 |
In order to revive Crono, who fell at the, er, flippers, of Lavos, you'll need to complete several steps. One of them is returning to the End of Time and speaking to the Old Man who stands by the lamppost. After an interesting conversation he’ll give you a Chrono Trigger, which, according to him, can be used to bring back Crono. First, though, you have some ground work to complete.
Jump to 2300 AD and visit the Keeper Dome, where you first snagged the Epoch. The Nu inside will tell you to obtain a clone of Crono. The only person who can help you with this is Norstein Bekkler, the magician in charge of one of the tents at the Millenial Fair.
Head to the fair. You’ll find Bekkler in the large tent on the right side of the Fair. He’ll agree to give you a doppel doll of Crono - though at a price. Give him 40 Silver Points (the best way to earn them is to beat up Gato) and he’ll challenge you to his matching game. You need to copy the moves of the Crono clone by following the command prompts as quickly and as accurately as you can.
The more times you can mirror the clone's movements, the cheaper Bekkler’s end price. Do well enough and it’s free. The clone can cost tens of thousands of gil if you do a poor job, so consider saving and try it again if you fail. You'll find the Doppel Doll in Crono's House, though you'll have to endure a sad scene to get it.
Return to the Keeper's Dome in 2300 AD and speak to the Nu again. It will send three Poyozo Dolls up, out, and onto nearby Death Peak. You can now climb the mountain. You can also deactivate the Nu for good, if you wish, though just letting it sleep normally doesn't change anything.
Death Peak - Enemies
The first section of the Peak is a northbound passage constantly assaulted by wind. Talk to the Poyozo Doll partway up the climb and it will turn into a tree. Stand behind it while the wind is blowing, then rush ahead while the wind is still. Use this technique to reach a second tree, then the next screen up. If you look to the east just after reaching the first tree you'll find a Strength Capsule in the snow.
The wind dies down once you reach the second screen of Death Peak, in the north. Take a left and you’ll run into three Blood Yolks. These irritating creeps will steal your HP. Kill them quickly with all-hitting attacks. To the west of them is a chest containing a Magic Ring.
Climb the cliff near the spot where you fought the Blood Yolks, using the rocky handholds. To the northeast you’ll find two more Blood Yolks and a transition to another screen. Immediately beyond are three Blood Yolks and a Macabre. Follow the cliff edge northward until you find a cave.
If you think you need a save, head southeast onto the large, flat area. There’s a save point down here, in the south. Use it before entering the cave the Macabre were guarding, and check northeast of the save point for a chest containing a Barrier Ring. Make sure you bring party members who are good at hitting single targets to the cave, because, surprise! Something very nasty is waiting inside the cave, and it hates AOE attacks.
Lavos Spawn
HP: 4,000
Drops: Elixir
Charm: Elixir
Lavos is a bit much, but one of these you can handle. Lavos Spawn have the following abilities:
- A bubbling attack against a single target
- Attacks that can inflict Confusion and Sleep along with damage
- A needle attack that hits a single target
- A needle attack that hits your whole party (counter for hitting the shell)
Lavos Spawn consist of the head and the shell, and if you hit the shell the Lavos Spawn will immediately counter with a painful needle attack against your whole party. This does enough damage that you should absolutely avoid attacking the shell. Concentrate powerful Dual Techs entirely on the Lavos Spawn's tiny head and it will use less powerful attacks that are easy to manage. Pummel the spawn with your Techs and it will die after three or four attacks. Not too bad if you act quickly.
Look to your right in the Lavos Spawn's den to find a chest containing Gigaton Arm for Robo. Head north and out of the cave. Outside and to the east you’ll face three Macabres, which you can avoid by sticking to the north side of the cliff path. Sweep back south and into the caves again, where three Blood Yolks are waiting. Check the chest near them for a Brave Sword for Frog.
Head outside. You’ll appear on the cliffs overlooking the flat clearing with the save point. Look to your left upon emerging to find a small sparkle, which, when touched, opens a cave down in the clearing. Backtrack the way you came to the open area, save if you wish, and go north through the new cave.
A Blood Yolk will drop down inside near a chest that contains a Hadean Sickle for Magus, assuming you recruited him. North of here and outside you’ll find a second Lavos Spawn, which requires the same combat strategy as the first.
West of the second Lavos Spawn is a narrow path that you need to cross. Navigate it quickly but carefully to reach the other side, minding the slow slide that will plummet you down to the clearing with the save point. On the far side you’ll find a southbound trail covered in Blood Yokes, and if you're careful you can follow them down and avoid a fight. Check the chest on the other side of the stream of Yokes for a Yaksha Blade for Crono.
The path ahead leads to a third Lavos Spawn, though just before you enter its clearing you'll see handholds leading down to a save point and a chest containing a Dark Helm. Wipe out the Lavos Spawn and you’ll notice that its shell sticks around. Push the shell up and to the right to create a ladder to an upper pathway. Look on your right for a chest containing a Memory Cap, then head north.
This path will take you to the top of Death Peak. Here the party will use the Chrono Trigger for its intended purpose, and if you brought Marle, Lucca, and / or Magus along you'll get a bit of extra dialogue. Regardless of your party composition, however, you'll have another member by the end of the scene: Crono. He's back!
Crono retains the same equipment he had before he died, and he'll jump up to a comparable level to the rest of your party. From this point on you can leave Crono at the End of Time, and if you want you never need to use him again, as he isn't important to any more story content. (Let's be honest, though - Crono is easily one of the best party members. You should use him.)
Once Crono is back in the party you'll be shunted to the End of Time. Speak to the Old Man and he'll provide a breakdown of a bunch of side quests that you could undertake as soon as you regained control over the Epoch. Each one relates to one or more of your party members in some way, and we'll start with one involving Robo, in 2300 AD.