Any tips on "breaking" Xenogears and Chrono Trigger?

[Yancakes]

In the last year or so I've gotten obsessed with going through and finally beating all the games I played but never beat growing up. Amongst these include Xenogears and Chrono Trigger.

Now, typically, when I play a game as an adult, I grind a lot, making the battles, typically, quite easy. In FFVII, VIII and a few other games, I typically am familiar enough with the battle systems and whatnot to properly break the games and make any battle a breeze. With Xenogears and Chrono Trigger, however, I'm not really sure what I'm doing (and I'm playing blind- no walkthroughs unless I get stuck).

In Chrono Trigger I just beat the Heckran, in Xenogears I just rescued Margie. Are there any specific items that I should look out for that will supercharge my characters? Are there any tips for customization of characters that will make them that much stronger?

Chrono Trigger seems fairly straightforward when it comes to levelling up characters, but I don't know ANYTHING about equipping gears in Xenogears, and as such they're running pretty much vanilla. I have plenty of cash in both games.

And, failing "game breaking" advantages, are there any tips in general to someone who doesn't really know either of these games at all when it comes to battle parties and levelling up.

[Ivo]

Usually if you "break" an RPG it becomes little more than a chore to just wade through the remaining battles to see the story to the end. Is this really what you want to do?

I felt CT was quite well balanced to go through it easily without grinding at all (some bosses are exceptions to that), as long as you put in a tiny bit of effort into what the enemies do and use reasonable tactics (like focusing damage on one enemy to get rid of it etc.).

I also thought Xenogears doesn't need much grinding.

Ivo.

[alienjesus]

In Chrono Trigger it's advisable to open chest in the future first, then travel back in time and open them there too - that way you get 2 items instead of one. It's also worth making sure you steal off of enemies. One boss near the end of the game can be challenged and stolen from several times if you have the patience, and the equipment he gives you makes the final boss a breeze.

[BoneSnapDeez]

In Chrono Trigger it's advisable to open chest in the future first, then travel back in time and open them there too - that way you get 2 items instead of one. It's also worth making sure you steal off of enemies. One boss near the end of the game can be challenged and stolen from several times if you have the patience, and the equipment he gives you makes the final boss a breeze.

To expand upon this...

Eventually you'll reach a point in the game where you can get the sealed chests. Some of these are "upgradeable", they are located in 600 and 1000 AD. To get the best equipment, first examine the chests in 600 AD, but decline to open them. Then go to 1000 AD and open then. Then go back to 600 AD and open the chests. You'll get double the amount of goods.

Chrono Trigger isn't too tough and is fairly linear. There's not much grinding, just make sure you don't avoid the enemy encounters and your level should be sufficient. Eventually some sidequests will open up, which you'll probably want to complete to gain more levels and great equipment. If you're not using a guide, you'll be given hints to the nature of the sidequests from the guy in the End of Time. Be aware that the Sunken Desert sidequest can very difficult if you try to tackle it early on.

Don't know much about Xenogears. That game always scared me off, it looks so daunting.

[Xeogred]

I'm surprised you haven't played Xenogears bone!

It's not very hard, so I don't think breaking it is necessary. But be sure to do the Lighthouse sidequest towards the end and locate Big Joe's Shop there. It has some ridiculous Gears equipment you can't find anywhere else.

[MrPopo]

One thing to mention with Chrono Trigger is that while the people not in your party do gain exp, they don't gain tp. Additionally, there will be a segment where you have a few forced party members in a row, and the end game sidequests also include a forced party member. So be aware that you'll have to deal with some underleveled party members (in terms of spell learning).

[BoringSupreez]

Be aware that the Sunken Desert sidequest can very difficult if you try to tackle it early on.

I made that mistake. I had a harder time with that sidequest than any other section of the game.

I remember I wanted to "break" KOTOR, but then made the sad discovery that there is a level cap, level 36 IIRC. They don't want you breezing through that final boss.

[Valkyrie-Favor]

Chrono Trigger is really easy. No breaking required - that would probably take longer than just winning the game

[Xeogred]

Doing the side quests basically breaks the game in itself, when you get the Rainbow sword it's game over.

[Gamerforlife]

There were items in Chrono Trigger that increased a stat if I remember correctly. Those can be really useful, especially on new game plus playthroughs. I remember abusing those on my Chrono and his speed was insane. He was attacking the last boss CONSTANTLY

Xenogears is one where I remember the mech fights being the toughest part of the game. Be prepared for those. The regular battles weren't too bad and it's really just fun trying out all the different combos the characters had. I do remember Citan being pretty powerful though. He's fun. Fei gets pretty strong too