Chrono Trigger/Sealed chests

Select controller:

SNES,PlayStation

There are sealed chests that appear in the later time periods of the game, 600 A.D. and on. They are black and bear the Zeal crest. If you try to open them prior to obtaining the charged pendant, you receive a message saying they're sealed by a mysterious force. There are also sealed doors that bear the same crest that require the charged pendant to open.

Some chests can be reached with just a charged pendant, but some require you to be able to fly as well. You will have a charged pendant from Break the Seal! onward, and you'll have the ability to fly from The Time Egg onward.

Several sealed chests appear in both 600 A.D. and 1000 A.D. that have a special upgrade interaction. If you open the chest in 600 A.D. you will receive the standard item that is inside the chest. However, for several of the chests in 600 A.D., instead of immediately taking them, the energies of the charged pendant can start an upgrade process on the items in the chest, and then upgraded versions of the items can be collected in the 1000 A.D.

Not all chests in 600 A.D. can perform the upgrade process; it only works for those that provide the reacting message when first trying to open them.

Elemental armor absorption

Several of these sealed chests contain elemental armors that grant extra protection from attacks of a specific form, e.g. fire or shadow. The lesser form are called 'vests' and the upgraded for are called 'mail'. When a character who is wearing the armor is struck by an attack type of the corresponding elemental form, the damage is negated, and the character is instead healed. The healing amount is a percentage of what the attack damage would otherwise have been (50% for vests, or 100% for mail).

The Ruby Vest does not operate like the elemental armors, instead only reducing incoming fire damage by the percentage listed in the item description.

Chests accessible with only a charged pendant

Non-upgradeable

600 A.D.

1. Go into Guardia forest and examine the upper right portion of it next to the sign that says, "Dead end." The non-upgradeable sealed chest there will have a Speed Tab.
2. Head into the Magic Cave that led to Magus's lair; close to the entrance is a non-upgradeable chest. Inside is the Magic Ring, an accessory that gives +6 to Magic.

1000 A.D.

1. There's a non-upgradeable pair of items found together within a single chest in the Heckran Cave. The easiest way to get them is to start by going to the Vortex Pt near Lucca's house and head down through the waterfall until you reach the sealed chest. Keep going until you see the whirlpool, and jump in to end up back where you started. You'll get a Wall Ring and a Dash Ring for your troubles.
2. #Alternatively, to access this chest, travel to 1000 A.D. through Medina Village (not Leene Square), travel to Heckran Cave's normal entrance, and move through it normally until you reach the chest.
3. There's a single sealed chest with a Power Ring in Guardia Forest. The problem is at this point in the game the path is sealed up, so you can only reach it by going through the time portal which leads there. If you went through the portal earlier and connected it to the end of time, great, otherwise head through 2300 A.D. until you reach the Bangor Dome and you'll open the warp to Guardia forest.
4. Head to Medina Village and go to the northern diamond-shaped object (the northern palace) to meet a Nu from 13,000 years ago. You'll be offered a choice between a powerful sword and a powerful defensive armor. The chest to the right is the Swallow, a sword for Crono that is better than any weapon you'll find until you get the Epoch in The Time Egg. The chest to the left is the Safe Helm which cuts physical damage by 1/3. Only the Prism Helm and the legendary Ozzie Pants provide more defense. The Safe Helm is recommended. If you choose the Swallow, you can still charm a Safe Helm later from the Lavos Spawn in the Black Omen (not the earlier ones in 2300 AD), but the Swallow cannot be obtained any other way.

Sealed Doors in 2300 A.D. (the Future)

In 2300 A.D, there are several sets of sealed doors which offer rare items, generally one in each dome.

1. Take the transport to Bangor Dome from the end of time, which you should have opened already, and open the door in the back. In addition to a Full Ether healing item, you'll get the Charm Top, an accessory which improves Ayla's chances at using the charm ability, and you'll get the Wallet, an accessory which allows you to turn experience points into cash.
2. Directly south of the Bangor Dome is the Trann dome. Open the door in the back, and you'll get the Gold Stud which cuts all magic use by 75%, a Full Ether, and a Magic Tab which you can pick up off the ground.
3. In the Arris Dome, where you fought the Guardian and found the seed, there's a sealed door in the area beyond the door on the right (the sealed one you opened by interacting with the console and pressing ++a special code). The door is in the very top right corner. Inside you'll find a Lumin Robe which provides excellent defense for the girls, a Hit Ring which raises your strike by 10, and a Gold Erng (earring) which raises your Max HP by 50%, an Elixer, and you'll also find a Power Tab on the ground.

Upgradeable

To obtain the upgraded items, first interact with the chest in 600 A.D. You will received a message about the items inside reacting to the energy of the charged pendant. Then, refuse to open the chest when prompted. Next, time travel to 1000 A.D., visit the same location and open the chest, which will still be there. The chest will now yield the upgraded item. As a bonus, you can then travel back to 600 A.D. and open the chest, which will contain the non-upgraded item, so you will now have one of each.

If you open the chest in 600 A.D. you get the lesser item, and the chest in 1000 A.D. vanishes. If you open the chest in 1000 A.D. without having first interacted with the chest in 600 A.D., you will get the lesser item, but you can still go back to 600 A.D. and collect the lesser item a second time. Therefore, to obtain the best and most items, you should interact with every chest in 600 A.D. but refuse to open it, go get the upgraded items in 1000 A.D., and then go back to get the lesser items in 600 A.D.

1. In the Elder's house in the village of Porre in 600 A.D. there are two sealed chests. Make sure to select them but decline to take them. Head to the Mayor's house in the present to get the upgraded White Mail and Black Mail. Go back in time again to pick up the White Vest and Black Vest. White Mail and Black Mail absorb 100% of Lightning and Shadow damage respectively, whereas White Vests and Black Vests only absorb 50% of those respective elements and offer worse defense.
2. Go into the Truce Inn in 600 A.D. and select the chest there but decline to take it. Go to the Truce Inn in 1000 A.D. and open it to get the Blue Mail. Head back to 600 A.D. to pick up the Blue Vest. The Blue Mail absorbs 100% of water attacks, whereas the Blue Vest only absorbs 50% of water attacks and has worse defense.
3. In 600 A.D. go to Guardia Castle, through the throne room and up the stairs on the left side. Select the chest and decline to open it. Go to 1000 A.D. and open it to get the Red Mail. Head back to 600 A.D. to get the Red Vest. The Red Mail absorbs 100% of fire attacks, and the Red Vest is weaker and only absorbs 50% of fire attacks. Note that the Red Vest is often confused with the Ruby Vest, which blocks 50% of fire damage, but the character takes the other 50% of the damage.

Chests accessible with the Epoch

There are also three sealed / upgradable chests in the Northern ruins which you can reach after completing Frog's Sidequest. As before, decline to open them in the past (600 A.D.) and open them in the present to get a powered up version, and open them once again in the past to get the low power version.

• The Nova Armor will power up to become the Moon Armor, which raises magic defense by 10. The Nova Armor protects status.
• The Siren will power up to become the Valkyrie, a better weapon for Marle. The Siren also casts "Stop" randomly.
• The Kali Blade will power up to become the Shiva edge, a better weapon for Crono which does four times damage on critical strikes.