, you cannot acquire the
"key" components in this manner). Those key components are:

- Ivory (Bone)
- Bronze (Copper)
- Iron
- Mythril (Silver)
- Denodoro
- Prism

Once you have items from a higher class, you can begin forging equipment of
that particular type. The best way to get ahold of better equipment is by
theft. Yes, I know your mommy told you that stealing is wrong, but so is all
the killing you do in this game; you're damned either way, so you might as well
make the most of it. 

However, it seems that even if you have, say, Denodoro items early in the game,
you can't actually use them until you pass certain points, which is when the
smiths learn more advanced forge techniques. So unlike Final Fantasy VIII,
where you could theoretically build Squall's most powerful sword as early as
Disc Two, the system here is more regimented.

Note on Prism weapons: Finding Prism equipment is terribly difficult. You will
only find one or two Prism items in the course of the game; the rest you have
to create on your own. For more info, please see the FAQs at the end of this
document.

-- 4. FIELD EFFECT & SUMMONS -----------------

As you fight, you will probably notice a little series of concentric
circles in the upper right-hand corner labelled "Field Effect." The Field
Effect Meter is affected by the natural terrain in which a battle
transpires and also by the Elements used during combat. 

Field Effect is the key to using Summons in the game - for instance,
Salamander can only be summoned when the Field Effect meter is all red
(i.e., three consecutive fire attacks have been used). This is more easily
said than done; if an enemy uses an Element of a type other than what
you're trying to build on the meter, it can screw up your efforts. And if
you're being beaten down mercilessly and have to heal, the Elements or
Items you use for healing will register on the Field Effect meter as well.
Therefore, expect Summoning to be a difficult and challenging affair,
requiring a bit of luck and a lot of good planning. Fortuntely, there are ways
to ease the Summoning process, but it requires the proper Elements and setup.

Additional notes: To summon a beast, you need to possess Stars. Your party
will earn Stars after certain events (such as whalloping a boss), but each
use diminishes your Star total, and you have to stay at an Inn to replenish
them. And this would seem obvious, but I get questions about it all the time:
to use a Summon, you MUST FIND A SUMMON FIRST. Just like in every other video
game in the history of the industry.

-- 5. COMBINATION ATTACKS --------------------

And of course, the combination attacks are back. These seem to combine
character's unique skills to enable attacks that are vastly more powerful
than a lone attack would be (unlike in Chrono Trigger, where combo attacks
were often less effective than solo attacks).

Combinations require two characters with compatible skills to have built
both Stamina and Element Levels to an appropriate degree. For example,
Serge and Glenn share a combination attack in the demo called X-Strike
(hey, just like Crono and Frog! Err... forget I said anything). For
X-Strike to be enabled, both Serge and Glenn need to build their Element
Meter to Level 3 so each can use their respective skills that form the
X-Strike combo. Additionally, they need to have at least 1 Stamina point.
When these prerequisites are fulfilled, either one of them can activate the
X-Strike by choosing his respective skill. You can see when they're ready,
because the name of the skill will change to X-Strike.

When using combos, switching between characters during a round is extremely
useful to help minimize Stamina depletion. Undoubtedly, there will be many
more combos to discover; hopefully more than one per character.

The combos link character-specific skills. Each character has a Lv.3, Lv.5 and
Lv.7 Elemental skill. With 40+ characters who have 3 skills apiece, with three
possible party members at a time, I think you can see the sheer possible
number of permutations, and why it's not necessarily easy to find them!

Interestingly, the combo attacks tend to have their own unique elemental
affiliation which has no relation to the skills which comprise the attack.
Using the X-Strike attack as an example again, the two components are White
(Dash&Slash) and Green (Dash&Gash). But when used together, they create
X-Strike, a Red skill.

-- 6. THE MENU SCREEN ------------------------

The menu screen functions rather like Xenogears' menus, except with more
options and polish. In the right hand corner is a small odometer; moving
the dial up and down allows you to access various functions.

From top to bottom, the menu functions are:

 STATUS
 ELEMENT
 EQUIP 
 ITEM 
 CUSTOMIZE
 FILE 

- STATUS: Allows you to examine the current status of your characters. 
  Press Action (Circle button) to toggle between statistics and equipment. 
  Note: press left when Serge is highlighted to bring up a list of all 
  characters in your party. You can view their status from the menu.
  
  The following are the meanings for the numerical statistics displayed on the 
  character status screen, from left to right, top to bottom (courtesy of 
  tennin):

  WARYOKU (Muscular strength)
  Affects the power of physical attacks.

  SEIKAKUSA (Accuracy)
  Affects the hit rate of physical attacks.

  MARYOKU (Magic power)
  Affects the power of magical Elements.

  TAIKYUURYOKU (Endurance)
  Affects defense against physical attacks.

  MIGARUSA (Agility)
  Affects evasion rate.

  KOUMA (Magic resistance)
  Affects defense against magical attacks.

  STAMINA KAIFUKURYOKU (Stamina recovery power)
  Affects rate of stamina recovery. This is the equivalent of speed. Ten is
  the base rate, but different characters recover at different speeds. For 
  every 10 points of Stamina Recovery a character posseses, their Stamina Meter 
  builds one point for ever point expended by another character. So a character 
  with a 12 Stamina Recovery rating will build up 1.2 points every time another 
  character launches a weak attack; meaning they'll build up to 6 Stamina 
  points in only 5 moves.

- ELEMENT: Use and equip Elements.
  - USE: Allows you to make use of Stock Elements such as Tablets and 
    Tears to heal between battles or power up.
  - EQUIP: Allows you to switch Elements around on your characters' grids.
    - DETACH: Allows you to remove all Elements equipped on a character. 
      Press right to bring up the option to detach Elements from the entire 
      party. Did I mention this Element system is a lot like Junctioning?
    - ATTACH: This option allows you to place Elements on a character's 
      grid automatically. I'm not certain how it determines which Elements 
      to put in various places, but it can save a great deal of time. Press 
      right to bring up a menu option to allow you to optimize the entire 
      party's Elements.
      
- EQUIP: Allows you to change a character's equipped items.
  - WEAPON
  - ARMOR
  - ACCESSORY
  
- ITEM: Allows you to view Key Items, such as the Heckran Bone and Komodo 
  Scales.
  
- CUSTOMIZE: Allows you to configure your settings to match your 
  preferences (thanks to tennin for help).
  - SOUND: (Stereo) Mono
  - WINDOW: (Default) Custom
    Allows you to change the style of your windows on-screen. I prefer the 
    default myself. You can find new window styles throughout the game (I 
    personally like Red Vision myself).
  - CURSOR POSITION - (Regular) Memory
    Regular defaults a menu cursor to its original location. Memory will 
    maintain the cursor position in menus and point at the most recent
    location when you open a menu again.
  - BATTLE ATTACK SELECTION - Manual (Auto) 
    When in battle, automatically advances the Attack cursor to the next 
    highest attack with and 80% chance or better of success.
  - CONTROLLER - (Normal) Custom
    Allows you to set your controller settings. You can adjust this as you 
    see fit, but I think the default is fine. Interestingly, it seems you 
    can set the "L3" and "R3" buttons to be Action and Cancel, which is a
    rare feature.
  - X-BUTTON ON - Run (Walk)
    Causes Serge and party to run or walk during exploration sequences by 
    default, and to toggle between the two by pressing X.
  - LEFT STICK SENSITIVITY - (Inactive) (Active)
    Active will allow you to switch between walk and run based on how far you 
    press the left stick. Inactive means you need to press X to switch.
  
- FILE: Choose to SAVE or LOAD a file. You can only save at certain points, 
  but you can load anywhere. A nice touch!

-- 7. AFTER THE BATTLE -----------------------

Once battle has ended, you will see a number of screens as a familiar tune
plays. The first screen displays any statistical improvements a character
has earned (since Chrono Cross has discarded regimented levels, characters
power-up in more frequent bursts of small increments). The second screen
gives you three options:
 
 - Replenish HP and status using battle Elements
 - Replenish HP and status using stock Elements
 - Do not replenish HP and status
 
The post-battle options are fairly intelligent. The first choice will
automatically use healing spells up to the Element level your characters have
remaining on their meter at the end of battle. So if one character equipped
with Recover+3 has his Element meter built to L.7 when combat ends, choice one
will cause this character to use Recover on the entire party automatically.
Choice two instead uses Elements like Tablets and Capsules to restore HP, and
is a useful option after a tough battle where your Elements are expended and
levels are low. Choice three simply lets you restore your HP at your own
discretion through the menu screen. Note: fallen characters cannot be healed
with option one or two; although "dead" characters automatically recover with
a single HP after battle, they do so after the auto-recover screen. So be sure
to use the menu screen to replenish the HP of anyone who bit the dust during
combat. The game will display the Elements you used for recovery; this DOES NOT
cause those Elements to disappear from your inventory (except consumables), so
don't be afraid to charge up after battle. Your Element levels don't carry into
the next battle, so there's no reason NOT to heal up.

After the recovery screen, you will receive a list of all the items you
have won during battle.

D. GENERAL GAMEPLAY TIPS ---------------------

-- 1. COMBAT ---------------------------------

Learning to make the most of Chrono Cross' battle system can be tricky; but as
you learn the game's strategies, you'll find there's a lot of flexibility and
strategy in the game. You COULD barrel straight ahead and annihilate
everything with your strongest attacks, but that won't always be the best
solution.

Remember that using an Element, no matter what level it is, requires 7 Stamina
points. If you knock your Stamina down to 1 and then cast a spell, you'll be
out 6 points. That's 13 measures of combat you'll have to wait before your
Stamina is full recharged, and 7 measures until you can even defend again.
Obviously, standing there helplessly against a tough enemy can be a very, very
bad idea. Learn to defend whenever you can! Defending only causes a single
measure of combat to advance, and it can cut the physical damage you suffer by
as much as 2/3.

Learning to balance attacks is especially important once you start acquiring
Level 7 & 8 Elements - even with the item that automatically gives you a
headstart to Level 1 on your Element meter, it will take more than just a
single turn (of 7 Stamina points) to boost Elements to 8 and cast a spell. A
good technique to use is to stop at 1 Stamina point and defend, then switch
back to the character who is building his Element meter once his Stamina has
risen a few points. While toggling between characters like this, it's a good
idea to have the character whose turn is being cancelled defend as well.

Another wise strategy is to assign a single character as a healer in tough
battles, and to keep that character's HP high and their Element meter boosted
as much as possible. This way if you're hit by a sudden strong attack, you can
switch right over to that character and heal immediately - an especially good
idea when facing multiple strong enemies. However, don't make that person the
only one who can heal! Be sure to give everyone healing Elements to be safe,
and try to have a good selection of single- and group-effect spells on hand. 

Revive spells are hard to come by; be sure not to give them all to a single
character, in case that one fighter gets taken out. A nice trick about Revive
is that the higher the slot it's placed in, the more effective it is. While a
Level 1 Revive spell will restore a fallen character to life with a few HP,
Revive+5 will restore that character as well as all or most of their HP. On
the other hand, you may not want to have to build five levels on your meter to
be able to restore a fallen character, especially if the one who fell was your
main healer or attacker, so placing Revive in a low-level slot can be smart as
well. Experiment and see what works best for you.

Of course, each Element has its opposite type; use this to your advantage.
Craft your party to respond to the threat ahead. For example: if you're going
up against a Red enemy, it's not always good to use a Blue character as they
will be more vulnerable (they'll suffer as much as 50% more damage per
attack). However, to use the really good Blue Elements, like Iceburg and the
Frog Summon, you NEED the blue character. So there's a trade-off for every
decision you make. And be careful not to rely too heavily on a single Element
color; an Anti- spell can totally seal off your access to an entire category,
making that character much less effective for the duration of the battle.

Fortunately, Chrono Cross isn't a terribly difficult game. But keeping these
considerations in mind will make the fights much easier, and you'll spend much
less time hanging on to life by a thread if you plan ahead. 
       
----------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------
PART III: WALKTHROUGH - DISC ONE

A. CHANGES FROM DEMO -------------------------

A number of elements, both major and minor, have changed between the demo
and final versions of the game. Here is a brief rundown.

- Fewer battles in first dungeon, and no boss encounter with Sidestep.
- Glenn no longer accompanies Kid and Serge; rather, a third party member 
  is selected apparently at random for the duration of the sequence.
- Kid and Glenn do not offer assistance in hunting down the Komodo 
  lizards.
- Serge's skill, HP and Element levels drop significantly between the 
  dungeon dream and waking up in his village.
- Treasures have been removed or changed in various places.
- Lazzuly no longer turns Serge away from Hydra Woods; instead it's some 
  random guy.
- The real battle theme and victory fanfare have been added, and much of 
  the music has changed in certain locations.
- Enemy levels have been reduced so they don't annihilate Serge.
- There's a second section of Arni Village, at its west end, where Radius 
  teaches Serge a lesson humiliation.
- The game doesn't end after talking to Leena on the beach.
- Battle load times have been abbreviated significantly.

B. CHRONO'S MYSTERIOUS DUNGEON ---------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Kid, Lazzuly
   (Note: "My Party" simply describes who went with me at various times, not   
   necessarily who is most effective. I've had a few people ask about this; 
   hopefully it is of use to you.)

This bit will be rather familiar to anyone who has played the demo. It's
the same area as the opening of the demo, but with the challenge sucked out
like a dog sucks the marrow from a bone. Slurp!

After an opening cinema which simply displays the Tower from outside (and
what a creepy Tower it is), Serge and Kid and a random character plucked
from the cast of thousands arrive in an elevator near the top of a dungeon.
It should be noted that I've seen many different characters here - i.e.
Poshul, Lazzuly, Mel and Orcha, and I'm sure if I tried it again I'd see a
different character. Each random person seems to have distinct dialogue (and
even dialect, although I can't really say since my knowledge of Japanese could
be inscribed on the head of a pin), which is probably causing Square's
translation team to stay up late at night weeping. (Although from the
screenshots I've seen, the US translation manages to imbue every character with
a great deal of personality.)

This area is pretty straightforward, since all the treasure boxes from the
demo are missing, the enemies are toned down, and the boss is in absentia.
Use this dungeon as an opportunity to familiarize yourself with combat, and
don't feel bad about using your most powerful spells, since you won't be
seeing them again for a while.

Head left from the elevator to check out your goal - a glowing pillar. Kid
gets ticked off that you can't just jump down, but it's not a problem,
really. Go back to the right and into the central chamber of the Tower and
work your way counter-clockwise around the room to the exterior. Continue
to work your way around and up; your ultimate goal is to reach the door in
the upper left-hand corner of the central chamber and throw the switch in
the room beyond. Once you've deactivated the beam of light, return to the
central area and walk to the hub in the center of the room. Press the
action button and you'll be transported outside and in front of a large
door. Walk up to the door and be creeped out by the freakish cinema...

C. WE... ARE MEN... OF ARNI! ----------------

-- 1. ARNI VILLAGE --------------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge

Items in this Area:

 - 200G (beneath bed)
 - Komodo Scales
 - Shark's Scales
 - Heckran's Bone (beneath restaurant bed)
 - Bone Helmet
 - Coral Motif Window
 - Laser
 - Tablet

The screen turns black and someone calls Serge's name. Is his mother? Or
maybe Jenova? Who knows. Anyway, it turns out that whole dungeon sequence
was a dream... which is a real shame, since Serge was about 4 or 5 times
more powerful in the dream than in real life. You'll find when you wake up
that you have only 50 HP and a mere three slots on your Element grid, as
opposed to being the beefy warrior tyke you were in the dream. Oh well.

After a yawn-and-stretch-and-try-to-come-alive bit, Serge is up and about
in his home. Be sure to grab the 200G stash under his bed; there's also a
Tablet hidden on the opposite side of Serge's room. You can rest at
any time by "talking" to the bed and choosing the top option. Once you're
satisfied with the state of your room, head downstairs where you'll meet
Maji (to whom I will refer to as Marge to avoid confusion with the word
Magi, which tends to show up in games like this). Marge reminds you to go
meet Leena-chan, which you should do... but there's no harm in exploring the
village first.

There are several points of interest in Arni. First off, head out of town
to the left, which will take you to the western portion of the village
where old man Radius will kick your butt in the name of training. Poshul is
also running around here with a little girl and can be recruited (see below).

Back in the main portion of the village, the fellow standing near the west
exit beneath the massive flopping fish will give you a Komodo scale if you
choose the second response option when you speak to him. The woman standing
in the depression to the east is a merchant; speak with her to make a
purchase. The top option is "Don't want to shop," the second option is
"Purchase Elements" and the third selection is "Purchase Equipment." Under
each option you have the choice to Forge (use found items to create new
equipment), Disassemble (break apart your current inventory to reclaim the
components necessary for making other items) or Sell (you can sell for 25% of
the cost of purchasing... ouch). Also, Equipment offers three choices: Weapon,
Armor or Accessory. You can search her pile of good for an Aztec-looking coral
motif window setting as well.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
 ELEMENT           PRICE(G)  EFFECT                          LEVEL
---------------------------------------------------------------------
 Tablet (x1)       10        Restore HP in or out of battle  1/0
                             Can equip 5 per slot (consume)  2/0
 Cure              100       Blue Element - single heal      1/7
 Fireball          50        Red Element - single attack     1/7
 Aquabeam          50        Blue Element - single attack    1/7
 Tear (x1)         15        Recovers Blue (consume)         2/0
 Detoxin (x1)      15        Recovers Green (consume)        2/0
---------------------------------------------------------------------
 
---------------------------------------------------------------------
  EQUIPMENT           PRICE (G)   TYPE         EQUIPPED BY
---------------------------------------------------------------------
 Ivory Dagger      40          Weapon          Ki
 Ivory Glove       40          Weapon          Po
 Ivory Vest        40          Armor           Se
 Ivory Armor       60          Armor           Se
 Ivory Helmet      40          Accessory       Se
---------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Beyond the merchant is a restaurant run by a large swarthy man. You can
chat with people inside (they mention things like Radical Dreamers and the
like) or admire the poster of Dynamite Dancer Mika. The back room of the
restaurant is guarded by an overly-friendly dog and contains an Ivory Helmet in
a trunk and a Heckran Bone under the bed (you remember the Heckran cave from
Chrono Trigger, right?).

Poshul can be recruited here by giving her the Heckran Bone. It can be tricky
to line up correctly with her, but just offer her the item and she'll join you
for a gleeful dose of butt-whuppin'. However, if you can hold off and not give
Poshul the Heckran Bone for now, you'll be able to recruit Leena AND Poshul
later. The choice is yours. (For information on how to recruit Leena, check
the "Characters" section towards the end of this FAQ)

Behind the restaurant is a boathouse where a fishmonger and a girl with an
affinity for Komodo lizards live. Show the girl the Komodo scale the
fisherman gave you if you want to earn her contempt; otherwise head to the
odiferous basement and talk to the fisherman, who will give you a shark's
scale pendant. You can give the Komodo scale to the girl outside the house
(or sell it for 1000 G); if you let her have it (first option), she'll give
you an Uplift Element in return.

Once you've done all the above, head to the docks at the north end of town,
where you'll have a pleasant chat with Leena. I think she rather fancies
Serge, except the little kids in town tease her to the point of distraction
about it. Serge, being the macho man that he is, volunteers to make a
necklace for her out of Komodo lizard scales. And not just any scales! If
you try to give her the scale that the fisherman gave you, she'll say, "No,
no! I want scales ripped from the warm corpses of lizards that you murdered
with your own hands!" Serge is whipped, so he heads out out of town to go
reduce the lizard population of the region.

-- 2. WORLD MAP --------------------------

When you'll leave town, you'll enter the world map, where Arni village is
pretty much the center of everything. To the east is Hydra Woods, where
some guy tells you it's dangerous to enter. Scratch that. To the north is a
valley, where soldiers tell you it's dangerous to enter. Hmmm. Northwest of
Arni is a small cliff, where a large stone overlooks the ocean... but to
get there you have to fight through a series of steaming geysers. The only
enemies here are Thundra Lizards and Beach Bums (which look like Nus from
Chrono Trigger but actually are pathetic wimps).

Items in this Area:

 - Heal
 - Bone (Item)
 
You can look at the stone on the cliff, but there's not much to see. Still,
this section offer a little extra combat, which means more G and
stat-boosting!

Once you've explored the world, head west to the small coral forest at the
tip of the land.

-- 3. LIZARD ROCK ----------------------------

Items in this Area:

 - Fireball
 - Silver Loupe (accessory)
 - Tablet
 - Ivory Helmet

Ah, the grotto. How we love thee. This part can be a bit confusing if you
don't know the goals (especially since, unlike in the demo, Kid and Glenn
don't appear to give you guidance), but the point is to catch, murder and
skin the three lizards. Conveniently, this area is broken into three
sections, and a lizard lives in each one. However, catching them will
require a little brain work.

The bottom right area (just head down from the entrance after pushing the
rock out of the way) features a lizard happily walking back and forth in
front of a small rock ledge. Running up to the lizard will cause it run
away in justified fear. However, to the left of the ledge is a fallen tree
that leads to the upper-right screen. Walk up this tree to the next screen,
then hang a 180 and head back down to the screen below by way of the rock
ledge. You will find yourself looking down at the happy lizard; when it
passes in front of the ledge, press the Circle button to leap on it and
attack. Be careful with the timing here; too early or too late will cause
it to run away. Now kill the lizard and take its precious hide. Jerk.

Be sure to knock the rock into the water at the far left of the screen to
claim the treasure chest and the accessory within (whatever it is, I can't
read the name) and then head up to the left section of the grotto. The left
section features the easiest lizard to catch, although the fact it doesn't
really require a gimmick might make the solution easy to overlook. Simply
chase the thing around and around in a counter-clockwise circle. Use your X
button if you don't have the controller set to auto-run. Again, when you
catch it you'll fight it and take its scales.

The left area also features a somewhat tricky chest to reach. Walk all the
way to the left edge of the area and look for a lump towards the center of
the outcropping. Pressing Circle will cause you to leap into the lump,
which is the entrance to a tunnel that will squirt you out at the top of
the waterfalls. Head back through the tunnel (guarded by a Beach Bum) to
snag some Tablets. Return to the action by leaping back into that...
sphincter... thingee.

Finally, head back to screen you started on where you should see a small
rock tunnel. Beneath the tunnel is the last lizard you must violate. Walk
around the rock formation (NOT through the tunnel - the lizard will run
away and you'll have to leave and come back to reset the screen) and the
lizard will scurry through the tunnel. No problem; walk to the large rock
and press Circle while standing at its left side. Serge will roll the rock
to block the tunnel. Now walk back up to the where the lizard fled and it
will try to escape through the now-obstructed tunnel. This is almost too
easy - just kill the thing and --

BATTLE: MAMA KOMODO

HOLY CRAP! It's a giant lizard! Looks like mama lizard's a bit pissed that
you've been practicing genocide with its babies. As soon as the baby lizard
bites the dust, the mother will appear (no chance for healing between
fights, sorry) and attack. It has some pretty powerful Elements, like
Aquabeam and Cold Breath. Hopefully you have 5 Tablets in your Level One
slot and at least one attack spell at a higher level (I would recommend
putting Fireball in the Level 3 slot, since the lizard is a Water Element).
Try and predict its attacks so you can defend when it uses Elements, and
keep your HP high. The Cold Breath attack can easily knock more than half
of your HP off, so play cautiously. Defeat the mama lizard and you will
receive not only the last lizard scale you need, but also some nice status
boosts and your very first Star for summoning. Not that you have any
Summons yet, but give it time.

Once you're through here, you can try to head back to Arni Village, but
Leena won't be there. Head to the beach to the west of the grotto instead
and she will meet you there. As she talks, that Jenova voice starts calling
to Serge and a weird energy surrounds him as a massive wave crashes against
the shore. Rather than panic and run, Serge does the manly thing and passes
out face-first in the sand with Leena nowhere to be seen.

D. THIS IS NOT MY BEAUTIFUL HOUSE! -----------

-- 1. LIZARD ROCK (ANOTHER) ------------------

Serge awakens when some random guy and his pet lizard kick sand at him.
Leena is STILL nowhere to be seen, and the random guy doesn't have much to
say about her. So Serge heads back the way he came... except now things
are... DIFFERENT (cue dramatic chord). 

Items in this Area:

 - Bone

Besides the new music that plays during the world map, there are weird
flying fish floating about the grotto. And there's a lizard guarding a
chest where a Beach Bum guarding a chest had been before. This chest simply
holds an ivory piece rather than an Element. But that's not a bad thing, as it
will allow you to create armor as you begin to develop a party.

The enemies seem to be a little more vicious now, but it should be nothing
that Serge can't handle. Watch out for the lizard on the rock outcropping - it
jumps on you just as you had done to the lizard before!

-- 2. WORLD MAP (ANOTHER) ---------------------

Returning to the World Map shows that not too much has changed since Serge
passed out, but the music is different. However, heading into the various
areas reveals a number of differences. For one thing, the guy in Hydra
Marsh no longer cares if you go in further, although the swamp water is
poisonous and will sap your HP... best to wait for now. The soldiers in the
valley are different, and still tell you to kiss off. But you'll definitely
want to take a trip to the geyser area.

Items in this Area: 

 - Ivory Item
 - ElectroJolt (Element)
 
Besides housing the extremely useful ElectroJolt (your very first Yellow
Element! Cherish it), the geyser area is significant because of the rock
outcropping on the cliff, which contains a depressing inscription. Anyway, now
that you've gotten a feel for this strange new world, you should head home. So
to speak.

-- 3. ARNI VILLAGE (ANOTHER) -------------

Arni Village is really, REALLY different. Instead of being littered with
dead fish scraps, it's festooned with flowers. In my opinion, this is an
improvement, but I can see how it would be disconcerting for Serge. Head
into the first building, which is no longer a restaurant but a flower shop.
The Dynamite Dancer Miki poster has been replaced with a poster of Nikki, a
rock star, which is being swooned over by a woman. The overall macho
ambience of the store has been transformed into a flowery sort of cheer.
Although the girl who used to be a disgruntled waitress now seems to be a
disgruntled flower girl (and no wonder; flower girls have rotten luck in
Square games). There are items in the back room once more, but the chest
which now contains a Tablet is hidden behind a curtain.

Behind the flower shop is the home of the fishmonger - although his
basement is no longer used for cutting and scraping fish, but rather as a
shrine to the one, the only LUCKY DAN! Whatever has happened to Arni is
strange, but extremely cool. You can try giving him the Shark's Scale (use
the Square button to bring up the Key Items menu, then press Circle to
select it); however, he refuses it.

The area of town to the west is quiet, and Radius and Poshul are nowhere to
be seen. And Serge's house is... different. Besides the fact that Marge is
nowhere to be seen and the cats have been swapped out for dogs and the
overall feel is a bit more claustrophobic, Serge's bedroom is now occupied
by a lizard that charges him 100G to sleep. Talk about a blow to the ol'
self-esteem. On the plus side, you can find a Bomber Element at the far
left of Serge's room - walk behind the foreground clutter and press Circle
to retrieve it.

When Serge leaves his house, a woman walks in and demands to know what he's
doing there. He asks where Marge is, but the woman doesn't know and claims
(I think) to have lived there for 10 years. At this point I'd be a little
dejected. Luckily one thing hasn't changed - Leena is still hanging out at
the docks, watching the kids swim. Alas, Leena doesn't recognize Serge and
says (I cheated here and confirmed this with the spoilers at
www.thegia.com) that Serge died 10 years ago, and doesn't seem to
appreciate Serge's claims to be, well, Serge. Even offering her a lovely
lizard scale won't turn her callous heart.

E. TO TERMINA... AND BEYOND! -----------------

At this point, you have two options. You can try to cruise Hydra Marsh
or you can go visit the monument on the cliff again.

The correct answer here is "the monument"; however, there are some good
items to be found in the swamp, and the enemies are easy to deal with in
the opening area, so I recommend a side tour through the swamp before
advancing.

-- 1. HYDRA MARSH PART 1 ---------------------

Items in this Area:

 - Leaf (element)
 - ElectroJolt (element)
 - Survey Group Gear

The first thing you will notice in Hydra is that the water is poisonous.
Walking in the water will take off a hit point or two with every step. This
is a Bad Thing, as there's an awful lot of water in the marsh. Fortunately,
you don't have to suffer for long - walk up to the swaying plant to the
left of the man at the entrance and hit Circle, which will cause it to
lower and provide a shortcut for you. Now head left off the screen and
you'll walk along a massive fungal growth high above the swamp. There are
no enemies in this bit, so it's quite straightforward; just head up and
hang a right at the Save Point (the little glowing blue pyramid that
appears midway up the fungal stalk - there was one in Arni inside what
used to be Radius' house as well). When you get to the top, you will meet
two men - but be sure to grab the ElectroJolt element first. Speak to the
first man, the one in purple, and choose the first option. He will give you
a key item called Protective Gear, which will keep the marsh's poisonous
water and gasses from harming you. And you don't even have to equip it!
Better yet, it works like Final Fantasy VI's Diving Helmet and one set
works for an entire party! I love video game logic.

Head back down the stalk and into the main swamp area. You can travel
through the water without suffering damage, but be sure to check your HP
before every instance of combat - many of the enemies use poison in battle.
You should also buy 10 or 15 Detoxins from Arni Village (15G, bottom
choice in the buy/elements menu) to clear up any poison status you acquire
in battle. The only two enemies you'll encounter for now are some insects
which can hit for 15-24 HP as well as some passive-aggressive plants. Be
sure to take out the insects first, because they attack actively, and
because the plants have a dying counter attack which hits you with poison
and about 30 HP damage! You can avoid combat if you like, but you can earn
some extra cash this way if you need it, as well as some random Elements
(I've won several Wind-based elements here). Just be sure to heal after
combat.

Head up and grab the Leaf Element in the chest at the top left corner of
the screen. The walk to the right and you'll see two plants guarding a
treasure chest... unfortunately, they're up an unpassable slope. Head back
to the left and up off the screen and you've gone about as far as you can.
There's a bending plant here, but it's a little resilient and snaps back,
injuring Serge and making this route unpassable. 

-- 2. CAPE HOWL -------------------------

If you head back to the cliff where the rock monument was before, you'll
see the sun is setting. Head up past the geysers, collecting any treasures
you may have passed up before, and examine the monument. Serge bends to
look more closely at it, and sees it is in fact... his tombstone. Talk
about creepy.

Apparently, though, some people have a thing against adventurers who pull a
Huck Finn and show up at their own funeral. Or was that Tom Sawyer? Anyway,
a fellow named Karsh and his bumbling henchmen Peppor and Solt (what is UP
with games/anime and food names, anyway?) appear and try to accost Serge.
But they stop in their tracks when a voice from behind mocks them.

Pan over to reveal Kid, looking VERY nice in the twilight. Kid joins
Serge in standing against Karsh and co. and of course, a fight commences. 

BATTLE: KARSH, PEPPOR, SOLT

This is a pretty simple battle, as Peppor and Solt are dismally weak. Kid
is also sort of spindly and ineffectual as a fighter, but she has some
pretty handy magic. Take out the henchmen first as they sometimes use
status-affecting magic. Then focus on Karsh, who is a bit more formidable.
Be sure to use your last Stamina point in each attack sequence for Defense
(unless you use an Element), because Karsh has a special attack called
Dragon Ride in which he mounts a dragon steed and charges for serious
damage. Still, caution is the word of the day, and you should win without
any serious difficulty. Victory brings many spoils: another Star, a new
Level Two slot on your Element Grid, an Ivory Axe, an Ivory Vest and an Ivory
Helmet. Also, you join with Kid, whom you can name. Now you have an RPG party!

You'll return with Kid to your "house," where a short conversation ensues
and Kid gives you the Tele-Porter, which allows you to swap active party
members on the world map (but at this point, you have a two or three-member
party, so there's no one to swap out).

NOTE: if you're trying to recruit Leena, you should refuse Kid three times
(second option) until she goes away. You'll meet with her soon enough.

-- 3. FOSSIL VALLEY ------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Kid

At this point, you will be allowed to pass into the Valley to the north of
Arni. There are a few enemies here, although nothing totally lethal, if
you know what to do (and what not to do). 

Items in this Area:

 - Heavy Skull (key item)
 - Big Egg (key item)
 - Bellflower (key item)
 
Near the entrance is a battle with three Pig Babies, which is utterly
baffling... they seem to attack one another, but not the party. When the
mother Pig is around, they'll focus on you, but when it's just babies they're
more likely to fight one another. Beyond that is another guard blocking a
ladder; choose the first option when you speak to him and he'll step aside. Up
the ladder is a massive fossilized dinosaur skeleton. A strange little talking
skull painted to look like a clown is hiding in the dragon's skull; choose the
first option and it will hop into Serge's inventory. The skull's name is
Skelly, and it wants a body. This becomes one of your sidequests. Back down
and to the left is a bone ladder going down; a soldier will speak to you when
you mount the ladder, although I have no idea what he's saying. Hopefully not,
"Don't kill the bird down there, or you'll burn in hell," because I killed the
bird down there. 

This is your first encounter with a Niwatrice, which are terribly annoying
creatures. They hit pretty hard and have high defensive ratings, but most
frustrating is that they respond to Element attacks with a brutal
counter-blow that kills a character in a single hit. So please, don't use
Elements against them, unless you enjoy dying. Defeating this creature will
allow you to take its Big Egg, another key item. I feel kind of sleazy for
having killed it, but what can you do? Between this and the Komodo Lizards,
Serge is on a crusade to offend PETA, it seems.

Climb back up the ladder and head around and up the path. You can fight the
enemy there or simply bypass it and take the Bellflower (yet another key
item) at the edge of the cliff. Once you've looted the area, head back down
to the lower sections and travel to the left of the bottom path. You will
encounter Peppor and Solt once again (what's an RPG without wacky
recurring enemy fops? Scorpion Army, we salute thee).

BATTLE: PEPPOR, SOLT

Another fight that's nothing to be worried about. I think this is more an
in-game tutorial than a battle; these guys talk about elementary Elements, and
then use them - mainly status-affecting Elements at that. You can see their
exemplary examples of Element types, or just beat them down in a hurried hurry.
Winning will earn you the Element "Uplift," a third Star, a second slot on
your Level Three Element grid, and a unique skill (e.g., Serge gets Dash
Attack and Kid learns Steal, which as you might suspect allows you to steal
from enemies). These skills are not Elements per se, as they seem to be
inherent abilities and are marked with a Yin-Yang symbol and cannot be
exchanged or un-equipped. However, using them does affect the Field Effect
meter. Head out the exit and return to the world map.

F. TERMINA DOGMA ----------------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Kid, Lucky Dan

Passing through the valley of dragon bones opens up a new area of the
world map for you; additionally, you can pass back to the Arni area
without having to enter the valley again. I would recommend doing just
that; now that you have Kid, you can get your third optional party
member: the one, the only... Lucky Dan! Oh wait... in English his name is
"Mojo." Oh well - whenever you see the name "Lucky Dan," think "Mojo." Or
better yet, when you're playing Chrono Cross and see the name "Mojo," think
"Lucky Dan." Or "LuckyD" if it must fit into the proper space. I've got too
much work invested in the name Lucky Dan, so bear with me - I don't feel like
changing it to Mojo everywhere.

Finding Dan is pretty simple - he's in the basement that belonged to the
fishmonger back in the reality Serge came from. Lucky Dan is actually an
idol to a dark god of some sort. Examine the doll and speak to the young
man who seems to spend his entire life contemplating this evil effigy. Use
the Square button to hand the Shark's Scale (pendant) to the boy, who will
extemporize on it and hand it back to Serge. If you did this right, nothing
will happen until you try to leave... and then, Dan will come to life,
proclaiming himself a messenger of God. "Lucky, Lucky, Lucky Dan! Go, go!"
Let him join the party and name him as you see fit. Dan isn't particularly
powerful, but some of his secondary ratings are excellent - two to three
times as high as Serge's. Also, he's quite amusing in combat.

And now, back to the story. The only real option you have now is to go to
the city of Termina. The eastern woods are blocked by a burly knight named
Zoah, and the gates of the mansion are impassable. So head to the western
shore and enter Termina.

-- 1. TERMINA SQUARE ------------------------

NOTE: The actions you choose here will affect the path the story takes. I
recommend Guile's path; it's easy to find, and Guile is an extremely powerful
fighter and mage. But if you want more of a challenge, skip down to section
6(B). If you want the scenic route, scroll ahead to 6(C).

Termina is a large, bustling town with festive music... sort of like Aveh,
but without the grating slowdown. When you enter, you will witness a scene
involving Glenn, a young man seeking Bellflowers. How convenient that
you managed to snag that Bellflower back in the valley, eh? Since the
flower shop is sold out of Bellflowers, Glenn goes away empty-handed; but not
before mentioning Karsh, causing Kid to have a brainstorm and connect two
plus two to get four. 

Note - if you chose to recruit Leena, you will need to travel to the top of
the city and view the statue of Viper where Kid will join you before you can
advance any further in the game. At any rate, examining the statue of the
general is the "trigger point" for the next bit of the game; the person you
talk to next and accept into your party will be your companion for some time to
come.

************************************************
***************** BRANCH POINT *****************
************************************************
   
At this point, the game offers you three paths, depending on your next
action. If you go to the west docks first and speak with Miki, you will go
down Nikki's path. If you go east and back to the rear area of town, you will
go down Pierre's path. And if you head straight to the Bar, you will meet
Guile.

Before you hunt for Glenn, though, take a look around town. There's plenty
to do here, such as stop at the Inn at the lower level, or visit Lisa at
her Shop. There are a few new Elements for sale here, so have a look. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------
 ELEMENT           PRICE(G)  EFFECT                          LEVEL
---------------------------------------------------------------------
 Tablet (x1)       10        Restore HP in or out of battle  1/0
                             Can equip 5 per slot (consume)  2/0
 Tear (x1)         15        Recovers Blue (consume)         2/0
 Aura (x1)         15        Recovers Red (consume)          2/0
 Detoxin (x1)      15        Recovers Green (consume)        2/0
 Disperse (x1)     15        Recovers Yellow (consume)       2/0
 Cure              100       Blue Element - single heal      1/7
 Heal              100       Green Element - single heal     2/6
 Fireball          50        Red Element - single attack     1/7
 Bomber            80        Red Element - multi attack      2/6
 Aquabeam          50        Blue Element - single attack    1/7
 Ice Lance         80        Blue Element - single attack    2/6
 Leaf              50        Green Element - single attack   1/7
 Air Saucer        80        Green Element - single attack   2/6
 Uplift            50        Yellow Element - single att.    1/7
 ElectroJolt         50        Yellow Element - single att.    2/6
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Be sure to buy several Auras and Disperses, as you probably will be
stricken with those particular status ailments soon enough. Lisa also
offers you a ticket to Nikki's upcoming concert if you examine the
ubiquitous Nikki poster in her shop. Alas, she realizes that she is out of
tickets if you accept the offer. 

At the top of the Square is a statue of Viper, who seems to be the man in
charge of this region. Kid initiates a conversation; whatever it is, you can
choose an affirmative reply (top) or negative (bottom). I don't know what
effect this has on events.

To the left of the main square is a carnival celebrating some 100 year
anniversary or another in Termina. Unfortunately, you can't get in for now.
You can also mosey up a pink stairway to see groupies standing around
Nikki's residence - he's like the Ricky Martin of Chrono Cross. However,
you can't get past the throng of swooning fangirls, but you can meet Dynamite
Dancer Miki in the dressing room below (please note that speaking to Miki
before Pierre or Guile will initiate the Nikki story branch).

To the right of the main square are a number of items of interest. Head up a
screen to see a house which seems to be Glenn's residence (be sure to bring
Lucky Dan along to examine the practice dummy in the yard for an amusing
scene; if you bring Poshul, she'll exchange a barking match with the dog
outside the dojo), but he is currently away (keep looking!). To the right of
Glenn's place is a smithy run by a man named Zappa, who dislikes being
disturbed while forging. If you've found any interesting items while
traveling, you can have your weapons upgraded here... but most likely, you
will need to explore new areas and defeat new enemies to acquire useful items.
The back room of Zappa's shop is occupied by Pierre, who likes to spice up his
dialogue with English but is too busy admiring himself in the mirror and
complaining about his lost badge to join your crusade (please note that
speaking to Pierre before Miki or Nikki will intiiate the Pierre story
branch).

At the end of this area is a mansion where an artist named Van lives.
Van and his father don't seem to get along too well, but isn't that
what being a teenager's all about?

To the right of this section, past the fortune teller's tent, some children
are gathering to watch a demonstration when a street punk named Korcha
scares them away and leaps to his boat below. Work your way further right
and then down to follow him. When you get to the next area, you'll see
Korcha by his boat but won't be able to reach him. Head counter-clockwise
around the pond beneath the shack and trigger the event with Glenn and
Riddle. Glenn wishes to commemorate the death of his father and brother (I
think); give him the Bellflowers you acquired in the valley and he'll
place them at the memorial. If you don't have the flowers, he and Riddle
will simply pass you by after speaking. The two will disappear beneath the
shack. If you follow them, you can speak with Korcha, who seems
unimpressed with Serge.

Now, choose your story path. They all converge after the mansion event, but
the details and path will be different depending on who you take with you.

G(A). MANSION OVER THE HILLTOP -----------------
----- GUILE'S PATH -------------------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Guile, Lucky Dan

Head back to the Bar and speak to Guile again. This time he will join your
party; this is a very, very good thing. Guile is an excellent magic user,
plus his attacks are extremely powerful, despite his fey appearance. His
Strong attack hits all enemies simultaneously, and his unique skill, In
Body, is almost abusively damaging (and downright painful to watch). Now
backtrack once more and chat with Korcha. This time, Guile will persuade
Korcha to lend use of the boat, which can hold only four people. So off
you go to do the ol' attack-from-behind maneuver.

Korcha takes you to the cliffs behind the mansion, where you can sneak in
without worrying about those pesky gates. Unfortunately, a guard spots you
and begins flinging boulders at you. Quite a strong lad, he is.

-- 1. OVER THE HILL -------------------------

Items in this Area:
 
 - Heal (element)
 - Laser (element)
 - Shooting (element)
 - Tablet
 - FreeFall (element)

The boulders that fall hit the party for 10 HP per character, so be sure to
heal before entering battle if you are struck. There are two kinds of
enemies on the cliffs - round bat-like things called Devitts, and round
baskets with mysterious creatures inside, called Nestors. The Nestors are
hard to avoid, as they ambush you while you climb. Neither enemy poses a
great challenge, but they do offer decent power-up opportunities, so be
sure to battle a few.

From the bottom of the cliff, you can go one of two ways. I'd start by
going right across the shallows, and up. Head to the far left and climb to
the chest which contains a Heal element. Be careful of the geyser - if your
party leader gets hit, you will be washed down to the screen below. This is
bad, if you're climbing up. However, once you've gotten the Heal chest
above, let the water blow you to the screen below, which allows you to
access a chest with a Laser element inside. This will probably be your
first White element; I would recommend giving it to Serge, since he has
the highest White affinity. Climb back down to the lowest level with the
hanging moss and begin climbing the cliff, this time on the left side.

This section is a bit complex to explain in text, so here's a rundown of
where the paths lead.

 Second screen up: Right to Tablet; left to dead end; middle to Third 
                   screen.
 Third screen up:  Left to Shooting; right to dead end; middle to Fourth 
                   screen.
 Fourth screen up: Left to FreeFall, middle to dead end; right to top.
 
At the top of the cliff, you will be accosted by several soldiers. This
should be an easy fight; unfortunately, the soldiers also manage to
irritate some bird men who will give you the first truly challenging fight
of the game.

BATTLE: ACACIA SOLDIERS

Just be sure to defend after your attacks until you thin the ranks a bit,
then use your elements. Victory will yield a Star.

BATTLE: SKARF, WINGAR, WINGEL

Is it just me or do these names sound like something from Thundercats?

Skarf is a real pain here, so be careful. He uses status-boosting skills on
himself at the start of the fight to improve his strength. It's imperative
to defend constantly! He can launch multiple strikes in a single turn, just
like your party members, making him very dangerous if you leave your
defenses open. Your first instinct might be to tackle his henchmen first,
since they can inflict status conditions and have less HP than Skarf.
However, this actually is a bad idea; when Skarf fights alone, he uses a
truly nasty spell on the party called Graviton. It can kill a party member
in a single hit, which is not good... so you want to avoid being hit by
Graviton. Use your best attacks on him, especially Guile's In Body, which can
hit for nearly 100 HP and is by far your most powerful skill. Play
cautiously, keeping your HP above 50 at all times in the event that Skarf
gets means and uses Graviton (he tends to cast it twice consecutively,
leaving you with two seriously wounded characters). Your well-earned
victory here gives you another Summon Star (bringing your total to 5) and a
new Shadow element, Heavy Blow.

When the battle is complete, you will sneak into the manor.

G(B) STORMING THE GATES ---------------------
---- PIERRE'S PATH --------------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Kid, Pierre

If you think a butt-kicking mage like Guile makes the game too easy - or
maybe you just think Guile is too macho - you can follow this alternate game
path. Start by entering Termina and going to the right. The take the path
up, to the Smithy. Enter Zappa's Smithy and walk into the back room to
speak with Pierre. Exit Pierre's room through the exterior door (not back
into the Smithy) and speak to the kids in Glenn's house once or twice. Exit
Glenn's house and speak to the children in the yard. The boy in red should
give you a Key Item - a badge with a crest on it. Give that to Pierre and
he will join your party. If you give it to Pierre after speaking to
Korcha, Korcha will disappear. If Pierre joins before the Korcha event
on the bridge, once you trigger it, Korcha will simply boat on past the
shore by the shack and you'll never meet him.

Refer to the Termina Square info above for a breakdown of the city.

Once Pierre is in your party and you're ready to enter the manor, return to
world map. The woods are still blocked by Zoah, but that's OK. Pierre's a
flamboyant type - so this calls for a frontal assault. Walk up to the
guards at the front gate of the manor; Pierre will introduce himself and
ask to be let inside. The guards are not impressed. Pierre seems
nonplussed, but Kid makes a comment and offers some suggestions - choose
option 1 and battle the guards. Victory will net you a Star.

Once you've opened the gate, Peppor and Solt will accost you... but this
time, they've brought a friend. A massive, dangerous friend named Rutovibi
who starts the battle by hitting your party leader for about 600 HP.
Yipe... Peppor is considerate, though, and revives your fallen character.
Your best bet is to take out Rutovibi first; when Peppor or Solt become
critical, he grabs both of them and uses them to attack the party, which
will almost certainly knock out the member targeted. On the plus side, that
attack also wipes out Peppor and Solt. The real challenge of this battle
is that Pierre is pathetic - his strong attack is about as powerful as
Serge's weak attack. His special skill is to use his badge to restore a few
HP, but it only works on himself. He's not terribly inspiring. 

However, if you can overcome Rutovibi's muscle and Pierre's lack thereof,
you'll be in the mansion. Pierre recommends hiding until night, which the
party does. You will enter the mansion through the front, but you'll still
need to get the key from the stables. (Skip to Part H)

G(C). INTO THE WOODS ------------------------
----- NIKKI'S PATH --------------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Kid, Nikki

This sequence begins at the large ocean liner parked next to the Carnival
area in Termina. Make it your first stop; enter the lower door on the ship
and speak to the girls twice. Exit, then return and speak to the manager.
Miki will enter the room, being a prima donna celebrity I suppose. Reply to
her query with the top response and she will run away. 

-- 1. SHADOW CUT WOODS ----------------------

Items in this Area:
 
 - Air Saucer
 - Uplift
 - Heal
 - Pink Bag (Key Item)
 - Shoulderblade Bones (Key Item)
 - Memento (Key Item)

Refer to the previous section for details on the layout of Termina.
However, you will not be able to find Guile or Korcha or Pierre after
meeting Miki. Do whatever you need to accomplish in the city, then exit to
the world map and head to the eastern woods. Zoah no longer will be
standing in the way, so you can pass through here to get to the mansion. 

Inside the forest, you'll quickly notice several strange blob creatures of
various shapes. These are land octopi, although you won't be able to get
them to move simply by talking to them. Make a note of where they're
located and which colors are where. Your more immediate concern is on the
fellow in the pond on the second screen. If you take the lower path around
the pond, he'll be surrounded by the creatures of the forest and leap over
them to safety, fleeing to the next screen. Grab the Air Saucer from the
chest above the pond and the Uplift element from the chest at the bottom
left of the area, then follow the man.

In the next area, the fellow you're chasing runs into a party of Tengu. You
can help him out by running up behind the Tengu if you wish.

BATTLE: TENGU (x3)

An interesting battle. This begins with Nikki, the man being chased by the
Tengu, fighting them off single-handedly. Once everyone has made a few
moves, your party will be allowed to attack. These guys are really easy,
especially if you have multiple-effect Elements like Bomber. As with most
of these fights, you will earn a Star for your victory (no matter which
path you take, you'll always net two Stars by the time you arrive at the
mansion). You'll also earn a couple of Uplift elements.

Nikki isn't terribly friendly - his way of thanking you for his rescue is
to run off and disappear behind a small waterfall. Chase the dope and
you'll find he's accidentally blundered into a dead end. Speak to him and
choose the first option both times - he'll join your party. I'm guessing
that he's hunting for Miki, but I can't say for sure. Anyway, he'll join
up. I would rank him somewhere between Pierre and Guile in terms of
usefulness. His attacks and magic are stronger than Pierre's, but nowhere
near as powerful as Guile's. He also looks pretty goofy in battle, but hey -
handbangers need love too. Be sure to take the Pink Bag in the cave... I'm
sure it will come in handy at some point. Also, read the note, which will
enable you to proceed to the next step in your goal of reaching the
mansion.

Now it's time to put the forces of nature to use. You need to move past
this area, but unfortunately the egress is being blocked by a large plant.
Luckily, it's a very hungry plant. Even more fortunately, its diet consists
of land octopi - convenient, considering you saw some on the way in. The
only question is how to convince the land octopi to become scooby snax. In
a stroke of sheer fortune, the land octopi enjoy eating the little friendly
spore-blobs that the spiky bushes in the forest release. To make this work,
you have to grab the Aroma Pouch from beneath the waterfall - this will allow
you draw the spore blobs away from the bushes and toward the land octopi.

The rub here is that octopi will only eat spore-blobs that are the same
color as themselves. Go up to each bush and press the Action button; it
will release a spore-blob of a specific color which will then follow behind
your party like a puppy. Walk in front of each land octopus with a
spore-blob that matches its color in tow and the octopus will follow you.
Move quickly, or the octopus will eat the spore-blob and lose interest in
you. Play pied piper here until you've led all three octopi to a crunchy
death at the jaws/mandibles/petals of the big path-blocking plant (don't
forget the blue plant beneath the waterfall).

Once the plant is sated, talk to it. Kid will threaten it, but instead of
fighting it will simply shrink down and allow you to pass, plus it will
give you a new window setting, the strange but amusing Skull motif.

Note: it's possible that you only need to lead the orange octopus to the
plant. Try it and see.

The last section of the forest is brief, but significant. You will be
accosted by Zoah, a knight of the Acacian army, as well as by wacky
funsters Peppor and Solt. 

BATTLE: ZOAH, PEPPOR, SOLT

Solt begins this battle by trying to summon a Golem... unfortunately for
him, the Field Effect isn't all Yellow. This won't be a difficultly
difficult fight; focus on Zoah first, and try to take him down before he
uses his Dragon Ride attack. The enemies will go pretty easy on you in the
first few rounds, so you might as well use your best element attacks right
away. As the battle wears on, try and predict some of the attacks
(especially once Peppor uses High Muscle on himself to boost his strength;
that's when he starts using special charge attacks).

Zoah runs away in disgrace at the end of the fight, although nothing is
shown of his sidekicks. Doubtlessly that won't be the last of them. You'll
win a Star here, as always, as well as Uplift and Ivory Mail. Grab the Heal
Element in the chest by the tree and duck beneath the tree's roots.

-- 2. THE ROOT OF YOUR TROUBLES -------------

Items in this Area:

 - Bomber

This section is brief and straightforward, but you'll probably end up
engaging in more battles than you would like thanks to the numerous quick
enemies and narrow maneuvering space. Grab the Bomber in the chest behind
the roots, and then run ahead to the cave in the distance.

You'll encounter a line of running bugs here (this reminds me of the
teenagers where I live who drive around Sonic's parking lot on weekend
evenings... scary). Coupled with the fast flow of water, these bugs will
make the area unpassable. Unless of course you take care of the problem at
its source and staunch the bug flow. Climb the overhang parallel to the bug
flow and fight the Lifeless next to the boulder. When the monster is gone,
you can roll the boulder in front of the hole that's ejecting insects. Now
you can wade upstream without molestation. 

There is a seemingly inaccessible chest above the path on a small alcove
(you will be able to reach it later in the game), and a tunnel leading into
the back of the cave which connects to a well. When you arrive in the well
shaft, the party will automatically climb the vine clinging to the back wall.
This will lead you to the mansion yard.

H. MANIAC MANSION ---------------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Guile, Lucky Dan

You will arrive at the mansion one of three ways - through the back (Guile),
front (Pierre), or the well to the southwest (Nikki). Whichever is the
case, you will need to head to the back area before you can enter the
mansion proper. The general requirements are the same no matter who you bring,
although different characters will witness different dialogue events
(particularly Nikki).

-- 1. TACTICAL ESPIONAGE ACTION -------------

Items in this Area:

 - Aura
 - Feel Blue (Element)
 - Kneepad
 - Bronze Helmet
 - Bronze Mail
 - Recover

In the back, you'll find yourself in a scene right out of
Metal Gear Solid - everything from sneaking around guards to a giant roving
searchlight. The good news is that guards aren't in infinite supply, and
you can dust them off one by one. But your first priority here is to head
up to the stables at the top of the area. Inside the stables is a very
welcome Save Point. You might want to make a new file here, as you can't
leave the manor (at least not as far as I've found). While you're in the
stables, check the top right-hand corner for a Key, which will be needed
later.

Also inside the stable is a small minigame. Talk to the old man and choose
the first option to play a game that requires you to feed the dragon steeds
and keep them happy. This game is necessary if you want to acquire the Key
to the manor - unless you try feeding the dragons, the old man will refuse
to let you take it.

How the game works: Serge can carry three bales of hay at a time. The
dragons can only be fed while their heads are raised; if they are not fed
within a few seconds' time, they become angry and turn a shade of red. If
any dragon becomes completely red, you've failed. Replenish your hay by
pressing Action at the far left; feed a dragon by pressing Action in front
of its stall. The more food you give the dragons, the better the prize. You
can choose to feed them 10, 20, 30, 40, or 100 bales of hay. The prizes are
as follows:

 10 - Kneepad
 20 - Bronze Helmet
 30 - Bronze Mail
 40 - Recover (element)
 100 - Iron Mail
 
Outside the stable, you can go back down to the door right above where Guile
enters the manor and pick up Feel Blue, a Blue element. The Feel Elements
cause an enemy to acquire a specific elemental attribute, making them
weaker to a specific counter-element. Example: hit an enemy with Feel
Yellow and it will become weak to Green elements and strong against Yellow
elements. 

Take the door to the lower left, and try to stay off the open path unless
you want the guards to see you. Fight the guards by the main entrance and
you will be allowed to enter the mansion. Did you snag the key in the
stables? Don't miss the Aura Element in the chest at the top left-hand
corner of the yard and Feel Yellow in the treasure chest by the main gate!
(Skip to Part H)

Once inside the mansion, you will have to work through three sections. The
door to the second section is straight ahead, but don't expect to get there
right away...

Note: if you chose not to include Kid in your party, she will follow you
into the mansion as an NPC. In the following events, I used a party of
Serge, Guile and Lucky Dan, so your sequence may vary slightly if you take
Kid along.

-- 2. INSIDE - FIRST AREA -------------------

Items in this Area:

 - Feel Green
 - (unknown accessory)
 - Feel Black
 - Blue Shield (key item)
 - Bronze Sword
 - Bronze Mail
 - Pendant
 - Revive

When you enter the mansion, you will be confronted with three doors:
straight, left and right. The left door is locked (well, blocked) and the
right door is available. The door straight ahead is flanked by a snake
statue. Talk to the snake statue and it will ask for you to input two
numbers. You have a 1-in-100 chance of getting it right, so 99% of you are
going to fail, which activates a trap door leading to a cage in the
basement. Three guards are standing watch by the cage, and two of them run
upstairs when you arrive. You can rattle the door, but the guard just says
to shut up. Stand around for a while and Kid will sneak up the stairs.
Bang the door again to distract the guard; Kid will knock him unconscious
and pick the lock. The other two guards rush in and attack, which should be
an easy fight. Serge and party will do a Locke Cole and steal their
uniforms (no clue about what happens to their bodies...), although Lucky
Dan and Poshul won't be able to don a guard outfit... for obvious reasons.

From here you can take the left elevator or take the right stairs. There's
nothing of significance downstairs - a guard blocks your way into the
dungeon, you will be attacked by a random treasure chest, and there's a
rattling grate that can't be opened. Up the elevator, you'll come to a room
with both left and right passages. Either way works fine.

To the left is the living quarters of the Acacia soldiers. The first door
is the mess, where you'll meet Glenn again. Talk to him and he'll leave...
affable fellow. There's an accessory in the chest at the top of the room,
although I'm not certain of its name. Past the mess, and behind the second
door, is the kitchen, where Orcha and his assistant are preparing food.
He cannot be recruited at the moment. Still, that shouldn't stop you from
taking the Feel Green element in his cabinet.

The third door is the Acacia soldiers' sleeping quarters, where Glenn has
gone. You can grab a Revive element here, or use the Save Point, but be
sure to pay attention to Glenn's actions - he faces the wall, and then
moves to his bed side? I wonder what was so interesting about that wall...
maybe you should look (hint hint).

Past the sleeping chambers is a staircase, leading to the first-level
basement. There is a bronze golem at the end of the hall, which will fight
you if you talk to it twice. If you walk down the center section of the
carpeted hall, you will be attacked by sentry monsters. Finally, several
doors here are guarded by eyeballs - touching the door while the eyeball is
active will cause you to enter battle with a very nasty living door. The
doors can be beaten, but they yield little in the way of power-ups and give
you a single Capsule as spoils. They also have strong Lightning attacks and
can summon assistant enemies to aid them. You can battle the door if you
wish, but you're better advised to run to the door and open it when the eye
blinks. If you time it right, you can sneak past it.

The first door on this level is unguarded, so pop in and take a look. Here
you'll find a girl in a jester costume asleep on a couch. There's also a
fighting treasure chest; I managed to win an Air Saucer here, but your
mileage may vary. The right chest is passive and will give you Feel Black -
a very useful item to have with all the White elements Serge should have
equipped.

The second door on this level is guarded by an eyeball, but even if you
defeat the eye the door is locked. Tres bummer. You're better off fighting
the golem to unblock the door to the main chamber. The golem is tough and
has some damaging attacks, but use your best elements and you shouldn't
have any trouble.

Now you're back in the room you saw when you first entered the mansion. If
you have the numbers Glenn was blocking (or perhaps he wrote them on the
wall for you as a favor), you can use them to pass the snake statue.
However, there are a few interesting things to be found on the right side
of the building, so take a detour first.

Starting from the bottom floor and heading to the left, the first room
seems to be a treasure depot. You have to go in here, because the passage
is blocked by another bronze golem. Kid is already in the treasure room -
if you talk to her, though, she'll take off. 

(A small possible story spoiler regarding Kid in the mansion: because
Chrono Cross is based on Radical Dreamers, some of the characters' motives
are known. Kid is seeking to steal a legendary treasure known as the
Frozen Flame, which she believes to be hidden in this manor. This is why
she was willing to help Serge break into the mansion, and why she seems to
be searching for something during this section of the game. And now, back
to our walkthrough.)

You can take the items at the back of the room, including useful equipment
like a Bronze Sword and Bronze Mail. There's also a pendant attached to the
right wall of the room; if you choose to take it (first option), it will
activate a trap door that sends you into a cage in the next room. This room
is occupied by a lady named Luccia, who seems to be conducting research
to breed powerful fighting animals. She'll let you out of your cage, but
you have to fight two little creatures that look like a cross between Lucky
Dan and Peco from Breath of Fire III. I don't know if she sics them on you,
or if they're rampaging out of control, but when you win you will receive a
Star and two Air Saucer elements.

When you leave the lab, you can fight the golem to unblock the passageway.
Again, no real problem. The eye-guarded door to the right of the lab is an
armory. You can push a snake statue against the wall here, which will cause
some little pink blob things to attack. They yield decent power-ups, so
there's no harm in fighting them. You can also choose to take the shield
from the wall between the statues if you wish. If you give the shield to one
of
the guard statues, they will fight you. You can then open a secret switch that
takes you to a secret chest surrounded by poison gas... no word on how to
bypass that just yet, though.

Back in the hallway, head up the staircase at the end of the passageway and
back to ground level. There are two doors here, both of which are guarded
by eyes. Inside the first door is Zoah and inside the second door is Karsh.
Since you're in disguise, you can ask them various questions about
things... undoubtedly, this is useful if you know Japanese. Both men have a
treasure chest in their room, but they will not let you open chests
(actually, Karsh will give up if you keep trying and let you take the
contents. Count to 30...).

Now that you've seen the sights, return to the main hallway and input the
numbers at the statue. It will open the large doors leading to the second
section. Be sure to save before you go!

-- 3. INSIDE - SECOND AREA (LIBRARY) ---------

Items in this Area:

 - Feel White

This is a large antechamber. Two guards are blocking the back passage and
there's a golem by the right door. This means you can go left and only
left, so walk left through the door and across the bridge to the library. A
small girl named Marcy and an old man (I'm assuming he's the librarian)
are here. The librarian starts to describe the plot using some REALLY
trippy special effects. The important terms I gleaned here are "Wormhole"
and "Wormhole map - START Button Menu." For some reason, this revelation
provokes Marcy to attack your party. Yeah, a tiny little girl wants to
kick your butt... and she's pretty darned good at it, at that.

BATTLE: MARCY

For little munchkin, Marcy packs a punch. Her physical attacks are only
so-so, but her magic kicks your butt. She doesn't have anything brutally
powerful, but she uses the Elements she possesses frequently and viciously.
Her two most dangerous Elements are Line Bias, which hits for about 50-70
HP, and Freeze, which damages a character AND stuns him. She can use this
on two characters consecutively when her HP is low, so be prepared to
finish her off with just one active character. The Feel Elements come in
handy here, and it might not be a bad idea to give one or two characters
Tear elements for when she hits you with Freeze.

When you win, you'll receive a Star and a Freeze element. Marcy runs
off, disappointed that she couldn't murder you. The librarian seems to find
this amusing. Ignore his senility and press the switch that Marcy tapped
earlier, the one hidden in the books, to activate the ladder to the
balcony. Grab the Feel White element up there, because it's oh-so-handy
with Black characters like Guile and Lucky Dan around.

Run back across the bridge to the antechamber and you will be greeted by
both Kid and the jester girl, Harle. Kid and Harle don't seem to
get along too well, especially after the jester blows Serge a kiss and
walks off. Kid acts annoyed if you try to leave, the guards won't let you
pass, and the golem won't fight you. You're going to be stuck here unless
you adapt to Square's habit of creating invisible switches. Annoying, no?
The switch in this room can be found after long, tedious hours of pressing
the Action button - you'll have the most luck if you search near the
columns at the back left side of the room. When you find the switch, you
will cause an elevator to descend, scaring the pudding out of the guards.
It seems the guards don't care much for having the pudding scared out of
them and they attack you. Put them out of their misery and take the
elevator to the third floor.

To be fair, the Librarian tells you about the switch, but I'm stupid and
played the game in a language I dont' understand. Bleah.

-- 4. INSIDE - THIRD AREA -------------------

You can go left or right here, but there's nothing of significance to the
right - just a lovely balcony with glowing plants. To the left is a very
welcome Save Point. Make use of it and have a look at the doors. The one on
the left is locked, but the door on the right leads to an office with a small
glowing item on the desk. Kid enters and becomes excited for a moment about
the objet d'art, but then realizes it isn't the REAL Frozen Flame - merely a
lifelike simulation. As she comes to grip with reality, the bookcase at the
back of the office retracts and an old man (Viper, lord of the mansion)
steps forth. He is soon accompanied by none other than Lynx. Kid seems to know
Lynx and Lynx seems to know both Serge and Kid. The cat man takes this
opportunity to pop the top on a six pack o' butt-kick on the young perps who
have broken into the inner mansion.

BATTLE: LYNX

Lynx is a tough customer, but actually gave me less trouble than
Marcy. He uses Anti-White, which will prevent your characters from using
White spells. Showing remarkable AI for an RPG enemy, he's most likely to use
Anti-White on Serge. Just play cautiously here, mixing your strong Element
attacks with defense and healing. It should be noted that scythes appear to be
the tradition for Chrono main enemies these days! When you defeat Lynx,
you'll earn another Star as well as some sort of accessory.

But you know, you're only a few hours into the game - surely you don't
think this is the last of Lynx? Of course it's not. He transforms into
a cat, then reappears as himself behind the cat apparition, and causes more
cats to appear as he entices Serge to examine the glowing sphere on his
desk. Serge has another vision, in which his face changes to Lynx's
("No, Serge... *I* am your father...") and a city on an island is nuked.
Things are starting to look pretty bad as Serge starts a Cloud Strife-style
freak-out, but just then Riddel, whose quarters are next door to Viper's
office, walks in and Kid takes her hostage (pretty impressive for a spindly
little waif). It's a standoff! Serge's party backs out of the office, but then
Karsh and several soldiers appear from behind, leaving Serge and co. no choice
but to head out for the balcony. Unfortunately, Lynx reveals a throwing dagger
with which he hits Kid. Wounded, she plummets to the ocean below, and the rest
of the party jump after her to be rescued by Korcha. interestingly, Lynx
mentions calls Serge the "Chrono Trigger" as he falls... how's that for adding
some intrigue to the plot?

************************************************
***************** BRANCH POINT *****************
************************************************

The story splits here based on your responses to Korcha regarding Kid's
health. Once you awaken and walk outside the hut, you'll find the rest of your
party. Kid, however, collapses right away and falls ill from the wound she
suffered at Lynx's hands. Doc, who appears to be involved in medicine as a
side hobby of his other interest in certain herbs, has a look at Kid and
determines her wound can only be healed by a potion which is located in Hydra
Marsh. But not the Hydra Marsh in this world - you'll have to return to
Serge's world to reach it. To enable this, Kid gives Serge the Astral Amulet,
which allows him to locate and use a dimensional warp.

Once you receive the item, Korcha asks you what your intentions are. Your
response dictates the story branch you will follow. 

- If you give him the TOP reply to his questions (a negative response), he 
   will become annoyed and take the amulet from you, presumably with the 
   intent of helping Kid himself.
- If you give the BOTTOM response to his questions, he will join your party as
   you search for the medicine to heal Kid.

Either way, you can take care of a number of odds and ends at this point.

-- 5. ODDS AND ENDS -------------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Korcha, Guile

Items in this Area: 

 - (varies)

A few things in Termina have changed. For one thing, Miki is back in her
dressing room, although she seems rather oblivious to your presence. If you
visit the shack where Glenn placed the flowers by the memorial to Dario,
you will witness an event where three people seem to be sending a boat off
to the Great Unknown. The person giving the eulogy or whatever is Greco,
a Pro Wrestler who apparently moonlights as a priest. Once the sequence has
ended, follow him into the shack and speak to him and he will join your
party. He kicks quite a bit of butt, so it's nice to have him around.

There doesn't seem to be anything else to be done in Termina for now, so if
you want you can travel to Lynx's manor. The mansion is basically
deserted; there's a bronze golem at the front gate which can be beaten
easily. Once you're inside you can go inside and collect a few items that
were inaccessible before. Be sure to note: now that you're on the World
Map, press Start to bring up the usual "Vibration On/Off" menu. A second
menu will be available beneath that; this is the Wormhole Map. Turn it On
to display a small indicator of your current dimensional location, much
like the era indicator in Chrono Cross. So far I've seen Another and Home,
but were there only two time periods in Chrono Trigger? Hardly. Who knows
what the future holds...

You first stop in the mansion should be Luccia's lab. Luccia and
Pip are gone, but the chef's assistant seems to be caught in the large
cage trap. You can set him free, though that doesn't seem to affect much of
anything. There is also an Earring (acessory) on the desk in the lab.
Luccia, though, is at the balcony where Kid was injured by Lynx. If
you talk to her, she will leave and return to the lab. You can talk to
Riddel or explore Lynx's office ("left statue is the key to Spectacle
Rock"), but be sure to follow Luccia. When you speak to her in the lab,
select the first option and she will join your party.

You can also enter the private rooms freely now, although some are still
locked (such as the dungeon entrance). You can open the chest in Karsh's
room to claim an accessory, but Zoah's chest is still locked. Too bad your
thief is incapacitated!

Outside the manor, you can also explore any areas you skipped before. If
you took Nikki's path, you can take the back route and descend the cliffs
(which will be MUCH easier in the absence of falling rocks). Nikki's path
can be accessed through the well, although to get past the giant plant
you'll want to enter through the woods to the east of the manor. These
areas are optional, but offer a few useful elements and items and may be
worth the time and trouble it takes to clear them.

IA. MISSION OF MERCY -------------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Korcha, Luccia

Provided you've chosen to help Kid, thus begins a new fetch quest.

-- 1. GULDOVE ---------------------------------

Be sure to explore Korcha's home before you get going, though. In the
lower level of the house is a girl named Mel who is very very intent on
using crayons. At the docks below his home is a person who can combine
Elements to create items for upgrading your weapons... unfortunately, it's
expensive, and it seems like everything he has to offer sort of sucks.
Don't expect too much here, but it's possible you might be able to find a
good combination at the smithy just left of the merchant.

West of the docks is a bar where Doc and a girl named Orlha will have a
conversation, and Serge decides not to enter. If you come back later, you
can enter, and a little big-nosed midget gives you a medallion. Above the
bar is a shop; there's not too much new here, but you might find something
worthwhile.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
 ELEMENT           PRICE(G)  EFFECT                          LEVEL
---------------------------------------------------------------------
 Tablet (x1)       10        Restore HP in or out of battle  1/0
                             Can equip 5 per slot (consume)  
 Tear (x1)         15        Recovers Blue (consume)         2/0
 Aura (x1)         15        Recovers Red (consume)          2/0
 Detoxin (x1)      15        Recovers Green (consume)        2/0
 Disperse (x1)     15        Recovers Yellow (consume)       2/0
 Leaf              50        Wind Element - single attack    1/7
 Air Saucer        80        Wind Element - single attack    2/6
 Uplift            50        Lightning Element - single att. 1/7
 ElectroJolt         50        Lightning Element - single att. 2/6
 Laser             60        White Element - single attack   1/7
 Shooting          100       White Element - single attack   2/6
 Heavy Blow        60        Black Element - single attack   1/7
 Get Soul          100       Black Element - single death    2/6
---------------------------------------------------------------------

At the far west end of the village is a fortune teller's hut occupied by
two women named Delia and Steena. Steena will answer various questions
about various things. If you show the Astral Amulet to Delia with the Square
Button Menu, she'll give you a hint about what to do with it (hint: it starts
with "worm" and ends with "hole").

Once you've explored the village to your heart's content, go to the east
end of the docks and speak with Korcha, who will take you to Termina (you
have no choice in the direction here, sorry) and incidentally expose a much
larger view of Chrono Cross' world than you've seen to date.

-- 2. HOME IS WHERE THE SUBQUEST LIES --------

First of all, speaking to Korcha at the docks will allow him to join your
party. If you want to return to his home, simply press Action while facing
his boat.

Hydra Marsh has changed significantly. In particular, it's swarming with
creatures now. This is a good sign, as the boosted difficulty means you're
on the right track! If you haven't already picked up the Protective Gear on
the fungal stalk at the left edge of the forest, do so now in preparation for
the journey ahead. 

However, you're still going to find yourself at a dead end in Hydra Marsh.
You need to pass that unyielding plant, but how? Perhaps if you could find
some other means to pass it...

This is where the Astral Amulet comes in handy. If you travel to the beach
where Serge arrived in Another world, it will cause a reaction with the
spot on the beach which caused Serge to cross dimensions. The Amulet acts like
a Gate Key - use it while standing in the energy reaction and Serge will be
transported back to his Home dimension.

No one here seems particular overjoyed at Serge's return. There's no "Oh
Serge! I thought you were dead when you vanished before my very eyes on the
beach!" from Leena, no cheerful exclamations from Marge upon your return.
Tsk! Well, no matter; Arni isn't where you need to be anyway (although
this would be a good time to take care of anything you missed before). Then
travel ahead to Hydra Marsh. 

Items in this Area:

 - Ivory Item x 2
 - Tear
 - Disperse
 - Needle
 - Detoxin
 - Recover
 - Biba Flute
 - Hydra Potion

You'll notice it's not quite as grim and gloomy as the alternate world's
version of the area. However, the plant life is just as unyielding. You'll
need to find another way around that plant on the second screen. Collect
the treasure on the first two screens and then visit the left area, with
the massive fungal growth that rises above the swamp. As you venture into
this area, a HUGE insect will fly overhead. Luckily for you, it's not
interested on making a snack of you, so you can travel unmolested.

However, when you reach the third section, near the save point, you will be
accosted by a strange little tribal-looking creature called a Biba-Biba. It
will attack, and the most annoying fight to date will begin.

BATTLE: BIBA-BIBA

The Biba-Biba isn't terribly strong, but it's fast and unfortunately, it
calls friends to assist it. Within a round or two you will be facing not
one but FIVE Biba-Bibas. This is extremely frustrating, because they attack
after almost every move you make, which slows the battle down to a
ridiculous crawl. Take them out one at a time starting with the leader, and
be sure you have your Recover Elements equipped (high slots are good). You
may wish to unequip unnecessary Elements like Tears and Detoxin, because
this battle will be long and most likely will use up most of your Element
slots. Persistence and patience win the day here; when you finally win all
you'll get is a crummy Uplifter Element (a more powerful version of
Uplift). No Stars, and little status boosting. What a hassle.

Defeat the Biba-Biba and he'll retreat apologetically, giving you a Biba Flute
(key item). Carry on up the stalk (you can sneak around the tribesman at
the offshoot above to claim a Needle Element if you like) and arrive at the
platform where you received the Protective Gear in Another world. Your
other party members will make a comment, then rejoin the group. Take a cue
from Nausicaa and play the flute you just received while standing in the
middle of the platform. The large winged insect you saw, a Hydra, will
descend. Unfortunately, when Serge tries to grab the medicine it possesses,
the bug attacks (shock!).

BATTLE: FLYING HYDRA

This is one nasty bug. You saved earlier, right? It uses a vicious breath
attack that slams your party for serious damage, plus it has a physical
attack that can be used up to 4 times consecutively! Balance defense with
offensive Elements and be careful when it starts to attack multiple times.

You won't win anything worthwhile from this battle. However, the stress of
the battle, coupled with the bug's crash landing, have weakened the
platform on which your party is standing. Keep walking across the stress
fracture, and in a moment your party will plummet to the depths of the
marsh below.

Luckily there's a massive land kraken to break your fall. You'll drop into
its lair and onto its head, which causes it to become unconscious. You
don't HAVE to fight it, but next to the chest bearing a Recover element
you'll find a sprite in a cage. If you choose to let her go, the kraken
will revive and attack you. Please note: if you choose not to undertake the
medicine quest, you will not find the Kraken or the sprite when you come to
this area.

BATTLE: LAND KRAKEN

Not a terribly difficult fight. Again, it can use a multiple hit attack, so
watch your defenses. This is a Blue elemental monster, so Yellow attacks
are very effective (Lightning, Uplifter, etc.).

Once you beat the kraken, you can free the sprite, Lazzuly, who knows
something of Wormholes, it seems. She will join your party; I HIGHLY
recommend taking her along, as her magic is powerful, and she's extremely
effective against the main boss of the area.

   MY PARTY: Serge, Korcha, Lazully

Climb out of the kraken's lair and you see a familiar area - it's the ledge
overlooking the stupid plant that won't bend! The good news here, though,
is that you can skip right past that plant now. Walk to the tip of the
ledge and hit the Action button to jump to the back area of the swamp. you
can grab an Air Saucer element here, if you want. Exit to the right and
back of the screen to travel to the depths of the marsh.

You might want to sneak past the giant plant guys (just like the plant in
the Eastern woods where Nikki was, except that these guys fight instead of
shrinking) on the next screen. They can be a little tough (especially since
a lot of Green elements HEAL them - ouch) and you've just been through two
consecutive boss fights. Luckily, there's a Save Point just beyond the
plants.

Here the path split in two. To the rear of the area are some dwarves
standing guard; the foreground leads to the exit. You probably won't want
to go too far in this direction, but once you've cleared the area the
dwarves split and take all the treasures with them, so it's now or never.
Talk to the three dwarves at the back path and they will attack. 

BATTLE: DWARVES

There are six of these creeps, and they start the battle with a massively
damaging group attack. Your first priority will be to use a Recover element
to restore your party's HP! Next, try to take out as many dwarves as you
can as quickly as possible. Don't be shy, use your best Elements
immediately. For reference, the tall dwarves seem to have fewer HP than the
short ones, so start with them. As you thin the ranks, you also diminish
the power of their attacks, so this is one battle that happily becomes
easier as you go along. Winning will give you a much-deserved Star, as well
as several Equipment items and Elements.

One of the dwarves runs away to the right - follow him and you'll encounter
another huge insect. This one doesn't have wings, but it's tough
nonetheless. Yes, prepare for another boss battle.

BATTLE: HYDRA

Once again, watch for the Breath attack. Green Elements are effective here,
especially Lazzuly's special attack which does 150+ HP damage. Use the same
general strategy as you used for the previous Hydra battle, and you
shouldn't have any real trouble.

Once you win, you will receive a Star and Uplifter. Examine the dead insect
to take a vial of medicine for Kid, and you will automatically return to
opening area of the marsh. If you wish to return to the recesses of the
marsh, the previously inflexible plant is now a bit less lively. Also, the
dwarves have ditched.

Now you should return to Another world and take the medicine to Kid, who
is in the building immediately above the docks at Guldove. Show the medicine
to Doc, and watch the events unfold. After Kid is healed and thanks Serge,
she rejoins the party... but not until after Mel screws around in the
middle of the night with her Element Grid....

If you talk to Steena and then chase Mel around long enough, you can reclaim
the Elements that were stolen from Kid's grid. If you're like me, though, you
had a surplus of Elements anyway, and can live without the ones missing.
However, tracking down Mel now allows you to recruit her later.]

And now, freedom! Korcha takes you back to Termina. Once there, leave the
town and Glenn will meet you at the entrance. 

After speaking to Glenn, go back to the Termina docks and speak to Korcha.
Kid will feel compelled to kick Serge here for some reason, but the abuse
is worthwhile because you'll receive Korcha as a permanent member of your
party (i.e., he'll stick around even when you return to Guldove). If you
don't choose to put Korcha in your party right away, he'll swim on home
(quite a distance, I should say!). In either case, you now have access to
his boat, which opens most of the world map for you.

IB. THE NON-MEDICINAL ROUTE -----------------

If you give up and don't try to help Kid, Korcha thinks you suck and won't join
you. However, Macha will join instead and take you back to Termina. There you
will see Glenn, who has become suspicious of Viper now that Lynx is on the
scene. Walk back to talk to Macha at the docks, and Glenn will offer to join
your party. You should accept, of course, because he rocks. He'll suggest you
head to find Radius, who is living in a hermitage to the east of the main
island. Basically, the main difference here is the lack of a Hydra Marsh
subquest - just head straight to the hermitage to fight Harle, and then to the
pirate ship. After completing the pirate ship, you can return to find Kid
healed and well thanks to the fortunate intervention of a stranger, and she and
Doc will join up. Furthermore, if you do head into the Hydra Marsh (home),
you'll do most of the same things, except the Hydra will be gone and Lazully's
cage will be depressingly empty... (poor little thing)

J. INTO THE GREAT WIDE OPEN -----------------

Once you go out onto the world map, you'll see several places to go.
Starting in the northwest corner and moving approximately clockwise, here
are your options (some names are just the ones I've assigned):

 1. Guldove (Korcha's home)
 2. Crater Island
 3. Hermit's Hideaway 
 4. Island of the Damned
 5. Foggy Shroud (Pirate Ship)
 6. Sea of Eden (Inaccessible continent)
 7. Marbule (Town of bug-men)
 8. Ruins
 9. El Nido Triangle (nothing happens)
 10. Gaia's Navel
 11. Sky Dragon Island

Also, there are four places to weigh anchor on the main island:

 12. Arni Village
 13. Termina
 14. Desolate Island (there's a moss-covered cabin in the woods)
 15. East Coast

The next place you need to go is the East Coast of the main continent.
However, you're free to explore to your heart's content. It's not a bad
idea to search around, because many of the areas have Iron and Mythril
items necessary for upgrading your equipment in the future.

Here is a quick rundown of each area:

-- 1. GULDOVE --------------------------------
 
You've been here recently. Be sure to pick up any new Elements you're
missing before heading out.
    
-- 2. CRATER ISLAND -------------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Kid, Greco
 
Items in this area: 
 
 - Disperse
 - Capsule
 - Upheaval (element)
 
You can explore here and pick up a few small items. Head to the top of the
area and jump into the large crater (top option) to explore the
subterranean cave. You can cut left or right here to grab the chests; if 
you want to exit the cave, climb the right side and hop into the small 
geyser. It will blow you to the surface (luckily the fact that geysers 
blow boiling water doesn't seem to affect you). Lower down in the cave are
some very annoying enemies who possess high resistance to physical attacks
and throw a mechanical bomb at you that apparently cannot be defused until
after the other enemies are defeated. Take advantage of the fact that these
guys have a Yellow affiliation and use your strong Green attacks like
Needle and Uuha (the Street Fighter-esque attack that resembles Afura
Mann's "Big Sucker Gab Slash" technique from El-Hazard). Then kill the
bomb; be sure to have the person who takes the brunt of the blast defend.
As annoying as these battles are, they're very valuable because Kid can
steal Mythril items from these guys. Unfortunately, your progress into the
cave will be blocked at the second screen; there's a rock buried in the
sand, but it's unmovable.

-- 3. SMOKING ISLAND ------------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Kid, Korcha
 
Apparently this place has recently suffered a fire. And you'll be greeted
by none other than Harle, that oh-so-cute jester girl. 

BATTLE: HARLE

Harle will challenge you to battle, but she's a complete pushover. Smack
her with some White elements, and be sure to have Kid steal Photon from
her. You'll win another Photon element, but no star. When she's defeated,
she vanishes and Radius, whom you will probably remember as the village
chief of Arni in Home, appears. It seems Radius lives on this island
beneath the large tree that has burned down. You can rest in his house and
talk to him. There's a bald patch of ground that reacts when you walk over
it, but nothing seems to affect it (you can make use of it later).
 
-- 4. BONE CAVE -----------------------------

This place is bad news. The enemies here are way the heck more powerful
than you at this point, and your progress seems to be impeded by mirrors.
You can brave it, or you can use some common sense and avoid this place.
Items of note in the areas I was brave enough to tread: a bunch of bone
fragments to add to the skeleton you're assembling for Skelly. That's about
all you can find for now; progress past the mirrors won't be possible until
later.

-- 5. FOGGY SHROUD (PIRATE SHIP) ------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Kid, Luccia

This area is vital to your continued progress in the game. Be sure to save
outside, as it's a point-of-no-return sort of place.

Items in this Area:

 - Aquaball
 - Burning
 - Capsule x2
 - Graviton
 - Photon
 
When you approach the fog bank, you will be given two choices: (1) avoid it
and (2) enter. Choose the second option and you will hook up with what
seems to be an abandoned ship. Unfortunately, it's NOT abandoned, and you
will be surrounded by a throng of pirates, who seem none too happy to have
become the targets of piracy on the high seas themselves. Their leader,
Fargo, comes forward and calls three of his crewmen on you. Whether you win
(in which case you receive three capsules) or run (no prize), you will be
attacked immediately by a humongous bird.

BATTLE: BIG-ARSE BIRD

A simple fight. Defend, attack, element. Steal a Search Scope and win
Meltstone, a powerful Red element with a chance of causing an enemy to go
berzerker. Once you beat the bird, Fargo himself will attack you.

BATTLE: FARGA

Fargo's pretty strong, but again it's nothing you shouldn't be able to
handle. Defeating Fargo will get you nowhere, though, as your party falls
unconcious.

You'll wake up in the hold of the ship, where you have been dumped
unceremoniously. Luckily, any nefarious plans the pirates might have in
store for you are curtailed by the arrival of a haunted ship full of ghosts
- the crew suddenly has their hands full.

Exit the hold after using the optional Save Point. You are located at the
aft end of the second interior deck of the ship; the door immediately to
the right of where you enter the hallway is locked. The first door to the
left is open, though; go inside to fight some ghosts for an Aquaball
element (climb up on the desk at the corner to get it). You can ask the
pirates you help for the key, but none of them know have it.

The second door to the left is locked as well. Beyond that is a ladder
leading to the first interior deck, and past that is a chest containing a
Burning element.

Up the ladder there are two doors to the left, but neither of them can be
opened yet. To the right is the kitchen and a bunch of burning barrels. You
won't be able to pass the barrels, but you can circumnavigate them. Check
the vent at the back of the kitchen with the Action button and your party
will climb through it into the mess, which happens to be on the other side
of the burning barrels. Talk to the fat pirate twice, then speak to the
pirate on the left, who will give you the key to the door at the end of the
hallway below.

Trudge back down and unlock the door; now you can explore more of the ship.
The weapons room is located here, and you can exit the ship by walking
through one of the cannon ports. Run along the exterior to the left, then
down, run back to the right beneath the oars and climb to get back into the
ship. God only knows how, but Pip, the little fuzzy thing from
Luccia's lab in Lynx's manor, is here. Chase it around, and once you
catch it you can ask it to join your party (top option). I wouldn't
recommend putting Pip in your party just yet, though, as he's kinda...
pathetic. Be sure to grab the treasures in this area before taking the
ladder at the lower right area to the exterior again.

A note on Pip: Pip can evolve based on the magic he uses. The more of
a certain type of magic you use, the more likely he is to evolve into either
an Angel or Devil form. Refer to CB!'s excellent Character FAQ for more
details.

Save your game here and climb to the deck. Once you arrive, you'll witness
the pirates fending off ghosts. But it seems ghosts are in plentiful
supply, as more appear. Serge and his party run to the front of the ship
automatically, where Fargo is battling ghosts. No matter which choice you
make here, you will walk to the helm and battle the source of the monsters.

BATTLE: DAIMONJA

This can be a mildly frustrating fight, due mainly to the fact that
Diamonja has a very high evade rate. To make matters worse, he can inflict
a black elemental status on your characters, which cuts their physical
attack success rates in half. And no successful physical attacks means no
magic... If you can spare a non-attack Element, Kid can steal a Heavy Blow
element - nothing special. When you win, you'll receive a Star, and the
element Get Soul (which is Chrono Cross' version of Final Fantasy's Death).

Once you've chased away the ghosts, the fog dissipates and the pirates move
east, with thanks. However, they're not grateful enough for Fargo to join
you, which is a darned shame. The removal of the fog results in the east
coast of the main continent becoming accessible. This is your next main
destination.

-- 6. INACCESSIBLE FOG-SHROUDED CONTINENT ---

You can get here... yet.

-- 7. MARBULE --------------------------------

Marbule seems to be populated by beastmen who don't seem particularly fond
of humans. Not much of note here, although you'll be meeting the chief of
the village under different circumstances. There's also a big honkin'
dragon sleeping in the back left cave. 

-- 8. RUINS ---------------------------------

This island is covered with ruins from some ancient thing or another. You
can collect a ribcage here (much to Skelly's delight). Also, there seems to
be a small village of sprites here, much like Lazully, including one named
Rosetta. Rosetta doesn't seem interested in joining the party, though... I
guess one sprite is enough.

-- A. THE FROST BREATH ----------------------

There is a subquest here, but to find it you need to head to Arni (Home) and
speak with the old guy sleeping on the docks. Pay him 100G and he'll take you
to the island so you can meet with the Blue Dragon and earn the Frost Breath,
which will allow you to pass through Mt. Pyre unscathed by magma.
Unfortunately, the Faeirie Village has been overrun with Dwarves, who were
driven out of the Hydra Marsh when the Hydra was killed (makes you feel pretty
awful, huh?). Many of the Faeries are dead, and to make it to the Blue Dragon
you'll have to battle your way through the Dwarves. After fighting your way
down, you'll face off against two bosses: a group attack, and a massive Dwarven
tank which can put up a serious fight. 

-- BOSS: DWARVEN CHORUS ---------------------

This guys are exactly like they were in the Hydra Marsh; they start with a
devastating group attack, but as you pick away at them the power of the attack
diminshes. Take out one at a time, and again you'll earn a Star.

-- BOSS: DWARVEN TANK -----------------------

This thing is nasty and massive. Your first task is to kill the two small
Dwarves who fight alongside it; they can repair it for 111 HP apiece, which
means you could have a depressingly long battle on your hands if you don't
finish them off ASAP. The tank uses a varied-element cannon which can hit any
character with an elemental attack of a random color; no matter what, expect
that attack to hurt. Bring your strongest Green elements along, as well as lots
of healing. It has two lesser attacks as well (a single-character ramming
charge and an all-character spinout) but the Element cannon is the real threat.
Keep your HP high and pound away, defending whenever you can. Another Star will
be the prize for this fight.

When you destroy the tank, the Dwarves disappear and you can acquire the Frost
Breath item and Frog Prince summon from the Blue Dragon. The Frog Prince will
be invaluable in the next stretch, so you definitely want to have it.

-- 9. EL NIDO TRIANGLE ----------------------

There's a triangular formation of stones here. Rowing to the center causes
a text box to appear, but nothing more.

-- 10. GAIA'S NAVEL -------------------------

Serge isn't much of a rock climber, it seems, so the sheer cliffs of this
island are off-limits for now.

-- 11. SKY DRAGON ISLAND --------------------

Not much to see here... just a large open space. It would be great for
calling a Flammie, if you had a Flammie Drum!

-- 12. ARNI VILLAGE ------------------------

Just in case you feel like getting the cold shoulder from Leena again, feel
free to drop by here.

-- 13. TERMINA ------------------------------

You can stop north of Termina if the need arises.

-- 14. EAST ISLAND --------------------------

There's a moss-covered hut here in the forest, population one.

-- 15. EAST COAST ---------------------------

Here's your next stop. This stop only leads to one area, the Fire Cave, but
it's where you need to be.

-- 16. MT. PYRE -----------------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Kid, Korcha

Items in this Area:

 - Meltstone
 - Tablet x2
 - Trap Heat
 - Capsule

Death Volcano is a bit intimidating, because standing in lava saps your
party's HP muy pronto, and there are some big freakin' enemies who seem to
attack right as your HP drops to 1. There may be a protective item to
prevent HP loss, but I didn't find it. Nevertheless, you're only in trouble
while you walk in lava, so buy lots of Tablets and sally forth into the
cave and towards... destiny. Or whatever.

Although I haven't done it myself, you can talk to the guy at the docks in
Arni (Home) who will take you to an island where you can find a Key Item
called Freeze Breath, which will solidify the lava flows when used nearby.
This quest will require you to travel to the Island of Ruins and defeat the
Efts which have taken over. At the end of the Island, you'll meet the Blue
Dragon, who gives you the Ice Breath and the G-Frog summon; you'll also earn
two Stars. Furthermore, if Lazully is not in your party, Rosetta will
reportedly die. If you pass up on this sidequest, you will earn the two Stars
later, as well as the G-Frog summon. It IS possible to get through the Volcano
without Ice Breath, just not very smart.

If the massive lava creatures happen to catch you at an inopportune moment
(i.e., your HP is 1), don't be ashamed to run. You may want to pass up some
of the out-of-the-way items for now, though. No point in getting
slaughtered just for a measly Tablet or two.

Whenever you get past a lava area, be sure to refresh your HP. This is
especially important in the second screen, where you will face Peppor and
Solt yet again. I love these guys!

BATTLE: PEPPOR AND SOLT

Another not-particularly-tough battle, but these guys are just warming you
up for the main event. Win a Star, an Iron Vest and Iron Mail with your
victory here.

[NOTE: It seems that if you undertake the Faerie Village subquest, you
do NOT receive a Star here, as you will have received it already at the Faerie
Village.]

To the right is a large lava flow, which I wasn't brave enough to tackle
just yet. If you follow Peppor and Solt when they run off from battle,
you'll enter a third section with a few enemies and treasures. There's a
save point here; save and prepare yourself. The next area wil be a
challenge.

Beyond here is Salamander's cave, although you'll probably have to brave
the lava flow to actually meet Salamander. Instead, you're confronted by
Chibi Dragon, who blocks your progress and challenges you.

BATTLE: CHIBI DRAGON

He's small, but he packs a punch. He has a devastating Fire Breath attack;
be sure a few people are equipped with Revive and try to keep your HP above
125 at all times. Don't be hesitant to Steal - Kid can snag a Magic Ring
from him, which is a hard-to-find item. When you win, you'll receive
another Star and the element Weak.

But wait, there's more! Chibi Dragon wasn't the last opponent you'll face;
whatever lies ahead seems to be a big deal, as you're faced by the triple
whammy of Karsh, Zoah and Marcy. Sure, you've beaten them one at a time
already, but now you have to face all three.

BATTLE: KARSH, MARCY, ZOAH

Fortunately, their attacks haven't changed too much, and none of them seem
as powerful as they did alone. Karsh represents the least threat, whereas
Zoah has a very powerful single-character attack and Marcy has
multiple-character attacks that can be very frustrating, especially when
she slows you down. Leave Karsh for last and concentrate your efforts on
either of the other two; take out one at a time to thin the ranks. Keep
your HP high until Zoah's gone, and heal quickly if the enemy concentrates
too much on a single character. You'll win a Star, an Eagle Eye element, a
Magic Earring and another Magic Vest here.

Once these three are out of the way, Harle appears and makes a comment
before disappearing (what, no battle?). Now you're at the exit, beyond
which lies the Mysterious Dungeon from the beginning of the game.

K. RECURSIVE LOOP ---------------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Kid, Korcha

You may find yourself experiencing deja vu here. Do not panic! What you are
seeing is a premonition made flesh.

-- 1. FORT DRAGONIA REDUX PT. 1 -------------

Items in this Area:

 - Trap Volcano (Element)
 - Meltstone
 - Burning
 - Healing Wind
 - Needle
 - Detoxin
 - Uuha
 - Trap Tornado
 - ??? Accessories
 - Accessory (resist Anti-Yellow)

Before you can find familiar territory, you have to work! You can start by
battling the guard who has been stationed at the bottom of the tower. Gee,
an Akacian Dragon rider? I wonder where this guy could have come from.

BATTLE: ACACIAN RIDER & SOLDIER

The soldier here is nothing; the real threat comes in the form of the
dragon rider. He possesses both group attacks (Breath) and strong single
attacks (Charge). Stick it out, though; for winning you receive a Star AND
a summon, Frog Prince. I recommend bringing Korcha or another Blue element-user
along at this point, since they're the only ones who can equip this
Element. 

[NOTE: Be aware if you undertake the Faerie Village subquest, you
do NOT fight an Akacian Rider here, nor do you receive a Star or the Frog
Prince summon, as those were won in the Faerie Village.]

Additionally, this victory opens up everyone's Level 5 skill. Serge can now
use a skill that looks a WHOLE LOT like Crono's Luminaire; Kid has a group
attack called Red Needle. Find the combination that works best for you, as
you will encounter a wide variety of challenging enemies in the sections
ahead. (NOTE: this only affects characters who have an innate L5 skill. Some
characters, such as Luccia, can only acquire their L5 and L7 skills by
discovering the appropriate Elements. Another note: Serge's skill "Shining" and
Kid's skill "Red Needle" are now called "Luminaire" and "RedPin" respectively,
just like the skills from Chrono Trigger. And for those wondering, these same
changes were made in the original Chrono Trigger).

Past the entrance is the main chamber. There are 4 circuits etched into the
floor here, and your goal is to open all 4 to progress to the next area.
Then you will open two more circuits and activate a transporter to a small
structure suspended above the main Tower. Every circuit is connected to a
statue of a dragon, which appears as the circuit is closed.

Each of the four circuits is controlled by a device behind each of four
different doors. These can be tackled in any order, but I am addressing
these in counter-clockwise fashion from the far right.

--- 1a. FAR RIGHT ---------------------------

Past the bridge here is a statue which offers your four choices. The option
you choose will cause the platform on which you're standing to rotate and
drop, sending you to one of 4 divisions of the area below the statue.

 Option 1: 360 degrees
 Option 2: 90 degrees
 Option 3: 270 degrees
 Option 4: 180 degrees
 
(1) doesn't lead to anything spectacular; to return to the level above,
head to the left and climb the ladder.
(2) allows you to battle a few bronze golems, if you feel the need.
(3) leads to 4 treasure chests with some decent elements inside (Trap
Volcano, an Accessory, Meltstone, Burning)
(4) gives you access to the switch. Hit it and activiate the first circuit.

--- 1b. UPPER-RIGHT -------------------------

You'll find tons of staircases here. Explore them thoroughly to find some
nice elements (Healing Wind, Needle, Detoxin, Uuha, Trap Tornado). The
short route to the end is as follows: left, down stairs, right, up at the
branching path, follow path around and then double back to go up stairs.
You should reach a switch which will lower a set of stairs to create a
shortcut. Beyond that is the circuit switch, but it's being guarded by a
massive Golem.

BATTLE: DRAGO

This guy seems to have mistaken himself for a pro wrestler. He uses attacks
like Body Press, Back Drop and Slam Dunk. You can steal Trap Tornado from
him, which will be useful if you ever come across an enemy that uses
Tornado elements. Hit him hard and keep your HP high; Korcha's Fishing
skill works well here. You'll win a Star and the opportunity to hit the
second switch when you defeat it. Return to the main chamber to see the
results of your efforts.

--- 1c. UPPER-LEFT --------------------------

Here you'll find a room with two sets of chests which rotate various
platforms as they are opened and closed. Each platform has three positions,
low, middle and high. The chests on the left lead to the following:

 - Low: back to entrance
 - Middle: a room guarded by an Akacian rider
 - High: chests on the right side of the room
 
And the chests to the right lead to:

 - Low: switch and battle
 - Medium: a chest
 - High: chests on left side of the room
 
BATTLE: MASSIVE GEL

There's nothing terribly spectacular about this battle. Use your typical
strategies and you'll be fine. Win a Star and Aquaball element for your
troubles. 

--- 1d. FAR LEFT ----------------------------

This area is simple, but can be time-consuming. Standing on the green
footprints in the left room causes the platform in the main room to rotate
by various degrees. The order of your party affects the distance it turns,
so you need to switch your party order for best effect with the Select
button, or by standing on the blue footprints in the main chamber. The
platform needs to rotate to the left to allow you to hit the blue switch
that lowers the stairs. Then rotate the platform back around to the lower
position so that you can climb the stairs and cross to the large
tablet-like structure on the second level. Examine the tablet and the
center section will drop. Hit the main switch to activate the fourth
circuit and return to the central area.

-- 2. FORT DRAGONIA REDUX PT. 2 -------------

The activation of the circuits has caused a large portion of the floor to
rise in the main area. Enter the door at the bottom to reach the fifth
switch. The way will be blocked by a rather difficult opponent.

BATTLE: SUN FACER

The Sun Facer is a white element, which means that Serge's most effective
attacks will be rather ineffectual here. Unfortunately, no other elements
work particularly well, either, as it has a high resistance to magic. It
also has a high resitance to physical attacks. Add to this the fact that it
dishes out serious punishment, and constantly changes its mode by changing
its expression, causing the field effect to turn white and making the use
of summons practically impossible and you have a tough battle on your
hands. To make things worse, it uses Wall for protection and Sensitive to
weaken your party. The good news is that Sun Facer has very low HP - I
would estimate merely 250-350. So while your attacks may seem ineffective,
keep chipping away at its HP and don't let the field effect become all
white, if possible, as that will boost its attack strength.

Once you win, you will receive a Star; but more importantly you can hit the
fifth switch to activate the elevator to the very familiar fifth area.

Items in this Area:

 - Accessory (resist Anti-White)
 - Accessory (resist Anti-Black)
 - Capsule
 - Comet
 
Since you've been here before, there's no need for a walkthrough. Be sure
to search out the treasures, though, as they can be quite useful. The sixth
switch activates the transporter in the center, and releases the sixth and
final dragon statue. Unfortunately, before you can activate it, you must
fight yet another boss.

BATTLE: KAMEI

This guy starts out innocently enough, but after taking a small amount of
damage it dies and an evil spirit arises from it. Despite having cool
metallic specular highlighting, the ghost can be pretty nasty. Watch for
its deadly eyebeam attack, which can annihilate a single party member
without a thought (especially if that person is a white element). Its
element changes from red to black with the transition, so plan your attacks
accordingly. Kid can steal a FreeFall element from it, which is a VERY
useful skill to have against non-black element enemies. You'll win a Star
and a Graviton element at the end of the fight, and can travel to the
transporter. Also, you can Trap Volcano (during the first part of the fight)
and FreeFall (during the battle with the ghost), which I highly recommend.

Serge will have a repeat of his original vision when you reach the large
doors above the dungeon. Heedless, Kid and the third party member will
press on, leaving Serge to follow in their wake. Within the room past the
doors are two uninvited but not unexpected parties: Lynx and Viper. 

BATTLE: VIPER

After the past two brutal fights, this guy is a laugh. Kid can steal a
useful accessory from him, a Stamina Ring, and you'll win a Star and
another accessory.

Lynx seems a bit displeased with Viper's failure and stabs him in the
back. With friends like these.... anyway, now you get the fight the man
himself. Er, the cat. Cat-man. Whatever.

BATTLE: LYNX

He's pretty much the same nasty fellow you fought before, except now he
uses his Level Three skill to wreak havoc on your party. You might want to
give Serge the accessory that prevents Anti-White so his skills aren't made
inaccessible. Be sure to give everyone a wide variety of healing skills
(Cure+3, Heal+2, and so forth) so no one element can be blocked. It
wouldn't be a bad idea to use your summon here, if you can manage it -
usually Lynx follows up an element attack with a physical attack, so
you can set the Field effect pretty easily. Keep your HP high and defend
(especially Serge) when not attacking and this battle will be yours, along
with a Star and an accessory.

An odd note: this may have been a glitch, but Lynx has actually tapped into
Serge's Element Grid before. I have no idea how it happened, but early in a
battle, he used Comet on me (very odd, as Lynx usually only employes Black
skills). When Serge's turn came up, his Comet+1 element was expended despite
the fact that I had not used that skill. If it was a bug, oh well, but if it's
actually a rare skill that Lynx has, I'm impressed.

Of course, what kind of villain would Lynx be if he was defeated that
easily? Instead he tries a psychological attack on Serge, causing a
flashback or a metaphorical vision of a cat pouncing to flash through his
brain. Lynx activates the crystal in the center of the room, which is
the same crystal that gave Serge the heebie-jeebies in the mansion before.
It does more than that this time, though - Serge not only freaks out, he
turns evil, as can be seen by his creepy expression. Serge takes charge and
decides to press the attack on Lynx.

BATTLE: SERGE AND PARTY

You'll find yourself in control of Lynx for this battle, which is
basically hopeless. Have you ever wondered what it must be like for enemies
facing a violent, dangerous gaggle of teens loaded for bear? Well, now you
know. You might notice that Lynx's HP and skills reflect Serge's
completely... that's because Serge and Lynx have switched bodies. But
don't worry about hurting your friends here; they'll kick your butt quickly
enough. (I've heard it IS possible to defeat them in New Game+ Mode, but
that's a topic for another time.)

Once you're laying on the ground licking your wounds, "Serge" decides it
would be a good idea to put "Lynx" out of his misery. Kid, having some
sense of compassion, tries to stop him and gets stabbed in the gut instead.
"Serge" knocks the other party member unconscious and shatters the crystal,
which also causes the six dragon statues to shatter as well. Things are
looking bad, which is probably why Serge (formerly Lynx) does the usual
RPG hero thing and blacks out.

L. OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE -------------------

When Serge awakens after a vision of Kid and the ocean, he's stuck in
Lynx's body still. He's also trapped in some freaky Van Gogh painting.

-- 1. STARRY STARRY NIGHT -------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge

Items in this Area:

 - Revive
 - Mythril items x3
 
The chest on the left ledge can be acquired easily enough; walk to the very
top and push the boulder to the ledge below. Then head back down and walk
behind the waterfall to reach the left ledge; push the boulder again to
dislodge the other boulder below, which will free up the path to the Revive
element. You can't open the door at the bottom; however, you can trick the
occupant into opening it for you. Walk out on the tree branch to the right
and wait for a fruit to fall. As you move to get the fruit, a little person
will dart out from the door and snag the fruit. Instead of going for the
fruit, sneak into the door while the occupant is occupied.

Inside the house you will meet Sprigg, an ancient creature of the Van
Gogh painting. Or something. Climb down her ladder to reach that Save
Point, if you so desire. As you try to leave the hut, Sprigg will join
your party. She's kind of weak, but can transform into other monsters. The
usefulness of this skill remains to be determined...

   MY PARTY: Serge, Sprigg

With Sprigg along (don't forget to set Sprigg and Serge's elements!),
step into the tower at the peak of the waterfall. Inside you will be
drilled (not literally) by Harle. Whether or not you choose to be honest
(the top options let you say, "I am not Lynx," "I'm Serge!"), she will
change into a likeness of Serge and walk into a door. Mimic "Serge's"
actions and walk into the same door he does (albeit on a different floor
level) and you will move to the next area. If you choose different doors,
"Serge" will change into different characters and eventually you'll end up
back outside.

You may notice that Serge has new skills as Lynx. The first is
Lynx's jumping attack, and the second is called Cat Raid, which looks
like a nightmare right out of Ranma 1/2 and damages an entire enemy party
for great damage. Despite his new skills, Serge still uses a Swallow weapon
rather than Lynx's scythe.

Now that we've done Van Gogh, let's move to Escher. The room you enter now
is physically impossible, of course, but it's certainly interesting to look
at. And speaking of interesting to look at, Harle joins your party (your
responses in the tower have no effect on her action). The switch at the top
selects which direction the platform beneath leads, left or right. Walk
behind the central pillar to the left or right to access the items here and
to reach the portal at the bottom, which leads back to Hydra Marsh in
Serge's Home dimension.

   MY PARTY: Serge, Harle, Sprigg

The spot where you appear in the swamp glows momentarily with
inter-dimensional portal power, but nothing happens. As you leave the
marsh, you will pass Lazzuly, but she doesn't seem to care to be associated
with you (and since you look like Lynx walking around with Harle,
who can blame her?). There's nothing to do here, so head for the entrance.

-- 2. A QUANDARY ----------------------------

If you return to Arni Village now, everyone seems to recognize Lynx,
and regard him with some degree of trepidation. Even Leena freaks out.

Bypass Arni for now and head to the beach. Maybe you can find a clue in
Another world, right? Alas, nothing of the sort will happen; using the
medicine bag on the beach produces exactly zero results.

Go back to Arni and look for Radius, who was missing a moment before.
Radius recognizes Lynx as well and challenges him to battle.

BATTLE: RADIUS

Now it's payback time for that humiliating lecture at the beginning of the
game! This fight is pretty simple, so go easy on the poor old guy. Consider
it a senior citizen's discount. For your victory, you'll win a Star, a Heal
element and Radius will join your party.

With Radius in tow, speak to Serge's mother. She tells a story of something
that happened 14 years ago involving Leena, someone named Miguel, and a
boat.

   MY PARTY: Serge, Harle, Radius

With Radius and "Lynx" as your party, the soldiers guarding the Valley
of Bones run off in fear, opening the way.

Items in this Area: 

 - Red Vision (windows)
 - Mythril x2
 
Be sure to check behind the large skull for a new window setting. The bird
(well, birds) on the ledge below don't offer anything of value, but their
fight is pretty simple since all they do is cast Trap ???? elements. Keep
attacking physically and you'll be fine.

Beyond here you'll see some interesting things. For one thing, Lynx's
manor is a bombed out husk. The Porre army seems to be in control here -
Termina is extremely militarized. The bridge bazaar has been replaced by
cannons and guards, and Glenn's home is occupied by Polepori troops. Poor
Serge; his Home dimension sucks. You can't reach the docks in Termina, but
you can do two other things. Stop by Zappa's forge and speak with him and
he will join. You'll also receive a new Key Item - it occupies the top
right slot on your menu and allow you to call Zappa's shop any time you're
on the world map and want to upgrade your weapons. Handy.

You'll also notice that times have been hard for Van's family - their
mansion is but a hovel, and Van's father is a lean, chiseled man
rather than the bloated porkpie from Another world. Speak to them a few
times and Van will join your party, after his father gives him a
boomerang (yes, yet another kind of weapon to keep upgraded!).

   MY PARTY: Serge, Yukuyomi, Van

Be sure to stop to visit Lisa at Yuri's shop as well. She has some new
elements for you to peruse.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
 ELEMENT           PRICE(G)  EFFECT                          LEVEL
---------------------------------------------------------------------
 Tablet (x1)       10        Restore HP in or out of battle  1/0
                             Can equip 5 per slot (consume)  2/0
 Capsule (x1)      25        Restore more HP than Tablet     3/0
 Tear (x1)         15        Recovers Blue (consume)         2/0
 Aura (x1)         15        Recovers Red (consume)          2/0
 Detoxin (x1)      15        Recovers Green (consume)        2/0
 Disperse (x1)     15        Recovers Yellow (consume)       2/0
 Clear (x1)        40        Recovers White (consume)        
 Void (x1)         15        Recovers Black (consume)        
 Curera            220       Blue Element - single heal    
 Healwind          300       Green Element - all heal
 Fireball          50        Red Element - single attack     1/7
 Bomber            80        Red Element - all attack        2/6
 Burning           100       Red Element - single attack     3/5
 Meltstone         240       Red Element - single attack     4/4
                             Can cause Red status
 Aquabeam          50        Blue Element - single attack    1/7
 Ice Lance         80        Blue Element - single attack    2/6
 Aquaball          100       Blue Element - single attack    3/5
 Freeze            240       Blue Element - single attack    4/4
                             Can cause Blue status
 Leaf              50        Green Element - single attack   1/7
 Air Saucer        80        Green Element - single attack   2/6
 Needle            100       Green Element - single attack   3/5
 Uuha              240       Green Element - single attack   4/4
 Uplift            50        Yellow Element - single attack  1/7
 ElectroJolt         80        Yellow Element - single attack  2/6
 Upheaval          100       Yellow Element - single attack  3/5
 Lightning         240       Yellow Element - single attack  4/4
---------------------------------------------------------------------

There's not much else to do in Termina, so go back to Lynx's manor.
You'll find the guards have moved out of the way, so you can enter the
grounds. Radius describes what has happened here. You need to find Ishito,
apparently a member of the Porre army who has made his headquarters at
the manor. However, you won't be getting in through the front door, since
it's rubble. There are two ways to get there: you can descend the well in
the manor yard, or you can take the back route through the woods. The woods
have a few treasures to collect (a capsule, a mythril item and a Trap Hell
Plant element), but there's at least one treasure you can't get, which is
guarded by a fellow beneath the waterfall cave.

All roads lead to Rome, ar at least a Romanesque viaduct system beneath the
mansion. Climb the ledge beside the spillway in the cave beneath the well
and walk into the darkness beyond the water. You'll enter a waterway where
a few guards stand alert. You can walk across the barrel here to get to the
main section; you can also knock one of the barrels on the platforms into
the water where it will lodge into a nook, making half of a walkway.
Unfortunately, the other barrel is blocked by a soldier. Take the upper
ladder to the dungeon area of the mansion, which has not yet collapsed. The
doorway at the end of the hall houses Ishito, who will be persuaded into
joining your party if Radius is present.

   MY PARTY: Serge, Harle, Ishito

You will automatically travel to the west docks at Termina, where you can
take control of the boat the end of the pier (the little one, not the
massive monstrosity at the bottom of the screen!). Once again, you will
open up the entire world map.

M. SAIL THE SEVEN SEAS ----------------------

Clockwise from the northwest, here's a breakdown of the world map. I'm
still taking notes on a lot of this, so forgive my incomplete information.

 1. Guldove (Korcha's home)
 2. Crater Island
 3. Solitary Hut
 4. Bone Cave
 5. Foggy Shroud (Inaccessible continent)
 6. Marbule (Town of bug-men) 
 7. Mysterious Triangle
 8. Flooded Ruins
 9. Inaccessible island
 10. Sky Dragon Island
 
And on the continent:

 11. Termina
 12. Viper's Manor
 13. The Zelbess
 14. Small Island
 15. East Coast
 16. Arni Village
 
And not labelled:

 17. Warp Point

-- 1. GULDOVE --------------------------------

No one here wants to join the party, and Steena's shop is inaccessible.
However, the Element shop has some nice new Elements to sell. Most of these
are effect spells, and I haven't had a chance to determine their uses. I
will provide a thorough breakdown of the magic skills at a later date.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
 ELEMENT           PRICE(G)  EFFECT                          LEVEL
---------------------------------------------------------------------
 Tablet (x1)       10        Restore HP in or out of battle  1/0
                             Can equip 5 per slot (consume)  2/0
 Capsule (x1)      25        Restore more HP than Tablet     3/0
 Potion (x1)       60        Restore more HP than Capsule
 All Clear (x1)    500       Removes all conditions
 Purify (x1)       210       Removes all conditions
 Recover  (x1)     380       ????
 Nainai            2880      Guarantees 99% hit rate
 Info              880       Allows you to view enemy's HP
 P-Eraser          2880      Temporary immunity to attacks
 M-Eraser          2880      Temporary immunity to magic
 Genius            430       Boosts Element power
 Foolish           430       Weakens Element power
 Wall              430       White - single protect
 Sensitive         430       White - single weaken
 Mana Call         1670      White - all party & enemy
                             makes Elements more powerful
 Mana Feeble       1670      Black - all party & enemy
                             makes Elements less powerful
 Forget            2880      Seals all Elements
 Revenge           600       ????
---------------------------------------------------------------------

-- 2. CRATER ISLAND -------------------------

Items in this Area:

 - Mythril Item

You can enter the subterranean cave here by falling into the sand at the
top. Unfortunately, there's a massive turtle blocking the path, and it won't
budge.

-- 3. HERMIT"S HIDEAWAY ---------------------

Items in this Area:

 - Magic Ring
 - Accessory

Lazzuly lives here, if you saved her earlier Once you have found Starky and
Dragonchild, they will hang out here when not in your active party along with
the other tiny, cute, non-human characters.

-- 4. ISLAND OF THE DAMNED --------------------

The enemies here are not nearly as tough now as they seemed before. You still
won't be able to make much progress though; the doors all wrap around to the
opposite side of the main room. There's another mysterious mirror here, but
nothing seems to affect it... yet.

-- 5. FOGGY SHROUD (INACCESSIBLE CONTINENT) -

As of yet, inaccessible.

-- 6. MARBULE --------------------------------

Marbule seems nearly deserted, and ghosts are wandering around town. The guy
on the bridge offers details, if you can read Japanese. You also will
notice a mermaid swim away as you approach the bridge. Stay the night in
the first hut by examining the bed. During the night, choose the first
option to get up and walk around town. Serge will have a conversation with
the man on the bridge. The mermaid, Irenes, eavesdrops and comments to
herself once Serge returns to sleep. When you leave town the next day, she
hails you and mentions the Zelbess (the ship docked to the northeast of the
main continent) and swims away.
 
-- 7. MYSTERIOUS TRIANGLE -------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Harle, Van

Items in this Area:

 - Mythril Items x2
 - Starfish (key item)

You can dive underwater and explore here by rowing to the center and
pressing the action key. Beneath the ocean you can walk around without air,
oddly enough, and search out treasures on the ocean floor. The pufferfish are
pretty strong, but this area shouldn't be anything you can't handle. The first
screen holds a chest with a Mythril item, and the ladder at the back leads
down to a second screen. Run left and counter-clockwise to find another chest
with Mythril and descend to the center area (with the massive throng of fish)
to acquire the area's treasure, a jewel-encrusted starfish.

-- 8. FLOODED RUINS -------------------------

The ruins from Another world are here as well, but have been flooded and
are swampy. You can move from section to section by using the lilypads. No
word on why Serge can descend underwater at the Triangle area but can't
swim here. 

Items in this Area:

 - Aquaball
 - Freeze
 - Ivory Item
 - High Grip
 - Magic Ring
 - Fish Dress
 
Beyond the lilypads (don't forget to search behind the waterfall here!) is the
former faerie village. However, the somber music and the big angry blue
Mudokon-looking guys suggest that something bad has happened here. Darned if I
know what, though. Descend to the lowest level and head right to meet a really
big frog-fish-thing. Pardon my incoherence here; I'm not really certain what
to do. I would assume the situation here is linked to Marbule, since the
monsters wandering around here are same as the ghosts haunting Marbule, but I'm
unclear of the actual goal. [NOTE: I have since come to realize this island
contains a quest that needed to be undertaken earlier - refer to the Ice
Breath quest above.]

Search behind the waterfall being guarded by the Mudokon-wannabe on the lowest
level for a Fish Dress. It doesn't offer much in the way of stats, but surely
there's some sort of significance to it...

-- 9. INACCESSIBLE ISLAND -------------------

What? Climbing the Cliffs of Insanity? That's inconceivable!

-- 10. SKY DRAGON ISLAND ----------------------

Nothing of note here. The main plateau holds a treasure chest, which is
looted by a creature that scurries off when you arrive. You can't do anything
here, yet.
 
-- 11. TERMINA ------------------------------

Same old, same old.

-- 12. VIPER'S MANOR ----------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Harle, Van

You can dock here and explore the cliffs to collect some items.

Items in this Area:
 
 - Capsule
 - Mythril Item x5
 
The top of the cliff is blocked by rubble, so don't expect to sneak in to
explore areas of the mansion here. There are no falling boulders, obviously,
but the enemies will still attack you. Unless you're in need of Mythril to
upgrade your weapons, there's nothing of value here.

You can also return to the waterway beneath the castle now. The guards are
gone, and you can knock both barrels into the water to create a path to the
floodgate at the top of the lefthand stairway. As for how to access the rest
of the area, well, I'm still searching...

-- 13. THE ZELBESS --------------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Harle, Ishito

Lots to do here. If you board the Zelbess after sleeping in Marbule, you'll
have more events to witness.

It seems Fargo has turned his scourge of the seven seas into a New Orleans
riverboat sort of affair. The place is "brightened" by artwork of varying
degrees of tastefulness, and festooned with posters for Nikki's concert.
It's a tourist attraction, filling the void left by Termina's
militarization.

The layout of the ship is as follows:

Top deck: 
 Lounge, Ticket Desk
First interior deck, right to left: 
 1st room - Restaurant; Miki is on the balcony here
 2nd room - Locked
 3rd room (up) - Fargo's cabin
 4th room (down) - Casino Vegas
Second Interior Deck, left to right:
 1st room - Inn & Save Point
 2nd room - Stage
 3rd room - Locked
 4th room - Supply room
 End door - Blocked
Third Interior Deck
 Grand Slam Competition

You can explore here, but the real action starts when you visit Fargo's
cabin. You'll see a conversation between him and Irenes. They mention
Marcy, Nikki and Luccia, then Irenes leaves.

In the Casino, you can play a game of Roulette with simple enough rules.
You tell the wheel when to stop, and earn points accordingly. You begin
with 100 points (100G).

 North: Double your points
 East: +50 points
 South: Sudden Death; you lose
 West: -50 points

In the Stage room, you can watch Snef, the ugly but skillful magician,
perform various feats of magic. He suspends a woman, and then when the
heckler in the audience bugs him, turns the guy into a cat. Once he's done,
you can watch either Fat & Slim's Knife Show, or some sort of slapstick
comedy routine involving the ever-popular Peppor and Solt. It's so nice
that they found work after the mansion was shelled.

The last door on the second deck is occupied by bugmen from Marbule. The
formerly dignified chief of the village seems to have been reduced to
janitorial duty here.

-- 13a. THE GAMBLER -------------------------

The guy at the end of the hall won't let you through to the Grand Slam
contest. Ask Fargo about it and he'll challenge you to a game of Sudden
Death Roulette. Follow him to the Casino Vegas and get your butt kicked.
You see, Fargo cheats like a madman, and it's impossible to beat him. Well,
unless you cheat as well.

Go downstairs to the Inn and you'll see the Inn owner climb down a ladder
and back into the Inn. His cat tries to climb the ladder, and he scolds it.
The party huddles in conference here, a realization dawning upon them. If
only they could sneak into that room above, they could probably unrig the
Roulette game.

Challenge Fargo again, but instead of heading straight to the Casino, go
back to Snef's magic show. Choose the top option and the entire party will
volunteer to participate in the magic act, which turns everyone into cats.
Run out of the Stage area and over to the Casino (I think you can explore
the locked room on the first interior deck as well, but I forgot to check)
and up the ladder. You will watch the Inn proprietor spinning a giant
magnet to give Fargo a bit of a boost; when the Innkeeper sits down, steal
the handle from the machine. Now go back to Snef's show by walking through
the duct in the Stage room and he will transform you back into humans.
Challenge Fargo in the Casino and he'll lose. 

Note: Here's a quick and easy way to beat the Gambling game, courtesy of Adam
Ismail (adam.ismail@utoronto.ca):

  Although you can't use this against Fargo, a strategy for sure-fire 
  double points every round: hit pause as the wheel spins, until you get the 
  red end of the pin within the south-west quadrant of the wheel.  Hold circle 
  button, and then unpause - the pin will hit north every single time.  The 
  4th, 3rd and 2nd place prize items are useless, but 1st prize is materials 
  for creating Prism weapons.

If you return to Fargo's cabin, you'll see a conversation between him and
Nikki - it seems Nikki is Fargo's son. And if you talk to the pirate who
was blocking the door to the Grand Slam contest, he will let you through.

If you spoke to the Bugman earlier, you'll see him here. Go out the first
window and back in it again to catch up with him. You'll talk for a moment
and then he'll fight you.

BATTLE: KENJA

This guy doesn't pull any punches. He can use two Elements consecutively,
and he tends to hit you with a "Feel" spell and a counter-element for a
nasty one-two punch. I highly recommend bringing Harle to this point, as
her Lv.5 skill can provide a great deal of protection for the party. Keep
your HP high, because his Elemental power is strong. When you win you'll
get a Star and a Mythril Helmet, as well as the Shomaneki (crab) Key Item.
Nikki will enter the room, talk, and storm off; then Kenja follows suit.

-- 13b. GRAND SLAM --------------------------

At this point, you're welcome to participate in the Grand Slam competition.
It's completely optional, but what RPG would be complete without its own
ripoff of Final Fantasy VI's coliseum? This one has a cool premise, but
can be a little too hard at times. You have to play through several
consecutive rounds with monsters which you control against a party controlled
by Jyaness, the little girl who dominates the tournament. No monsters can be
reused; unfortunately, most of the choices you receive are pitiful, whereas
Jyaness receives extremely powerful monsters... it's hard!

Correction: Apparently the precise list of enemies changes and grows as you
advance into the game, based on Sprigg's Morph skill. I never use Sprigg,
so consider this an absolute minimum survival guide - the bare-bones list. If
you can win with this strategy, you should be able to win with more powerful
monsters available easily. For the covenience of those who have a much larger
list of monsters, here is what each of the characters I have listed looks
like:

THE GRAND SLAM TOURNAMENT

Here are the full details and skill sets for your monsters. Winning this
tournament is party a function of choosing the right characters, but luck fits
into it as much as anything else. Remember, if things look bad, RUN! You only
have to start the round over, not the full tournament.

Each row is progressively stronger than the last. The first row is pathetic,
and the last row is populated only by the butt-kicking Eft. Use his power
wisely.

ROW 1: Beach Bum (Blue) - Komodo Kid Lizard (Blue) - Lifeless (Black)
ROW 2: Barbuu (Green) - Debitt (Black) - Goblum (Green)
ROW 3: Hoblum (Green) - Piretta (Black) - Gaonja (Red)
ROW 4: Eft (Blue)

Each character has a particular skill set. Many of these elements are familiar
by now, but a few may be new to you. Cure Rest, for instance, heals all allies
(do NOT use this skill if you have an undead character active, such as Piretta
or Lifeless - it will wound them). In general, the specialty skills are simply
attacks that tend to hit for about weak-to-medium damage. Remember that you
can get 2 strong attacks for 6 Stamina, or can use the Elements and get a
weaker attack for the same cost plus the added inability to defend. Which
sounds like a better idea to you? I recommend NOT using specialty skills in
most cases.

Note: None of the characters have Level 1 Elements. This chart begins at Level
2 and is structured exactly like you will see the skills on the characters'
grid for your convenience.

  Beach Bum - Blue creature with fins. Resembles a Nu from Chrono Trigger.
  Komodo Kid Lizard - The green lizards you killed for scales at Lizard 
   Rock.
  Lifeless - A floating wraith who attacks with his shadowy head.
  Barbuu - Like an onion-headed doll.
  Debitt - A round, batlike creature.
  Goblum - A short, fat goblin.
  Hoblum - A taller goblin than the Goblum, with a yellowish skin tone.
  Piretta - A pirate skeleton.
  Gaonja - A large tiger-man.
  Eft - Blue and brawny; resembles a Mudokon from Oddworld.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
CHARACTER/SKILLS
---------------------------------------------------------------------
BEACH BUM -----------------------------------------------------------
 Curera-1
 Aquaball-1    Aquaball      Aquaball+1
 Atk. All      Atk. All      Atk. All      Atk. All
Komodo KID LIZARD ---------------------------------------------------
 Feel Blue
 Water Atk.    Water Atk.    Water Atk.    Cure Rest
LIFELESS ------------------------------------------------------------
 Atk. All
 Get Soul      Anti-White
 Atk. All      Get Soul+1    Get Soul+2    Anti-White+2  Inferno+2
BARBUU --------------------------------------------------------------
 Leaf+1        Leaf+2        Heal Wind
 Heal          Totter-1      Info-2        Needle+2      Feel Green
DEBITT --------------------------------------------------------------
 Burning-1     Drain
 Burning-1     Drain         Drain         Weak+1
GOBLUM --------------------------------------------------------------
 Heal          Needle        Totter
 Uuha-2        Needle        Totter
HOBLUM --------------------------------------------------------------
 Heal          Eagle Eye-1   Uuha
 Needle-1      Needle        Eagle Eye     Heal Wind+1
PIRETTA -------------------------------------------------------------
 Atk.
 Atk.          Get Soul+1    Get Soul+2    Inferno+1
GAONJA --------------------------------------------------------------
 Weak-2
 Atk.          Atk.          High Muscle   Bomber+3      Nainai
EFT -----------------------------------------------------------------
               Atk.
 Curera-1      Atk.          Aquaball+1
 Curera-1      Atk.          Aquaball+1
---------------------------------------------------------------------

You face a set pattern of enemies as well. Round 2 is easily the most
difficult, so this is where you want to use Eft. Remember, when things go bad,
run and try again! A lot of your progress here depends on how the enemies make
their initial attack; keep trying until the odds are in your favor.

ROUND 1: Blob, Boar, Biba-Biba
USE: Komodo Kid Lizard, Beach Bum, Piretta

The Boar is the major threat here; its charge attack can wipe out most
characters in a single blow. The pink blob won't attack unless it's the only
character left, and it hits pretty hard. Take out the Boar first with one of
Piretta's instant kill attacks. You can try Get Soul+1; since it's a Level 3
skill you can probably use it before the Boar charges at all. You'll have
better success with Get Soul+2 or Inferno+1, though. If your initial attempt
fails, run away and start over. Once the boar is gone, focus your attacks on
the blob, then finish off the Biba-Biba as soon as you can.

ROUND 2: Spearman, Machinery, Debitt
USE: Eft, Barbuu, Debitt

Be prepared to run. The Machinery has nearly 1000 HP and uses an attack called
Land Hit which does massive, painful damage - it can nearly kill even the Eft.
Unfortunately, there's another enemy, the spear guy, who attacks almost as
powerfully and much more often; getting rid of him is priority one. Caution is
the word here. Open with the Eft against the spear user (he always gets 99%
hits for all moves, so hit with 2 strong attacks), then defend. Have another
character attack, and switch back to Eft as soon as he gets to 7 Stamina. The
less the Eft is idle, the better. Mr. Spear should go down in three rounds;
now focus on the Machinery in the middle. Don't worry about losing a weak
character or even two; just hammer away with your strongest attacks and defend
when necessary. Heal with Curera-1 if Eft's HP drops below 300. Once you get
the Machinery taken care off, polish off the Debitt (which sucks - it has at
least 5 times the HP of the Debitt in your party!). Once this round is
finished, you're nearly home free.

ROUND 3: Mobechan, Tengu, Sky Frame
USE: Lifeless, Gaonja, Hoblum.

This shouldn't be TOO hard if you can take out the Sky Frame before it has a
chance to use its specialty attack, which HURTS. Hit it a few times with
Lifeless to soften it up, then use Inferno+1 or Get Soul+2 (I recommend
Inferno, personally). If you fail, run and try again. If you succeed, this
round is in the bag. Use Gaonja to pound on the Tengu in the center, then
clean up the Mobechan, which is hardly a threat at all.

Congratulations! You've won! Hopefully this didn't take you too long; I'd like
to think my painful, frustrating hours of effort paved the way for your
success. You'll win a Stamina Belt, then a Resist Belt, and a stronger
accessory for each round you clear. Additionally, Jyaness will join the party;
although her HP is very low, she's a strong (and strange) fighter and a solid
magic user, and can be a good asset to the party.

-- 13c. IRENES ------------------------------

Once you've explored the Zelbess, head to Nikki's ship by taking the platform
next to the crow's nest of the Zelbess. When you enter the dressing room,
you'll see the whole crew: Miki, Nikki, Kenja and Irenes. Everyone but Irenes
ditches for rehearsal (sheesh, it's like an ABC After-School Special or
something), and Irenes will join your party if you wish (top choice). Also of
note here: the NPC hanging out in the dressing room mentions the Shomaneki
item you have, which is the crab-like item. I don't remember where this came
from, but apparently it's important...

-- 14. SMALL ISLAND -------------------------

Such a distrustful world. The resident of the moss-covered hut here doesn't
seem to trust strangers. You can't get in, but when you leave you'll see
someone watching you depart. 

-- 15. EAST COAST ---------------------------

The East Coast here still leads to the Fire Cave, which still leads to the
Tower, which you can still explore. While there are no gameplay objectives
here, the Tower has some extremely valuable Elements to acquire, so this side
trip is easily worth the effort.

-- 15a. MT. PYRE ---------------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Harle, Irenes

Items in this Area:

 - Denadoro Item
 - Mythril Item
 
Not too much has changed, except that some of the new enemies are pretty
tough. Hint: don't bring Blue elemental characters (like Irenes) along unless
you want them to die pathetically. Side note: the Denadoro items apparently
are the next step above Mythril. The name Denadoro, as you'll recall, was a
mountain in Chrono Trigger with hella tough goblins... or rather, wimpy goblins
with hella tough hammers.

-- 15b. FORT DRAGONIA PT. 3 ----------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Harle, Radius

Items in this Area:

 - Denadoro Item x4
 - Thunder Beret (Element)
 - Iceburg (Element)
 - Potion x4
 - Tornado (Element)
 - Volcano
 
There are some new enemies here, including an upgrade to the Bronze Golems
called Machineries. They look the same, but they're painfully strong - their
Land Hit attack can demolish a character in a single hit. The Gargols and
Chameleos are pretty easy, but don't get complacent. Luckily, there are no
boss battles here, but some of the regular fights are bad enough.

The puzzles here are unchanged, so if you have any long-term recall
whatsoever, this should be a breeze. Definitely search high and low for the
Level 6 Elements here - they are exceptionally powerful and will be a great
asset to the party. The only drawback is that they can only be equipped by
someone with a compatible elemental affinity; don't expect a Red elemental to
equip Iceburg, for instance. Even so, these are definitely spells that should
not be passed up.

Once you've activated the elevator, go down rather than up. The central energy
source is active, and it looks exactly the right size to serve as an
incubator. If you picked up the egg in the valley of dinosaur bones in Another
world, try placing it here. You will be greeted by a hatchling dragon who
decides Serge is its father. DragonChild will join the party (top option).
He's pretty strong and has the second highest HP in the party at this point
(right after Serge), so be sure to bring him along.

-- 15c. FORT DRAGONIA PT. 4 ----------------

Items in this Area:

 - Potion x2
 - Anti-Black
 - Anti-White
 
Some very, very useful Anti-Elements are here; be sure to grab them as you
explore. There are no enemies here at all, so this section should take just a
few minutes. Activating the switch opens the transporter to the upper cell of
the Tower. However, Serge doesn't have any visions this time, nor does anyone
confront you here. There seems to be nothing to do in the Statuary, as the
central pedestal is empty. It is a little strange to see the party shoot down
the teleporter, I
must say.

-- 16. ARNI VILLAGE ------------------------

You can dock here if you wish.

-- 17. WARP POINT: THE END OF TIME ----------

This is not labelled on the map, but to activate the warp, approach the small
semi-circular set of islands to the southeast of the main continent. Press the
Action key until you find the warp point, which will take your party to a very
familiar area. At the far end of the room is a large door, but the land
octopus leaning against the light post will not allow you to enter just yet.
When I arrived here, there were 5 portals open, with space for at least 3
more. The portals don't seem to lead to other time periods, but rather to
random battles and battlefields from throughout the game. I sampled a few
battles and they start fairly easy, but seem to become progressively more
challenging. That's all that can be done here for now, but it's worth a visit,
if for nothing more than nostalgia.

N. INTO THE VORTEX --------------------------

After defeating Kenja, you received a small crab-like Key Item. Now is the
time to use it. Boat over to the inaccessible vortex of clouds on the eastern
edge of the map and activate the crab. For whatever reason, this causes the
clouds to part enough to reveal an entrance to the mist.

-- 1. GRANDLEON -----------------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Harle, Radius

When you arrive in the cave at the entrance to the Vortex, Radius will meet
you there if he's not already in your party. As you try to enter the cave, you
will be blocked by the power of a sword - none other than the legendary
Masamune Sword (a small note; this is the same sword from Chrono Trigger, and
in Japan it's known as the Grandleon. So if you're playing the Japanese
version, realize it's the same weapon: it was called the Grandleon in the
Japanese version of Chrono Trigger as well). Radius has a bit of a history with
the Masamune and will help you get past its angry power. The Masamune can
only be countered with another sword, the Einlanzer. To find the Einlanzer,
you're going to have to embark upon -- wait for it! -- a mini-quest.

Items in this Area:

 - Garai's Memento (Key Item)
 - Einlanzer Sword (Key Item)

Your first stop is at the solitary island where Lazzuly has taken up
residence. You may have seen Radius living here in Another world; it seems he
has an affinity for this place, because he and his comrade-in-arms/rival Garai
(seemingly one of Glenn's ancestors, and a fellow with WAY too much armor)
sparred here. Radius shares a few flashbacks here, of himself and Garai
practicing their skills (and Garai winning), and of Radius finding the
Masamune in the waterfall cave north of Arni. After his monologue, he gives
Serge a mirror-like memento of Garai.

And where else have you seen mirrors? Why, in the cave on the Island of Bones.

   MY PARTY: Serge, Radius, Ishito

The left mirror in the cave is your goal here; get there by passing through
the portal at the bottom of the screen, beneath the monster's ribs. Use
Garai's memento at the mirror and you will be able to pass through to the area
beyond. Travel around to the left; ignore the empty armor there and enter the
lit cave opening in the center. Here you can view a headstone that ominously
bears the name of the members of Serge's party. The spectre of Garai appears
and shares another flashback, in which Radius was apparently overcome by the
Masamune Sword and murdered Garai in cold blood. Obviously, Garai isn't too
thrilled about this and attacks the party.

BATTLE: GARAI

In my opinion, this is the toughest fight yet. What is it with White elemental
enemies that makes them such bastards? Well, in this case, it doesn't help
that Serge is trapped in Lynx's Black elemental body, making him extra weak
against Garai's ferocious attacks. Make sure NOT to bring Harle here, unless
you want this fight to be even more lopsided. Zappa, Ishito or DragonChild are
all recommended, as they are each strong, have good HP and have a good
resistance to Garai's attacks. He uses three different modes of attack - a
physical attack which can be used as many as three times consecutively; an
Elemental physical attack which hits hard; and a White Element called Will
Break which can kill in a single hit (especially against Black characters).
Start this battle by protecting Serge with Wall - Wall+3, if you can manage
it. Sensitive and Foolish are helpful if you can actually tag Garai with them;
Anti-White would be awesome, but I never can get it work for me. Give everyone
lots of strong healing Elements for both the party and individuals. Try to
equip as many of your strong Black attacks (FreeFall, etc.) as you can cram
into your upper slots. Balance strong attacks with as much healing as needed.
It's a tough fight, but victory will give you both a Star and the Einlanzer
Sword needed to advance in the game.

Once you have the Einlanzer, take it back to the Masamune's cave. Radius will
strike the ground with the Einlanzer, shattering Masamune... it sort of sucks
to see that happen after all the work that went into restoring it in Chrono
Trigger! Now you can move into the next section, a new close-up area of the
world map which appears to be an ocean, frozen solid as it raged about a
crumbling futuristic city.

-- 2. FROZEN IN TIME? -----------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Harle, DragonChild

This is an unexpected, haunting, yet absurdly cool area. While the rest of
Serge's world seems to be at about a Victorian level of technology, this area
displays the ruins of a high-tech society trapped in a frozen, tempestuous
ocean. The goal here is to reach the center area of the vortex by running
along the frozen waves and through the passable areas (denoted by a Save Point
pyramid; these are not necessarily Save Points, though, as you can save
anywhere on the map here.

Items in this Area:

 - Anti-Red
 - Anti-Blue
 - Anti-Yellow
 - Anti-Green
 
Be sure to pick up the useful Anti Elements on the map area while you can.
Your first stop will be at a destroyed highway overpass, which you must
navigate.

-- 2a. HIT THE ROAD, JACK -------------------

There are two paths here: left, which leads to various treasures, and right,
which leads to the exit.

Items in this Area:
 
 - Capsule
 - Nail x2
 - Mythril Item
 - FreeFall

To the left is a variety of treasures, including the ever-popular FreeFall
Element. Be sure to climb the ladder near the top of the area, and run beneath
overpasses whenever possible. Most of the enemies here are very passive, so
you can fight them at your discretion. When you open the chest containing
FreeFall, the ledge on which you're standing collapses, bringing you back the
start. Loop back around and head to the exit. Unfortunately, the way is
blocked by a machine of some sort.

BATTLE: KEVIN

Kevin looks an awful lot like Johnny (aka The Man). You remember Johnny,
right? The forefather of stupid, badly-implemented minigames that impede
progress and have little place in an RPG? Right then. Kevin doesn't race, just
fight. Alas, he's still terribly annoying. He has one attack that's extremely
strong, and a group gas attack that causes Black status. This is one of those
battles that isn't really hard, per se, but it certainly drags on and on due
to your diminished hit accuracy.

Once you beat Kevin, you'll receive a Star and High Grip. More importantly,
you'll be able to leave the area now and move to the next section on the World
Map.

-- 2b. LINK TO THE PAST, AND FUTURE ---------

The next area to explore is a ruined city. Walk along the wave crests here to
reach various items and locations.

Items in this Area:

 - Resist Vest
 - Earring
 - Kung-Fu Shoes
 - Stamina Ring
 
Explore and collect here. The Kung-Fu Shoes are hidden in the bottom-most
right doorway, the door which doesn't lead to a new screen. Walk beneath the
door frame and press Action to open the hidden chest. The most important
element here is the middle left crest, which leads to a door where a single
computer monitor is still active. Ishito will enter here when you press the
glowing red button and activate the monitor for you.

On screen, you will see something very familiar -  a spiny alien creature. The
date A.D. 2300 should be familiar to you It seems that somehow, this frozen
city was ravaged by the Event of Lavos, despite the fact that Crono and his
friends supposedly stopped Lavos 20 years before (technically, 979 years from
Serge's time, but you know what I mean). The plot thickens....

-- 2c. EYE OF THE VORTEX --------------------

At the center of the vortex is what looks like a gothic castle but appears on
the inside to be a shopping mall. Like the rest of this area, it is ruined and
frozen.

Items in this Area:
 
 - Wing x2
 - Mythril Item x2
 - Sword (Key Item)
 - Healwind
 - Curera
 - Forget
 - Mana Feeble
 - Inferno
 - Nail Dress
 
Be sure to explore the mall area carefully, as lots of good stuff is hidden
here. There's nothing on the ground level here (despite your feelings of
deja-vu, this is NOT the Shinra Building's lobby). Climb the central staircase
and head counterclockwise to get a Wing (upgrade item). The third level
contains an elevator which will move you up and down between floors. To the
right is another weapon upgrade item, and the left wall is open, leading to
what appears to be a open-air theatre in ruins. Climb down from the balcony
and an apparition of a young blonde girl in a white dress will appear and
vanish. The ghosts here can be surprisingly tough - each ghost appears to be
robotic in nature and runs a program that casts a different spell (they
announce each spell before casting it). Some spells are weak, but others, like
Tornado, can be a real pain. A few will cast curative spells on your party,
but watch out for Black Hole, a powerful Black skill that apparently can cause
an instant death attack. 

There seems to be a small, overgrown park area here with what appears to be a
sword in the middle. Grab the sword and move to the left area, where you will
see an apparition of a purple-haired girl who runs to the right. Grab the
upgrade items and the Forget spell here and climb the collapsed rubble to the
door at the upper-right.

When you enter the next room, you'll see a number of ghosts standing about.
One of them is a boy with spiky red hair (see a pattern forming here?) who
leaps into a vortex at the back of the room. Take the Mana Feeble spell on the
left platform and follow the boy.

You may wish to save your game at the Save Point here. Right above the Save
Point is a small chamber that, as you may have guessed, will recover your HP
and status... but you'll still be hungry (grumble). Also, grab the Inferno
Element and Nail Dress armor if you wish.

Finally, you encounter the three spirits who led you here. Speak to the boy
and Jacob Marley will appear. OK, actually, it's not Marley, it's Miguel, the
man whom Marge mentioned before (he's Leena's father, if you must know). He
steps out from behind the ruins of a familiar looking bell and describes a
"Time Crash." Is time being kompressed? Kurses! It kould be. And, as is
kustomary in most RPGs, Miguel greets you with an invitation to kombat.

BATTLE: MIGUEL

Miguel is another of those darned White Element guys, although he fortunately
isn't as tough as Garai. This will still be a challenge, though. Like Kenja,
he can use two Elements consecutively, although he relies mainly on White
element attacks. His physical power isn't anything to worry about, but when
his HP gets low he uses Holy, a painfully powerful group attack. Many of his
attacks inflict White status as a secondary consideration, which can diminish
your combat effectiveness. Be sure to protect Serge with Wall as soon as
possible, and keep everyone's HP high. Equip skills besides just Black attacks
- Miguel is pretty handy with his Anti-Black spell. Turnabout is fair play; if
you have Trap Holy, you can make your own life much easier by using it.

When you win, you will receive both a Star and an accessory, and Miguel
mentions that 1999 is the Year of Lavos. It seems Miguel has been waiting 14
years for the arrival of Serge, the "Trigger." (Correct me if I'm wrong, here)
With Miguel's death, the Vortex begins to collapse - Serge and party are
fortuitously rescued by a black dragon, who wings them to safety as the vortex
explodes.

The Dragon mentions "Elnid," a name which has popped up a few times througout
the game (apparently, it's the continent on which most of the action
transpires... I think). Then he leaves, and Serge and co. return to their
boat. You can boat into the former vortex area, which is just water now. There
are three hotspots here, but when you pass over them, your second party member
mentions Wormholes and you automatically leave.

-- 3. WRAP-UP -------------------------------

A few items of note: if you use Zappa's scroll, you now have access to the
Denadoro set of equipment. Additionally, this would be a good time to return
to Sky Dragon Island, where you will be confronted by a huge alien creature
when you examine the treasure chest there. Note: it seems you need to have
discovered the Starfish treasure beneath the ocean triangle before you can
meet him.

BATTLE: STARKY

This guy is huge. Fortunately, he's a bit weak. He's a White elemental, but
his attacks are pretty mild. His ray gun is not much to speak of, and his
Elemental power is pretty low. However, he has a ton of HP, so it will take a
while to wear him down. Once you defeat him in combat, catch him and choose
the first option to ask him to join the party. Speak to the man who watches
guard here and you will receive a very cool Starky-themed window set!

O. FAMILIAR TERRITORY -----------------------

With the clearing of the Vortex, Serge again regains the ability to warp
between dimensions. Go back to the beach and use the Astral Amulet - this time
it works. (If you don't yet have the Astral Amulet and took the other path
through the game, you probably can get it at Guldove from either Doc or Steena
or Delia, or perhaps one of Doc's assistants)

-- 1. A WRETCHED HOMECOMING -----------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Harle, Radius

When you arrive at the beach in Another world, you are greeted by the sight of
a man fleeing from Lynx's shadow cats. He's even more freaked out when he
sees "Lynx," but the cats get confused and leave. Arni is now mostly
deserted, and the West half is blocked off. Seems things have changed...

The north waterfall, where Radius found the Masamune back Home, is now open
and people are seeking "Power Spots." There's a shrine or something at the
west end of the cave with flickering candelabras, but nothing seems to affect
it at the moment.

The Pass through the Valley of Dinosaur Bones can no longer simply be passed
through; you'll have to fight your way through. There are no new treasures
here, although shadow cats and little wizard guys have replaced the pigs and
birds.

When you reach the other side, you'll find Lynx's mansion has been seized
by Porre soldiers - just like Home. You won't be able to enter, and even if
you sneak in through the back way you can't get in the front door. Instead, go
to Termina, which is becoming militarized by those Porre jerks.

If you visit Zappa, you'll find him being threatened by some guards, although
they turn yellow when he actually gives them a baleful look of death. Glenn's
house is occupied by soliders as well. About the only place that isn't
crawling with troops is the bar, where the owner calls you into the back room.
There, Guile is waiting for you; talk to him, then examine the back wall to
find a hidden room where Karsh and Zoah are waiting. They'll describe the
events which transpired immediately after Serge switched bodies and returned
Home - Lynx vanished with Kid, and they found Viper wounded. They give Serge a
broken crystal and you are given a choice of allies - either Karsh or Zoah
will accompany you. Both are great assets; Karsh has tons of HP, and Zoah is a
bruiser in terms of sheer hitting power. There's no branch here - the events
are the same no matter who goes with you.

   MY PARTY: Serge, Karsh, Jyaness

When you leave town, you'll see Ishito (from Another world, not Home) talk to
the soliders at the entrance. You now have access to the mansion. Step inside
with Karsh; when you enter the building, you will see Riddel being taken
captive to the dungeon. Your goal is to rescue her.

Of course, you can't just grab her and go. Go left and enter the second door
to meet Ishito; after coming to grips with "Lynx's" identity, he gives the
party a key to the sewer grate. At this point, a solider will also somehow
turn the chef Orcha into a blue Orcha, which is pretty weird; apparently, he's
evil. 

Items in this Area: 

 - Flood
 - Denadoro Item
 - High Grip
 - Upgrade Item

Go downstairs and examine the grating on the floor outside the kitchen. It
will open, and you will enter the sewer area. You've explored parts of this
area to reach Ishito at Home, but now you're entering from the upper left area
and are trying to sneak into a different place altogether. The water flow up
here is really fast and will knock you down to the lower level, to the area
you've seen before. Knock the two free-standing barrels on the platforms into
the water to create a path to the left staircase. Turn the valve in the
chamber up the stairs to close the spillway and slow the water flow that was
too fast to navigate.

While you're down here, you can take the southeast exit to reach the forest
entrance to the waterway. The path into the tree-root cave is blocked by a
grating, but if you hit the grating the insect sleeping on the treasure chest
right outside will freak out, knocking the chest to the lower level. You can
find this chest later by traveling through the woods or the well to get a
Flood Element.

Once that's accomplished, go up the ladder against the back wall in the lower
level. You will arrive right outside the dungeon; run back to the grate that
you opened before and climb back down to the sewers. You'll be able to cross
the water flow now, which leads you to the right-hand section of the sewers.
Head up and around; leave the screen at the top-right to find a valve which
controls another floodgate, this one on the lower level. Turn it so the lower
path is unobstructed and run back around to the previous area. Head to the
center section to open another gate, which will let you run to the lower level
of the right screen through the water. Once on the right screen, walk up the
ladder and to the lower right. Go past the second floodgate that you opened
and climb the ladder to reach the valve again; turn it so the lower path is
blocked and the upper path is unobstructed. You're almost home-free, but first
you have to take care of a nasty, enormous insect that ambushes you.

BATTLE: LAUM

The bug in and of itself is not terribly strong, but its little larvae are
nestled on its back and will attack in a swarm, hitting either the group or an
individual for big damage. All your Red elements work really well here; if you
have a Red character, be sure to protect him or her with Wall or High Protect.
Defeating the insect and its brood will net you a Star and an Elbow Pad, in
case you have a need to go skating sometime soon.

Behind the battlefield, you'll find three ladders leading up. The left ladder
leads to a cell where Glenn is being held, but he's sleeping like a rock and
won't respond to you. The middle cell contains an old man who completely
freaks out when you try to get through. And the right cell has a cot where
Fargo is taking a nap. Banging on the grate beneath his cot wakes him up and
he lets you in. Then he breaks out of the cell, frees everyone, and beats the
thunder out of the guards... not bad for an old guy.

Save at the pyramid here and enter the door at the far right; you will see
Riddel, being interrogated in a less than kindly fashion by Blue Orcha. The
party busts in and decides to save her, but the giant culinary smurf seems to
have other ideas.

BATTLE: EVIL ORCHA

Despite being blue, this guy is a Red element. He's a bit of a pushover, too,
as he uses no attacks you haven't seen before. The only real surprise he has
is a move called Spice, which restores about 175 HP. You'll win a Star for
your troubles.

The soldiers suddenly recognize Lynx ("Hey! It's the guy we stole the
mansion from!") and run off. Orcha joins the party now that he's back to a
healthy tan flesh tone. Riddel says thanks and heads out of the mansion;
unfortunately, the place is crawling with soliders now. If you go left,
they'll block the way to the lower levels; if you go right, they'll do the
same. In the main chamber beyond the double doors at the back of the entrance,
you will be confronted by several soldiers. When you take them down, Gyaradun
(who appears to be a mercenary cyborg) joins the fray. 

BATTLE: GYARADUN

Gyaradun isn't too terribly difficult; I'd put him at about Orcha's power
level, or perhaps slightly better. Be very careful when his HP goes critical
though; he uses a nasty Element called "Infinity" that seems to give him
limitless Stamina - he hit one of my characters 8 times consecutively, until
she went down. He also can use a group attack as well as a tough single
attack. Your victory will be rewarded with another Star, and a Defenser
accessory.

But wait, there's more! When Gyaradun is defeated, the last soldier standing
activates the mecha standing guard at the right door (it's no longer a bronze
golem). 

BATTLE: MECHA

This is a pretty easy fight. The Mech has a tough Yellow attack, but it's
nothing to worry about if you don't have any Green characters. Just pound it
with strong attacks; if you've brought Karsh (or Zoah), use Nainai to boost
his hit accuracy and use 6 Stamina Points at a time for strong attacks, then
defend and attack again as soon as his Stamina reaches 7. Unfortunately,
you're going to have a Final Fantasy VIII flashback here - the mech won't
stop. Serge and his allies run across the bridge to the library with the mech
on their heels. Trapped on the balcony (geez, Serge completely forgot about
that switch...), you'll fight again. When you stun the mech again, the
librarian reminds you of the switch. Hit it and climb the ladder.

The mecha leaps to the chandelier, but Gyaradun enters and cuts it loose,
allowing the party to make their escape through the stained glass window (a
Chrono tradition, it seems!) and into the stables. The stable keeper lets
loose the dragons, allow Gyaradun to catch up and the party to make its escape
from the manor.

-- 2. SIDE QUESTS ---------------------------

You have a lot of freedom now, because you've managed to acquire a boat during
your escape. There are a number of places to go now, as well as some places
that can't be explored.

THE EASTERN CONTINENT (ANOTHER) -------------

The fog-shrouded area at the eastern edge of the map may be cleared back Home,
but here it's still covered by clouds. You can enter a cave at the south edge
where a number of old statues are situated, but there seems to be no purpose
yet.

THE SOLITARY ISLAND (ANOTHER) ---------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Gyaradun, Jyaness

The island where Radius has made his home in this world is now playing host to
some guests: Riddel, Marcy, Viper and Zoah or Karsh (the character you did
NOT choose in Termina). Speak to Marcy, who apologizes for her rudeness
toward Serge before (he tousles her hair by way of acceptance, which is
something I've never seen in a video game before). Speak to Riddel and she
will join your party; but as soon as she does, the island shakes violently.
Viper wakes up and Serge rushes outside when he hears Kid's voice, despite
Riddel's word of caution.

Kid seems not to realize that Lynx and Serge have switched bodies, and
prepares to attack the party. Her attitude is especially puzzling, as she
turns out to be in the company of Lynx, who has decked Serge's body in a
really tacky-looking approximation of his old dress uniform. The inevitable
fight is delayed, though, when Fargo swoops down and saves the day on that
bird you fought a long time ago, snatching Serge's party from the grasp of
Lynx and Kid.

The party arrives at Zelbess, and Serge's thoughts turn to his memories of
Kid. He seems a little bummed that she basically hates his guts now. And
Harle seems a little bummed that he's bummed. But first things first; go
inside the Zelbess and you'll have a serious Suikoden moment as no less than
four characters join Serge's entourage: Marcy, Viper, Fargo and
Zoah/Karsh. 

Unfortunately, you'll also lose a character here - Harle seems torn after
the confrontation between Serge, Kid and Lynx, and despite the best
efforts of a friend to console her (in my game, Starky spoke to her, but it
may vary) she leaves the party for good (be sure to unequip her first if she
has anything good, as she takes it with her).

GULDOVE (ANOTHER) -----------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Ishito, Jyaness

When you visit Guldove, you'll see Orlha single-handedly fighting off a bunch
of Porre soldiers. When one of the soliders recognizes Serge as "Lynx," she
assumes Serge is in cahoots with the soliders and attacks.

BATTLE: ORLHA

This is one tough chick - don't let the pigtails fool you! She has some
powerful physical attacks, and some pretty strong Blue elements as well. When
her HP gets critical, she uses Iceburg, as well as drunken technique martial
arts. When you defeat her, the soldier discovers Serge isn't Lynx and heads
for the hills, while the party takes Orlha to see Doc. She revives and gives
Serge a broach (key item).

While you're in Guldove, be sure to visit Steena. If you show the broken
crystal you received from Zoah and Karsh in Termina, she will give you an
amulet with 6 slots (key item) - it looks rather like the Dragon Statue room
at the peak of the mysterious dungeon.

ISLAND OF BONES (ANOTHER) --------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Jyaness, Gyaradun

If you use Garai's amulet at the left mirror, you'll discover Peppor and Solt
trapped inside - they call Karsh's name. Bring Karsh into the dungeon and
you'll be able to pass through the mirror with the amulet.

As with the Garai quest, enter the cave in the center of the next room. Peppor
and Solt will initiate a flashback involving Dario, Karsh and Riddel (Dario
appears to be Glenn's older brother). In days past, Riddel seemed to have been
friends with all three, though she favored Dario the most. Apparently, Karsh
was overcome by jealousy and murdered Dario in the pretext of the searching
the Cave of Bones for the Masamune - what is it with this family and being
backstabbed in relation to Masamune? Watch out, Glenn - you're probably next!

Seemingly incensed at Karsh's trechery, Peppor and Solt attack. Again.

BATTLE: PEPPOR AND SOLT

As always, these guys are total jokes. Put them down quickly and cleanly.
You'll receive a couple of Denodoro items for upgrading weapons as well as a
Gyrator element. You'll also receive a key item, a pendant which once belonged
to Dario.

HYDRA MARSH (ANOTHER) ----------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Jyaness, Radius

ITEMS IN THIS AREA: 

 - Ancient World Fruit
 - Upgrade Item x4
 - Spine
 - Tablet
 - Flower

You'll finally be able to make some progress into this version of the Hydra
Marsh, at long last. You'll notice now that there are monsters on the giant
fungal stalks to the left of the swamp, some of which are picking on a
Biba-Biba. As much as you may hate those guys after the battle in the Home
marsh, you should be a Good Samaritan here and help the little guy. You'll
fight two Goblums, simple enough, and the Biba-Biba will give you a cactus of
some sort (key item).

The large platform at the top has a huge hole in it now. Leap in and you'll
come to the little room where you may have met the land kraken before. Now
there's just a little dwarf here, who summons the skeleton of a Hydra to fight
you.

BATTLE: HYDRA FRAME

This fight is so easy I almost shouldn't list it separately. It's similar to
the previous Hydra battles, except that the zombie version is a Black element
and spends the whole battle casting Graviton. Sadly for it, your defense
should be so high by now that you'll suffer only single-digit damage (and zero
counts as a single digit!). Just kill it as quickly as you can and receive an
accessory and a L.5 White Element that can be given to any White character who
lacks an innate L.5 skill; it allows you to summon a Hydra in battle to attack
the enemy.

Everything else is similar to the way it was before, except that there's no
big battle at the end - just some Hoblums who fight you for possession of a
chest holding a flower. I would guess the flower and the cactus are part of a
set. While you're in the swamp, be sure to check inside one of the caves for a
spine for Skelly - now you just need some hips, and he should be good to go.

VIPER'S MANOR (HOME) -------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Jyaness, Ishito

Items in thie Area: 

 - Kotsura Dress
 - Revive
 - Mushroom
 - Anti-Green Prevention

You can climb into the ruins here. Enter the front of the mansion and look
slightly above the main entrance to the rubble. You should see a soldier
standing on the wall. Find the hidden path to reach him through the rubble.
You can walk past him and climb into the waterway beneath the mansion now.

To the immediate right at the back of the area is a chest with a Revive
Element in it. These are rare and precious, so be sure to grab it. Explore a
bit more to find other items. As a trivial side note, you can use the dungeon
key that Ishito gave you in Another world to open the cells in the dungeon
here. Exit through the passage to the tree-root cave that leads to the eastern
woods. When you come to the area that had the stream of bugs that you blocked
with a boulder in Another world, run to the right bottom corner of the area
directly to the right of the hole where the bugs were running. You will scare
another insect, which will hop into the hole and scare a fellow who was
looking for mushroom inside. He'll give you the mushroom; now take the fungus
to the man in the waterfall cave outside in the woods (there should be several
tengus walking around here). The man will turn into a bizarre mushroom man,
which apparently makes him very happy - he begins laughing and joins your
party (his name is Kinoko, or Mash, by the way).

ZELBESS (ANOTHER) ---------------------------

Just a small note: you can get Pip to rejoin your party here; so far this
is the only member of Serge's party to rejoin after the Lynx switch. Too
bad it's not someone useful like Guile...

THE SMALL ISLAND (HOME) ---------------------

The tiny island with a hut hidden in the woods houses Peppor and Solt in
Another world, but here you'll find an unexpected resident if you bring
Riddel:
Dario, Glenn's brother. You'll also witness a flashback that shows exactly
what happened when Karsh "backstabbed" Dario; Karsh was acting in
self-defense. Like Radius, Dario was overwhelmed by the Masamune and attacked
Karsh. Unlike Garai, Karsh defended and persevered. Enigmatically, Lynx (the
real Lynx) took the Masamune sword for himself after this event. However, it
seems Dario is back, and possessed by the Masamune once more.

   MY PARTY: Serge, Gyaradun, Riddel

BATTLE: DARIO

This is one heck of a battle. Easily one of the most challenging opponents
I've ever faced in an RPG. Dario kinda reminds me of that "offensively and
defensively perfect" Angel from Evangelion - he hits extremely hard (in fact,
he has Glenn's skill Hard Hit, which can kill almost anyone in a single
strike), and attacks once per round. To make matters worse, his physical
defense is high, but if you attack with an Element he counters automatically
with a counter-Element. It's not too bad if you use Red or Blue, but if you
hit him with a White element, you can expect to die from his counter. And if
you hit him with Black elements, he simply absorbs it and heals himself with
Recover. To make matters worse, one of your characters HAS to be Riddel, who
is totally vulnerable to Black attacks (Dario's elemental affiliation). He CAN
be beaten... but not easily. I recommend a party of Serge, Riddel and Gyadarun,
since Gyadarun has very high HP and defense and is a Black elemental himself.
Use physical attacks and defend, defend, defend. Spread your Revive Elements
out among the party members. Give lots of healing Elements to Riddel, as her
physical attacks are almost completely ineffectual. Do NOT attack with
Elements. Caution is the word of the day here. His pattern is easy to
determine (Attack, Hard Hit, Attack, Sword Sonic, repeat), but still very
difficult to survive.

Another strategy is to wait until you can equip L.8 Elements and use the
Saints summon (have everyone cast L.1 Purify immediately after he uses Sword
Sonic to change the Field Effect to all-white without activating his
counter-attack) - not only does it heal your party for 999, I dealt Dario
1500+ HP in one shot, which took him nearly to critical status. The best part
is that Saints doesn't count as an Element, so he won't counter-attack!

[UNCONFIRMED: A third strategy, courtesy of Eric Oei: apparently, you can
steal an armor item from the Black Dragon (see below) which absorbs Black
Elements, like the colored Plate armors in Chrono Trigger. Equipping this on a
character will cause Dario's strikes and counter-attack to heal the equipped
character rather than hurting him/her. Give this armor to Serge and have him
pound Dario with his strongest White Elements!]

When you defeat Dario, you'll receive an Accessory. Masa and Mune (aka Gran
and Leon in the Japanese game), the spirits of the Masamune, declare Serge a
warrior with a heart pure enough to wield the Masamune and he receives a new
Swallow, the Grand Dream (making him even MORE grossly overpowered compared to
the rest of the party than he already was). Dario returns with the party to the
ruins of Lynx's manor and decides to rebuild it. At this point, Riddel receives
her L.7 skill which can be equipped for future use.

SKY DRAGON ISLAND -----------------------------

A massive white dragon is here, and tells you to collect a bunch of stuff. Or
something. Looks like he's talking about the Elemental colors to me. That
should be your cue...

P. DRAGON QUEST VI --------------------------

Now you need to hunt down and defeat 6 elemental dragons. This is an almost
pleasantly retro quest, reminiscent of the old days. You whippersnappers
better appreciate it!

These can be done in almost any order; only the White Dragon needs to be
approached last. Bear in mind that these dragons are named for the Elements
they represent; plan your party and equipment/Elements accordingly. Each
victory rewards you with three items: A Level 8/0 summon (which you won't be
able to use yet), a Star, and an elemental crest.

-- 1. THE RED DRAGON ------------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Jyaness, Kinoko

Items in this Area:

 - Accessory x2
 - Salamander (summon)
 - Red Crest
 - Bomber

To find the Red Dragon, return to the Fire Cave in Another world. You'll
noticed that the exit leading to the Tower Dungeon has collapsed, the path now
blocked by rubble. Your goal is not to pass through the cave, but to find your
way inside. This will be far easier if you acquired the Water Breath earlier
in the game, but it's still quite feasible without it. Just bring lots of
curative items...

On the second screen into the cave, walk right and into the cave where magma
flows down and to the right. Dodge the Gaonja and run to the down flow (not
the one headed right; it will lead back out of the cave). Turn a sharp right
here and run through the tunnel and to the back of the screen to the exit. Run
beneath the arch to the back passage. Here you'll find a large, empty room
where Salamander, an enormous fire creature, resides. But Salamander isn't the
Red Dragon - instead, you need to talk to the little guy walking around with a
pike. Speak to him and he'll challenge you to a fight.

BATTLE: RED DRAGON

This is a bit deceptive. The Red Dragon seems like a pushover, as he's almost
exactly like the little Chibi Dragon you fought on the way to the Tower
Dungeon. However, don't blow your best Blue Elements just yet - once you've
inflicted a certain amount of damage on the dragon, it transforms into the
REAL Red Dragon. The attacks he uses are basically pumped up versions of his
previous attacks; be cautious and heal when necessary. There are no real
tricks here, so it shouldn't be hard to win a Star, Salamander summon and the
Red Crest.

As you return to the exit, be aware that the lava flow in the room next to the
Red Dragon's room CAN be climbed. Be sure to grab the two accessories before
you leave! Also, if you explore this same area in the Home world, you can find
a few Elements of varying value.

-- 2. THE BLUE DRAGON -----------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Jyaness, Kinoko

Items in this Area:

 - Blue Crest
 - Terror Whale summon

You may have spoken to the Blue Dragon before, but now you need to return and
duke it out with him. Go to the Flooded Ruins in the Home world and descend to
the lowest level. You'll notice two Sidesteps down there, one of which is
blocking the way (one of these guys was the dungeon boss in the demo - I had
wondered when they would show up). Battle it and speak to the Blue Dragon.
He'll ask you if you intend to fight; choice one is No and choice two
initiates combat.

BATTLE: ICE DRAGON

The Ice Dragon uses mostly Blue group attacks. Its Ice Breath skill is pretty
weak, but watch for Iceburg, which can do significant damage. Again, the
strategies you used with the Red Dragon should be adequate here. You'll win a
Star, Terror Whale Summon and Blue Crest for your victory.

-- 3. YELLOW DRAGON -------------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Karsh, Jyaness

Items in this Area: 

 - Explosive (key item)
 - Summon
 - Yellow Crest

To find the Yellow Dragon, return to the Sand Cave to the northwest of Elnid
in the Home dimension. You couldn't get past the turtle here before, but now
it has moved, opening the area beyond the sand falls. In this room, you'll see
one hole and three geysers. The hole is located right next to the ledge you
want to reach; using video game logic, you can deduce that by blocking the
geysers, the pressure will be forced to blow through the hole and enable you
to reach the ledge.

To block the holes, you must defeat the three giant turtles here. The one on
the lower level is easy; just defeat it, then examine the shell to push it
over the geyser. The turtle on the upper left is a little trickier; fight it
while it's stading on the ledge overlooking the geyser, or you won't be able
to push it off. The final turtle is at the upper right of the room, but it
will neither budge nor fight. Luckily, you have a stick of dynamite (has
anyone noticed how much wanton cruelty to animals is in this game?); set the
dynamite by the turtle, and it will launch itself onto the last geyser. Jump
into the now-geysering hole to reach the ledge above and meet the Yellow
Dragon. The Dragon appears to be out of the office, but actually it's up above
you and will come down to play when you examine the sand area.

BATTLE: YELLOW DRAGON

I really recommend bringing Karsh here. Although his Green nature will cause
him to suffer more damage from the Dragon's Yellow attacks, his HP are high
enough that he should be fine, and the added punch he gives green attacks are
well worth the risk. If you have acquired the Gyrator Element, stick it in
Karsh's L.7 slot for some serious power. Watch for Yellow status - you may
want to equip lots of Disperse elements just in case. Victory will earn you
the usual Star, summon and Crest.

You can also reach the Dragon's room in Another World now as well, but you
will be faced with a sphinx-like creature that asks you riddles involving
elements. If you make the wrong choices, he hits you with Earthquake.
Sometimes he hits you with consecutive Yellow Elements like Earthquake and
Thunder Barrett, which will kill you outright.

BATTLE: GINGER-X

Really, this is a simple fight if you know what to do. Defend the first round
and your Element meter will automatically rise to maximum. After that, he
begins asking you about certain Elements. Respond properly and he'll move to
the next question. The order is set, and goes like this: 

WHITE, YELLOW, RED, GREEN, BLUE, BLACK

When you answer each question correctly, he disappears, and you receive no
items. Am I missing something here?

-- 4. THE BLACK DRAGON ----------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Gyaradun, Jyaness

Now it gets a little tricky. You've probably seen the Black Dragon already,
sleeping contentedly in Another Marbule. But how to wake him up? That's the
trick. If you're like me, you'll stumble onto it completely by accident.

Before you can undertake this quest, I believe you need to have completed the
events on the Home version of Zelbess (see above). Once that is completed, you
may proceed.

First, take the Fargo from your party to meet Home's Fargo. Another Fargo
berates his counterpart for being such a crummy dad and not accepting Nikki
for the fem-boy glam rocker that he is. The Zelbess will automatically travel
to Marbule where you'll see a hilarious 70s-style rock opera performance by
Nikki and his entourage. Yeah, baby, yeah! Once this is over, you get treated
to Nikki's endless, looping cheez rawk as you travel to Marbule and fight the
Efts, which are no longer ghost-like. Fargo also acquires his innate L.7
Element, which he can equip.

Two guys named Ash and, interestingly enough, Toma 14 (I believe that's
correct) meet you at the entrance. You can then dispatch the Efts one by one.
Apparently the horrid hair metal weakens them, allowing you to clear them out.
Once you've finished, you'll hear a growl indicating someone, somewhere is
displeased.

At this point, you're free to do as you wish. I recommend stopping aboard the
Zelbess; if you speak to Miki in the restaurant, she will join the party.
Eventually, you'll want to return to Another world and speak to the Black
Dragon at Marbule. It wakes up and fights you.

[NOTE: It seems that if Harle is in your party when you meet the Black
Dragon, he'll simply wake up and give you the Crest. I recommend fighting,
because I hear you can Pilfer a great item from him...]

BATTLE: BLACK DRAGON

This can be tough. For one thing, it auto-counters White Elements with
Anti-White. It also uses a group attack called Graviton Bomb, which works
almost exactly like Gravija from FFVIII - it hits you for about 3/4 your
current HP. It ALSO uses Forget, which causes everyone to lose access to ALL
of their Element skills. You might be able to equip the Anti- resistance
accessories, but I'm not certain if those can prevent being struck by Forget.
In any case, keeping your HP high is imperative. When you win, you'll get a
Star, a summon called The End, and the Black Crest.

-- 5. THE GREEN DRAGON ----------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Karsh, Riddel

By far the most complex Dragon to reach is the Green Dragon. First, visit
Hydra Marsh in Another world if you have not already acquired the cactus and
flower there. Now travel to the Home Hydra Marsh and climb the fungal stalk to
the left once more. That stupid Biba-Biba is blocking the way again and
challenges you to a fight. The difference is that this time you can kick his
miserable butt and not have to deal with another annoying protracted battle.
Once you've clobbered him, he gives you some clues which may or may not be
compeltely worthless, depending on your Japanese literacy.

Talk to the Biba-Biba just beyond here and to the right; he mentions the
cactus you got in Another Hydra Marsh. The gist is that you can catch a ride
from a Hydra if you feed it a cactus, I believe. Summon the Hydra by blowing
the Biba Flute you go long ago (while standing next to the Biba-Biba who
mentions the cactus). It will take you to the southwest island which has been
inaccessible all along.

Items in this Area: 

 - Denadoro Items x5
 - Broach
 - Summon
 - Green Crest
 
When you arrive, you'll discover a primitive-looking forest which is rather
reminiscent of some of the 6,000,000 B.C. areas of Chrono Trigger. And in
keeping with the prehistoric theme, a young girl clad in animal skins, named
Leea, will join you as a temporary member. Put her in your party - she's only
six, but she kicks so much butt it's hilarious. Also, make note of where you
arrive - that exact spot is the point from which you'll leave as well.

   MY PARTY: Serge, Leea, Riddel

You can go either left or right here; either way the woods wrap around. If you
go left, though, you'll follow along some large footprints. Be sure to check
high and low for items; you can climb into trees and down into the ravine
using vines. Watch for the little tribesmen - they cast a variety of status
ailments on you, including the ever-annoying Berserk. Kill all the giant
landbound mosquitoes here; once they're gone and you wrap back around to the
entry point, the music will stop and a dinosaur will attack.

BATTLE: TYRANO

This isn't too hard. Both enemies who attack here are Red elementals. Focus
your punishment on the Tyrano, and if you use enough area effect spells like
Flood, the other enemy should go down pretty fast regardless. You'll get a
star for your very special victory.

When the Tyrano bites the dust, a monster cries out. Leea heads toward the
back of the area. Save at the left screen Save Point, and follow her. At the
next area, you will meet the Green Dragon.

BATTLE: GREEN DRAGON

This fight isn't hard if you're careful, but it can take a while. The Green
Dragon fights primarily by using his poison breath attack, which inflicts
cumulative status conditions. However, watch out for when he uses Green Earth,
which changes the Field Effect condition to all-green; he follows it up a few
moves later with Hell Plant, which hits your party for a huge amount of
damage. You do NOT want to be hit by Hell Plant, so don't let the Field Effect
stay all-green! Whenever he uses Green Earth, disrupt the Field Effect status
IMMEDIATELY by using a non-green Element, even if it's some worthless L.1
skill like Laser or Tablet. This will minimize the damage you suffer. And be
careful healing - if you use too many Heals or Heal Winds, you'll just be
helping to set yourself up for Hell Plant.

Once you win, you'll receive a Star and the Genie summon, as well as the Green
Crest. Additionally, the fifth dragon you defeat will open up the unique L.7
skills for Serge and Leea, as well as a few other characters. Also, Leea will
join as a permanent member now.

-- 6. THE WHITE DRAGON ----------------------

Now, return to Sky Dragon Island (Another). The Sky Dragon will take note of
the 5 crests you have brought and challenge you for possession of the 6th.

   MY PARTY: Serge, Riddel, Leea

BATTLE: WHITE DRAGON

This guy doesn't fool around. He casts Mana Call to boost the effectiveness of
Elements during battle. This is worse for you than for him, because he uses
Elements a bit more freely than you. Generally he follows up Mana Call with
Holy Breath; expect it to hurt. You can counteract Mana Call with Mana Feeble,
which will restore the Mana level to normal. Wear him down, and be careful;
Serge is especially vulnerable as a Black elemental. When the White Dragon
becomes critical, he uses Sensitive on two party members consecutively to make
them even more vulnerable to his magic. When you defeat the White Dragon, he
gives you the final crest, a Star and the Saints summon, then flies off.

Q. IN THE FLESH? ----------------------------

Next stop: Guldove (Another) to show Delia the shattered crystal you received
from Karsh and Zoah a while back, if you have not done so already. She will
give you a six-slotted amulet. Take this amulet to Guldove (Home) and show it
to the guard outside Steena's tent; he'll step aside and let you in. Steena
will now join the party. She tells you to go to the Tower Dungeon once more,
so head east and past the Fire Cave. If you haven't beaten Dario yet, this
would be a good time to go to the Hermit's Island with Riddel.

-- 1. AN OLD FAMILAR FACE -------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Leea, Steena

You should be familiar with this dungeon by now; you've been here at least
twice. You will have to activate all the switches here if you have not already
done so; see above information for a walkthrough. Once you raise the central
shaft and head toward the elevator, you will be confronted by Lynx, still
dressed as Serge.

BATTLE: DARK SERGE

Dark Serge kicks butt. I'm sure Serge is thinking, "Damn! I didn't have that
many HP when I was using that body!" Oddly, Dark Serge is a Black character
rather than White, so Serge in Lynx's body has a good defense against him.
Steena, on the other hand, is pretty vulnerable. However! Steena's White
Element attacks hit him hard - be sure to give her good skills like L.6 Comet,
and the L.5 Hydra summon you received from the Hydra Frame. And lots of
healing magic for her and everyone else; you're going to need it. Dark Serge
has all of Lynx's skills (Glide Hook, Cats Raid and the painful Zero
Eternal), plus access to all of the L.6 group attack Elements (Tornado,
Volcano, Thunder Barret, etc.). Hopefully you have lots of group recovery
spells in your L.4+ slots, and all three of the Revive spells you've been able
to find so far. Put Serge in the first position, since that seems to be the
party position on whom Dark Serge focuses most of his physical abuse. When he
starts using his L.6 attacks, try to keep your healers' Elements boosted so
they have immediate access to a strong group heal spell. He tends to use an
Element, then attack physically once or twice, then use another Element. It's
a tough fight, but when you win you'll get the usual Star, an accessory, and a
L.8 slot for several characters! Now you can use the L.8/0 Summons you earned
fighting the Dragons.

Once Dark Serge is defeated, he disappears and you will have free access to
the rest of the tower. Travel to the teleporter and open the main doors at the
peak of the dungeon. Serge will enter the chamber alone.

Examine the pedestal in the center and the room will activate. A spirit will
hover about, talking to Serge (and mentioning Lavos, whose advent appears to
be depicted in the mural around the room). Once it's said its peace, Serge
will be surrounded by a bubble, staggering to the floor. The bubble dissolves
him and allows him to be reborn as his old self - and quite naked, I might
add. Once the transformation is complete, the crystal shatters, and Serge
fortunately whips out a set of his old clothing (convenient!).

At this point, your entire party from before the Lynx/Serge switch will
rejoin. Also, Serge has access to his White status and his L.7 skill, Sky
Arrow. Steena mentions something called the "Chrono Cross," and a new quest
begins. 

-- 2. CHRONO CROSS --------------------------

Go to the Waterfall Cave north of Arni in the Home world with Steena. She will
mention something, and the two braziers will begin to react. Set the two
broken crystal shards on the brazier and you will receive the Chrono Cross, a
Key Item whose use is at this point a bit opaque to me. You will also receive
Chrono Cross the Element, which is instrumental for uncovering some of the
game's secrets. When you have the Element equipped, you will notice musical
chimes after every Element you use - a different note for each color. I
believe (though I'm not certain) that using Chrono Cross in battle replenishes
your expended Elements, which can be very useful if correct.

NOTE: You may not be able to acquire the Chrono Cross until AFTER completing
the Chronopolis quest. If you can't get it now, try again later. The Chrono
Cross is fairly useless for the time being anyway.

-- 3. SWITCHOVER ----------------------------

Now it's time to move to the next quest. Go to the lake where the Vortex used
to be in your Home world and approach any of the three circles that were left
there after the Vortex disappeared. When you enter the area, Serge's boat will
warp to the same spot in Another world, and you will be asked to switch discs.
NOTE: The game does NOT ask you to save when you switch, meaning that those of
you playing with the swap method may be in for a rough ride... sorry, I don't
know how to swap discs without a mod chip or Japanese system.

---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------

PART IV: WALKTHROUGH - DISC TWO

Now that you're in a previously inaccessible area, be aware you can return to
the rest of the world at any time using the three circles that correspond to
the warps which brought you here.

A. THE THREE FATES --------------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Riddel, Jyaness

This bit is pretty easy. There are three islands around an enormous triangular
waterfall (an island is at each vertex of the triangle). On each island is a
statue of one of the three Fates: Clotho, the spinner of threads; Lachesis,
who measures them; and Atropos, who cuts the threads of fate when a mortal's
life ends. I'm not certain if you have to visit each statue in order, but I
did (does anyone know if this works out of order?). Clotho is the statue of
the young woman at the southern tip of the waterfall. Examine the Save
Point-like object before her statue and it will fly away. Now continue around
the waterfall in a clockwise fashion and examine the other two Save Point
items. When you activate Atropos' pyramid, you will be attacked by a giant
mask.

BATTLE: VITA-3 ------------------------------

Vita-3 isn't terribly difficult. However, as you inflict damage on it, Vita-3
gradually adopts stronger and stronger attacks, activating a mode
corresponding to each Fate (much like the Sun Facer from waaaaaay back). While
Clotho's attacks will barely scratch you (Laser? Pshaw!), Atropos can deal
some serious hurt. When it activates Atropos mode, use your best attacks. You
probably won't be able to use a Summon here, as Vita-3 attacks frequently with
numerous Element types, but you should be fine without summons. 

Defeating Vita-3 will earn you a Star and an Amazon Dress, a decent
female-only bit of armor. It will also cause the waterfall to retract,
exposing a city on an island. This is the city of Chronopolis, and it's where
the plot thickens.

B. CHRONOPOLIS ------------------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Karsh, Gyaradun

Items in this Area:

 - Broach x2
 - Potion
 - Cure Rest (Element)
 - Accessory
 - Item
 - Inferno
 - Mana Call
 - Card Key

When you first enter Chronopolis, the PA system will activate and make some
announcements (and mention some familiar names like Zenan and Medina as well).
The ghost-like creatures in the lobby will repeat the same general information
as in the announcement. There's a small bridge leading into the main portion
of the building, but when you cross it you will be attacked by a large robot.

BATTLE: BERYL -------------------------------

This is a pretty freakin' tough robot. It uses a skill called Megaton Punch
(cue screaming old man here) that can deliver massive damage to a single
character. Luckily, it's pretty vulnerable to skills like Sky Arrow and so
forth, so hit it hard and don't hold back. I recommend using a strong party
for this area, such as Karsh and Viper. With allies like them around, Beryl
should fall pretty quickly. Win a Star and a P-Eraser Element when you
triumph.

Beyond the bridge is another room, although you can run left and beneath the
bridge first to reach a Broach item in a chest. In the second room is a door
at the left of the room that is locked. You will need to open the hatch at the
right side of the room (check the cabinet at the back for a Potion) to descend
to the sewers beneath the building. Well, they're kinda tidy for sewers, but
you get the idea.

Right above the ladder is a red switch that will extend a bridge to the back
of the room. However, you still have to traverse a gap, and the other switch
is across the room through a watery depression. You are unable to enter the
depression due to some security gates, but you can activate a remote drone
with the panel at the far left. Use the Triangle key to cancel the drone.
Drive the drone along the raised areas - if you fall in the deep water, you'll
have to start over. Be sure to grab the chest in the upper left-hand corner;
it contains a Cure Rest Element, which is a very powerful new healing Element
that can only be equipped by Blue users. Maneuver the drone to the upper
left-hand corner and activate the red switch there to complete the circuit
(notice the drone can move through the security gates...) and walk across the
gates to reach the back ladder, which takes you to the back half of the room
from which you accessed the sewers. Now you can unlock the door that blocked
your progress from the lobby before, allowing you to exit and enter freely.

In the next area you'll find an elevator which is innaccessible (Level 2
Security Lock). There are 5 floors in this area, B1 to 4. You begin on 1 and
your ultimate goal is B1. Most floors have three doors - left, right and
elevator (central).

FIRST FLOOR

In the left door is a watery area with a Save Point and one of this area's
ubquitous ghost-like guys (hereafter referred to as "ghosts" for my
convenience). To the right is a stairwell patrolled by roaming, non-aggressive
security drones. Be sure to grab the chest beneath the stairwell. The stairs
lead to floor 2, but the way to floor 3 is locked.

SECOND FLOOR

Entering the second floor will activate a laser tripwire, but the drone it
activates is easily avoided. Behind the drone, which resets if you leave, is a
door leading to a room with five empty lockers, a coffin/case, and a locked
door. I'm at a loss for what to do here, but it's not vital to your
progress... so...

In the other direction is the elevator and the left room, which features a
ghost or two standing over a projection of the El Nido archipelago. Well...
sort of. If you activate the switches, the projection changes to show the area
(in the future? It seems Chronopolis was established in 2400, so that stands to
reason) missing most of its land mass. Rather grim. 

While you're in the map room, examine the computer at the upper-left to
deactivate the security lock on the elevator. You still can't reach B1, but
everything else is accessible.

THIRD FLOOR

The left area houses a display room with images of what appears to be various
forms of Lavos, as well as pictures of humans and Reptites. There's a
holographic projection of a double helix here, and DNA compounds such as
guanine and cytosine are the hot topic. Be sure to visit the backroom to get
the Accessory there.

In the right room is a discussion about cloning, and an Inferno Element
guarded by another Beryl.

FOURTH FLOOR

The right room shows a holographic event involving a black hole. You can go
out the right exit into the Stairwell to grab an item, although the third
floor partition is unmovable.

The left door is blocked for anyone without B-Level access. To open the door,
go back to the Save Point room on the first floor and talk to the ghost. It
will leave the area; when you return to the 4th floor, the left door is
unblocked.

Inside the door, you'll learn about Chronopolis' main computer, Fate.
Apparently, from what I can gather, Chronopolis is attuned to both Home and
Another worlds, watching them and their discrepancies. There seems to be a
paradox of some sort that is of concern to the creators of the city. Mother
Brain (remember her, from Chrono Trigger?) is mentioned, and there are several
inert Save Points here. This reminds me a LOT of Xenogears...

When you defeat the Beryl in the left chamber, grab the elevator Card Key in
the chest and press the switch. You'll begin communicating with someone who
mentions Kid and Radical Dreamers... 

Now that you have the Card Key, you can access the basement.

BASEMENT 1

The walkway in the basement leads right up to a large dome right out of Akira,
labelled "PROJECT KID." The door is locked, but when Serge examines the panel
at the left, the machine confirms his DNA match and calls him the Chrono
Trigger. The door opens...

Inside are Kid and Lynx (still in his Dark Serge guise). It seems this is
why Lynx was after Serge's body - he wanted the DNA match to access PROJECT
KID. Kid herself is unconscious on the floor. After a brief bit of the usual
villain-revealing-his-evil-plot stuff, Lynx transforms into Fate, the
central computer.

BATTLE: FATE

Fate is no pushover. It behaves a bit like the Black Tyrano from Chrono
Trigger, in that it counts down from 5 to 1 and launches a massive attack at
0. Unlike the Tyrano, though, it also attacks after each number. There's a
pattern to it - after 5, it uses Mana Feeble to weaken the Element effect in
the area. After 4 and 3, it uses Black Element attacks. After 2 it uses
FreeFall. After 1 it uses Heavy Blow twice (not a problem). At zero, Fate uses
Dark Energy, which hits the party hard. Please don't bring any White Elements
to this point besides Serge, eh? It'll just make things harder.

Your best bet is to use Saints immediately after Dark Energy. Build up Serge's
Element meter before Dark Energy and keep his HP above 400. Have Serge use a
weak White Element like Laser immediately after Dark Energy, then have the
next two characters do the same thing. Have Serge use a weak attack to boost
his Element meter back to 8, then unleash Saints immediately. You should be
safe here, because after using Dark Energy, Fate's next move is a physical
(non-Element) attack, so you have a little longer to crank up the Field Effect
to all-White. Saints will slam Fate and totally restore your party's HP. Very
nice. At most, Fate should only be able to use Dark Energy twice before you
take it down, which will net you a Star and a Magic Shell accessory.

Lynx/Dark Serge/Fate disappears, and Kid reawakens. She seems driven, and
Harle confronts her. Kid activates the enormous spherical device here and
mentions the Time Crash, "Dinopolis" and Azala; The Dragons fly to Chronopolis
and merge rather violently as Sky Dragon Island crumbles and gives way to a
massive floating device which rather resembles the Black Omen. Harle
disappears. The party regroups at Zelbess, and the Star Tower (the Black
Omen-like construct) is now a map point.

Miscellaneous notes: If you go back to Guldove now and had defeated Orlha in
combat before, she will join your party when you show her the broach she gave
you. Also, if you didn't grab Kid's Element Grid from Mel, you can talk to
Korcha to get it now that you're Serge.

C. ASHES OF MEMORIES ------------------------

I believe the appearance of the Star Tower is the initiation of the final leg
of the game. However, if you follow Viper's advice and visit Radius, you
will initiate a side quest (this may or may not be optional).

-- 1. LUCCA'S HOUSE -------------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Leea, Jyaness

First, you must have defeated Dario to receive the Masamune. Visit Radius and
he will tell you that Kid is here, resting on the bed in an unconscious state.
Speak to her and Gran and Leon will begin talking. They warp you into the
past, inside of Lucca's house! 

Items in this Area:

 - ???? Accessory
 - Potion x2
 - ???? Dress
 - Ice Gun (key item)

The house, which has been converted into an orphanage, is burning. You can
speak to Gonzales (aka Gato), who seems to be on his last legs. If you fight
the large fire monsters here, you will be able to rescue the children in the
orphanage, who will reward you with items and Elements. But you should help
them because it's the right thing to do, not for the treasures!

The room beyond the entrance area is a stairwell. Be sure to examine the
debris where the monster is standing to rescue a child. The door at the back
leads nowhere, because burning debris blocks the way. The left stairs lead to
a balcony with armor; the left back room contains a note from Lucca. Choose
the first option to receive an Ice Gun, which you will need. When you take the
gun, though, Masamune's spell weakens and one of your party members will slip
back into the present. If you take the right stairs and walk out onto the
balcony, you can rescue another kid. The room at the right rear has a hatch at
the back; choose the top option to climb down and bypass the debris you
encountered earlier.

When you exit the storage room, Masamune's spell weakens again and your other
party member disappears, leaving Serge all alone. Take a moment to look at the
drawings here - it seems Kid (who appears in a picture with Lucca) has quite
an artistic streak! For a six-year-old, anyway.

The room to the right of the drawings is blocked by more flames, but the Ice
Gun you grabbed can quench them. Run to the back room, where you'll see young
Kid unconscious on the floor, and Lynx standing next to a pair of broken
glasses. Harle appears and they vanish. Serge grabs Kid and leads her out
of the house, and then comforts her as they watch the house burn (choose the
top option to express your condolences). Sadly, Serge vanishes into thin air
as well when Masamune's spells fails, leaving Kid alone in the night...

When you return to the present, Kid awakens and rejoins the party. Radius
suggests you go to Viper's mansion to see Luccia, which you should do.
Luccia gives Kid a letter from Lucca, who it seems did not die in the blaze
that night. Kid also receives an item which falls from the letter.

-- 2. ODDS AND ENDS -------------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Kid, Zoah

While you're here, take care of anything in the mansion you may have missed.
If Zoah is with you, he can open the chest in his room to receive his L.7
skill. The poisonous gas in the hidden room accessed with the snake statues
and armor knights can be deactivated by pressing the panel on the wall where
the guard stood before. You'll receive an item and a very powerful sword which
can be equipped by your sword-weilding characters. Finally, you can finally go
across the right bridge opposite the library, as it is no longer being
blocked. Push the snake statues into the recesses to reveal a chest. Don't
open the chest from the front, though, as it's a trap door - open the chest
from behind. Apparently, all that's there is a note to Karsh from Peppor and
Solt.

   MY PARTY: Serge, Kid, DragonChild

If you take DragonChild to see the dragon skull in the valley of bones
(Another), he will receive his L.7 skill Big Mom (which summons the spirit of
his mother, the dead dragon in the valley, to attack the enemy). Poshul can
get her L.7 skill from Leena (Home) by speaking to her. You can also recruit
Kabu by using Lucca's Ice Gun item on the bare patch outside Radius' hermitage
on the solitary island (Another). Use the Ice Gun while standing on the page,
then cross dimensions and return to the same location. You'll find a plant has
sprouted here. If Poshul is in your party, she can dig up the plant which
turns out to be Kabu, a tiny vegetable swordsman. 

You can speak to the Biba-Biba in Hydra Marsh (Home) to get another cactus
fruit as many times as you need. Stand at the same point as before and use the
Biba flute to summon a Hydra to travel to the primitive island. I have not
determined if there's anything to be done on the island in Another world.

Finally, if you give the second reply twice to the woman outside Doc's hut in
Guldove (Another), you will receive Skelly's hips. When you have all of
Skelly's parts, return to the house at the upper-right corner of Termina
(Another) and Skelly will return to life. He's pretty downright
stupid-looking, but isn't that part of his charm? Leave the house, return and
speak to him again and Skelly will join the party.

D. THE STAR TOWER ---------------------------

Once you've tackled all the extras you want, it's time to head to the Star
Tower. Unfortunately, the Star Tower is flying high overhead and - contrary to
RPG tradition - you have no airship. Fortunately you have an extraterrestrial,
who doesn't need no steenking airship to fly.

-- 1. UNDER THE SEA -------------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Kid, Orlha

If you haven't recruited StarChild yet, now would be the time to do so. Refer
to the information in an earlier section for details. Once he's in your party,
head to the southern triangle of rocks in Another world. You'll see a small
boat with people warning you of monsters - pay them no heed and descend into
the water. Be sure to bring a Red Elemental or two along, as you'll need their
skills.

The underwater area isn't too terribly different than the one at Home, except
that the ultimate goal here isn't a chest with a Starfish, but a crashed UFO.
The enemies here frequently give Cure Rest Elements, so be sure to fight and
steal whenever you can to build a really amazingly effective Blue healer.
Descend to the underwater area at the back of the first screen and make your
way to the ship. Unfortunately, it's guarded by a massive jellyfish.

BATTLE: JELLY KING
This guy is resistant to all attacks except Red Elements. Physical blows do no
harm, and neither do other Elements. Pummel him with Heat, Volcano, and
Salamander if you wish (Salamander hits for 1300+ HP - it's almost unfair!).
He doesn't really have any new or devastating tricks, so this shouldn't be
much of a challenge. You'll get a Star and a Resist Vest for your abuse.

If StarChild is with you, he'll open up the UFO (if not, go back to the
surface and switch party members). There will be an automatic sequence where
StarChild removes the UFO's Anti-gravity device and repairs it at Chronopolis.
Once it is installed on the boat, you'll automatically fly to the Star Tower.

-- 2. TOWER PT. 1 ----------------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Kid, Orhla

Items in this Area:

 - Potion x2
 - ???? Card
 - Defenser-S
 - Item x3
 - Heal Leaf
 - Prism Glove
 - Holy Light
 - Black Hole

The platform on which the boat lands is enemy-free. You can save your game at
the Save Point here, and you can return to the world map at any time by
boarding the boat. You may end up returning here a few times.

Immediately inside the Tower is a yellow glowing sphere. When you try to pass
it, the sphere absorbs you and forces you into combat.

BATTLE: DOLL CLAY

This is the first of six Doll battles - Elemental guardians who protect the
Tower. These fights are REALLY easy if you've been tracking down the various
sidequests, so spend your time Trapping some of their attacks to boost your
skill set. Doll Clay uses Earthquake sometimes, as well as Summoning Golem.
These Doll battles appear to the the ONLY way to acquire the L.7 Summons, so
use the appropriate Trap when the Field Effect turns a solid color! Watch for
Omega Yellow, a powerful Yellow attack which hits a single character pretty
hard. Regular attacks work well here; Summons work even better. When you win
you'll get a Star and the Yellow Earth Element, which allows you to change the
Field Effect to all-yellow.

Now you can enter the central tower area, which is a series of multi-leveled
walkways around the tower's perimeter. Centuries of undersea existence have
made the interior a bit dilapidated, so you'll have to find an indirect route
to the top.

You can grab a Potion by running counter-clockwise along the entry level. To
the left of the entrance is a slab of stone which can be knocked over to cross
the gap beside it. Head out the left south door and descend through the next
room. Whether you go down to the left, right, or in the flowing water, you'll
end up in a basin of water at the bottom of the Tower. Climb up onto the coral
and make your way to the lower left-hand corner of the screen above the floor
and enter the door there. Go up and around to the chest at the left - as you
walk across the narrow plank beside the chest, your footing will become
dislodged, dropping you to the underside of the tower. Luckily Serge and co.
snag onto some coral here and avoid plummeting to a watery grave.

Work your way to the left, where a face will talk to you about some assorted
Japanese things. Re-enter the Tower at the far left and climb up the coral. Be
sure to grab all the great gadgets in the chests here (including some Cards
for Snef in the chest out the right door). As you climb, you will come to a
series of coral strands growing on alternating sides of the Tower - right,
left, right, left, right, left. Beyond here is the central Tower area again.
Knock both of the planks into place and climb to the center and up. You'll
arrive at a series of platforms and ramps. There's a Heal Leaf Element at the
upper-left, a very powerful Green group healing Element you don't want to
miss!

When you're ready and equipped with lots of Blue Elements, challenge the
glowing red sphere for the second Tower Guardian battle.

BATTLE: DOLL MAGMA

Doll Magma is similar to Doll Clay, except Red! Imagine. He uses a skill
called Omega Red (hmm, isn't that gig trademarked?) which can wreak havoc on
any Blue characters you may have along. After he uses three consecutive
Tablets, he'll summon Mariid - be sure to Trap this L.7 summon! When you win
you'll acquire a Star and Red Earth, which changes the Field Effect meter to
solid Red.

The next area is a series of hubs patrolled by those goofy little Cherub guys.
Be sure to grab the Prism Glove here. Prism is the most powerful level of
equipment, but is very hard to acquire. Once you get to the ruined stairs, be
sure to grab Holy Light at the upper right, which is a combination of Recover
and Purify. Then run out the door to the left.

Bizarrely, you'll find yourself on the west bridge of Snakebone Manor here -
run across to the Library and meet the librarian again, as well as the three
Chrono Trigger kids from before. It turns out the Librarian is in fact none
other than Gash, one of the three Magi of Enhasa from 12,000 B.C. (I think he
was Balthasar in the US version), the Guru of Time. He tells you that in
addition to the six regular Elements, there is a 7th Element - which is
represented by the Chrono Cross. "Melody and harmony" is an important clue
here, and should help shed a little light into the mysterious chimes the Chrono
Cross creates as you use Elements in combat. The four time travelers disappear,
but before you head back across the bridge be sure to grab the Black Hole
Element on the upper balcony.

When you return to the Tower, the way to the library is sealed shut, but a new
door in the upper wall of the stair chamber is open. Within are several large
crystals which chime in the same tones as the Chrono Cross. Make note of these
tones, as they'll come into play later.

Past the crystal bridge, you'll encounter the Green guardian.

BATTLE: DOLL WIND
I was unable to provoke Doll Wind to use the Sonya Summon, but perhaps you'll
be luckier. You may want to bring some Hell Plant Traps as well, since it
seems to enjoy using that annoying spell. Like Magma and Clay, it can use a
powerful Element called Omega Green - watch for it. When you win, you'll get a
Star and Green Earth.

A teleport platform will appear here above the floor. Walk up the stairs and
access the platform from the narrow catwalk on the second level.

-- 3. TOWER PT. 2 ----------------------------

Past the Save Point here is the upper portion of the Tower - unfortunately,
the entrance is sealed shut by two energy beams. Head either left or right and
avoid/fight the enemies (errant gusts of wind will shove you into the sentries
on the right section, while you can easily dodge the vagrant cherubs at the
left). Each side is guarded by another Guardian, each of which can be reached
with the aid of a teleporter/catapult.

BATTLE: DOLL HOLY

The White Guardian in the right section is probably the biggest pain in the
butt among all the Guardians, simply for the fact that it uses Mana Call
immediately before Omega White and can nearly annihilate your whole party in
one move. Use Mana Feeble to prevent Mana Call from boosting its power, and
use a few other Elements to subtract some White from the Field Effect meter to
lower its power. If you're lucky, I think Doll Holy will summon Unicorn,
although it never happened for me. You may want to use a Trap anyway, just in
case. When you win you'll receive a Star and - sorry, not White Earth -
Ultranova, a L.7 White group attack that makes Holy look like a gentle slap.
Speaking of Holy, Doll Holy has been known to use it - you may want to Trap it
as well.

BATTLE: DOLL HEAVY

To the left is Doll Heavy, the Black counterpart to Doll Holy. He represents
the biggest threat to Serge's welfare, since he uses a lot of strong
single-attack Black Elements (FreeFall, Omega Black). He tends to focus his
abuse on the lead party member, so switch Serge to the second or third
position for better chances of survival. You'll come away from the fight with
a Star and Black Earth (not to be mistaken for Scorched Earth, which is only
used by villains).

Once those two are defeated, the door in the center will open. Step inside to
teleport to the top of the Tower once you've defeated the final Elemental
Guardian - Doll Ice.

BATTLE: DOLL ICE

There shouldn't be any surprises here. It will summon Frog Prince,
interestingly enough, even though you already have the Frog Prince Summon (I
suppose you can Trap a second Frog Prince if you REALLY want). Kick its sorry
butt with Salamander and Mariid and win yourself a Star and Blue Earth.

At the top of the Tower, your party will climb a long staircase to arrive at
(I think) the Frozen Flame. Or maybe it's just some other random powerful
flame-shaped artifact; whatever the case, it's too powerful for Serge, who is
unable to touch it. His efforts, however, do earn the attention of the Fused
Dragon from a while back.

BATTLE: DRAGON GOD

Comprised of every Element, the Fused Dragon gives you a nice, lengthy fight.
It begons as a White creature, then warps you to the lairs of each of the six
Dragons and adopts their attributes after taking a certain amount of damage.
The transformations match the sequence of the crystals from inside the Tower:
Yellow, Red, Green, Blue, Black and White again. Each form has access to the
entire gamut of Elemental spells from weak L.1 attacks to L.8 Omega skills.
When it transforms to an Element opposite that of a particular party member,
work quickly to switch its affiliation to minimize damage. The best way to do
that is to use an Earth skill or simply three quick L.1 Elements (Tablet,
Cure, Sensitive-3, etc.) followed by a Summon. It's a lengthy battle, though
not terribly difficult. Enjoy the music, though, as it's right snappy.

When the Fused Dragon is defeated, it disappears and Gash makes a sudden
entrance to give you (I think) a Time Egg. The Dragon's spirit fuses with the
Tower and the entire structure shakes wildly, causing Serge and party to beat
a hasty retreat.

E. THE FINAL BATTLE --------------------------
   MY PARTY: Serge, Kid, Marcy

Once you've escaped the Tower, you're free to do as you please. The Star Tower
transforms and sets root in the ocean, though I am unable to determine a means
by which to access it again. The Anti-grav device no longer seems to function
for the boat.

-- WARNING: MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD --

If you return to Serge's Home world, you'll notice something new on Opassa
Beach after you warp: a glowing purple spot and the three Chrono Trigger kids.
Speaking to them helps tie up a few loose plot ends, including one very
important thread from Chrono Trigger: Schala. Somehow, it seems Kid is
connected to Schala and the pendant which was so instrumental in the first
game and the Time Gates. Remember that at the end of the revised Chrono
Trigger for Playstation, Lucca adopted a baby wearing a pendant just like
Schala's and who appeared from nowhere in the woods... I hate to fuel rumors
or anything, but it's possible that Kid is even Schala reborn from the Time
Stream (oh, wouldn't Magus be sad to see his beloved older sister dressed like
such a tramp?). Japanese literate folks, feel free to help me out here...

At this point, you can enter the purple Gate by using the Time Egg, where you
will battle Lavos.

BATTLE: LAVOS AND SCHALA

That's right - this entire game is nothing more than a Chrono Trigger
miniquest to resolve the final CT plot thread: what happened to Schala after
she betrayed her mother and helped hold Lavos' power at bay? Now you know -
she's been trapped by Lavos in the Time Stream. That noise you hear is the
sound of a thousand Chrono Trigger continuation fanfics suddenly becoming
obsolete.

This battle is a cross between the Adel/Rinoa fight from FFVIII and the battle
with Richter from Symphony of the Night. You can simply kill Lavos, or you can
try to rescue Schala, and your actions determine which ending you'll see. I
will describe the strategy for the former and then the latter.

- DEFEATING LAVOS

Lavos is surprisingly easy - apparently he's feeling a little tired after
vaporizing Crono and getting his butt kicked by Schala. Lavos uses no attacks
you haven't seen before, relying exclusively on Elements (M-Eraser will take
you far). While his spells range from Leaf to Omega Red, I actually found him
easier than the Fused Dragons. Use as many summons as you can - they'll all do
900-1300 HP damage, even Saints (despite Lavos being a White Element). When
defeated, Lavos and Schala dissolve back into the Time Stream. [NOTE: From
what I understand, "Lavos" here is actually the Frozen Flame, which was a
chunk of Lavos' body that grows into sentience upon being set free.]

Is anyone else disappointed that there was no music during this battle? Oh
well. The silence is important.

- SAVING SCHALA

This is a major spoiler, so stop reading now if you want to find the secret
for yourself. Thanks to JL Lee for unraveling this.

To rescue Schala, you must use the Chrono Cross. "Melody and harmony" - for
the Chrono Cross to work, you must cause the Elemental chimes to sound in the
same sequence you heard in the Star Tower and when you battled the Fused
Dragons. Yellow, Red, Green, Blue, Black, White. This is of course more easily
said than done, but once you have the tones set up properly, use the Chrono
Cross, and.... well, I'm not sure. I haven't had the patience to get it to
work yet. But that's what New Game+ is for, right? 

F. NEW GAME+ ---------------------------------

Once you have finished the game, you are given the option of saving a Game
Data file (top choice is yes). To use the New Game+, simply choose to Continue
from the title screen, then select the Data file (the one in which your Star
total is in yellow rather than white), then choose to start a New Game or
Continue a current game with New Game+ stats added.

When you begin a new game this way, your stats will carry over, as will many
of your weapons (Masamune is an exception). Please note that you lose all Key
Items here, and weapon shops revert to selling their previous stock. If you
want Denodoro or Prism equipment, buy it before fighting Lavos or else your
party will be tremendously unbalanced (not that it REALLY matters, since
you're so massively powerful in New Game+ that you can breeze through). You
will keep all of your Elements except Summons and Chrono Cross. Your party
will be empty again, although who you have found will be kept in memory for
later.

You begin with three Key Items: A badge of some sort (looks like a backstage
pass), a Play Speed Controller (lets you adjust game speed, very handy), and
the Time Egg, which allows you to battle Lavos through the beach Gate any time
(you'll get the Egg when you wake up in Arni village after the opening
dungeon).

To use the Play Speed Controller, hold down the L2 or R2 buttons to activate
the speed at which the game advances. Man, I wish Xenogears had one of these!
Disc Two would have flown by. L2 will slow the game (great for dramatic
attacks, but not much else) and R2 will accelerate the game - text, battles,
exploration, everything. It looks kinda silly, but it really helps speed
things along. The only thing that doesn't speed up are the battle transitions,
which CAN'T speed up due to the speed of the Playstation's CD-ROM. Oh well, we
can't all be perfect.

The backstage pass-like item is useful as well. Use it at any time while
exploring to allow someone to take Serge's place in combat. While Serge will
still lead the party during exploration, during combat his role will be filled
by his replacement. This is nice in that it allows you to diversify your
combat roster and vary battle strategies. Of course, in New Game+ you don't
really NEED strategies... oh well. Still, there may be some lovely triple-tech
combos to discover.

If you return to the End of Time, you can find some special battles. Beyond
the door which previously had been inaccessible, you'll find a large land
octopus who makes a familiar request of you - walk three times around the
room, clockwise. Once you've done so, you'll face three old foes from the Time
Stream: Soy Sauce, Mayonnaise and Vinegar (aka Slash, Flea and Ozzie).

BATTLE: SOY SAUCE, MAYONNAISE, VINEGAR

I'm still working on a good strategy for this fight. It's a bit tricky since
Vinegar uses a spell that basically functions like M-Eraser AND P-Eraser for
the entire enemy party! Soy Sauce is the least dangerous character here - he
just uses a special sword attack every once in a while. And Mayonnaise is
downright annoying, as she/he uses a group attack that not only is strong but
also can cause EVERYONE in the party to go Berzerk. So what seems like a
simple, quick battle becomes an exercise in frustration rather quickly. My
advice is to take out Flea first, since she (he?) hits the hardest.
       
----------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------
PART V: CHARTS

Mostly pending. I intend to update this more thoroughly once I'm further
into the game.

-- 1. MAGIC ----------------------------------

Magic is divided into classes, just like in Chrono Trigger. Some of the
spells are similar to Final Fantasy standbys, but are categorized
differently (i.e., Holy is Spirit magic in Final Fantasy, but in Chrono
Cross it's Light/Lightning). So don't rely on your encyclopedic knowledge
of Final Fantasy to get you safely through Chrono Cross, my young
apprentice.

I've broken this up by level and Element type for your convenience. As I find
more Elements, I will add them to the list.
 
 SPELL NAME: Name of the Element.
 TYPE: Element class and level variance (+/-).
   R=Red - B=Blue - Y=Yellow - G=Green - W=White - K=Black
 EFFECT: What the Element does.
 EQUIP.: Character Element classes who can equip this skill.
 CONS.: Consumable item (Y/N).
 
---------------------------------------------------------------------
 SPELL NAME         TYPE      EFFECT                    EQUIP.  CONS. 
---------------------------------------------------------------------

-- LEVEL ONE --------------------------------------------------------
Cure                B-1/7     Heal single               All     N
Feel Blue           B-1/7     Adds weakness to Red      All     N
Aquabeam            B-1/7     Attack single             All     N
Tablet              R-1/0     Heal single               All     Y
Feel Red            R-1/7     Adds weakness to Blue     All     N
Fireball            R-1/7     Attack single             All     N
Feel Green          G-1/7     Adds weakness to Yellow   All     N
Leaf                G-1/7     Attack single             All     N
Feel Yellow         Y-1/7     Adds weakness to Green    All     N
Uplift              Y-1/7     Attack single             All     N
Revive              W-1/7     Restore ally to life      All     N
Feel White          W-1/7     Adds weakness to Black    All     N
Laser               W-1/7     Attack single             All     N
Feel Black          K-1/7     Adds weakness to White    All     N
Heavy Blow          K-1/7     Attack single             All     N

-- LEVEL TWO --------------------------------------------------------
Tear                B-2/0     Cures Blue Status         All     Y
Ice Lance           B-2/6     Attack single             All     N
Aura                R-2/0     Cures Red Status          All     Y
Bomber              R-2/6     Attack all                All     N
Heal                G-2/6     Heal single               All     N
Detoxin             G-2/0     Cures Green Status        All     Y
Air Saucer          G-2/6     Attack single             All     N
Disperse            Y-2/0     Cures Yellow Status       All     Y
ElectroJolt         Y-2/6     Attack single             All     N
Clear               W-2/0     Clears White Status       All     Y
Shooting            W-2/6     Attack single             All     N
Void                K-2/0     Clears Black Status       All     Y
Getsoul             K-2/0     Single instant kill       All     N

-- LEVEL THREE ------------------------------------------------------
Curera              B-3/5     Single heal               All     N
Anti-Red            B-3/5     Seals Red skills          Blue    N
Aquaball            B-3/5     Single attack             All     N
Anti-Blue           R-3/5     Seals Blue skills         Red     N
Burning             R-3/5     Single attack             All     N
Anti-Yellow         G-3/5     Seals Yellow skills       Green   N
Needle              G-3/5     Single attack             All     N
Capsule             Y-3/0     Single heal               All     Y
Anti-Green          Y-3/5     Seals Green skills        Yellow  N
Upheaval            Y-3/5     Single attack             All     N
Recover             W-3/5     Heal all                  All     N
Anti-Black          W-3/5     Seals Black skills        White   N
Photon              W-3/5     Single attack             All     N
Anti-White          K-3/5     Seals White skills        Black   N
Graviton            K-3/5     Attack all                All     N

-- LEVEL FOUR -------------------------------------------------------
High Grip           B-4/4     Boosts accuracy           All     N
Slip                B-4/4     Lowers accuracy           All     N
Freeze              B-4/4     Single attack             All     N
High Muscle         R-4/4     Boosts strength           All     N
Weak                R-4/4     Lowers strength           All     N
Meltstone           R-4/4     Single attack             All     N
Heal Wind           G-4/4     Heal all                  All     N
Eagle Eye           G-4/4     Boosts evade %            All     N
Totter              G-4/4     Lowers evade %            All     N
Uuha                G-4/4     Single attack             All     N
High Protect        Y-4/4     Boosts physical defense   All     N
No Clothes          Y-4/4     Lowers physical defense   All     N
Lightning           Y-4/4     Single attack             All     N
Purify              W-4/4     Remove status condition   All     N
All Clear           W-4/0     Remove status condition   All     Y
Wall                W-4/4     Boosts magic defense      All     N
Sensitive           W-4/4     Lowers magic defense      All     N
Comet               W-4/4     Attack all                All     N
Genius              K-4/4     Boosts Element power      All     N
Foolish             K-4/4     Lowers Element power      All     N
Inferno             K-4/0     Instant kill              All     N

-- LEVEL FIVE -------------------------------------------------------
Cure Rest           B-5/3     Heal all                  Blue    N
Flood               B-5/3     Attack all                All     N
Trap Flood          B-5/0     Element Trap              All     Y
Blue Earth          B-5/3     All-blue Field Effect     All     N
Heat                R-5/3     Attack all                All     N
Trap Heat           R-5/0     Element Trap              All     Y
Red Earth           R-5/3     All-red Field Effect      All     N
Hell Plant          G-5/3     Attack all                All     N
Trap Hell Plant     G-5/0     Element Trap              All     Y
Green Earth         G-5/3     All-green Field Effect    All     N
Earthquake          Y-5/3     Attack all                All     N
Trap Earthquake     Y-5/0     Element Trap              All     Y
Yellow Earth        Y-5/3     All-yellow Field Effect   All     N
Holy                W-5/3     Attack all                All     N
Trap Holy           W-5/0     Element Trap              All     Y
Revenge             K-5/3     ????                      Black   N
FreeFall            K-5/3     Single attack             All     N
Trap FreeFall       K-5/0     Element Trap              All     Y

-- LEVEL SIX --------------------------------------------------------
Iceburg             B-6/2     Attack all                Blue    N
Trap Iceburg        B-6/0     Element Trap              All     Y
Nai Nai             R-6/2     Ensures 99% hit rate      Red     N
Volcano             R-6/2     Attack all                Red     N
Trap Volcano        R-6/0     Element Trap              All     Y
Info                G-6/2     Scan enemy HP             Green   N
Tornado             G-6/2     Attack all                Green   N
Trap Tornado        G-6/0     Element Trap              All     Y
P Eraser            Y-6/2     100% Physical Evasion     Yellow  N
Thunder Barrett     Y-6/2     Attack all                Yellow  N
Tr. Thunder Barrett Y-6/0     Element Trap              All     Y
Mana Call           W-6/2     Element power up (all)    All     N
M Eraser            W-6/2     100% Magic Evasion        White   N
Ultranova           W-6/2     Attack all                White   N
Trap Ultranova      W-6/0     Element Trap              All     Y
Potion              K-6/0     Single heal               All     Y
Mana Feeble         K-6/2     Element power down (all)  All     N
Forget              K-6/2     Seals all Elements (all)  Black   N
Black Hole          K-6/2     Attack all, may kill      Black   N
Trap Black Hole     K-6/0     Element Trap              All     Y

-- LEVEL SEVEN ------------------------------------------------------
Trap Giant Frog     B-7/0     Element Trap              All     Y
Trap Mariid         R-7/0     Element Trap              All     Y
Trap Sonya          G-7/0     Element Trap              All     Y
Trap Golem          Y-7/0     Element Trap              All     Y
Trap Unicorn        W-7/0     Element Trap              All     Y
Trap Visitor        K-7/0     Element Trap              All     Y

-- LEVEL EIGHT ------------------------------------------------------
Chrono Cross        All-8/7   Restore Elements and...   All     N
---------------------------------------------------------------------  

-- A. SUMMONS CHART -------------------------------------------------

Summons are like elements, except that instead of attacking enemies with
lightsourced polygons, you call a monster to dish out the special effects
for you. Summons are limited in use and difficult to activate, sort of the
opposite of Final Fantasy VIII's Guardian Forces. As such, judicious use of
Summons is key to winning many of the tougher battle.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
 SUMMON NAME        ELEMENT      LEVEL  EFFECT
---------------------------------------------------------------------
 Frog Prince        Blue         7/1    Damage all
 Mariid             Red          7/1    Damage all
 Sonya              Green        7/1    
 Unicorn            White        7/1    
 Visitor            Black        7/1    
 Golem              Yellow       7/1    
 Salamander         Red          8/0    Damage all
 Saints             White        8/0    Damage all, Recover all (999 HP)
 Terror Whale       Blue         8/0    Attacks all with flood
 The End            Black        8/0
 Genie              Green        8/0
 ????               Yellow       8/0  
---------------------------------------------------------------------

B. COMBINATION ATTACKS -----------------------

Just like in Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross offers its share of combination
attacks. With 40-ish characters in the game, expect there to be a LOT of
possibliities. The combos seem a bit less obvious than the regimented Tech
system in Chrono Trigger, meaning you can probably expect to unlock more
abilities as you earn and discover new skills throughout the game.

I haven't really bothered to find any. However, try to make logical
connections when you go looking for them. For instance, try to combine
characters with a story link, like Riddel and her father Viper, or maybe
Macha and Korcha. Once I have all the characters, I'll spend more time
looking for links.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
 COMBO NAME         ATTACKS LINKED            CHARACTERS
---------------------------------------------------------------------
 X-Strike           Dash Attack (L.3)         Serge
                    Hard Hit (L.3)            Glen
 W-Steal            Steal (L.3)               Kid
                    Musumu (L.3)              Mel
 Flamenco           Shock Voice (L.7)         Nikki
                    Air Dance (L.7)           Miki 
 Shin Ryu Ken       Iainuki (L.7)             Radius 
                    Shin Ku Ha (L.5)          Jyakotsu 
 Dark Spark         Full Shot (L.7)           Ishito
                    Dark Burst (L.7)          Gyaradan
 Kabu Final         Batan Batan (L.5)         Fio
                    Kabu Magic (L.7)          Kabu
 Dragon Light       Big Mom (L.7)             Dragon Child
                    Triple Kick (L.7)         Leea
 Dragon Blow        Dragon Ride (L.3)         Karsh 
                    Upper Bomb (L.7)          Zoah 
 Z-Nikki            Sky Arrow (L.7)           Serge
                    Red Needle (L.5)          Kid
                    SoySauce/Dash             Slash (L.3) Sprigg
 Delta Attack       Shining (L.5)             Serge 
                    Maiden's Prayer (L.7)     Leena
                    Lazzuly Flower (L.7)      Lazzuly
---------------------------------------------------------------------

C. WEAPONS -----------------------------------

Details pending.

D. ARMOR -------------------------------------

Details pending.

E. ACCESSORIES -------------------------------

Details pending.

F. KEY ITEMS ---------------------------------

These are story-related items. You can view them by pressing the Square
button. While the Key Items menu is up, press Circle to try to give them to
the person you're facing. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------
 ITEM NAME              NOTES
--------------------------------------------------------------------
 Komodo Scales          Leena wants these, but you need to find your own.
                        Given by fisherman in Arni Village (Home). Give it to 
                        the little girl outside the restaurant in Arni to 
                        receive an Ice Lance element.
 Shark's Tooth          Given by fishmonger in basement of Arni Village  
                        (Home). Allows you to recruit Lucky Dan.
 Heckran Bone           Good for soup? Found beneath bed of restaurant in
                        Arni VIllage (Home). Use to entice Poshul to join.
 Survey Group Gear      Keeps you from biting the dust in the marsh. 
                        Acquired on the fungal stalks at the west end of 
                        the forest (Another).
 Heavy Skull            A strange, talking skull named Skelly marked with 
                        clown paint. It joins your party as an inventory item 
                        and occassionally reacts to verbal cues. Found in the 
                        valley of dinosaur bones (Another).
 Big Egg                Poached from large bird in dinosaur valley (Another). 
                        DragonChild hatches from it.
 Bellflowers            Plucked from atop the cliff in dinosaur valley. 
                        Give to Glenn (Another).
 Tele-Porter            Given by Kid - allows you to switch party members 
                        while on the world map (Another).
 Manor Key              Found in dragon stables at the Snakebone Conservatory 
                        (Another). Use it to enter the mansion.
 Badge                  A shiny badge given to you by one of the children 
                        in the training yard at Glenn's house. Pierre was 
                        looking for this (Another).
 Aroma Pouch            Found beneath the waterfall in the forest east of 
                        Termina (Another). Used to lure the small polyps from  
                        the bushes in the woods.
 Einlanzer              The only sword which can destroy the Masamune.
 Astral Amulet          Acquired in Guldove when Kid is wounded (Another). Use 
                        it on the beach to cross dimensions.
 Green Tinkler          Acquired from the dwarf in the bar in Guldove 
                        (Another). Use it near the large vine plants in Hydra 
                        Marsh to cause them to allow you to pass.
 Beeba Flute            Insects dig it, baby. Get it in Hydra Marsh (Home). 
                        Use it on the platform beyond where you received it to 
                        summon a Hydra.
 Hydra Humour           A cure for an ailing friend. Acquired from the Hydra 
                        (Home).
 Frost Breath           Can freeze magma. Acquired from Blue Dragon (Another).
 Forge Instructions     Once Zappa is in your party, this allows you to   
                        reforge your weapons on the world map (Home).
 Handle                 Necessary for cheating Casino sharks. Get it on 
                        Zelbess (Home).
 Bone Fragments         More of Skelly's bits 'n' pieces. In the cave on the 
                        Island of Bones (Another).
 Angry Scapulas         Found beneath the waterfall in the eastern woods where 
                        you can meet Nikki (Another). For Skelly.
 Ribcage                Found in the Island Ruins (Another). For Skelly.
 Pelvis                 Acquired from the Element disassembler in Guldove    
                        (Another). For Skelly.
 Remote Control (Crab)  Given to you by Kenja on the Zelbess (Home). Use at 
                        the south area of the eastern vortex on the map.
 Emperor's Starfish     Found in a chest beneath the mysterious stone triangle 
                        in the southern ocean (Home).
 Sword                  Found in park area of ruined futuristic mall (Home)
 Spine                  Another component for Skelly's skeleton. Found in  
                        Hydra Marsh (Another).
 Ancient World Fruit    Defend the Biba-Biba in Hydra Marsh (Another). Feed it 
                        to a flying Hydra to reach a remotre area.
 Flower                 Found in a chest in Hydra Marsh (Another). Used to 
                        acquire Fio.
 Tear of Hate (Another) Given by Zoah or Karsh in Termina (Another). 
                        Apparently this was taken from the top of the 
                        mysterious dungeon after the event with Lynx.
 Six-slotted Amulet     Show the Shattered Crystal to Delia in Guldove 
                        (Another). Needed to recruit Steena.
 Explosive              Given in the Sand Cave (Home). Use in the same area to 
                        move a stubborn turtle.
 Orlha's Broach         A piece of jewelry given to you by Orlha when you 
                        defeat her at Guldove (Another).
 Black Crest            Defeat the Black Dragon.
 Red Crest              Defeat the Red Dragon
 Blue Crest             Defeat the Ice Dragon
 Yellow Crest           Defeat the Yellow Dragon
 Green Crest            Defeat the Green Dragon
 Tear of Hate (Home)    Appears to be the alternate world counterpart to the 
                        previous shattered Tear of Hate.
 Chrono Cross           Receive this for reuniting the shattered crystals with 
                        Steena's assistance.
 Key Card               Found on the 4th Floor of Chronopolis; used for 
                        basement access.
 Ice Gun                Necessary to pass burning debris. Luckily, the burning 
                        debris you encounter is in the house where you find 
                        it.
 Time Egg               Use this to access the Gate to the final battle
 Pass                   Allows you to swap a character into Serge's place 
                        during battle (New Game+ only).
 Play Speed Controller  Allows you to accelerate or slow game speed with the 
                        L2/R2 buttons (New Game+ only).
--------------------------------------------------------------------

G. CHARACTERS (MAJOR SPOILERS!) --------------

Chrono Cross has no less than 44 different playable characters. Some of whom
look, ahhh... very, well, interesting. You can check for yourself at the GIA
(http://www.thegia.com) where you'll find tons of sketches, some of which will
probably astound and horrify you.

So here, in no particular order, are the characters. OK, actually it's
mostly alphabetical order. I've moved this to the end of the FAQ because
some of the characters who join could be considered spoilers. Caution is
advised!

Until I figure all this stuff out, check CB!'s amazing, wonderful, incredible,
astonishing, staggering, wonderful character FAQ at GameFAQs for more thorough
details.

SERGE ----------------------------------------
The hero. You can tell he's the hero because he never talks and he wears a
bandanna, just like McDohl, and Locke, and Stinger. OK, so probably Serge
doesn't want to be ranked among the likes of Stinger, or anyone else from
Shadow Madness. Anyway, he's apparently very heroic, being the hero and
all.
       
 WEAPON: Swallow      ELEMENT: White
 L.3: Dash&Slash - a quick dashing strike with the Swallow
 L.5: Luminaire - Like Crono's Luminaire - Serge rises into the air and blasts 
  the enemy with luminous power.
 L.7: Sky Arrow - Serge projects his spirit, which fires a powerful bolt of 
  energy at a single enemy.
 FOUND: At the beginning of the game, of course. He's the hero!
 CONDITIONS: Automatic
 
 Comments: Serge, as the hero, tends to be a bit overpowered. While usually not 
 possessing the absolute highest ratings in each category, he excels in just 
 about every stat aspect. The drawback is that most of the major enemies in the 
 game tend to be the opposite of his innate Elemental color, which can make for 
 tough battles.
         
KID ----------------------------------------
The requisite jailbait chick. She's either going to fall in love with Serge
and turn evil, or she'll fall in love with Serge and be killed. This is
Square, after all. Well, I suppose she may fall in love with Serge and be
arrested for that indecent outfit she wears.
       
 WEAPON: Dagger       ELEMENT: Red
 L.3: Pilfer - Kid snags a valuable item from an enemy
 L.5: RedPin - Flight of the golden wasps! Curtain of death! Kid flings a 
   handful of needles at the enemy, damaging the whole party. Not the same as 
   Frog & Lucca's RedPin Double Tech, but close enough.
 L.7: ????
  L.7 Found: Press the correct button sequence at the equipment in the main 
  room of Lucca's house. The details are found upstairs.
 FOUND: At Serge's gravestone past the geysers (Another)
 CONDITIONS: Automatic (if you refuse her at the grave, she joins in Termina)
 
 Comments: Kid doesn't excel at anything in particular, but her Pilfer skill is 
 very useful (at least, until you recruit Fargo or Mel). While not the best 
 combatant, she's not especially weak, and her Pilfer skill is quite a virtue.
 
DARIO (NPC) ---------------------------------
Glenn's older brother who died under mysterious circumstances. His connections
to other characters will make him a key figure later in the game.
 
DOC -----------------------------------------
He's like, TOTALLY a hippie, dude. You may be able to persuade this healer to 
break his Hippocratic Oath and do harm unto others.

 WEAPON: Shot         ELEMENT: White
 L.3: HighFive - ????
 L.5: Bone Break - ????
 L.7: ????
  L.7 Found: In the Frozen Vortex at the Shopping Mall (Home).
 FOUND: Guldove (Another)
 CONDITIONS: Take Macha's path and speak to him after acquiring the boat.
 
 Comments: Forthcoming.

DRAGON CHILD --------------------------------
Surprisingly enough, this character appears to be a child-like dragon.

 WEAPON: Glove        ELEMENT: Red
 L.3: Tiny Breath - A small fire ball blasts an enemy
 L.5: Breath Wing - Fans Tiny Breath to hit all enemies.
 L.7: Big Mom - The spirit of Dragon Child's mother toasts the baddies.
  L.7 Found: Take Dragon Child to skull at the valley of Dragon Bones (Home).
 FOUND: Basement of mysterious tower (Home).
 CONDITIONS: Place the egg found in Dinosaur Bone Valley on the glowing
 recess.
 
 Comments: For being one of the game's "cute" characters, Dragon Child's not 
 too shabby. He tends to have enormously high HP, and his attacks are pretty 
 respectable.

FIO ----------------------------------------
A living flower. Think Peco, but with radishes instead of onions.

 WEAPON: Glove        ELEMENT: Green
 L.3: Bonbon - ????
 L.5: Chuchu - ????
 L.7: ????
  L.7 Found: Help the land octopus at the Sky Dragon Island catch a butterfly 
  (Another).
 FOUND: Snakebone Mansion (Another)
 CONDITIONS: Place the flower found in Hydra Marsh (Another) in the pond on 
  the upper-level balcony.
 
 Comments: Forthcoming.

FARGO ---------------------------------------
A big, hulking brute. Not to be mistaken for RaFargo, the big hulking brute
from Magic Knight Rayearth. Well, OK, I'll forgive you if you confuse them
once or twice. Like Faris, he's a pirate captain. However, I really doubt
he's going to turn out to be a woman. Ten bucks says his cigarette is missing
in the US version of the game.

 WEAPON: Sword        ELEMENT: Blue
 L.3: ????
 L.5: ????
 L.7: ????
  L.7 Found: During the concert event.
 FOUND: On Zelbess (Another)
 CONDITIONS: Rescue and recruit Riddel.
 
 Comments: Not as tough as I'd expect. But he can steal from baddies, which is 
 always a plus. Not one of my favorite characters, but not a total loss.
 
GARAI (NPC) ----------------------------------
Glenn's father (I think) and Radius' former comrade-in-arms in the Dragoon
corps. Like Dario, he died under suspicious circumstances and his fate is tied
into the story.

GYARADUN ------------------------------------
Imagine if Mac Tonight, that singing moon guy from the old McDonald's
commercials, were to take over for Hiryu as the next Strider. That's what
Gyaradun looks like. He's a blue singing moon who could kick your butt any
day. Now, WHAT is a cyborg doing in A.D. 1020?

 WEAPON: Glove       ELEMENT: Black
 L.3: Rocket Arm - Gyaradun's mechanical arm detaches and strikes an enemy.
 L.5: Head Saber - A beam of energy emerges from his head and hits enemy
  party.
 L.7: Dark Burst - ????
  L.7 Found: Check the "coffin" at Chronpolis.
 FOUND: Lynx's Mansion (Another)
 CONDITIONS: Battle him and the Porre mecha, and he will help you escape.
 
 Comments: I like this guy! He's strong, has tons of HP, and looks cool. He's 
  also a Black element, which helps round out the party most of the time.

GLENN --------------------------------------
No, he's not the same Glenn we know and *ribbit* love. But he's still a nice
guy, a polite young man, and at the end of the game he can weild two swords for
extra enemy-hurtin'.

 WEAPON: Sword        ELEMENT:Blue
 L.3: Dash&Gash - A dashing sword attack. Which is to say he dashes, not that 
  he's dashing.
 L.5: Sword Sonic - Just like Dario's attack, it flings a beam of energy at an 
  enemy.
 L.7: ????
 FOUND: Termina (Another)
 CONDITIONS: Take the Macha branch and speak to him at the entrance to town.
 
 Comments: OK, he's NOT FROG. But he's still pretty nifty. For one thing, he 
  is the first character in the game to provide a Double Tech with Serge. My  
  only complaint is that to get him in your party, you have to ditch Kid and 
  let Lazully suffer an unknown and rather depressing fate. Once you have his 
  two-sword ability, he's like a tiny god.
      
GUILE -----------------------------------------
Not like the Street Fighter played by Van Damme, but much, much better. Guile
stepped straight of the Masquerade scene from Labyrinth. He's a decent fighter
and a butt-kicking mage whose major limitation is the Element Grid.
              
 WEAPON: Rod          ELEMENT: Black
 L.3: Wandaln - Causes his rod to appear inside an enemy for a gruesome, 
  powerful attack.
 L.5: Two Sword - ????
 L.7: ????
 FOUND: Termina Inn (Another)
 CONDITIONS: Speak to him before and after the event with Korcha on the 
  bridge. 
 
 Comments: Not a terribly strong fighter, nor is he the strongest magic user 
  around. But, he has some extremely cool attacks that dish out big hurting. 
  The biggest problem is that his Element Grid grows slowly, meaning he can't 
  use much magic in combat... for protracted battles, this is a major drawback.
       
HARLE (TUKUYOMI) -----------------------------
Lynx's jester, who seems to have ze interest in Serge, oui? Iz she merely a
flirt, or iz there something more to her comments? Zut alors, iz by Square!
C'est vrai, more motives are to be found.

 WEAPON: Shot         ELEMENT: Black
 L.3: Getsujin - Harle calls upon the power of the moon to attack enemies.
 L.5: Getsui - Harle shields the party from damage.
 L.7: Lunar Eclipse - Massive damage to entire enemy party.
 FOUND: In the freaky Van Gogh painting.
 CONDITIONS: Automatic.
 
 Comments: She's cute, she's cool, and it looks like she has an amusing French 
  accent in the English version. Her attack power is poor, but her magic is 
  strong, and her innate skills are incredibly useful. Alas, she's also a Black 
  element, which makes her redundant while she's in the party...

IRENES -------------------------------------
A mermaid who doesn't seem to have any qualms about flopping about on land,
using her tail as legs.

 WEAPON: Pick         ELEMENT: Blue
 L.3: Water Breath - Attacks enemy with a burst of water.
 L.5: Healing Song - Cures a single member of the party for many HP.
 L.7: ????
  L.7 Found: Speak to the person inside the first hut in Marbule (Home) once
  the town has been liberated.
 FOUND: On Nikki's ship (dressing room) next to the Zelbess.
 CONDITIONS: Meet her in Marbule, then follow the event sequence on the
  Zelbess. Speak to her after Nikki and his entourage leave for rehearsal.
 
 Comments: Not much to speak of. She's a decent magic user, but her defense and 
  offense are horrible. She's a respectable healer, but beyond that there are 
  many better Blue characters you could have in your party.

ISHITO -------------------------------------
Does the term "waif" mean anything to you? Does "Calvin Klein ad model"
ring a bell? Ishito seems to be the captain of the Porre garrison in
Termina, but he's not above ditching his day job to hang out with Serge.

 WEAPON: Gun          ELEMENT: Yellow
 L.3: Spiral Ray - Fires a spiral beams of energy.
 L.5: Aura Rain - Fires a beam of energy into the sky, which lands on the
  enemy with extra punch.
 L.7: Full Shot - ????
  L.7 Found: Have Ishito speak to his counterpart in Another world.
 FOUND: Dungeon beneath Lynx's mansion (Home).
 CONDITIONS: Automatic.
 
 Comments: As you might expect from a soldier (even one that looks like a 
  sissy), Ishito is a good combatant. His special attacks are pretty strong, 
  and while he doesn't really excel at any one aspect of combat, he's a good 
  all-rounder and helps fill out your party adequately.

JYANESS ------------------------------------
She's like a bunny girl gone horribly, horribly wrong. She hangs out on the
Zelbess as the reigning champion of the Grand Slam tournament. Apparently
she is the permanent victor because she's a cheating little ho-bag.

 WEAPON: Carrot       ELEMENT: Red
 L.3: Drum Press - Janess smashes an enemy with her drum.
 L.5: Ninjin Arrow - Ryo-Ohki would be so proud. She hits an enemy with 
  carrots, fired like missiles.
 L.7: ????
  L.7: Speak to the Land Octopus in The End of Time.
 FOUND: Zelbess Grand Slam Arena (Home)
 CONDITIONS: Defeat her in the tournament in three rounds.
 
 Comments: She's really not much of a fighter, but she's so weird I can't help 
  but like her. She does have remarkably high HP for a costumed rabbit 
  fetishist.

GRECO (JILLBERT) --------------------------
What's an RPG without a professional wrestler? Well, actually, probably
pretty good. Greco seems to exist as proof that pro wrestling games can
be fun... if they're played like RPGs.
       
 WEAPON: Glove        ELEMENT: Red
 L.3: Lariat - Greco clotheslines an enemy
 L.5: Spin Kick
 L.7: ????
  L.7: Have him visit his home in the Home world.
 FOUND: In Termina at the shack near Glenn's memorial to Dario, following 
  the mansion sequence (Another)
 CONDITIONS: Speak to him and choose the first option.
 
 Comments: Another brawny guy who's not as brawny as he could be. I was 
  disappointed by his surprisingly mediocre attack power. There's nothing to 
  recommend Jillbert over, say, Zappa, making him fairly useless.

KABU ---------------------------------------
Did you ever play Atlus' Eggs of Steel? No? Neither did I. But I saw the
cover, which was burned into my retinas forever. Kabu looks like the
freakish egg on the front of that other game, but with Statue of Liberty
spikes and a duck bill. 

 WEAPON: Sword        ELEMENT: Green
 L.3: ????
 L.5: ????
 L.7: ????
  L.7 Found: Take Kabu and Fio to the balcony of Snakebone Conservatory 
  (Another).
 FOUND: The solitary island (Home)
 CONDITIONS: Use Lucca's Ice Gun on the bare patch of ground outside Radius' 
 hut. Then return to the same place in the Home world and pull up the sprout. 
 You may need Poshul to help unearth Kabu.
 
 Comments: Forthcoming.

KARSH --------------------------------------
He's weak as an enemy, but strong as an ally. He has about the highest HP of
anyone in the party, and he's no slouch when he swings that Axe, either. A
great asset.

 WEAPON: Axe          ELEMENT: Green
 L.3: Dragon Ride - Mounts a dragon, mows down enemy.
 L.5: Aura Axe - flings axe like a boomerang to hit all enemies.
 L.7: Gyrator - a powerful single-enemy attack. 
  L.7 Found: Fight Peppor and Solt in the Bone Cave (Another).
 FOUND: Termina (Another) or Solitary Island (Another)
 CONDITIONS: Choose him in Termina before rescuing Riddel, or he'll join 
  automatically later.
 
 Comments: This guy is TOUGH. High HP, high attack, high defense. He seems to 
  have poor magic defense, but if you keep him away from Yellow enemies he and 
  his skills are a great asset to the party.
  
KENJA (NPC) --------------------------------
The chief of Marbule in Another world, in Serge's Home world he's just a
janitor. Still, he knows a lot about certain secrets, kind like Dilbert's
garbage collector.

KORCHA ------------------------------------
A creepy little boy who wears nothing but a vest and those tight shorts
that Japanese school girls have to wear to gym class. Son, listen - you've
got to leave a little more room down there, or you'll be singing soprano at
age 30. Just a friendly word of advice. Be nice to him, though - he
provides the party with a boat. 
       
 WEAPON: Fishing Rod  ELEMENT: Blue
 L.3: Headbutt - Korcha leaps into the air and smacks his head against an 
  enemy's.
 L.5: Fishing - Korcha casts his rod and snags an enemy. The power of this 
  attack seems to depend either on an enemy's HP or weight.
 L.7: ????
  L.7 Found: Check the covered tank where Korscha first appeared, then look
  for a mermaid near Greco's hut (Another).
 FOUND: After mansion event (Another).
 CONDITIONS: Ask him to join once he takes you to Termina. He will leave 
  the party whenever you visit his hometown.
 
 Comments: For a scrawny little guy, Korcha is a respectable fighter. Not the 
  greatest character, but acceptable. Probably most useful during the Fort 
  Dragonia sequence, as he's one of the few Blue characters you can use at that 
  point to summon Frog Prince.

LAZZULY ------------------------------------
Lazzuly is delicate and dimunitive, and talks like a man. Reading her dialogue
is like seeing royalty let out with a thundering belch in public. 

 WEAPON: Rod          ELEMENT: Green
 L.3: Lazzuly Star - A really freaking huge star smacks an enemy.
 L.5: Lazzuly Heart - Like the Lazzuly Star, but with a big heart.
 L.7: Lazzuly Flower - ????
  L.7 Found: If Rosetta dies after the Ice Breath quest (i.e., if Lazully is
  in your character list, but not in your active party), you will receive this 
  skill by searching the tree that begins to grow in the faerie village.
 FOUND: In Hydra Marsh, beneath the fungal platform (Home).
 CONDITIONS: Unlock her cage and defeat the land kraken if you take the Hydra 
  Marsh quest to heal Kid.
 
 Comments: Lazully is extremely weak to Yellow attacks and has poor defense and 
  HP ratings. But her magic rocks, so she's not a total loss.

LEEA ---------------------------------------
A little blond cave girl. Why, she would be just about the right 
age to be Ayla's child! Except apparently she's not.

 WEAPON: Axe          ELEMENT: Yellow
 L.3: Boulder Smash - Leea throws several boulders at an enemy.
 L.5: Tail Spin - Leea whirls her costume's tail, causing a vortex.
 L.7: Triple Kick - Leea kicks an enemy 3 times.
  L.7 Found: During the Gaia's Navel event while hunting the Green Dragon  
  (Home).
 FOUND: On the primitive island (Home).
 CONDITIONS: Joins automatically during the Green Dragon quest.
 
 Comments: Good grief, this little kid kicks butt. High attack, high HP, high 
  defense, terrible magic. She's basically a pint-sized Ayla. If you're not in 
  desperate need of magic attacks, Leea should be in your front line as a pure 
  physical fighter.

LEENA ---------------------------------------
Serge's childhood sweetheart, it seems. She'll join the party if Serge is all
alone, because she's a luv.

 WEAPON: Utensils        ELEMENT: Blue
 L.3: MaidenHand - Strikes an enemy with a glowing piece of houseware.
 L.5: MaidenHeart - Leena recharges her own elements.
 L.7: Otome No Inori (Maiden's Prayer) - ????
  L.7 Found: Speak to her grandmother at the house in Another world.
 FOUND: Arni Village (Another)
 CONDITIONS: Fight alone until after you meet Kid, and refuse to let Kid join 
  at Serge's grave (3 refusals). Leena and Poshul will join soon thereafter.
 
 Comments: Leena starts off pretty weak, and while she never gains a 
  respectable attack power rating (she's attacking with a broom, for crying out 
  loud) she's one of the strongest magic users in the game. Additionally, her 
  MaidenHeart skill makes her incredibly useful, as it effectively doubles the 
  number of Elements at her disposal - making her indespensible as a healer for 
  protracted battles. Add to that a respectable magic defense rating and Leena 
  becomes one of the more surprisingly effective characters in the game once 
  you learn to play to her strengths.
 
LISA (NPC) ---------------------------------
She runs the shop in Termina (Another). She's not important, but she does have
a portrait, so, uh... there you go.

LUCCIA (LUTIANNA) --------------------------
A young voman who seems to take fashion advice from Rufus Shinra. Also a
mad scientist by day. 
  
 WEAPON: Pin         ELEMENT: Black
 L.3: PinUpGirl - Luccia performs a sort of painful shiatsu on an enemy.
 L.5: Chemical Haze - ????
 L.7: ????
  L.7 Found: Enter the sewage grate in the kitchen of the Snakebone Mansion 
  and search the large blob in the tunnels there (Another).
 FOUND: In Lynx' mansion after returning to Termina.
 CONDITIONS: Return to the mansion and speak to her on the third story 
  balcony. Then follow her to the lab and select the first option. It may 
  be necessary to defeat the onion monsters that were rampaging through her 
  office during the mansion sequence.
 
 Comments: Luccia is interesting as a character, ho ho ho, but not much in 
  combat. You'll really have to work to get any of her ratings to the point of 
  being even average. 

LYNX (YAMANEKO) -----------------------------
Lynx's evil, sure, but you do see him in battle in a fashion you'd
probably never expect...

 WEAPON: Scythe       ELEMENT: Black
 L.3: GlideHook - Lynx leaps into the air and slashes into a single enemy.
 L.5: Cats Raid - Lynx summons hundreds to cats who slash and claw the 
  enemy party.
 L.7: Zero Infinity - creates a singularity which dishes out pain to the whole 
  enemy party.
 FOUND: It's a secret to everyone
 CONDITIONS: It's much more fun to learn on your own...
 
 Comments: I don't want to comment here so as not to spoil Lynx's role in the 
  story. I think you can probably figure out what to do.

MACHA --------------------------------------
Korcha's mother. Remember how everyone thought Barrett was an unflattering
racist stereotype? Well... brace yourself.

 WEAPON: Utensils     ELEMENT: Red
 L.3: Peep Attack - ????
 L.5: Folding - ????
 L.7: ????
 FOUND: Termina (Another)
 CONDITIONS: Will join automatically if you choose not to find medicine for 
  Kid.
 
 Comments: Forthcoming.

MARCY --------------------------------------
She's 9 and evil. Did William Peter Blatty become a scenario writer for
this game while I wasn't paying attention? I think this is who Kefka had in
mind when he called Celes a "vicious brat."

 WEAPON: Glove         ELEMENT: Blue
 L.3: Line Bias - Strikes a single enemy with her wire.
 L.5: Line Spark - Hits all enemies with an electrical current sent along a 
  wire.
 L.7: ????
 FOUND: Solitary Island (Another).
 CONDITIONS: Automatic, once she apologizes to Serge.
 
 Comments: An impressively strong magic user, and a decent fighter. While not 
  as useful for spell-casting as Leena, she's still pretty respectable... plus 
  some of her attacks pack a punch. If you don't feel comfortable with the 
  physically weaker Leena, Marcy is a good substitute.
 
MASH ---------------------------------------
Man or Mushroom Man? Imagine if Super Mario's Toad grew up and decided to kick
butt. That's Mash. Quick note: the game lists his name as "Kinoko," which is
Japanese for mushroom. However, the V-Jump Guide lists him as Kinoko in
katakana and "Mash" in romanji. I assume this is because "mash" is the
Japanese equivalent of "mush." But it makes my brain hurt.

 WEAPON: Axe          ELEMENT: Yellow
 L.3: Axe Attack - Smashes enemy repeatedly with his axe.
 L.5: Spores - Blows poisonous spores at the enemy, inflicting Yellow status.
 L.7: ????
  L.7 Found: Return to the cave where you met Kinoko. Examine the little 
  mushroom growing there and choose NOT to eat it.
 FOUND: In a small cave in the forest east of Lynx's manor (Home).
 CONDITIONS: Give him the mushroom you find in the cave beneath the tree 
  leading to the mansion's well.
 
 Comments: Probably a joke character, but he's actually pretty strong. His main 
  draw is really the novelty factor, but Mash isn't a total joke, either.
 
MEL ---------------------------------------
Korcha's kid sister will join the party, it seems. But only if you track her
down after she steals from Kid.

 WEAPON: Fly           ELEMENT: Yellow
 L.3: Musumu (Steal) - Mell snags an item.
 L.5: Rakugaki (Graffiti) - Mell draws pretty pictures on an enemy with 
  markers.
 L.7: Tantrum - Mell throws a fit, damaging all enemies.
 FOUND: Guldove (Another)
 CONDITIONS: Track her down and retrieve Kid's Element Grid. Later in the 
  game, she will join your party when you speak to her.
 
 Comments: Forthcoming.
  
MIGUEL (NPC) -------------------------------
Leena's father. He was lost in a storm at sea 7 years ago. His fate is central
to the story's plot.

MIKI ---------------------------------------
In the world of Chrono Cross, women fight most effectively when they're
wearing bikinis! For a rock music dancer, she's pretty tough. I'm sure the
Spice Girls wish they had half Miki's chutzpah.

 WEAPON: Glove         ELEMENT: Red
 L.3: Stomping - Riverdancing from hell! Yeargh!
 L.5: Sexy Eyes - ????
 L.7: Air Dance - ????
 FOUND: On Zelbess (Home) after the concert
 CONDITIONS: Speak to her after clearing Marbule of the Efts.
 
 Comments: Forthcoming.

MOJO (LUCKY DAN) ----------------------------
His name is "Mojo" in the US version, but we know the truth: he's really Lucky
Dan. I'm going to keep calling him Lucky Dan, mainly because I've got way too
much work invested in calling him by that name. Mere words cannot describe the
immense coolness of this guy, but words are all we mortals have. For a
thorough biopic, check http://www.toastyfrog.com/
             
 WEAPON: Glove        ELEMENT: Black
 L.3: VooDooDance - Lucky Dan dances around an enemy, laughing in a disturbing 
  manner.
 L.5: Kogeki (Criticism) - ????
 L.7: ????
  L.7: Speak to the cat statues at the shrine in the following order: Left, 
  Right, Middle (Another).
 FOUND: In alternate version of Arni fishmonger's basement.
 CONDITIONS: Give Shark Scale Pendant to boy in shrine after Kid has 
  joined.
 
 Comments: Admittedly, Mojo is a worthless fighter, with some of the worst 
  stats in the game (he's a straw doll, after all). But, he's hilarious, and 
  simply exudes coolness. How can you not love the guy?

NIKKI (SLASH) -------------------------------
Nikki's name was Slash in Japanese, but thanks to the wacky-fun
Slash/Flea/Ozzie trio in CT, his name was changed to Nikki (presumably because
it's cloyingly cutesy when he hangs with Miki, and because there was a hair
metal singer named Nikki Six once upon a time, thus keeping the musical
theme). I'm mad about this whole name-thing, because now all of my Slash jokes
sound stupid.
       
 WEAPON: Pick         ELEMENT: ????
 L.3: Rhythm Break - Headbangs at the enemy. Apparently they die laughing;
  then he smacks his guitar over their heads.
 L.5: Freeze Beat - Nikki puts an enemy on ice. He's sooooo cool! Sugoi!!
 L.7: Shock Voice - ????
 FOUND: In forest east of Termina (Another).
 CONDITIONS: Speak to his entourage at the boat in Termina first. 
 Witness the event with Miki. Help Nikki in the forest and give him 
 affirmative replies in the waterfall cave. 
 
 Comments: Nothing special. He's pretty goofy in combat, and doesn't have any 
  real strengths or weaknesses. 
       
ORCHA --------------------------------------
A large, bare-chested chef. What is it with Japanese games and warrior chefs,
anyway? But hey, if you think HE looks like a goof, wait'll you get a load of
FFIX's take on the theme.

 WEAPON: Utensils      ELEMENT: Red
 L.3: Spice - Orcha heals himself.
 L.5: ????
 L.7: ????
  L.7 Found: Have him talk to his brother, the chef in Arni (Home).
 FOUND: Lynx's manor (Another).
 CONDITIONS: Defeat his evil form to rescue Riddel and allow him to join.
 
 Comments: Forthcoming.

ORLHA --------------------------------------
Orlha has some really impractical armor which covers everything but her heart
so she can show off her cleavage. That, combined with her schoolgirl pigtails,
makes her appear to be a cross between Gauntlet's Valkyrie and Pippi
Longstockings. Howver, she's pretty tough.

 WEAPON: Glove        ELEMENT: Blue
 L.3: MultiHit - Beats down an enemy with multiple hits. Thus the name. 
  GEDDIT!?
 L.5: Drunken Style -  Orhla bobs and weaves in an irregular fashion, striking 
  an enemy.
 L.7: ????
  L.7 Found: Speak to Doc (Another).
 FOUND: The bar at Guldove (Another).
 CONDITIONS: Defeat her when she attacks you while Porre troops are in the 
  area. Later, come back and give her the broach she gave you.
 
 Comments: Orlha's cool. She's not as strong as Leea, but doggonit, she's got 
  style. Her innate skills are respectably clobber-some, and she has decent 
  stats all around. And cleavage!
       
PEPPOR & SOLT -------------------------------
Karsh's bumbling henchmen. The Biggs and Wedge of Chrono Cross? Could be...
These guys aren't playable, but they deserve a salute nevertheless.

PIP (TUMALU) --------------------------------
Pip is, like, a genetically engineered fighting machine wrapped in a
Pokemon's skin. Or something like that. 

pip can somehow evolve over the course of the game, like a Tamagotchi. The
types of magic used in combat determine Pip's final form. I HIGHLY recommend
checking out boko-kun's incredibly comprehensive guide on the topic; it will
tell you more than you thought you could ever know about the little
pompadour-bedecked puffball.

 WEAPON: Glove        ELEMENT: White
 L.3: Taiatai - ????
 L.5: Nagomu - ????
 L.7: ????
 FOUND: Fargo's ship (Another).
 CONDITIONS: Catch and speak to it in the ship during the Ghost Ship event.
 
 Comments: I haven't experimented with Pip's transformational skills, but 
  apparently his value in combat rises dramatically as you change him. 
  According to boko-kun's FAQ, the Angel type is a superlative mage while the 
  Devil type rules as a fighter. Like Sprigg, Pip becomes more useful the 
  longer he

PIERRE -------------------------------------
If you choose Pierre for your party instead of Guile, you're either very
brave or very stupid.

 WEAPON: Sword        ELEMENT: Blue
 L.3: Badge Recovery - Pierre holds his shiny badge aloft to restore a 
  meager amount of HP to himself.
 L.5: Double Hit - ????
 L.7: ????
 FOUND: In back room of Zappa's Smithy, Termina (Another).
 CONDITIONS: Give him the badge proffered by the boy in the training yard 
  directly outside Pierre's home. 
 
 Comments: OK, Pierre's a joke, but he's an amusing sort. I wouldn't brave his 
  path until New Game+ though....

POSHUL ------------------------------------
Sort of a cross between Barkley the dog from Sesame Street and Tails from
Sonic.
       
 WEAPON: Glove        ELEMENT:  
 L.3: K9-BALL - Poshul bounces up to an enemy and whacks 'em.
 L.5: Bushuhulu - ????
 L.7: ????
  L.7 Found: Speak with Leena at the docks (Home).
 FOUND: In west section of Arni Village (Home).
 CONDITIONS: Give her the Heckran Bone and she'll offer her "Pretty Miracle 
  Power X!" to help you. If you pass her by and recruit Leena, Poshul will
  join with Leena - no Heckran Bone required.
 
 Comments: I'm not a big Poshul fan, but hey. If you're into cute, bounding 
  fluffballs, here ya go. Incidentally, she has the second-highest attack power   
  for the early portions of the game, if that makes any difference to you.

RADIUS ---------------------------------------
The chief of Arni VIllage. He seems to have a number of connections,
thanks to his former ties to the army. In Another world, he lives alone on
a distant island.

 WEAPON: Staff        ELEMENT: Green
 L.3: Toomiate - Uses his staff to project a blast of energy at the enemy.
 L.5: Iaimeki - Similar to Serge's Dash Attack.
 L.7: Iainuki - ????
 FOUND: Arni Village (Home).
 CONDITIONS: Defeat him in combat after failing to activate the warp on the 
  beach.
 
 Comments: Well, he's sort of weak, like you'd probably expect from an old 
  geezer. But he's not a total embarrassment, so you won't rip out your hair 
  during the sections of the game where he has to tag along.
  
RIDDEL ----------------------------------------
In the demo, she ranted about destroying all humanity. She seems to have toned
down her bad attitude in the final game, though. She has some sort of past
connection to Karsh and Glenn that would probably make much more sense if I
understood Japanese.

 WEAPON: Rod          ELEMENT: White
 L.3: Heal All - Restores HP to entire party
 L.5: Protection - Riddel casts a protective shell upon herself.
 L.7: ????
  L.7 Found: Defeat Dario.
 FOUND: On the Solitary Island (Another).
 CONDITIONS: Accept her as a member of your party after rescuing her from the 
  Porre troops in Viper's mansion.
 
 Comments: Repeat after me: "weak, weak, weak!" That being said, her magic is 
  anything BUT weak. Unfortunately, she's a compulsory character for the 
  hardest fight in the game, but you may learn to like her anyway.
  
SKELLY ---------------------------------------
When Serge assembles a party, he literally assembles a party! Skelly is
nothing more than a skull when you meet him, but if you locate all of his body
parts, you will be able to recruit him as a party member - simultaneously
macabre and goofy.

 WEAPON: Glove        ELEMENT: Black
 L.3: Tamaibboi - ????
 L.5: Fuusenhitotsu - ????
 L.7: ????
  L.7: Visit the bar in Termina (Another).
 FOUND: All over the place
 CONDITIONS: Find his body parts and take them to Termina (Another).
 
 Comments: For all the trouble it takes to recruit Skelly, he's pretty lame. Oh 
  well - he's funny, so if you want to make a party with him and Mojo, have a 
  field day. Don't expect to win any battles, though...
 
SNEF -----------------------------------------
A talented stage magician and a poor gambler. He makes his living
entertaining visitors at the Zelbess. He's also freakin' UGLY.

 WEAPON: Cards        ELEMENT: 
 L.3: Quick Throw - Snef hits an enemy with a barrage of cards.
 L.5: HP Shuffle - Snef shuffles his cards to determine his HP - anywhere 
  from 000 to 999.
 L.7: ????
 FOUND: In the dressing room of the Zelbess.
 CONDITIONS: Speak to him after returning to human form.
 
 Comments: If only we could tap into Snef's colossal ugliness as a source of 
  power... unfortunately, he's a bit worthless. His HP Shuffle skill can come  
  in handy at times, and it can also suck massively.

SPRIGG ---------------------------------------
An ancient creature of the woods who can mimic other monsters. Or as the
in-game text says, a lovable old lady. Er, yeah.

 WEAPON: Staff        ELEMENT: Green
 L.3: (no L.3 skill)
 L.5: Copy Style - Spriggan transforms into another kind of monster. Most 
  of his choices are pretty weak, but they may improve as he defeats new 
  enemies, sort of like a Blue Mage.
 L.7: (no L.7 skill)
 FOUND: In the Van Gogh painting.
 CONDITIONS: Sneak into his hut when he runs to grab the fruit from the 
  tree above. She will join automatically when you exit.
 
 Comments: While Sprigg starts out pretty weak, she acquires new Morph skills 
  every time she kills an enemy (she has to deliver the final blow) while 
  wearing the cap you discover in Chronopolis. Additionally, there are a couple 
  of special enemies in New Game+ mode who can be mimicked by her as well... 
  The more you use Sprigg, the better she gets.

STARKY ---------------------------------------
Who'd have thought that real aliens act exactly like little kids with toy ray
guns?

 WEAPON: Gun          ELEMENT: White
 L.3: Star Pride
 L.5: Comet Beam
 L.7: ????
  L.7: Check his spaceship again (Another).
 FOUND: Sky Dragon Island (Home).
 CONDITIONS: Following the Vortex scenario, visit Sky Dragon Island and defeat 
  the massive alien that attacks. The Starfish treasure is needed.
 
 Comments: Starky's not so bad, but he's not so great either. Another cutesy 
  fighter to round out your party o' cuddliness.

STEENA ---------------------------------------
She resembles Belldandy, and dishes out information. Haven't figured out
how to get her into my party; maybe if I ordered a pizza?

 WEAPON: Sword        ELEMENT: White
 L.3: ????
 L.5: Summon Hydra - the spirit of a Hydra attacks the enemy. 
  L.5 Found: Defeat the Hydra Frame (Another).
 L.7: ????
  L.7: Return to where you defeated Garai (Home).
 FOUND: Guldove (Another)
 CONDITIONS: Speak to her after completing the Dragon crest quest. You will 
  need the six-slotted amulet to enter her tent.
 
 Comments: Great mage; pitiful fighter. Well, no, compared to Riddel she 
  downright rocks. You acquire her rather late in the game, so you probably 
  won't get much use out of her. fights.
 
UNA ------------------------------------------
Leena's kid sister, who carries around a sack of laundry or something. Not
recruitable.
        
VAN --------------------------------------------
An artist who joins the party to feed his family or some such. Not the best
of fighters, but has some handy skills.

 WEAPON: Boomerang    ELEMENT: Green
 L.3: Jump Throw - Two boomerangs converge on an enemy.
 L.5: Betanui - Flings paint into the air, causing the field effect to become 
  a single random color.
 L.7: ????
 FOUND: Termina (Home)
 CONDITIONS: Speak to him in his home.
 
 Comments: Not much of a fighter, but his skills are solid. Additionally, his 
  strong basic attack hits all enemies, which is a useful trick.

VIPER (JYAKOTU) ---------------------------
This guy looks like a geriatric version of Alucard. Apparently he's the ruler
of El Nido Archipelago, where Serge lives, or something. I believe he also is
Riddel's father.

 WEAPON: Sword        ELEMENT: Yellow
 L.3: G-Force - leaps into the air and slams the enemy with a sword attack.
 L.5: AirForce - smacks an entire enemy party with a chi attack. Or something.
 L.7: ????
  L.7 Found: Take him to Termina's Bar (Home).
 FOUND: On Zelbess (Another).
 CONDITIONS: Rescue and recruit Riddel.
 
 Comments: A pretty solid character with decent physical stats (less decent 
  magic stats, though). A good choice for most situations.

WATSUKI (NPC) --------------------------------
Serge's father, who disappeared at sea with Miguel.
       
ZAPPA ----------------------------------------
A brawny blacksmith living in Termina. Weasels ripped his flesh.... RRRZZZ! Ye
ken?

 WEAPON: Hammer       ELEMENT: Red
 L.3: Hammer Swing - Zappa clobbers an enemy with his hammer.
 L.5: Smith Spin - Zappa spins into the enemy party.
 L.7: ????
 FOUND: In Termina at the Smithy.
 CONDITIONS: Speak to him in the Home version of Termina.
 
 Comments: Forthcoming

ZOAH -----------------------------------------
HE'S MOSTLY NAKED, BUT THAT KNIGHT HELMET WILL DEFINITELY KEEP HIM SAFE FROM
HARM, GHOST-BOY!

 WEAPON: Glove        ELEMENT: Yellow
 L.3: DragonRider - Zoah charges an enemy on Dragonback.
 L.5: Gyronimo - Zoah spins into the air and crashes down on an enemy.
 L.7: Upper Bomb - Hits an enemy with a lighting attack.
  L.7: Check the chest in his room with Zoah at the front of the party.
 FOUND: In Termina (Another) or Solitary Island (Another).
 CONDITIONS: Automatic; chose him in Termina or he'll join later.
 
 Comments: Very reminscent of Karsh, but he seems to be weaker than Karsh as 
  well. Go figure.

H. MORPHS ------------------------------------
       
This will be a listing of Spriggan's Morphs, once I have a chance to explore
them.

I. BEASTIARY ------------------------------

Coming soon, a whoppin' huge list of enemies and the requisite info to go along
with it.

J. SOUNDTRACK LISTING ------------------------

Here's the scoop on the track titles for the OST. I translated a few myself,
but most of them were culled from the Compact Disc Database
(http://www.cddb.com), the most incredibly useful site on the Internet for
finding Japanese OST tracklists as well as for making MPEG encoding a heckuva
lot easier.

- DISC ONE -

1. Chrono Cross: Time's Scar (Opening Theme)
2. The Brink of Death (Boss Battle)
3. Arni Village
4. Time's Grasslands - Home World 
5. Dancing the Lizard 
6. Reminiscence - Feelings Not Erased 
7. Dream of the Shore Bordering Another World 
8. Another Arni Village 
9. He Sang of Feeling 
10. Lost Fragments 
11. Drowning Valley 
12. Another Termina 
13. Leaving the Body 
14. Shadow Cut Forest 
15. Viper's Room 
16. Spring's Gift (Victory Fanfare)
17. Lost Child of Time 
18. Another Guldove 
19. Hydra Marsh 
20. Dream's Creation 
21. Voyage - Another World 
22. Phantom Ship 
23. Death Volcano 
24. Ancient Dragon Fortress
25. Grief

- DISC TWO -

1. Start of the Dream 
2. Cleft of Dimension 
3. Home Termina 
4. Dragonrider 
5. Voyage - Home World 
6. Home Guldove 
7. Home Marbule 
8. Serge 
9. The Big Admirable Mysterious Sleight-of-Hand Group 
10. Nap 
11. Chrono Main Theme 
12. Predicament 
13. Optimism 
14. Ghost's Island 
15. Death Sea - Tower of Ruin 
16. People Seized with Life 
17. Previously Lost, Lamp 
18. Earth Dragon's Island 
19. World's Navel 
20. Gale (Battle Theme)
21. Summer's Cry (Boss Fanfare)
22. Another Marbule 
23. Fairies Make Way for Magic 
24. Etude 1 
25. Etude 2 
26. Magical Dreamers - The Wind, Stars, and Waves

- DISC THREE - 

1. Garden of the Gods 
2. Chronopolis 
3. Fates - Gods of Destiny 
4. Jellyfish Sea 
5. Orphan of Flame 
6. Star-Stealing Girl 
7. Time of the Dreamwatch 
8. Dragon's Prayer 
9. Tower of Stars 
10. Frozen Flame 
11. Dragon God 
12. Into a Time of Darkness 
13. Life - Faraway Promise (Final Battle)
14. Reminiscence - Feelings Not Erased 
15. Radical Dreamers - Without Taking the Jewel (Credit Roll)
16. Leaving the Body 

----------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------
PART VI: FAQS

Here are some of the most frequent questions I've received - yeah, there are
SPOILERS here. Careful now!

-- 1. GENERAL FAQS ---------------------------

a. WHERE CAN I FIND THE ENGLISH VERSION OF CHRONO CROSS?

You can't, yet. Expect to see it in mid-to-late 2000, unless you live in
Europe, in which case you'll have to import it. You have my sympathy.

b. SO WHERE DO I GET THE JAPANESE VERSION?

I bought mine at Tronix (http://www.tronixweb.com), but there are many other
importers of varying reputability out there - www.ncsx.com, www.buyrite1.com,
www.animenation.com, www.gamecave.com, and so on and so forth. Remember that
you need a Playstation capable of playing imports!

c. DOES CHRONO CROSS HAVE MOD-CHIP LOCKOUT PROTECTION?

No, or at least not the Asian version I own. Maybe Square is getting smart and
realizing that the lockouts do nothing to curtail piracy, but simply annoy and
inconvenience the importers who typically are their biggest fans. Wouldn't it
be weird if a gaming company actually took its customers into consideration
for once?

d. HOW MANY DISCS IS CHRONO CROSS?

Two. While it has fewer cinematics than Final Fantasy VIII, there's still a
ton of gameplay, so don't worry about getting a Parasite Eve-length game with
just two discs.

e. WHAT NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED BETWEEN THE JAPANESE AND U.S. VERSIONS?

Here a list of Japanese characters and place names with their English
counterparts. If you happen to come across a mistaken name that I forgot to
change, this is why. I'll add more as I encounter them once I get the English
game.

  Tukiyomi               Harle
  Yamaneko               Lynx
  Starchild              Starky
  Slash                  Nikki
  Lutianna               Luccia
  Bancliffe              Van
  Alf                    Guile
  Lord Jyakotu           Lord Viper
  Ridel                  Riddel
  Sugar                  Peppor
  Salton                 Solt
  Lucky Dan              Mojo
  Jillbert               Greco
  Rena                   Leena
  Grenn                  Glenn
  Ocha                   Orcha
  
  Cape of Howling Wind   Cape Howl
  Tokage Rock            Lizard Rock
  Gardov                 Guldove
  Marbule                Marbule
  Shadow Cut Woods       Shadow Woods
  Death Volcano          Mt. Pyre

-- 2. GAMEPLAY FAQS --------------------------

a. I DID SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT YOUR GUIDE SAYS. DIFFERENT
EVENTS, DIFFERENT CHARACTERS. WHAT GIVES?

Chrono Cross has branching gameplay paths, so you can do many different things
during the game. I'm doing my best to cover all the different possibilities,
but it's going to take a while. I've marked all the places that spawn known
branches with a warning, so you'll know.

b. HEY, YOU MISSED A CHARACTER/ITEM.

Yeah, I'm not perfect.

c. IS IT POSSIBLE TO ACQUIRE CHARACTERS YOU'VE MISSED LATER ON? IS IT POSSIBLE
TO HAVE ALL 40 CHARACTERS IN ONE PLAY-THROUGH?

I'm not certain on either of these. I think in some circumstances, it's
possible to recruit secondary characters. However, from what I understand,
it's
simply not possible to get all 40 characters at once your first time through.

d. DOES CHRONO CROSS HAVE MULTIPLE ENDINGS?

Yes... I know of several. There are others - refer to Zane Merritt's
Chrono Cross Ending FAQ at http://www.gamefaqs.com for further details (or at
least until I find them myself; I've avoided spoiing them for myself, because
extra endings are the best part!).

e. DOES CHRONO CROSS HAVE A NEW GAME+ MODE?

Yes, although you cannot keep your characters or Summons in New Game+ mode.
You have to locate them all over again.

f. WHAT IS A TRAP ELEMENT?

A Trap Element not only prevents a specific Element from being used, but also
allows you to acquire that particular skill if an enemy uses it. Traps are the
ONLY way to acquire certain high-level skills, particularly Summons.
Unfortunately, you can only use a Trap once, although there is a shop that
sells them later in the game.

g. WHAT KIND OF COMBO ATTACKS ARE THERE BESIDES X-STRIKE? (SPOILER)

Quite a few. To find Combos, try combining characters who have complimentary
story roles or natural relationships.

h. HOW DO I REPLENISH MY STARS?

Sleep. Go to an Inn or anywhere else where you can rest and recover and your
Stars will be recharged. Handy, eh?

i. WHERE DO I FIND ALL OF SKELLY'S BONES?

There are six parts to Skelly. Here are their locations (all are in Another):

 Heavy Skull            The Valley of Dragon Bones, near the dragon skull.
 Spine                  Found hidden in a shallow cave in Hydra Marsh.
 Bone Fragments         In the cave on the Island of Bones.
 Angry Scapulas         Found beneath the waterfall in the eastern woods where 
                        you can meet Nikki.
 Ribcage                Found in the Island Ruins (Another).
 Hips                   Acquired from the Element trader in Guldove, 
                        right outside Doc's hut.
                        
j. HOW DO I CREATE PRISM GEAR?

It's trick, but Hot Pepper (jolee@exchange.ursinus.edu) passed along
the following tips to acquiring Prism gear:

 First you have to buy master's hammer after (event spoiler omitted). After 
 that get Zappa to equip it and talk to other Zappa in Another. He will learn 
 the way to make the best weapons and armors. The components to make them are 
 very rare...in fact you have make them. Whenever you kill monsters with 
 summoned monster, you will get the upgrade item that has the same element with 
 the summoned monster you used. you will need every kinds element items for any 
 weapon you are going to make.
 
These special items are called "shiny elements" in English, and to forge Prism
gear you need shiny elements of every color. You will sometimes, but not
always, acquire shiny elements after using a Summon Element in combat. I'll do
my best to create a guide for acquiring these as well, once I get my hands on
the English version.
 
-- 3. STORY FAQS (MAJOR SPOILERS) -------------

a. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE STORY. CAN YOU HELP?

Well, what I've gathered and been told is somewhat inconsistent, so don't
expect a perfectly clear picture until the English version comes out. But
here's a synopsis of what I've gathered, with important events in Chrono
Trigger added. And don't blame me if I'm somewhat wrong!

In 65,000,000 B.C., an advanced civilization of humanoid dinosaurs called
Reptites (who lived in a massive fortress-city called Dinopolis) was destroyed
by the combined efforts of Crono and Ayla and the timely (?) arrival of a
space-borne beast called Lavos.

In 12,000 B.C., Crono and his friends fought Lavos. In the end, they were
assisted by Schala, daughter of Queen Zeal. In battling Lavos, Schala was lost
into the Time Stream and never again found, despite the efforts of her younger
brother Janus.

In A.D. 600, Janus (now known as Magus) tried to exact his revenge on Lavos by
summoning him (with the pretense of destroying humanity in order to tap into
the support of the Mystic race, which was at war with mankind). Crono
interfered and he and Magus were thrown back in time to 12,000 B.C. by the
partially-awakened power of Lavos. Glenn (aka Frog) later defeated Magus and
returned to his human form with the aid of the Masamune (Granleon) sword,
which was stolen by an unknown party once Glenn was finished with it.

In A.D. 1000, Crono became introduced to time travel when the pendant worn by
Marle (passed down through the descendants of Queen Zeal) reacted with a warp
device. Some time later, Lucca discovered an abandoned child in the woods,
bearing the same blue pendant worn by Schala and Marle; she took the child in
and founded an orphanage.

In A.D. 1999, Lavos destroyed the world, leaving humanity as a decimated race
much like the Reptites had become.

In A.D. 2300, Crono, Marle and Lucca learned of Lavos' actions 301 years
before and vowed to stop the beast in the past, before mankind could be
destroyed.

Unfortunately, by defeating Lavos before it destroyed the world, Crono and co.
created a time paradox - since they were prompted into action by witnessing
events in a future that never happened, how could they have been motivated to
act in the first place? Thus rather than changing events, Crono simply created
an alternate timeline in which The Day of Lavos never happened.

In the disaster-free timeline, civilization advanced beyond 1999. In 2400, a
supercomputer called Fate was created in the city of Chronopolis with the
purpose of reconciling these two timelines. Chronopolis existed in a time
bubble in the past, watching the world and straddling the alternate realities.
Unfortunately, Fate's meddling in the past made things worse - rather than
erasing the alternate timeline, Fate caused a crisis called the Time Crash.
The Time Crash caused elements of the ruined future to bleed into the present
in a frozen time vortex. The only way to prevent matters from growing worse
would be to acquire the Frozen Flame, an artifact with ties to Lavos, which
would allow things to fuse together smoothly.

In a twist of fate (not Fate), a storm at sea caused a boat containing Serge,
his father Watsuki and Leena's father Miguel to be marooned at Chronopolis. In
the ensuing events, a young Serge screwed things up and caused the internal
security system for Fate to be reset with his DNA pattern as the key. Although
I'm not clear on the exact sequence of events here, I believe this may be
where Serge died in Another world; in any event, Miguel was commissioned as
the guardian of Chronopolis and the Time-Crashed Vortex, while Fate recreated
Watsuki as a humanoid servant called Lynx whose primary mission was to
reacquire the Frozen Flame.

The Frozen Flame, a piece of Lavos, was placed for safekeeping in a fortress
buried beneath Sky Dragon Island, guarded by six Elemental dragons. 

Living in the timeline that eventually will be destroyed by Lavos, Serge is
drawn into the branched reality and pursued by Lynx, who uses a powerful
magical artifact to switch bodies with Serge (thereby acquiring Serge's DNA,
which will allow Fate to regain control of Chronopolis). Eventually, Serge
reacquires his real body. This allows him to warp to Chronopolis and meet
Fate, who is tending a secret project known as Project Kid - the subject, of
course, is Kid. Kid is actually Schala, reborn from the Time Stream (her full
name is Schala Kid Zeal), and her connection to the past is of use to Fate.

Serge finally finds the Frozen Flame in the fortress, which was built from the
remains of Dinopolis. Although he doesn't actually get to use it, he battles
the fused Dragons. Gash (one of the three wise men of Queen Zeal) gives him
the Time Egg, which allows him to battle a fragment of Lavos which has trapped
Schala in the Time Stream in order to absorb her powers...

And that's more or less it. I've been given contradictory information about
some of these plot points, but this summary seems fairly consistent. Don't
bother sending me corrections - it would just be more contradictory info. I'll
fix it up once the English version comes out.

b. WHAT WAS ON THE ROCK IN ANOTHER WORLD WHERE SERGE AND KID MET?

It seems that was Serge's tombstone... "To my beloved son Serge, age 7," or
some such. That's why no one recognizes him in Another world - he's dead.

c. I'M CONTROLLING THE CAT-MAN! SERGE IS EVIL! WHAT HAPPENED?

Serge is still good, and Lynx is still evil. What happened was that they
switched bodies to facilitate Lynx's quest for the Frozen Flame.

d. ARE THERE ANY CHRONO TRIGGER CHARACTERS IN CHRONO CROSS?

Yes, several. Some you'll recognize, some you won't. Here they are:

 - Crono, Lucca, Marle: These appear as child-like apparitions with Miguel and 
   Gash.
 - Gash (aka Balthasar): The creator of the Wings of Time is now the 
   librarian at Viper Manor. And here you thought he was dead.
 - Sara (aka Schala): You'll see her both as Schala and as her other self.
 - Soy Sauce, Mayonnaise and Vinegar (aka Slash, Flea and Ozzie): They appear 
   as a bonus fight in the End of Time once you've finished the game.
 - Masa and Mune (aka Gran and Leon): They never appear as the sword kids, but 
   they still play a pivotal role.

e. CAN I KEEP HARLE FROM LEAVING THE PARTY?

It seems not - none of the answers I tried had any bearing on her decision to
leave.

f. IS GUILE ACTUALLY MAGUS?

Not in Chrono Cross. However, according to Andrew Vestal (andrewv@thegia.com),
in Radical Dreamers (the text-adventure from which Chrono Cross derives some
of its story) the Guile character was named "Gil." He was a masked mage with
long white hair and at the end of the game, you discovered he was actually
Mahou (Magus) looking for Sarah (Schala). Obviously, this was changed for the
revised game for a number of reasons; but Guile does indeed resemble Magus - a
powerful black mage with long white hair who floats as he moves. Their
personalities seem a bit different, though, with Guile seeming much more
gregarious than Magus. Good guesswork, though. As a side note, Guile was
called "Alf" in the Japanese game - similar to Janus' (Jacky's) cat Alfador. I
think it's a mind game by Square.

----------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------
PART VII: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, ETC.

A. REVISION HISTORY --------------------------

Rev. 1.3.3: July 7, 2000
  Made some corrections for some stupid errors in the last rev.
  This is the last update until the English version comes out.
  Also added comments on character strengths and weaknesses.
Rev. 1.3.2: July 6, 2000
  Fine tuning; final update before US release.
  Finally added info on Macha's branch and the Frost Breath quest.
  A few more English names added, including confirmation of a certain sword's 
  name...
Rev. 1.3.1: June 23, 2000
  More name corrections thanks to my Deep Throat contact.
Rev. 1.3: June 21, 2000
  Started changing Japanese names to English (Lynx, Starkey, Luccia, etc.)
  Tune-ups, corrections, etc.
Rev. 1.2.1: Jan. 16, 2000
  Slowly, slowly translating names and places
  Corrected Mash's name (formerly Kinoko)
  Added OST track listings
Rev. 1.2: Jan. 10, 1999
  Little bits-n-pieces
Rev. 1.1: Dec. 29, 1999
  General revisions
Rev. 1.0.1: Dec. 19, 1999
  Added more on New Game+
  Minor corrections
  Added "My Party" information
Rev. 1.0: Dec. 18, 1999
  Added final section of walkthrough
  Future revisions will be less frequent and less substantial!
  Moved FAQs to the end to minimize spoiler damage
  Corrected some names
Rev. 0.6.1: Dec. 13, 1999
  Added walkthrough for the burning house
  Major Element list overhaul
  Added info on how to get Orlha to join
Rev. 0.6: Dec. 12, 1999
  Added some info on Dario and the Jinjirx
  Began Disc Two walkthrough
Rev. 0.5.2: Dec. 8, 1999
  Made a few important corrections (esp. the Green Dragon guide)
  Added what to do after acquiring the six Dragon crests
Rev. 0.5.1: Dec. 6, 1999
  Added info on how to find Kinoko
  Detailed quest for the 6 Dragons (Part P)
Rev. 0.5: Dec. 3, 1999
  Added Part O to the walkthrough
  Added detailed strategy for the Grand Slam
  Added FAQs and Gameplay tips
  Revised a lot of information everywhere!
Rev. 0.4.2: Dec. 1, 1999
  Added Vortex walkthrough
  Added info on StarChild and DragonChild
  Corrected Harle's name (d'oh!)
Rev. 0.4.1: Nov. 29, 1999
  Additional walkthrough information
Rev. 0.4: Nov. 28, 1999
  Huge walkthrough update
  Large character update with reformatting
Rev. 0.3.4: Nov. 23, 1999
  Hydra Marsh quest walkthrough added
  Various data updated
Rev. 0.3.3: Nov. 22, 1999
  Post-mansion odds and ends
  Characters updated, list moved to end of FAQ
Rev. 0.3.2: Nov. 21, 1999
  Further information on Nikki's branch
Rev. 0.3.1: Nov. 21, 1999
  Added walkthrough for Lynx's mansion
  Added walkthrough for Pierre's branch
  Magic data reformatted; changed class-type names
Rev. 0.3: Nov. 20, 1999
  Added to walkthrough
  Character data expanded and revised
  Update key Items
Rev. 0.2: Nov. 19, 1999
  Began walkthrough
  Updated Magic Classes
  Added new characters
  Format changes
  Added information on Menu Screen
  Added post-battle details
  Added information on Stars
Rev. 0.1: Nov. 18, 1999 
  Pre-release information
  
B. LINKS -------------------------------------

ToastyFrog Jump!
  http://www.toastyfrog.com/
  A shameless plug. Yet a valid one, for I have much Chrono Cross media and   
  information at my site. Huzzah!

The Lucky Dan Fan Club
  http://www.toastyfrog.com/docs/ro/luckydan/
  Dan! Dan! Join the cult!

Chrono Cross coverage at GIA
  http://www.gaming-intelligence.com/psx/cc/cc.html
  Comprehensive information from my close, personal friends at GIA. Go and 
  click their banners a few times - they deserve your love. Tell 'em 
  ToastyFrog sent ya and receive 10% off your first order!
  
Chrono Cross Unofficial Translation
  http://www.multimania.com/mrnox
  Nokusu, who has helped me in times past with Chrono Cross data, is 
  currently planning to translate the game into English and French. An 
  ambitious goal, to be sure! But very welcome. Please, do NOT pester him 
  about how quickly he works. This sort of thing takes time - just enjoy 
  what is available so far!

Square Soft
  http://www.squaresoft.com/
  Makers of Chrono Cross, Final Fantasy, and the most absolutely annoying
  webpages to try and navigate.

Chrono Cross Translation at The Litterbox
  http://home.sprynet.com/~fland/chrono.htm
  The coolest human being on earth, GameCat, is in the process of
  translating the Chrono Cross demo. As if that weren't enough to make him
  truly k-rad, he also has a rare picture of a wild ToastyFrog. Go, learn,
  be edified. The high-contrast background is a bit eye-blistering, but
  the content is all good.

Game Music Online
  http://www.gamemusic.com
  They'll be selling the Chrono Cross soundtrack when it's available in
  December - in the meantime, I recommend the Xenogears OST, also composed
  by Mitsuda-san.
  
Compact Disc Database
  http://www.cddb.com
  A great place to find import CD tracklistings. Of course, someone has to 
  input the names first.

C. MUCHAS GRACIAS ----------------------------

Chrono Cross is the property of Squaresoft, Inc. and will be licensed by
Square Electronic Arts LLC in the USA. Everything detailed and described
here is theirs. The names and logos and suchlike described in this FAQ
(c) and (tm) 1995-1999, Squaresoft, Inc.

Big thanks to Tronix (www.tronixweb.com) for getting this game to me
quickly and at a fair price. If you're looking to buy it for yourself,
Tronix carries my unsolicited recommendation.

Credits:
 - BWA for help deciphering the combo system.
 - Brian Glick of Gaming Intelligence (www.thegia.com) for help
   deciphering the combo system and for information on opprtunities in the 
   mansion.
 - tennin for pointing out the Stamina drain caused by Element attacks.
 - Zane and Nokusu for help with the Field Effect System.
 - GameCat for translation advice. A winner is he! Visit his page!
 - Jonathan V. Bernaldez for pointing out that I'm a careless idiot 
   (although he phrased it more tactfully than that).
 - Andrew Vestal of Gaming Intelligence (www.thegia.com) for some early 
   pointers as well as some story details.
 - Robert Estel for a message board post mentioning how to find the switch 
   in the mansion's anteroom. Stupid invisible hotspots...
 - Exolegacy - For pointing out the alternate path for Nikki.
 - JL Lee for some as-yet unconfirmed information, and for pointing out my 
   "Chrono Trigger" typo as well as things I've missed. Also for the secret of 
   the Chrono Cross.
 - Ed S. for the secret of the reaction on the beach.
 - Strife for info on Freeze Breath.
 - J.T. Kauffman for a plethora of info, including how to find Leena and
   Skelly's real (Japanese) name.
 - Tenoh & James Sheldon for how to acquire DragonChild 
 - Aphel for info about branching paths and Kinoko.
 - Peter Bartholomew for some corrections and details.
 - White Tyger for some odds and ends.
 - Mayo Ibarra for some info on the Lucca scene.
 - Eric Oei for a good alternate strategy for Dario.
 - Hot Pepper for info on Kabu, Fio and certain L.7 skills.
 - David Su (boko_kun@neteze.com) - General info on details.
 - Adam Ismail (adam.ismail@utoronto.ca) - Gambling cheats.
 - Alvin Chua (tlchua@brookes.ac.uk) - TONS of L.7 skills discovered.
 - David Su (boko_kun@neteze.com) - info on status ailments, and other info.
 - Feryl (feryl@pacific.net.sg) - a bunch of combo attacks
 - CB! for being such a lovable, cuddly pal. Also, I think some of the info 
   people sent me was ripped off from her Character FAQ, so that deserves 
   mention.
 - rapier (wade@siliconmagazine.com) for Lucky Dan's new name...
 - A mysterious stranger with a reviewable copy for lots of info.
 - Many other people for small tidbits. Sorry if I've forgotten your name or 
   what you've helped with.. it's hard to keep track with all the feedback 
   I've gotten on this O_o

If you have any information that I've missed or written up incorrectly,
please drop me a line at tfrog@camalott.com. You can ask me any
questions you might have about the game as well, but I can't guarantee
answers.

This FAQ is written by Jeremy Parish, who holds the copyright for this
text. It may not be distributed for profit, although you're welcome to
distribute it freely so long as the entire FAQ remains intact and I
receive my due props. Please do not modify or edit this FAQ in any way,
even if you think the lame asides are really annoying. Tiresome as they
may be, it makes plagiarism a bit easier to spot (it happens, sad to say).

And again, for posterity: a clearly-illustrated (though not up-to-date)
version of this FAQ is avilable for perusal at http://www.toastyfrog.com.
Pictures can make a big difference, since my words sometimes fail. 

Enjoy!
