Chrono Trigger Speedruns and Techniques

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Welcome to the Chrono Trigger Speedrun and Advanced Gameplay Techniques section. Here, the Compendium aims to document the fastest Chrono Trigger players alive and the techniques employed to achieve their low times. Other esoteric gameplay information will be presented in addendum, along with pressing issues and possibilities that may shave off even more seconds of playtime. Traditional speedruns are recognized by the Speed Demos Archive, and are videotaped on a console. Emulated speedrun listings also exist, called "tool-assisted speedruns." Emulators are also used for rapidly evaluating new skills and techniques for later application in a traditional attempt. Since a tool-assisted speedrun doesn't exist for Chrono Cross, and since a traditional speedrun has edged out the TAS for Chrono Trigger, the Compendium will cover traditional speedruns. Successful runs have been described as relying on two factors; the first is skill, "that which makes it possible," and the second is luck, "that which makes it happen." Other challenges are presented at end of this area. This page is authored with the help of inichi.

Current Record Holders

  • Best Time

Yu 'inichi' Morimoto - 03:34:XX on April 5, 2007

  • Best 100% Time

David 'marshmallow' Gibbons - 06:31:XX on November 18, 2005

  • Best New Game + Time

David 'marshmallow' Gibbons - 0:07:50 on October 17, 2005

Timing note: Full game runs use the game's timer at its last seen time, plus remaining real time. New Game + runs use real time under standard timing rule from start of control. End point is the appearance of the final damage number appears on Lavos. 100% definition: Complete all optional side quests mentioned by Gaspar so that he tells you the only thing left to do is defeat Lavos.

Route List and Notes

This is inichi's route list. Route lists map out a speedrunner's path through a game and explore possibilities and difficulties.

  • The Millennial Fair
1. Set Battle Mode to Wait.
2. Set Battle Gauge Speed and Battle Message Speed 1 (fastest) and Battle Cursor to save the last command.
3. Go to Leene Square and enter the gate to 600 A.D.
  • The Queen Returns
4. Get a Power Glove in Truce Canyon and get a Power Tab and use it on Crono in Guardia Forest.
5. Go to Guardia Castle and watch Marle disappear in Leene's room.
  • The Queen is Gone
6. After Lucca joins Crono, fight 5 Roly Riders to learn Fire Whirl in Guardia Forest.
7. Get a Revive, a Steel Saber, an Iron Sword and a Tonic in the Cathedral.
8. Equip Crono with the Steel Saber, Frog with the Iron Sword and use Slurp on Crono once at the save point.
9. Defeat Yakura and head to Leene's room to see Marle return to the real world.
  • We're Back!
10. Go back to 1000 A.D. and head to Guardia Castle for the trial.
  • The Trial
11. Steal 7 Mid Ethers from three guards who fall down on the way out of the dungeon.
12. Beat the Dragon Tank and get a Shelter. Run away from the Chancellor and enter the gate to 2300 A.D.

inichi's note: I choose not to use Crono's regular attack but Cyclone as a final blow to the head. Also, I use the techs in an efficient way. The order is three Cylones, Fire Whirl and Cylone. This order can decrease the time of body's counter from twice to once and the need to use Tonics from three times to two. This strategy is 10 second faster than Hero's one.

  • Beyond the Ruins
13. Get a Berserker, a Lode Sword and a Lode Bow in Lab 16.
14. Equip Crono with the Berserker and Lode Sword and Marle with the Lode Bow in front of the Arris Dome.
15. Beat the Guardian and get a Mid Ether in the storage room.

inichi's note: I beat the Guardian before it revive the bits. I equip Crono with Berserker. First, I kill one bit. Then I wait until Crono attacks the Guardian twice. Because it uses counter attacks on Crono, Marle or Lucca needs to use Tonics on Crono twice. After Crono attacks it twice, I kill the other bit. Then I use regular attacks on the Guardian again and again until it breaks down. This strategy is 50 seconds faster than previous one.

16. Watch the video of the day Lavos appeared, and get a Bike Key from Doan.
17. Win the race against Johnny and recruit Robo in the Proto Dome.
  • The Factory Ruins
18. Enter the Factory and equip Crono with the Power Glove on the save point.
19. Get a Shelter, a Titan Vest and a Plasma Gun in the Factory.
20. Before the battle with the R series, use Cure Beam on Crono and Lucca twice and set Battle Gauge Speed 4.
21. Defeat the R series and go to the End of Time.

inichi's note: In the Factory, I select the suitable combination of enemies for speed. The mixture of 5 Alkalines and Acids is random. And I only fight when 5 Alkaline appear, as only 5 Alkaline's experience points enables Lucca to level up to 8 to 9 before Heckran. Besides, Alkaline's defense is much weaker than Acid's; Crono's Cylone can quickly kill them. I assume this strategy is 20 seconds faster than previous one. I also pick up the Titan Vest. It is not equipped but useful to exchange for Ayla's Ruby Vest.

  • The End of Time
22. Set Battle Gauge Speed 1.
23. Learn Magic from Spekkio.
  • The Village of Magic
24. Head to Heckran Cave in 1000 A.D. Get an Ether and a Mid Ether on the way to Heckran; defeat him.

inichi's note: I use Slash and Flame Toss on the two Henches. It's the fastest way to finish this battle. Lucca levels up from 8 to 9. For Heckran, Crono only uses Slash rather than Lightning. The reason is, Slash's animation is 3 seconds shorter than Lightning's. When Lucca's Level is 9, the amount of the damage of Antipode is about 10 times bigger than when her level is 8. These modifications provide little increase, though enough to replace Slash with lightning. I assume this strategy is 10-15 seconds faster than the previous one.

  • The Hero Appears
25. Go to Zenan Bridge in 600 A.D. and speak to the Knight Captain about rations.
26. Go to Guardia Castle and get an Ether and talk to the chef for a Jerky and a Power Tab.
27. Use the Power Tab to Crono and a Mid Tonic on Lucca and Marle in front of Zenan Bridge.
28. Give the Jerky to the Knight Captain.
29. Fight enemies on Zenan Bridge and equip Crono with the Berserker before fighting Zombor.
30. After defeating Zombor, equip the Power Glove on Crono in front of Denadoro Mts.
  • Tata and the Frog
31. Climb Denadoro Mts. and get a Mirage Hand at the bottom.
32. Get 2 Mid Ethers, a Silver Stud and a Silver Earring on the way to the top.
33. Equip Robo with the Mirage Hand and use a Shelter at the save point.
34. Defeat Masa and Mune and get a Bent Hilt.

inichi's note: I attack not Masa but Mune. I do this because when Masa sleeps from Hypno Wave, Mune's movement completely stops. He only stands being given the attacks. It's an easy battle. For Masamune, Lucca and Robo use Firepunch. Crono uses regular attacks or Mid Tonics as needed. Immediately remove his Tornado Energy build-up with Slash.

35. Buy 11 Tonics, 41 Mid Tonics, 21 Revives, 11 Shelters and 11 Heals in the Porre Market.
36. Get a Magic Scarf and a Bent Sword in Frog's house.
  • The Rare Red Rock
37. Speak to Melchior and head to Mystic Mts to get a Berserker.
  • Footsteps! Follow!
38. After Ayla's party, go through the Forest Maze and equip Ayla with the Berseker and Crono with the Magic Scarf in front of the Reptite Lair.
39. Wait until an Evilweevil digs a hole to the lower right of the first hole, and go through it.
40. Get a Mid Ether, an Elixir and a Full Ether on the way to Nizbel.
41. Equip Ayla with the Titan Vest, Crono with the Ruby Vest and the Silver Earring and Robo with the Berserker and use a Shelter on the save point.
42. Defeat Nizbel and make Azala return the Gate Key.
  • The Masamune!
43. Head to Melchior's Hut and have him repair the Masamune.
44. After getting the Masamune, head to Frog's house and show it to him.
  • Magus' Castle
45. Go through the Magic Cave and equip Robo with the Power Scarf and Frog with the Berserker in front of Magus's Lair.
46. Get 2 Mid Ethers before fighting Flea.
47. After beating Flea, use 3 Mid Tonics on the three party members.
48. Beat Slash and grab a Slasher and Mid Ether. Equip Crono with the Slasher, Robo with the Tin Arm and Frog with the Power Glove and use a Shelter on the save point.
49. On the long way to Magus, get a Mist Robe, a Dark Mail, a Doom Finger and a Speed Belt.
50. Equip Frog with the Dark Mail and the Berserker and Lucca with the Magic Scarf on the save point.
51. Defeat Magus.

inichi's note: Naturally, the healing can't keep up with Magus's magic attacks, so I don't heal Lucca and leave her dead. Only when Magus's weakpoint changes into fire, I revive her and use fire. With this party's equipment, only Crono can survive Dark Matter. I quickly revive Frog and Lucca, use Mid Tonic on Crono twice, and use Crono's regular attacks and Fire. This strategy is one minute faster than the hero's one.

  • Forward to the Past
52. In front of the Dactyl's Nest, take the Dark Mail and the Berserker from Frog, and the Magic Scarf from Lucca.
53. Climb the Dactyl's Nest and get a Mid Ether and a Meso Mail on the way.
  • Unnatural Selection?
54. After Ayla joins the party, head to the Tyrano Lair and give the Silver Stud to Crono and take the Berserker from Ayla in front of the Lair.
55. This is where the real fighting begins. Rescue Kino and fight enemies 27 times in front of the room where Nizbel is.
56. When Crono and Ayla's MP run out, use a Shelter on the save point.
57. Fight enemies 16 times at the same place. While fighting, take the Silver Stud from Crono and give it to Ayla. When Crono and Ayla's MP run out, use a Shelter on the save point.
58. Fight enemies 18 times at the same place. While fighting, take the Silver Stud from Ayla and give it to Crono. When Crono and Ayla's MP run out, use a Shelter on the save point.
59. Fight enemies 16 times at the same place. While fighting, use a Mid Ether on Ayla and equip Marle with the Speed Belt.
60. Beat Nizbel II and get a Full Ether beside the switch which opens up the locked door to Azala's room.

inichi's note: I replace Robo with Marle for learning Twister. Vite Bolt five times can easily render Nizbel dead.

61. Get a Mid Ether in Azala's room and beat Azala and the Tyrano.

inichi's note: I defeat the Tyrano before it breathes fire. For this purpose, I choose Marle as a third member and give her Speed Belt. First, I use Slash once and Cube Toss three times on Azala. Then Marle casts Haste on herself. After Tyrano's defense weakens, I use Spincut and Cube Toss six times on Tyrano.

  • The Magic Kingdom
62. Head to Enhasa and fight 6 Nus and get a Speed Tab and a Magic Tab.
63. Tell the lady in Zeal Palace to plant her plant, which creates the Sunken Desert in 600 A.D.
64. Fight the Golem and wait until the three party members fall. The Prophet sends Crono to 65000000 B.C.
  • Break the Seal!
65. Get a Lumin Robe, a Gold Earring and an Elixir in the Arris Dome, and a Mid Ether and a Swallow in the Forest Ruins.
66. Since Ayla's TP lacked three points of learning Dino Tail, inichi fought three Mutants in Lab 32.
67. Before the Sunken Desert, equip Crono with the Swallow, Marle with the Magic Scarf and Robo with the Speed Belt and use a Shelter.
68. Steal a Barrier from Hexapod.
69. While fighting enemies, go around the first room and second room and collect a Full Ether, an Elixir, an Aeon Suit, a Full Ether, a Memory Cap, an Aeon Helmet, a Hyper Ether, 5000G and a Full Tonic. Twister is the best way to end the battles faster.
70. Before the battle with Retinite, give the Magic Tab and the Speed Tab to Marle.
71. Beat Retinite and get two Mid Ethers in Fiona's Villa.

inichi's notes: First, I use Ice 2 to weaken the defense of the bottom and the top. Then, I use Confuse again and again on the bottom and the top. A final blow to the top and core is Falcon Hit. It can completely prevent the Core from escaping. Sad to say, it is difficult to use Tail Spin. Tail Spin surely can get the damage to Retinite without using Ice 2. But unless the enemy gets near Ayla, I can't use it. Considering Retinite moves in all directions in this battle, it is difficult to use it efficiently. I would waste time hoping it to get near Ayla and remains. To make matters worse, if Ayla uses Tail Spin, the Core is also dead. Once the Core disappears, the remains gain their agility and use strong attacks on all members. I would be forced to heal, which wasn't needed before, and lose a lot of time.

On the other hand, Confusion can be used no matter where Retinite is. I can efficiently accumulate the damage to the bottom and the top, keeping the Core alive. As long as the Core is alive, once their defense weakens -- however many times they may be attacked -- their defense never increases. The damage of Confusion is so big that I can beat Retinite until the Core absorbs its HP with the bottom and the top. But, only when Retinite stands above Ayla, the Core is not involved with Tail Spin. So perhaps I will use Tail Spin once to the bottom. Regarding Haste, I used it in the previous run. But I found it's not necessary. Crono has 15 speed naturally at this point. Besides, this battle ends in a short time. The time Haste could save is less than the time of the animation of Haste. Haste is only useful in long battles such as Lavos's.

72. Drop Robo off at Fiona's to help her, and head to Fiona's shrine in 1000 A.D.
73. Sell 1 Hyper Ether, 51 Mid Tonics, all the weapons, armors and headgear except the Lumin Robe and the Aeon Suit and buy one Vigil Hat and one Sight Cap in Fiona's Shrine.
74. Equip Crono with the Sight Cap, the Aeon Suit and the Power Scarf and Ayla with the Vigil Hat, the Lumin Robe and the Siver Stud.
75. After collecting Robo, have Lucca save her mom and get a GreenDream from Robo. Head to the End of the Time to fight Lavos.
76. Defeat each form of Lavos. Before the battle with real form of Shell Lavos, equip Crono with the GreenDream and Ayla with the Gold Earring.
77. Beat Lavos and set Battle Gauge Speed 2 on the last save point.
78. Beat Lavos and the Lavos Core.
  • inichi's Lavos Notes
Dragon Tank: Falcon Hit once
Guardian: Falcon Hit once
Heckran: Twister twice
Zombor: Falcon Hit once and Robo's regular attack
Masamune: Twister twice
Nizbel: Lightning, Ayla's regular attack and Twister twice
Magus: Attack until his weak changes to Shadow and Twister three times
Azala/Tyrano: Cube Toss three times on Azala. Cube Toss and Confuse four times on Tyrano
Giga Gaia: Twister five times

For the remaining three battles...

Crono: LV 33 Swallow, Sight Cap, Aeon Suit, Greendream
Ayla: LV 34 Fist, Vigil Hat, Lumin Robe, Gold Earring
Marle: LV 32 Lode Bow, Hide Cap, Hide Tunic, Magic Scarf

Here are the items I use...

Lavos Shell (real form): 1 Revive
Lavos: 1 Full Tonic, 1 Mid Ethers, 2 Full Ethers, 3 Elixirs, 4-5 Revives, 1 Barrier
Lavos Core: 2 Mid Ethers, 2 Full Ethers, 0-2 Revives, 0-2 Heals, 0-1 Lapis

Here are the techs I use...

Lavos Shell (real form): Dino Tail three times and Confuse four times
Lavos: Dino Tail 15 times, Haste once and Cure once
Lavos Core: Dino Tail 11-12 times, Confuse 7-8 times and Haste once

Advanced Gameplay, Possibilities, and Sequence Breaking

Running Away Quickly

Discovered by inichi

This enables you to quickly run away from the escapable battles. When the battle begins, hold the L and R buttons, push the A button on tech or item command and push the B button. Then the moment you push B button, you can run away from the battle. By using this technique, I succeeded in running through the four battles in Magus's Lair without receiving any attacks. It saved a lot of time.

External Resources

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