New Game Plus (NG+) - Full Guide
Chrono Trigger pioneered the New Game Plus feature. Beat the game, and you can start fresh while keeping most of your progress—levels, techs, equipment, stats. This lets you access all 13 endings and blast through the story with a maxed party.
How to Unlock New Game Plus
- Defeat Lavos (any method works)
- Watch the ending sequence
- Save when prompted after the credits
- Load that save to start New Game Plus
What Carries Over
Character Stats. All character levels, learned techs (single, dual, and triple), current HP/MP values, and base stats (Strength, Magic, Speed, Stamina). Everyone you've leveled comes back at full power.
Equipment and Items. All weapons, armor, helms, accessories. All consumables. Key items carry over too, except story-critical ones like the Gate Key.
Unlocked Content. The Extras menu stays unlocked (Bestiary, Item Encyclopedia, Endings Log). And you can fight Lavos any time via the right telepod or the bucket at the End of Time.
What Does NOT Carry Over
Gold. Resets to starting values—200G normally, or 300G bonus if you named Lucca correctly. Spend excess gold on consumables before you finish.
Story Progress. All story flags reset. Party members must be recruited again; Magus recruitment choice resets. All sidequests reset too.
Key Items (Story-Critical). The Pendant gets given again at start. Gate Key, Hero's Badge, Masamune (must be repaired again), Chrono Trigger (Time Egg), and Clone Doll—all gone.
World State. All treasure chests refill. Sealed chests can be opened again once you power up the Pendant. All Gates stay locked until the story unlocks them; Black Omen won't appear until its trigger event.
The Bucket and Telepod
NG+ lets you fight Lavos at any point in the story—that's how you unlock different endings.
Right Telepod (Leene Square). Available from the very start, during the Millennial Fair. Fighting Lavos here means Crono and Marle only; it triggers the earliest endings.
Bucket (End of Time). Available after reaching the End of Time. This is your main method for triggering different endings throughout the rest of the game.
Ending Timing Reference
Quick reference for when to fight Lavos to get each ending. For full ending descriptions and requirements, see the Endings Guide.
| Ending | Fight Lavos After... |
|---|---|
| The Dream Project | Start of game (via telepod) |
| The Successor of Guardia | Returning from 600 A.D. first time |
| Good Night | First arrival at End of Time |
| The Legendary Hero | Before getting Hero Medal from Tata |
| The Unknown Past | Getting Hero's Badge, before Prehistory party |
| People of the Times | Giving Masamune to Frog, before he joins party |
| The Oath | After Frog joins with Masamune |
| Dino Age | After defeating Magus, before defeating Azala/Black Tyranno |
| What the Prophet Seeks | After reaching 12,000 B.C., before Ocean Palace events |
| Memory Lane | Schala opens Zeal door (don't power Pendant) |
| Beyond Time | Resurrecting Crono |
| Reunion | Crono's death (without resurrecting) |
| Dream's Epilogue | All three Dimensional Vortex dungeons (DS/PC/Mobile) |
NG+ Optimization
First Playthrough Preparation. Before finishing your first run, maximize what you'll carry into NG+:
- Level all characters — everyone carries over, even characters you never use
- Learn all Techs — dual and triple techs carry over too
- Collect equipment — grab multiple copies of rare gear via Charm
- Farm capsules — max stats persist across playthroughs
- Clear Black Omen 3x — run it in all three eras for maximum loot
- Complete sidequests — get all unique rewards before they reset
Speed Ending Collection. Fastest order to see all endings:
- Start NG+, fight Lavos at telepod (Dream Project)
- New NG+, return from 600 A.D., fight Lavos (Successor of Guardia)
- Progress to End of Time, fight Lavos (Good Night)
- Continue story; create saves at each ending trigger point
- Clear story for Beyond Time ending
- Load saves and fight Lavos at each point
Recommended Save Points. Create saves at these moments for ending flexibility:
- Before entering 600 A.D. for first time
- Before leaving End of Time the first time
- Before visiting Tata in Porre
- Before giving Masamune to Frog
- After defeating Magus
- After defeating Black Tyranno
- In Zeal Palace (before powering Pendant)
- Before Death Peak / after Crono's death
Combat in New Game Plus
With maxed characters, most encounters become trivial. You'll one-shot random enemies, and bosses fall quickly to Triple Techs. No grinding required—you can focus entirely on story and exploration.
The downside? No difficulty increase in NG+. Combat loses its strategic depth when everything dies in one hit. Consider using a weaker party if you want actual challenge.
Multiple NG+ Runs
You can start NG+ from an NG+ save file. Progress stacks—stats keep accumulating, equipment duplicates each run (within inventory limits), and capsule bonuses stay permanent. Each playthrough adds to your Bestiary and Endings Log.
Ultimate Party Goals:
- Level 99 (star level) on all characters
- All stats maxed via capsules
- Multiple copies of best equipment
- All 13 endings logged
- Complete Bestiary and Item Encyclopedia