How to Save Marbule & Fight the Black Dragon

Learn how to save Marbule and defeat the Black Dragon in Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition. Get strategies, tips, and details on the boss fight.

Alright, let's get this done! First things first, we need to get the S.S. Zelbess over to Marbule. If you're in Home World, head to the S.S. Zelbess docked on the north-east side of the main island. Make your way to the captain's cabin and chat with Fargo there. Your Fargo (the one from Another World) will take the ship and steer it right next to Marbule. Once that's sorted, Nikki and his troupe will put on a concert. It's a bit of a long one, so feel free to enjoy it or just mash the Action button to get through it. After the show, you'll regain control. Depart the S.S. Zelbess, and Fargo will learn his Level 7 Tech, Invincible. (Don't worry, it doesn't actually make him invincible, but it's still a cool move!)

Now, you'll automatically arrive at Marbule. All those spectral monsters you saw before? They're real now and ready to rumble! Your job is to beat up every single one of them. Honestly, if your gear is up to snuff, you can probably just pop on Auto-Battle and fast-forward through this part while you do something else. After you've cleared out all the monsters outside, head into the cave on the north-west side of town to take care of any stragglers inside. Once they're all down, you'll hear a dragon's cry, but don't expect to find it here – it's not in this world. So, exit Marbule for now.

Next, we need to hop back to Another World. Head back to the S.S. Zelbess and visit the dining area. Then, make your way to the portal on Opassa Beach to swap dimensions. Once you're in Another World, travel back to Marbule. Go to the cave where you fought those last monsters; you should find the Black Dragon stirring from its slumber. It's feeling a bit stiff after its long nap and wants to use you as its warm-up routine!

How to Defeat the Black Dragon

This dragon looks pretty intimidating, and it's got some nasty attacks, but it's definitely manageable. For its offensive moves, it can unleash Dark Breath and Gravity Bomb, both of which hit your whole party and can inflict Curse. Curse causes stamina loss when you get hit, which is super annoying. It also has standard Black Elements, with Freefall being one of the more notable ones.

When it comes to party composition, having characters with Black Innates is a good shout, as they'll take less damage from the dragon's attacks. Lynx is a prime example of this. While White Innates might seem like a good idea against a Black Dragon, be warned: they'll actually take *more* damage. So, use them if you're feeling confident, but be ready to heal up!

Here's the tricky part: the dragon will counter your White Elements with Anti-White. This means after you hit it with a White Element, it'll cast Anti-White, which can prevent you from using healing Elements like Recover All and Revive. To counter this, make sure you either equip an Angel Charm accessory or have Elements like Black Out and Panacea ready to cure the status effect. It's crucial to keep your party healthy!

Later in the fight, the Black Dragon can use Seal-All, which stops your party from using *any* Elements. This is obviously a problem for healing, but you can lessen the impact by equipping Charm accessories. Besides the Angel Charm, the Sea Charm and Forest Charm can also be helpful. You might also want to consider placing a Freefall trap near the start of the fight to negate damage from its Freefall attack, though it doesn't use it too often. Every little bit helps, and you get to keep the trap!

Your main goal during the fight should be to shift the Field Effect towards White (or anything that isn't Black) and consistently use healing Elements like Recover All, Heal All, and Cure Plus to keep your party topped up. Stay persistent, and you'll take it down!

After the Fight

Once you've successfully defeated the Black Dragon, you'll be rewarded with the awesome Grim Reaper Summon Element and the Black Relic. Nice work!