Mega Man X Items FAQ Table of Contents I - Introduction 001.0 - Contact Info 002.0 - Legal Info 003.0 - Version History II - Items 001.0 - Heart Tanks 002.0 - Sub-Tanks 003.0 - Miscellaneous Items 004.0 - Enhancements 005.0 - Weapons 006.0 - The Hadouken Welcome to my Mega Man X Items FAQ. Any questions, comments, corrections, or contributions are welcome, my email is tarrun75(at)gmail(dot)com. Please make sure to add something related to Mega Man X in the subject line so I don't have to figure out what game you're talking about. Questions regarding something that's already covered in the guide will not be answered. Credit will be given to anything sent to me that I add or major corrections. For corrections, please email me only if it's something really important, something that will clearly confuse anyone reading. Legal information: This document is copyrighted Tarrun 2008. This guide may not be reproduced under any circumstance except for personal or private use. It may not be placed on any web site, magazine or otherwise distributed publicly without advanced written permission. This guide may not be used for profit, and may only be used on gamefaqs.com. Use of this work on any other web site besides the ones noted above or as a part of any public display is a violation of copyright and is strictly prohibited. Version History: First Submission: Version 1.0 II - Items 001.0 - Heart Tanks X begins the game extremely weak, and this is never more apparent than in his pitifully small energy meter, which has a meager sixteen bars. However, you can find eight heart tanks - one in each stage - to increase his maximum energy by two units, sixteen in total. That's right, you can double X's maximum energy by the end of the game! - Chill Penguin's Stage - To prevent the player from keeping the Ride Armor for too long, there's a blue pillar that the Ride Armor can't jump over. Directly above here, on top of the caves you just left, is an area you can be reached by performing a dash-jump. Use the Flame Wave to destroy the second igloo and grab the heart tank. Unfortunately, since most players take on Chill Penguin first, you may have to come back for this one later. - Storm Eagle's Stage - Ride of the platforms in the very beginning of the stage, and perform a dash-jump at the very top to the left. You'll wind up on top of the building where you begin, and the heart tank is right there. - Spark Mandrill's Stage - After a Mega Tortoise at the end of one of the dark areas, you'll see the heart tank on a platform in the very right corner of the area. You can either use the Boomerang Cutter to snag it, or simply jump from the wall and climb up to reach it. Both are tricky, and both will likely require several attempts. - Flame Mammoth's Stage - After defeating Chill Penguin, the lava in Flame Mammoth's stage will cool and solidify, allowing you to walk on it. You'll find a heart tank at the end of an area with platforms and several Dig Labors. - Armored Armadillo's Stage - Fall down the long, open area and immediately begin attacking the tank with the spikes in the front. It is possible to destroy it with the X-Buster, but if you're having trouble you can use the Flame Wave to make things easier. If you destroy it before it passes the ledge with the heart tank, you can climb up and grab it. Otherwise, the tank will destroy the rock formation and make it even with the ceiling, which is too high for X to reach. - Launch Octopus's Stage - Jump onto the ship that's launching missiles at you to uncover a hidden area below the level. Destroy the Sea Snake in the underground cavern to open a room in the right corner containing a heart tank. - Boomer Kuwanger's Stage - Just before entering the tower itself, you'll see a small platform that juts out just before the entrance with the heart tank sitting on it. Use the Boomerang Cutter to claim your prize. - Sting Chameleon's Stage - After defeating Launch Octopus, there's a small pit just before the caves and the armor enhancement. Slide down and break the rocks with your boots, and then jump to the platform on the other side of the cavern to find the heart tank. 002.0 - Sub-Tanks Instead of the E-Tanks from the original Mega Man series, X has Sub- Tanks to accomplish the same goal. Once you find a Sub-Tank, any energy capsules you collect when X has full energy will be stored in any available Sub-Tanks. Should X ever be in a tight situation and need to recover, you can tap into these reserves to boost X's health. A full Sub-Tank will recover X's entire energy meter, and unlike E-Tanks, you can reuse Sub-Tanks as many times as you want as long as you refill them. The only drawback is that the passwords don't remember if any of your Sub-Tanks were full, so you'll always have to refill them when you return to play. - Storm Eagle's Stage - Jump onto the platform that rises up and shoot the glass windows of the building to create a path. Destroy the Gun Volt inside, and collect the Sub-Tank behind it. - Spark Mandrill's Stage - Near the beginning of the level, the area will branch off into two sections, with one ladder leading up and another leading down. Head down and follow this path to the right until you come across the Sub-Tank behind a pipe. Use the Boomerang Cutter to obtain it. - Flame Mammoth's Stage - In the same room with platforms and Dig Labors where the heart tank was, make your way to the top of the platforms and head to the left past some Mettools. At the end is an extra life, and you'll find the Sub-Tank if you jump from here and climb up the left wall. Use the boots to break through the blocks. - Armored Armadillo's Stage - After dropping down into the mines, a tank with spikes will break through a rock wall and chase after you. Hang around on the wall and allow it to pass you, and explore the cubby where the tank was to find the Sub-Tank. 003.0 - Miscellaneous Items Besides heart tanks and Sub-Tanks, there are a few other items that will help X as he blasts his way through the various stages. A list of these items and their uses can be found below. - Small Energy Capsule - These small, golden capsules refill X's energy meter by two units. They're rarely found throughout the levels, but enemies frequently drop them when destroyed. If you have full energy and empty Sub-Tanks, the energy will be stored there. - Large Energy Capsule - A much larger version of the energy capsule that recovers eight units of energy instead of two. Enemies can also drop these, but they're often found placed in the stages themselves as well. - Small Weapon Capsule - If any of X's weapons meters are low, these small, blue capsules will recover them. Even if you're currently equipped with a weapon that's full, the capsule will transfer to another that does need it. Weapon capsules are dropped by destroyed enemies. - Large Weapon Capsule - Similar to the larger energy capsules, the upgraded weapon capsule is a more effective version, and can also be dropped by enemies. - Extra Life - These helmet icons will grant the player another life and allow them to start at one of the check points throughout the stages instead of getting game over and replaying the entire level. Extra lives are often tucked away in secret locations, but they also have a tendency to drop from enemies, particularly the robot bats. A great way to quickly earn several extra lives is by entering Armored Armadillo's stage and fighting the groups of bats repeatedly. 004.0 - Enhancements It seems that Dr. Light was a clever fellow. Recognizing that the world may need a hero in the future, he stored away several item enhancement capsules that would boost X's abilities. - Boots Enhancement - Where It's Found: In Chill Penguin's stage, make your way to the top of the ice cavern with all of the spike wheels and you'll stumble upon the capsule. It's literally right in your way - you can't continue until passing through it. What It Does: The boots allow X to perform a dash, either by tapping forward twice or pressing the A-Button. Not only does this give you a boost of speed, but you can jump almost entirely across the screen during a dash. - Helmet Enhancement - Where It's Found: Found in Storm Eagle's stage, after all of the vertical platforms, there's a narrow tower of crisscrossing metal bars that you have to climb up. Instead of jumping to the platform at the top, drop down on the other side and jump to the ledge on the right. Destroy the flammable tanks, and enter the room to find the capsule. What It Does: The helmet protects X from falling rocks, and gives him the ability to smash through certain walls by jumping up and breaking them with his head. These walls are unique in their appearance, and they kind of look like Tetris blocks. - Armor Enhancement - Where It's Found: In Sting Chameleon's stage, just before entering the caves, and above the heart tank in this stage, climb up the rock wall and run to the end. There's a mini-boss guarding the capsule, and you need to shoot its head to defeat him. After it's destroyed, the capsule will appear from the ground. What It Does: X's enhanced armor doubles his defense, reducing the amount of damage received from attacks by half. - X-Buster Enhancement - Where It's Found: Near the beginning of Flame Mammoth's stage, you'll find some breakable blocks above the second set of assembly lines (after the collecting the free energy capsule and dropping down). Perform a dash-jump from the ledge on the right and break the blocks with the enhanced helmet. At the top you'll find the capsule containing the X-Buster Enhancement. What It Does: The enhanced X-Buster allows X to fire an upgraded charged blast. As a bonus, you can also use the enhanced X-Buster to charge up your other weapons. 005.0 - Weapons The X-Buster is going to be the workhorse of your arsenal, but the weapons collected from defeated Mavericks certainly come in handy, particularly against bosses. In this section, you'll find descriptions of how each weapon works and how effective they are against the bosses. 005.1 - Weapons Database - Shotgun Ice - Obtained From: Chill Penguin What It Does: X will shoot a shard of ice from his X-Buster, freezing anything it hits. As a bonus, if the shard of ice hits a wall, it will shatter and send small slivers out diagonally and straight back. When this item is charged, it will create a platform of ice to stand on. Most Effective Against: Spark Mandrill is the only Maverick that will become frozen by the Shotgun Ice, and a single, uncharged shot knocks a whopping three bars from his energy meter. You can also use the Shotgun Ice to make fighting the spider mini-boss easier. - Storm Tornado - Obtained From: Storm Eagle What It Does: Firing the Storm Tornado creates a horizontal funnel that slowly spins across the screen, obliterating anything in its way. A charged Storm Tornado creates a vertical column of wind that surrounds X for about one second. Most Effective Against: Flame Mammoth is weak against the Storm Tornado, and receives three units of damage for every hit. However, charged Storm Tornados are devastating against Vile in Sigma's Fortress, and they'll dish out eight units of damage to him. - Electric Spark - Obtained From: Spark Mandrill What It Does: An orb of electric energy will shoot across the screen when used. The charged variation creates two vertical columns - one on either side of X - and flies to the sides of the screen. Most Effective Against: The Electric Spark weapon is one of the more useful attacks in the game, since it does double damage to both Vile and Sigma at two energy units. However, poor Armored Armadillo gets the worst of it - uncharged shots deal three units of damage, while charged shots double that. Also, attacking Armored Armadillo with Electric Spark will destroy his shield, which normally absorbs your X-Buster shots. - Flame Wave - Obtained From: Flame Mammoth What It Does: The X-Buster becomes Flame Mammoth's trunk, as a continuous jet of fire will be released. It's doesn't have much reach, however. The charged Flame Wave creates an actual wave about as tall as X himself that runs along the ground in front of you, destroying anything in its path. Most Effective Against: Capcom couldn't resist the juxtaposition between fire and ice, so Chill Penguin takes the most damage from the Flame Wave, three energy units from an uncharged blast and four from a charged one. You will have to wait until Chill Penguin's invulnerability wears off following a hit before another one registers. However, this isn't the case for regular enemies, so some of the more durable Reploids, such as the mining tanks found in Armored Armadillo's stage, can be quickly destroyed using the Flame Wave. - Rolling Shield - Obtained From: Armored Armadillo What It Does: The uncharged version emits an oval orb that rolls along the floor. It's only when the weapon is charged does it actually become a shield, creating a blue barrier that completely encases X inside. The shield will last indefinitely without draining your weapon's energy meter, and will only disappear after it sustains a hit that would normally reduce your energy by more than one unit. Unfortunately, you can't use any other weapons while the shield is up, so there are very few areas where it can be practically applied. Most Effective Against: Capcom has a bizarre obsession with making the least useful weapon the trick to defeating the most difficult enemies to make up for the waste of space it causes for the rest of the game. As such, the Rolling Shield knocks out four units of Vile's energy and is the equivalent to a charged X-Buster shot against Sigma's final form. Also, Launch Octopus is vulnerable to the Rolling Shield, and will sustain three units of damage when hit by it. - Homing Torpedo - Obtained From: Launch Octopus What It Does: This weapon, along with the Boomerang Cutter, is one of the more useful weapons in the game, and you'll probably use it far more during the actual stages than most of the others you'll obtain. As the name implies, the Homing Torpedo sends out a small missile that locks on to the nearest target, exploding upon contact. The charged variation creates a half-dozen of these missiles, and they fly out in all directions to find an enemy. Most Effective Against: Boomer Kuwanger is vulnerable to the Homing Torpedo for two equally important reasons. Not only does it injure him by three and four energy units from uncharged and charged shots, respectively, but also does all of the work by searching him out for you. Thanks to the Homing Torpedoes, you can simply stand in the corner and fire off missile after missile and watch as it tracks Boomer around the room. The second mini-boss in Sigma's fortress can be fought using the Torpedoes while you slide down the walls. Also, as mentioned above, you can also use the Homing Torpedoes in the stages themselves to attack otherwise hard-to-reach enemies. - Boomerang Cutter - Obtained From: Boomer Kuwanger What It Does: The Boomerang Cutter releases a boomerang that will reach about halfway across the screen before returning to you in an arcing motion. When charged, four or five large boomerangs will appear on screen and randomly fly around the room. Most Effective Against: The Boomerang Cutter makes fighting Sting Chameleon child's play, since you don't have to worry about jumping up to attack him. Instead, you can stand underneath and fire off a Boomerang, which will spin up and take three units of energy from Sting. You can also use the Boomerang Cutter to slice off Flame Mammoth's trunk and Launch Octopus's tentacles, which prevents them from using their main attacks. It may also be worth noting that the Boomerang Cutter can be used to retrieve items for you, and in some cases it's the only way to collect some of the Sub-Tanks or heart tanks. However, you can also use it to grab any energy capsules that happen to fall in areas you wouldn't normally be able to reach. - Chameleon Sting - Obtained From: Sting Chameleon What It Does: When fired, the Chameleon Sting will release three green stingers that fly out straight ahead and diagonally in front of you. The charged version is somewhat more useful, since it will temporarily make X completely invulnerable to any attacks. However, unlike the Rolling Shield, you can still attack, but only using the Chameleon Sting. Most Effective Against: Storm Eagle, and that's it. Sure, it drains Vile's energy by two, but there are far better weapons to use in that case. Besides those two, it's equivalent to a regular, uncharged X- Buster shot to all of the other Mavericks. - The Hadouken - Obtained From: Dr. Light's capsule above Armored Armadillo's boss room. The next section is entirely dedicated to the specifics of obtaining the Hadouken, so check it out for more information. What It Does: By performing the button combination of Ryu and Ken's Hadouken attack in Street Fight - Down + Down-Forward + Y - while at maximum energy, X will release a fireball from his hands that destroys anything and everything. Most Effective Against: Everything. Seriously, the Hadouken is the most powerful attack in the game, so as long as you can time the attack correctly, you can destroy any enemy with it. The Hadouken makes the fight with Vile, Sigma's Dog, and Sigma himself and absolute joke instead of the severe pain that they are otherwise. As for Sigma's final form, actually damaging Sigma with it is next to impossible since you have to be on top of the claws and time it perfectly, and even then it doesn't automatically destroy him. That's also not mentioning the fact that you have to maintain full energy, too, which can be a challenge. Still, that's quite a weapon. 005.2 - Damage Chart While each Maverick is vulnerable to a specific weapon, occasionally there's a second or third weapon that can also be used in case you're low on energy for the other. Below is a comprehensive list of each weapon, including the X-Buster, and how much damage it inflicts on all eight Mavericks, Vile, and Sigma. - X-Buster - Uncharged Charged Chill Penguin One Three Storm Eagle One Two Spark Mandrill One Three Flame Mammoth One Two Armored Armadillo One One Launch Octopus One Three Boomer Kuwanger One Three Sting Chameleon One Three Vile One Four Sigma One One - Shotgun Ice - Uncharged Charged Chill Penguin One Two Storm Eagle One Two Spark Mandrill Three Four Flame Mammoth One Two Armored Armadillo One Two Launch Octopus One Two Boomer Kuwanger One Two Sting Chameleon One Two Vile Two Eight Sigma One One - Storm Tornado - Uncharged Charged Chill Penguin One Two Storm Eagle One Two Spark Mandrill One Two Flame Mammoth Three Four Armored Armadillo Zero Two Launch Octopus One Two Boomer Kuwanger One Two Sting Chameleon One Two Vile One Eight Sigma One One - Electric Spark - Uncharged Charged Chill Penguin One Two Storm Eagle One Two Spark Mandrill One Two Flame Mammoth One Two Armored Armadillo Three Six Launch Octopus One Two Boomer Kuwanger One Two Sting Chameleon One Two Vile Two Four Sigma Two Three - Flame Wave - Uncharged Charged Chill Penguin Three Four Storm Eagle One Two Spark Mandrill One Two Flame Mammoth One Two Armored Armadillo Zero Two Launch Octopus Zero Zero Boomer Kuwanger One Two Sting Chameleon One Two Vile One One Sigma One One - Rolling Shield - Uncharged Charged Chill Penguin One Two Storm Eagle One Two Spark Mandrill One Two Flame Mammoth One Two Armored Armadillo One Two Launch Octopus Three Four Boomer Kuwanger One Two Sting Chameleon One Two Vile Four Four Sigma One One - Homing Torpedo - Uncharged Charged Chill Penguin One Two Storm Eagle One Two Spark Mandrill One Two Flame Mammoth One Two Armored Armadillo One Two Launch Octopus One Two Boomer Kuwanger Three Four Sting Chameleon One Two Vile Four Four Sigma One One - Boomerang Cutter - Uncharged Charged Chill Penguin One Two Storm Eagle One Two Spark Mandrill One Two Flame Mammoth One Two Armored Armadillo One Two Launch Octopus One Two Boomer Kuwanger One Two Sting Chameleon Three Four Vile Two Four Sigma One One - Chameleon Sting - Uncharged Charged Chill Penguin One N/A Storm Eagle Three N/A Spark Mandrill One N/A Flame Mammoth One N/A Armored Armadillo One N/A Launch Octopus One N/A Boomer Kuwanger One N/A Sting Chameleon One N/A Vile Two N/A Sigma One N/A 006.0 - The Hadouken The Hadouken is a joke thrown in by Capcom as a final secret item. In order to obtain it, you need to have all of the weapons, heart tanks, Sub-Tanks, and equipment enhancements. There's a common misconception that you're also required to have full energy and have all four Sub- Tanks filled, but this is not true for the Super Nintendo version. I have heard that this is required when playing the PC version, but since I don't own that copy there's no way I can confirm this. Once you've collected all of the items, head to Armored Armadillo's stage. The enhancement capsule that contains the Hadouken is found on a ledge just above the entrance to the Maverick's room, and it's very possible that you found it by accident the first time through, although there was a large energy capsule instead of Dr. Light's capsule since you didn't have all of the required items in your first run. Stand on the mine cart as it barrels through the mines, and as it flies out into the open, dash-jump off of it and stick to the right wall. Once there, climb up to the ledge. Unfortunately, even with all of the requirements met, it's still possible that the capsule won't be there. In fact, it may take anywhere from three to six attempts to successfully find it. There's no way to guarantee that it will appear, so the best you can do is commit suicide by jumping into the crevice and restarting from the final mine cart. To prevent having to replay the entire level, make sure you have at least six lives on hand. When the capsule finally does appear, Dr. Light will be dressed in a Ryu costume and will present you with "a special present". After obtaining the Hadouken, whenever X has full energy, press Down + Down- Forward + Y, the traditional Street Fight "quarter-circle + attack" motion, and X will release a fireball from his palms. While this is certainly cool, the goofy, high-pitched "Hadouken!" that X cries as he does this almost makes obtaining the Hadouken worth your while by itself. However, the Hadouken is also extremely powerful. So much so, in fact, that it will destroy any enemy in one hit, including all of the Mavericks, Sigma's Dog, and Sigma's first form!