Mega Man X Play-through Guide Total word count: <9K. "Mega Man X" (and all related characters etc) are owned by Capcom. This game guide is not intended to infringe upon that ownership. This play-through is intended for casual/new players. Part I: -game controls -relevant characters -passwords -upgrades -items -special weapons -hazards -Central Highway stage Part II: -stage select screen -Maverick stage strategy guide (Chill Penguin, Storm Eagle, Flame Mammoth, Spark Mandrill, Armored Armadillo, Launch Octopus, Boomer Kuwanger, Sting Chameleon) Part III: -Fortress stage strategy guide -ending summary Part IV: -hadoken (and other Easter Eggs) -other ways to play -Vile and Sigma design influence ---------------------------------- Part I: Controls: standard configuration -A: slide. Speed up dialogue text. -B: jump. Select a Maverick stage (stage select menu). Change number value on password grid. -X: ------ (Ironic that the “X” button does nothing in a game where the main characters’ name is “X”.) -Y: charge/fire weapons (Press and hold to charge, release to fire.) Use sub-tank from menu screen. Change number value on password grid. -control cross: movement. Double tap for slide. Select items from menu (title screen, settings, password, stage select, pause menu). -shoulder buttons: cycle through special weapons without viewing the weapon menu. Increase speed of dialogue text. -start: pause game, view pause menu, select items/stages. -select: -------- *sliding/climbing/jumping on/from walls: X can grab and slide down, climb up and jump from walls. To grab and slide down a wall, either jump or fall towards a wall and press towards the wall on the control cross. To climb up a wall, press "B" while sliding down. To jump from a wall, press "B" and the direction away from the wall while sliding down. (The leg upgrade greatly increases the direction of the jump. Characters: Mega Man X (X): Playable character. Ancient robot sealed away for long-term (decades long) diagnostic process. Rediscovered and used as template for new technology. Successor/replacement of original Mega Man. Chooses to hunt down Maverick "reploids" (robots built based on his schematics). Other: background and supporting characters -Doctor Cain: discovers X buried in remains lf Light's lab. Referenced briefly in game’s introduction, does not appear on screen. -Doctor Light: creator of X. Appears when X receives an upgrade. -Zero: Ally of X. Provides explication and moves the plot of the game before/after fights with Vile. Stage Bosses: Detailed descriptions/strategies for fighting the individual bosses are included with descriptions of the relevant stages. Central Highway: -Vile Mavericks: (fought in order of player decision) -Armored Armadillo -Boomer Kuwanger -Chill Penguin -Flame Mammoth -Launch Octopus -Spark Mandrill -Sting Chameleon -Storm Eagle Fortress bosses: -Vile (2 forms) -BoSpider -RangdaBangda -D-Rex -Velguader -Sigma (2 forms) Passwords: The game offers passwords after a player finishes the introduction stage and the selectable Maverick stages. There are a number of excellent password generators to be found online, including this one: http://www.mmhp.net/Passwords/MMX1/ Items: locations and other information listed under specific levels. Heart-tanks: increase player's health meter by 2 bars. Each of the Maverick stages has 1 heart-tank, allowing the player to increase their health by 16 bars (for a total of 32 bars). Sub-tanks: allows players to refill their health meter. (Accessed through weapons menu.) Filled when player finds health refills after their health meter is full. Found in airport (Storm Eagle), factory (Flame Mammoth), mine (Armored Armadillo) and power plant (Spark Mandrill) stages. Upgrades: -leg upgrade: allows player to slide (increasing their over-all speed), break certain wall-blocks as well as jump (from a run or from a wall) more effectively. Located in mountain (Chill Penguin) stage. *This upgrade is impossible to avoid, and is necessary when acquiring the body armor, helmet, hadoken and various other items. -arm upgrade: allows player to charge their standard weapon an additional level (for a total of 4 levels) as well as charging special weapons by holding the "Y" button. This is the only upgrade that can be found in two stages, the factory (Flame Mammoth) and the first level of the Fortress stages. Acquiring the arm upgrade in the factory stage is moderately difficult. It is impossible to avoid in the first level of the Fortress stages. Charging any weapon while going through a boss door and releasing the fire button allows the player to fire as soon as a boss fight begins. -helmet: allows the player to break certain blocks by jumping in to them, and offers some protection from damage. Found in the airport (Storm Eagle) stage. Not strictly necessary, but useful. -body armor: reduces contact damage to the player by 50%. Found in the jungle (Sting Chameleon) stage. Easy enough to find, and very useful. -hadoken: extremely powerful, and paradoxically limited, attack. Found in mine (Armadillo) stage. See Part IV for more information. *Advanced players avoid getting the leg and arm upgrades by using passwords or other techniques. However, this guide is intended for casual players, and is focused on conventional play-through. other: -ride armor: suit of armor that can be found/captured on certain levels. While riding in the armor, X will not take damage from enemies or hazards. The armor is immune to spikes, but will take damage from enemies. Players will always be forced to abandon ride armor (jumping up/out) before finishing a level. -health refill: refills player health meter. Small icons refill 2 bars, large icons refill 8. -weapon refill: refills special weapons, in similar proportion to health refill. Weapon refills will either fill the special weapon that a player is using, or the first depleted weapon on the weapon menu. -extra life: self explanatory. Weapons: -Standard Buster: the starter weapon for the game. Pressing and holding the "Y" button (attack) will build a charge. Initially, the buster has 3 levels: regular, a second level (indicated by a blue halo around X) and a third level (indicated by a yellow halo). After the player finds the arm-upgrade, the Buster can be charged to a fourth level (indicated by a red halo.) Boomerang Cutter (Boomer Kuwanger): short range projectile, can be charged as a multi-direction projectile. Effective against Sting Chameleon, D-Rex, and (to a lesser extent) Flame Mammoth and Launch Octopus. Standard shot can be used to retrieve items. If X is standing or jumping, the cutter will arc upwards. If X is falling/moving down, the cutter will arc downwards. If a cutter returns to X without damaging an enemy, it will recharge the weapon's power meter. Chameleon Sting (Sting Chameleon): multi-direction projectile, can be charged as a "cloaking" effect. Effective against Storm Eagle and second RangdaBangda. Primarily useful for the charged "cloaking" effect, which makes X temporarily immune to damage from enemies and hazards. Electric Spark (Spark Mandrill): projectile weapon, can be charged to have a wider effect. Devastatingly effective against Armored Armadillo, and effective against Sigma's first form. Fire Wave (Flame Mammoth): short-range attack, can be charged as a slow (but generally effective) attack that tracks along the ground. Despite limited range, effective (with amusing visuals) against Chill Penguin. Homing Torpedo (Launch Octopus): homing projectile, can be charged to yield.... larger homing projectiles (that resemble fish...). Effective against Boomer Kuwanger and when fighting Vile’s second form mid-way through the first Fortress stage. Rolling Shield (Armored Armadillo): ground-based projectile that can be charged in to a force-bubble. Effective against Launch Octopus. The charged shield does not offer the functional invincibility of the Chameleon Sting. But, this is offset by the fact that a charged shield can destroy smaller enemies (making it useful for collecting health/ammunition recharges from defeated enemies while avoiding damage). Shotgun Ice (Chill Penguin): simple projectile weapon that can be charged to yield a sliding platform. The platform tracks along the ground, and can be dropped on to enemies. It is also useful for passing spiked areas. Ridiculously effective against Spark Mandrill. Storm Tornado (Storm Eagle): powerful horizontal ranged attack that can be charged in to a comparably powerful vertical ranged attack. Reasonably effective against Flame Mammoth. Useful expedient against some stage enemies. Stages: The play-through order described below is not the only way to play through the selectable levels. While it is possible to finish the game without repeating any stages, it is impossible to find every upgrade and item without repeating any stages. One upgrade (the hadoken) specifically requires the player to repeat the mine stage (Armored Armadillo) 4 times after the 8 Mavericks have been defeated. (When replaying a stage, players can return to the stage-select screen by using the "EXIT" option on the pause-menu.) Each stage description will list significant items/upgrades found on that stage (including what will be needed to reach those items/upgrades), notable enemies/hazards, as well as a description of the best way(s) to beat the stage’s boss (the Maverick). In some cases, the order that a player chooses and plays through the Maverick stages will change conditions on other stages. These changes are listed under individual stage descriptions. Hazards: Common hazards in “Mega Man X” include pit-falls, spikes (which often instantly destroy X), fire (which damages X), quick sand (which will slow X) and water (which changes the height and arc of X’s jump). Central Highway: This is the introductory stage. Most of the enemies are relatively simple to destroy or avoid, though the helicopter and car enemies are moderately difficult. If the cars are partly damaged, it is possible for X to ride them for a short distance. (Be wary of pits while doing this.) The boss of the Central Highway is Vile. Vile will attack while riding in armor, and is impossible to defeat. When X's health is less than 25%, the game will take control of the fight, using Zero to drive Vile away. It is nearly impossible for Vile to destroy X. (See “types of runs” in the end notes.) ----------------------------------- Part II: Maverick Stages (Chill Penguin, Storm Eagle, Flame Mammoth, Spark Mandrill, Armored Armadillo, Launch Octopus, Boomer Kuwanger, Chill Penguin) Stage Select: The stage select screen consists of a main square surrounded by 12 smaller squares. The middle squares to the side of, above and below the main square are portraits of the Mavericks that the player will defeat as they play through the game. When a Maverick is defeated, the colors in the portrait fade slightly. The corner squares give players the option of viewing a generalized map that shows the relative location of the stages to each other on a map, stats about each Maverick or a picture of the Maverick's stage. (The latter is the default option.) The lower-right corner is a place-holder, and will be replaced a portrait of Sigma after the 8 Mavericks have been defeated. Chill Penguin (mountain): leg upgrade, heart-tank, ride armor The leg upgrade is located relatively close to the beginning of the stage. (It is impossible to avoid getting the leg upgrade.) The heart-tank is located about 2/3 of the way through the level, and requires X use a set of ride armor that is nearby as well as the Fire Wave. After clearing the first pit after finding the armor, jump straight up using the armor, then jump straight up towards a ledge out of the armor, climbing the ledge if needed. The heart-tank is located in the first blue dome, and can only be reached if the player uses the Fire Wave (Flame Mammoth’s signature weapon). The most significant enemy is a ride-armor pilot that is easily avoided if the player uses the "found" ride armor to take the upper path described above (even if they cannot get the heart-tank). Chill Penguin's most dangerous attack is the frost attack, which can immobilize X. Chill Penguin also jumps up to a ring hanging from the ceiling before using a blizzard attack that will move X towards one side of the screen. The best counter to this is to go with the gust and climb the wall. Chill Penguin also uses a slide attack and ice-projectiles. The Buster is effective, if not spectacularly so. The Fire Wave is more effective, with the added value of causing an amusing "burn" effect. Defeating the Penguin significantly changes the conditions in the factory stage (Flame Mammoth). This guide assumes that the player will defeat Chill Penguin before attacking Flame Mammoth, requiring the player to replay this stage in order to find the heart-tank. Storm Eagle (airport): helmet upgrade, heart-tank, sub-tank Acquiring the helmet requires the player to use the slide (leg upgrade). Roughly 2/3 of the way through the stage (after a sequence involving floating platforms), the player will find what looks like a transmission tower. After wall-jumping to the top of the tower (from the left), the player should drop down (to the right). After climbing about 1/2 way back up the tower, slide-jump to the right from the tower. If this is done correctly, X will land on a platform near a wall made of flammable tanks. After X destroys the tanks, a path will open. The helmet is at the end of that path. The heart-tank is located near the beginning of the stage, and requires the leg upgrade. Ride the elevator platforms to the top of their loop, then slide jump to the left. This should carry X to the top of a building, where the heart-tank will be obvious. The sub-tank is located inside of a tower that is similar to the one that the heart is found on top of. 1/3 of the way through the level, there is a gun turret on an "elevator" column. After destroying the gun, ride the column up to the tower, shoot the window and enter the tower. The airport stage consists mostly of running, jumping and climbing between moving platforms while avoiding enemies. There are pit-fall hazards throughout the level. The leg upgrade makes the fight against Storm Eagle significantly easier. Storm Eagle's signature moves are a wing-gust and the Storm Tornado, both of which can force the X back, and eventually off screen. Sliding towards Storm Eagle reduces both attacks to the level of mere annoyance. Storm Eagle's dive-bomb attack is easy enough to avoid. Either the Buster weapon, or the Chameleon Sting are effective. Fighting Storm Eagle without the leg upgrade is more difficult, making the wing-gust and Storm Tornado more dangerous. In this scenario, the player should keep X as close to the middle of the fight area as possible. While there is no way to wholly avoid being pushed towards the edge of the screen, walking against the wing-gust is semi-effective. The best way to deal with the tornado attack is to jump in to/over the attack. As with the gust attack, the player will still be pushed back. Defeating Storm Eagle makes the Power Plant stage (Spark Mandrill's domain) significantly easier. Flame Mammoth (factory): arm upgrade, heart-tank, sub-tank All of the items in the factory stage are located in a room dominated by platforms where X will be attacked by pick-throwing robots. The arm upgrade is located near the lower left of the platform room, and requires both the leg and helmet upgrades. Slide-jump off the lower-left most platform, towards a low section of ceiling made of blocks similar to those near the sub-tank (described below). The player will need to reach and (simultaneously) climb and break through the blocks in order to reach the arm-upgrade. A partially successful attempt (breaking some of the lower blocks) will make a second attempt impossible without leaving and returning to the stage. (It is also possible to get the arm upgrade later in the game, when playing through the first level of the Fortress stages.) The heart-tank is located in the lower right hand corner of the room, under one of the platforms. If Chill Penguin has already been defeated, this is the easiest of the three items to find and acquire in the factory stage. However, if Chill Penguin has not been defeated, there will be fire along the bottom of the screen for most of the factory stage, including the platform room, making the heart-tank nearly impossible to get. The sub-tank is located in the upper left of the platform room, and requires at least the leg upgrade (from the Penguin stage). While the helmet is not necessary, it will make the sub-tank easier to get. Slide-jump from the highest leftward platform. Using the leg upgrade and helmet, break through blocks to reach the sub-tank. Much of the factory stage consists of conveyor belts. If the player attempts this stage before defeating Chill Penguin, the floors under the conveyor belts will consist of flame hazards. The flames will significantly damage X. Flame Mammoth's weakness is the Storm Tornado (acquired by defeating Storm Eagle). However, it is more important that the player be comfortable sliding and wall-jumping (using the leg upgrade) than having the right weapon. All of the Mammoth's attacks inflict significant damage, making it equally important to evade as it is to inflict damage. Flame Mammoth attacks by jumping at/on X, or by using a combination of fire and (combustible) oil projectiles. Un-ignited oil will bind X to the floor. The Boomerang Cutter can be used to cut off the Mammoth's trunk, disabling the oil attack. Spark Mandrill (power plant): heart-tank, sub-tank The heart-tank is located about 2/3 of the way through the stage, on a platform in the upper-right hand corner of the screen. (The best landmark is the mechanical turtle located immediately before the platform.) Reaching the platform requires the leg upgrade to wall-jump off and back to the wall at the correct angle to catch the platform. Alternatively, the player could use precisely angled Boomerang Cutters (Boomer Kuwanger’s weapon) to retrieve the heart-tank. Reaching the sub-tank requires the Boomerang Cutter. Near the beginning of the level. the player should take a ladder down and move right along a dead-end path. The tank is on the other side of a wall. At several points in the stage, the background lighting will dim (at regular intervals) to the point of near darkness. Enemies will remain visible, though pits and walls will become nearly impossible to see. Midway through the power plant stage, X will be attacked by a mechanical blob. One of the blob's more dangerous moves is to throw gel, causing X to be stuck to the floor. The best weapons are the Fire Wave (Flame Mammoth's weapon) or the Storm Tornado (Storm Eagle's weapon). The latter is slightly more effective, as it can unstick X from the floor. If the player attempts the power plant stage before completing the airport stage (Storm Eagle), the first area of the stage will have additional hazards (electric pulses moving along the floor) and the mechanical blob will have a lightning based attack (which makes being stuck to the floor more dangerous). The Shotgun Ice (gained from Chill Penguin) reduces Spark Mandrill to being the easiest boss in the game, and one of the easiest bosses in all of gaming. An uncharged shot will damage, and temporarily immobilize, the Maverick. A moderately skilled player may be able to defeat Spark Mandrill without taking any damage. Attacking Spark Mandrill without the Shotgun Ice is far more difficult, primarily because Spark Mandrill's attacks are nearly impossible to avoid (particularly if the player does not have the slide attack). ----- Item Checklist: Shotgun Ice, Storm Tornado, Fire Wave, Electric Spark. 4 heart-tanks, 2 sub-tanks, leg upgrade, arm upgrade, helmet. ----- Armored Armadillo (mine): hadoken, heart-tank, sub-tank For information about the hadoken, see Part IV. The heart-tank is near the second mole-machine. The easiest option is to use the Fire Wave to destroy the mole machine before it destroys the walls and ceilings that X needs to climb to reach the heart-tank. There are two methods to reach the sub-tank behind the first mole-machine. The first is to land in front of the mole machine and then (rapidly) climb back up the wall that the mole machine will break through. The second is to begin running/sliding to the left, eventually jumping over a bed of spikes. The mole-machine will be destroyed by the spikes, allowing the player to go back and retrieve the sub-tank. (The first method is faster, while the second may be easier for some players.) The above-mentioned mole-machines are the most significant enemies in the mine stage. Their arms cause enough damage to destroy X in one hit (similar to spikes). The defining feature of the mine stage is that X can ride flat-bed carts through much of the stage. The carts make it faster to pass through the stage, at cost in control over movement. (The carts have spikes on both ends, which can destroy X in one hit. It is possible to avoid using the first two mine cars. However, it is necessary to ride the third mine cart when clearing the large pit at the end of the mine. When the cart leaves the mine, the background will change to mountains and a blue sky. Shoot the bird robots in order to clear a path. When the mine cart clears the arc of its jump, slide-jump to the right. Assuming that there are no birds in the way, the player will either land near the door or catch on the cliff-side above the boss door. There is a health refill at the top of the cliff. This is also the eventual location of the hadoken upgrade (see "Easter Eggs" section). It is possible, though more difficult, to jump from the mine cart to the cliff without the slide attack. The best weapon against Armored Armadillo is the Electric Spark (acquired from Spark Mandrill). Armored Armadillo can roll up in to a ball, and bounce around the chamber. The pattern for the bounce-attack is generally easy to predict, with the bounces alternating between high and low impacts against either side of the chamber. The best way to deal with this is to stay against the wall, climbing and falling as needed to avoid the impacts. The Electric Spark can destroy the Maverick's armor (removing the invulnerability but not the bounce attack) if used when Armored Armadillo is uncurled. It is also possible to attack and defeat Armored Armadillo using the standard Buster weapon. In addition to being protected while rolling/bouncing, Armored Armadillo can also deflect ~2/3 of standard shots while standing as well as absorb/redirect charged shots in a sunburst pattern. Returning a charged shot exposes the Maverick's chest to standard shots. (This pattern is easy to predict, but requires careful timing.) Launch Octopus (reef): heart-tank This heart-tank is one of the more deviously hidden items in the game. About 2/3 of the way through the stage, X will pass a ship resembling a whale idling above a bed of spikes. Sink the whale-ship (using the Fire Wave or Buster) will destroy the bed of spikes. Ride the whale-ship to the bottom of the pit. Walk to the right, along the top of the ship, and off the "tail". (The spike on the tail is harmless, which is counter to nearly every other spike in the franchise.) Continue through a corridor that consists of small platforms and spikes. Destroy the robotic eel, and keep moving right until reaching the heart-tank. This stage is the near-obligatory "water stage" found in 8 and 16-bit games, with the standard "physics" (high jumps and slower falls). There are two mini-subs in the stage. Both attack using a combination of projectiles and a turbine to draw/repel X. The best way to attack the first sub is to shoot it with the Buster or the Electric Spark. The second hunter-sub is fought near spikes (making turbine attacks more dangerous). The best strategy is to slide-jump directly over the second sub and land on/next to it, then use either the Rolling Shield or the Electric Spark to destroy it. This guarantees that X will take some damage (through contact with the sub). However, it is safer than the combination of the turbine attack and spikes that a more traditional fight would obligate. Rapidly firing the Rolling Shield (acquired by defeating Armored Armadillo) should be enough to destroy the sub. (Take care to refill this weapon as it is needed to defeat Launch Octopus.) There are two mechanical eels (sea snakes?) in the reef stage. The first eel is located before the heart-tank (as described above). It is possible to avoid this fight, if the player is willing to skip the heart-tank. The second eel is not far past the whale-ship, shortly before the boss door. This fight cannot be avoided. In both cases, the head and the end of the tail are the weak spots. It is possible to stand/ride on the other body segments. The best weapon is the Storm Tornado. When the eels are destroyed, any reward (usually health and ammunition refills) will appear where the head is when the eel is destroyed, regardless of if the damage is done to the head or tail. There are turbine elevators throughout this stage that can be used to reach the surface of the water, making it easier to reach items and the whale-ship (mentioned above). Completing Launch Octopus' level before the jungle level (Sting Chameleon) makes it possible to reach the (otherwise inaccessible) heart-tank in the lower cavern. The best weapon against Launch Octopus is the Rolling Shield. X will need to be level with or above the Maverick (due to the Rolling Shield being floor-bound). This weapon will partly disrupt Launch Octopus's fire pattern. If Launch Octopus manages to jump above X, it is usually a precursor to the whirlpool attack. If X is caught in the whirl-pool, Launch Octopus can drain X's health. The severity of this attack increases if Launch Octopus’ health is lower. Using the leg upgrade is the best way to avoid this attack. The Boomerang Cutter (Boomer Kuwanger's weapon) can be used to disarm the whirlpool attack and some of Launch Octopus' projectile attacks. -Boomer Kuwanger (tower): heart-tank There are two ways to reach the heart-tank, located towards the end of the stage, near the top of the tower. The first method is to use the Boomerang Cutter to retrieve the tank from a difficult to reach platform. (Obviously, this involves finishing, and replaying most of, the stage.) The second method requires the arm-upgrade and Shotgun Ice, along with the ability to use a well-timed slide-jump. When standing below and to the left of the heart-tank, charge the Shotgun Ice (creating an ice-sled). Ride the sled to the right, until it is directly under the heart-tank, then slide jump off (to the right) before immediately angling back (to the left), up to the platform. (This method is faster, but is likely to require multiple attempts.) Despite the emphasis on climbing (walls and ladders) or jumping from platforms, there are only two (easily avoided) pit-falls (the elevator shaft and the right side of the screen while climbing the outer tower) on this stage. One of the few horizontal sections requires the player to avoid sensor beams that will trigger a (near impossible to dodge) laser trap. The best option is to use the Rolling Shield to deflect the beams. However, touching the laser emitters (not the beams) will collapse the shield bubble. The elevator shaft requires the player to dodge a combination of enemies and over-head spikes as the elevator rises through the shaft. (Charging the Rolling Shield makes this area slightly easier.) The spikes will damage, but not instantly destroy, X. The same charged shield bubble used on the elevator section should be enough to let X evade attacks while climbing the ladders and moving platforms on the outer tower. One of the chief advantages of using the Homing Torpedo against Boomer Kuwanger is that it frees the player from aiming at an exceptionally fast adversary. Generally, the best strategy is to fire missiles while dodging Kuwanger's attacks using a combination of sliding and jumping until the Maverick is destroyed. Sting Chameleon (jungle): heart-tank, body armor, ride armor Acquiring the heart-tank and body armor in the jungle stage requires the leg upgrade. The helmet upgrade is useful, but not required, when acquiring the heart-tank. The reef stage (Launch Octopus) must be completed before acquiring the Heart-Tank. The heart-tank in the jungle stage is hidden (some may say dishonestly) in a pit-fall near the beginning of the stage. Slide down the wall, wait for the screen to move down. At this point (assuming that Launch Octopus has been destroyed) X should be in/under water. The right side of the pit consists of blocks that can be broken by wall-jumping with the leg-upgrade or by using the upgraded helmet. Destroy the blocks at the bottom of the wall, near the solid platform. Slide-jump to the right of the platform, then catch/climb the ledge where the heart-tank is. (This jump is only possible in water, due to the "physics" of water in most old video games. The pits on either side of the platform are standard pit-falls.) The body armor is located above the heart-tank. Slide-jump to, and climb, the wall above the pit. After moving slightly to the right, X will be confronted by a large green robot. The robot will attempt to grab and throw X. If X stays out of the robot's reach, it will jump from one side of the screen to the other. The robot's "official" weakness is the Boomerang Cutter (Boomer Kuwanger's weapon). However, using the cutter requires X to be within range of the robot's arms. It is easier to stay out of the robot’s reach while using the Buster weapon. After the robot is defeated, move to the right side of the screen. If the upgrade capsule does not appear, move/jump back and forth. After taking the upgrade, wait for the screen to shift down slightly, and go back to the main path. If the green robot has not been destroyed, blocks will drop from the ceiling along the main path. The final third of the jungle stage resembles a swamp. The player can commandeer a ride armor suit, making the swamp easier to pass through, while protecting X from damage. The best way to defeat Sting Chameleon is to use the Boomerang Cutter (Boomer Kuwanger's weapon). The boomerangs disrupt this Maverick’s attack pattern, making the fight significantly easier. The Maverick's regular attack pattern involves projectile attacks, a fast skirmish attack (using a flicking tongue) and turning invisible. The top of the room is lined with spikes that will damage (but not instantly destroy) X. --------------------------- After Sting Chameleon has been defeated, there is a short story scene, where Zero tells X that Sigma's secret based has been located. Following that scene, the player will be returned to the stage select menu. The player can either select Sigma (lower right hand square) or replay any of the Maverick stages. In addition to going back for any items they may have missed or re-filling sub-tanks, this is also the best time to get the hadoken (see "easter eggs" in part 5). ---------------------------- Checklist: _4 sub-tanks. _8 heart-tanks _arm upgrade _body armor _helmet _leg upgrade _hadoken --------------------------------------- Part III: Fortress Stages After the 8 Mavericks have been defeated, the place holder-square (lower right) of the stage-select menu will be replaced with a portrait of Sigma. Select Sigma to play the Fortress stages of the game. All of the Fortress stages involve at least 3 boss-fights, including rematches with one or more of the 8 Mavericks. The fourth and final stage lacks a Maverick rematch, and ends with boss-rush. The Maverick rematches are no different from the previous fights. After completing a Fortress stage, the player will be returned to the stage select menu. While X's health/ammunition will be refilled, sub-tanks will not be refilled. It is possible (and generally a good idea) to replay the Maverick stages to refill sub-tanks. (The Armored Armadillo and Launch Octopus stages are the best option for this.) There is no way to return to previously completed Fortress stages, nor any unique passwords that will allow players to save progress after starting the Fortress stages. The only upgrade item in the Fortress stages is the arm upgrade (if the player has not already acquired it in the factory.) Fortress 1: arm upgrade The beginning of the first stage is defined by moving X between floating platforms over a large pit-fall. A charged Rolling Shield will be enough to destroy flying enemies. But, there is no avoiding the need for precise jumping between platforms. The first boss in the Fortress is a rematch with Vile (last seen on the Central Highway at the beginning of the game), and is similarly resolved. When X's health meter is low, Zero will destroy Vile's armor, leaving the player to fight an armor-less Vile. After the armor is destroyed, the battle against Vile is like any other boss battle. The best weapons to use are either the Homing Torpedo or the standard Buster weapon. If the player has not retrieved the arm upgrade, X will automatically receive the arm upgrade from Zero after defeating Vile. Immediately after defeating Vile , use the arm upgrade to charge the Chameleon Sting’s cloak effect, making it easier to pass through a hazard/enemy filled corridor to the next boss room (Boomer Kuwanger). After re-defeating Boomer Kuwanger, there is a short corridor that includes mostly weak enemies. This is an opportunity to refill health, weapons and sub-tanks before fighting the boss. The BoSpider is probably the most difficult of the Fortress bosses, and will probably require the player to use 2 sub-tanks. The spider climbs down from the top of the screen using a "web" that forms in random patterns at the start of each attack run. The spider will only move down or to the left/right when attacking. It is difficult, but not impossible, to anticipate and avoid the spider's attack path as it moves down the web. While the spider climbs down the web, it will often throw smaller spiders at X. When the spider reaches the floor, a red circle appears on its back. The circle is the weak spot. As the fight progresses, the spider will move more quickly, becoming more difficult to avoid and attack. It is possible to slow the spider's climb downward by climbing the walls. (The spider will not climb below X.) The best weapon against the spider is the Shotgun Ice. The only alternative is a charged Buster shot. The eye is only visible briefly, making timing particularly important during this fight. Fortress 2: Any player that can reach the second Fortress Stage can probably get through it. There are a few pitfalls that require careful jumping. But, none of it is particularly challenging. The first Maverick rematch on this level is Chill Penguin. This will be a chance to use the Fire Wave, rather than the standard Buster weapon, to amusing effect. After the rematch with Chill Penguin, there is a short corridor with (mostly) weak enemies and several ride armor pilots. If the player can kill the first ride armor pilot quickly enough, they can use the armor to kill the enemies (and refill their health) before fighting Storm Eagle. Storm Eagle's official weakness is the Chameleon Sting. However, the Chameleon Sting is also the effective weapon against the (more challenging) RangdaBangda boss at the end of the level. It is worth using a charged Chameleon Sting while climbing the path after defeating Storm Eagle. The RangdaBangda is built in to the wall, and resembles the face of an orangutan. The "teeth" are a spiked pit in the lower middle of the screen. The face-ridges are walls that slide inward, pushing X towards the spiked pit. The only way to avoid this is to climb the walls. Its attack pattern is more predictable, making it slightly less challenging, than the BoSpider. The Chameleon Sting is the best weapon against the 3 weak spots, all of which must be destroyed. While the walls are open, the weak spots are the eyes, which will float out of and back to their sockets. When the walls are closed, the nose will detach from the wall and attack X. Be careful not to attack/destroy the nose before destroying the eyes. (The walls only open if the nose is attached to the wall. Destroying it means that the walls stay closed, making the eyes more difficult to attack.) Plan to use 2 sub-tanks during this fight. Fortress 3: The third Fortress stage is essentially a boss-rush, punctuated by short paths between the boss fights. The remaining 5 Mavericks are unlikely to present any unique difficulty. However, fighting them in succession (before the stage's unique boss) will leave few chances to refill sub-tanks or weapons. The best places to refill sub-tanks are between fighting Armored Armadillo and Sting Chameleon, and after fighting Sting Chameleon. The health and weapon refills between Sting Chameleon and Spark Mandrill can only be reached using the Boomerang Cutter. This is meant to encourage the player to use and refill the cutter, which is the effective weapon against the D-Rex at the end of the stage. There is another health and weapon refill between the Spark Mandrill and Launch Octopus. It is possible to use the (charged) Chameleon Sting to safely pass over the spikes in the corridor between Launch Octopus and Flame Mammoth. But, the only weapons that can be refilled on the spiked path is (by necessity) the stinger. The Mavericks appear in this order: Armored Armadillo, Sting Chameleon , Spark Mandrill, Launch Octopus, Flame Mammoth. If the player plans to use the Boomerang Cutter against Flame Mammoth or Launch Octopus, the priority should be to save at least 2/3 of the cutter to destroy the D-Rex. The D-Rex, located immediately after the rematch with Flame Mammoth, is a tank that resembles a dinosaur's head. The effective weapon against the D-Rex is the Boomerang Cutter. The weak spot of the D-Rex is the upper half of the tank. The lower half is invulnerable. During the fight, the upper and lower halves will separate while attacking X, occasionally generating an energy-based attack. (These attacks are nearly impossible to avoid.) When the halves are separated, X can safely run/slide over the lower half and attack the upper half. Fortress 4: The fourth and final stage of the Fortress consists of a short climb and a boss-rush. There are two opportunities to fight recurring weak enemies, and refill sub-tanks. However, it is easier (and worth the effort) to refill all 4 sub-tanks on either the mine or reef stages. The first boss on the final stage is Velguader, a mechanical dog. Velguader will attack by running, jumping and firing various projectiles. While Shotgun Ice is the most effective weapon against Velguader, the Chameleon Sting can give X the chance to start the fight with temporary invulnerability. Charge the Buster weapon before climbing up through the door. While holding "Y" (charge/fire), switch to the Chameleon Sting and climb through the door. The game will hold the weapon charge during the boss introduction. When the fight begins, release the "Y" button. (There is some backstory to Velguader's design. See "Easter Eggs" section for more information.) Sigma's first form attacks using an easy to predict and avoid pattern, bouncing between walls at consistent angles. While easy to avoid, contact damage is significant, meaning that it is better to avoid damage even at cost in missing a chance to attack. Electric Spark is the effective weapon against Sigma. Sigma's second form is a large wolf-like robot. Most of this enemy is actually part of the background, with the exception being the head (the weak spot) and hands. The only two weapons that work are the Rolling Shield and a fully-charged Buster shot. The shield does twice the damage as the charged Buster shot, but will fall and roll after being fired. Regardless of which weapon the player opts for, X will need to ride/stand on Sigma's hands in order to attack Sigma's head. During the fight, Sigma's hands will either fire electricity (vertically) or swipe at X. If either hand seems to be strangely "idle", it is likely going to swipe downwards. When this happens, the player should move X on to the hand and be ready to attack Sigma's head. (If the player waits too long, X will be damaged by the electricity fired from the hands.) In addition to the swiping hands and electricity, Sigma's second form has two projectile attacks. The first is a series of energy bolts that will track either to the right or left. Dodging these is a question of judging where X is relative to the arc of attack, and either running or sliding between the shots. The second projectile attack is a stream of fire that tracks from either the right or left. This attack is slower and easier to dodge, but inflicts more damage. In both cases, the eyes will flash before the attack, with the rate of the flashing telegraphing the type of attack. Defeating Velguader and both forms of Sigma may require 4 sub-tanks. ------------ Brief summary of the ending: Sigma complains about being defeated in a generic bad-guy monologue. X teleports out of the room. On the next screen, X is shown standing on a cliff while Sigma's fortress burns and falls in to the ocean. (It appears that Sigma's fortress had been floating before this. But, there is no previous indication that Sigma's fortress was flying before this point.) After the fortress sinks/explodes, there is an extremely heavy/inflected text crawl that was probably inspired by bronze age comics. (Amusingly, the crawl specifies that the dead characters will "never return". Zero and Sigma appear in the second game, and fairly consistently in later games. Vile returns in several games, as do a few other bosses.) The next scene is X running (right to left) along the Central Highway (the backdrop of the first stage), as the sun rises. Half-strength images of the Mavericks, Vile, Sigma and Zero are shown above X. The credits role against a background that looks like a monitor. After the credits, Sigma's face appears on the monitor, making standard promises/threats to return. ----------------------------- Part IV --------- Hadoken: It is probably safe to assume that most readers are interested in this section because it includes a description of how to acquire the hadoken (a reference to the iconic "Street Fighter II" franchise). Fair warning, the hadoken is unlikely to live up to hype and expectations. (In other words, I got the damned thing so that you do not have to.) Acquiring the hadoken is simple, but time-consuming. Despite the theoretical power of the attack, it is a relatively low value move due to restrictions on how and when it can be used. Before attempting to acquire the hadoken, the player should meet the following conditions: -acquire all upgrades (leg, arm, helmet, body armor). -acquire (and fill) all sub-tanks. -acquire all heart-tanks. To my knowledge, there is no password for finding/keeping the hadoken. After meeting the above requirements, the next step is to play through the Armored Armadillo stage (mine shaft) 4 times, retrieving the health-refill on the cliff above the boss-door at the end of the stage each time. Some guides incorrectly state that all 4 runs must be "no-damage" runs. Player's are allowed to take damage during each of the 4 runs. However, X’s health meter must be full at the end of the 4th run. (I was only at full health for 2 of the runs, including the 4th/final.) At the end of the 4th run, an upgrade capsule (similar to the capsules that held the armor upgrades) will be visible on the cliff. Doctor Light will appear, dressed in a gi (similar to Ryu's in "Street Fighter II"), and instruct X to enter the capsule. The hadoken can destroy most enemies in one hit. However, while using the hadoken is fairly simple, there are enough restrictions to make it less useful than some might reasonably expect. -press "down", "left" or "right" and attack ("Y" using standard controls). (This is the traditional button sequence from "Street Fighter 2". The trick is to roll your thumb from down to left/right, and press "Y" while releasing left/right.) -X must have full health and full sub-tanks. -X must be standing. At first glance, the "full health and sub-tanks" requirement might seem to be the main complication. However, any player who bothers/manages to get the hadoken can probably meet that requirement. The real limitation is the requirement that X be standing, which limits the hadoken to ground-based (and less mobile) enemies, making it functionally impossible to use the hadoken on most of the Fortress bosses. The hadoken’s value is further limited by the fact that players cannot even attempt to find it until defeating the 8 Mavericks, meaning there are fewer chances to use it against bosses. An extremely fast/lucky player may be able to use the hadoken against the BoSpider on the first level of the fortress. It cannot be used on the RangdaBangda or D-Rex, due to the requirement that X be standing, not jumping. The hadoken can be used on Vile after his armor is destroyed (which happens as part of the game's story). The hadoken is ineffective against Vile before his armor is destroyed. The hadoken can be used on Velguader and both of Sigma's forms, However, much like fighting the spider, this requires a combination of speed and luck. Another reference to “Street Fighter II” is the effect of using Fire Wave against Chill Penguin, which is similar to the effect of Dhalsim’s fire attacks (engulfing an adversary in flames). ----------------- Types of Run: “Mega Man” games have higher than average replay value because players can decide what order to play through the first half of the game’s stages. Below is a list of suggested run-throughs. This is not a comprehensive list of runs. And, certain types of run (such as “speed” and “minimalist”) may be complimentary. -perfect runs: taking minimal damage or finishing the game in 1 life. -speed runs: finishing the game as fast as possible. -minimalist: skip various items (1 or more pieces of armor, heart-tanks or sub-tanks). A common variant of this idea is defeating the Mavericks (and other bosses) using only the Buster weapon. -killed by Vile: Being killed by the first boss of a game is an unusual goal. But, when the fight is resolved by the game's plot, dying (and breaking the plot) takes some skill. Some players, through a ridiculous amount of trial and error, have managed to actually be hit by attacks that are meant to *miss*, and lose a fight that should be impossible to lose. -chain reaction: destroy 1 Maverick with the Buster, and all others using the weapon gained from the previous opponent. For example, the player would attack Spark Mandrill immediately after defeating Chill Penguin. -power run: collect all of the armor as soon as possible. This is not a speed run (as it will require more doubling back through levels than the run described in this guide). But, X will get more powerful faster. (In real terms, this only requires the player to defeat Chill Penguin, Storm Eagle, Flame Mammoth and Sting Chameleon.) -procrastination: avoid getting armor for as long as possible. The key element of this run is to avoid Chill Penguin's stage (where the player is forced to get the leg upgrade) for as long as possible. -no turning back: play through and defeat the 8 Mavericks without returning to any stage. --------------- Level conditions: In several cases, the conditions of one stage will change if a player has played through another stage. The most commonly cited example of this is the conditions of the factory stage (Flame Mammoth) being contingent on the player defeating Chill Penguin. If the player attempts the factory stage after defeating Chill Penguin, the level is much easier. The most pronounced difference is that the molten metal and fire hazards that define the level are removed. (I suspect that the stage is meant to represent a recycling or waste disposal plant. But, it is commonly described as a "factory", hence my use of the term here.) The wreckage that appears on the conveyor belts includes heads from the eels seen in the Launch Octopus stage. Similarly, attempting the power station (Spark Mandrill) before or after defeating Storm Eagle changes the stage's level of difficulty. If the player attempts the power station without clearing the airport, there will be additional hazards (electric current running through the floors) at the beginning of the stage and the mini-boss (the mechanical blob) incorporates an electricity based attack. If the player has defeated Storm Eagle beforehand, the beginning of the power station stage includes wreckage from the air-ship. (Similarly, the air-ship is visible in the default image of the airport stage on
the stage select menu before, but not after, the player defeats Storm Eagle.)   

    The last (to my understanding) stage to change is the jungle (Sting
Chameleon), which partly floods after the player defeats Launch Octopus.  It is
only possible to reach the heart-tank in the underground cave after defeating
Launch Octopus, because the necessary jump is only possible if the cave is
flooded.  
--------------


Miscellaneous:
    The first "Mega Man X" had several nods to earlier "Mega Man" (released for
the  original Nintendo).  

    While most of the "Mega Man" and “Mega Man X” games organized the Robot
Master or Maverick rematches as a boss-rush towards the end, the Robot Master
rematches in the original "Mega Man" were spaced throughout the Wily stages (the
original games' equivalent of the Fortress stages in "Mega Man X").  The first
"Mega Man X" is similarly arranged, with the Maverick rematches being spaced
throughout several Fortress stages, rather than being part of a single
boss-rush. 

    Boomer Kuwanger (the first Maverick rematch in "Mega Man X") resembles a
combination of Cut Man and Elec Man (the first two Robot Master rematches in the
original "Mega Man").  

    The end sequence of "Mega Man X" further mirrors the ending of the original
"Mega Man", with the main character running from the right to left, into a
sunrise. 
 

    Vile's design has been the subject of significant discussion among fans over
the years.  

    The visual signature of the character (across multiple games on multiple
systems) strongly resembles Boba Fett (arguably the most famous minor character
from "Star Wars" or most anything else).  Over the years, Capcom's design team
has said that Vile was based on Buba Zanetti (a much less known character from
"Mad Max"). 
 
    There is some basis to assume that Vile is based on Zanetti.  Vile
consistently being paired with some kind of armored vehicle reflects the
automotive-themed roots of "Mad Max". 
 
    But, the resemblance between Vile and Boba Fett is undeniable.  In addition
to the iconic helmet design, Vile’s purple/black color scheme was replaced
with a green/yellow scheme (that closely resembles Fett's design) in “Mega Man
X8”.  

    Vile's Japanese name, "Vava", does little to clarify this situation.  The
letters "b" and "v" translate as the same letter between English and Japanese,
similar to the more well known “l”:”r” pairing.  (In that case, "role"
and "lore" would be interchangeably pronounced.)  Using this logic, "Vava" could
easily be (and sometimes is) pronounced as "Baba".   "Baba" is no closer to
"Bubba" than it is to "Boba".  The reader is left to draw their own conclusions
about the genesis of Vile's design.

     The less ambiguous, if more obscure, inspiration for Sigma is “Casshern:
Robot Hunter”.  

     While have been several iterations of "Casshern: Robot Hunter" over the
decades, the basic premise is that Casshern is a robot that hunts down and
destroys other robots that have gone rogue.  According to the game's lore, Sigma
started off as a hero that....hunted maverick (rogue) reploids (robots).  In the
original anime (from the 70s), Casshern had a dog that the Capcom designers have
described (in various places) as the inspiration for Velguader (Sigma's dog).   
 

    There are early designs for both  X and Sigma (published in "Mega Man X: the
Official Complete Works”) that closely resemble character designs from the
Casshern series.   And, the idea of a robot hunting down rogue 'bots is a
constant in the Mega Man franchise.