Part Nineteen: Isle of the Damned (Home World)
Sail back to Death's Gate. Radius will use the Einlanzer to dispel the evil of the Masamune, granting you access to the Dead Sea. Brace yourself, as things are about to get very weird. You'll run into the following enemies in this frozen land:
- Geos - Black Innate. Hulking spirits, Geos use Black Innate Elements and normal attacks. They shouldn't do too much damage to Lynx or Harle, and can be dispatched with White Elements.
- Robo Ducky - White Innate. A multi-hitting bird robot that likes using Photon Ray on your Black Innates. Robo Ducky will also call in reinforcements if given enough time. Lynx and Harle can shred these things.
- Gremlin - Green Innate. Typically appearing in groups, these weak little critters can use Toxic Breath to inflict Poison on your party. More annoying than a major threat, and pretty easy to kill. Drop Humours in great numbers, making this a good place to farm for these ingredients for a few minutes.
The Dead Sea starts off as a world map in its own right, and by touching the Records of Fate (save point triangles) around the area you can enter small locations filled with enemies. Follow the path through the frozen waves to the northeast to find a chest containing an Anti-Red Element, then check out the first of these small locations.
Highway Ruins - South -
Straight ahead of you from the entrance are stairs that will lead you out of this area. Ignore them and walk north around the stairs. Follow the path through the waves to the next screen, where you'll find a smaller set of stairs leading up onto a roadway. Walk east under two overpasses to find a Screw in a chest, then backtrack and climb the circular building near the stairs. At the top of it is another Screw.
Follow the eastbound walkway out of the circular tower and it will take you to another roadway. Go north along it to find Mythril in a chest, then wander south to the first screen. You'll wind up at a chest containing a Freefall Element, and the ground beneath you will, appropriately, drop away once you open the chest. You'll be dumped back at the beginning of the Highway Ruins.
Go up the stairs this time. Head right and south when you get onto the upper roadway to find a Capsule Element, then wander north. A terribly conspicuous enemy that you no doubt spotted earlier is blocking your path.
Highwayman
Johnny? Dead?! You fiend! A Black Innate mechanical terror, the Highwayman favors some brutal attacks. Aside from smacking your team around with its buzzsaw, the Highwayman can use Rampage, which significantly damages one character, and Exhaust Gas, which can inflict Darkness on everyone and cut their accuracy in half.
Rampage hurts quite a bit, no doubt, but the Highwayman's greatest weapon is Exhaust Gas. If you don't have accessories that protect against Black Innate status ailments - or just status ailments in general - make sure you equip someone in the party with the Blackout Element so you can at least dispel Darkness from your strongest attacker. Having only half accuracy really prolongs this fight, and will give Highwayman way too much time to cut you down with Rampage.
You'll earn a Star Level, 1,100 g, and a Nimble Element for defeating the Highwayman. You'll also open the path out of this section of the Dead Sea.
Wander counterclockwise to the north. You'll see a few enemies, two chests - one contains an Anti-Blue Element, while the other contains an Anti-Yellow Element - and a Record of Fate leading to the next small area.
City Ruins - North -
You'll begin the area at the top of a series of slopes. Take a right from the entrance to find a Resistance Belt, then wander down the slope a bit until you see a path on your left that leads to a tower. You can climb up the tower to find a small room with a computer console. Whether he's in your party or not Norris will show up to operate the console, giving you some very interesting details about a certain entity from Chrono Trigger. On the left side of this room is a semi-hidden chest containing an Earring of Light.
Head back outside and follow the path to the east. There's an accessible building on the far-right side of the screen. Pop inside the entrance and check around to find some Kung-fu Shoes. Continue down the slope to the south of the screen, then take a left before you exit. A Geos here is guarding a chest that contains a Stamina Ring.
To the south you'll be back on the world map. Wander through the waves and you'll see a chest containing an Anti-Green Element. Follow the path to the center of the Dead Sea and you'll reach your destination, the Tower of Geddon. Once you complete this place you'll close off the Dead Sea permanently, so if you skipped through either of the last two areas you may want to go back and collect any treasure you missed.
Tower of Geddon
Many different buildings rolled into one twisted structure, the Tower of Geddon is not a welcoming place, despite the fact that you seem to start off in a shopping mall. There are a few new enemies to face while you're prowling through the corridors of this strange place:
- Mannequeen - Yellow Innate. Stiff-limbed, robotic dolls that don't attack very often, do little damage when they do decide to attack, and have low health. Easy-peasy to defeat, and they drop Mythril often, if you're in the market for upgrades.
- Tragedienne - Red Innate. These odd, phantasmal constructs will announce their names and the attacks they're going to use, then they will use said attacks. Most of them aren't a big deal, though if one of them uses Black Hole you could immediately lose a party member. Take out the Tragediennes with the most painful attacks first.
Go up the stairs from the entrance to the second floor. Follow the walkway west and counterclockwise around the room. You'll find a chest containing a Feather. Check the east side of the second floor to find a blue-lit doorway leading into what appears to be a subway stop. You can climb onto the train on the right to get at a Purify Element, though attempting to go any further north will see your progress blocked by barriers.
Speak to the Geos sitting on the bench near the bottom of the screen, then follow it north until it disappears. Check the spot where it vanished to find a Station Pass. You can use the Station Pass to get past the barriers, beyond which you'll find a Holy Light Element and a Medical Book in the next room over. Medical Book will teach Doc his Level Seven Tech once he's back in the party.
Return to the mall area and go up to the third floor. Follow the eastern path to the south and it will take you to a piece of Mythril. Follow the path to the east side of the walkway and you'll come to a hole in the wall leading out of here, as well as a control panel for an elevator. Lower the elevator to the first floor and you can go back down to find a Trashy Tiara sitting inside. (It is on the first floor of the building and not the second, despite the odd twist in perspective in the art.)
Through the door by the elevator you'll find a debris-filled area that may have been a theatre at some point, and Lynx will spot the phantom of a little girl nearby. Shake it off and follow the path near the bottom of the room to the southwestern corner. On a raised path you'll find a Feather. Backtrack east and head north, towards the stage. To the right of the stage is a Cure Plus Element, and if you check out the lit sword on the left side of the stage you'll receive the Prop Sword. This becomes Pierre's best weapon later in the game, if you recruited him. Check the small side area near the exit, on the west side of the theatre, for a Heal All Element.
The next room will put you on top of what appears to be the wing of a plane, and another little phantom will see you and run off. Follow the phantom by going west through the room and up the first ladder to find a Seal-All Element at a dead end. If you go up the second ladder on this landing you can find a hidden Mythril on the balcony at the top. Go back down and climb the wing to the northeast corner of the room to exit.
The next room is full of familiar specters, and one in particular - another child - will plainly goad you into following him into a swirling black vortex. Follow the yellowed pathway on the left side of the room to reach a dead end containing a Diminish Element, then take the bait and step into the vortex.
You'll emerge in an area that should look intimately familiar to Chrono Trigger fans, and the three child phantoms are waiting around a nearby fountain. Rest in the Enertron to your right, save, and head north. To the right of the fountain is a chest containing a Screwy Dress, and to the left is a Hell-Bound Element. The phantoms will run off to the north, and if you follow them you'll receive a hearty dose of plot details - as well as face off against one of the most difficult bosses in Chrono Cross. You can't leave this next screen until you defeat the boss, so make sure you have the best team you can get.
Miguel
Yikes. This guy means business, despite his dorky appearance. Leena's long-lost father, Miguel is a White Innate warrior who can put a serious hurt on your team. Aside from his normal attacks, which aren't that big a deal, Miguel uses several White Elements that are very painful to Black Innates, namely Lynx. Miguel will use Strong-Minded on himself to increase his defense, typically following it up with Weak-Minded on one character. That character then becomes the immediate target for Holy Dragon Sword, a powerful attack that can easily OHKO a character, especially if they are Black Innate. Yikes. Besides this Miguel can use Turn Black and Photon Beam to devastate a single target, and will occasionally use Anti-Black to lock away your Black Elements and Techs, making this battle especially annoying.
Oh, and once Miguel gets weak enough, he'll use Meteor Storm and Holy Light, one after the other. Both hit your whole party for a ton of White Innate damage. Having fun yet?
If you want to fight Miguel normally you'll need to keep your team as close to fully healed as they can get throughout the match. Buff everyone with Elements and use Black Elements while you still can to chew up Miguel's health. Accessories that prevent Anti-Black will help. Use Lynx's Techs as soon as you can, just in case he gets wiped out. Revive your more powerful party members as necessary, and otherwise just fight Miguel for control of the Field Effect. His attacks get much stronger if he turns it all White. Avoid using any Element besides Revive that is White Innate, or you'll make Miguel's job easier.
If you're having trouble with Miguel and just want out you should use the Diminish Element found just before the area with the fountain. This will greatly cut down on Miguel's damage output, making his Elements much more survivable. If this is the case you can bring in Harle to help Lynx cut up Miguel without putting her at too much risk.
You'll receive a Star Level, 1,540 g, and a Dreamer's Bandana for defeating Miguel. Once he goes down a lot of epic stuff will take place, and the Dead Sea will disappear. You'll get dropped off at Marbule by the Sky Dragon, and you'll have a new quest: Speak to the six dragons of El Nido. First, though, you have a date with Another World.