Break the Seal!
Back at the End of Time, you'll discover that not all 9 time portals are open anymore. Talk to Gaspar; he hints at a man who was building a time machine. To find him, you need to reach the Keeper's Dome in 2300 A.D. First, though, use your charged pendant to backtrack through 600 A.D., 1000 A.D., and 2300 A.D. for all the sealed doors and chests you've seen.
If you told the plant girl to secretly plant the sapling in Zeal Palace, you may be able to do the Sunken Desert sidequest now. It provides excellent XP and TP but becomes unavailable after completion - choose your party wisely if you want specific Techs.
Keeper's Dome
Getting there. Warp to either Bangor Dome or Proto Dome and cross through Lab 16 (on foot) or Lab 32 (jetbike) to reach the sewers area. If you've already cleared the Abandoned Sewers, walk across the bridges you activated to reach the Keeper's Dome. Otherwise, navigate through using the route from the Beyond the Ruins chapter.
Side note. While in 2300 A.D., visit Arris Dome and Trann Dome to see the people starting to plant seeds and rebuild their lives - a nice touch showing your impact.
Inside the dome. Talk to the Nu if you want, then head through the sealed door to read Belthasar's recorded messages. Continue through another sealed door to find the Wings of Time. Walk around the machine and interact with the back. Try to leave, and the Nu (containing Belthasar's memory) enters with cockpit seats.
You receive the Epoch and get to name it. Take off to see what it can do - you can now travel to 12,000 B.C. directly.
Terra Cave
Fly the Epoch to 12,000 B.C. and land on the frozen surface. You'll find the Skyway has been sealed - no returning to Zeal that way. Head northwest to Terra Cave instead. The ladder that was pulled up before is now down.
Earthbound Ones. Talk to the people living here. The merchant on the top level sells the best armor and weapons available so far:
| Weapons | Armor |
|---|---|
| Demon Edge (Crono) | Lumin Robe (Female/Magic users) |
| Comet Arrow (Marle) | Flash Mail (Male/Frog/Robo) |
| Megablast (Lucca) | Glow Helm |
| Megaton Arm (Robo) | |
| Flash Blade (Frog) |
Power Tab. Head to the bottom and save if you want. Before entering the next area, grab the Power Tab in the bottom-right corner.
You'll fight two pairs of Beasts (separate fights) before the boss. Charm Rainbow Helms from the Beasts - they're the best helmet available right now, even better than the Glow Helm you can buy!
Boss: Mud Imp & Beasts
Mud Imp & Red/Blue Beast
The Blue Beast absorbs Water/Ice and is weak to Fire. The Red Beast absorbs Fire and is weak to Water/Ice. The Mud Imp has disgustingly high defense, heals the beasts, and runs away if you kill the beasts first without finishing it quickly.
- Easy method (Crono/Frog/Lucca):
- Use Lucca's Hypno Wave to sleep the Beasts
- Attack the Mud Imp with single-target attacks like Spire
- Don't use AoE - it wakes the Beasts
- If Mud Imp kicks a rock at a Beast (waking it), recast Hypno Wave
- Killing the Mud Imp kills both Beasts automatically!
- Without Lucca: Focus one Beast at a time
- Use Ice Sword/Glacier/Bubble Hit on Red Beast
- Use Fire Sword/Red Pin/Napalm on Blue Beast
- Kill Mud Imp last with physical Techs like X-Strike
After defeating the trio, you're officially in the next chapter.
Treasure Summary
| Item | Location |
|---|---|
| Magic Tab | Keeper's Dome (Belthasar's message room) |
| Epoch | Keeper's Dome (key item) |
| Power Tab | Terra Cave (bottom-right corner) |
| Rainbow Helm (x6) | Charm from Beasts before boss |