Mega Man 2 Complete Walkthrough Version 1.0 By Jason Venter jasonventer[at]yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Version History: (1.1) January 18, 2007 - Finally fixed the FAQ so that it references a better strategy for the wall cannon boss in Dr. Wily's Castle, thanks to constant prodding on the part of readers. (1.0) June 6, 2004 - Added information to the table of contents and made other minor alterations throughout before posting to HonestGamers.com. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents: 001. The Basics 002. Flash Man 003. Quick Man 004. Metal Man 005. Bubble Man 006. Wood Man 007. Air Man 008. Crash Man 009. Heat Man 010. Dr. Wily's Castle 011. Stage One 012. Stage Two 013. Stage Three 014. Stage Four 015. Stage Five 016. Stage Six 017. Conclusion 018. Acknowledgements 019. Copyright Concerns Search Tip: You can hop around this guide easily by copying the line from the contents above that corresponds to the area where you need help, then pressing 'CTRL+F' on your keyboard to bring up the box. Paste the line into that box, then search to skip immediately to the desired portion of the guide. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- =============== 001. The Basics =============== As is true of any NES title in the Mega Man franchise, you'll begin by choosing which of the robot masters you wish to tackle first. There are eight this time around, and the order is more optional than ever. It's good fun to try them in any order (and you should do so if you play through multiple times), but for now I recommend the order indicated in this guide. You'll have an easier time adapting to the game that way, particularly if you've played none of the series previously. Also, the order outlined will help you achieve the special weapons that make the whole adventure simpler. Different bosses fall more easily to different attacks. For the purposes of this guide, I'll be assuming you're playing on 'Normal' difficulty. The strategies are the same either way. In general, note that special weapons typically are used only in boss encounters, with the exception of the Metal Blade ability. This will truly be your friend, and will allow you to easily cut through most enemies in the game. The guide will advise you to tackle him early on for that reason. When you have that ability equipped, many enemies will drop the items that refill your special weapons gauge. Also, it depletes slowly. Not only that, but you can easily fire multiple shots in any of eight directions. It's a truly wonderful weapon. If you ever find yourself running short on special weapons, most every stage will allow you to easily refill by providing places were simple, one-shot enemies re-spawn constantly. Just move back and forth, taking them out and filling up your weapon as necessary. You'll do just fine. New to this title also are energy tanks. You can carry up to four at a time, though you really shouldn't need them until the last portions of Dr. Wily's Castle. There are around 8 energy tanks in the game. Got the basics down? Good. Let's get cracking! ============== 002. Flash Man ============== This stage is the perfect starting point, whether you're a Mega Man pro or just taking your first step as the blue bomber. The stage is a sparkly blue one, with mostly simple enemies until the very end. Most of the difficult foes can be avoided, or fall to a few shots from the standard arm cannon. Begin by heading to the right along the ledge. There's no threat until you reach the end. Below, you'll see a red-hued robot shooting regular shots at the base of the ledge where you stand. Drop down between shots. Even if you take a hit, it won't do much damage. Once you land, immediately let loose with a barrage of shots. When that robot is toast, proceed to the right along the lowest level. You'll want to move quickly, as the tier above you hosts two more of the red-colored robots. The won't hit you with their shots by default, for the most part, but if you stop to smell the roses, they'll change the arc of their shots and give it a good effort. Beyond those robots, you'll find a ledge to jump to, where there's another red robot. Take him out quickly, then hop up another level and continue to the right. You'll drop down to the lower portion of the screen again, so keep moving until you come to the wall, then jump back up toward the left and take out the red robot that waits there. Now hop back to the right and drop down the pit. When you land, look left and be prepared to shoot the giant mech a robot is riding. It will take around five or six shots to destroy the machine, and you'll probably want to make small hops as you shoot to avoid any shots it might fire. Avoid contact, as a direct blow will do quite a bit of damage to your life meter. When you shoot the mechanical legs enough, the machine will explode and its rider will then fall to your level. This guy carries a shield, and will only be weak when he has turned to fire at you. When he does, hit him with three quick shots, and be prepared to hop over each of the shots he himself fires. He'll then shield himself again. When he's firing next, three more shots should finish the job you started. Now that you've done that, drop down the pit to the left and hold left against the wall until you land on the ledge. Shoot the red robot to your right, then drop down the left pit yet again. When you land, walk left and drop down that pit. It's a long fall, but hold left until you land and see a marching pillar column to your right. Jump so that when you shoot, your bullets hit the face. With this guy out of commission, drop down the pit just to the right. At this juncture, you'll be near the top of the screen, on a set of small platforms with another of the leggy robot mechs below. You have two opportunities worth your consideration. The first is to hop across the gaps and fall down the right of the two pits (don't fall down the left one, or you'll have to fight more enemies and miss out on the opportunity to grab an energy tank). If you're low on life, you may prefer the second option, which is to hop quickly to the right side of the screen, fall along the wall, and land in the tiny hole with an energy refill. If you choose this method, you should then quickly turn left, take out the robot mech, then his rider. The good news is that as long as you stay in that groove, you won't have to worry about dodging the smaller robot's fire (though until you've taken out the mech, its shots pose a threat). Either way, you should end up dropping down the right of the two pits on this screen, as referenced previously. Now, walk to the right and notice more of the mech robots below. There are two of them that you have avoided by taking the route I outlined. You can thank me later. When you reach the end of the first ledge you're on, you'll see a series of single-block ledges. The gaps are wide, so practice your jumping skills to get all the way across to the opposite ledge, where you will find an energy tank. Below, you'll see a ledge with another mech robot. This one, you'll soon have to fight. Once you've retrieved the energy tank, head back left, then drop down to the lower level. Walk to the right, hop onto the ledge, and sidle to the right. Defeat the robot and rider (be careful not to get knocked back by enemy shots, as this may result in causing another mech to appear when you head back right), and from there you can take a long leap to the right to pass through the gate leading to the level's robot master. --------- Flash Man --------- Your first robot boss encounter will be a piece of cake. His primary weakness is the bubble lead, which you don't have yet if you're following this guide strictly. Regular arm cannon fire works smashingly, however. Just stand near the gate where you start, jumping and shooting for all you're worth. He'll likely fall to your shots before he even gets close enough to touch you. If not, be ready to switch sides of the screen. When you hop a lot, Flash Man will pull out his special attack, a move that freezes you where you are so he can take a few shots at you with his own arm cannon. This will only happen during extended fights, for the most part. So, if you've followed the strategy in the previous paragraph, it's a likely non-issue. If you do have to hop around a lot, at least you have the ledges at various elevations working in your favor. During an extended fight, contact is almost inevitable, so be prepared. When you win, you'll gain his time freeze ability, as well as the special weapon. Password: A-2, C-1,2,4,5, D-3, E-1,2,3 ============== 003. Quick Man ============== With your new special ability in hand, it's time next to face Quick Man's deviously constructed stage. For newer players, this is one of the hardest parts of the game, but it'll be no sweat if you keep a cool head. From the start, use your platform item (number three) to ride the wall to the left up to a ledge where a 1-up icon rests. With that collected, go ahead and drop down the pit at the center of the room. In the next screen, short red stations send out projectiles. You'll want to avoid the shots as you cross over the two small recesses and continue, though it's hard to do so. Once you drop down the pit on the left side of that screen, you'll want to head to the pit on the right side of the screen to drop down that, as well. Before you do, pause to catch your breath. The next section is one of the two difficult portions of the stage. In the coming corridors, beams will quickly flash across the screen in set areas. Getting caught by one of those is instant death. You'll have to move with the speed of a fleeing gazelle to avoid them, and you'll likely need to memorize their positions. Fall into the first screen and hold left as you do so. Descend the steps quickly, and fall down the gap on the left side of the screen. Now as you continue falling through this screen, hold to the right. You'll fall down to the next screen, where you should hold right yet again. However, note the narrow ledge near the bottom. You will likely land on it briefly. When you do, walk right far enough so that you immediately fall off it, and drop down into the next screen. Now hold slightly left and you'll land on a ledge next to another 1-up icon, which you of course want to collect. Drop left from that ledge to collect the game's second energy tank. You'll likely want it for the boss encounter at the end of this stage. Now that you have made it this far, drop down the pit to the left side of the screen, and you're past the first (and easiest) of the stage's two beam gauntlets. The area in which you now find yourself should be simple by comparison. As you move to the right, the screen will darken. There are basically two sets of block pyramids here, so just hop and climb to the right. No pits to worry about, just three flame-tossing enemies. Take them out with your arm cannon shots and proceed until the room lightens and you see a pit to your right. Time to take another breath; you're at the second of the stage's gauntlets. At this point, I should mention that your time-freezing move will pause the beams. However, it feels cheap to use it, and you'll really only want to use it if no other choice presents itself. This is because the special weapon also works great on the stage boss, and you'll have to refill the meter with difficult robot encounters at the bottom of the shaft if you use it during the descent. When you're read, drop down the first pit and hold left. You'll have to work your way around a small ledge there, to drop down the center of the screen before beams strike. As you fall down through the next screen, aim first at the center so you fall through a gap onto a ledge, then run quickly along the left so that you fall down to another ledge, then from there into open space. As you fall, return Mega Man to the center of the screen so he falls through another opening, then immediately hold left. You'll land on a wide ledge, so drop down off its left side, and now hold to the right as you fall down yet another screen. Descend the set of ledges leading to the right, then immediately head back left as you fall down another screen. Hold left so that Mega Man is positioned around a third of the way from the screen's left side. He'll fall past some pointless power-ups, which is just fine, into the next screen. Immediately, head right to drop down to another ledge, then left to drop down from there before a beam strikes. As you fall now, aim for just right of the screen's center, to fall through a final screen. When you land, quickly run left and drop down the pit on that screen's left side, to safety. You've survived the second gauntlet. The stage is now almost over. You now should proceed to the right, past more of the mech robots familiar to you from the Flash Man stage. If you've tackled this stage later in the game, note that Air Man's special tornado attack will take out the mechs in one hit! As you likely don't have that ability, however, just use your normal arm cannon fire. Past two of these mech machines, you'll find the gate leading to the stage boss. --------- Quick Man --------- This fiend is quite difficult, but you can make things simpler by starting with Flash Man's special attack. The best trick is to start toward the right after immediately falling, then let Quick Man jump toward you. He jump has a high arc that will carry him over your head. As he is descending and about to land, choose that moment to use the time freeze attack. This will drain around 1/2 of Quick Man's life, right from the start. As an added bonus, you can safely cross the screen while the freeze drains the robot's life, then turn so that you're facing him from behind. Now, as soon as the time freeze is completely drained, switch to your standard arm cannon and finish your attack as he crosses the screen to try and hit you. Quick Man darts quickly about the screen, true to his name. If he gets back to where you are on the right side of the screen, keep moving back and forth to make yourself a hard target. When he jumps into the air, he'll likely toss some boomerangs toward you diagonally, so be prepared to jump those. Also, be prepared to take some damage from physical contact with the devious robot master. It's nearly inevitable. However, you'll soon find yourself victorious if you keep up the rapid firing. Stay focused and you'll win the battle and Quick Man's boomerang attack. Password: A-3, C-1,2,3,5, D-4, E-2,3,4 ============== 004. Metal Man ============== The lair Metal Man inhabits is a factory filled with conveyor belts, steel traps, and gear-riding clowns. It's a rather cool place and there are two energy tanks for the taking, as well as numerous simple enemies. Begin your assault on this stage by heading to the right and hopping over the narrow gap to the right. When you land, be prepared to push against the belt, which wants you to head left and fall into the pit you just crossed. Press to the right and you'll grab the stage's first energy tank. Now head back left, then wrap your way back around to the upper conveyer belt. This new belt is the first of several that pass beneath a series of spiked, steel traps. Pay careful attention to which direction the belts are pushing as you proceed (you can see arrows at the end of each belt that let you know which direction of movement is encouraged and which is not). If you must, be ready to make small hops both to get in the grooves beneath the traps, and to pass onto the next belt. The traps fall quickly when you get near, but then recede slowly. Only when a trap is receding should you attempt to pass through. Beyond the steel traps and another pit, you'll find what may appear to be safe ground. It's not. As you continue to the right, metallic pods vertically cross the area, rising out of the floors or descending from the ceilings. A few shots will take out any of these, and they frequently leave behind weapon refills, energy capsules, and even the occasional 1-up icon in their wake. You'll have to move slowly toward the right, hop up onto a conveyer belt, and continue onward while still more of the pods assault you. Once you're past the pods, you'll head right through a narrow corridor and find a series of conveyer belts that work as a staircase of sorts. From the top, you can use item two if you have it and ride over to another ledge with a 1-up icon, or you can just take a flying leap to the belt below and to the right. Continue right and drop down that pit. You're now at the stage's halfway point. Drop down the left pit on this screen, then head right while keeping an eye toward the air above. You should soon see a circular gear resting in mid- air. As you approach, a clown will drop and roll it toward you. Take out the gear first and the clown will fall to his doom. If you can, hit the clown with some shots too, in case a valuable item is left behind. As you proceed to the right, you'll encounter several more of the clown enemies, as well as some of those stone columns with the faces. Take them out as is comfortable, until you find yourself on a high ledge overlooking a wide pit. From this ledge, a long jump will carry you over to the far ledge, but you may also notice there's an energy tank in the recess below. I don't bother with this energy tank anymore, though you may prefer to do differently. If you want it, go ahead and drop down to collect it, but know that you'll now lose a life trying to cross that wide gap, unless you have item two (you only will if you've already completed Air Man's stage). Either way, we'll assume you have made it across the pit. From there, you'll have to avoid three spring-like enemies in the next area. These devious fellows move at a snail's pace unless they are touching the same platform as Mega Man. At that point, they race quite quickly toward you, and upon impact will do quite a bit of damage. Hop them carefully and continue to the right until you find the gate leading to the robot boss. --------- Metal Man --------- At home in a room with a single conveyer belt, Metal Man owns his domain. However, you have the boomerang gleaned from Quick Man, so this encounter can be over almost as soon as it begins. Three or four hits from the boomerang will quickly put Metal Man out of condition. Meanwhile, Metal Man himself will be attacking. He leaps repeatedly into the air and hurls metal blades your way. The conveyer belt on the floor will also be pushing you one direction or another. Watch for the screen to flash, which indicates that the conveyer belt has switched direction. Get too close to Metal Man and he'll leap over your head to the other side of the room, then chuck blades from afar yet again. It's an easy encounter with the boomerang, or even with the arm cannon. When you win, the useful metal blades will be yours. Password: A-4, B-3, C-2,3,4, D-1,5, E-3,5 =============== 005. Bubble Man =============== A roaring waterfall serves as the main backdrop for this stage. Mega Man will race along in front of it, then drop down to its base for some underwater encounters. This is one of my favorite stages in the series history, and it also happens to be a piece of cake now that you've acquired Metal Man's blades. Start by heading to the right. You're on a series of wide, white ledges, and the only enemies are giant frogs that sound out little versions of themselves to attack. They send three at a time, and will send more whenever those first three are out of commission (either because you've shot them, or because they foolishly leapt to their own doom). Metal blades work wonders here, and you can even throw them diagonally if necessary. When you leap to the fifth and final ledge, press quickly to the right, even though you'll likely take a hit. This is preferable to standing along the edge and taking a hit from a miniature frog that knocks you backward off the ledge and to your death. When you've taken out the third and final frog, continue on to a series of red-colored ledges. They look almost like logs floating against the backdrop. Hop quickly across them in one set of jumps. If you hesitate, you'll end up falling to your death; the ledges can only sustain your weight for the merest fraction of a second (though it is possible to quickly hop across the whole set of them without causing even one of them to fall, if you're particularly light-footed). Once you've crossed that series of jumps, you'll have no choice but to continue right, then drop down to the next screen below. The hermit crabs here are actually taken out most easily with arm cannon shots. Hit them with metal blade shots and you'll have to use multiple hits. If you have the metal blade still equipped (and you likely should), avoiding them is almost easier. They don't move very quickly. Beyond the first screen of hermit crabs, you'll drop down to another, then another. This one happens to be underwater. Note that when Mega Man is underwater, a normal jump carries him to the very top of the screen! This is important to keep in mind at all times, as you'll find in a moment. Drop down to the next screen and head to the right. The ceiling is now lined with spiked barbs. Just brushing them kills Mega Man instantly, so pay careful attention to how hard you tap the 'A' button as you head to the right. The first hazard you'll come to (other than the spikes) is a giant lantern fish that sends out squid. You can kill any of the squid with a single shot from the metal blades you're packing, but the fish itself is only vulnerable if struck in the lantern. Hit it with five or six metal blades and the giant fish will explode, allowing you to proceed. Next you must navigate a series of ledges, while robotic jellyfish rain down from above. They aren't your main concern, however. Instead, you should continue to take note of the spikes. Because the ledges vary in elevation, the safest technique is to cross the various ones, drop into a recess, then tackle the next ledge. If you attempt them one at a time, you'll do better. Trying to drop diagonally from one ledge to a shorter one just ahead usually ends up with Mega Man brushing against a spike and heading back to the stage's checkpoint, just before the lantern fish. Speaking of the lantern fish, you'll encounter one just beyond the jellyfish, after dropping through a narrow, spike-lined area. The strategy here is the same as before, with the added hazard of spikes to the left. You should do just fine if you focus, and beyond the second fish you'll find two more of the giant frogs. Their little minions swim, now that they're underwater, but the battle technique is mostly the same. Past the frogs, you finally emerge from the dangerous water, and are back at the waterfall. It's still easy to die, however, as you cross a final series of ledges. The problem here is that crabs are falling from the sky. Wait for them to fall and quickly take them out with metal blades before hopping from one ledge to the next, or you may very well end up knocked into a bottomless pit. Across this series of ledges and gaps, you'll find the gate leading to the area's robot master. ---------- Bubble Man ---------- With a fish net behind him and spikes lining the ceiling, Bubble Man must feel pretty confident. Shake that confidence with a few shots from Quick Man's boomerang. Around six shots will do him in, as he glides around the screen sending bubbly harpoons at Mega Man. If you're using the arm cannon instead of the boomerang, note that you'll want to jump in the air slightly after Bubble Man makes a leap, so that all his shots pass over your head but you get in some shots of your own. It will take quite a few shots from the arm cannon, but the battle is still quite simple. Alternatively, you can use the metal blades and throw them diagonally as your nemesis glides about the area. They work almost as well as the boomerang. When you win the encounter, you'll get one of the most important items in the game, the bubble lead. Password: A-4, B-3, C-2,3,4 D-4,5, E-3,5 ============= 006. Wood Man ============= Massive trees and a series of caves that overlook a vast canopy of forest are the highlights in the stage Wood Man calls his home. You'll also want to look for leaping ostriches and giant wolves. Before you encounter those beasts, though, you'll begin by heading right past a set of bats and rabid rabbits. The bats cannot be hurt while they are hanging like balls from the tree limbs, but the minute they swoop down to attack, they're fair game. Have the metal blades ready and toss them diagonally if appropriate, or get below a descending bat and send your shots to the sky. The rabbits are a threat of more concern, as they hop toward you and will toss the occasional carrot. You can leap the carrot, but a better tactic is to send a flurry of blades toward the rabbits before they get the chance to launch a proper attack. Past the bats and rabbits is a ladder. Descend it quickly (you can jump partway down to manage a swift drop, which is a time-saving tactic I employ). You're now in a room with more of the bats, so drop down to their level and take them out with more metal blades when they expose themselves. You can now drop down a pit to the left, into a room with the first of three giant wolves. These guys are trickier than you might suppose, and the last thing you want to do is stand at the base of the ladder; the wolf on the right side of the screen will send an inverted arc of flame that will toast Mega Man. Instead, work right and drop down to a level even with the wolf (you may also hop and throw your blades downward at an angle). About five or six metal blades will spell the end of Mr. Wolf. There are two more to follow, in the succeeding two rooms. You'll have less room to work with at this point, but should still be able to make the trek. Just remember that when the wolf spews his flame, you can jump from the left of the first of the fire, and land so that it has passed underneath you. Repeat this technique a few times, tossing a blade or two at each leap, and you'll do just fine. Beyond the three wolves is a ladder leading up to a room with more bats, then another passage that leads to ledges overlooking the forest. As you head to the right, mechanical apes will latch themselves to the ledges just in front of you. Quickly throw metal blades down at them. About three hits should take out any apes that happen to appear. If you don't move quickly, the beasts will leap up to your level and cause you damage. While this section may sound simple, you also need to watch for the birds overhead, which toss their eggs downward like bombs. If these strike a ledge, they burst and a flock of angry baby birds will fly toward Mega Man, so you want to hit bird and eggs with your blades in time to avert such a disaster. When you cross over this set of ledges, there's yet another ladder to descend. Climb down that and you're in the first of three rooms with the mechanical rabbits. As always, move forward and throw your blades downward at an angle to take care of them before they can counter with carrots. When you pass those three rooms, you're on the forest floor once more. This time, the threat comes from ostrich-shaped robots that prance toward you. I haven't experimented enough to find a weapon that harms them, but that's just fine. Move forward in short spurts, pausing to stand still when a bird approaches. If you stay in place and paused quickly enough, the foes will jump directly over your head when they come within range, and you won't take any damage at all. Continue past the birds and you'll reach the gate leading to the robot master of this area. -------- Wood Man -------- When a robot lives in a hollowed out stump, you know he's going to be cranky. Wood Man is one such robot. When you enter, he'll toss leaves up to the ceiling while another set encircles him and protects him from your firepower. He'll then toss that bunch at you and the leaves on the ceiling will descend as he hops toward you. It's hard to avoid the falling leaves, so instead focus your energies on metal blade shots. You can hit him with one barrage that will take down most of his life before he repeats the same pattern again. Just repeat what you did before until you are able to finish him off with a second set of metal blades. It's a fairly easy encounter. Password: A-4, B-3, C-2,4, D-4,5, E-1,3,5 ============ 007. Air Man ============ Nestled in the clouds high above the city is the chamber Air Man uses for his base. Since there's really not a proper pathway, you'll be relying on giant gremlin heads and the occasional bit of scaffolding to pass through the area. You'll even hitch a ride on some chariots! Start the breathtaking trek by heading right along the gray scaffolding. When you near its edge, the first of several gremlin heads will appear. These giant robot forms are rather difficult if you wish to avoid damage. On either side, horns will rise and fall, and a leap at the wrong moment can damage Mega Man slightly. Worse, it may dump him off solid footing and cause him to plunge to his death. Not a pretty picture. To avoid this unfortunate fate, you might want to wait until a given set of horns has just about finished receding. The only problem is that there are other miniature forms popping out of tubes on the side of each head, so you're almost better off making a mad dash for it with only occasional pauses. It's your call. Either way, the metal blade is invaluable. When you get past the first five gremlin heads, the stage grants you a reprieve in the form of a thrilling set of leaps from chariots. Robots ride these, naturally, and throw bolts of lightning. Take them out before that chance arises with some well-timed metal blade shots, diagonally or otherwise. The chariots move in circular paths, and you have to take out robots before it's safe to leap from one to the next. If you mess up and a leap is no longer safe, the chariot to the right may not immediately want to appear. If this happens, step out on the far left side of your current chariot, so that your toe barely remains on safe footing. When it completes a full, circular revolution, the enemy to the right should reappear and you'll have another chance. Cross over the skies by way of chariot and you'll come to more scaffolding. Here, birds attack by dropping their eggs as you push to the right. Metal blades again are a joy, and you may even get some weapon refills as you go. Push against the far right and you'll find a drop obscured by the clouds. In the screen below, you can use your metal blades to take out the short, red stations and the projectiles they create. Then head to the far left, where clouds obscure another drop to the screen below. Once you land, head to the right once more, using two more of the giant gremlin heads to make the crossing to another series of ledges. A hazard here is the set of enemies in the area. A giant robot sends out gusts of air that will blow you back off a ledge if you're not careful. Three metal blades will disable each of those, but you have to watch out for more of the kamikaze birds in the meantime. Press onward along this series of ledges and you will soon come to the gate that leads to this stage's boss encounter. ------- Air Man ------- As blowhards go, Air Man is the worst. He's also one of the tougher robot masters. When the fight begins, he'll immediately start gusting, and you'll have to push against his breath just to get within range. He also sends out miniature cyclones in what appears to be random formation, and you should hop over these once they break free of his gusts and fly toward you. The problem is that the minute one set of gusts is gone, Air Man will send another. Get too close to him-within striking distance, that is-and he'll hop over to the other side of the screen. Thus, you'll have to attack from medium range. Fortunately, the air tornadoes that strike you don't do a terrible amount of damage, so you can keep crossing over them to get in your attack. And what is it that you use to attack? Why, the leaf shield, of course! The trick to using that weapon effectively is to make sure you're walking toward Air Man as you press the 'B' button to deploy the barrier. This will cause the leaves to go flying in that direction with only the slightest of delays. It's slightly slower than an arm cannon shot, meaning that you have to work quickly. However, two successful hits from this weapon will send Air Man to the scrap heap. You'll get not only his air tornadoes as a reward, but also item two, a rocket jet you can use to cross over the wide gaps that lie ahead. Password: A-4, B-1,3, C-2,4, D-4, E-1,3,5 ============== 008. Crash Man ============== While I'm not sure quite what it is Crash Man uses as his lair, there's no denying that it looks cool. Coppery pipes and bulbous orange containers form platforms leading so high into the sky that the atmosphere loses its color into the murky blackness that hides Crash Man's chamber. Begin your ascent by making sure you have metal blades equipped. They're perhaps never more useful than they are in this stage, and you'll be using them constantly. Quickly take out the three robots patrolling the air above you, and head up the ladders. Those enemies re-spawn indefinitely, thanks to the pipes, so only defeat them if they get near enough to knock you from ladders. In the next area, head to your right past some hardhat enemies. They are only vulnerable when they lift the lids to fire three-way shots, so you might take a small amount of damage when defeating each of these. Beyond is a ladder leading to the first of three rooms with mechanical lifts. Here, somewhere off-screen, more pipes generate an endless stream of the robots. Your goal in each of these three screens is to reach the ladder in the top corner without being knocked from your perch. While you can switch to the leaf shield to accomplish this task, it's more fun to move about with metal blades serving as your protection. Either way, you shouldn't have much trouble getting to the top of this series of rooms if you keep your wits about you. Once you're on level ground again, proceed to the right and take out the moving stone column. Regular arm cannon shots seem simpler here, though a metal blade can do the job just as well if it is aimed properly. Climb the ladder beyond and you'll ascend a few screens to the top. Here, you can look to the left and see another hardhat enemy resting on a ledge. If you try to actually shoot it when it is exposed, its return fire is likely to knock you off the ledge (not fatal, thankfully) and you'll have to climb again. An easier tactic is to simply hop quickly across the ledges so that your second hop takes you to the ladder over the enemy's head while its shots pass underneath you. At the top of that ledge is more even ground, with two ladders and a hardhat. Take out the hardhat, then climb up the left of the two ladders. The next few screens can be a pain in the butt because there are birds that constantly bombard you with eggs, which then burst and send out flocks of miniature, mechanical birds. Metal blades again can save the day, though you may still take a few hits if you're careless. What you want to do as you're climbing is to keep to the left. Keep ascending and you'll soon come to a ledge with an energy tank. If you skipped the second energy tank in Metal Man's stage and got all the others without using any of them on previous boss encounters, you should now have four energy tanks in your possession. Now, you should see that the ledge allowing you to proceed is to your upper right, and you can't quite reach it with a normal jump. Rather than climbing back down the ladders to take the other branch, set out item number two to the left to serve as a ledge. Hop quickly to it, then back up to the right. You should reach the ledge if you do it right (note that item number two should be set high enough off the ground to serve as a genuine step, but not so high that you can't reach it with a hop from the ground). Once you're up on that ledge, it's a simple walk to the right past some robots that rain down from the sky (metal blades take them out quickly, so you can recharge life and weapons energy if desired) to the gate that leads to this stage's robot master! --------- Crash Man --------- If you don't have any special weapons, this guy can be tough as nails. However, you do have the correct weapon if you've been following this guide. Crash Man jumps all around the room, tossing his crash bombs. They do a lot of damage if they connect, and it's also going to hurt if you touch the robot's body. Your best chance is to end the battle quickly. The best way to do this is with the air tornadoes you got from Air Man. In fact, two direct hits will put an end to Crash Man's evil ways. Your reward is the super-useful crash bomb. Only one more robot master remains before the arduous assault on Dr. Wily himself! Password: A-5, B-2,4, C-3,5, D-4,5, E-2,4 ============= 009. Heat Man ============= At the end of a long, flame soaked sewer system, you'll find Heat Man. It's the level navigation that is the issue. Start by heading to the right, as always. You'll need to hop from platform to platform, avoiding the lava flow between them. Monsters will be dropping from the ceiling as you progress, but you can easily take out each of those with shots from the metal blade. There also are more of the robots that look like miniature trash cans. These are produced by the numerous black holes that dot the wall behind this portion of the level. Work to the right and you'll soon come to a series of brick columns rising from the lava. The number of black holes and enemies here quite naturally increases, so you'll have to take out opponents, quickly hop to the next ledge, and repeat as necessary to get across the molten soup. Note that if you are bumped by an enemy and knocked into the lava, you may be able to jump out before your temporary invulnerability wears off. If not, consider yourself dead; touching the lava while not immune is fatal. When the lava ends, the stone ledges do not. You'll have to cross several more that hang over a bottomless pit, before at last you can make a long leap to safer ground. There are more of the springy enemies here, so watch for them as you climb some ledges and proceed to the right, where a ladder will lead you down to the room below. Here, the notorious appearing/disappearing blocks from the original Mega Man make their appearance. It's easy, though, and you'll move past this just fine if you are patient. Start by standing on the second brick from the wall (the one on which the ladder rests is the first). When a block appears to your upper left, hop onto it, then immediately hop straight up. If you time it right, a new brick will appear beneath you. You'll be standing on it, and from there you should wait a brief moment before jumping left, where the room's third brick will appear for a time. From there, you can jump over to another ledge, then descend that ladder. The next room is another lengthy chamber with more of the bricks, as well as the garbage can enemies. Patience is again a necessity. Head slowly to the right. The columns here have destructible walls at their base, if you want to go that route. A simpler method is to just use the disappearing/reappearing blocks to scale them. However, you'll have to risk several bottomless pits along the way. Time your jumps poorly and a block might suddenly occupy the same space as Mega Man, at which point you'll land back in the soup. Take your time to plan the jumps and this section is a piece of cake. Once you get past the potentially dangerous columns, you're almost through the stage. Hop over some pits to the right, and continue along until you see a spring-like enemy racing toward you. Hop up to the ledge, then proceed along it while the springy fellow passes below. Now you have a choice. You can use disappearing/reappearing blocks in the area to make a long crossing over first solid ground, then lava. Or, you can drop down to the ground below and proceed to the right, to a short gray wall overlooking the lava. Once at that wall, you can then use item two and safely fly over all the lava, over the bottomless pit beyond, and to safe ground. I recommend the latter, unless you just want to challenge yourself (and it is quite the challenge). Once you're over the lava and the bottomless pit, you can press to the right and then descend a ladder, to a room with one of the mech robots. Take out his legs with an air tornado shot, then defeat the rider. Continue left, down the ladder, and you'll at last find yourself at the gate to the last of the eight robot masters. Whew! -------- Heat Man -------- Though he's a bit hot under the collar, Heat Man still shouldn't present much of a challenge if you counter with the bubble lead. When he first appears, Heat Man will throw a set of flame columns that rise from the ground. It usually lands between you and he, so you'll have to leap it (and likely take damage) to have any chance at a clear shot. If Heat Man doesn't start blazing at this point, quickly hit him with the bubble lead. However, you should prepare to jump if he blazes, as he'll soon be flashing across the screen, impervious to your attacks. The battle ends when you've managed to break through his defenses and hit him three times with the bubble lead. Your rewards, if you've been following this guide, are the fire attack, item one (a useful platform item you'll have to use in the next stage), and a glimpse at Dr. Wily as he wiggles his eyebrows and flees to his castle. Password: A-5, B-2,4, C-1,3,5, D-4,5, E-2 ====================== 010. Dr. Wily's Castle ====================== Well, you've finally made it to the mad doctor's hideout. You've done well to defeat all eight of the robots, but your journey is not yet over. You're perhaps two thirds of the way, with the worst yet to come. There are a total of six stages in this final leg of your journey. You do not get to choose the order in which you tackle these last stages, and each of them will put your knowledge of the weapons you possess to the test. By now, you should have four full energy tanks (if not, feel free to use the password referenced above after the walkthrough for Heat Man's stage, as it takes you to this point in the game with the four tanks). There also are more tanks in the castle itself. Because the game does not generate passwords for these final areas, you'll have to tackle them all at once. Be sure to conserve your energy tanks as directed in this guide. You'll need them for the final few areas. With that said, let's get down to business! ============== 011. Stage One ============== The first stage of the castle is a good warm-up for what is to come. Begin by equipping the metal blade weapon and heading to the right. The birds you've no doubt come to love will zip across the screen above, dropping their eggs, so be prepared to nip that problem in the bud with some diagonal blade shots. You'll soon come to a short, stone tower, and the easiest way to scale it is to use item three. Hop on board, ride up the wall, then keep moving. There are plenty of hardhat enemies just beyond, so take those out as appropriate and move on until you've reached a second surveillance tower. Scale this wall, as well. On the other side, there's a station that generates projectiles, so use a metal blade to take those out and fill up on any necessary life and special weapons energy. When that is tended to, turn your attention to the stone wall at your right. Use item three again to scale this, and then climb the ladder that leads up into the next screen. You will now be near one of the shielded soldiers, so exercise caution as you take him out while avoiding his shots. Even if you suffer a little damage, you should be fine. The ladder on the right side of that screen leads to yet another armored guard, whom you should take out as you did the one previously. The next ladder takes you up to solid ground, and another of the springy monsters. Hop it as it makes its rapid approach, then go to the wall and climb the next ladder to its top. You now will find yourself looking out to the left, over a pit. There's a ladder in the upper left hand corner, but reaching it can prove difficult. Switch to item one. Now, you will need to hop out using three of the ledges to reach the ladder, without falling too short or gaining too much elevation. If you create a ledge, then jump, then create a ledge, then jump, and repeat, there's a good chance you'll get too high and bump your head just short of grabbing the ladder. Instead, press 'A' and 'B' simultaneously as you make three swift jumps to the left. You'll arrive at the ladder with plenty of head room to spare. When you climb to the top of the ladder, the stage is almost over. Head right along the lengthy ledge, cross along two longer ledges, and ahead you'll see a series of single gray blocks suspended over space. Start crossing those and you'll find yourself in the midst of a boss battle. ---------- The Dragon ---------- As Mega Man works to cross the wide, bottomless pit leading to the right, the game will slow slightly and a huge monster will rise from the depths behind him. Now Mega Man must move carefully while the screen continues to scroll. If he moves too quickly, the next portion of safe footing will not be in place when he leaps. If he moves slowly, the dragon will bump him or his ledge into the abyss. Keep hopping along to the right, until you come to a series of ledges. You want to hop first to the top of those three, then fire your arm cannon shots at the dragon's eyes as it rises to your level. Keep shooting, and watch for the fireball it breathes in your direction. Be sure to hop that. If it bumps you back, hopefully you'll still be able to land on the next ledge just below you and to the right, from which you can continue firing. However, you will want to return to the upper ledge when it is safe to do so, just to keep that safety net. Fire enough shots at his eyes and the dragon will begin to flash, then explode. The first boss is done for, but there are many more to go. ============== 012. Stage Two ============== The second level picks things up a notch due to the number of ways Mega Man can die an instant, grisly death. From the start, have him head right along the descending ledges. There are more enemies that fall from above, so the metal blades are a good safety precaution in this area. You should move quickly. When you reach the end of the ledges, you'll find that a long bed of spikes lines the path ahead. Switch to item two and use it to ride across this hazard. As you do so, hold the 'up' button on the controller. You'll be watching for a set of ladders. Ignore the first one and instead press the 'A' button as you pass beneath the second one. With 'up' also held on the controller, this is an easy jump to the ladder, which Mega Man will start climbing. Once he reaches the top of the ladder, have him walk to the right and collect the castle's first energy tank, then descend the ladder to another ledge where a 1-up icon rests. Continue down past the series of ladders, and you can refill the special weapon energy for item two as you go. You'll also encounter some red robots that shoot bullets, so take them out quickly with metal blades. In this area, you should also see destructible walls that prevent you from snagging another 1-up icon and yet another energy tank. Use the crash bombs to break through and collect that bounty, if desired. From that screen, descend the ladder and you'll find yourself hanging over a bed of spikes. Drop and aim toward the right, and you'll fall through an opening to the safety of a narrow tunnel that waits below. Proceed along the tunnel, and you'll find more of the metal pods familiar from Metal Man's stage. Though you can run back and forth here to collect special weapon energy and even 1-up icons (which appear with reasonable frequency), you may prefer simply to press onward, to the block wall that lies beyond. You must scale this with item three, and be sure that you do not let the steel trap hit you at the top. From there, continue along the corridor, dodging the steel traps that will try and crush you. The space between each of these traps is quite narrow, and one trick that seems to work for me is to run between them, then hop when I'm in one of the openings so I don't accidentally run too far and hit the next trap. It's risky business, but you want to conserve your energy for the boss encounter not far beyond. When you reach the end of this next passage, a ladder leads down to the next room. Here, there are a few blocks suspended over two more beds of spikes. Use the blocks to reach the opening, then drop down through it to the next room below, which has still more spikes. There are more blocks here, as well as an energy capsule resting on a nearby ledge. If you need to, you can use item one to reach that energy refill before dropping through the next gap to face the stage's boss. -------------- Crumbling Wall -------------- For this boss encounter, you will find yourself in a small room. You may notice that it is comprised of pink blocks. Soon, you will see that two of these break away at a time, fly to the center of the screen, and form a speedy little robot that will crash into you for some serious damage. Quickly switch to the metal blade if it's not already equipped, and try to stay near the bottom center of the screen. This gives you the most time to react to wherever the tiles may break away from the walls. They follow a pattern, which you'll soon get down, but it's not a pattern that can be usefully described in a walkthrough such as this one. Just know that you need to be ready to avoid tiles from low along both walls, midway up both walls, the top portion of both walls, and from the left and right sides of the floors. As you defeat more of the flying tile robots, they'll begin to move more speedily. Therefore, it's important that you be ready to not only avoid them as they're being created, but also to hit them with some metal blade shots the minute they've been created. There's no way to speed up this battle. Victory depends on your ability to react quickly and, perhaps, the use of a single energy tank (if you feel you really need it, though you shouldn't). After all, you'll be able to replace that energy tank in the next stage. ================ 013. Stage Three ================ Though this stage is quite short, to the point where there's no checkpoint at the middle, you would do well to not expect a walk in the park. From the ledge where you appear at the start, walk off it to the right, and press against that wall so that as you fall into the next room, you land on a single-block ledge nearby. From here, you can use crash bombs to destroy a twin set of barriers that blocks the castle's final energy tank. If you have all four energy tanks already, of course, you needn't waste your time. From the hole where the energy tank rests, go ahead and jump back out to the block, then to the next block that hangs in the air to its left. Walk off that block and make a straight drop down through the next screen, and to the screen below that. You should land nicely on a ledge between two spike- filled pits. There are more spike-lined pits to the right, with ledges between, and you'll need to cross over the ledges and head to the right. Note that you're underwater, so remember your jumps carry you further than normal. When you see pits that do not have spikes lining them, beware. Giant fish will leap out of these pits if you get to close. Good jumps will carry you over those monsters. Beyond the pits of spikes, there's a low ceiling with more spikes ling it. Continue along that path and you'll soon come to a steep drop ahead, with spikes lining either side. When you fall through that opening, you want to be lined up with the middle of the passage, or you'll hit unseen spikes in the next screen. As you fall into the next screen, you'll want to snake your way through another series of spikes, so that you're again at the center when you drop into yet another spike-lined screen. From here, just fall straight down until you land on a ledge, then loop around those ledges and spikes and drop down the left side of the screen, to the bottom of the passage. Walk right and you'll be able to jump out of the water at last. From this new ledge, drop down to face a hallway with more of the red, bullet-firing robots. They should almost be a relief by now, and shortly thereafter is the gate leading to this stage's boss. --------- Bulldozer --------- This cheerful looking dozer is not as friendly as he might at first seem. When he rolls onto the scene, jump onto the tip of his upper deck, out of range of his smashing fists, and from there jump into the air and start throwing quick boomerangs at his head. A few shots to the face will put the machine out of commission, but there are complications. For one, jumping into the air from a moving dozer is difficult in that your safe landing may change position. So be careful that you land correctly, and don't fall into a fist on the way down or let it roll into you. Also, the dozer sends hardhat enemies out of its mouth, and they make things difficult. However, if you were quick on the offensive right from the start of the battle, you'll probably be watching the dozer explode before it gets much of a chance to try anything fancy. Not really a difficult battle. =============== 014. Stage Four =============== Of all the stages in the game, this is the one that irritates me most. It seems most people agree, too. The first half is a set of trick ledges, while the second is a complicated ride on rails that leads to an enemy I always lose one life battling. To begin, make sure your crash bomb meter is full. If not, grab the two refills nearby. When that's done, climb the ladder directly overhead. At the top, you'll fight a hardhat enemy, then climb yet another ladder. In this screen, some of the floors are not so solid as they seem. Climb up to about midlevel, then jump to the ladder that leads up to the next screen. Yet again, the footing is not solid. You'll pass right through some of the ledges if you try to walk on them. Either keep trying until you figure out which ledges are safe and which ones aren't (a fall isn't fatal, just irritating), or use item two and fly over those blocks to the ladder that leads to the next screen. When you reach this screen, walk across the (thankfully) solid footing at the lower level, and climb the ladder up to the bridge leading over the bed of spikes. There's false footing here, too. You can either run toward the ladder and jump when you're sure Mega Man can reach it (the false floor is just to the right of the ladder), or you can use item two again and fly to safety. Climb that ladder into the next room and-you guessed it-you'll find even more false footing. Note that on this screen, you can cross to about the halfway point on the second ledge up, then use item one to create a platform and ride it up through the false floor to the ledge above (to determine the location of the false floor, just hop until you find the ceiling you can pass through). By riding that ledge, you can reach more solid footing and grab the castle's last energy tank, if you need it. Otherwise, just climb the ladder on the left side of the screen, up to the next screen. At last, you're done with the false footing, and at the level's midway checkpoint. From here, walk to the right, where a ladder descends to a series of four rooms with lifts. You'll want to have the metal blades equipped, if you don't already. In the first room, wait for it to pass beneath the ladder and start its upward climb. You can now safely drop down. Ride the lift until you can jump and reach the ladder on the screen's lower left corner, then climb down it so that you're hanging over the pit of spikes in the next room. Now you should wait until a straight drop will allow you to land on this ledge. Ride it toward the right side of the screen, but be prepared to jump up to the first outcropping. If you try and ride the platform all the way through, other ledges will knock you away. From your new vantage point, wait until the moving platform passes through the narrow opening, then hop back on it. Ride it for a short moment, then from there jump to the right. Drop off that ledge to the next ladder, and descend it into the next room. This third lift room is one of the easier ones. Hang on the ladder until the lift is below, then drop down to ride it for a moment. When you near the short, block wall, you'll have to hop onto it briefly, then from there back to the moving platform as it takes you down to the point where you can drop through the opening. You're now on a ledge in the final room with moving platforms. Walk over to the edge of that ledge, and drop down to the moving platform as soon as it is in position. From there, hop immediately to the single block to the left, over the spikes. Now you have two options. The first is to wait until the platform moves around so its positioned about halfway between you and the ladder, then jump to the platform and from there to the ladder. Otherwise, you can use item two. When you reach the safety of the ladder, switch to the air tornado and drop to the room below. You're now in a long passage with three shielded robots, two of which are riding robots. Take them out one at a time, as per normal, and you'll finally come to the gate that leads to the stage's guardian. ------------ Wall Cannons ------------ The room in which you find yourself is filled with cannons mounted on the wall. The only thing that will harm them is your crash bomb. Unfortunately, most of the cannons are also blocked by walls. These walls can be destroyed by crash cannon shots, but there just isn't enough energy in your tank to do both in one round, even if your meter starts out full. You have two options here. For years, I would follow the first of the two options. However, you should learn from my stupidity and follow the second. Here are both options, outlined in their full glory: 1) The first time you reach the bosses, take out each of the walls, then let the cannons kill you. When you reappear earlier in the stage, backtrack to fill up your special weapon energy again, then re-attempt the cannons. This time, you'll have plenty of firepower to take them all out (the walls won't have reappeared). 2) Use your platform item to ride up over the walls (while avoiding cannon shots) and take out only the cannons with your shots. This will save you the time of attempting the boss with two lives. It's particularly useful if you arrive at the cannons, only to find that you're down to your last life. Who wants to go back and refill your special weapon meter, anyway? Like I said, the second option is superior to the one I followed for years. Use the first option only if you have difficulty with the second and are patient. Also, you can apparently avoid damage from the cannon fire if you rapidly pause and unpause the game just as they are firing. You will blink and the shots will go through you, according to one reader (sorry, I don't remember who). I actually haven't tested this theory, but I figured it was worth mentioning since someone took the time to e-mail me about it. =============== 015. Stage Five =============== This stage is extremely short, and should be rather simple for you. There's no screen scrolling, as battle consists of one screen at a time. You start in a central room, with glowing panels lining the outer side. There are eight of them, and each leads to a boss battle with one of the eight robot masters you've already defeated. They fall just as easily now as they did before. The best order to tackle them seems to be as follows: [1] [8] [2] [7] [3][4][5][6] As you defeat each robot, a large energy capsule will be left behind to restore any damage you may have taken. You should be able to blow through all eight robots with only minimal damage taken. One note: use the metal blade when fighting Metal Man (yes, his own weapon) and you will take him down with only one hit. When you have defeated all eight of the robot masters, a new portal will appear directly overhead, and you can enter it to fight Dr. Wily. -------- Dr. Wily -------- If you've played Mega Man, this attack should be familiar. You're on the left side of the screen, and Dr. Wily is on the right, piloting a giant spacecraft. You should be able to tell where he's sitting, by guessing at the approximate cockpit location. It's pretty obvious. That location is where you should aim your shots. Whenever I fight him, I just use metal blades. I believe I recall crash bombs doing fair damage, as well, but they take longer to detonate. Once you have hit his spacecraft enough times in the cockpit, the shield covering it will shatter. You're still not done, however. Instead, you must continue striking the same area. About halfway through the battle, at the point where the shield falls away, you'll have to work harder to dodge all the projectiles. They bounce along like beach balls, but they hurt a lot more when they connect! If you need to use an energy tank, feel free to do so. It shouldn't take more than one to survive this particular battle. When the ship explodes, you'll know you're almost done. Amidst the explosions and bursts of light, Dr. Wily manages to escape yet again, in his private pod, and the castle's final level appears. ============== 016. Stage Six ============== After such a great adventure, it all comes down to this. Dr. Wily's true lab is hidden deep within the rock crater. After a long fall down a tunnel shaft, you'll have to venture to the right along a hallway dripping acidic ooze. If any of the drops touch you, they do quite a bit of damage. For the most part, they're in single or double formation. Just wait for a drop to spatter against the rock, then move forward. There are two sets of three droplets, and in these cases, you have to move at an even speed once the first drop falls. It's not hard if you're patient. At the end of the corridor, there's a gate that leads to the final encounter. -------- Dr. Wily -------- At last, you've truly made it to the game's boss. When you enter, you'll see what looks like Dr. Wily emerging from a space pod. However, the body morphs. Suddenly, you're fighting what can only be described as a skeletal alien with a giant green booger over its head. Throughout the fight, gravity will be working against you, though it's not possible to see which way things are blowing because the whole room is dark, aside from your glowing rival. Just push against the gravity until you get within range, then jump and toss the bubble lead weapon. Be careful not to waste your shots. Also, try to avoid contact when possible. Touching the alien form damages you a great deal. Hopefully, you still have two energy tanks left, just in case. After about twelve shots with the bubble lead, Dr. Wily will be finished. Time to enjoy the ending and closing credits. =============== 017. Conclusion =============== And there you have it. Mega Man 2 is concluded, the credits rolling. But is the journey really over? Sadly, yes. However, you can still go back and play through again. There are some great ways to challenge yourself. For example, how many of the stages can you play through without taking a hit? Can you beat each of the stages without the use of any special weapons or energy tanks? It's always fun to try tackling the robots in different order, too, and to experiment with techniques other than those outlined in this guide. Also, there are numerous passwords available on this site that will allow you to just goof off and have fun. The journey may well be over, but it's one worth taking again and again... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ===================== 018. Acknowledgements ===================== Thanks for reading this guide! I played through each level as I wrote this, and I think that shows in the way the guide is written. The passwords provided are mine, too. About fifty million people wrote me to mention alternate strategies for the wall cannon area, but there were too many to credit and so I'm afraid I can't give anyone a moment of glory. Other than that, everything in the guide came from my own mind. Go, me! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ======================= 019. Copyright Concerns ======================= Copyright 2004 Jason Venter This may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.