Chrono Cross: Hydra Marshes and Fossil Valley

We can either go to the Hydra Marshes or Fossil Valley. Let’s stop at the Hydra Marshes first.

Hydra Marshes (Another)

These marshes are poisonous, so keep an eye on your HP as you walk through the green bog. Go into the bog and head west, following the path until you can go west onto the stalk and to the next area. Follow the path until you reach the next screen. Use the Record of Fate if you want, then go to the next area. Go up the stalk and grab the Electro Jolt to the west, then head east to the next area.

Talk to the guy here, and he’ll see that you are not protected well enough. He’ll give you the Safety Gear, so you will no longer be harmed by the bog near the beginning of the Marshes! Great!

Go back down until you’re back in the first area. Go down the log here to the north and grab the #Tablet to the left of it, then go north to the next screen.0

Move west and grab the last item here for the moment, the Bushwacker element. That’s as far as we can go for now, so let’s leave the Hydra Marshes and head to Fossil Valley so we can get to Termina.

Fossil Valley (Another)

When you enter, the guards will tell you that their excavation is almost complete, so make sure to stick to the lower path. Follow the path, then go up the northern path when you can. Talk to the guard, and he’ll ask you if you’re the exorcists that they sent for. Tell him that you are, and he’ll let you go up.

The guard up here just wants you to stop the noise coming from the skull, so walk up to the large skull to have a little skull jump out. He says that he has been waiting for someone like Serge, and will ask to come along to find the rest of his body parts.

1. Sure.
2. Not my thing…

Choose option 1, and you’ll receive the HEAVY SKULL. Throughout the game, we’ll find the rest of Skelly’s body parts, and once you do, we’ll be able to recruit him.

You’re not done up here yet, so keep going west and talk to the guard down here; head down this bone ladder to the bird’s nest while the guard shouts out warnings to you.

Down here, go over and pick up the Big Egg. The Dodo will then go berserk and try to attack you. You can either run or you can fight. If you choose to fight, don’t use elements, as it makes it use a tech called Peck that will kill the party member it attacks.

Once you beat the next boss, you should come back to fight a Dodo, but not the one down here by the egg. You’ll need to face one that comes along with a Drongo. Have Kid (if she’s in your party) steal from the Dodo, as he has a Purify element, which removes all status effects when used, and you won’t be able to get another until later in the game. We’ll go more in-depth after you beat the next boss.

Head north from here and follow the path to the edge where you’ll find a Bellflower that you can pick up. Go back and go down the rope ladder where you first came up, then go back down and follow the path to the left to the exit. Solt and Peppor are waiting once again. They’ll discover you and attack.

Boss: Solt, Peppor

Spoils: Summon Star #3, Level 3 Tech, 160G, @Copper or Electro Jolt, Uplift or @Copper

Again, there’s a little tutorial involved here about TurnColor elements. Another simple battle; take out Solt first, then Peppor. Use green elements as usual, and stay healed. This battle should unlock your level 3 tech; Dash&Slash for Serge, and Pilfer for Kid, if she’s there.

Note

If Kid’s with you, you can steal from the Dodo now. Just make sure that it is a Dodo that comes with a Drongo. MauveCloud sent a strategy for trying to steal the Purify element:

“I tried stealing from the Dodo in Another’s Fossil Valley, but if I do it with Kid’s stamina at 7, Kid would very often miss. I discovered that if I attack a few times first (say a level 1 attack followed by a level 2 attack, which brings the level 1 hit probability to 99% if I remember right), she seems to never fail to steal an item (it’s just a matter of whether it’s the ‘common’ item or the ‘rare’ item). I think the chance of success for the ‘Pilfer’ tech may be tied to hit probability.”

It makes a lot more sense, so go ahead and get Kid’s probabilities as high as you can before you steal, and you should come away with it just about every time. Don’t get discouraged if you get a @Feather. Just run away and try again if you do. Just make sure to Defend or kill it afterward so it doesn’t use Peck on you. Again, you must be facing the Dodo that comes with the Drongo.

Anyway, once you’re done with all that, head out of Fossil Valley. Out here on the World Map, Shadow Forest and Viper Manor are blocked by dragoons, so let’s go to Termina.