The Black Omen - Enemies
Appearing in the sky once you regain control of the Epoch from Dalton, the Black Omen is essentially the final dungeon in Chrono Trigger. (Though not necessarily the last one you’ll play if you own Chrono Trigger DS, or the PC version of Chrono Trigger.) Before you enter this place you'll want to get your party to around the mid 40s at a minimum, and up to the 50s to be safe.
The Black Omen appears in every time period besides 65,000,000 BC, and you can access it via 12,000 BC, 600 AD, and 1000 AD. This allows you to complete the Black Omen three times per playthrough. All of the Black Omen's bosses - aside from the final gauntlet of three - do not come back on subsequent visits, and any chests you opened on your first trip through remain empty in other time periods. The main reason to go through the Black Omen a second or third time is to Charm items off of the final bosses, which we'll discuss below.
You can get to the Black Omen by flying the Epoch beneath its hovering bulk. Upon landing you’ll have to face six Laser Guards, and a quick blast of Lightning II will take care of them. If you visit the Black Omen in 2300 AD you'll be stopped from going any further here. Otherwise, you can head inside and face the Black Omen's first boss.
Mega Mutant
HP:
- 4,600 (torso)
- 3,850 (lower body)
Charm:
- Elixir (torso)
- Vigilant's Hat (lower body)
The battle against the Mega Mutant can range from mildly annoying to utterly exasperating, and it all depends on your equipment. The Mega Mutant uses the following attacks:
- A tongue attack that absorbs HP from one target (torso)
- Gas attacks that inflict Poison or Sleep on one target (torso)
- Blacken, which inflicts Blind on one target (torso)
- A tentacle slap (lower body)
- Chaos Zone, which can inflict Confusion against one or more targets (lower body)
- Scalding Steam, an attack against the whole party (lower body)
If you’re wearing stuff that blocks status ailments, such as a Vigilant’s Hat, the Mega Mutant will only be capable of inflicting small amounts of damage on a regular basis. Otherwise it will batter your team with attacks that cause Confusion, Sleep, Blind, Poison. Equip at least one character with a Vigilant’s Hat so you have somebody who can heal your other characters with Panaceas, then bombard the Mega Mutant’s upper half with your strongest Dual Techs. You can purchase Vigilant's Hats at Fiona's Shrine if this battle is giving you trouble.
You’re still right by the entrance, so if you need to heal after defeating the Mega Mutant, now’s a good time to head outside and use a Shelter. Otherwise, continue north. Straight ahead are two Shieldsmen. Wait for them to drop their shields before attacking. East of them and in another room are two Martellos, straightforward turret enemies that you can destroy howsoever you like.
North of the Martellos you’ll face two Fangbeasts. These are among the most annoying enemies in the Black Omen, as they can instantly cut your HP in half, use otherwise powerful attacks, have lots of HP, and absorb Light and Shadow. Double Techs are recommended. Note that you can Charm Nova Armor off of Fangbeasts. Further north is another Martello accompanied by two Synchrites, moderately tough robots that are fairly unremarkable. To the right of this battle is a save point.
The next room is guarded by two Panels. These rather unremarkable defensive fixtures are noteworthy in that they can be Charmed by Ayla for Speed Capsules. Try and steal these before destroying the Panels, as they will not respawn once they’re defeated. Two more Panels wait further to the north, and you'll run into more as you explore the Black Omen.
In the next area you’ll come across a Watcher and two Nomads. The Watcher will, following in the tradition of Rubbles, disable your Techs and items. Kill the Nomads before they can escape and you’ll earn a bundle of TP. There are two more of these squads to the north. This screen is one of the best places in the game to finish off your collection of Techs, as these enemies respawn if you leave the screen and return.
The next screen is patrolled by Metal Mutants. Nothing serious here. North of them are two more, accompanied by a pair of Flyclops. Flyclops highly resistant to most attacks, but they also don’t have a ton of HP, and thus aren’t too tough. You can Charm Golden Studs off of Flyclops, and since these items cut MP expenses by 75% on their wearers you're advised to grab at least a few of them before moving on.
Past here you’ll find an elevator. Go down it and you’ll face four Hydracondas, slow creatures that can do a ton of damage if they get too close. Target them one-at-a-time and they’ll attack each other to restore their HP. You’ll also face two Fangbeasts on the elevator, and after them a pair of Cybots that will spend most of their time Confusing your team. You can avoid all three battles by running to the edge of the elevator and standing still until you reach the bottom.
In the next room you’ll start off against a Watcher and two Nomads. Another identical squad waits to your right. Follow the path north until you see stairs leading northward, then look to the right of the stairs for a Megalixir. Dead ahead is a Synchrite and two Flyclopses. Check to the west of them before leaving this room to find a chest containing 30,000 G.
The path in the next room splits. You’ll find Hydracondas on the left and Flyclopses on the right. You can Charm Hydracondas for Megaelixir, making them a great resource for healing. Dead ahead to the north of this split are a Watcher and two Nomads. Here the path splits again, and if you go right you’ll find a Magic Crest. There are familiar enemies to face on either side as you head for the northern door.
Nu Rest Stop - Merchant
To the west in the next room is a Blubber Hulk, a powerful melee combatant that will counter virtually every attack. Use your best Dual Techs to bring it down quickly. This Blubber Hulk makes a good farming point, as it can be Charmed for Strength Capsules. Steal one, run away, come back to the monster, and repeat. Your party will be overwhelmingly strong in no time.
Two Cybots guard the next room, and past them are several Shieldman. Further north is a stream of Hydracondas that you can avoid if you’re very careful. They guard a Zodiac Cape. East of here is a Watcher and Nomad combo, and beyond them a Flycops and two Fangbeasts that protect a chest containing a Megalixir. Two Watchers and four Nomads wait to the east.
Head south in the next room, looking on the left side of the path for a Power Crest. Two Flyclopses and a Blubber Beast guard this area, and past them a Cybot and a Martello. In the southeast corner of this passage is a chest containing a Speed Capsule.
To the west is a chest containing another Speed Capsule. Beside the chest is a door that leads to a teleporter. It will take you to a new area. Follow the path north and west to find two new enemies, Narbles and Ghajes, Narbles counter magic attacks with MP Buster, while Ghajes counter physical attacks with instant death. Otherwise, they sit there and do nothing. Charm the Ghajes for Magic Capsules.
To the west and south you’ll find a chest containing an Elixir. Follow the path north and east to find a Watcher and four Nomads. In the far north you’ll find two more Ghajes, as well as chests containing a Speed Capsule and a Megalixir. Through the exit in the northwest you’ll find a save point, and… well, that should be hint enough that you need to heal and save.
Giga Mutant
HP:
- 5,800 (torso)
- 4,950 (lower body)
Charm:
- Barrier Ring (torso)
- Acuity Ring (lower body)
Hey, this looks familiar. Queen Zeal really likes her mutants. The Giga Mutant uses the following attacks:
- An MP-absorbing tongue counterattack against a single target (torso)
- A magical sphere attack that hits a single target (torso)
- A bomb attack against the whole party (torso)
- Gas attacks that can inflict Poison or Sleep (torso)
- A physical strike against one target (lower body)
- A watery steam attack against the whole party (lower body)
- Life Shaver, a physical attack that sets its target's HP to 1 (lower body)
The Giga Mutant uses many of the same attacks as the Mega Mutant, especially in the status ailment department, but it has one weird change from its lesser kin: The Giga Mutant is almost totally immune to physical attacks. You must use magic-based Techs if you want to kill this thing in any sort of reasonable amount of time. Problem is, hitting the Giga Mutant with Techs will prompt it to absorb the MP of the user.
Assault The Giga Mutants upper and lower halves with your strongest moves - Luminaire, Flare, Dark Matter, etc. - to annihilate it before it can drain too much of your MP. Strictly elemental Dual Techs such as Marle and Lucca’s Antipode Bombs are a good choice; otherwise, stick with strong Single Tech moves. An annoying boss battle, but not a big deal overall.
Backtrack south to the save point to recuperate, then plow onward. You’ll soon find yourself on another elevator. It features the usual assortment of baddies that you’ve seen plenty of times already in the Black Omen, though you can’t avoid the battles this time.
Two Synchrites wait at the top of the elevator, in the next open area. Further north are two Fangbeasts, two Blubber Beasts, and four Panels. The Panels are set up to guard a chest containing a Speed Capsule. Destroying the Panels triggers the appearance of a save point. Make sure you use it, as there's another nasty surprise waiting to the north.
Tera Mutant
HP:
- 7,800 (torso)
- 20,000 (lower body)
Absorbs: All elements (lower body)
Charm:
- Muscle Ring (torso)
- Power Crest (lower body)
Don’t worry, this is the last one. The Tera Mutant uses the following attacks:
- Energy sphres against a single target (torso)
- Drain, an HP-draining attack against a single target (torso)
- Chaos Zone, which inflicts Confusion on one or more members of your party (torso)
- Halation, which sets your whole party's HP to 1 (torso)
- A rock-dropping Fire attack against your whole party (torso)
- Life Shaver, a counterattack that sets the target's HP to 1 (lower body)
The Tera Mutant bears an obvious resemblance to the other two Mutants, but there’s one big difference: You should never attack the bottom half, at least not with physical attacks. Doing so triggers its Life Shaver attack, reducing the attacker to a single HP. Ouch. Target the top half with your strongest magic attacks or magical Dual Techs (once again, physical attacks are no good) until it goes down. The top half occasionally siphons health from the bottom, and may kill it; if not, the bottom half dies on its own once you defeat the torso. Not a terribly difficult fight so long as at least one member of your team is protected against Confusion.
Check the chests to the right and left of this battlefield for a White Gemstone and a Megalixir. The White Gemstone allows Marle, Lucca, and Ayla to use the Poyozo Dance Triple Tech, as long as one of them has this accessory equipped.
Run back south to recuperate and save, then proceed north. The last of the Black Omen's 'normal' bosses is waiting in the next room.
Elder Lavos Spawn
HP:
- 10,000 (mouth)
- 13,500 (shell)
Immune: All elements (shell)
Charm:
- Haste Helm (mouth)
- Guardian Helm (shell)
A sure sign that you're drawing close to Lavos itself. The Elder Lavos Spawn uses the following attacks:
- Water Surge, a Water attack against a single target
- Dark Bomb, a Shadow spell against one or more party members
- Annihilation Zone, a Fire spell against your whole party
- A needle attack from above against the whole party
- A counterattack needle attack against one character if you hit the shell
The Elder Lavos Spawn is a stronger version of the creatures on Death Peak and has a few different attacks, but it’s otherwise handled exactly the same. Avoid the shell, use single-hitting Dual and Triple Techs on the face. It doesn’t have a ton of HP, and will die quickly as long as you focus everything you've got on its mouth. Avoid hitting the shell, which counterattacks with a needle drop that will OHKO a character, and you'll be fine.
In the next room you’ll find five Panels. You know how to deal with them by now, and should Charm all the Speed Capsules that you can. Their destruction reveals a nearby save point, as well as the path to the north. You’ve finally reached the end of the line, so save up, heal yourself, pick a solid team, and prepare for a looooong series of boss battles. (If you want some additional dialogue and an awesome set of music during one fight, put Magus on your team. Frog with the Masamune is also useful for one fight, but he’s hardly a necessity.)
BE WARNED! What follows is one of the routes through which you can encounter Lavos, and if you beat the next three bosses you’ll automatically be thrown into a fight with the parasite. If you don’t think you’re prepared to take on the final boss - though if you can get this far into the Black Omen, you're probably ready - turn back now. On the plus side, if you go through the Black Omen to fight Lavos, you'll unlock the New Game + option when you beat the game.
Queen Zeal
HP: 12,000
Drops / Charm: Megalieixir
Ah, her majesty. Queen Zeal finally enters the battlefield, but she doesn't quite live up to the hype - at least not yet. Queen Zeal uses the following attacks:
- A fiery sphere attack against a single target
- A weak kiss attack that absorbs HP from one character
- Halation, which sets the party's HP to 1
This battle is more annoying than it is difficult, because Zeal begins the fight with the move Halation, reducing everyone to a single HP. Ouch. Use a Megalixir, a Lapis, a healing Dual Tech, or something to get your HP away from one. The start mashing Zeal with your strongest Dual Techs. Halation aside, Queen Zeal is just a nuisance.
Defeat Queen Zeal and you'll find yourself up against a construct that you probably never assumed would be a boss.
Mammon Machine
HP: 18,000
Charm: Megaelixir
Yep, the centerpoint of the Kingdom of Zeal's power wants to take on your party. The Mammon Machine uses the following attacks:
- Converts attacks into defense
- Converts magic into attack power
- Point Flare, a single-target attack
- Energy Discharge, releasing the Mammon Machine's stored-up energy on the party
The Mammon Machine forces you into one of the weirder fights in the game. For the majority of the encounter the Mammon Machine will take your attacks against it and turn them into stat bonuses for itself. Magic attacks increase its overall attack power, while physical attacks increase its defense. The latter gets so bad after a few whacks that normal strikes do virtually nothing to the Mammon Machine. After a while the Machine releases its energy as a painful (400+ HP) attack to everyone, then settles back to normal.
The only way to stop the Mammon Machine's energy-sucking schtick is to have Frog attack it with the Masamune. This will absorb its energy as health, and prevent the Mammon Machine from unleashing energy on your party. Whether you have Frog or not this isn't a difficult battle, but it can take a little while if you let the Mammon Machine's defenses build up too much.
All done? Not quite. Now comes the true threat.
Queen Zeal
HP:
- 20,000 (face)
- 28,000 (hands)
Charm:
- Megaelixir (face)
- Prismatic Dress (right hand)
- Prismatic Helm (left hand)
Did you think Queen Zeal was done after that first brawl? Not a chance. Transformed into a floating face and a pair of hands, Zeal is substantially tougher in this final battle. Queen Zeal uses the following attacks:
- Heavenly Gate, a Light attack against a single target (face)
- Starburst, a Water attack against the whole party (face)
- Gears of Darkness, a Shadow attack against the whole party (face)
- Halation, which sets the party's HP to 1 (face)
- Beam attacks against a single target (hands)
- Life Shaver, a counterattack that sets the target's HP to 1 (right hand)
- MP Buster, a counterattack that sets the target's MP to zero (left hand)
All three parts of Queen Zeal assault your team with a variety of elemental and non-elemental attacks. Unfortunately, you can’t dispose of the hands, as they immediately counterattack with abilities (Life Shaver or MP Buster) that badly hobble the attacker. This means that AOE attacks are right out, eliminating some of your most powerful Techs.
Your only recourse is to focus your attacks strictly on Zeal's head, utilizing your strongest single-striking Techs and Dual Techs to sap her HP. This takes a while, but it's a relatively safe strategy as long as you keep everyone's HP above, say, 400 or so. The only time you need to panic is when Zeal uses Halation, as the hands can immediately follow up with laser attacks to knock out your party members. Drop all other considerations and use a healing Tech or an item to bring everyone back to triple-digit health.
It's worth noting that Queen Zeal's two hands carry some valuable items: A Prismatic Dress on the right (floats to the left on the screen), and a Prismatic Helm on the left. Aside from the Rainbow Shell quest, Charming these items away from Queen Zeal is the only way to get either the dress or the helm - and you can do it three times, if you care to repeat the trip through the Black Omen in different time periods. Charm attempts on the hands prompt counterattacks, so make sure Ayla has an Alluring Top on to boost her chances of success, and be ready to fully restore her HP or MP.
Defeating Queen Zeal's second form removes the Black Omen in your current time period. It also pushes you directly into the final battle. Think you're ready to take on Lavos itself?