1999

[Depression Moon]

I'm finally replaying Chrono Trigger after at least 2 years. I'm back during the final moment of the game and I'm having difficulties with Lavos. My first time around I couldn't get past the his first attack from the creature inside of his body. I struggled and managed to cut off one arm before I got frustrated and quit. After that one arm is gone is hell right there. He casts confuse and stop continuously and does major damage to my party members.

I had a time hat on Crono, but he still gets stopped. The battle just seems impossible when everyone gets confused. I won't have time for healing. I'm looking for some tips here.

Crono Lvl. 48 919HP Rainbow, Sight Cap, Aeon Suit, Speed Belt
Marle lvl 47 772HP Siren, Aeon Helmet, Prism Dress, Gold Stud
Frog lvl 47 854HP Masamune, Aeon Helmet, Nova Armor, Hero Medal
Robo lvl 47 945HP Terra Arm, Vigil Hat, Aeon Suit, Muscle Ring
Lucca lvl 783HP 47 Wondershot, Taban Helmet, Taban Suit, Sun Shades
Ayla lvl 933HP 47 Memory Cap, Ruby Armor, Prism Specs
magus lvl 47 don't care

[Wolf Kanno]

Have you done the Black Omen yet or more to the point, do you have more Nova Armor? That particular piece of equipment has protection from Status ailments so it makes things a bit easier. The Prism Helms would have helped too but it looks like you opted for the dress instead. Course this Lavos has the ability to negate the effects of equipment with one of his abilities but having the defenses makes him waste a turn.

If the Black Omen is still available (say you beat it during a later time period travel back in time and challenge it again) the enemies in this dungeon have great stuff to steal (power/magic tabs) and some of them have more Nova Armor if memory serves me correct. Ayla is your friend.

The easiest way to win is to make a party of Robo, Lucca, and Crono and make sure they know all of their abilities. Set the party up with Robo being on the left of the screen in battles (this will help later if you know Double Bomb duel tech). Spam the hell out of Flare and Luminaire (use the Gold/silver accessories that reduce MP consumption) and have Robo act as a healer. Don't be afraid to administer heals instead of attacking when confusion sets in but Robo's healing abilities will make recovering from the injuries much easier. When his first arm goes, have everyone focus on the second arm with powerful single attacks, once its down, Lavos gets a bit of a power boost but using the same strategy against the second arm will take him down as well. Just make sure to keep Robo alive and have him heal even when it doesn't look too bad just in case cause Lavos tends to throw you for a loop.

[VeloZer0]

magus lvl 47 don't care

There is your problem right there.
In all seriousness his ultimate equipment does protect against all of those statuses though.

Which 3 do you like to use? They all work, but I can be a little more specific if I know who you are using. I'm also assuming you have done all the optional quests.

If you haven't beaten all the Black Omens you can steal Prisim Hats and Dresses from the final form of Queen Zeal. It helps a lot as Prisim Hats will guard against these status effects. Did you pick up the Silver Stud as well as the Gold Stud? It can help if you have both.

[Depression Moon]

I found it easiest with Crono, Marle, and Frog. DOUBLE CURE i didn't go to black omen because i thought it was just an alternate route 2 lavos and it affected the ending. marle seems to take damage better than the other 2

[VeloZer0]

marle seems to take damage better than the other 2

That's because Marle has the Prisim Dress, the most powerful armor in the game.

I personally never liked Marle for healing, I found AoE heals to be far more valuable than a focused heal. With Ayla in the party you have a spot healing tech (give her a few magic tabs and the amount heals skyrockets as it is based on her extremely low Magic stat) to support your main healer (Frog or Robo), and a way higher damage output. Not to mention Charm, which as shown below is invaluable.

The Black Omen is what you would consider the last dungeon of the game. You can run through it up to 3 times (1000AD ,600AD & 12000BC), but if you finish it in an earlier time then it is destroyed in all later time periods. (So go 1000AD-> 600AD-> 12000BC) The random enemies will all re spawn every time you clear it, but the mid-bosses and some enemies are only encounter able once.

Pay particular attention to the sentry wall panel things. You can steal a speed tab from each one, but they don't re-spawn. In one go through the Omen you should have easily enough Speed Tabs to max out full party at 16 Speed. Also the two headed snake things have Megalixers you can steal, and the enemies that look like the boss from the mystic cave have Power Tabs (and are respawnable) All and all Ayla is a must have in your party for the Omen. As mentioned earlier you can also steal a Prisim Dress and Helm from the final form of Queen Zeal, and you can fight her once for every Omen clear.

[Wolf Kanno]

You can still do the Black Omen and get the ending from fighting Lavos in 1999. Once you beat his first form (Black Omen) and get inside him, his shell has a save point and a gate back to the End of Time. After that, just use the bucket and you'll still crash the Epoch into him which nets you one of the two main endings.

Yeah, its possible to steal enough Prism Dresses to outfit all three girls (Ayla especially needs it) so this is why I usually do the Prism Helms instead but that's what New Game + is for.

Like VeloZer0, I feel Marle doesn't have much end game appeal. I usually use Frog and Robo cause I prefer maximizing my turns. My only recommendation is to build a party with characters that have great single attack techs. It helps alot in the final battle and it gets rid of annoying pests like Lavos' appendages in record time.

Honestly, just go through the Black Omen for the great gear and pick up a few Tabs. Of anything the levels you will gain in there will probably help you beat Lavos pretty easily without the added gear and stat items.

[Depression Moon]

Thanks I'll try this tommorow

[Depression Moon]

Thanks for the advice guys. I managed to finally beat this game for the very first time. After beating The Black Omen, I found Lavos's core much easier. The part after that was tedious and I could've probably had beaten it quicker if I concentrated on destroying the left node and them attacking the middle instead of trying to kill both nodes first before I beat the middle, but I got too tired of that method and I went with the former.

Nice anime ending to the game. How do the endings change? Is it the part at the fair or is it the anime endings?

[VeloZer0]

The endings you see by beating the game 'normally' change minimally depending on how you beat it. The fun part is starting a New Game+ and beating Lavos at several different points during the story line to get some completely off the wall endings. (The best one is if you beat him as solo Crono right at the start of the game, or beat him when he emerges in zeal)

I'm guessing the anime parts don't change, but I have only ever beaten the game once on a non-SNES iteration.

Aside: Come to think of it, when you fight him in Zeal the shell is the really overpowered part. If you killed the shell first via the End of Time bucket, ported out, then did the story sequence and skipped the first phase it would probably be an easy way to get that ending. Has anyone tried this? (I know spawning him in zeal with his head cut off works, I just can't remember if the rest of him is normal strength and if iit still triggers the *ending name*developer's ending

[Wolf Kanno]

I don't think it works, though its been years since I tried that, I think the requirement of beating the super version of Lavos' first form is needed for the developer's ending.

Really the toughest ending to get is the ending where Crono actually talks (its the Lucca/Marle debating all the guys looks ending) cause if memory serves me correct that required several conditions that almost amount to getting to the end of the Ocean Palace and then backtracking out of there from the last save point, otherwise you get Magus' ending or you get the Developer's ending if you face Lavos in the Ocean Palace. It's requirements are only slightly off from the same requirements for Magus' ending.

Basically the ending work by just challenging Lavos at different time periods, choosing to destroy the Epoch, or even beating Lavos without resurrecting Crono. As far as I know, there is two anime endings for the PS.DS versions though I think the DS version just through them together whereas the PS1 version required you to beat the game twice to get both. The first one is the wedding of Crono and Marle, as well as seeing the rest of the cast getting along, ending with Lucca discovering a baby (Kid). The second one is a time line showing the fall of Guardia and the lost of the Masemune and basically details events leading up to Crono Cross.

The DS version has a new ending that finally gives away what happened to Magus at the end but that requires beating the game's new secret boss.