The Fated Hour
Now that Crono's back, welcome to the final portion of the game. You have unlimited access to all time periods, and if you haven't already, you can clear out the sealed chests easily enough. Saving Crono at Death Peak was more or less "his" sidequest; you'll find every other character has one too. Talk to any character with Crono in your party and they'll congratulate you. Talk to anyone whose sidequest isn't complete and they'll mention it.
Bekkler's Lab Extras
You can compete for a Poyozo Doll, Clone, and cat for 10, 40, and 80 Silver Points respectively. Win a prize twice and you get cat food for your cat's bin - this can give you up to 15 cats (11 on PC) which appear in one of the endings.
You can also win a Clone and Poyozo Doll for each character by putting them at the front of your party and playing Bekkler's games. Each Clone shows poses of that character; each Poyozo Doll plays their theme. They appear at the character's "home":
- Crono: His room at his house
- Lucca: Her room at Taban's house
- Marle: Her room at the castle
- Frog: His house in the Cursed Woods
- Robo: Proto Dome in 2300 A.D.
- Ayla: Her hut in 65,000,000 B.C.
- Magus: North Cape in 12,000 B.C.
Sidequests
Gaspar at the End of Time gives cryptic hints about each sidequest. Complete them for powerful rewards. The first three are comparatively short; the last four require major dungeons and boss fights.
| Character | Quest | Gaspar's Hint |
|---|---|---|
| Ayla | Ayla's Quest | (No hint - talk to Ayla after rescuing Crono) |
| Lucca | The Sun Stone | "A very special stone that can shine its light on each generation, from the distant past to the far future..." |
| Frog | Cyrus's Ghost | "The ghost of a lofty knight, slain by Magus in the Middle Ages, who haunts the present..." |
| Magus | Ozzie's Fort | "A fugitive in the Middle Ages, Ozzie, maintains an evil hideout..." |
| Fiona | Fiona's Forest | "In the Middle Ages, a woman's sheer determination brings a forest back to life..." |
| Robo | Geno Dome | "There's a task to be done in the Future, where machinery originated." |
| Marle | The Rainbow Shell | "There's an object in the Middle Ages that sparkles like a rainbow..." |
The Black Omen
The final quest is the Black Omen. You can ram the Epoch into Lavos or use the bucket at the End of Time, but you only activate New Game+ if you beat the Black Omen. It appears in 2300 A.D., 1000 A.D., 600 A.D., and 12,000 B.C. Visit it in 2300 A.D. and Zeal laughs at you since Lavos already drained the world's energy; in any other year she tells you how long until Lavos destroys the world.
You can fight through the Black Omen three times if you go in 1000 A.D., then 600 A.D., then 12,000 B.C. in that order. Only Zeal reappears on subsequent runs; other bosses are gone. Chests can only be opened once. Unless you want to max out experience, just finish it in 12,000 B.C. when you're ready.
Black Omen: Arrival
Fly the Epoch into the Black Omen. After destroying the exterior lasers, Zeal tells you how long the planet has left. Head inside for the first boss.
Mega Mutant
This fight gauges whether you should continue or go level elsewhere. It attacks quickly and casts Chaos frequently.
- No weaknesses - hit it with your strongest attacks
- Have Marle cast Haste on everyone if needed
- Stock Heals or equip status-protecting armor for Chaos
- Take out the top half first, then the bottom
Continue on. Be careful with Goons - they absorb magic. Use your best multi-enemy techs. Charm Speed Tabs from Panels and Gold Studs from Flyclops. Panels can only be fought once even if you run the Black Omen multiple times.
Pick up chests in the next room: Mega-Elixir and 30,000 G. Grab the Magic Seal in the following room. Watch out for Ruminators - they can one-shot you.
The next area has 6 chests (Vigil Hat, Elixir, Mega-Elixir, Nova Armor, Haste Helm, Mega-Elixir), a save point, and two Nus. Left Nu sells items; right Nu lets you escape if you ask him to "wake you up." Use a Shelter and save.
Head through the next room to face a Tubster - they counter aggressively and are immune to Shadow magic. Grab the Zodiac Cape near the Ruminators, then continue through another room with a Mega-Elixir.
Grab a Power Seal, fight a Tubster with Flyclops, and get the Speed Tab in the bottom-right chest. Another Speed Tab awaits in the next room. After the transport, fight Aliens with nasty instant-death counters. Pick up an Elixir in the southwest corner, then a Speed Tab and Mega-Elixir at the end. Save point ahead - heal up.
Black Omen: Giga Mutant
Giga Mutant
Much more powerful than Mega Mutant. Immune to physical attacks including multi-element attacks with physical components (like Bubble Hit).
- Rely on pure magic: the Deltas, Poyozo Dance, Ayla's Tailspin, Antipode 3
- Magus + Marle/Lucca combo works well
- Life Shaver drops someone to 1 HP - heal immediately, it targets randomly right after
- Drain MP attack steals ~10 MP
Use a Shelter at the previous save point after beating Giga Mutant. Head through another transport and elevator with fights along the way. Fight through generic enemies until you reach a room with four Panels - defeat them to reveal a save point and a Speed Tab in a nearby chest. Save and heal.
Black Omen: Terra Mutant
Terra Mutant
The final Mutant. The top drains life from the bottom (~1,000 each time), which helps kill the bottom. Bottom absorbs magic and counters physical attacks with Life Shaver. Top is highly resistant to physical.
- Fast way: Cast your most powerful magic (Luminaire) repeatedly on the top
- Slow way: Wait for the top to kill the bottom while you heal through damage
- Concentrate on the top - the bottom falls eventually
- When the top dies, the bottom dies too
Pick up a Mega-Elixir and the White Rock (enables Poyozo Dance Triple Tech with Marle, Lucca, and Ayla). You should now have all five Triple Tech rocks.
Black Omen: Lavos Spawn
Lavos Spawn
Like the Death Peak spawns but stronger. Better charms and rewards.
- Don't attack the shell - it counters with Lavos Needle for 450-600 damage
- Don't use multi-target techs (Lightning 2, Falcon Hit, etc.)
- Focus completely on the head with single-target attacks
- Head uses Water Surge, Dark Bomb, and Annihilation Zone
- Kill the head and the shell dies after a few seconds (but still retaliates if attacked)
Head to the next room and defeat more Panels. A save point appears - this is also a good time to use any Tabs you've collected. Remember: Speed never goes up as you level and maxes at 16.
Black Omen: Queen Zeal
The fight with Zeal goes through three phases. Bring someone who can heal the whole party - Frog or Robo. For attackers, Crono is obvious; Magus adds extra dialogue and his theme plays during Zeal's third form.
Queen Zeal (Phase 1)
She opens by dropping everyone's HP to 1 (Hallation) and laughs at you.
- Have a party heal ready (or Lapis) so you don't die immediately
- Good time for Frog Squash or Frog Flare if you can time it
- She drains 10 MP with Kiss and does ~100 damage with fireballs
- Fight is short - remember to charm her for Mega-Elixirs
After defeat, she tosses you into the Mammon Machine.
Mammon Machine
The machine "modifies all energy." Physical attacks increase its defense; magic increases its attack power.
- Hit it with the Masamune to absorb energy and remove its buffs
- Keep HP full and use your strongest techniques
- It occasionally releases stored energy as a powerful attack
- Even with buffs, you should survive with endgame equipment
Queen Zeal (Final Form)
Three parts: face and two hands. Magus triggers extra dialogue and his theme plays.
- Don't target the hands - left uses Life Shaver, right uses MP Buster
- Attack the face with single-target physical attacks (Confuse, Triple Kick, Uzzi Punch)
- She uses Hexagon Mist (~300 damage), Hallation (HP to 1), then MP Buster
- After 10,000 damage to the head, she casts Hallation - prepare a multi-heal
- Don't heal too late or MP Buster stops your tech
- Charm is vital - Prism Helm and Prism Dress are the best armor in the game
- Destroying the head kills all three parts
Eventually Zeal decides to have Lavos destroy you directly. The Black Omen sinks into the sea and crumbles through a time gate that sends you to Lavos at 1999 A.D.
Treasure Summary
See individual sidequest pages for their rewards. Black Omen treasures:
| Item | Location |
|---|---|
| Mega-Elixir, 30,000 G | Black Omen, early chests |
| Magic Seal | Black Omen |
| Vigil Hat, Elixir, Nova Armor, Haste Helm | Black Omen, Nu room area |
| Zodiac Cape | Black Omen, near Ruminators |
| Power Seal | Black Omen |
| Speed Tab (x4) | Black Omen, various chests |
| White Rock | Black Omen, after Terra Mutant |
| Wall Ring, Hit Ring | Charm from Giga Mutant |
| Muscle Ring, Power Seal | Charm from Terra Mutant |
| Safe Helm, Haste Helm | Charm from Lavos Spawn |
| Prism Helm, Prism Dress | Charm from Queen Zeal hands |