There are many characters in Chrono Cross require a certain item before you can add them to your party. One of the more involved is Skelly. This is because you first need to get the Rage Blade, Good Backbone, Heavy Skull, Mixed Bones, Pelvis, and Ribs. All of this can be done fairly early in the game, but you’ll need to visit various locations first. So, to help you, here’s how to recruit Skelly into Chrono Cross.
Editor’s Note: To help provide a sense of context, there are some Chrono Cross reveal about the early events so people know when they can get some of Skelly’s bones in the Other World. However, no one has revealed his past.
The first part of Skelly can be loaded as soon as you get to the Other World. Serge will need to confront Termina, Kid or Leena. This means going through the Fossil Valley. That’s where you’ll find the Heavy Skull and start the Skelly side quest in Chrono Cross.
First, go to the upper path and steps in Fossil Valley. Lie and tell the guard blocking it that you are an exorcist. When you reach the new area, you will hear a strange sound. Go to the head of the fossil to get Skelly’s skull.
Quick aside, in this same area and at the same time, you can get Draggy’s egg. Just go down the stairs to the left. If a guard tries to warn you, you are climbing down to the right. In this area you will see an egg in the nest. It’s Draggy! Remember that if you take it, you will need to fight the Dodo. That opponent is pretty strong, so you might want to come back for the egg later when you’re stronger.
When you get your next Skelly shard depends on which character you sneaked into Viper Manor with throughout the story. if you choose to go to Viper Mansion with Nikki, you will have an instant chance to get his Angry Scapula. When Nikki enters the waterfall, you will find bone fragments if you choose to read a letter that is very visible on the ground. If you decide to go to the mansion with Guile or Pierre, you’ll need to wait until you have Korcha/Macha’s boat and can head back to the mainland. If you go into the Forest of Shadows to the right of the manor, then go left until you reach the waterfall, you can go into the cave under the waterfall on the bottom left to get to this section.
If you don’t add Nikki to Serge’s party in Chrono Cross, your next Skelly will appear in Guldove after you escape from Viper Manor. First, talk to the Element Trader outside the Doc’s house. This person will give you Skelly’s Pelvic Bone.
Before leaving Guldove, you need to visit Orlha’s bar. There is a helmeted dwarf with a main item. If you talk to them a few times, they will give you a Green Tinkler. This is an item you need to explore Hydra Marshes. After leaving Guldove, you can either get the Angry Scapula, if you missed it, or start getting the Good Backbone. Enemies of the Dark Forest are a bit less challenging, so I recommend getting that bone first.
Then you can go to the Hydra Marshes in the Other World. It is east of Arni. First, follow the path to the left to get the Safety Gear. You don’t need to equip it. However, just having it means you won’t take any damage while exploring the area. (Poisonous water.) Return to the original area, and go up the path north. Use Green Tinkler on the tree you see as you keep going up. It will then allow Serge to access the area where Skelly’s Good Backbone is located. Just go east, then go south. Enter a small cave on the bottom right, along the bottom path. It’s right behind a chest. If you investigate with that inner action button, you’ll get Skelly’s backbone.
In addition, you can get an item needed to recruit another character while you are here. On the path leading to Good Backbone, you will see an option to head east. If you go there, you will see two enemies near a treasure chest. Defeat them and open the chest to get NeoFio’s Life Sparkle. You can bring it to Viper Manor’s roof right after leaving the swamp to recruit that character.
The last two parts of Skelly are both on islands that you can reach by Korcha/Macha boat right after leaving Guldove for the first time. If you go the furthest north and go east, you can dock at the Isle of the Damned. Head north in this first area and go to the top left. There is a small cave like the one in Hydra’s Swamp. Go inside and press the action button to get the Bone Mix.
Then go south until you reach the Water Dragon Isle. If you go north of the rocks to the person standing in front, you can talk to them to get the Strong Tendon.
After you have all the bones, immediately return to Termina. Go to the second floor of the main area, and stop at the house to the right of the statue. Talk to the person sitting next to the window. Watch the climax of the side quest, then give Skelly a bit. Once back inside, you can talk to Skelly and eventually recruit him.
Skelly’s innate element in Chrono Cross is black. He can also equip the gauntlet, like Mojo, NeoFio, and Poshul, the other three characters will likely be on your party by the time you get him.
Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
