Chrono Cross: Walkthrough Part 2

Enemies: Swarmp Bug, Potpourri, Quaffid, Beeba, Wingapede, Pentapus, DaggyDwarf, DaffyDwarf, Dwarf, Hydra

My party for this was Korcha and Mojo, but I found it tough going; maybe you can find a better combination. ^^; There are almost no minor enemies here; it's just one boss battle after another.

First off head to the lower right and pick up the Feather. Now go to the top left; there's a submerged Bone left of the log leading north. Go north to the next screen briefly to pick up a Cure, then head back south and west to get to an organic-looking screen. Head left and up, and a large winged creature will fly above you. Keep going, pick up the chest you see for five Braces, and soon you'll see a strange-looking creature holding a parasol with bells on it. This is a Beeba, and you are about to enter one of the most annoying battles in the game.

The Beeba has close to 300 HP, and you'll have to fight FOUR of them at once. They have no techs, but for every full attack sequence your characters will execute (such as one weak, one medium, one strong attack) EVERY ONE of them can attack once. They're not terribly strong, but they attack WAY too often. Elements aren't much use unless you have a really good magic user; concentrate on physical attacks and always defend for your last Stamina point. Use RecoverAll and Heals when necessary. Not a difficult battle by any stretch, but a LONG one (I clocked 20 minutes). When you're done, the Beeba will drop a Beeba Flute (but it's kind of a cheap gift, as you'll see in a second). Go and save your game, then head right.

There's another Beeba guarding a Bushbasher. It's a useful Element in the battles to come, but you're supposed to do ANOTHER 20-minute annoying battle to get it. Your call. (If you're quick, you can sneak behind the Beeba and grab the treasure, though.) If you do fight, save again when you're done. Now go right again; once you reach the large bluish platform, use the Beeba Flute. You'll call the Wingapede, but oopsie, the Beeba forgot to give you any food for it! It gets nasty and attacks. Don't bother healing its status effects; it'll cost too many stamina points and put you out too long. It doesn't have a huge amount of HP, though, so the battle's actually easier than the previous one if you go a little on the offensive. Save again when you're done, then go back to the bluish platform and walk across the middle. You'll fall through to a cave.

Madame Pentapus will break your fall. First of all, go to the bottom right and pick up another super-useful RecoverAll Element. If you want a new character and a boss battle, examine the cage above the chest; if not, just head to the top right and out. If you do look at the chest, Pentapus will attack. She has some nasty Blue Elements, so use Red ones and make sure Greco is NOT in your party. Even using Blue Elements like IceBlast will work fine against her, though. When you beat her, Razzly will join your party. Whether or not you take her into your active party right now will have a large impact later on. Putting her in makes some people happier, but you can only get Razzly's L.7 technique if you leave her out. Leave via the upper right, then jump down to the next screen.

Pick up the chest near the top of the screen for an AeroSaucer Element, then go to the next screen in the top left. There are two Quaffids walking around. It's possible to get by them, but you might want to fight them. Sometimes they leave more AeroBlaster Elements, which you WILL want for the next fight. Head right to the next screen and a save point. The chest to the lower right holds five Antidotes, but it's not really worth getting. Instead, head to the top right for another boss battle.

Compared to the other ones, this one's a blast. Pick off the dwarves one by one, physical attacks work fine mostly. Their defence is weaker than the other bosses'. Get the DaffyDwarfs first, as they have lower HP. The fewer dwarfs onscreen, the weaker their special attack. Use your RecoverAlls to restore HP. You'll win a Star when you're done. Equip new Elements and put as many Green Elements as you can in there. Save back at the save point, then head to the top right to fight the Hydra (finally!)

This one's a toughie. Use Green Elements and physical attacks. It has about 700 HP, but you can whittle it down with higher-level Elements like IceBlast, AquaBall, and especially BushBasher. Don't bother curing your Dizziness; it uses that technique too often. Keep pounding away, heal if necessary (high magic power is a very definite plus) and good luck. When you win, the head dwarf will give you a guilt trip, then disappear. Examine the Hydra's body for the Hydra Humour. When you go back left, you'll see that all the dwarfs have disappeared from the marshes. You'll be warped to right near the entrance; just head down to leave.

Go back to Opassa Beach, use the Astral Amulet, then head back to Termina. Talk to Korcha at the docks to go back to Guldove.

Memory Card Save: "Guldove - Where ripples become waves..."
"Hermit's Hideaway - Meeting with the 'other' swordsman..." (after healing Kid)

Rush, rush! Into the doctor's office we go (straight up), then right, then give him the Hydra Humour to see a longish scene. It doesn't matter what choices you pick throughout here, until Kid actually comes back into your party and you discover that Mel has been up to her tricks. Make sure that you do chase after Mel (even though Kid tries to discourage you). First off, talk to Orlha at the bar. Also, talk to the dwarf here twice to get a Green Tinkler, useful later. Now head up to the shaman's tent and talk to the man in front there. Head right twice to get Mel's goat (Korcha seems to be enjoying it a bit too much). Now you can go back to the docks (Korcha will leave your party) and Termina. Go back to the entrance of town to see a scene involving Glenn, then go back to the docks and talk to Korcha again for an amusing scene. He'll join your party yet again, and you'll get... A BOAT! Woo-hoo, exploration time!

Enemies: Scorpiod, Fossicker, Bomber, YellowBelly, SnibGoblin, SnobGoblin, Potpourri, Centaurpede

This section applies to both Korcha's and Macha's paths. Stop off by Guldove. Get the Green Tinkler from the dwarf in the bar if you haven't yet. If you're in Korcha's path, put Kid in your party and talk to Mel to get her to join you! Now let's do some exploration.

Let's start with the main island. I recommend going back and doing the dungeons you haven't done yet depending on your branch (Shadow Forest and/or Viper Manor Bluffs) - there's some good treasure in there. No matter what, go back to Shadow Forest to pick up the Angry Scapula in the little cave if you missed it. Anyway, get back on your boat when you're finished. Your first stop should be Water Dragon Isle (south of the main island).

Every chest here holds a valuable Iron component. One can be gotten by climbing a cliff on the top right, then going right and down, past the Scorpiod (not too bad, but can gang up on you). Another is by climbing the cliff straight to the left (not diagonal up/left). Now head towards the next screen (north), but before you reach it turn right and talk to the man in green to get the Sturdy Ribs. Now go north. The two chests here are in the top left and far bottom right. You can talk to the fairies here, but not much else; get back to your boat. To play it safe, go right to Termina and create some Iron equipment (you might have to trade some consumables in for Humours, but they're cheap - 10 Levels each. At 15G for 2 levels via Antidotes, that's only 75G per Humour.) I recommend the Steel Swallow and Iron Dagger for Serge and Kid, and Iron Mail for your two weakest characters.

Now you can stop off in Marbule, farther to the east of Water Dragon Isle. (I couldn't find this my first time around. Head left right after you get off your boat.) Not much happening here either, but Bro of G's shop has some decent Elements (buy some Capsules, and I recommend Weaken and/or Strengthen), and the Sage in the cave to the top right will answer some questions you shouldn't have yet, but already do for some reason. Back to the boat.

Now go all the way to the top right, ignore the smoking island for now, and dock at the Isle of the Damned. Ignore the red door to your left, it's a dead end right now. Go to the cave at the top left for Mixed Bones, then back down the stairs and to the cave in the bottom right for an Eyeball. Back to the boat.

Stop off at Earth Dragon Isle, north of Guldove (west of the main island). Go down the big hole, hang a right, and get the chest you see for five Braces. Go right some more, avoid the enemies here (they're way too hard for you right now) and head south to the next screen. Head left to see a chest with five Capsules. Go straight down from the entrance and follow the path left, down, and right to a chest with an Upheaval Element. Back to the boat.

OK, now's the time to tackle the Hydra Marshes on the main island. (What! you say. Yeah, you heard right. But the Another World marshes this time - completely different.) There's some really good stuff here, not too hard enemies, no bosses. Make sure you have the Green Tinkler from the dwarf in the Guldove bar before going in.

The evil green stuff in here will damage you, but not majorly. Head straight to the left, back to the organic section. Follow the path, pick up the chest you see for an ElectroJolt, till you reach the blue platform where you fought the Wingapede before. Talk to the man on the lower left to get a Safety Gear; now the poison won't affect you. Go back to the beginning. Head up (there's a chest to the lower left of the exit to the north, which holds five Tablets). Go north to the next screen.

Pick up a Bushwhacker to the lower left, then head up to the plant. Use the Green Tinkler on it to get it to lower; walk down it to the evil green stuff again. The chest to the north holds a Seed. Go to the top left for the next screen. There's a Carapace here.

Go back to where the Hydra was (right twice) for a short scene, an easy battle with two SnobGoblins, and pick up the submerged chest for the Life Sparkle. Head back left to the screen with the save point. Try to avoid the Centaurpedes if you can; they have very high defense and can be annoying. The chest on the lower part of the screen holds a Copper component. Go down to the next screen.

Go to the lower part of the screen then hang a right across the green stuff and into the cave; poke around for the Good Backbone, the final component of your skeleton buddy, who'll disappear (unless you missed one or more items; don't worry, they're all still there). Go around the cave and pick up that chest for another five Tablets. Head down (via the brown land, not the green stuff left of it) to the next screen and pick up a Copper, then go back up and exit to the left. Use the Green Tinkler again to get back down, and exit the Marshes; you're done here.

Two more things now. You can get two characters here, but decide: If you get them now you'll lose them soon, for about 20 hours of gameplay (but will later regain them). If you wait, you can get them in about 10 or 15 more hours, and keep them. Your choice. To get them now: First head to the balcony of Viper Manor and use the Life Sparkle on the flower floating in the pond; it'll come alive and NeoFio will join your party! Head out and back to Termina. Go into the house at the top right and talk to the granny: Skelly will enter! Leave the house then come back in and talk to Skelly to get him to join you. He's a fairly solid addition to your team. That's it for exploration.

Enemies: Harle, Man-Of-War, Polly, Fargo, Wraith, Crossbones, Dead Beat, Tzetze Fly, Dead Head

Memory Card Save: "Hermit's Hideaway - Meeting with the 'other' swordsman..."
"From Pirate's Ship to Ghost's Ship - A mariner's worst nightmare..." (after boarding ship)
"On to Water Dragon Isle - In search for the dragon blue..." (after beating ghosts)

First, head to the Hermit's Hideaway, west of the Isle of the Damned. You'll start a laughably easy fight with Harle; if you're lucky you'll win a Moonglasses off of her. After a longish scene with Radius, it's back to the boat, mateys. Save your game, make sure you have at least two Iron weapons (especially the Iron Swallow) then enter the mist south of the Hermit's Hideaway. (I did this one in Korcha's path, which is a bit easier because you're on a higher Star level.) If you have Nikki in your party for this bit, you'll get an extra scene at the end.

My party was Kid and Leena; it seemed to work quite well. If you're in Macha's path you won't have Kid; I recommend Glenn, but it depends on your personal stats. When you pull up to the ship, you'll see a short scene and then be thrust into a battle with three Man-Of-Wars; this is simple. After this is a fight with Polly. It has a medium-strength single tech, but that's about it; just keep pounding away and heal if necessary. You'll get a MagmaBurst when you're done. One more boss fight with Fargo, who's even easier than Polly. He does have a few strong Elements, but his magic power isn't that great. When you win you'll be knocked out for the count.

When you wake up you'll be thrust into a fight with a Crossbones and two Dead Beats. Whenever you meet a Crossbones, be sure to Pilfer it for an Iron (when I was done this level I had about 20 of them, which is about 5 too many, but hey). Watch out for the Wraiths; they appear out of nowhere to fight you. None of the enemies are particularly tough here; mostly you can just use regular attacks and rely on auto-healing after battle. You have to beat EVERY Crossbones on the ship, as well as the Wraith inside the room left of the fire on the top floor, to proceed.

Leave the room you're in (save your game if you wish, but be careful: you can't leave until you've finished the level). The door to your right is your ultimate destination, but it's locked right now. The door to your left has a Crossbones guarding an AquaBall Element. The door to the left of that is locked. After that is a ladder; left of the ladder is a chest with a FirePillar guarded by a Wraith, and another locked door. Go up the ladder now.

Now you're on the top floor. To your left are two doors (one up, one down), but one is locked and the other inaccessible. Head right. The first door has a Wraith guarding a chest holding five Panaceas (which you can't even equip yet). There's a fire blocking the hallway further right, but you can continue by climbing into the duct to the top right of this room. You'll end up in the next room to your right. There's a chest in the top right (guarded by another Wraith) which holds five Capsules. Head out to the hallway again. Talk to the fat guy to your right twice and he'll move; now talk to the thin guy to the top right to get a "key" (no, it doesn't show up on your inventory) if you've beaten all the pirate-fighting Crossbones. Head all the way back to the right side of the bottom floor and enter the door leading right, previously locked. You'll go into the arsenal.

You won't be able to avoid too many enemies from now on, so it gets a bit annoying. Head right then down and out (you'll get that chest in a minute). The fat man on the right offers you a drink, but don't take it; more often than not it causes Poison in a character. Your after-battle healing should take care of your HP needs. Head left and ignore the openings in the wall; they're fake and just hold Wraiths. Head down the ladder to the left, then go right under the oars. Enter the room at the end here.

Look for a little white guy hiding between two cannons. When you try to talk to him, he'll run to the top left of the screen. Talk to him there and he'll run down a bit and to the right (top right corner of this section of the room). Talk to him again and he'll run to the lower left of the screen. Talk to him there and Pip will join your party. Pip's an interesting character; if you keep him in your party long enough, he'll actually evolve and his stats and Element grid will grow. However, he starts off pretty weak. It's up to you to decide whether to use him or not.

In any case, pick up the chest to the right (just north of where he hid the third time) for five Capsules, then go to the lower left and up along the canvas to get a Gravitonne Element (very nice, but don't equip it just yet). Now go to the lower right staircase to exit. Pick up the PhotonBeam, definitely equip it, and exit south. Save your game to your right, heal up if necessary, then climb up the ladder to your left.

You'll enter a battle with a few Wraiths and/or Tzetze Flies, no problem. Run to your left. After a short scene, you'll fight the boss, Dead Head. Actually, White Elements don't do all that much against him: not only will he cast Imbecile and Diminish, he'll use Black Elements so often that the White ones will be too weak due to the field effect to do any real damage. Try to use Green and Blue ones instead (but any ones besides Black are fine). Actually, physical damage is the best way to go. Keep everyone healed up (don't let HP go below 60). The battle will drag on a bit, but you'll eventually win a Star and Level 5 slots for most characters!

The fog has now dissipated, and apparently everyone in El Nido loves it, because all the Element shops (besides the one in Arni) have upgraded their stock. Buy up CurePlus, HealAll, and level 3 Elements in Termina, and higher-level White and Black Elements in Guldove. Gravitonne and MeteorShower (especially MeteorShower) can kick some major ass, so pick a few up. Marbule also has a new shop (Little Bro) but he sells currently useless Trap Elements. You might want to pick up a Magnify from him, though.

If you're in Macha's path, head back to Guldove and Doc's office. Strangely enough, there's Kid, up and about! Thank that mysterious stranger for it. Talk to Doc to get him to join your party. You'll also gain the Astral Amulet you never got in this path.

You now have an optional quest to follow: the Ice Breath quest. Using the Ice Breath allows you to harden the lava in Mt. Pyre, which means no annoying HP loss. It also means you can get Razzly's L.7 tech later in the game. I definitely recommend doing it. (This is where both Korcha and Macha's paths reconcile completely.) If you want to skip it, continue here.

Head to Opassa Beach and use the Amulet to return to Home Dimension. Enter Arni and speak with the old man on the docks with Leena twice. He'll offer to take you to Water Dragon Isle; say yes, of course.

If you have Razzly, make sure she's in your party for this segment. For starters, there's all these lily pads attached to islands which ferry you around. Each pad follows a two-way path (backwards and forwards). Here's what it looks like.

Up, top left, down, top left for AquaBall, then back down, top right, up, bottom right, bottom right, for IceBlast; then down, left, and top right to exit. There's a save point here. Before heading out, go right to the waterfall and search it for an Iron. Put Razzly in your party if she isn't already.

The dwarfs have taken over here. You don't have to fight any of the ones wandering around if you don't want to. With your iron equipment they're breezes, anyway; equip Bushbashers to make it even easier. Go to the far bottom right to pick up a Nimble, then go straight north and into the cave here (there aren't any more treasures on this screen).

You'll fight 3 DaffyDwarfs, 2 DaggyDwarfs, and 1 Dwarf here. This is exactly the same fight you had in Hydra Marshes in Korcha's path, but you're now stronger so it should be easier then before. MeteorShower works wonders. You'll get a Star when you win. After this, ignore all the blue doors and dwarfs running around, except for the very top left door, which leads to a Magic Ring. Climb down the lower left and exit south.

To your left is a save point, guarded by a DaggyDwarf, DaffyDwarf, and Dwarf. Head right and climb down twice, then go left. Enter the waterfall for a Scaley Dress (guarded by two DaggyDwarfs). It has higher magic defense but lower physical defense than the Iron Mail, and it can only be equipped on females. Anyway, head back left, down, and right for a boss battle.

You're up against the Hi-Ho Tank and its two mechanics (Dwarfs). First off, use MeteorShower to soften up the Dwarfs, then physical attacks to get rid of them. The Hi-Ho Tank uses a very nasty attack called Element Shot; it uses a random Element, but will always hit for somewhere around 80 HP; be sure to heal up after you're hit. Use Green Elements (Raz-Star works nice) against the tank. It'll be a bit long but not hard. You'll get a Star when you win.

Head right to see Rosetta lying against the right wall. If Razzly's in your party she'll stay there for now; change party members and head to the top right to meet the Blue Dragon, who'll give you the Ice Breath and your first Summoning Element, *FrogPrince, great for Leena. If Razzly was in your active party during the Hydra Humour quest, you'll get a Wisp Cape before you leave. (If you never got Razzly, you won't get the scene with Razzly but you will get an extra-special scene involving Kid and Serge after you get the Ice Breath.) You'll end up back at the lily pads. Go lower left, right, lower left to exit and talk to the fisherman to head back.

Before you do anything else, I'm going to speed things up a bit. Go back to the Hermit's Hideaway. There's a gray patch in the grass which the game tells you is very hot, when you walk over it. Use the Ice Breath on it to cool it down. This has no immediate ramifications, but will later on.

Heal up, make sure you have a few Ointments and lots of Tablets, and head to Pyre Shore, at the east of the main continent.

Enemies: Lava-Boy, HotDoggity, CatBurglar, Solt, Peppor, FireDragon, Karsh,, Marcy, Zoah

The lava here will sap your HP... very fast. If you have the Ice Breath you can cool it down by standing on it (you have to be slightly immersed in lava for it to work) and using the Ice Breath, but be careful: Any submerged chests will be frozen. Get the chests, then use the Ice Breath. Every screen is treated by itself (using the Breath on one screen means the others are still un-frozen). However, there's only one or two half-decent chests here, so let the others rot! If you don't have the Breath, however, you're in for a bit of a rougher ride. Make sure at least one character has a RecoverAll in his/her Level 1 slot so they can use it right away in battle. Another tactic is to run away as soon as you start battle, use Tablets, then enter battle again refreshed. Your call.

For starters, head straight left across the lava and pick up the MagmaBurst - this is the one decent chest here. Use the Ice Breath immediately if you have it, and from now on use it as soon as you walk on the lava. Now head to the top left (the Lava-Boys drop more MagmaBursts, if you like). There's a chest here guarded by a CatBurglar, but all it has is five Tablets. Continue north.

You'll be thrust into a battle with those comic relief dudes, Solt and Peppor, who'll demonstrate what Trap Elements are. It looks like they'll only use physical attacks here, so don't worry about this battle too much. If you haven't done the Ice Breath quest, you'll win a Star here. Continue north.

The path east here leads to a MagmaBomb Element and then back to the entrance, and it's NOT worth it, so just head to the top left. In here, if you want you can pick up an Inferno Trap Element to the left; you have to leave off the Ice Breath until you pick it up, if you want it. The chest to the far right has five Tablets, and up the little stairs to the right of the entrance has five Capsules. Exit northeast; there's a save point here. Equip high-level Blue Elements, and make sure Leena's NOT in your party.

Walk to the next screen to start a battle with the FireDragon. He's harder than he looks; he has a very strong fire breath attack which will totally decimate any Blue innate characters, and severely wound anyone else. His physical attack can also be powerful. Go at him with Blue Elements. He doesn't have a very lot of HP, so this fight will be a bit shorter than usual. You'll win a Star when he's done. Go back and save again, heal up, reinstate Leena if she was in your party before, and head to the top left for yet another battle... this time with the three Devas of the Acacia Dragoons.

Karsh and Marcy both have multi-target attacks (although Marcy's seems to be more powerful) and Zoah has strong single-target attacks. (When the Devas do physical attacks they shout out things, some of which can be funny, especially Marcy. 8-)) I recommend getting Karsh first because his HP is lowest; then go for Marcy, then Zoah. You can Pilfer a Stamina Ring off Zoah if you have Kid in your party. You'll get yet another Star (which gives most characters access to their Level 5 techs! Yeah!), a Gold Earring and two other prizes, then a scene and an FMV. Just exit to the top left. Mount Pyre can now be passed through like Lizard Rock, so if you need to heal up or buy more Elements, you can do so. When you're ready, head back through Mount Pyre to Fort Dragonia.

Enemies: Dragoon, Acacia PVT, Googhoul, Cybot, Alphabat, Combat, Paper Boy, GiantGloop, Taurusoid, SunOfAGun, Bunyip/Bunyip, Gen. Viper, Lynx

OK, here goes... First off, if you didn't finish the Ice Breath quest, you'll be faced with a battle witha Dragoon and an Acacia PVT. Use Blue Elements and MeteorShower to quickly finish off the PVT, then concentrate on the Dragoon. He can use some nasty physical attacks and single techniques, so be ready to heal if necessary. You can steal a Dragoon Gauntlet from him. When you win, you'll get a Star and the *FrogPrince summon.

Now enter the fort. You'll see four doors, each attached to a small circle on the floor and each representing one of the first four Elements. Your current goal is to activate a switch in each door. When all four switches are activated, you'll gain access to the rest of the fort and the last two switches; when those are done, you can get to the final battle. There's a save point in a convenient location, so you can save after each switch. All of the enemies and half of the bosses are dark Elements (Yellow/Red/Black) so using the other Elements (Green/Blue/White) will prove effective here. MeteorShower again kicks ass, especially in regular battles, as does Serge's newly usable Luminaire Level 5 tech.

Let's start easy, with the lower left door (Yellow). You'll see two Googhouls running around here; chances are you'll have to fight them anyway, so do so. You're now free to run around. Head to the bottom left of the screen (the maze isn't very hard to navigate), up the stairs at the end, then into the door to the left.

Here's how this puzzle works. Number your characters, from front to back, 1, 2, and 3. Now every combination of that, when you talk to the panel here, will change the position of a small platform outside. A problem is that you can change characters' order with the Select button (from 123 to 231 to 312) but not their positions. To do that, you'll have to walk outside and upwards, and onto the small blue tile, which will scramble your characters' positions so that when Serge is back in front, the other two characters' positions will be switched. This way, you can get all the possible combinations.

First off, just talk to it in the order 123. Now the platform connects to a blue button. When you hit the button, a staircase will open at the right side of the room.

Next, use position 231 (press Select once). You can now get to a chest at the left of the room, which holds an Earth Charm. There's a Charm for every Element (besides Green) in this fort, but I found them completely useless.

Now press Select again for position 312; you can now get the ElectroBolt at the top right by using the staircase you just opened on the right side of the room.

Finally, scramble your positions using the blue tile, and use position 321. Again by using the staircase at the right side of the room, you can access a tablet near the bottom of the screen, which will lower the central platform into the ground. You can now hit the red switch, and this door is done.

Now head to the bottom right door (Red). Again a puzzle. It depends on the way the gargoyle is facing. Take that direction as north; then, to his right is east, to his left is west, and behind him is south. Choose a direction, then you'll fall into a hole there (there are four holes). The direction he faces next depends on the last hole you fell into. I'll use regular directions so you know which hole I'm talking about:

The left hole leads to a red triangle which restores your HP (rather useless); the top hole leads to two Cybots (they have tough defense and attack, and a lot of HP, but are weak against magic), the bottom hole leads to four chests with a Flame Charm, Trap Volcano, MagmaBurst, and FirePillar; and the right hole leads to the switch. You're done. (To get the chests, then the switch, just go west twice.)

The other two are a bit tougher, mainly due to boss battles. Let's start with the top left (Blue). There's a lone Googhoul flapping around, but you can avoid it easily. Here's how THIS one works: There are three sets of two chests in the level; each set controls a ledge. Taking the chests from the front (the direction you open them in): Having both chests open or closed means the controlled ledge will be horizontal; having the left one open and the right one closed (remember, your left when you're facing them) will point it diagonally top-left/bottom-right; and having the left one closed and the right one open will point it diagonally in the opposite direction. You can walk on walkways between the sets of chests, and the top and bottom sets of chests control the same ledge. It's not that hard to navigate, but you'll have to do a bit of walking around.

That said, here's what each door holds, once you've swivelled the ledges around so that the ledge points to the right place and you can actually get to the ledge: The door straight to the left has the only chest, a Sea Charm; the door straight to the right has a battle with a Dragoon, which you really don't have to fight. The door to the lower right has a blue button which will let down a staircase (in case you want to return and save), and the switch, which is guarded by a GiantGloop.

The Gloop has very high defense, some powerful techs (including one that can freeze you or turn all three field effects Blue), and can lower Evade % for the entire party. Red and other Dark techs work well for this one. Keep one character at a high enough Element level to be able to use HealAll on the party. When you win you'll get a Star and access to the switch; you're done here.

Now for the final room, top right (Green). This is not only the most confusing section, it also has the most enemies. Watch out for the Paper Boys' PaperMoon attack; it can be really bad on the wrong character (i.e. Razzly).

At the start, you have a choice of going straight or left up the stairs; go straight to the next screen. Then head left down the stairs, down, right through the blue door; you can now go upstairs or down; choose down, left through the bottom blue door, and up the stairs for a Bushbasher and HealAll Element. Now go back downstairs and right, and this time head up the stairs. Follow the path left and down to the next screen for an Antidote x5. Now head all the way back to the start.

This time head left up the stairs, follow the path to the right and the next screen. Follow the path around, and at the intersection (down or up) go down for (eventually) a Trap Tornado, then return to the intersection and go up; follow the path to exit at the top left. First head down for an AeroBlaster (your first Level 4 Green Element), then head up, around, down, around to the left, and hit the blue button to drop a staircase back to the start. I recommend going back and saving your game, just in case. Go back to the button and head up two screens for another boss battle with the Taurusoid.

This guy has pretty nasty single attacks, but he has two major weaknesses: He's extremely slow, and he heals himself. While he heals himself, he can't attack you. Heal up if you need to (keep HP above 90 or so), and let loose with good Yellow attacks like ElectroBolt (you should have plenty of them if you did the Ice Breath quest). A long fight, but not too bad. When he goes down you'll get another Star and access to the fourth switch. A new door will now appear in the central screen.

Save your game, then enter the door. Whew! There's the white switch already! Nope, not that easy, you have to beat SunOfAGun first. This is an interesting battle, as this guy has very high defense AND magic defense, but very low HP. It periodically changes modes, but I can't tell the difference. It uses AntiBlack (very bad), an attack called KissyWissy which puts a character to sleep, and a very nasty HolyLight (DO use HealAll after this!) Elements still do more damage than physical attacks, but don't let your Stamina go down too much. Use Red or Yellow attacks if he uses AntiBlack on you. When you beat him you'll get another Star (and your sixth Element level for most characters), an Iron Component and access to the white switch, which will also lower an elevator. Save your game, then get on it. Going down yields nothing, just a broken machine with some eggshells in it which is currently unusable. Go up for a very familiar location...

Yep, we're back in the intro. Only this time it's real. You can head to the bottom left to grab a look at the black switch if you like. Get out and head to the bottom right. Whoa! Where did all those enemies and chests come from! Oh well. First, head down, right, and below the warp platform you used before to pick up five Capsules. Go back left and follow the path upstairs and down to the next screen. This staircase is now guarded by a Dragoon (although not as tough as the one at the entrance to the fort). Use similar tactics, but it's a much shorter fight. Head up and left to the next screen.

This time, take the staircase straight down. At the top left here is another MeteorShower (you should have enough of these already) and at the bottom right is a door leading to an Angel Charm. Head back up that staircase and head right. Ignore the first staircase to the top right, but take the second one to get a Daemon Charm guarded by an Acacia PVT. Head to the top left door for your boss fight.

This guy, Bunyip, is innately RED... weird, huh? It uses MagmaBomb against you, but not much else; it won't have a chance to because once you get it down a bit, it'll transform into a particularly gruesome Black innate monster. Make sure to Pilfer off of it; you can get a valuable FreeFall Element. White Elements, as always, are useful. This guy has lower physical defense than usual, but it's your Elements that will still be the best (MeteorShower kicks ass). Watch out for status effects (although you can't do anything about them right now) and his Gravitonne spell. He should be fairly easy compared to earlier bosses. When you win you'll get another Star and the final switch, which will not only activate the plaform, it'll add a ladder below it leading back to the start. So go ahead, take the bottom right staircase you ignored before, across the platform and down, back to the elevator, go down and save (if you like playing around with the characters you have now, including Serge, I suggest you save on a DIFFERENT save slot). De-equip any non-active characters from any good armor or weapons, then head back up to the platform and... well, you know the drill.

You'll be treated to yet another FMV when you open the door... but also a boss battle with General Viper. Viper has some bad physical attacks, but his techs aren't too nasty, and his HP is low. (Supposedly he's just warming up.) You can Pilfer a Stamina Ring off of him. You'll get another Star... but then, damn that Lynx, you've gotta take him.

Lynx has the worst physical attacks of anyone yet, and he's smart enough to target your weakest character (and to use correct Elements, too). Each attack can take over 40 HP, and he can do them up to 4 times in a row! Have some strong healing magic. His techs will hurt Serge bad, so watch out. White Elements will do the trick here, as you might expect; do your best to keep the field element White. You might be able to Pilfer a Sky Djinn Ring off of him. When you win, you'll get another Star and be treated to a very strange scene. Try moving around after that and... what was that?!

You'll be thrust into a battle with... your own party! You play as Lynx... man, talk about irony. Now you know how it feels to be confronted by an intrepid group of kick-ass youngsters. You'll die, of course, don't worry. (It IS possible to beat them if you're in New Game+, and the scene changes slightly, but the final effect is the same.)

Memory Card Save: "Temporal Vortex - Where lost souls wander..."
"Back from the Darkness - And on with a new journey..." (after arriving in the swamp)
"The Lost Portal - Isolation of people from the world..." (after trying the Amulet on the beach)

Hoo boy... that's right, you now play as Lynx. You've still retained your Swallow, but all your techniques are now Black ones, and you'll have to re-equip your Elements and accessories (don't worry, all the ones from your party are back in your inventory). Your HP is down to 1, but don't bother healing. First thing, let's see just what the hell's going on.

Go left and climb up the cliff to see a blue door, which is locked. You'll get to it in a minute, but your first priority is getting that chest you see. Head right, into the hole and up, then go up the hard-to-see path just left of the hole, around to the left, and push the rock down. Go back down the hole, and this time go into the hole to your left past the waterfall, and push the rock down yet again; you can now get the chest by going left from the locked door. It's a Revive, which you really really want.

Now go right of the locked door and walk onto what looks like a giant palm frond. You'll knock a berry down; the locked door will open and a strange little green feller will jump out and run after the berry. Before she gets back to the door, hightail it inside.

The impish creature will introduce 'erself az Sprigg, give you a long, depressing speech, then let you sleep the night away. When you awaken, you can go down the ladder to the right to save your game. When you try to leave, Sprigg will join your party. I find that she's a lot more fun in New Game+. Her skill, Doppelgang, allows you to change her into monsters she's defeated. However, since her normal form is fairly weak and can't equip any decent Elements, I find that she's kind of useless till New Game+. Right now, though, beggars can't be choosers.

Head back up to the top of the screen and enter that large towerish structure, where you'll be treated to something out of M.C. Escher's nightmares, and Harle, who seems quite at home in the surroundings. After you finish listening to her, look on the top floor for Serge, who'll enter one of the rooms. Follow him by entering the door in the same direction but on your floor. When you come out your floors will be reversed (he'll be below, you on top). Keep following him by using the door with the same direction on the other floor. (If you mess up, another playable character besides Serge will be walking around, and you'll have to start over with entering the same door he/she/it does, after which it'll be Serge again.) You will eventually come out in a room which is physically impossible. Harle loves it, of course. She'll join up as well, giving you a complete party. She's a pretty strong character.

For starters, hit the switch to your lower right and look at what happens: A pathway near a fairly central pillar will change. Head to that pillar and follow the path to the lower right. A chest at the top right holds a Mythril, and to the bottom right holds a Pendragon Sigil C. Now go back to that switch and hit it again to return the path to normal; go back to the pillar and follow the new path to the lower left.

In the lower left section of the screen, two paths cross over one another. First take the top (leading top-right) path for a Mythril, then take the lower path and the staircase. Head towards the big hole in the bottom right and you'll end up back in Hydra Marshes, in your Home dimension. The warp back to the Vortex disappears, but it'll come back later. For now, Harle drops a hint to head back to Opassa Beach, so do so. (Oh, and all the characters you had before Fort Dragonia are no longer usable... them's the breaks.)

Try using the Astral Amulet... "?!" you say. "!!" I say. Yep, you're stuck. Go save your game, then head back to Arni and talk to your mother.

Memory Card Save: "The Lost Portal - Isolation of people from the world..."
"Termina - Knight or day...?" (after beating Radius)

Looks like you're not very popular in your new form... jeez. First off, go say hi to the shop lady near the bottom of the screen; she now carries Mythril equipment. Buy a Silver Swallow and another Mythril Mail. Now head into your house and talk to your mother; Radius will come in and challenge you to a fight.

Radius isn't very tough; his main problem is his high evade stat. Use Sprigg's Lagoonate morph for an easy win. When you do win you'll get another Star, and he'll join your party and tell you to head for Termina. Switch him for Sprigg for now. On your way, though, you'll have to pass through the now-open Fossil Valley.

Nothing much has changed here. Head up to the top screen; behind the large skull to the left is a new window frame, Infrared Vision (one of the better ones, IMO), and at the top left, behind a Drongo, is a Mythril. Head down the bottom left ladder for another Mythril, guarded by a jumping and squawking Dodo whom you can nevertheless evade. In fact, you can get through this whole level easily without getting into a fight. Exit to the top left of the first screen, as usual. Now you can head into Termina.

Quite a bit has changed here. Termina has been taken over by Porre, so they're all over the place. You can head into Lisa's to stock up on Elements, including the new WhiteOut and BlackOut. Go into the back room to find out that her father's gone mushroom hunting. You can't get into the docks section yet, but talk to the soldier guarding it anyway. Apparently there are some pluses to being a big scary cat-man.

Head right then up. Enter Zappa's smithery and talk to him once or twice to get him to join you; he's looking for the Rainbow Shell. He'll also give you the Smith Spirit, an incredibly useful item that can be used on the world map and save spots to forge equipment whenever you like; it'll upgrade itself as you progress in the game. Go south to see a new kind of trader, previously Zappa's assistant. This one will not only give you metals for fairly cheap (you can even trade for Mythrils!) he will also trade you other components for a fraction of the previous levels, with a catch: they have to be a certain Element. Since you can buy any and all Level 2 status Elements for 15G a pop (well, except for Black/WhiteOut), you should have no problems, so take advantage and buy them all up. You shouldn't need any more Mythril, though.

Head out and up into Van's house, which seems a lot smaller here. Enter the right room and talk to Van. Let me warn you to act nice throughout this scene if you want Van in your party. Play along with everything he says (tell him you want a guide, say you're looking for the Frozen Flame) and he'll join you.

There's nothing along the shrines area right now (presumably Greco is out exorcising things) so just head out of Termina (use the Smith Spirit to make two Mythril Helmets; you should have two Mythril Mails coming equipped on characters and have made one Mail already; the only weapon that needs upgrading is the Silver Swallow, which you should have already done; and you'll find a third Mythril Helmet in a moment) and back into Viper Manor.

To get the best scene here, have Radius and Harle in your party. The soldiers will let you through the front gate. Head down and into the well, and try to ignore the rubble that used to be a nice dungeon level before. Inside the well, climb to the top left and into the cave (this had a grate behind it in Another World, remember?) First thing, head left, up the stairs onto dry land, then follow the path around. You'll see a chest behind a soldier to the right of some square white bunkers; go behind the bunkers to get the Mythril Helmet. Go back to the start and follow the water this time; the exit's on the top left. Go up, and to the far right door, to talk with Norris, who'll tell you about the Dead Sea, then enlist in your party. You'll end up back at the docks in Termina, with... A BOAT! However, I'd actually put off large-scale exploration for the moment, except for three places on the main continent: Shadow Forest, Viper Manor Sewers, and Viper Manor Bluffs; and a few minor places of interest.

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