Boss Guide - Stats, Weaknesses & Strategies
Every boss in Chrono Trigger, organized by when you'll encounter them. Each entry includes HP, elemental weaknesses, charm items (bring Ayla), and strategy notes. Story bosses are listed in progression order; optional bosses can be tackled whenever you're ready.
Early Game
From the Millennial Fair through the End of Time. These fights teach you the basics - elemental weaknesses, multi-part bosses, and counterattack patterns.
| Boss | Location | HP | Weak / Immune | Charm | Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yakra | Manolia Cathedral | 920 | — | — | Straightforward. X-Strike if available; heal through Yakra Rage counters. |
| Dragon Tank | Prison Towers | 600 / 208 / 266 | Head immune to Light, Fire | — | Kill Head first (heals Body), then Wheel, then Body. Body counters with Laser. |
| Guardian | Arris Dome | 1200 + 200×2 | Immune to Fire | — | Kill both Pods, then Guardian before countdown hits 0 and revives them. |
| Krawlie | Abandoned Sewers | 500 | Weak to Shadow | — | Mash attack sets HP to 1. Keep healing items ready. |
| R-Series | Derelict Factory | 150×6 | Weak to Light | — | Six robots. Fire Whirl hits multiple. Kill fast before they overwhelm Robo. |
| Heckran | Heckran Cave | 2100 | Physical useless | — | Magic only. Stop attacking when curled or he counters with "Yes, indeed!" AoE. |
Middle Game
Zenan Bridge through Magus's Castle. Difficulty ramps up; you'll need to understand elemental matchups and boss patterns.
| Boss | Location | HP | Weak / Immune | Charm | Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ozzie | Zenan Bridge | 762 | Immune to Light, Shadow, Ice, Fire | Ozzie Pants | Kill Skeletons first. They respawn until enough die. Physical attacks only. |
| Zombor | Zenan Bridge | 960 / 800 | Upper: weak Ice, absorbs Light/Fire. Lower: weak Fire/Light, absorbs Shadow/Ice | — | Use correct elements per half or you'll heal it. Ice on Upper, Fire on Lower. |
| Masa & Mune | Denadoro Mountains | 1000 each → 3600 fused | — | — | Target Masa first. When fused, use Wind Slash to disrupt tornado charge. |
| Nizbel | Reptite Lair | 4200 | Lightning lowers defense | Third Eye | Shock with Lightning, attack while defense is down, repeat after discharge. |
| Slash | Magus's Castle | 3200 → 5200 | Phase 2: immune Ice | — | Easy unarmed. When he draws sword, faster and stronger. X-Strike works. |
| Flea | Magus's Castle | 4120 | — | Flea Bustier | "Flea?" is fake (1 HP, drains MP on death). Real Flea uses status effects constantly. |
| Ozzie | Magus's Castle | 1000 | — | Ozzie Pants | Don't attack Ozzie directly. Hit the cranks behind him to drop him. |
| Magus | Magus's Castle | 6666 | Barrier changes weakness | — | Match magic to his barrier element. Frog + Masamune lowers his magic defense. |
Late Game
Tyranno Lair through Death Peak. Bosses hit harder and have more complex mechanics. Bring status protection and elemental armor where possible.
| Boss | Location | HP | Weak / Immune | Charm | Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nizbel II | Tyranno Lair | 6500 | Lightning lowers defense | Third Eye | Same as Nizbel. Regular attacks raise defense; shock to reset. |
| Azala | Tyranno Lair | 2700 | — | Magic Capsule | Kill first. Uses Sleep and buffs Black Tyranno. |
| Black Tyranno | Tyranno Lair | 10500 | — | Power Capsule | Countdown to fire breath. Attack during countdown when defense drops. Fire resist helps. |
| Golem | Zeal Palace | 7000 | Copies your element | Magic Capsule | Counters with whatever element you hit it with. Iron Sphere halves HP instantly. |
| Mud Imp | Mt. Woe (base) | 1200 | — | Speed Capsule | Kill last. High defense, heals itself. Charm Speed Capsule first. |
| Blue Mudbeast | Mt. Woe (base) | 5000 | Weak Fire, absorbs Ice | Mermaid Helm | Fire magic only. Ice heals it. |
| Red Mudbeast | Mt. Woe (base) | 5000 | Weak Ice, absorbs Fire | Elixir | Ice magic only. Fire heals it. |
| Giga Gaia | Mt. Woe (summit) | 9500 / 2000×2 | — | Speed Capsule (Head) | Kill Defense Arm (heals Head), then Attack Arm, then Head. Head revives arms. |
| Dalton | Ocean Palace | 3500 | — | Ambrosia | Counters by halving HP (can't go below 1). Annoying but not dangerous. |
| Golem Twins | Ocean Palace | 7000×2 | Copy your element | Magic Capsule (each) | Two Golems. Luminaire, Flare, or Dark Matter. Charm both for two capsules. |
| Lavos | Ocean Palace | 30000 | — | — | Scripted loss. Crono dies here. (NG+ with endgame stats can win for special ending.) |
| Golem Overlord | Blackbird | 15000 | — | — | Afraid of heights. Never attacks. Free kill. |
| King Dalton | Blackbird (Epoch) | 3500 | Weak to Light | Ambrosia | Counters with Iron Sphere. Lightning attacks deal extra damage. Strong Dual Techs end this fast. |
| Magus | North Cape | 6666 | Barrier changes weakness | Megalixir | Optional. Same barrier strategy. Frog present = 1v1 duel. Killing him loses him as party member. |
| Lavos Spawn | Death Peak | 4000 / 10000 | Shell: immune Light, Shadow, Ice, Fire | Elixir (Mouth) | Attack Mouth only. Shell counters with Needles if hit. |
Optional Bosses
Sidequest bosses available during The Fated Hour. Complete these for powerful equipment and character storyline closure.
| Boss | Location | HP | Weak / Immune | Charm | Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Son of the Sun | Sun Shrine (2300 A.D.) | 2100 | — | Black Plate | 5 Prominences orbit. One damages Sun when hit; others heal it. Keep guessing. |
| Diva Flea | Ozzie's Fort | 2500 | — | Flea Bustier | Easy solo. Status effects. Charm first. |
| Super Slash | Ozzie's Fort | 2500 | — | Slasher II | Easy solo. Charm the Slasher II - excellent Crono weapon. |
| Ozzie/Flea/Slash | Ozzie's Fort | — | — | Ozzie Pants | Trio fight. Kill Slash first to stop Delta Force counter. Final Ozzie = hit switch. |
| Melphyx (Retinite) | Sunken Desert | 5000 / 4800 / 1000 | Core absorbs magic; bodies immune Light/Shadow/Ice/Fire | Speed Capsule (Core) | Physical the Core first. Water/Ice on Upper/Lower to drop defense. |
| Atropos XR | Geno Dome | 6000 | — | — | Robo solo. Use strongest Single Techs. She heals herself. Win = Atropos Ribbon. |
| Mother Brain | Geno Dome | 5000 | — | Blue Plate | 3 Displays heal her 1000 HP each. One-shot Displays (1 HP), then focus Brain. |
| Rust Tyranno | Giant's Claw | 25000 | — | Red Plate | Same countdown as Black Tyranno but much more HP. Fire resist mandatory. |
| Yakra XIII | Guardia Castle (1000) | 18000 | — | White Plate | Descendant of Yakra. Brutal needle attack at low HP. Keep party healthy. |
Black Omen
The Black Omen is a boss gauntlet. Clear it up to three times by visiting different eras - go to 12,000 B.C. first, then 600 A.D., then 1000 A.D. to maximize runs.
| Boss | HP | Charm | Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mega Mutant (Upper) | 4600 | Elixir | Kill first. Status effects. |
| Mega Mutant (Lower) | 3850 | Vigilant's Hat | Sets HP to 1. |
| Giga Mutant (Upper) | 5800 | Barrier Ring | Resists physical. Use magic. |
| Giga Mutant (Lower) | 4950 | Acuity Ring | Sets HP to 1. Drains MP. |
| Tera Mutant (Upper) | 7800 | Muscle Ring | Main target. |
| Tera Mutant (Lower) | 20000 | Power Crest | Heals Upper using own HP. Dies when Upper dies. |
| Elder Lavos Spawn | 10000 / 13500 | Haste Helm (Mouth), Guardian Helm (Shell) | Attack Mouth only. Shell counters with Needles. |
| Queen Zeal (First) | 12000 | Megalixir | Sets HP to 1 occasionally. Easy otherwise. |
| Mammon Machine | 18000 | Megalixir | Physical raises defense; magic raises attack. Frog + upgraded Masamune negates boosts. |
| Queen Zeal (Final) - Face | 20000 | Megalixir | Only target. Hands counter brutally if attacked. |
| Queen Zeal - Right Hand | 28000 | Prismatic Dress | DO NOT ATTACK. Sets HP to 1 if hit. Charm only. |
| Queen Zeal - Left Hand | 28000 | Prismatic Helm | DO NOT ATTACK. Sets MP to 0 if hit. Charm only. |
Lavos
The final boss. Multiple ways to reach him: bucket at End of Time, crashing Epoch into him, or completing Black Omen. The Epoch method skips the shell phase entirely.
Shell Phase (Mimic): Lavos imitates previous bosses in sequence. Each form has the same weaknesses as the original - Dragon Tank (kill Head first), Heckran (magic only, don't attack when curled), Zombor (Ice upper, Fire lower), Masa & Mune (disrupt tornado), Nizbel (Lightning to lower defense), Magus (match barrier), Azala/Tyranno (kill Azala first), and Giga Gaia (kill Defense Arm first).
| Phase | Part | HP | Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inner Lavos | Body | 20000 | Kill last. Arms revive it if alive. |
| Left Arm | 12000 | Kill first. Uses Stop. | |
| Right Arm | 8000 | Kill second. Strong fire attacks. | |
| Lavos Core | Left Pod | 2000 | Absorbs all magic. Physical only. Optional target. |
| Center Pod | 10000 | Destroy first. Exposes true Core. Uses ultimate attack when dying. | |
| Core (Right) | 30000 | TRUE TARGET. Kill to win. Revives pods. |
DS-Exclusive Bosses
Lost Sanctum: A fetch-quest heavy area with gimmick bosses.
| Boss | HP | Weak / Immune | Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goldhammer | 5800 | Physical counters set HP to 1 | Magic only. |
| Nu Guardian | 6100 | — | Counters with Stop/Sleep. Status protection. |
| Nu Master | 8800 | Absorbs Shadow | Instant death attack. Heal constantly. |
| Archaeofang (Elder) | 8000 | Weak Ice, absorbs Fire | Kill both Archaeofangs simultaneously or survivor revives other. |
| Archaeofang (Younger) | 7500 | Weak Fire, absorbs Ice | Kill both Archaeofangs simultaneously or survivor revives other. |
| Master-at-Arms | 14500 | Immune Light | Kill Bladesman first (heals Master). |
| Bladesman | 9000 | Absorbs Shadow | Heals Master-at-Arms. Kill first. |
Dimensional Vortex: Three vortexes with shadow versions of party members.
| Boss | HP | Weakness | Charm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steel Shade (Crono) | 20000 | Shadow | Prism Spectacles |
| Alabaster Shade (Marle) | 16000 | Shadow, Fire | Haste Helm |
| Crimson Shade (Lucca) | 12000 | Ice | Nova Armor |
| Eggsterminator | 10000 | Fire | — |
| Once-King Dalton | 26000 | — | — |
Dream Devourer: The true final boss, accessible after clearing all Dimensional Vortexes. Level 60+ recommended. This fight ties into Chrono Cross - the Dream Devourer is a fusion of Lavos and Schala. Phase 1 drains MP constantly (use physical); Phase 2 drops defense significantly (unload Techs). Status protection mandatory. Robo with Apocalypse Arm can end this quickly with crits.