Chrono Trigger Guides
Character Optimization
So, are you the type of person that wants to get the most out of your characters in a RPG? Whether you max out stats and levels or just want to beat the game, it's safe to say that under normal conditions players want their characters to be effective, and use whatever means they can to make their characters stronger.
In Chrono Trigger, there are three ways to customize your party's general effectiveness: levels, equipment, and stat items ("capsules"). Levels are gained through experience points from battles, equipment is bought and found all over the game, and capsules are special items that increase a single stat by one point. All three factors are important in strengthening your characters in the long run.
One more note: I say "at the end of the game" or "endgame" a whole lot in this guide. If you aren't sure how far in the game you are, check the subtitle of your saved game. If it says "The Fated Hour" or "Dream's End" then these endgame quests are all available to you. If not, then you have some storyline to clear before you can get item hunting for that item "at the end of the game." However, when I say "when you are able to open black chests," that refers to a plot event somewhat earlier in the game. You'll know it when you see it.
My last note, I promise: Charm (Ayla's fifth tech) is a very important tech for obtaining strong equipment and tabs. Charm is essentially the game's item-stealing skill. If Ayla's level is too low to Charm effectively and consistently, then try using the dual tech Twin Charm (Ayla and Marle) for better odds.
Endgame Levels
How high do your levels need to be to finish the game? Not terribly high. In Chrono Trigger, the maximum level is 99, displayed as ** in your status screen. Maxing out levels is not required to beat the game's most difficult enemies, and is only for players that are willing to put in several more hours of game time. With each level, each character gains in stats a predetermined amount (sometimes zero) - the only stat that never changes from levels up is Speed. Many attacks and techs have damage formulas that take character level into account, so as a general rule your party will always grow stronger with additional levels. Generally most players are able to beat the late-game bosses at levels in the neighborhood of 40-50. Depending on how much time you spend leveling up and what equipment you have on, a suitable level for beating the game could go far above or below that estimate. For those interested in leveling up large amounts, the best areas to level are the game's final sets of dungeons available to you - anywhere in the Black Omen, the conveyor belt in the Geno Dome, and anywhere in the Giant's Claw are good choices. Before that, the Mountain of Woe is a good way to get some experience and TP too.
What's the Best Party?
I feel that this is a bit of a silly question. (And you're a silly person for asking it, reader. -Ed) All seven playable characters in Chrono Trigger are very good. All of them have good techs, all of them are capable of both offense and support roles, and any of them can make an effective team. For most of the game your party has varying amounts of flexibility, but by the end game you can fully customize your team's lineup. When that chance comes, just pick your favorite characters and roll with it. My favorite party at the end of the game is Crono, Robo, and Ayla, but I certainly mix and match depending on the situation and my mood.
What's the Best Equipment?
Note: This section switches answers based on the version you're playing; make sure if you only care about the NDS version that you select it from our navigation!
Weapons
- Crono:
Dreamseeker - Marle:
Venus Bow (unless your Marle is ridiculously powerful) - Lucca:
Spellslinger, Turboshot, Wondershot - Robo:
Crisis Arm, Dragon Arm, Apocalypse Arm - Frog:
Masamune 2 - Ayla:
Bronze Fist - Magus:
Dreamreaper
Yet another note: You might have noticed the options listed as Lucca and Robo's best weapons. Well, that's because identifying their best weapon isn't so easy.
Lucca's Spellslinger depends on the last digit of her MP for damage, just like Robo's Crisis Arm. If her last digit is 9, then it's her strongest weapon; the lower it is, the weaker it is. If you make sure that 
Flare is the only spell she casts (the 20 MP cost keeps up the Spellslinger's damage) and avoid MP-draining enemies, then the Spellslinger is an incredibly powerful weapon. The Turboshot isn't very impressive on offense, but that +3 bonus to Speed is the stuff of dreams for Lucca, the slowest character in the game. If you have her cast spells exclusively and want her to take more turns, give her the Turboshot. The Wondershot is the holdover from the SNES version, and it's exactly the same - high base attack power, but random damage. If you like to gamble, then keep the Wondershot.
Robo's in a similar boat to Lucca, but his weapon selection is even more specialized. The Dragon Arm is a traditional weapon, with high attack power and no special abilities. It's better than the Terraton Arm, but only mediocre compared to the best weapons of Robo's teammates. The Crisis Arm is an old favorite for the SNES version - damage is determined by the last digit of Robo's HP. If it's 9, Robo is the most powerful attacker in the game. The lower it is, the weaker he is. Just keep his HP maxed and watch him deal thousands of damage on a regular basis. The Apocalypse Arm is tricky; it has low attack power, but is guaranteed to deal 9,999 damage on each critical hit. Give Robo the Dragon's Tear accessory to boost his critical hit rate and watch the nines roll across the screen. Almost identical to the mighty Bronze Fist, the Apocalypse Arm is perfect for ultra-high-defense enemies like the Dream Devourer.
Armor and Helmets
With regards to armor and helmets, this is a little more difficult to answer than the weapon question. I'll profile a number of very good endgame armors, and you, the player, can decide how to allocate them.
Prismatic Dress and 
Prismatic Helm: after completing the Rainbow Shell quest, you have a decision to make. You must choose between three Prismatic Helms or one Prismatic Dress. Prismatic Helm are the best helms in the game for all characters other than Magus; the Prismatic Dress is the best armor for Lucca, Marle, and Ayla. Choose carefully. You can also Charm both a Prismatic Dress and a Prismatic Helm from Queen Zeal 2 on the Black Omen (her head for the dress, her left hand for the helm). The Prismatic Dress has excellent defense and reduces all magic damage to its wearer by 1/3 with an inherent MagicWall status. The Prismatic Helm has very high defense and also protects against bad status effects, making it the best helm in the game for all characters other than Magus.
Elemental Aegis: This armor, made only for Lucca, nullifies all elemental damage—yes, you heard that right, all four types. Not only that, it's got an overall defense second only to the Prismatic Dress.
Regal Gown: Another ludicrous armor for the ladies, this gown automatically adds automatic Protect and Barrier to the wearer, and weighs in with a solid 90 defense. Still not quite to the level of the Prismatic Dress, but a good alternative if you either took the helmets or have more than one female in your active party at endgame.
Shadowplume Robe: With 90 defense and auto-barrier, this armor is almost just as good as the Regal Gown above (in fact, when you figure in the +20 to Magic Defense, it might be better); however, only Magus can wear it. It's more robust than the armors listed below, though, so if you like using both Magus and another male party member simultaneously, it will free other armor up for you.
Regal Plate: A good armor for males in the party, particularly since it is (tied for) the strongest defense armor that Crono, Robo and Frog can get in the NDS game and also buffs Stamina and Magic Defense +10.
Saurian Leathers: The leathers are a good all-purpose armor with some statistical buffs. Anyone can wear them, and they have more defense than the Moonbeam Armor but enhancements for Speed and Strength instead of Magic Defense. A good choice for those who have good MagDef already but could use a bump in speed.
Of course, if you don't do the new content for the NDS version, you won't see most of these; in that case, check out our recommendations for the SNES/PSX versions by changing your gametype via our navigation.
Mail With All the Colors of the Wind: when you gain the ability to open black chests, there are a few chests in 600 AD that are also present in 1000 AD. Follow the instructions and in four of these chests you find the Black, Blue, Red, and White Vests. If powered up, these vests become Mail and gain a very large increase in defense as well as complete protection from one element. These four chests (in both eras) are located in Truce Inn (Blue Plate), Porre Elder's House (Black Plate and White Plate), and one of the stairwells in Guardia Castle (Red Plate). These armors aren't as good as the top-level armors, but are excellent when you get them and reasonably good for the final boss. If you want a second copy of each Mail, you can Charm one from four endgame bosses: Son of the Sun, Mother Brain, Yakra XIII, and Rust Tyrano.
Ruby Armor: Ruby Armor may not be as good as the armor listed above, but it's very, very easy to obtain and you can have as many as you want, so I decided to put it down. After the major events of 12,000 BC visit the trader in Ioka Village in 65,000,000 BC and give him 10 Petal, 10 Fang, 10 Horn, and 10 Feather for one of these. Go to the Hunting Grounds northeast of Ioka if you need the materials. The Ruby Armor has great defense and is very strong against fire attacks, plus you can get as many as you want. Great before you get the top-quality stuff.
Gloom Helm: the best Magus-only helm in both version of the game. Located in the secret passage in Ozzie's Fort in 600 AD, the same place as the DoomSickle. Very strong defense, and protects against negative status effects.
Angel's Tiara: this bad girl is the far-and-away winner for feminine headgear, combining the bonuses of a Haste Helm and Vigilant's Hat with better defense. It's the new best helm for Ayla, Marle, and Lucca. You can find this in the 12,000 BC Dimensional Vortex (found in a secret passage in an area similar to a prehistoric mountain) or very rarely in the Arena of Ages.
Master's Crown: this helm has great defense, protects against status just like a Vigilant's Hat or a Prismatic Helm, and also gives a 25% boost to all damage just like a Sunglasses. This effect stacks with that of a Prism Spectacles or Sunglasses, meaning even more damage for Crono, Robo, Frog, or Magus. That's right, if you have one of these and you like the sorcerer, you might want to get rid of that Gloom Helm. You find a Master's Crown in the 1,000 AD Dimensional Vortex, a second one in the 2,300 AD Dimensional Vortex, and you have a very small chance at another by fighting in the Arena of Ages.
Vigilant's Hat: the Vigilant's Hat is found in several areas, including the Black Omen. However, it is most easily obtained by completing the Fiona's Villa quest near the end of the game in 600 AD; after completing the quest, visit Fiona's Shrine in 1000 AD and you can purchase Vigil Hats from one of the shrine sisters present. The Vigilant's Hat protects against bad status effects and possesses very high defense, making it a good endgame selection for any character lacking a Prismatic Helm, Nova Armor, or Gloom Helm.
Haste Helm: the Haste Helm has lower defense than the other headgear in this section, but it automatically gives your character the Haste status. With Haste running, your character's speed increases significantly and as a result some players prefer the Haste Helm to other late-game helms available. There is one Haste Helm in a chest on the Black Omen, and you can Charm a second one from a Lavos Spawn in the Black Omen.
Guardian Helm: when you gain the ability to open black chests, visit the glowing pyramid northeast of Medina Village in 1000 AD. There, you'll break another magic seal and must choose between two special items: the Guardian Helm (on the left) and the Swallow blade (on the right). The Swallow is a good weapon for Crono, but not as good as the Rainbow. The Guardian Helm is a little more useful, possessing very high defense and further increasing survivability with a permanent Protect status. Protect reduces all physical damage to its wearer by 1/3.
Special Note: when I make the choice between the Guardian Helm and the Swallow, I always choose the Guardian Helm unless I'm trying to fill out a weapon list. The Swallow is useful for the middle of the game, but it will eventually get outclassed by the Rainbow. The Guardian Helm, on the other hand, is a worthy helm for use in the endgame.
The choice between three Prismatic Helms and one Prismatic Dress is trickier. If you use at least two of the three female characters often, go for the Prismatic Dress; it's the best armor available in the game, for any character (but only the girls can use it). The Prismatic Helm is a great piece of equipment, but it has better alternatives than the Prismatic Dress does. Going from a Prismatic Helm to a Vigilant's Hat is a loss of only 4 Defense, while going from a Prismatic Dress to a Zodiac Cape is a loss of 19 Defense. If you only use one female character and are willing to put the other two on the sidelines for the final gauntlet of bosses, then grab those Prismatic Helm. I like using every character, so I usually go for that Prismatic Dress when I make the choice, and I always remember to Charm a Prismatic Helm and a second Prismatic Dress from Queen Zeal 2 in the Black Omen.
What Are the Best Accessories in the Game, Then?
This is a question that has no right answer. Accessories are items that grant the character equipping it special abilities that often cannot be obtained any other way. I'll give info on a few of my favorite accessories, but I strongly encourage you to inspect any accessory you find and use what you like best.
Dragon's Tear: this guy, obtained early on in the Lost Sanctum quest, increases your critical hit rate. That might not sound special on its own when Crono is doing so on every turn, but for Ayla's Bronze Fist, Robo's Apocalypse Arm, and Magus's Dreamreaper, this is a fantastic accessory. Anything that boosts critical hits for weapons that boost the effects of critical hits is a great investment.
Valor Crest: this item is obtained as a reward near the end of the Lost Sanctum sidequest, and only Ayla can use it. It's a shame, because it's a great accessory for physical fighters, combining the abilities of a Dragon's Tear and a Rage Band. The counter rate is lower than that of a Wrath Band, but the boost in critical hits makes up for it, especially since Ayla's Bronze Fist relies on those awesome criticals.
Champion's Badge: time to finally retire that Hero's Badge. This accessory boosts the critical hit rate of the Masamune (just like a Hero's Badge) and also cuts MP costs by half (the same as the Golden Stud's weaker cousin, the Silver Stud). If you want Frog to attack regularly in addition to using techs, then this is the perfect accessory. If you want him to play a more magic-centric role, then the Golden Stud might be a better choice.
Prism Spectacles and Sunglasses: you can only get two Prism Spectacles in a single playthrough of the game, but if I could I would give them to everyone in my party with the possible exception of Marle. Prism Spectacles (and its weaker cousin the Sunglasses) increase your damage. All of it. Your attacks, techs, and whatever else will do about 50% more damage (25% for Sunglasses). That's a lot when you think of how much damage the game's heavy hitters are capable of. You get your Prism Spectacles if you've completed both the Sun Stone quest and Rainbow Shell quest near the end of the game. Just speak to Melchior in the basement of Guardia Castle, and he'll hand you PrismSpecs along with the mighty Rainbow. You obtain the Sunglasses by completing only the Sun Stone quest at the endgame, but who cares? Prism Spectacles! You can also get a second pair of of Prism Spectacles by charming them from the Steel Shade in the 1000 AD Dimensional Vortex.
Golden Stud: there's one of these behind the sealed door in the Trann Dome in 2300 AD, but you can also Charm them from the pink scouter enemies in the Black Omen, so if you really want to you can have one for each character in your party. Golden Studs are great; they divide a character's MP consumption by 4, making expensive techs like Luminaire, Flare, Triple Kick, and Dark Matter cost a mere 5 MP. If you like to use techs often and prefer not to spend your days huffing Ethers, then Golden Studs are welcome additions to your inventory. If you're near the game's end, you aren't sure what to give a character, and Prism Spectacles aren't available, just steal a Golden Stud for them. Works like a charm.
Wrath Band: this is a good accessory for Crono or Ayla - when equipped with this, a character will automatically counterattack any physical damage with a regular attack 80% of the time. It's great for strong physical attackers when you're a damage-minded player. Unfortunately, there's only one Wrath Band, located in a chest in the Giant's Claw.
Green Dream: you obtain this nifty item automatically after the Fiona's Villa sidequest at the end of the game. The GreenDream works like a "Life 3" spell from some other Square and Square-Enix games. If your character with the Green Dream dies in battle, s/he automatically revives immediately after death, without requiring the use of a Athenian Water item or a Life tech. This only works once per battle. It's a great accessory for Marle, since she'll be the number one healer in any party she's in and she's the only character able to cast the very useful Arise spell. You don't want Marle dead for long if she's in your party.
Speed Ring: At the end of the game I don't like using weapons that only increase stats a small amount, except for the Speed Ring. +3 to Speed is a solid boost to any slower character, especially for launching an attack on the first turn. I like giving one to Robo for most of the game's second half. You can find one in a black chest in Heckran Cave in 1000 AD.
When should I get all of this equipment?
That's completely up to you. Once you finish the sequence on Death Peak in 2300 AD and reach the game's penultimate chapter (The Fated Hour), most of the equipment listed above is available to you. Here's a short recommended order to do sidequests, based on my personal preferences and an estimated difficulty curve - the easiest and most beneficial quests first, and the more difficult and less beneficial quests later. For specific details on each quest, refer to the appropriate section of CoN's guide. Remember, this is only during The Fated Hour or later and this is only my preferences. If you like using Magus, then please go ahead and do #7 earlier! It's all up to you.
- First, if you haven't already, make sure you have all of the items found in black chests and sealed doors. For more information, check the Marle's Pendant guide.
- Visit Taban in 1000 AD to get the Taban's Suit.
- Complete the Sun Stone sidequest, equipping Red Plate and Ruby Armor to your characters for Fire protection against Son of the Sun (if you don't have any Ruby Armor, go and trade for a few). This gets you the Wondershot and the Sunglasses.
- Complete the Northern Ruins quest in 600 AD and 1000 AD. This gives you the improved Masamune 2, the Valkyrie Bow, a Nova Armor, and a Moonbeam Armor, plus the powerful Suzaku weapon for Crono.
- Complete the Rainbow Shell quest in 600 AD (Giant's Claw) and 1000 AD (Guardia Castle). This gets you a ton of great treasure, including the Wrath Band, a Zodiac Cape, your choice of three Prismatic Helms or one Prismatic Dress, the Prism Spectacles, and the Rainbow. Remember, those last two only come if you've already completed the Sun Stone quest.
- Complete the Geno Dome quest in 2300 AD. This gets you the Crisis Arm for Robo, a permanent increase to a few of Robo's stats, and more.
- Visit Ozzie's Fort in 600 AD for the Gloom Helm, Gloom Cape, and DoomSickle, plus some other good treasure.
- Complete the Fiona's Villa sidequest in 600 AD for several good pieces of treasure, including the Green Dream and an opportunity to buy Vigilant's Hats.
- Complete the Black Omen sidequest (any era except 65000000 BC or 1999 AD) for a whole lot of stuff; especially of note are the Prismatic Dress and Prismatic Helm Charmed from Queen Zeal 2 and the opportunity to Charm Golden Studs and Nova Armors. Going through the Omen multiple times, backwards through time, will get you even more stuff.
- Complete the Lost Sanctum sidequest in 600 AD and 65,000,000 BC. This quest yields several great pieces of equipment, including the Dragon's Tear, Saurian Leathers, Valor Crest, and Champion's Badge, but it's also a large time investment and has some tricky boss fights.
That's my preferred order of the endgame sidequests. If you're really, really determined to get a save file with the best equipment equipped to each character, you'll need to run through the game at least three times using a New Game + due to the scarcity of Prismatic Helms, Prismatic Dresses, and Moonbeam Armors. Happy item-hunting!
Smart Use of Capsules
Capsules are very important little items that increase their three namesake statistics by one point for each one you use. I strongly recommend you check out CoN's list to make sure you don't miss any. But anyhow, since these tabs are for the most part limited in number and have unlimited demand, how should you use them?
Strength Capsules increase Strength, naturally, which in turn increases the damage of regular attacks (for all characters other than Lucca and Marle) and physical techs. The maximum Strength any character can have is 99, represented by ** on the status screen. Magic Capsules increase Magic; Magic increases the damage of all magic techs, the effectiveness of all healing spells, and the damage of a few elemental techs such as Lucca's bombs and Robo's Laser Spin. Just like power, Magic maxes out at 99/**. Speed determines how quickly your characters act in battle. Speed Capsules are precious, because Speed does not increase by gaining levels. The only way to increase one's speed permanently is to use Capsules - the exception to this rule is Robo, who can permanently increase his speed by 3 (moving from a Speed of 6 to a Speed of 9) in the Geno Dome sidequest. In Chrono Trigger DS, Crono, Marle, and Lucca can each permanently increase their Speed by 1, 2, and 3 respectively by completing the Dimensional Vortex sidequests. But remember, that's only on the DS. Speed hits its double-star value at level 16.
So now you know how Capsules work, let's get to the part about using them. First, if you use Capsules to increase stats, it does not interfere with stats gained from levels - no matter when you use any given Capsule, you'll always gain the same amount of stats at each level. Thus, you should be able to use Capsules at any time without worrying about wasting them or having less-effective level-up. But before using a Capsule, you should ask yourself: "how much do I want to level up in this game?" and "am I going to do a New Game +?" First let me explain - if you're going to level up all the way to level **, then most of your characters will max their Power and Magic stats out anyway. Why give Lucca a Magic Capsule if she can max out her Magic by herself with a few more levels? If you think you'll be doing a LOT of leveling-up in Chrono Trigger, then hold off on using your Strength Capsules and Magic Capsules right away. On the flipside, if you are going through the game quickly and don't want to do much leveling up, then go ahead and use Capsules as soon as you get them. You won't be penalized for early Capsules use.
And about the New Game +, well, that kind of throws it all off-balance. NG+ allows you to start a new game with nearly all of your stats, levels, techs, inventory, and equipment from a file that's already beaten the game. If you're planning on eventually running through a New Game +, then you may eventually have double the usual number of each Capsule, allowing you to use them that much more freely.
But who should get which? It depends on your playstyle, but there is one rule: Marle and Lucca should never get Strength Capsules. Why? Because those two will never use those stats, for any reason. Those stats are completely vestigial. Marle and Lucca's physical attacks deal damage using the Hit stat instead of the Strength stat. If you want to max them out for the thrill of it, then go ahead, but it won't do you any good. Other than that, you can pretty much use your own judgement, but I say this: use Capsules on your favorite characters. You'll be using those characters the most anyway, and you'll benefit the most from it. So that's the bottom line on using Capsules: save them for your favorite characters to use, and pay attention to CoN's guide. Many hard-to-find Capsules (especially Speed Capsules) need to be Charmed, as well.
So that's all. Now you know what leveling up does for your characters, what's the best equipment in the game and how to get it, and what you need to think about before you use all of your tabs. Now go and conquer Chrono Trigger!
Version 6
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