Megaman X2 Walkthrough ==================== March 18, 2003 Version 1.0 Gestahl AIM: EmperorGestahlX ==================== ----------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Preface This is a full walkthrough for Megaman X2. It should provide you with everything you need to know to complete this game and obtain everything. For the sake of avoiding spoilers, there will be no Table of Contents for the Walkthrough itself. If there's a particular boss you're having trouble with, press Control + F and type in his name. If you don't know the name of the boss, type in "Boss:" with the colon. It will chronologically scroll down through the bosses. If you have any information that I have missed, IM me, and you will be credited with your screen name or a name that you want to be credited with. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- II. Contact Information If you need to contact me, please Instant Message me at EmperorGestahl X. I should be on often. If you warn me, I'll block you. Any suggestions, comments, or criticisms are welcome! If you have any information that I am missing, by all means, tell me, and I will credit you! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- III. Updates VERSION 1 The opening stage, eight Maverick stages, and final stages are all complete. Locations of the Heart Tanks, Sub Tanks, and Upgrades are all revealed. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- IV. Contents I. Preface Explains purpose of this FAQ II. Contact Information What you need to know to get in touch with the author III. Updates Lets you know the changes that have been made throughout the versions IV. Contents Redundant, I know V. Walkthrough (Part I) In-depth coverage of the first level and each of the eight Maverick levels, assuming you only have the X-Buster - if you can't get past a particular part of the game, refer here VI. X-Hunter Strategies Gives in-depth strategies for defeating the optional bosses to get Zero's three parts VII. Ultimate Recap Recaps where every Heart Tank, Sub Tank, and Upgrade in the game can be found, what you need for each, and how to get the secret Final Upgrade VIII. Walkthrough (Part II) In-depth coverage of the final stages, accessed after every stage in the first part of the walkthrough have been completed IX. Additional Tips Tips that don't apply to any part of the walkthrough in particular, but should help you if you still can't win - also includes sections where weapons other than the X-Buster can be very useful X. Plot Information Includes all the dialogue from the game and information from the game manual, in case you didn't notice that this game has a plot and were wondering what it is XI. Tidbits Glitches and other various things you probably won't notice that you might want to try out XII. Frequently Asked Questions Questions that I'm frequently asked, or probably will be XIII. Credits List of those who assisted me in creating this FAQ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- V. Walkthrough (Part I) The name of the stage's boss will be listed. Then, the guide will walk you through the entire stage, telling you where to pick up items as they come up. The stage walkthrough may be in painful detail, so scroll down past it unless you're having difficulty with a specific part. Then the boss will be listed, with a strategy. After that, there will be a recap on where the items of the stage are. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ Game Start [Opening Stage - Abandoned Factory Stage] \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ Since the leader of the Mavericks was destroyed 6 months prior to the start of this game, the rest of his followers have been being cleared out by the new leader of the Maverick Hunters and hero of the first revolt, X. X and the rest of the Maverick Hunters have tracked the last Mavericks to an abandoned factory, and the game beings as you attack the base. The mission begins as you ride in on your Ride Chaser. Your fellow Maverick Hunter is shot down, but you manage to hop off your Ride Chaser just as it crashes into a Cannon Driver. These usually difficult enemies often are the last line of defense, but here, it's the first line, and it starts off crippled. As the game begins, fire rapidly and jump over the slow cannonballs it shoots at you. However, don't expect to use this strategy for future Cannon Driver encounters. Go right and you'll see an enemy on the ceiling, called a Bar Waying. It will extend itself down and latch onto the ground, blocking your path. These enemies can only damage you if you're below them when the try to latch on to the ground - after that, they can do nothing but delay you. Destroy this enemy. Hop up the ledge and charge up. Hop down and go right and you'll encounter an enemy with a screw on its side that hops like a rabbit, called a Scriver. Release and dash right, and your shot should not only destroy him but another one in the distance. Hop up the ledge and destroy the next Bar Waying. Charge up and dash right down two ledges and release at the Scriver, and dash to the right edge of that ledge to see your shot hit another one. Jump up to destroy this Bar Waying. Run or dash right, going down three ledges, ignoring the helicopter- like enemies, called Scramblers. When you get to the large energy capsule, take it, then dash-jump right onto the ledge above the ground, careful not to fall into the electric pit underneath you, which will damage you (underneath which it appears a Scrambler is being created). Either dash ahead of the incomplete legs of the robot or wait for it to move right and follow it, and dash-jump on top of the next ledge. Wait there for the complete Scrambler to dive down and then come back up, and then shoot it (if it gets stuck underneath you, just dash right). Repeat this exact procedure after dashing to the next ledge. Now, dash right, and dash-jump over the long arm, called a Mecha-Arm. If it grasps you, just hold right - when it tries to drop you into the electric pit, you'll get onto the wall, and can jump up it. Go right and jump up the right wall, then off it onto the ladder. Climb the ladder. You will see an enemy called a Slidame above you - an enemy that later on you'll learn to hate. It will fly above you and then start to close the two walls - because of that, quickly jump up one of the walls to get to the top! There will be a ledge right next to the Slidame that you can stand on and be safe (don't move and you won't contact him), but if you get up quickly enough, you can destroy the Slidame will you're at it. Either way, once you're up this wall section, you should hop up and go right. Jump up and climb the ladder. Go right, hopping up the ledge then down two more. Notice the huge robots in the background - intimidating, eh? Jump to the right over the gap to get a large energy capsule if you need it, and then jump down to go through a gray door. This leads to the boss. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> As you may have guessed by my extremely subtle foreshadowing, you're up against one the first completed enormous robot you saw earlier. Should you defeat this one, though, the factory will be cleared and the rest of the incomplete ones will be able to be destroyed, ending the very dangerous potential of the mass-production of these. The arena is a very unusual one, as it is filled with six columns, half of which are four platforms placed vertically above each other (the second-to-right, far right, and second-to-left ones have three platforms vertically above each other apiece). Luckily, you start on top, which is where you want to be, as CF-0's only weakness is his head. Should you fall, the easiest route up is to go to between the far left and second-to-left columns, as on the right there's an easy wall to climb up. Any combination of wall jumps, ladders, and dash-jumps will work for you, though. There are five parts of CF-0 that you have to avoid - both his hands, both his feet, and his head. Contacting any of these will reduce your health by two bars. If you're on the ground, he'll simply walk over to you - jumping over his feet is VERY difficult, so try to get up at least a level before he gets you against the wall. If you're on the second or third level, he'll jump, and his feet will come all the way up to you. If you're on a higher third or fourth level, he may swing his hand in an arc in an attempt to hit you, and may still jump in an attempt to have his hand come down and hit you. He also may start punching very quickly if you're getting far away from him - this will slam you against the nearest wall at an incredible speed (try it out!), but still only take off two bars of health. He may also try to his you with his head or hands by simply walking slowly. At the beginning of the battle, walk under his head to the right and then jump over his hand onto the next platform, and then jump from there to the far right platform. Stay against the wall and you won't be hit for the remainder of the battle. Now, just charge-up completely, jump, and fire at the head to take a fourth of CF-0's health off. Do this three more times to win. You'll win quite easily. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ After leaving, you see three shadowed figures talking. They're watching your progress and discussing a construction plan - but having trouble with a "control chip". Their names are Serges, Agile, and Violen. They mention having Mavericks under their orders who will stop X - at least until their construction is completed. It seems that another Maverick revolt is starting - one to protect the remaining Mavericks (and also allow the construction plan to be finished without interference). RECAP: As for the recap, there are no Heart Tanks, Sub Tanks, or Upgrades in this level. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ Maverick Stages \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ You get to select any of these eight stages, and can do them in any order you want. You can also return to any of these stages once they have been completed. The order is up to you, but all eight must be completed before you have access to the final levels. If you want to get everything in the game as quickly as possible, your order should follow the following guidelines: Efficient Order 1. Wire Sponge does not have to, but is highly recommended to come before Wheel Gator. 2. Wheel Gator must come before Overdrive Ostrich and Morph Moth. 3. Overdrive Ostrich must come before Magna Centipede. 4. Crystal Snail must come before Morph Moth. 5. Bubble Crab can come at any time. 6. Flame Stag can come at any time. 7. Morph Moth can come at any time after Crystal Snail and Wheel Gator. 8. Magna Centipede can come at any time after Overdrive Ostrich. Examples: ---Wire Sponge, Wheel Gator, Overdrive Ostrich, Crystal Snail, Bubble Crab, Flame Stag, Morph Moth, Magna Centipede---or--- Wheel Gator, Crystal Snail, Flame Stag, Bubble Crab, Overdrive Ostrich, Morph Moth, Magna Centipede, Wire Sponge. However, that could be difficult if it's your first time through. Thus, this order is recommended, starting with the easiest boss and then proceeding so that you always have the next boss's weakness. Recommended Order 1. Overdrive Ostrich 2. Wire Sponge 3. Wheel Gator 4. Bubble Crab 5. Flame Stag 6. Morph Moth 7. Magna Centipede 8. Crystal Snail Note that in X2, there's another thing to keep in mind. After completing two stages, there will be three optional bosses, called "X- Hunters", who will change their location from stage to stage. You will see them appear on the map before you select your stage, so you'll always know at which stage they're hiding. However, to find them in the stage is another task altogether, as they're very difficult to locate. Keep this in mind. 1. To find the X-Hunter in Overdrive Ostrich's stage, you must already have defeated Wheel Gator. 2. You can find the X-Hunter in Wire Sponge's stage at any time. 3. You can find the X-Hunter in Wheel Gator's stage at any time. 4. You can find the X-Hunter in Bubble Crab's stage at any time, but it is recommended that you have already defeated Overdrive Ostrich. 5. You can find the X-Hunter in Flame Stag's stage at any time. 6. You can find the X-Hunter in Morph Moth's stage at any time. 7. You can find the X-Hunter in Magna Centipede's stage at any time. 8. You can find the X-Hunter in Crystal Snail's stage at any time. Note that the X-Hunters will never be found at any stage you have already completed. For that reason, you might want to defeat Wheel Gator and Overdrive Ostrich as your first two bosses to give yourself as much freedom as possible, although this is not necessary. Why is this important? Defeating all three X-Hunters will alter the story later on and make completing the game easier - I personally think it's worth it to complete the game both ways, and to see the alternate plot, you need to defeat the three X-Hunters. Why does it matter if you can find them in certain stages - can't you always just do it later? No. X-Hunters will NEVER visit a stage without its corresponding Maverick - that is, if you've already defeated the stage's Maverick, you can be certain that no X-Hunter will visit there. Also, if you visit a stage with an X-Hunter at it and defeat the boss (either ignoring or failing to find the X-Hunter), the X-Hunter will assume you didn't accept his challenge and you can't fight him any more. You can visit the stage an X-Hunter is at and get anything there and get a Game Over, but if you defeat the Maverick before the X-Hunter while he's there, you can no longer complete this task. Thus, when you enter a stage, you can accept, deny, or delay the challenge. I'll write this assuming you're following the Recommended Order. If you'd like to try an order of your own, skip ahead to the appropriate stage. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ Desert Base Stage Overdrive Ostrich POWER 3800 rp SPEED 9900 rp \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ The Maverick here occupied a hidden base in the desert, and has aimed its missile directly at the Maverick Hunter base! You need to get rid of the missile and the Maverick here. Luckily for you, as the base tried to remain hidden, it isn't very well-protected, and it's a fairly easy stage. Go right and down the ramp. You'll see a pole in the ground. You can either shoot this to make it a ramp or just jump over it. A small round car, called a Crash Roader, will come towards you - these enemies won't stop until they hit a wall, then they'll jump up and turn around. Shoot it or jump over it. Keep going right and you'll encounter a scorpion, called an Aclanda. You'll see plenty of these enemies. They're immobile, so you can either shoot it or jump over it. If you want to shoot it, beware that its tail can throw small grenades at you - it does this after its tail wags for a second (easily dodged with a dash or a jump). If it blinks, it will shoot two lasers at you (jump over both). If its eyes open wide, it will shoot two groups of three lasers at you (again, jump over both, but make sure you're jumping high). Shoot through the Aclanda and go right. X-HUNTER BATTLE! This requires the Spin Wheel. If you've already defeated two Mavericks and an X-Hunter appeared at this stage, jump up to the right and use the Spin Wheel. Go right and jump up the ledges to find the gray door. Go down the ladder, then left. Wait for the Crash Roader to be moving right, then climb down and shoot it. Go right, wait for the Crash Roader to be moving left, climb down, and shoot it. Go left and down the ladder. Go right into the bike, and you'll automatically hop onto the Cheval Ride Chaser. This section can be tricky if your bike crashes or takes five hits, but luckily, it's easy to get through unscathed. Simply hold down the dash button and rapidly fire. You'll hit every Crash Roader and enemy Ride Chaser (called Road Attackers), as well as hit all the poles into ramps. Dashing, you'll go off these ramps and make every jump. After the first pit jump, you can choose to not dash off the second ramp and crash into the tornado source, revealing the secret base, but this does nothing to your benefit and I don't recommend it as you'll have to do the next section on foot. If you do, note that Road Attackers drop small mines behind them, so dash past these, but this guide will assume you just go through with the Ride Chaser. Anyway, the second and final pit jump here is very tough, and you may not make it - I'm not certain why this happens, but I believe you have to hit the pole as soon as possible so that it's completely a ramp as you go off it, and you must already be accelerated - you can't start dashing as you go off it. Make sure to fire as you go over it to hit another pole when you land, but you shouldn't dash as you go off it (so as not to crash, even though most of the time you won't anyway). From then on, keep dashing through the next portion of the base. HEART TANK! If your Cheval survived into the base, keep dashing. You'll make one more pit jump and then get onto this spike section - stop dashing! Turn left RIGHT as you touch the large energy capsule, or if you want to be safer, continually turn left then right to go slowly. The Heart Tank's at the end of these spikes but be careful not to crash into the right wall or spikes or else you'll die. Even if you do, though, you get the Heart Tank. If your Cheval is even STILL alive, turn right as you fall off the spikes. Simply drive through the two Aclanda enemies (without the bike, just shoot the first and dash-jump over the second), and as you fall, press left to slow down (but don't turn around). If you want the Dash Upgrade and have the Spin Wheel, press up and jump to hop off, if not, just dash to the right through the Aclanda to get to the end (or, if you want to have a little fun, turn around twice, then jump off it and watch it crash into the Aclanda). DASH UPGRADE! You need the Spin Wheel for this. Jump up the wall to your left (the one right after the two Aclanda enemies), then dash-jump off it to the right. Use your Spin Wheel on the blocks here. Go right to find the Light Capsule. Jump into it. You can now jump and then dash - if jump down and are about to land on spikes, for example, you can then dash over them. This technique is called an air-dash from now on. Now, go right and kill one more Aclanda, then go through the gray door. Jump onto the ledge of the missile targeted at the X-Hunter base. It will be launched JUST as you get there, but you destroy it automatically midair. Mission accomplished. Now, all that's left is to get rid of the Maverick...who appears just as you reach the ground after falling. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Overdrive Ostrich is the fastest of the Mavericks, and has the most interesting terrain of all of them. Luckily, you can use both of those facts to your advantage. Coming into contact with Overdrive Ostrich will make you lose four bars of health, no matter how it happens. However, most of his attacks involve running into you in some way, so you need to be able to avoid this several different ways. First, he'll start off by running at you. This can be predicted, as he'll duck down and yell. If this hits you, you will be thrown back quite far, and he'll continue charging at you. When he does this, dash away from him until you're going up a hill, then dash-jump away, then over him. Finding a hill is not difficult - the whole arena consists of hill, then valley, with a few flat spots in between. You can even jump over him while going downhill, though it's more difficult. This attack is easy to avoid. Note that while he's running at you, your shots will bounce off him, but you shouldn't be shooting at him anyway. Once you're over him, he'll take immediately stop (which takes a moment), so release a charged-up shot into his back. Overdrive Ostrich will also skip-charge at you. Unfortunately, there's no way to predict whether or not he's going to do this or just charge, as he'll do the same thing. However, your initial reaction should be the same - dash away. Be dashing downhill, then as he jumps dash back uphill underneath him. It is very difficult to dash under him while he's chasing you uphill, and even harder to jump over him, so don't try those. Other than that, it's basically the same attack, so turn around and hit him as he stops after getting under him. Should you dash away from him when he's not chasing you so far that he's off the screen, he'll appear in the background, and once he's at the center of the screen, he will jump. Where he jumps from doesn't matter, as he'll appear directly above you. Dash out of the way. Other than trying to hit you, Overdrive Ostrich uses Sonic Slicer. It regularly arcs downward. To be safe, try to be above Overdrive Ostrich and jump over it, or have him be on a hill and dash under it. If you're at an equal elevation, try to jump over it, but note that it slightly homes and can actually arc back up with enough time (though it won't change left/right direction or slow down/speed up). This isn't used too often, though, and only costs 2 bars of health. Make sure to hit him after he does this, as he'll stay still for a second. Last, Overdrive Ostrich can use the charged-up Sonic Slicer. He will jump into the air, and then a barrage of the shots will come down, evenly spaced apart. Note that one always appears directly above you when they appear, and also note that no matter how far you dash away, you can't get away from them. This is one of the harder moves to avoid in this game. However, it can be done. Do NOT attempt to dash at all. Instead, stand still until you see them coming, then WALK away from Overdrive Ostrich for until where you're standing would be directly next to where you were when they appeared. It can be hard to do if you're up high, but it you only lose 2 bars of health, and you should be able to avoid his other attacks. Just make sure he doesn't land on you, which will take away 4. Basically, just dash away from him, get on the other side of him, and fire a charged-up shot into his back while he's moving. If he stops to do another move, slow down and hit him, then go back to moving. It's up to you if you want to run away and let him jump down again, but it won't give you any great advantage other than maybe a free shot (but you get enough anyway). With his weakness, Crystal Hunter, the battle doesn't necessarily become easier. It freezes him for a second and takes quite a bit off, but he'll then use, without a doubt, his charged-up Sonic Slicer, which, if you can't avoid well, may kill you before he dies. If you want to try it, though, note that you CAN get to higher elevation and hit him after he jumps and before he releases his shots. You have to jump around the same time, and it's tricky. However, if you can avoid his charged-up Sonic Slicer, there's not a problem at all, but it's not a difficult battle either way. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ After defeating him, you get Sonic Slicer. This weapon is Wire Sponge's weakness. The Dash Upgrade you may have picked up on the way is useful throughout the game and necessary for several power-ups. RECAP: [HEART TANK] - Take the Ride Chaser all the way into the base by dashing constantly and firing rapidly so as to hit the ramps and go off them, and ride across the spikes to it. Go slowly by turning around several times to make sure you keep your life. [DASH UPGRADE - Main Drive Unit Modifier (Air-Dash)] - You need the Spin Wheel for this. Once you are past the Heart Tank, dash-jump to the right as you go down the pit. Use the Spin Wheel to destroy the blocks in your path. To the right is the Light Capsule. Enter it. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ Weather Control Stage Wire Sponge POWER 6400 rp SPEED 4800 rp \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ The Maverick here has unknown origins - its creation was a design mistake. It changes the weather randomly for fun, which certainly could end up being dangerous. This stage is an interesting one, as you can use your special weapons to change the weather. Nonetheless, it's also a fairly easy one, and you can get all the upgrades your first time through with little difficulty. HEART TANK! At the beginning of the stage, you should jump up the wall to the left. There is an invisible passage there. Walk left and you will get the Heart Tank. Walk right and you will encounter a frog enemy, called a Croak Hopper. This enemy acts differently depending on the weather. In regular weather, it will stay stationary and shot three beams - one vertical, one horizontal towards you, and one in between. Keep distance and jump between the bottom two. In rainy or foggy weather, it will hop around at you, and release its smaller frog at you. In hot weather, it will fire the three beams once, and then burn up until it dies. Shoot it quickly and go right. Don't jump, because the next Croak Hopper will burn up, because now the weather is hot. Jump up into the tree and go right. You will now see an "enemy" called Weather Cristal. Unique to this stage, the Weather Cristal is your means of adjusting the weather. You simply fire the weapon that corresponds. If you want normal weather, hit the Weather Cristal with the Strike Chain. If you want hot weather, use Speed Burner. If you want rainy weather, use Bubble Splash. If you want foggy weather (unique to using weapons on the Weather Cristal), use Crystal Hunter. Breaking the Weather Cristal does nothing. Jump over it and proceed right. You will encounter a Sole Solar M. This is covered and grass and will come up. It's charged by sunlight for a moment, and then fires homing missiles. If it's hot out, it fires three; if it's regular, two. Destroy it before it charges. Continue right and you'll encounter a Sole Solar L. It's identical to the M, but instead fires a laser left or right. The laser is small with regular temperature and stronger when it's hot. These enemies are easy to defeat, so just do so. Go right and jump over the pit, and then destroy the two Sole Solar M enemies. Proceed right, and let the Croak Hopper burn up before the weather changes to rainy. Continue on and jump onto the torpedo platform. If you want, continue to the right, but I recommend you take the top route. SUB TANK! Dash-jump to the left when the torpedo is at its highest point and get onto the tree, then climb up it, charging. Release and defeat the Croak Hopper (or wait and let it jump over you), then dash- jump to the right and climb up. Go right and defeat another Croak Hopper. Slide down and go left to get the extra life, and then dash- jump out and back to get back up. Dash-jump to the right and defeat another Croak Hopper, then continue right and get the Sub Tank. Dash- jump to the right to enter a building with elevators. The weather is now normal. X-HUNTER BATTLE! Dash to the right underneath an elevator and keep dashing to reach this. A large energy capsule is outside the door. Get on an elevator and simply stay right against the wall - all the Scrivers will jump over you. When you see spikes above you, get off to the right. Go right and defeat a Croak Hopper. Jump over the pit and defeat another Croak Hopper, but be careful, as since it's starting to rain, he'll hop at you. Jump over the Weather Crystal. It will start to get rainy soon, so quickly run and jump over the pit or dash-jump over it. Above you will be an enemy called Sky Farmer, an aerial enemy. He will drop a capsule and then try to run into you. In rainy weather, the capsule will break into a Rightod, which is a small insect-looking enemy with a rod on top. It will latch onto you, greatly decreasing your jumping capabilities, and summon lightning when it blinks, damaging you. It's best to avoid them and destroy them. Sky Farmers may also drop Sabottein enemies, which are basically cacti. They control the weather by changing it randomly. Anyway, turn around and finish off the Sky Farmer that was above you. Proceed right, destroy the Croak Hopper, then jump and destroy both the Sky Farmer and its capsule. Proceed right and defeat another Croak Hopper. Dash-jump over the pit, (the weather will now become regular) go over the stump, and ignore the Sky Farmer. Continue dashing, ignoring the two Sky Farmers, hop up the stump, and go over the Weather Cristal. It will now get hot. Charge-up, jump right, and release to kill a Sky Farmer and its capsule. Jump over the pit, then go right and defeat the Sole Solar M. Now, you should dash-jump to the right underneath the Sky Farmer, but over the Sole Solar. Dash-jump right over another pit, and hop up the Sole Solar or let it come down, as it should be raining by now. Dash-jump onto the tree stump over the spikes and the weather should be regular again. Finally, use a dash-jump to get over the last pit. Keep going right and then jump and climb up the ladder. Go left and get the energy capsule, then jump and climb up the second ladder. Run to the right and the Scriver jump over you, then turn around and shoot it. Jump up the wall, then hop back down, and defeat the next Scriver. There's an Aclanda on the ledge above you, simply defeat it by jumping repeatedly, or jump up the ledge, then to the ledge to its left, then dash-jump to the right over it. Either way, get past it and go through the gray door. Go through the next gray door. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Wire Sponge is very slow and avoiding his attacks is not too difficult. However, he also can block your shots, so you do need to pay attention. He's one of the easier Mavericks. He'll open the battle off by spinning his wire as a shield and then using Strike Chain. While he's using his wire as a shield, all shots at him will be deflected. You will notice that only three X-Buster shots can be on the screen at a time, so firing rapidly at it won't necessarily assure you get a hit in. After this, he'll pull back and release it at you. Jump onto the wall for a moment - release a charged shot before doing so if you can time it right. If you are hit by this, your HP will be reduced by 2 bars of health. If you run into his shield, you will lose 4. He can also pull back without making a shield, in which case his Strike Chain will dig into the wall, and he'll pull himself towards it before hopping back. Jump onto the wall, then dash-jump over him. Be careful, though - sometimes he may jump and do this, in which case you want to dash under him (he'll always be high enough for you to get under him). Again, being hit by it reduces your health by 2 bars. He will often shoot his Strike Chain at the ceiling, and slowly pull himself up, dropping around 5 (could be more, could be less, seems to be random) wires at you. These wires are short and stick to the ground or wall - they can be destroyed easily with two small shots or any charged one. Simply staying against a wall SHOULD allow you to avoid being hit by them after the first two (for which you should just move around and then destroy), but be prepared to dash out of the way if one comes close. Note that if you go under Wire Sponge, he very well may try to drop onto you. Coming into contact with a wire, you'll lose 2 bars of health. Once Wire Sponge has fewer than 10 bars of health, the first chance he gets (after completing his current attack) will be to drop onto the floor (if he's not on it already) and turn invincible for a moment. You cannot harm him during this time. His body will become red until a spike emerges on his head, which will call thunder bolts to strike down across the room. They will hit one after another - either three or four of them. Staying against the left wall tends to be safe, but if he's there or you think it's likely the next bolt will hit there, go to where another bolt recently hit. The first bolt will hit him, then the rest will go from your opposite wall (the one he's closer to than you) to yours. They tend to be evenly spaced. Being hit by one will cost you 2 bars of health. After doing this, electricity will be seen all around him - once this is gone, he'll use this attack again soon. Lastly, contacting Wire Sponge will cost you 5 bars of health - 7 if he's electrified from his bolt attack! He will hop across the room at you, which you can either go away from or dash under. The biggest threat is when he jumps and pulls himself to you, but you shouldn't come into contact with him too often. Avoid it at all costs, as it's very damaging. Basically, stay near a wall at all times. Get to the other one by jumping over him or dashing under him if he forces you to. You should charge-up your shots constantly to hit him when he gives you a weakness, since he's invincible for a fair amount of the battle. He's really not too difficult to defeat. If you fight him with his weakness, Sonic Slicer, the battle becomes a great deal easier. The Sonic Slicer can cut through his wire shield and hit him, and when it hits him, stop him from doing whatever attack he's doing - he'll even fall down if he's climbing up. However, it can't hit him when he's using his thunder attack. Significant to note is that if you kill him with this weapon, he'll be cut in half before exploding. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ After defeating him, you get Strike Chain. This weapon is Wheel Gator's weakness. This is useful in getting several harder-to-reach upgrades. RECAP: [HEART TANK] - At the beginning of the stage, jump up the wall to your left. In an invisible passage, you will find the Heart Tank. [SUB TANK] - When you first get to the torpedo platforms, jump on the first, then dash-jump to the left onto the tree. Climb up and then dash-jump to the right. Defeat the Croak Hopper, jump to the right, defeat the next Croak Hopper, and go right to get the Sub Tank. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ X-Hunter Alert! \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ If you've been following this guide so far, then you have now completed two stages. The X-Hunters have been watching you, and are impressed. They contact you and Dr. Cain at your base. They mention having all of Zero's parts, and challenge you to fight them to get the parts back. Dr. Cain assures you that he has the control chip, so that they can't activate Zero, but getting back his parts so that YOU can revive Zero could help. For those who don't know, Zero was X's ally and superior in the previous game that died to defeat an invincible machine. Anyway, the Maverick Hunters will now appear on the map (accepting/denying/postponing their challenges is explained earlier in the Maverick Hunter section). If you've been following the guide, they will be present at Wheel Gator's, Flame Stag's, and Morph Moth's stages. This means that if you continue to follow this guide, you will fight an X-Hunter at the next stage. Strategies for X-Hunters will be provided as you encounter them following this guide's order, AND the exact same strategy will be posted in another section after the 8 Mavericks (for convenience to those who are choosing their own order). /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ Dinosaur Tank Stage Wheel Gator POWER 9800 rp SPEED 1800 rp \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ The Maverick here was originally a member of the 6th Maverick Hunter Fleet, but betrayed them and was chased out. He's exceedingly cruel, and takes pleasure in destruction - he plans to cause destruction to the city using his aircraft carrier, the Dinosaur Tank. To save the city, he'll have to be defeated. Head right and hop onto the ledge. You'll encounter a Tubamail Generator. This creates an infinite amount of Tubamail S enemies who are released and continue until they're at the same height as you, then quickly charge across the screen and are gone. If you're below where they're released from, they'll just immediately charge and you won't be in danger. Defeating a Tubamail-S only takes two regular shots, so firing rapidly works, as does charging. Anyway, fire rapidly at it and destroy it, and continue right. You cannot jump onto the roof here - the wall isn't climbable. There's nothing there, so just continue. Charge up, jump up two ledges, and then defeat the enemy by jumping and firing. This enemy is called a Tiranos, and can take four shots. It will fire three short-ranged horizontal shots after stopping, and otherwise move fairly slowly - simple, but you just need to make sure to fire enough times to finish them. Jump up the remaining two ledges and head right, defeating two more Tiranos enemies, then go down the ladder, defeat another Tiranos, go left, and go down the next ladder. Go right to the lower ledge, fire at the Tiranos, then jump up the ledge and go to the right. X-BUSTER UPGRADE! It is extremely highly recommended that you have the Dash Upgrade for this. It is recommended that if you don't have it, you have the Strike Chain weapon. Continue down the right to the ledges, but instead of hopping down and going left, climb up the wall on your right. With nothing, you need to dash-jump off the wall PERFECTLY to the wall leading up to your left. This can take literally HOURS of tries, and I expect you'll curse me for telling you it's possible, so I highly recommend you do not try that. If you have the Strike Chain, fire and hold the shot as you go left and, if it hits the wall you're aiming for, should bring you close enough that you can climb up. With the Dash Upgrade, jump all the way up, then onto the smaller ledge near you, then air-dash from it to the wall. To clarify, you're aiming for the further wall leading up, and need to avoid hitting your head on the small ledge jutting out. Should you make it one way or another, climb up to find the Light Capsule to your right. Enter it. Now, go down the drop and go left onto the platform. Don't bother to jump - it will drop you onto the next one if you stay put. Remember that touching the spikes below you WILL kill you in one hit. When the second platform stops, jump off it to the left and climb up the small wall. Go left and you'll see an enemy across from you. This is Disk Boy 08. He holds a shield and will throw a Frisbee-like object at you that curves upward, then quickly goes diagonally back and disappears. With any shot more powerful than a regular one (even a regular one while dashing), you can knock the shield up and fire at him (or, fire when he throws the disk at you). Anyway, go left and drop down below him. Jump up the ledge, go left, and drop down, then fire at and defeat that Disk Boy 08. Jump to the ledge where he was. With a good dash-jump, you can reach the upper level with the large energy capsule if you need it. Anyway, continue left and drop down. From a distance, fire at the Tiranos, then go right, onto the ledge where he was, and keep going right. With another good dash-jump, you can reach the level with the large energy capsule - though this one should be more stationary (tap the dash button and jump straight up). Go right down the drop then left and get in the Ride Armor. Go left over the lower ledge and attack the large generator. Destroying this will set off a large explosion in the Ride Armor supply room of the Dinosaur Tank. Do so and go left through the exploding room (you won't take damage) and down the drop. Punch the Tiranos. Up ahead will be a Ride loid-G. These are enemy Ride Armors, and quite powerful. To defeat it, you should dash at it, punching, then quickly dash and punch again. Do so while dashing up the ramp, and hit the Tiranos with your second dash-punch. Dash-jump (holding jump will let you hover) over the pit. Land near the Ride loid-G and punch it, then quickly punch again (dashing if he goes back far, and trying to hit the Tiranos with the second punch again). Defeat the last Ride loid-G and hover up the four ledges, then jump out of your Ride Armor (up and jump at the same time) and climb the ladder. Go right and jump onto the ledge. HEART TANK! This can be done two ways. First, if you have Speed Burner and the X-Buster Upgrade, you can dash-jump to the left, then release a Speed Burner, and jump up right above the spikes. Alternatively, you can jump up near the Tiranos when he's as far to the left as he will get, making him fire at you, and get hit by one of his shots as far to the left as you can. This will give you temporary invincibility. Very quickly, dash-jump left onto the wall, then dash-jump from the wall onto the platform. Either way may take a few tries, but it's right near the checkpoint, so don't worry about it. Go to the ledge you were on and jump up, firing, to defeat the Tiranos, and then jump to the ledge it was on. Go right, jump up the small ledge, and go onto the elevator. Don't jump and ignore the Disk Boy 08, and then get off to the right (be careful not to walk into his thrown disk). Get on the platform and fire rapidly. When it gets to the end, charge up and defeat the Disk Boy 08, then jump to his ledge and go right, then drop down onto the elevator. Stand still on the middle of the platform, ignoring the two Disk Boy 08 enemies, and they will miss you. X-HUNTER BATTLE! The correct path to take is to the left. However, stay on the elevator and it will take you up. To the left is an extra life - if you're patient, take it, then drop down and come up again. To the right is the entrance to the X-Hunter battle. If you've been following this FAQ so far, you will be taken to a battle with Violen. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Violen is the wildest X-Hunter, and is said to have the highest power rating in the world (apparently, he once destroyed a Maverick Hunter base on his own). He is a very difficult enemy to subdue with low health, simply because his attacks can be very random and difficult to avoid. He's unpredictable, and you take a good deal of damage from his attacks. Since this is an X-Hunter battle, I suggest you consider using a Sub Tank if he's low on health and you are, too (press start and select the Sub Tank to refill your health). He is optional, but defeating him will give you Zero Part 2. Getting his by his spike ball will decrease your health by 5 bars. One pattern he'll use is to move the ball and chain back and forth over himself, far away, then closer, then close. If it hits a wall before hitting the ground, he'll assume it hit and came back to there (so, for example, he'll his the ball near your wall, then it will hit his, then it will his the ground in front of you, then his wall, then the ground near him, then his wall, then back to him). After he's done, it will go directly above him and come down into him. This is done very quickly, but staying on the ground next to the wall will protect you often (it will hit above or near you), and being at the top of the wall will protect you even better (though you're hardly safe while climbing the wall and in the middle of it). He may also aim it somewhat and bounce it around the top of the room, sometimes hitting the ground. This is very hard to predict, as it follows no set pattern and changes as you move. You're not safe in any one spot. However, as he DOES tend to keep it around the edge of the room, and far away from himself, at that, so staying on the ground near him, as dangerous as it may seem, is probably the safest spot. The only reason this spot isn't always safe is because when he does this attack, it both leaves and comes back to him from any direction, so you may get trapped between him and the ball. If this happens and you can't dodge it, run into him instead, as you take less damage. Make sure not to stay there, though, as he can hit you again immediately if he uses the same attack. Coming into contact with him will decrease your health by 3 bars. This is rare. He only moves by jumping very high up and then coming down, covering a very low distance. Because of this, you should dash under him, since there's little room between where he came from and where he's landing. Sometimes he'll use his shot attack in the air, which will keep him there, but don't assume he will. Every time he jumps up and you want to get under him, do so immediately. Getting hit by one of his shots will decrease your health by 2 bars. These are fairly difficult to dodge. When standing, he will extend his hand and fire five scattered shots at different angles, going from down to up. When he jumps up, he will fire six shots going from left to right, then four more going back left (though not as far). If he's near you when stationary, climb up the wall and jump over all the shots. If he's far, pick two shots and jump between them. When he jumps up, just dash so that you get between any two shots; if another comes, dash out of the way (this is easier to dodge). Luckily, getting shot by one of these only costs you 2 bars of health. As far as strategy goes, always be near the wall farthest from him when he's not attacking - preferably at the top of it (as getting up a wall while he's attacking is not a good idea). If he's using his bash left and right attack, when it gets far enough away from you, get on the ground and fire a charged shot or a few regular ones. If it's hit slow one, get next to him and fire rapidly, then get back on the wall once he's done. If he jumps to you and gets too close, dash under him, or quickly get on a wall, dash-jump over him, and get on the other wall. Dodge his shots as best you can, but don't try so hard to dodge them that you risk setting yourself up for being hit by the ball, which is worse than being hit by two shots. Remember, his ball will block any shots at him, so you do need to time them. This battle IS more difficult than most, and is based quite a bit on luck, but with a few tries, even without any Heart Tanks, he will be defeated. Should he lose, you will get Zero Part 2. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ I will assume, for now, that you didn't fight the X-Hunter, simply because I need to so I can cover the entire level. If you did fight the X-Hunter, I will notify you later on where you are. You just came left off of the elevator. Go left, and jump up to defeat the Disk Boy 08. Then, climb up to where he was, and then up the left wall. Jump right, then up the two ledges, then onto the right wall, then to the left, then up the two ledges. Jump up the right wall, hop onto the ledge, jump up the larger ledge, then hop down. You will find a Tubamail Generator. Repeatedly charge up to the second level and fire, and your shots will go through the Tubamail-S enemies and hit the Tubamail Generator. Repeat until it's destroyed. Go right until you're behind the pillar and wait for the Tubamail-S to come to you, and then shoot it. Go right, fire four times quickly at the Tiranos, wait for the Tubamail-S, then shoot it quickly and continue. Charge up to the third level and continue right until you see another Tubamail-S coming down - wait for it to come down close to your height, then proceed forward and release the shot to kill it and hit the Tiranos. Quickly fire another regular shot at the Tiranos to finish it. Then, quickly, dash to the right, then down onto the ledge, and then onto the ground. X-HUNTER BATTLE EXIT! If you defeated any of the X-Hunters, this is where you will be. Up on the platform to the left of where you fell from or the right of the battle, behind the pillar, is a large energy capsule. Now, go right down the ramp to the point where there's a Tubamail Generator below you, then dash-jump to the right. You'll need to cover the distance of actually TWO Tubamail Generators, since there's one below the one below you, but don't go too far. To the right, past two more Tubamail Generators, is another large energy capsule behind part of the ship, but I recommend you ignore it. Instead, go left, down the ledge, and dash-jump to the platform with the large energy capsule if you need it. Hop down to find a Cannon Driver - more functional this time than after crashing into it in the first level. The simplest way to defeat it is to dash left with the top shot and dash right, firing, under the bottom shot. Though it may seem tedious, firing the shot while dashing will make it do double damage, so it won't take long. You can also charge to shoot through the shots, but chances are you'll end up getting hit (in which case just save yourself the time and run through him). Jump up the ledge and go through the gray door. Go through the next gray door. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> This Maverick's attacks are incredibly predictable in that you know which will be coming, but they can be fast. This battle isn't about being faster than him, but rather, just having precise timing. At the start of the battle, Wheel Gator will go underneath his red sea - he's actually gone from the arena at this time (you can't shoot him even with Giga Crush or touch him). However, he will have a left/right location that moves - consider him invisible. He'll first fire a wheel (see below), but then, unless your above halfway up the wall, he'll jump out of the see at an INCREDIBLE speed and snatch you. You can't dash past this fast enough - he will get you. If he gets you, you'll lose 1 bar about every second you're caught. To get uncaught, press left and right rapidly - if done fairly well, you'll only lose two or three bars. To avoid this, simply stay above the halfway point on the wall. However, after sending two wheels at you, he'll jump no matter what, so just stay up high. Alternatively, after the first wheel, stay around halfway up on the wall jumping, and you should be able to make him jump up at you and still have little chance of getting you. Getting hit by his Spin Wheel will reduce your health by two bars. He'll fire a wheel from where he is (when underwater) in your direction, and it will follow up the wall, across part of the ceiling, and then fall down near the bottom of your opposite wall. He will then move, then fire another one. To avoid this, get on a wall. If you divide the wall into quarters counting up, stay in the third quarter, and jump over the wheel when you see it whether you're mid-jump or are sliding down. However, as I find this more difficult in general to avoid than the first attack, consider, as suggested above, staying around halfway down the wall and jumping then sliding to keep him from firing another wheel or catching you in his mouth. To be precise, where the diameter in the gray door's circle is should be where you're staying JUST above. After the above two attacks, he will surface (if he catches you, he'll go down after you escape, then come up again without trying to catch you). He may use Spin Wheel another way, now - he'll stand still and fire a pair a few moments apart. They will bounce across the room in your direction, then reach the wall, go up a seemingly random height (though both will go up the same height), and fall back down towards you. Simply stand next to him and fire - the wheels will jump over you. The only risk is if they go up high enough to fall back at you, which isn't too common. In that case, dash away from him. This really is only dangerous if he's fired off another pair, in which case you need to dash away to a point where the wheels will bounce over. Really, this is your chance to get plenty of damage in. Wheel Gator will blink silver at times. During this time, shots will bounce off him unless charged up to at least level 3. In fact, most of the time he's silver, he'll open his mouth. If you fire in a regular or level 2 shot, he'll chew on it and then fire out four small balls one at a time, either horizontally or 45 degrees up. These are very easy to avoid and only cost you 2 bars of health if you're hit. However, if you hit him with a level 3 shot, it will damage him, and if his mouth is open, he'll chew on it and do nothing - So give him more than he can chew on. If you come into contact with Wheel Gator, you will lose three bars of health. This is a rare thing to happen, as he is generally stationary when you can hit him. However, as his health gets lower, it will become more likely that he'll jump up and spin while already above the red sea, then, when he comes back to the height he was at, go directly at you. To avoid this, dash away from him, then over (or just dash away and onto the wall). Last, when he hits the wall with the above attack, it will carve a small spike into it. If you touch this, you will lose two bars of health. Simply be careful of it and jump over it. In general, stay on the wall while he's under the sea. Pick a height not below the gray door and stay at it, and when a wheel comes, jump over it and then get back on the wall. When he emerges, stand next to him and fire constant charged-up shots. Be ready to jump over him if he's going to spin, but other than that, just fire on him heavily - he's basically defenseless while out of the water. With the Strike Chain, this battle becomes significantly more difficult, as he'll always go back underwater after being hit. Don't use this. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ After defeating him, you get Spin Wheel. This weapon is Bubble Crab's weakness. This weapon is needed to get the Dash Upgrade. RECAP: [X-BUSTER UPGRADE - Double Shot] - After climbing down the two ladders near the beginning, go right until you reach a wall. Jump up it. You need to reach the wall to your left above you. This can be done with a perfect dash-jump, but can literally take hours, so I don't encourage it. If you have the Strike Chain, fire it as you jump, and if it hits the wall you're aiming for, it will bring you the extra distance you need and make the jump possible with a couple tries. Alternatively, if you have the Dash Upgrade, jump onto the ledge to your left after going to the top, then slide down and air-dash to the left onto the wall. Climb up the wall and you'll find the Light Capsule to your right. Enter it. [HEART TANK] - Once you've climbed the ladder past the Ride Armor section, you'll see it to your left. If you have the X-Buster Upgrade and Speed Burner, charge up Speed Burner, then dash-jump to the left off the ledge to the right of the ladder and release the Speed Burner. You should hit the wall just above the spikes, so jump onto the ledge quickly. Alternatively, let the Tiranos hit you with a shot as far to the left as possible, and while temporarily invincible, dash-jump onto the spike wall to the left, and from there, dash-jump up the wall onto the ledge. If this is done quickly enough, you will be able to jump off the spikes since you'll still be invincible from being hit. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ Deep-Sea Base Stage Bubble Crab POWER 6000 rp SPEED 4800 rp \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ *If you've been following this guide so far, the X-Hunters are now at the levels of Bubble Crab and Magna Centipede. The Maverick of this stage is in charge of the Mavericks' transport. Defeating him will deal a great blow to them. Head right, go down the ledge, and go right. You will encounter a bat enemy, called Batton Bone type G. These enemies slowly fly at you, and if they hit you, retreat to a ceiling of off the screen. They only can take one hit, however. Wait for it to come down in range, then jump and fire at it. Jump up the ledge, let the Batton Bone G come into range, jump and fire, then jump onto the next ledge, wait for the Batton Bone G, then jump and fire. Go right. If you have the Spin Wheel, dash-jump to the right, then as you jump up the wall to the ground, fire to defeat the Batton Bone G. Use your Spin Wheel to the right, then go down to get the extra life. Then, go back to the left and jump down the pit, holding right. You'll land on a small platform with a small energy capsule. Take it. To the left is a school of Fishern enemies, which look like sharks. These move left (sometimes up and down, too), wait for a moment, then turn and go right (sometimes up and down, too). When the one below you moves left, go left so that you're behind it, and fire a shot. One shot defeats these enemies. Go down to the left again when it's safe, then just dash along the bottom and go down the pit. When you land on the ledge, charge-up your X-Buster. Then, go left along the wall, and hold left to go past a ledge and land on the ground. A mini-boss, Sea- Canthller, will appear. X-HUNTER BATTLE! To enter the X-Hunter battle, you must defeat Sea- Canthller. This next section will assume you are trying to defeat Sea- Canthller. The actual X-Hunter Battle section will appear later, but bare in mind you MUST defeat the mini-boss. First of all, let's explain Sea-Canthller. It has 8 parts - a tail, an upper back fin, an upper forward fin, a lower back fin, a lower forward fin, a torso light, an upper face, and a lower face. 6 of these 8 parts must be destroyed to defeat Sea-Canthller. The tail can take 40 regular shots. The upper back fin can take 8 shots. The upper forward fin can take 10 shots. The lower back fin can take 24 shots. The lower forward fin can take 8 shots. The torso light can take 12 hits. The upper face can take 4 shots. The lower face can take 4 shots. The upper forward fin releases three homing torpedoes that are easily destroyed or avoided. The torso light uses a spotlight, and if you're found be it, creates a large laser that goes from left to right where the light was. The lower face releases small mines easily avoided or destroyed. At first, jump and fire a few shots at the tail, but keep your distance. The Sea-Canthller can take two routes here - up high, then straight down, or slowly down the hill. You want the second. Once you can see he's coming down the hill, rush up ahead and fire rapidly at the tail. Once he gets low enough, stay above him on the hill (keeping distance so as to hit the torpedoes automatically with regular shots, too) and fire rapidly at the upper back fin, and once it's destroyed the tail again. Once he gets near the end of the hill, dash ahead - if you're very fast, you will have destroyed the tail, too. Dash underneath him and get on the wall - fire rapidly at the face. He will go down quickly (he moves much faster when you're ahead of him), but it only takes 8 shots to destroy both parts of the face, so fire as you fall, too, and you should get both. As you go down, avoid the Jelly Seeker enemies, who look like Jellyfish. You should land, if you go straight down, a little two the right of a lower ledge, between two Jelly Seekers. These enemies come to you, and then electrocute themselves in an attempt to hit you. Two shots will finish them. Simply destroy them, jump over the gap to the right, and wait for the Sea-Canthller. His spotlight will probably hit you, so stay to the left of the Sea-Canthller and jump up. Hop onto the ledge and jump up to fire at the lower back fin. A Jelly Seeker will come at you. Jump again, firing at the lower back fin, and go to the right over the gap. Keep your distance so that the spotlight is on the right edge of the screen, then dash-jump over the gap. Run right, jump up the wall, and hop up the ledge behind the Sea-Canthller. If you've kept your distance, he'll go along the bottom. At first, hop up and rapidly fire to finish off the tail. Then, you should rapidly fire while on the ground and his lower back fin and then at his lower forward fin (destroying the two Jelly Seekers on your way). He'll be destroyed with his upper forward fin and his light torso still intact if you followed my advice. HEART TANK! Now, with the Sea-Canthller destroyed, time is not an issue. Go all the way back to the left and up the wall to where the Sea-Canthller opened the door on the ground (to the right of the hill near where he came from). Dash-jump to the right over that gap and climb the wall. Stay on the wall near the top of it, and dash-jump to the left off the wall, holding jump so as to jump as high as you can. If done right, you'll get onto a torpedo platform, which you should climb on top of. Jump off it to the right and climb up onto the ledge to reach the Heart Tank. SUB TANK! Now, go back to the long, flat stretch near where you defeated the Sea-Canthller. To the left of the flat section is a small slant going down (from right to left). Run (don't dash) to this hill, and near the corner (a small bit past it), jump. You'll hit a small group of bubbles, and will jump incredibly high. Jump straight up and then go to the left to get onto a wall. You can now see the sub tank on a platform above you. To reach it, jump rapidly along the surface of the water to the right, then once you're head stops hitting the bottom of the platform (once you're far enough to the right), jump left onto it. If you're having trouble jumping up high, you can come back later once you have Bubble Crab's weapon and the X-Buster upgrade and use them both - bubbles will surround X, and he will jump far higher on his own. Now, go to the end of the flat area. Jump to the right over the gap. Destroy the Jelly Seeker, and then jump to the right onto the torpedo platform, then from there to the right over the gap. Destroy the Jelly Seeker there, and then jump to the right onto the torpedo platform, then dash-jump to the right onto the wall, and climb it onto the ledge. X-HUNTER BATTLE! From the ledge you're on, dash-jump to the left onto the wall, climb up, then dash-jump right. Go right, climb the wall, then dash-jump left. Go left, climb the wall, and dash-jump right. To the right is a small cannon enemy (a Barite Lastar) described later on in this guide. Fire at it to defeat it. If you're low on health, go left, and then come back right and the cannon will be back - keep destroying it to get energy capsules. Once you're ready, climb the wall to your right. If you destroyed the Sea Canthller before it docked here, the floor will close below you and you will be at the X-Hunter. If you've been following the FAQ this far, you'll be taken to a battle with Agile. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Agile is incredibly fast, and can easily destroy you within seconds if you don't know what to expect. He's harder than the 8 regular Mavericks, but is optional, so you can skip him. If you defeat him, however, you get Zero Part 3. First, he can create Sonic Booms and send them at you. Getting hit by these reduces your health by 1. These are incredibly large attacks and difficult to dodge. Not only that, but you can't destroy them or shoot through them to hit Agile. To avoid these, get on the wall. If he fires a low one, jump up high. If he fires a high one, hop down low. If he fires the difficult middle one, drop down then dash underneath it. In all cases, quickly get back to the middle of the wall as soon as you can. His other attacks consist of simply contacting you, all of which reduce your health by 3. However, he is INCREDIBLY fast, so avoiding him is not easy. If you're on the ground, he may charge against the ground at you, slashing with his saber. He is invincible while charging. It probably takes him around half a second to get from one side of the arena to the other. Since he uses his beam saber, even dashing, he's too tall to jump over. Quickly get onto the wall near you and dash-jump over him. If you try to stay above him or just take too long, after dashing across at you, he may jump up vertically and slash all the way up the wall (which is easy enough to dodge by just jumping off, though). Other than that, regular contact will also cost you 3 bars of health. Basically, just get onto the wall. Most of the time, he'll fire an upper Sonic Boom, so drop down, fire, and get back on the wall. He should land on your shot. If he fires a middle one, fire while dashing under, and he'll take twice as many points of damage from the shot (though you should quickly get back on the wall). Repeat this until he's defeated. If, for some reason, you get caught on the ground and he's constantly charging at you, pick a side and go to it - it's better than losing health so rapidly. Truly, this is probably the least difficult X-Hunter battles. If you succeed, you will get Zero Part 3. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ I will assume, for now, that you didn't fight the X-Hunter, simply because I need to so I can cover the entire level. If you did fight the X-Hunter, I will notify you later on where you are. Go to the right through the door. The water level will decrease. Go through the next door to the right. You will encounter a Barite Lastar, a cannon-like enemy. It simply fires three shots at once - straight, 45 degrees up, and 45 degrees down. It repeats this at about 2-second intervals. Jump up and fire at it. Go down the ledge, then right, and defeat the Scriver. Climb up the wall to your right, shoot the Scriver while on it, and then jump off to the left. Stay on the edge of the platform until the Barite Lastar shot passes and then go left. Jump and shoot at the Barite Lastar. Climb to the left and then jump onto the ledge to the right and run against the wall. The shots will not touch you here. Jump and fire to the left to defeat the Barite Lastar. Climb the right wall and charge, then, while underneath the Barite Lastar, slide down and release to the left to defeat the Scriver. Then, climb back up and jump to the ledge where the Scriver was. Run left against the wall, then jump up and fire to the right to destroy the Barite Lastar. Again, climb up the wall on your left while charging, fire at the Scriver to the right while sliding down, then climb back up and jump to the ledge where it was. Run against the right wall. Then, jump and fire to the left to destroy the Barite Lastar. Finally, climb up the right wall and jump to the ledge to the left. X-HUNTER EXIT! Go to the right and fall down the gap to land on the ledge. Now, jump up and fire at the Barite Lastar to defeat it. Jump to the right and climb up the wall past it, then go to the right down the ledges. Go through the gray door. Go through the next one. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> This Maverick was in the 6th Maverick Hunter Unit along with Wheel Gator, whom he often fought with. However, he was greedy, and betrayed the Maverick Hunters for money. He joined the Mavericks in the hopes of making a profit. Now a Maverick, he's been made commander of the transport unit at the seabed base. First, he'll often create a bubble to surround him. He takes no damage while it is on, so you either have to fire rapidly at it or let him destroy it himself with another attack (described later). Contacting him while he's wearing his bubble will reduce your health by 2. He'll often create two electric spikes that go vertically above him and jump. Getting hit by this will reduce your health by 2. However, it will also break his current bubble instantly. To avoid it, simply don't be above him - if you are, go to either side. On occasion, he'll stop, and three bubbles will come to the surface of the water and spread apart. Inside each of these are small crabs. Touching the bubble will reduce your health by 2. If you fire a shot at the bubble, the crab will be released, and travel immediately at you rather quickly - getting hit by one reduces your health by 2, also. To destroy these, charge to the third level, then release and fire to pierce the bubble, damage the crab, and destroy the crab. Note he can destroy these on his own, though. Sometimes he'll open his mouth and fire a bubble ring at you, which homes slightly up - jump over it. Getting hit by this reduces your health by 2. This is easy to dodge, though, as it's relatively slow. Towards the end, he may release 5 small crabs at a time, who rapidly bounce around the room. He'll rarely use this, but if he does, just do your best to dodge and shoot them. They still take 2 bars off, but luckily, now it just takes one small shot to finish them. Lastly, contacting him will reduce your health by 3. He runs fairly quickly around the ground, but covers little distance as he frequently changes directions (so keeping your distance will often keep you out of harm's way). However, he also jumps around, in which case you need to dash under him. Interestingly, this arena has a water level that rises and sinks. This affects how high he jumps, how high you jump, and where the bubbled crabs are. When it's high, you can most easily avoid him, as the bubbled-crabs are far away and won't hit you, and you can jump over Bubble Crab easily. This is one of the more difficult Maverick battles simply because it's difficult to avoid him when the bubbled-crabs are out. Because of them, I think it's smarter to stay on the ground and dash under Bubble Crab when he jumps. If there's ever a bubbled-crab right above you near your wall, charge to the third level and release and fire at it, but ignore the other ones - this is so you can climb the wall and jump over him in an emergency. However, as he also jumps straight up, staying on the wall is not a good idea. Simply stay on the ground, keep the area above you open, and fire rapidly at him. When he fires a bubble ring, jump over it - if he pops his own crabs, jump over them, too. Hitting him with a shot will throw him back for a moment. When he gets close, jump over him or dash under him and quickly make sure that the area above the opposite wall is clear. At the end, don't worry TOO much about avoiding the small crabs unless your life is very low - just focus on finishing him. You may get hit a few times, but his attacks aren't TOO damaging, so you should be fine. Just keep the fire constantly hitting him rapidly, and he'll go down, despite how many times he recreates his bubble barrier. With the Spin Wheel, the battle changes quite a bit, but doesn't necessarily become easier. It will destroy his bubble in one hit, but also guarantee he will jump. As the Spin Wheel stays around for a while, he may jump away from it and leave him with a few moments to do what he wants while you can't attack (to solve this, press start and change weapons). I prefer to fight with the X-Buster, though getting the last couple hits with this isn't necessarily a bad idea. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ After defeating him, you get Bubble Splash. This weapon is Flame Stag's weakness. This weapon is useful to get the Sub Tank at Bubble Crab's level (though not necessary). RECAP: [HEART TANK] - Past the hill near where the Sea-Canthller emerges, there's a pit (it's a door the Sea-Canthller opens). You should dash- jump to the right over it and climb the wall. While still on the wall near the top, use a dash-jump off it to the left holding jump. You should make it to a torpedo platform in a few tries - climb up it. Jump to the right and climb onto the ledge to get the Heart Tank. [SUB TANK] - At the long flat section underwater, go left. There's a small hill going down from right to left. Run (don't dash) at it, and a little past the corner (to the left of the corner), jump as straight as you can. If done right, you'll go straight up higher than usual - go left when high enough and get on the wall. If you can't do this jump, come back with Bubble Splash and the X-Buster, and use both to jump higher than normal and get there. Once on that wall, jump rapidly across the water to the right until you stop hitting your head, then jump left onto the ledge with the Sub Tank. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ Volcanic Zone Stage Flame Stag POWER 3600 rp SPEED 7000 rp \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ *If you've been following this guide so far, the last X-Hunter is now at the level of Crystal Snail. The Maverick of this stage intends to create an enormous volcanic eruption that creates so much ash that sunlight is blocked out for an extended period of time, eventually creating a global ice age. For the safety of the world, this Maverick must be defeated! Use a dash-jump to get to the right over the gap onto the highest ledge and then again over the gap onto the wall. Get onto the ledge, and then climb the wall. You'll encounter an enemy called Beetron. As you climb the wall, he'll attempt to ram into you. Note that if he rams into a part of the wall that leads to a path (such as the one you can see right now), he'll be destroyed. SUB TANK! Instead of destroying the Beetron, however, jump or use a dash-jump to get onto the flat part of its top (taking care not to go too far to the left. When he's high enough for you to see a large surface to your left, jump off to the left and climb up. Go left down the ledge and jump up the two ledges there to get the Sub Tank. Go back to the right, down the ledges then up another. When Beetron is below you, use a dash-jump to the right as far as you can go. Go right and up the ledge. If you want, go back and lure the Beetron towards you and jump onto its top, then off it and up to the wall to your right to get an extra life. Then, go down the gap. To the left was an alternate route you could have taken to reach the same point. Go right and fire at the Barite Lastar. Wait for the next shots to pass, charge-up, and then go right and down two ledges, releasing to defeat the other two. Go down another ledge. HEART TANK! This next section consists of you climbing out of a volcano while lava follows from below. To get the Heart Tank, you need to defeat a Bar Waying before the lava catches up. Read this entire section, and THEN attempt it, as this needs to be done quickly. To do this, dash to the right, onto the wall part of the ledge (from now on, hold dash; I'm assuming you're holding dash). Jump from there to the wall, and ignoring the large energy capsule jump on that wall four times (a total of five jumps so far). Then, jump left and jump up that wall once, then jump right and jump up that wall twice. Jump left, jump up that wall once, then jump right, jump up that wall once, and jump left - you should now see the Heart Tank and the Bar Waying. Fire rapidly at it and then use a dash to get the Heart Tank (if you can't shoot fast enough, use Spin Wheel). Then, dash back right and jump on the right wall leading up above you and climb it the rest of the way. When you get to the top, get to one side of that valley soon, as it will erupt. Go left and down two ledges for a large energy capsule, then go back up the ledges and jump over the volcano once the eruption has stopped (quickly, as it will erupt again). Go right up a ledge, down two, up one, and down two more. Now, you will encounter a section with wooden poles in lava that sink as you contact them. Simply dash, then jump onto the first, then use another dash-jump to get onto the second, then another to go onto the wall of the third, and dash-jump off the wall over the top and to the right to pass the lava. You'll encounter another Beetron here. This one is closer to the wall than the previous one, so to avoid being hit, jump up the wall without pressing dash. If you want an extra life, climb up to the path and lure him through it - jump on top of him and then use a dash-jump to get to the right. However, before that... X-HUNTER BATTLE! Climb up the wall right past the lava to the path. Jump up onto the wall again, and dash while climbing the wall to get past the small edge of the wall. Climb up and lure the Beetron to crash into the thin part of the wall. Go right and jump up either wall. To the left is a large energy capsule, and to the right is the gray door. Assuming you followed the path, walk right and fall down straight. Go left for a large energy capsule. Go back right, and you'll find another wooden pole section. Simply use dash-jumps across the tops of five of them, then jump right to pass the lava. If you got the extra life, jump left and land on the one you can see, which is the second one. Jump up three ledges to the right, then go left and jump up. Jump right and go up one more. Then, jump left and run left against the wall. An enemy called Morgun, a small creature that clings to walls and moves around in arcs, occasionally shooting three fireballs, will appear. Wait for him to go to the right of you, and then fire - one shoot will destroy it. Note that when they touch the gas, it becomes fire, so DON'T jump until it becomes gas again. Jump to the wall to your right and go up. Go right, up three more ledges, ignoring the Morgun. Then, jump, and another Morgun will appear. After landing, jump up the wall towards his ledge and fire as you land to destroy it. From there, use a dash-jump to get to the left, and take the large energy capsule. Climb left up two ledges (ignoring the Morgun), and on the second one, jump if the Morgun shot at you. Jump right, then quickly jump and fire to the left to destroy the Morgun. Jump left to where it was and climb up as high as you can so that you're hitting your head. A Morgun will come down and be to your right, slide down and fire quickly to hit it. Then, slide down a bit and jump right to where it was, and climb that wall to a ledge, then the wall to your right to the surface. Go right, down seven ledges, and go through the gray door. Go through the next one. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> This Maverick was originally of the elite 17th Maverick Hunter Unit, and joined the Mavericks with the now-deceased (after the last game) Boomer Kuwanger. He was missing in action during the first revolt, but is now present. He intends to create an eruption that puts so much ash in the sky that the sun is blocked out and a global ice age begins. If you're on the ground and Flame Stag is too, he will often dash straight at you. If he does this, your health will be reduced by 3. Simply jump up onto a wall. He will also leave flames behind him - contacting these will reduce your health by 2 (but this most likely will not happen). If you're on the same wall he jumps to from the ground, he may dash straight up the wall at you. Getting hit by this will reduce your health by 3. To avoid this, simply jump off the wall. When on the ground and you are too, there's a good chance he'll throw two fireballs. The first will curve down and is easily jumped over, and the second will curve up and go along the wall. Jump onto the wall, then dash-jump over both the fireball and Flame Stag. When he's lost more than half his life (has 15 or less bars of health), his flames will turn blue. Now, if he dashes into you when on the ground, it will only take off 2 bars of health. However, he will pick you up and bring you high. You have a chance to escape here. If you don't, he'll slam you back down against the ground, reducing your health by 5 more (7 total!). The only way to escape is by dashing into him and then holding that direction, but you should only do that if you can't get onto a wall. Contacting him will reduce your health by 2. As he hops around in a zigzag along the walls, it's fairly predictable to avoid, but you need to make sure to dash out of the way while on the ground when he's landing. Basically, the strategy is pretty simple - stay against a wall. When he's on the ground, all his attacks can be avoided by jumping onto a wall and then over him (and the fireball, too, if that's what he uses). When he jumps up, let him come back down, and dash to one side or another if he's coming near a wall. The only thing to really be careful of is when you jump up, jump high enough so that when he jumps to your wall, he's below you. The other thing is to always jump a fair distance away from the wall in the event that he dashes up it. Really, stay against a wall, charge, release when he's on the ground, jump up a few jumps, then jump off away from the wall and go back against the wall. He'll die quickly. With Bubble Splash, the battle becomes another simple pattern - this one just a little riskier yet a little faster. Every time you hit him (while on the ground), he'll throw his two fireballs. Stay about half the ground's distance away, and jump over the first fireball, then dash under the second, fire Bubble Splash, and retreat. It's a completely different battle, yet either way is fairly simple. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ After defeating him, you get Speed Burner. This weapon is Morph Moth's weakness. This is useful in getting several harder-to-reach upgrades and needed for a few. RECAP: [SUB TANK] - Jump onto the first Beetron and let him take you up, then jump off to the left and go left up the two ledges. [HEART TANK] - At the volcano section at the beginning where lava follows you up, dash to the right, onto the wall part of the ledge (from now on, hold dash; I'm assuming you're holding dash). Jump from there to the wall, and ignoring the large energy capsule jump on that wall four times (a total of five jumps so far). Then, jump left and jump up that wall once, then jump right and jump up that wall twice. Jump left, jump up that wall once, then jump right, jump up that wall once, and jump left - you should now see the Heart Tank and the Bar Waying. Fire rapidly at it and then use a dash to get the Heart Tank (if you can't shoot fast enough, use Spin Wheel). /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ Robot Junkyard Stage Morph Moth POWER 3200 rp SPEED 8800 rp \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ *If you've been following this guide so far, the last X-Hunter is now at the level of Morph Moth. The Maverick of this stage creates new Mavericks out of the wreckage of fallen ones. To stop their production, he must be defeated! Go right and hop up the ledge. To the right is a Hanged Reploid. Hitting the beam above it will release it onto the ground. Hitting its body will leave the head shooting at you. Hitting its head will destroy it. Going underneath it will make it jump down to the ground. On the ground, it will jump at you. Jump and fire at its head (a charged shot all but guarantees success). Go right up the ledge, then down it, then up another one. Charge up to full and jump to the right, releasing, to destroy two more Hanged Reploids as you go down a ledge. Go down another, and then go right up one. A Dis Boy 08 it to your right up another ledge. HEART TANK! You need the Crystal Hunter weapon for this. Jump up and fire at the Disk Boy 08 with the Crystal Hunter (twice if he blocks one with his shield). Jump up the ledge, then up to his ledge and onto him. From him, dash-jump to the right, climb up the wall, and go right for the Heart Tank. Then go back left and fall down. Either way, defeat the Disk Boy 08, go up the two ledges and then down. Charge up and run under the first two Hanged Reploids, and when they fall, release behind you to destroy them. Charge up again and jump - because of the current gravity, you'll jump high - and release to defeat the next two Hanged Reploids. Go right and up the ledge. ARMOR UPGRADE! You need the Spin Wheel weapon for this. Go right, and release the Spin Wheel against the next ledge. You'll need to use two to dig the entire wall down. Fall down the pit, go right and up the ledge, then down it. To the right is the Light Capsule. Enter it. This Body Armor Modifier will allow you to use Giga Crush, a weapon that hits all enemies on the screen and is charged up by being hit by enemies' projectiles. Now, go up the next ledge and down two. Charge up, jump and release to defeat the two Hanged Reploids, and then go to their ledge. Charge up, jump, and release to defeat the next two, and then go down the ledge. Go right and on the lower ledge will be a Garakuta Robot. These are made up of broken Mettool, Dig Labor, Gulpfer, and Spiky enemies. First its shoulder, then its head, then its body will be destroyed as you fire at it. It moves slowly toward you, but if a part is broken off but the body isn't destroyed after around 5 seconds, a new one will come from off screen and take its place (and this can hit you). Anyway, just jump over this one and go right. Jump onto the wall. Holding dash, jump from it left, climb once, right, climb once, left, climb, right, climb, left, and get on top, ignoring all the Disk Boy 08 enemies. To your left is an extra life. Then, dash, then jump to the right. Charge up and jump to destroy the first Hanged Reploid's body. The head can't fire straight down, so get underneath it and fire at the Garakuta Robot. Then, dash under the second Hanged Reploid, jump up the ledge then go down, and go right. You'll now encounter a Paraloid S-38. These pink insects possess large machines, called Old Robots. The Old Robot can jump at you and on rare occasion fire junk out of its torso. You can only hit its torso, so you have to jump a bit. Dash underneath the Old Robot after it jumps up. Note that it can jump regularly or jump straight up, and then go diagonally at you. You can dash under it either way. When destroyed, the Paraloid S-38 will appear and jump around for a while, then jump straight up before going back down and possessing another Old Robot. It's easy to dash under it, so it's not particularly dangerous, but having to defeat another Old Robot is a test for your patience. For that reason, try to defeat it as quickly as you can. Once the Paraloid S-38 is defeated, there will be no more Old Robots, and you can proceed to the right. Run right against the wall and let the Paraloid V-1 jump over you, then turn around and shoot it. These hop around, and can attach to you, making you either constantly fire or jump. Climb up the wall, charge up, go right, and fire at the Hanged Reploid's head. Go right down the gap, get the large energy capsule, go left, and go down the ladder. X-HUNTER BATTLE! When you get on the ladder, jump off and hold left. Rapidly press jump, and when you get to the wall, you'll just avoid a jumping Disk Boy 08. Go up, charge up, and fire at the Disk Boy 08 while sliding down across from you until it's destroyed. Then, dash- jump over to where he was. Jump over the Hanged Reploid and go down the ledge to find the gray door. Enter it. If you've been following the FAQ this far, you'll be taken to a battle with Serges. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Serges is the leader of the X-Hunters. His intelligence is said to surpass that of Sigma, the old leader of the Mavericks. Although physically weak, he creates incredible machines to make up for it, and is easily the most difficult of all the X-Hunters to defeat. This battle requires precise timing and near-perfect placement of X at all times, as well as improvising skills. This is one of the most difficult battles in the game. Bear in mind that he is optional, but if you defeat him, you get Zero Part 1. At the beginning of battle, Serges will throw off his cloak. If you jump or go left immediately, it will hit you, and your health will be reduced by 1. Simply do not go left or jump immediately. If you have Giga Crush, though, you might consider getting hit by it, as it will fill it up instantly. I personally never found Giga Crush useful against him, though. Serges travels left and right on a hovering pedestal. This pedestal always moves in your direction. On the left and right of this pedestal are spikes. Contacting either of these spikes will reduce your health by 1. There are really five evenly-spaced locations on the ground (discussed below), and if it comes within two of the wall you're near, get on the wall and prepare to jump over (or under) him when he comes closer. If you contact Serges, you will lose two bars of health. This is actually very common, as one of his major attacks is to jump to the top of the room, spinning and firing energy shots around in a circle. This attack is so common since he does it every time he's shot while on his pedestal. It's generally a good idea to just jump over him if he's close to the wall and you're not going to get a shot off. However, if you hit him and he's fairly, you'll want to jump up the wall, then drop to his pedestal and dash off it (dashing will avoid the spike). You'll really want to do this unless he starts to drop from his jump around a "fifth" away from your wall, in which case you have enough room to jump over him. Don't worry; this will be described better soon. While on the pedestal, his main attack will be to drop mines. This is a VERY predictable attack, as he crouches for a good second first - although reaction time isn't that important here anyway. He'll do these at five locations on the ground, evenly spaced, generally each time he reaches one of them on his slow-moving pedestal. Touching one of these reduces you're health by 3. Unfortunately, it's out of the question to try to land between these while avoiding everything else. Thus, you need to destroy them. This is actually difficult to do, as Serges' pedestal creates a shield that deflects any shots that pass it. Not only that, but the mines are very small. You need to be on the same side of Serges as the mine and fire at least a 2nd level shot at it. Anyway, use where he plants the mines as reference points where I use the term "fifth". Last, when Serges jumps, he fires beams around him in a fast circular array. The only way to predict this is if he falls on his pedestal after being hit, you can guarantee he'll do this (although he can on his own, too). Luckily, these only reduce your health by 1, as you'll most likely be hit by a few. When he jumps, you want him to be facing you, as he'll fire away from you around the top then towards you around the bottom, and starts at about half way up. Because of this, you can follow the beams around him. However, if you have to go under him because he's too close, then try to dash between two, although if you're hit, it won't be too big a deal. The big reason people have trouble with him, however, isn't because his attacks are difficult to avoid - they take little off. The biggest challenge to deal with is his defense - he generates a shield a moment after you fire a shot, and it lasts for a second or two. He can also make the shield come up on his own, though this isn't nearly as common. The first idea is not to fire until the shield's gone - you'll just keep prolonging its length. The second idea is to be close to him when you fire. His shield will come up if you fire across the arena. Try to be a "fifth" away from him. Stay away from him, then when his shield goes down, dash over to him, jump, and fire. Note that if you fire while at dashing speed, he'll take twice as many points of damage. Should you hit his shield, he will stop for a moment to laugh, but that doesn't really benefit you at all. The overall strategy of this is far more involved than most, and leaves a lot up to you. At the start, do NOT get on the wall right away or jump, as his cloak will hit you. Instead, wait for him to start crouching, and then dash at him, jump, and fire (taking care to stop after firing so as not to hit the spike) - before he drops the mine, if possible. Now, he'll jump. When he jumps, look at where he jumps from. If he's more than half the arena away from your wall, just go to your wall and jump to the middle of the wall - he's probably too far to jump over, and you want to be there to be able to react (if he's close and you're on the middle of the wall, be prepared to jump over him if he moves on the ground and drop down if he jumps). If he's at the middle of the arena, follow his beams and jump over him. If he's closer to your wall than the other one, hop up it (not dashing up the wall), then drop onto his pedestal, then dash off it and try to get as far away as possible (as this will increase the distance between the shots, and thus increase the chance you aren't hit). No matter how you get past Serges when he jumps, if there are any mines on your side, charge up and destroy them immediately, then wait until his shield goes down and repeat. Basically, you constantly are waiting for an opportunity to hit him, hitting him, getting past him, clearing out your side, and repeating him - and as long as you have patience and remember to dash at him when you shoot (to both close the distance and double the damage), the only tricky part is knowing whether or not to go over or under him. If you judge this based on where he jumps from as explained above, it should be fairly predictable, and you should only have REAL trouble when he jumps multiple times - this is unpredictable and oftentimes too fast too react to. If he starts this, just do your best to avoid Serges himself at all costs (the spikes and beams reduce your health by half as much), and remember that Serges IS vulnerable while in the air. Once you've got him down, try to fire an extra shot after getting past him as he lands right before he gets on the pedestal. Anyway, Serges will most likely take a few tries, and is definitely one of the hardest bosses in the game. I would encourage you to use Sub Tanks as you see fit to stay healthy. Should you overcome him, you will get Zero Part 1. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ If you fought the X-Hunter, just go back to the left, defeat the Hanged Reploid, climb the wall, defeat the Disk Boy 08, and go left to reach where you came from. Drop down the ladder. If you want, go midway to the left or right wall, and once you pass the corresponding Disk Boy 08, go to it to get a large energy capsule, then dash and jump across to get another one. At the bottom of the ladder, go right down three ledges to a large energy capsule, ignoring the Paraloid R-5. These ones fly slowly up and down, and then freeze for a moment before charging across the screen. Anyway, jump over the spikes (these are non-lethal) and climb the wall to another large energy capsule. Jump over the spikes and climb up the next wall. Use a dash-jump to get over the pit, being careful of the spikes above you on, and land on the other side. From there, dash then jump to the right as far as you can, going down four ledges and over two Garakuta Robots. Go down the ladder near you. Charge, go left, and release at the two Paraloid V-1 enemies, destroying them, and then go up the ledge. You should fire rapidly at the Garakuta Robot to destroy it, and then go left down the ledge and fire rapidly at the Paraloid V- 1. Go left up a ledge and fire rapidly to destroy both the Garakuta Robot and the Paraloid V-1, then go up the next ledge and fire rapidly at the Garakuta Robot. Go up a ledge, charge up, go down, and release at the Paraloid V-1. The second one should get stuck below you. Charge up and jump over it, then release at the next two Paraloid V-1 enemies. Go down the ladder. Go right, firing rapidly, two destroy three more Paraloid V-1 enemies, then go down the ledge to encounter another Paraloid S-38 and Old Robot team. Defeat the Old Robot as you did last time by dashing under it and firing at its torso, then defeat the Paraloid S-38 by firing rapidly at it. Just take care to watch that when the particles go down, and there's higher gravity, dashing under the Old Robot will be more difficult. Go up the ledge, charge up, go right, and release at the two V-1 enemies, then charge up again, go right, and release at the R-5 and the three V-1 enemies. Go right, defeat the V-1, charge quickly, and jump and release to defeat the R-5 and the higher V-1. Jump up the ledge then go down. You will be at a Cannon Driver. Dash left with its top shot and right underneath its bottom shot (while firing). Once it's destroyed, go through the gray door. Go through the next one. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> This Maverick belongs to an unknown troop. A puzzling reploid, this Maverick possesses a special circuit. Nonetheless, he has chosen to fight for the Mavericks, and is using the scraps in the junkyard to produce more new ones from old broken ones, and must thus be stopped. This is a two-phase battle. Morph Moth starts as a larva. Getting hit by any garbage in this phase will reduce your health by one. Morph Moth will start by swinging left and right - to dodge the garbage he tosses, dash from one side to another, passing him at around the middle of the ground, but keeping your eyes open. When he drops to the ground and tosses garbage up, just climb up a wall. When he comes back up and sucks garbage in a circular fashion, dash across the ground, onto a wall, and use a dash-jump off the wall to get over him, and repeat, following the garbage. While he's in his larval form, contacting him will reduce your health by 3. Make sure you jump over him when following the circular garbage motion and this isn't an issue. When he has 12 hits left, hitting him will NOT reduce his health (he'll gain it back instantly), but will break the larva, initiating the much short phase two. Morph Moth will now fly down. Do not attempt to get above him, as he can easily fly faster. Stay on the ground. He will drop dust of some sort on you - it falls quite slowly, and will never hit you if you're against a wall. However, you can switch walls without getting hit quite easily. He will also stop flying every now and then to fire a laser - also easily dodged by dashing or jumping. If this hits you, you lose 1 bar of health. If you contact Morph Moth, you lose 6 bars of health! He flies in a pattern of going left to right quickly and down slowly. On occasion, he may stay in place, and will be taller. If he does this above you at his lowest point, he'll hit you when you're not dashing. Thus, when he's low, you should dash under him as he comes towards you. He won't hit you if you're standing against a wall, though, so staying against a wall, then dashing away when he comes above you will work. As for strategy, this is a simple one when you know what you're doing. To begin, fire constant charged up shots off walls, dashing underneath Morph Moth as he swings and spews garbage. Be able to stop dashing before you go into anything he threw really high and then dash to the end, and you're fine. Jump up the wall when he gets on the ground. Hit him a few times as he comes back up. Look where he comes up - it will be slightly to the left or right; this is the direction the trash will come when below him (thus, it goes clockwise when he's to the left, and counterclockwise when he's to the right). You need to dash to the wall, then over Morph Moth, following the garbage radius, until this stops, then repeat. The larva will break in no time. In his moth form, he will be very fast, but this doesn't matter. Simply stand against wall and all the dust he drops will miss you, as will he himself. If he stops above you to fire a laser, dash to the other side. Jump and fire at all times when he's not above you, and when he stops above you, just dash to the other wall. He'll go down in no time. With Speed Burner, this battle doesn't change dramatically; he just dies much faster. While in the larva form, you do get to see him actually burn, though, so I recommend using it. Other than that, though, the same tactics apply. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ After defeating him, you get Silk Shot. This weapon is Magna Centipede's weakness. RECAP: [HEART TANK] - You need the Crystal Hunter for this. Fire the Crystal Hunter at the first Disk Boy 08 you encounter (near the beginning) - twice if the first hits his shield - and jump on top of him. Dash then jump to the right, climb up, and go right for the Heart Tank. [ARMOR UPGRADE - Giga Crush] - You need the Spin Wheel for this. After passing the four Hanged Reploids in the area where the gravity changes past the Heart Tank, jump up the first ledge and use Spin Wheel against the next ledge to dig down. Use two, go down the new gap, and go right over the ledge and then down it. To the right is the Light Capsule. Enter it. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ All Zero Parts Collected! \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ If you've been following this guide so far, then you have now completed every stage with an X-Hunter. If you collected all three Zero Parts, there will now be a scene (if you denied an X-Hunter a challenge, it's too late, but there will be no scene to tell you so). Dr. Cain informs you that he can fix Zero to help you, but needs more time before he can use the control chip. Thus, you need to slow down the remaining Mavericks until then. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ Central Computer Stage Magna Centipede POWER 2900 rp SPEED 8880 rp \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ *If you've been following this guide so far, all X-Hunters have been defeated. The Maverick is using the central computer to send a virus throughout the world that makes regular Reploids become Mavericks. For the safety of all innocent Reploids, he must be defeated! Go right and up the ledge. You'll encounter an enemy called Barrier Attacker. These enemies create a shield that deflects regular shots, then travel left and right. You can charge up a shot and release it to destroy the shield, then fire again quickly before they close up and try to create another shield, or retreat to the left and hit him from behind. Go right past him and up another ledge, and then defeat another Barrier Attacker. Go right and defeat another before dropping down the ledge. Go right down another ledge, taking care NOT to touch the spotlight, and fire rapidly - while the shield is being created, you should defeat this Barrier Attack - if not, retreat. Note that hitting a spotlight drops block bridges and activates Blecker enemies. Go right up the ledge, and when the spotlight is going to the right, go to the column, charging up. When the spotlight passes the column going left, go right, releasing and firing rapidly to defeat the Barrier Attacker, then go down the ledge. Dash behind the column as the spotlight goes right past it, and then dash left as it passes the column to the left. Here, you can either go down the ledge, right, then try to dash down the next ledge when the spotlight is as far right as possible, or dash then jump to the right onto the small ledge and then onto its top as the spotlight passes the column there, then jumping down when the top spotlight is at least at the column going left and the bottom one is just starting to go left. Either way, get past the two spotlights, and then go right and up the ledge. Go right and up the ledge. Go right and a large block enemy, called an Installer, will move right. Go up the ledge. HEART TANK! You need either both the Speed Burner weapon and the X- Buster Upgrade or the Dash Upgrade for this. You must not have destroyed the Blecker (the gray block on the ceiling) closest to you, to your left. From the ledge, either dash then jump to the left, onto the small part of the wall above you that you can reach, and then air- dash left onto the Blecker and climb up. With the Speed Burner and X- Buster Upgrade, charge up the Speed Burner, dash then jump to the left, and then release the Speed Burner to reach the Blecker and climb up. Go left to get the Heart Tank. Go right. The Installer will fall into a small gap. Note that being pushed by any Intaller against the ground, a wall, or another Installer means instant death. Then, one will fall to its right. Then, one will fall on top of the first one. Then, one will fall on top of the second one. Last, a purple, destroyable one will fall on top of the fourth. If you want you can try going after the second one falls, or you can simply let all five fall and then proceed. Either way, go past the lower ledge and to the upper one. When you do this, it will trigger the Installer in front of you to go right and fall down the ledge. Then, three more will fall to its right, followed by a purple one on top of the three. Try to jump between the right ones, or simply wait, destroy the purple one, and proceed. Either way, get past the ledge that goes down then the small one that goes up. Then, go down the ledge. Dash right, as the one above you will fall and try to crush you against the ground. Then, jump up onto the wall, as the one to your right will come left and try to crush you against the other one. Dash right then jump (once the ceiling's high enough) over the purple Installer that comes toward you. This one will NOT try to crush you, but stay put while another purple one from above comes down, landing on the second one, and then going right above you, then crushing you. If you don't get past the purple one, fire rapidly at it and then dash to the right. Go right. Go past the Installer above you. As you get close to the lower ledge, another one will fall into the small gap as the one behind you falls and wait for you to be pushed left against it by a purple Installer that falls. Once they all fall, simply jump on top of the one to your left. Pass the lower then upper ledge and then go right. SUB TANK! Go right. Installers will fall into the next gap in this pattern: left, right, right, left, left, and right. To get the Sub Tank, dash then jump to the right over the gap after the second one falls, then go right down the ledge and wait against the edge of the cliff. Another Installer will fall to your left (which you will miss if you wait too long in the last section). Jump on top of it on its right ledge, and once it gets halfway across the cliff, dash then jump to the right off of it to the upper part of the wall. This needs to be done well. If you succeed, jump up the wall, then jump left. Go left for the Sub Tank and then fall back down the gap to land on the other side of the cliff. Go right. You will now encounter Chop Register, a sword-shaped mini-boss. The blade portion deflects ALL shots, but damage is taken when the handle is hit. He starts by moving around 30 degrees up and down, pointed toward you, moving faster and faster, then slowly coming toward you and making an arc. Jump up and down the wall, and when he comes toward you, you should stay either high or low - whichever is farther away. Hit him when he makes his arc. He will repeat a similar process, except this time instead of the difficult arc, he'll jab - fire rapidly at him from the ground, then when he stalls for a second, jump to a wall and jump over him (then fire rapidly again). At this point, his pattern won't be consistent, but after the jab, he's simple. Either get high or low on the opposite wall and fire rapidly at him while on the wall - when he comes at you, either drop of fall, then repeat. He'll always be the entire arena away after the first jab, so you have plenty of time to react and fake him out. After a while, he'll go down. Note that on occasion, he will move around in a circle rapidly, and then he will jab, but this still doesn't change the pattern. Go right and jump over the gap to get the large energy capsule. As you go down the pit, hold right, and you'll easily pass two Barite Lastar enemies and two Scramblers. Go left down the gap, staying near the right wall of the ledge you came from at first. Once you pass the first spotlight, press left two pass two more (and two Barite Lastar enemies, on the way). Now, dash to the right as fast as you can - parts of the ceiling will fall, and when the land, attach to the ground, creating obstacles for you to jump over or even climb if you take that long. Just dashing and jump should be enough to get you all the way there, though. Go to the large energy capsule at the right bottom of the room. X-HUNTER BATTLE! Go through the gray door to the right of the large energy capsule. You will notice scanning boxes in this section. If you get hit by none, the next boss will be green. If you get hit by one, he will be blue. If you get hit by two, he will be red. If you get hit by three, he will be purple. Anyway, climb up the right wall and go right. You will encounter a mini-boss, Raider Killer. If green or higher, he'll be able to fire low fireballs - just jump over them. He'll also be able to jump up high, release three spikes (one straight down and two 45 degrees on either side) - for this, simply go underneath him a little past his middle spike - don't try to dash past the far one. If he's blue or higher, he can now also fire high fireballs - you can dash under the high ones, but since you can jump over them, too, I just say you jump every time he fires a fireball at you. If he's red or higher, he can now do a fast, low jump - dash under this. Be careful, though - this one is hard to predict. If he's purple, he can fire a large red arc at you - four regular shots will destroy it, or you can try to jump up to the wall and get over it. The fewer attacks he has, the easier it will be on you...but then again, the more attacks, the more fun. Anyway, just fire rapidly at him as he fires fireballs and this should be a piece of cake. Go right. The alarm will sound as though you passed through a spotlight. Dash then jump across the block bridge (this will fall) and get on the right edge of that cliff. Two of the gray ceiling blocks will fall down. If you haven't encountered these yet, then know that these are Bleckers. They fire one shot at you every few seconds and are quite harmless. Just fire rapidly to destroy both - jump if the second one fires at you. Now, just run (don't dash) right against this next bridge, and jump over the first Installer. Then, dash under the second one and over the two bridges, and jump over the last Installer. Go through the gray door. Go through the next one. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> This Maverick originally belonged to the Special 0th Unit of the Maverick Hunters. However, he was captured by Sigma's troops and brainwashed with a virus, and is now a Maverick. As he was in the 0th Unit, however, he still remains very stealthy. Magna Centipede will often hold his head. His tail will then break into four parts. Two will circle you as you move, then freeze and come together. The best idea is to just stand in place, then either dash left, dash right, or jump. Make sure that if you end up between the parts of the tail and Magna Centipede, you jump over the parts, as they will go back to him and can still hit you. Getting hit by this will reduce your health by 2. Magna Centipede will also throw three throwing stars at you. He will twitch for a moment before doing this. These curve tremendously and home quite a bit - they can actually make a "C" shape, they make so much of an arc. If he throws from the ground, you can dash and jump to a wall, then dash and jump off it back, and you'll most likely get through. You can also jump very high up a wall if you see him twitch and predict it, but this really is only a good bet if you're already on the wall. If he throws it from the ceiling, just dash towards him and jump over the lowest one. Getting hit by this will reduce your health by 2. If you contact Magna Centipede, your health is reduced by 4. This is rather easy to avoid, though, as he really only appears at 4 spots and travels between theme - top left, top right, bottom left, and bottom right. Simply staying in the middle of the ground will keep you safe, but if you're in an unsafe spot, just dash under him - it's really not too threatening. He'll also move his arms out and close his eyes - with his mind, he'll bring you towards his tail. Early in the battle, just pressing jump if he's on the ground or down if he's on the ceiling (wiggling left and right does NOT help) will let you escape easily. However, later, you won't be able to escape other than avoiding getting pulled it. To do this, you must be at dashing speed mid-air and then hold away from him. I recommend if you see him close his eyes, you dash onto a wall and then dash-jump off it - he'll probably starting bringing you in before you hit the ground (and then staying away will be simple). If he does get you, however, and you don't escape, you'll lose the ability to charge your weapons. If you get pulled in yet again, you'll lose the ability to fire rapidly (instead of three shots, only one shot will be allowed to be on the screen at a time). If you yet again are pulled in, you're dashes will last a split second and accomplish nothing. If you are pulled in a fourth time, your jump will become incredibly weak hops, and getting up the wall will take around three times as long. Last, once he has lost more than half his health, he will release three parts of his tail to home around you. Escaping may become impossible if the open space if the ground, and if not impossible, you'll have to react quickly. It's the same idea, but don't worry if you get hit - it only takes off two hits. Really, this battle isn't too bad. Magna Centipede will constantly disappear and reappear near each of the four corners. Don't fire as he does this, or he will never reappear. Firing a charged shot at him will knock him off balance unless he's using his mind (his tail parts or his attraction moves) and make him disappear. Stay at the top of a wall when he disappears, charging and release at him wherever he appears (obviously drop down if he's on the floor). When he throws his throwing stars from the ceiling, you should dash towards him and jump over the lowest one. When he throws them from the ground, either dash to a wall, then dash-jump off it, or hop slightly over the lowest one and hope you get under the second. When he makes his tail parts home in on you, pick a spot on the ground, wait, get out with dashing or jumping if you can, then make sure you don't get hit by it when it goes back to him. If he gets you with his tail, don't worry - just make sure to hit him while dashing to take off twice as much health. The second time won't matter, as you rarely get to hit him twice without him disappearing. If you lose the ability to dash (or worse yet, jump well), stay as best you can at the top of a wall, jumping through throwing stars if you must, and fire at him. Constantly stay at the top after he disappears and fire where he appears and he doesn't have much of a chance. He'll be gone in no time. If you use his weakness, Silk Shot, the first hit will destroy his tail. He now can no longer try to suck you in or use his tail parts to home in on you - he'll just disappear, appear, and throw his throwing stars. You can also hit him no matter where he appears from the middle of the ground - if he appears on the upper left, shoot to the right; if he appears on the upper right, shoot to the left - it breaks into four pieces that move diagonally which will hit him. Obviously, you should fire in his direction if he's on the ground. Silk Shot makes a long battle much, much shorter and simpler, but it's not exactly difficult anyway. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ After defeating him, you get Magnet Mine. This weapon is Crystal Snail's weakness. RECAP: [HEART TANK] - You need either the Dash Upgrade or both the X-Buster Upgrade and the Speed Burner weapon. Stand where you find the first Installer. You must have not defeated the Blecker closest to you, to the left. Dash jump to the left off the ledge to reach the upper part of the wall, then slide down and air-dash left to reach the Blecker and climb up. With the Speed Burner, charge the Speed Burner, dash then jump left, then release to reach the Blecker, and then climb up. Go left for the Heart Tank. [SUB TANK] - Past the fourth possible purple Installer (the one that drops down, then moves left), dash then jump to the right after the next two Installers fall into the gap. Go down the ledge and wait at the edge of the cliff for another Installer to fall down behind you. Jump on its right side, and when it gets halfway across the cliff, dash then jump to the right to reach the wall, climb up it, jump left, and go left for the Sub Tank. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ Energen Crystal Stage Crystal Snail POWER 6800 rp SPEED 500 rp \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ *If you've been following this guide so far, all X-Hunters have been defeated. This Maverick has made his base at the Energen Crystal mine. Energen Crystals are a new source of energy, and thus you need to keep the Mavericks from getting a strong supply of them. Go right until you see a Batton Bone G, then jump and fire to destroy it. Go right down the ledge, and then jump up the next ledge and fire at the Batton Bone G. Go right and just run down the slide and over the gap to the right, and you'll land in the Ride Armor. HEART TANK! With the Ride Armor, go left, jump back onto the ice slide, and run left. Go down the pit holding left to land on a small ledge with a cliff on either side. Go towards the left side of this ledge. Hold down the punch button to charge the drills, then hold down jump and left, then release the drills. You will be sent very far to the left. Once you can see a ledge to your left, release jump for a moment, then press up, left, dash, and jump together (in essence, charge your drills, go left while hovering in the Ride Armor, then dash and jump out of it). There are numerous other ways to do this, such as dashing then jumping left and mashing the jump button to hover over, but I find this to be the easiest and most consistent way to do it. Go left to get the Heart Tank. Then, climb up the left wall and jump right to the platform to go back across the long cliff. Hop down to the ledge, then jump to the right over the gap, climb the wall, and go back down the slide to the Ride Armor. You can do this next section with or without the Ride Armor - I recommend with. With or without it, go right and jump down the gap to your right in the middle. You will pass three Refleczer enemies on your way down - these are cannons attached to walls that fire lasers at 45 degree angles, which bounce against walls at 90 degree angles and dissipate when they hit the fourth wall. Anyway, on ground, just go right when you land then jump across the cliff, and on Ride Armor, you'll break through the ground, so go right across the spikes, then jump up the ledge, then hop out of the Ride Armor up the ledge, then go right and then jump across the cliff. Go right down the ledge, and a large slab of emerald will slide down over you - getting crushed by this against a wall causes death. This will also smash part of the crystal blocking the Ride Chaser's path, so if you want, go back left up the ledge then over the cliff and get back in it. Go right again over the cliff, then down and up the ledges, and continue right. Without the Ride Armor, jump up and climb the ladder, go right, go up the ledge then drop down, fire at the Refleczer, then dash and jump to the right to get on the ledge above it. With the Ride Armor, go right over up the slide, jump up the spikes, then dash across to punch the Refleczer and jump up onto the ledge. X-HUNTER BATTLE! With the Ride Armor, dash and jump to the left, holding jump to get over the ledge to the left, then go down it and go left. Jump up and punch at the ice blocks to destroy them, and then jump up to the left where they were. Continue to punch through the ice blocks, then when you can jump, do so with the Ride Armor and then jump out of it to get onto a torpedo platform (when it's in range), and climb on top of it. Jump to and up the one to your left, then the upper one to your right, then jump and climb the ladder. Go through the gray door. After leaving this battle, make sure you hold left as you go down the pit, as otherwise you'll land on spikes. Go back to the ledge. Without the Ride Armor, go right up the ledge, fire at the Refleczer, then go down the ledge. Dash and jump to the right and go up where the Refleczer was. Go right up the ledge when the beam has just bounced off the floor and jump up the wall on your right. Go up the ledge, go right, and go down the ledge. With the Ride Armor, punch the two blocks of ice, then jump out and fire at the Refleczer. Get back in and go right. Destroy the next four ice blocks, then two out of the four in the next column. Note you CAN destroy all the ice blocks to get an extra life if you'd rather do that than this next part. Jump up to the new ledge once the beam has bounced off the top of it, then quickly get out of the Ride Armor, get onto the wall and fire at the Refleczer to your left. Once it's defeated, get back in the Ride Armor. Punch to more ice blocks to your right, then jump left to where the Refleczer was. Jump to the right (or dash-jump to make sure you don't bump your head), and at the height of your initial jump, before you start to hover, rapidly tap jump (while holding right) to get up on top of the right column of blocks. Dash-jump left, then dash and jump to the right while holding jump to hover. Go right and down the ledge. You will now encounter a mini-boss, Magna Quartz. With the Ride Armor, simply go stand next to it and hold attack - you'll charge your drills into it, and it will die within around 5 seconds. Don't worry about being shot - the Ride Armor's health is irrelevant once this enemy is defeated. To defeat Magna Quartz without the Ride Armor, repeatedly charge up, jump, and fire at the eye in the crystal. Don't fire rapidly, as it will stop taking damage for a moment each time it's hit. It will release a small probe-like enemy that hovers above, quickly changing location, and firing a shot at a different angle at you repeatedly. These shots bounce off three walls and dissipate against the fourth. These are unique, though, as they move fast and bounce at the same angle it hits in the opposite direction. There can be up to three shots on the screen at a time from one of these probes! Simply dash left and right and try to predict where you have to go to avoid the shots - luckily, they're not too damaging, and you can afford to be hit by a few. If you take a while and he's weak, he'll probably release a second probe, and on rare occasion, even a third! Finish him quickly! As long as you dash left and right consistently while charging, then jump and release at him, he should go down, though, so don't worry too much about being hit. After defeating him, go right and up the ledge. You'll have to get out of your Ride Armor now if you took it this far. Run right down the slope. You CAN get a large energy capsule if you dash-jump, but you probably won't need it. At the end, jump to get up the ledge, or quickly jump up it, as a large slab of crystal is following you. Go right against the cliff. Two Batton Bone G enemies will come to you - jump and shoot them. Either dash then jump across the cliff, or get the Helmet Upgrade. HELMET UPGRADE! Go down the gap and go left when you see a ledge to get on it. Quickly, you should dash under the top Refleczer, jump over the second, dash then jump over the third, and dash under the fourth down the ledge. You can shoot them if you want, but it's not as fun. To your left is the Light Capsule. Enter it. Jump up the top of the empty capsule after getting it to go through an invisible passage, then go left and fall to get an extra life. Go back to the Light Capsule. Charge up, jump, and release to defeat the upper Refleczer and the lower Refleczer. Then, go right, dash then jump over the next Refleczer, then dash under the last one and jump to the wall to your right. Climb the wall up. If you came from the left, then jump and fire at the last Batton Bone G. If you came from below, run right a bit, then turn around and jump and fire at the three following you. Go right down the ledge, then up the ledge (ignore the ladder), and fire at the Batton Bone G that comes at you. Go right down the ledge, then up two more, go right a little bit, and jump and fire at the next two Batton Bone G enemies. Go right down the ledge and the slab of crystal will start to go left and chase you (but don't worry; there's no need to dash). Go back left up the ledge, and while running left, fire at the Batton Bone G (if it's there). Then, go down two more ledges, up one, down one, and then up, and it will land in the gap to your right. Keep going left, and then turn around, jump and fire at the Batton Bone G to your right. Go right up the crystal slab, then down, and turn around and fire at the two pursuing Batton Bone G enemies. Turn around and jump and fire at the Batton Bone G to your right. Go right up two more ledges and jump and fire at two more Batton Bone G enemies. Go right and then jump up onto the ledge to your left. Once the beam hits the wall right above you, jump up the left wall past the Refleczer and jump to the right to the ledge. Go right down the ledge until the crystal slab starts to shake, then go back left and jump back up. Then, go down onto the crystal slab, then down off of it, then right up the ledge once the beam hits the ground, and go through the gray door. Go through the next one. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> This Maverick belongs to some unknown troop, and acts leisurely. Being a snail, and given his speed ranking, you'd expect him to be incredibly slow. However, you'll need to do quite a bit of dashing in this battle. First, contacting him will reduce your health by 4 bars. This is the only way he can hurt you. He will often get in his shell, will rise up a random height, and it will start rotating (he'll always do this after being hit 5 times or after you get hit by a Crystal Hunter). He will then charge at you after a while, stay in place rotating, and charge again in a bit. After this, he will come out of his shell and hop down. To avoid this, simply wait for him, then as he comes, get on a wall and jump over him (or if he's above, dash under him). It's not too difficult to avoid for his only attack. However, he has other attacks that help him hit you, and these are more difficult to avoid. He throws out not one, not two, but three Crystal Hunters at a time. Not only does he often do this on his own, but he does it to counter you nearly every time you hit him. These are ice balls that freeze you upon contact. He'll either throw slowly, in which case two are somewhat low and one is very high, or quickly, in which case most are fast. It's safe to stay on a far wall, fire at him, and get up high, as if he throws slowly, you can easily drop between the high one and low ones (and fire again), and if he throws quickly, you'll be above them all. However, if you're less patient, look at the background. There's a tree outside, and two walls on either side. Dash between these walls, firing as you come towards Crystal Snail, and if you do this fast enough, everything he throws at you will (including his very fast counters) go underneath him. Should you be hit by a Crystal Hunter, rapidly tap up, down, left, right, shoot, dash, jump, the blank button, weapon change up, weapon change down...everything! If you know to hit everything instead of just left and right, by the time he's charging at you, you should easily be broken free and out of the way. Once he has fewer than 10 bars of health, he'll use his charged-up Crystal Hunter, which slows down time, by rapidly spinning. This is always done when you get hit by a Crystal Hunter, so you have extra time to break free now. However, avoiding his shell on its own is much more difficult - constantly dash then jump onto walls, then dash and jump off of them over him. Dashing while he's above you works well. Basically, this battle is usually tricky because people get hit by the Crystal Hunters a lot and can't break free. However, now that you know how to break free easily and avoid them, it shouldn't be a problem. When he charges in his shell, just dash from side to side, or get on a wall and dash-jump over. When he's on the ground, either fire charged- up shots and quickly climb the wall or dash back and forth, firing as you dash towards him, very quickly (yet still a long distance each time). When he's in slow motion, do your best to be as generally evasive as possible, but don't worry if he hits you - he's almost gone. With all this in mind, this really should not be too difficult a battle. It's interesting to note that if you get hit by a Crystal Hunter after firing the shot that kills him, you can break free as he dies and run around the arena as he explodes. With his weakness, Magnet Mine, he becomes incredibly easy. Hitting him once will electrocute him (taking off 3 bars), and then send him flying out of his shell (not as in appearing out of it, but as in actually being separated from it) against a wall (taking off 2 more) - both hits damage him. After hitting him, get onto a wall so that he doesn't hit you on his way to the wall. He will then jump around and occasionally dash until he gets into his shell, then use slow motion. You can always hit him again as he lands after slow motion. By simply hitting him, getting on a wall, letting him get in his shell, waiting for slow motion, and hitting him again, you can easily win without risk. However, you can have more fun - dashing into his shell will kick it up high and make it bounce around. In this way you can keep him out of his shell. This actually is more dangerous as the regular battle, as he'll move somewhat randomly and his dashes are relatively fast, but if you're confident and want to have fun, I encourage it. However, just using Magnet Mine, yet not being so cruel, makes this battle much easier, and even if you don't want to make things easy, I recommend you try it just to watch him leave his shell. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ After defeating him, you get Crystal Hunter. This weapon is Overdrive Ostrich's weakness. RECAP: [HEART TANK] - Get the Ride Armor. Go left up the ledge, past the slide, and go down the gap to the left. Charge up your punch while holding left and jump, and release to go far to the left and hover. When you see the ledge, release jump, then press up, dash, and jump to dash-jump out of the Ride Armor and onto the ledge. The Heart Tank is to your left. [HELMET UPGRADE - Item Tracer] - Past Magna Quartz and the next slab of crystal go down the gap and go left before going down the cliff. Dash under a Refleczer, then use two dash-jumps to get over two, then dash to get under another, and then go down a ledge. To the left is the Light Capsule. Enter it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- VI. X-Hunter Strategies This will provide you with strategies for defeating the three optional X-Hunters in case you're using your own order to defeat the eight Mavericks and don't want to search through the walkthrough portion to find these. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Agile is incredibly fast, and can easily destroy you within seconds if you don't know what to expect. He's harder than the 8 regular Mavericks, but is optional, so you can skip him. If you defeat him, however, you get Zero Part 3. First, he can create Sonic Booms and send them at you. Getting hit by these reduces your health by 1. These are incredibly large attacks and difficult to dodge. Not only that, but you can't destroy them or shoot through them to hit Agile. To avoid these, get on the wall. If he fires a low one, jump up high. If he fires a high one, hop down low. If he fires the difficult middle one, drop down then dash underneath it. In all cases, quickly get back to the middle of the wall as soon as you can. His other attacks consist of simply contacting you, all of which reduce your health by 3. However, he is INCREDIBLY fast, so avoiding him is not easy. If you're on the ground, he may charge against the ground at you, slashing with his saber. He is invincible while charging. It probably takes him around half a second to get from one side of the arena to the other. Since he uses his beam saber, even dashing, he's too tall to jump over. Quickly get onto the wall near you and dash-jump over him. If you try to stay above him or just take too long, after dashing across at you, he may jump up vertically and slash all the way up the wall (which is easy enough to dodge by just jumping off, though). Other than that, regular contact will also cost you 3 bars of health. Basically, just get onto the wall. Most of the time, he'll fire an upper Sonic Boom, so drop down, fire, and get back on the wall. He should land on your shot. If he fires a middle one, fire while dashing under, and he'll take twice as many points of damage from the shot (though you should quickly get back on the wall). Repeat this until he's defeated. If, for some reason, you get caught on the ground and he's constantly charging at you, pick a side and go to it - it's better than losing health so rapidly. Truly, this is probably the least difficult X-Hunter battles. If you succeed, you will get Zero Part 3. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Violen is the wildest X-Hunter, and is said to have the highest power rating in the world (apparently, he once destroyed a Maverick Hunter base on his own). He is a very difficult enemy to subdue with low health, simply because his attacks can be very random and difficult to avoid. He's unpredictable, and you take a good deal of damage from his attacks. Since this is an X-Hunter battle, I suggest you consider using a Sub Tank if he's low on health and you are, too (press start and select the Sub Tank to refill your health). He is optional, but defeating him will give you Zero Part 2. Getting his by his spike ball will decrease your health by 5 bars. One pattern he'll use is to move the ball and chain back and forth over himself, far away, then closer, then close. If it hits a wall before hitting the ground, he'll assume it hit and came back to there (so, for example, he'll his the ball near your wall, then it will hit his, then it will his the ground in front of you, then his wall, then the ground near him, then his wall, then back to him). After he's done, it will go directly above him and come down into him. This is done very quickly, but staying on the ground next to the wall will protect you often (it will hit above or near you), and being at the top of the wall will protect you even better (though you're hardly safe while climbing the wall and in the middle of it). He may also aim it somewhat and bounce it around the top of the room, sometimes hitting the ground. This is very hard to predict, as it follows no set pattern and changes as you move. You're not safe in any one spot. However, as he DOES tend to keep it around the edge of the room, and far away from himself, at that, so staying on the ground near him, as dangerous as it may seem, is probably the safest spot. The only reason this spot isn't always safe is because when he does this attack, it both leaves and comes back to him from any direction, so you may get trapped between him and the ball. If this happens and you can't dodge it, run into him instead, as you take less damage. Make sure not to stay there, though, as he can hit you again immediately if he uses the same attack. Coming into contact with him will decrease your health by 3 bars. This is rare. He only moves by jumping very high up and then coming down, covering a very low distance. Because of this, you should dash under him, since there's little room between where he came from and where he's landing. Sometimes he'll use his shot attack in the air, which will keep him there, but don't assume he will. Every time he jumps up and you want to get under him, do so immediately. Getting hit by one of his shots will decrease your health by 2 bars. These are fairly difficult to dodge. When standing, he will extend his hand and fire five scattered shots at different angles, going from down to up. When he jumps up, he will fire six shots going from left to right, then four more going back left (though not as far). If he's near you when stationary, climb up the wall and jump over all the shots. If he's far, pick two shots and jump between them. When he jumps up, just dash so that you get between any two shots; if another comes, dash out of the way (this is easier to dodge). Luckily, getting shot by one of these only costs you 2 bars of health. As far as strategy goes, always be near the wall farthest from him when he's not attacking - preferably at the top of it (as getting up a wall while he's attacking is not a good idea). If he's using his bash left and right attack, when it gets far enough away from you, get on the ground and fire a charged shot or a few regular ones. If it's hit slow one, get next to him and fire rapidly, then get back on the wall once he's done. If he jumps to you and gets too close, dash under him, or quickly get on a wall, dash-jump over him, and get on the other wall. Dodge his shots as best you can, but don't try so hard to dodge them that you risk setting yourself up for being hit by the ball, which is worse than being hit by two shots. Remember, his ball will block any shots at him, so you do need to time them. This battle IS more difficult than most, and is based quite a bit on luck, but with a few tries, even without any Heart Tanks, he will be defeated. Should he lose, you will get Zero Part 2. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Serges is the leader of the X-Hunters. His intelligence is said to surpass that of Sigma, the old leader of the Mavericks. Although physically weak, he creates incredible machines to make up for it, and is easily the most difficult of all the X-Hunters to defeat. This battle requires precise timing and near-perfect placement of X at all times, as well as improvising skills. This is one of the most difficult battles in the game. Bear in mind that he is optional, but if you defeat him, you get Zero Part 1. At the beginning of battle, Serges will throw off his cloak. If you jump or go left immediately, it will hit you, and your health will be reduced by 1. Simply do not go left or jump immediately. If you have Giga Crush, though, you might consider getting hit by it, as it will fill it up instantly. I personally never found Giga Crush useful against him, though. Serges travels left and right on a hovering pedestal. This pedestal always moves in your direction. On the left and right of this pedestal are spikes. Contacting either of these spikes will reduce your health by 1. There are really five evenly-spaced locations on the ground (discussed below), and if it comes within two of the wall you're near, get on the wall and prepare to jump over (or under) him when he comes closer. If you contact Serges, you will lose two bars of health. This is actually very common, as one of his major attacks is to jump to the top of the room, spinning and firing energy shots around in a circle. This attack is so common since he does it every time he's shot while on his pedestal. It's generally a good idea to just jump over him if he's close to the wall and you're not going to get a shot off. However, if you hit him and he's fairly, you'll want to jump up the wall, then drop to his pedestal and dash off it (dashing will avoid the spike). You'll really want to do this unless he starts to drop from his jump around a "fifth" away from your wall, in which case you have enough room to jump over him. Don't worry; this will be described better soon. While on the pedestal, his main attack will be to drop mines. This is a VERY predictable attack, as he crouches for a good second first - although reaction time isn't that important here anyway. He'll do these at five locations on the ground, evenly spaced, generally each time he reaches one of them on his slow-moving pedestal. Touching one of these reduces you're health by 3. Unfortunately, it's out of the question to try to land between these while avoiding everything else. Thus, you need to destroy them. This is actually difficult to do, as Serges' pedestal creates a shield that deflects any shots that pass it. Not only that, but the mines are very small. You need to be on the same side of Serges as the mine and fire at least a 2nd level shot at it. Anyway, use where he plants the mines as reference points where I use the term "fifth". Last, when Serges jumps, he fires beams around him in a fast circular array. The only way to predict this is if he falls on his pedestal after being hit, you can guarantee he'll do this (although he can on his own, too). Luckily, these only reduce your health by 1, as you'll most likely be hit by a few. When he jumps, you want him to be facing you, as he'll fire away from you around the top then towards you around the bottom, and starts at about half way up. Because of this, you can follow the beams around him. However, if you have to go under him because he's too close, then try to dash between two, although if you're hit, it won't be too big a deal. The big reason people have trouble with him, however, isn't because his attacks are difficult to avoid - they take little off. The biggest challenge to deal with is his defense - he generates a shield a moment after you fire a shot, and it lasts for a second or two. He can also make the shield come up on his own, though this isn't nearly as common. The first idea is not to fire until the shield's gone - you'll just keep prolonging its length. The second idea is to be close to him when you fire. His shield will come up if you fire across the arena. Try to be a "fifth" away from him. Stay away from him, then when his shield goes down, dash over to him, jump, and fire. Note that if you fire while at dashing speed, he'll take twice as many points of damage. Should you hit his shield, he will stop for a moment to laugh, but that doesn't really benefit you at all. The overall strategy of this is far more involved than most, and leaves a lot up to you. At the start, do NOT get on the wall right away or jump, as his cloak will hit you. Instead, wait for him to start crouching, and then dash at him, jump, and fire (taking care to stop after firing so as not to hit the spike) - before he drops the mine, if possible. Now, he'll jump. When he jumps, look at where he jumps from. If he's more than half the arena away from your wall, just go to your wall and jump to the middle of the wall - he's probably too far to jump over, and you want to be there to be able to react (if he's close and you're on the middle of the wall, be prepared to jump over him if he moves on the ground and drop down if he jumps). If he's at the middle of the arena, follow his beams and jump over him. If he's closer to your wall than the other one, hop up it (not dashing up the wall), then drop onto his pedestal, then dash off it and try to get as far away as possible (as this will increase the distance between the shots, and thus increase the chance you aren't hit). No matter how you get past Serges when he jumps, if there are any mines on your side, charge up and destroy them immediately, then wait until his shield goes down and repeat. Basically, you constantly are waiting for an opportunity to hit him, hitting him, getting past him, clearing out your side, and repeating him - and as long as you have patience and remember to dash at him when you shoot (to both close the distance and double the damage), the only tricky part is knowing whether or not to go over or under him. If you judge this based on where he jumps from as explained above, it should be fairly predictable, and you should only have REAL trouble when he jumps multiple times - this is unpredictable and oftentimes too fast too react to. If he starts this, just do your best to avoid Serges himself at all costs (the spikes and beams reduce your health by half as much), and remember that Serges IS vulnerable while in the air. Once you've got him down, try to fire an extra shot after getting past him as he lands right before he gets on the pedestal. Anyway, Serges will most likely take a few tries, and is definitely one of the hardest bosses in the game. I would encourage you to use Sub Tanks as you see fit to stay healthy. Should you overcome him, you will get Zero Part 1. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- VII. Ultimate Recap This will remind you of the locations of every Heart Tank, Sub Tank, and Upgrade in the game. If you've already defeated each of the eight Mavericks, you can get anything here, so if you're missing something and want it, this is your resource. This also includes information on the Final Upgrade. I'll list these in the order you would receive them if you took the efficient order. Desert Base Stage - OVERDRIVE OSTRICH [HEART TANK] - Take the Ride Chaser all the way into the base by dashing constantly and firing rapidly so as to hit the ramps and go off them, and ride across the spikes to it. Go slowly by turning around several times to make sure you keep your life. [DASH UPGRADE - Main Drive Unit Modifier (Air-Dash)] - You need the Spin Wheel for this. Once you are past the Heart Tank, dash-jump to the right as you go down the pit. Use the Spin Wheel to destroy the blocks in your path. To the right is the Light Capsule. Enter it. Weather Control Stage - WEATHER SPONGE [HEART TANK] - At the beginning of the stage, jump up the wall to your left. In an invisible passage, you will find the Heart Tank. [SUB TANK] - When you first get to the torpedo platforms, jump on the first, then dash-jump to the left onto the tree. Climb up and then dash-jump to the right. Defeat the Croak Hopper, jump to the right, defeat the next Croak Hopper, and go right to get the Sub Tank. Dinosaur Tank Stage - WHEEL GATOR [X-BUSTER UPGRADE - Double Shot] - After climbing down the two ladders near the beginning, go right until you reach a wall. Jump up it. You need to reach the wall to your left above you. This can be done with a perfect dash-jump, but can literally take hours, so I don't encourage it. If you have the Strike Chain, fire it as you jump, and if it hits the wall you're aiming for, it will bring you the extra distance you need and make the jump possible with a couple tries. Alternatively, if you have the Dash Upgrade, jump onto the ledge to your left after going to the top, then slide down and air-dash to the left onto the wall. Climb up the wall and you'll find the Light Capsule to your right. Enter it. [HEART TANK] - Once you've climbed the ladder past the Ride Armor section, you'll see it to your left. If you have the X-Buster Upgrade and Speed Burner, charge up Speed Burner, then dash-jump to the left off the ledge to the right of the ladder and release the Speed Burner. You should hit the wall just above the spikes, so jump onto the ledge quickly. Alternatively, let the Tiranos hit you with a shot as far to the left as possible, and while temporarily invincible, dash-jump onto the spike wall to the left, and from there, dash-jump up the wall onto the ledge. If this is done quickly enough, you will be able to jump off the spikes since you'll still be invincible from being hit. Deep-Sea Base Stage - BUBBLE CRAB [HEART TANK] - Past the hill near where the Sea-Canthller emerges, there's a pit (it's a door the Sea-Canthller opens). You should dash- jump to the right over it and climb the wall. While still on the wall near the top, use a dash-jump off it to the left holding jump. You should make it to a torpedo platform in a few tries - climb up it. Jump to the right and climb onto the ledge to get the Heart Tank. [SUB TANK] - At the long flat section underwater, go left. There's a small hill going down from right to left. Run (don't dash) at it, and a little past the corner (to the left of the corner), jump as straight as you can. If done right, you'll go straight up higher than usual - go left when high enough and get on the wall. If you can't do this jump, come back with Bubble Splash and the X-Buster, and use both to jump higher than normal and get there. Once on that wall, jump rapidly across the water to the right until you stop hitting your head, then jump left onto the ledge with the Sub Tank. Volcanic Zone Stage - FLAME STAG [SUB TANK] - Jump onto the first Beetron and let him take you up, then jump off to the left and go left up the two ledges. [HEART TANK] - At the volcano section at the beginning where lava follows you up, dash to the right, onto the wall part of the ledge (from now on, hold dash; I'm assuming you're holding dash). Jump from there to the wall, and ignoring the large energy capsule jump on that wall four times (a total of five jumps so far). Then, jump left and jump up that wall once, then jump right and jump up that wall twice. Jump left, jump up that wall once, then jump right, jump up that wall once, and jump left - you should now see the Heart Tank and the Bar Waying. Fire rapidly at it and then use a dash to get the Heart Tank (if you can't shoot fast enough, use Spin Wheel). Robot Junkyard Stage - MORPH MOTH [HEART TANK] - You need the Crystal Hunter for this. Fire the Crystal Hunter at the first Disk Boy 08 you encounter (near the beginning) - twice if the first hits his shield - and jump on top of him. Dash then jump to the right, climb up, and go right for the Heart Tank. [ARMOR UPGRADE - Giga Crush] - You need the Spin Wheel for this. After passing the four Hanged Reploids in the area where the gravity changes past the Heart Tank, jump up the first ledge and use Spin Wheel against the next ledge to dig down. Use two, go down the new gap, and go right over the ledge and then down it. To the right is the Light Capsule. Enter it. Central Computer Stage - MAGNA CENTIPEDE [HEART TANK] - You need either the Dash Upgrade or both the X-Buster Upgrade and the Speed Burner weapon. Stand where you find the first Installer. You must have not defeated the Blecker closest to you, to the left. Dash jump to the left off the ledge to reach the upper part of the wall, then slide down and air-dash left to reach the Blecker and climb up. With the Speed Burner, charge the Speed Burner, dash then jump left, then release to reach the Blecker, and then climb up. Go left for the Heart Tank. [SUB TANK] - Past the fourth possible purple Installer (the one that drops down, then moves left), dash then jump to the right after the next two Installers fall into the gap. Go down the ledge and wait at the edge of the cliff for another Installer to fall down behind you. Jump on its right side, and when it gets halfway across the cliff, dash then jump to the right to reach the wall, climb up it, jump left, and go left for the Sub Tank. Energen Crystal Stage - CRYSTAL SNAIL [HEART TANK] - Get the Ride Armor. Go left up the ledge, past the slide, and go down the gap to the left. Charge up your punch while holding left and jump, and release to go far to the left and hover. When you see the ledge, release jump, then press up, dash, and jump to dash-jump out of the Ride Armor and onto the ledge. The Heart Tank is to your left. [HELMET UPGRADE - Item Tracer] - Past Magna Quartz and the next slab of crystal go down the gap and go left before going down the cliff. Dash under a Refleczer, then use two dash-jumps to get over two, and then dash to get under another, and then go down a ledge. To the left is the Light Capsule. Enter it. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> You must first defeat all eight Mavericks and collect everything above. If you complete these requirements, you can now access the Final Upgrade. X-Hunter Stage (Third Area) - ?????????? [SHORYUKEN UPGRADE - Special Surprise] - Proceed through the stage until you reach an area with a ladder above and below you and spikes to your right. Go left up the ledge to lure a Batton Bone G to you, then go back down and right and then fire a Crystal Hunter at it when it's near the ladder. Jump onto it, then from there to the part of the wall to the left of the ladder, and from there onto the ladder, and climb it. To the left is an extra life; take it. Go right and charge to the 3rd level, then jump and fire at the Disk Boy 08 until he is destroyed. Jump up to where he was and fire at the Batton Bone G (go up and left for two energy capsules). At this point, make sure you have full health and don't get hit until you reach the capsule. Jump to the right onto the wall, and slide then air-dash four times until you land on the ground (not the spikes). You need to fire rapidly as the Garakuta Robots come at you until both are destroyed. Then, jump straight up and air-dash between the upper and lower spikes before you land. Go right up the two ledges. Now, switch to Speed Burner and charge up. Jump up and air dash right over the row of spikes, and when your between that row and the next row of spikes, release holding left (even if you don't go all the way left with the fire, it will add enough speed to get you there). Take the extra life on that ledge. Then, slide down the left wall, and you'll go through an invisible passage. Alternatively, the much-less taken route is perhaps much easier to acquire. Go down the ladder and proceed as usual until you reach a Paraloid R-5. Lure it to the left side of the ledge, and from below, jump and fire a Crystal Hunter at it. Jump up the ledge and onto it, and jump straight up. Press start at the peak of your jump and use Giga Crush while facing right to jump a little higher, and repeatedly press jump so that after it, you reach the right wall. Jump up it, then dash- jump over to the left wall and climb it and slide down it until you reach the invisible passage. Go left to and jump up. To the left is the Light Capsule. Jump up the ledge and enter the capsule to receive the Shoryuken Upgrade. To perform this, make sure you have full health, then press back, down- back, down, down-forward, forward, and then fire, while equipped with the X-Buster. This takes off around 6 bars of health per moment (around 1/10 of a second) it contacts its enemy, so it easily has the potential to kill bosses in one hit! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- VIII. Walkthrough (Part II) This portion will be an in-depth guide to the final five stages of the game. From now on, it will assume that you have the X-Buster and all eight other weapons. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ X-Hunter Stage \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ 6 months before the game started, the first ever organized revolt of human-harming robots, or Mavericks, was stopped, and its leader, Sigma, was destroyed. However, the leader of the Maverick Hunters who put down this revolt and X's best friend, Zero, was sacrificed so that this could be accomplished. After defeating what was believed to be the last of Sigma's followers at an abandoned factory, eight more Mavericks have decided to revolt under a group of three powerful Mavericks, called the X-Hunters. The X-Hunters collect Zero's parts and seem to be trying to resurrect him. At this point, if you won back all of Zero's parts from the X-Hunters, Dr. Cain will reveal that he's located their base at point 00; the North Pole. You decide to go finish them off, and Dr. Cain tells you that with time, he'll be able to resurrect Zero to help you. If you haven't won all of Zero's parts, Dr. Cain tells you that they attacked the base, took back all the parts you had, and took the control chip. You decide to go to their base to save Zero from whatever they're plotting! The following five levels are the final ones in the game. They cannot be revisited after being completed, but other than the Shoryuken Upgrade in the third level, they have nothing that you can only get in them, so don't worry about missing anything other than the Shoryuken. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ X-Hunter Stage (First Area) ?????????? POWER 18400 rp SPEED 6200 rp \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ Run right down four ledges and fire at the Scrambler and the Batton Bone G, ignoring the three Batton Bone G enemies before that. If you want, you should dash-jump right to the ledge, defeat the Scriver, and go right for an extra life, and then go back. Go right down another ledge, then jump over the next ledge with the Scriver and land two more ledges down. Go right down two more ledges while charging-up. Go right onto the platform and release the shot as the Scriver jumps to destroy it just before it hits you. When you see another Scriver, dash then jump off the platform over the Scriver to a wall, and jump up it. Go right down the ledge, firing at the Scriver, then right up the ledge and run against the wall. Once the Scriver jumps over you, climb that wall and then jump and climb the ladder. You will now encounter a Slidame, which you may remember from the first stage. It will try to crush you between the walls by closing them, so just pick the left or right wall, jump up it, and if you have time, destroy the Slidame. Go left up three ledges and charge up. Go up the next ledge and release and fire at the Barrier Attacker. Go up another ledge, charge, and then go up the next ledge and defeat the next Barrier Attacker. Go left up the ledge, climb the left wall, then jump off it and climb up the ladder. This shutter is much trickier than previous ones. I find the easiest route to be to climb up (while holding dash) the right wall past the first ledge, then hop over to the left wall, and climb up that two more ledges. This avoids tricky jumps where the wall above you juts out. If you have time, jump and shoot the Slidame. Go left up two ledges, then dash-jump over the Aclanda onto the wall, and jump from there to the ladder. Climb up it and dash-jump right, over the Aclanda, then jump up and climb the ladder. Go left up the ledge, jump, and climb the ladder. There will be another Slidame, but this shutter is easy - just you can just choose a wall and climb up it. Jump and shoot the Slidame if you have the time. Go right up the ledge. There are now two routes; the top one vastly simpler. Do as I say to avoid falling down. After this section, I'll cover the bottom in case you choose to go that way, but I don't recommend it. To go the top way, jump across the top, not dashing, and then dash under the Mecha-Arm. Charge up and go right up the ledge, then jump and release at the Crash Roader. Go right up to his ledge. Charge up and slide down on the left a bit, then dash-jump over the Mecha-Arm and a ledge. Hop and release at the Crash Roader and then go right, up his ledge. If you got caught by the Mecha-Arm, hold right, then dash-jump right up the ledge (this works fine if you dash-jumped into it). Climb straight up the wall and all three Barite Lastars to your left shouldn't touch you, then run or dash left past another (which again shouldn't touch you). If you took the bottom route, I'll assume you went down the first gap I told you to jump over. Go right and rapidly fire at the Crash Roader, then go right up the ledge, rapidly firing, and defeat another Crash Roader. Go right down the ledge and rapidly fire at yet another Crash Roader. Another one should already be coming at you from above, so dash away from it, and when it comes down to your level, dash-jump over it and up to its ledge. Go right down the ledge then up the ledge, jump straight over the Crash Roader that comes at you, then go right up its ledge, fire at the Barite Lastar, and then down it. Go right up its ledge, jump right over the Barite Lastar after it fires to land on an extra life, and go left, under the Barite Lastar, for a large energy capsule. After it fires again, go right up the wall, then jump off it left and climb the ladder. Jump and fire at the Barite Lastar on the left torpedo platform, then climb up it and fire left at the one on the wall. Next, fire at the Barite Lastar on the torpedo platform to your right, jump to it, and climb it. Dash-jump to it, then you should climb it, then jump to the torpedo platform to your left and climb it. Fire left and right at the two Barite Lastars on either torpedo platform, then jump to the left platform, climb it, jump up, and climb the ladder, ignoring the Barite Lastar on the right wall. Now, you'll encounter another Slidame (the final one in the game). I recommend you jump onto the left wall first, and jump up it (holding dash) past two ledges, then dash-jump off it to the right and jump up it two more ledges. I recommend you don't try to destroy this Slidame, as you'll probably get hit by it and possibly even fall back down between the walls. After it leaves, go right up two ledges, dash-jump over the Aclanda, and go through the gray door. Go through the next one. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Violen is the most violent of all the X-Hunters, and relies so much on power that his thought circuit is thought to be defective. In the past, he destroyed a medium-sized Maverick Hunter base on his own. It's said that in his Neo Violen form, he's even more powerful - and that's what you're up against now. First, he'll raise his arms and make blocks appear. These appear in three different patterns - one low very near the left wall and in the middle of the arena; one somewhat near the left wall and another mid- height and near the right wall; one high near the left wall, one low near the middle, and one mid-height near the right wall. It seems he changes them in this order, too. While he changes them, he is invincible. This does nothing but affect how his spike will bounce, and these blocks don't hurt you but can actually be used as cover. He'll also use his chained spike, like in the last battle. If you are hit by it this time, you will lose 6 bars of health (as opposed to the previous 5). With the blocks around, your ability to avoid being hit will be based very highly on probability and very little on reaction time. His patterns are so mangled by the presence of the blocks that getting into them wouldn't accomplish anything. Thus, remember that he is least likely to hit you at a corner BY FAR. Only climb up a wall while he's using his spike if there's a block to cover you. I have defeated Neo Violen by simply standing against the left wall and firing rapidly without being hit, and he even moved quite close and changed block patterns, so believe me when I say that jumping up a wall to avoid the spike when you think it will hit you isn't a good idea (more than likely, it will bounce up). Also, try to use the position of the blocks to your advantage - finding a spot that you can go to where the spike can't follow you helps you. In the first pattern (order is in above paragraph), staying by the left wall is a great idea. You can easily climb up or hop down out of harm's way, and the spike will have to bounce quite a few times to come around and get either above or below that block to hit you. In the second pattern, with the block in the middle of the arena, if you're on the opposite side of it, you should be able to climb up the wall and drop down, as he shouldn't be able to get close to you quickly when he has to navigate past that block. In the third pattern, simply staying high up near a block should keep you relatively safe (though attacking him might be difficult as it's hard to predict when he'll hit your corner). When he jumps up onto a block, he's at his greatest disadvantage - stay on the ground, charge, pop up from behind a block to release at him when it's safe, and go back down (jumping above the block if he makes it around to you). Note that shots that hit the spike are deflected. Contacting him will reduce your health by 3. He moves by jumping up high and coming down low while covering a small distance (and comes down immediately if his head hits a block), so you need to dash if you want to get under him during this time. Other than that, you shouldn't have too much difficulty with this. However, if you do get caught between his spike and him, know that it's better to get hit by him, as it does less damage. He'll also jump up and fire 6 scattered shots towards you, then four more away. It's easy to predict, as he'll always jump then stay in place to do this, so jumping up a wall to get above all his shots is convenient enough. Alternatively, you can dash between his shots, and that option isn't all that hard, either. Being hit by a shot will reduce your health by 2. Anyway, Neo Violen isn't predictable, and thus being hit a lot and even losing isn't unordinary. However, there are basically guidelines you can follow that will increase your chances at victory. First, stay in corners - as I said, I defeated him by just standing against the left wall and firing. ONLY jump up walls if he's either not using his spike or if there's a block to cover you. Use narrow spaces between blocks and the walls to escape the spike when it chases you and give yourself some time to fire. I recommend firing rapidly at him when he's on the ground. When he's on a block, charge up, jump up a wall covered by a block, and release at him, then retreat back under the block. As his attacks do a lot of damage, with no Heart Tanks, he can kill you in three hits, so don't take risks and just follow these guidelines. Note that dashing at him and firing will NOT double the damage he receives, so don't bother with that. I recommend using Sub Tanks in this battle if you have any and if you are having difficulty. Anyway, with fast reflexes in combination with luck (as well as perhaps a few tries), his circuits will be overloaded, and you'll be able to proceed to the next stage. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ X-Hunter Stage (Second Area) ?????????? POWER 10300 rp SPEED 12300 rp \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ Go right down the gap. I recommend you practice jumping on the surface of the water here a little to save yourself a few seconds of time later, at least if you're impatient. Fire a shot at the Fishern. Go right, jump, and shoot the next on. Hop up the ledge firing to hit a Fishern in front of you, and then turn around, jump, and fire to hit another. Use a dash-jump to get over the cliff. Go right down the ledge, firing, to hit a Fishern in front of you, and then turn around, jump, and fire to hit another. Go right down the ledge, then up the next one. Dash-jump over the cliff, firing, to hit a Fishern in front of you, then turn around, hop, and fire to hit one behind you. Go down the two ledges. Go right up the ledge, charge-up, turn around, jump, and fire at the Barite Lastar. Jump to the left where it was and jump up the wall, not holding down, past the Barite Lastar on the right, then jump to the right and onto the ledge. Charge-up, jump, and fire at the Barite Lastar on the left wall, them jump to it. Jump up past the Barite Lastar on the right, not holding dash, charge-up, then slide down and fire at it. Charge up to full, and then slide down, release and fire quickly at the Garakuta Robot to the right - this should destroy it. Now, jump to the right ledge, and then go right down the ledge. Another Garakuta Robot will come towards you. When it comes against your ledge, dash slight and then jump to the right, hitting the small section of the wall beneath where it juts out, and slide off and go right of the Garakuta Robot. Go right up the ledge, then turn around and fire rapidly at the Garakuta Robot. Now, charge up, and after the Barite Lastar below you to the left fires drop down and release at him, then quickly go left and go up the ledge to avoid the shot from the Barite Lastar to the right. After it passes, quickly go right down the ledge to avoid the incoming diagonal beam and fire rapidly at the Barite Lastar to your right. Now, after both Barite Lastars below you fire, wait until the diagonal beam from the right one passes, then just run right past them both and another one to the left. After you reach a wall underwater, you should just drop down to land on a ledge with spikes to the right. There will now be a sideways torpedo platform. Jump to its left side (be careful that a diagonal beam from the above Barite Lastar won't JUST hit you; if it will, wait, then dash-jump to the platform). Continue to climb it until it reaches another ledge without spikes, and slide off it. Go underneath it, then jump onto another torpedo platform, and slide off it onto the next ledge. Go right up the three ledges. Use a dash-jump to the right to get onto wall, and repeatedly climb there until the torpedo platform passes you and goes left. Then, either drop down and hop across the water's surface to the right, or wait for the torpedo platform to come back to the right and jump up it repeatedly, then slide off at the ledge. Now, wait for a torpedo platform to come down, then jump onto the right wall, then off it onto the torpedo platform, and climb it (taking care to get on top of it on the right half to avoid the spikes to the left). Once it's up past the spikes, slide down its left side and keep jumping up it to avoid the fire, then quickly climb it and slide down its right side. Keep jumping on the right to pass the other fire, and then climb on top of it. When it gets to the top, just jump off to the right. Here, I recommend you lure the first Batton Bone G to you and hit it with a Crystal Hunter, jump onto it, hit the next with the Crystal Hunter, and jump to the ledge to get past the spikes. However, you CAN shoot both and make a good dash-jump to get across. To the right, you can use the Spin Wheel to break the wall, charge up your Speed Burner, jump, air-dash right, release your Speed Burner, and air-dash again to get an extra life, then air-dash, release, and air-dash again to get back left, but it's not necessary. Go down to reach a Cannon Driver. Since this one is close to the wall, you'll have to fight it differently than normal. Try and near it (so the impact of the shot against the wall doesn't hit you) and fire rapidly at it. When the top shot hits the wall, jump up onto the wall and stay there until it shoots a bottom shot and top shot, then jump over the bottom shot. Repeat this and he should be gone in three to four rounds of this (if he hits you, just dash through him, though). Go right through the gray door. Go through the next one. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Serges is the leader of the X-Hunters. His intelligence has been compared to "the legendary mad scientist", as he is considered to be a "super genius". He's so intelligent, in fact, that his thought circuit is thought to exceed Sigma's. He's responsible for the creation of several major Reploids. Now, in his Sagesse Tank, he does his name proud. This is absolutely one of the most difficult battles in the game! First, you must jump to the right onto the platforms. I recommend you jump to the one closest to you, farthest left, though you can reach all four. The platforms from left to right move down, up, down, up, at the start of the battle, and then repeatedly just go up and down throughout the battle. The two to the left move slowly and constantly meet at the middle, and the two to the right move quickly and constantly meet at the middle. The two left and two right platforms do not have a constant relationship. To not only increase your reaction time but also to be able to switch at a constant point, I recommend you fight the entire battle on the two left platforms. First, touching the spikes on the floor will reduce your health by 32. In other words, even with all Heart Tanks, it is instant death. Do NOT fall off to avoid being hit by something else! This shouldn't be something that you constantly have trouble with, just something to know to avoid. Anyway, the Sagesse Tank has four cannons. Serges sits behind them and operates one when you're at the same height as it. Each of these different cannons has a unique attack. The top cannon fires out an oval beam of energy that bounces up and down as it slowly goes left to right. Though dashing under it would be easy, with the uneven platforms it's very possibly to get cornered by one of these beams anywhere, and at close range, you can barely react. I recommend taking out the top cannon first. Being hit by one of these reduces your health by 3. The second cannon fires out a disk that goes out, then returns. This disk has limited range and not only can't hit all the way to the end of the 3rd platform, but is very easy to avoid by simply hopping down or jumping up to another platform. The only problem is that it at close range, you'll be on two platforms that meet at about the disk's height, and thus changing height to avoid it will be difficult. I recommend taking out this cannon third. Being hit by one of these reduces your health by 3. The third cannon fires a slow energy beam that homes in on you. This is easily jumped over. Its only real chance to hit you is if you're right next to it or if you get caught at the top height of a platform where you can't jump and where hopping down would mean getting hit by it on the way. I recommend taking out this cannon last. Being hit by one of these reduces your health by 3. The bottom cannon fires a fast beam across the bottom. Simply hop over this. The only trouble is that at short range, it's likely you won't react in time or will jump too early, making him use a cannon you don't want him to. I thus recommend you defeat him second, though some may disagree and argue it is better fought later. Being hit by one of these reduces your health by 3. If for some reason you contact one of the cannons, or the wall where it used to be, your health will be reduced by 4. There's really no reason this should happen, though. Each time you defeat a cannon, the Sagesse Tank moves closer to you, first coming near, then destroying the fourth platform, then destroying the third. After its fourth cannon is destroyed, it is no longer mobile. After defeating all four cannons (don't worry, there's a more in-depth strategy to that in a bit!), the cannons' wall breaks, and Serges now moves up and down firing at you. He fires a green beam that stops in place for a moment, then splits into four, each 90 degrees apart. These will either be up/down, left/right, or diagonal. He alternates between straight and diagonal split shots. The best way to avoid these is to ALWAYS stay on the upper half of the room. Alternating between the two left platforms will accomplish this. If you're hit by one of these, you're health will be reduced by 3. If for some reason you touch Serges, your health will be reduced by 4. This shouldn't happen for any reason, though. Note that now you can stand on the bottom of the Sagesse Tank, though touching the right wall will still hurt you and reduce your health by 4. If you choose to stand there, just don't touch the wall. Anyway, as for actual strategy, there's plenty of it in this battle. Serges opens the battle with a homing energy beam from the third cannon. Take the left platform down, and jump over both that energy beam and the one he'll fire from his fourth cannon in one jump. Take the platform up to the top, and fire rapidly at the top cannon. He should release two oval bounce beams. As your platform meets up with the one to the right, jump slightly left, then right onto it around the first oval, and hop over the second one, and fire rapidly at the cannon some more. As it meets with the platform to your left again, switch, and again fire rapidly. Keep switching platforms midway to keep going up, hoping slightly when you reach the top to get over the second beam in a pair, and the first cannon should go down in no time. After it's destroyed, if you're going up, make sure to hop to get over the disk he'll fire at you. Now there are several ways to go, but I find that destroying the bottom cannon is the best plan. I recommend going for the bottom cannon. Charge up, then release and fire at it as you reach the bottom of the left platform. You'll need to jump over the fast beams twice - try to get the timing down, or jump when his eyes open. Jump onto the second platform and go down, and he should just use his bottom cannon twice more. Keep switching between the first and second platforms to go down, and hop twice over the bottom cannon's shots while releasing shots at it. Don't worry if the disk fires at you, as since you're going down, it will miss. This is where things get trickiest. If you're on the second platform going left, run left onto the first one to avoid the homing energy beam while charging. When the first platform comes up, jump over the homing energy beam and fire at the second cannon, which fires the disk. If you're impatient, you can try firing at it as the second platform comes up and then running onto the first one, but I find this will result in you being hit more often than not, so I recommend you only fire on the transition from first to second platform. Finally, it's down to just one cannon - the homing energy beam one. Ride one of the two left platforms to the top, charging up. As it comes down, release, and the cannon and switch to the other left platform. The beam can't home up that far, so you'll be safe. Repeat this, charging, coming down, releasing, switching, and going up, and it will be destroyed, along with the rest of the Sagesse Tank's wall. Now, ride your current platform up. You may be hit by the first one or two of his split shots, as they're pretty random, but keep switching platforms and stay moving up. Serges likes to keep his distance, so if you establish yourself at the top, he'll establish himself at the bottom. Now, when he fires a straight split shot, you should stand so that you're to the side of the center of his large shot (before it splits). When he fires a diagonal one, then you should stand above it. Continually charge up as you go up, drop down to hit him, and ride back up. If you're having difficulty with the timing, you can stand so that you're half on one of the platforms, and when the two platforms meet and the other starts to take you up, release. So long as you prioritize positioning yourself safely before firing, he shouldn't have much of a chance. In all honesty, this is one of the most difficult battles you'll encounter not only in this game, but the entire X series. It's thus not unlikely that you'll want to use everything you can. First of all, know that Silk Shot can destroy a cannon in one hit. If you got the Armor Upgrade, using Giga Crush to knock out all the cannons is arguable its best use in this game, and allows you to keep an extra platform. He is weak to Speed Burner, but I find it more effective to just use the X- Buster, as if you release and charge right away, it's likely that at least your additional regular shot will hit him. Anyway, use the strategy above or the tricks here and do whatever you can - Sub Tanks here may be your key to survival. With all this, and perseverance, the leader of the X-Hunters will be destroyed. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ X-Hunter Stage (Third Area) ?????????? POWER 9800 rp SPEED 17800 rp \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ Go right. Charge up, jump and release at the Disk Boy 08 a few times to destroy him. Go right up the ledge. You should jump and fire at the Batton Bone G that will come at you. Now, you should jump left off the ledge, and then go right onto the wall, and jump up while firing to hit the other Batton Bone G. Go right down the ledge, charge up and release a few times to destroy the Disk Boy 08, and go right up the ledge. Go right down the ledge while charging, and when the Paraloid V-1 jumps to your ledge, release and then fire rapidly to destroy it and the Disk Boy 08. Jump right over the cliff while charging and fire while running right to destroy three more Paraloid V-1 enemies. If you want the large energy capsule and extra life above, feel free to try. To get the large energy capsule, stand on the ledge left of it, above you, and hop and fire the Strike Chain. With some luck, you'll fish it out. To get the extra life, you need the X-Buster Upgrade. You must dash-jump from the left over the gap, where the Disk Boy 08 was, and release as you fall. This truly is not easy pull off, and I recommend completely skipping it, as it's tedious, yet not rewarding. Anyway, jump right over the cliff the next ledge, and from there go right and jump up to the left. Go left and climb the ladder. Go left and climb the left wall, and then dash-jump off to the right (ignore the platform) to the ledge. Climb the ladder. Go left, hop onto the wall, and then jump off to the right onto the ledge. Fire rapidly at the Tiranos, go right up its ledge, and go right. If you're a risk- taker, go right down the ledge and wait a moment - the Barrier Attacker will leave the screen and won't come back. If you want those three large energy capsules, you must dash-jump over the spikes. You must dash right to the edge of them, and tap jump as lightly as possible. If you have the Dash Upgrade, then you should just jump up and then air- dash through. Jump onto the right wall, then left for the three large energy capsules, and then go back to the right, over/under the spikes, and up the ledge. Ignore them if you want, though; it's not that rewarding. Jump right over the gap and climb the ladder. In this section, you navigate a platform to the top of the room. Each time you jump on it, its direction changes - down to left, left to up, up to right, and right to down. Thus, by repeatedly jumping on it, you can get through the ledges in your way. Go right onto the platform. It will go left against the wall. Jump on it to make it go up. Jump on it again when it's above the ledges on either side to go right, then jump on it twice more quickly to make it go left. Jump on it once it's left of the above ledge to go up, and once it above that ledge jump on it again to make it go right until it reaches the wall. Jump on it to make it go down against the ledge. Then, jump on it to make it go left, and time it well so that you jump again to go up between the two ledges. Once you get above them, jump again to go right against the wall, then again to go down against the ledge. Charge up and release several times to the left to destroy the Tiranos. Jump on it to go left and then jump again once you pass the ledge above you. You need to dash to the right onto that ledge and under the one above you. The platform will be stuck between the platform above you and the one to its left right now. Jump up and fire to the left at a Batton Bone G that's coming at you. Then, jump up to the ledge above you and fire rapidly at the Tiranos. Go left onto the platform to make it go right between the two ledges to your right, then jump off to the right onto the ledge, and then jump from that ledge to the platform once it's hit the wall to make it go down against part of the lower ledge. Hop twice quickly to make it go up, and once it's fairly high (though you still have enough room to jump), jump again to make it go right against the wall. Hop twice quickly to make it go left above the ledge, then jump again when the platform's between the two ledges above you to make it go up. When the platform's above the ledge, jump to make it go right, then jump twice to make it go left. Jump again to make it go up once it's against the left wall. You need to jump to make it go up, and when it's above the ledges to your right, jump again to make the platform go right. Fire left at the two pursuing Batton Bone G enemies. If you can't navigate the platform that well, you need to at least bring it to below the first Tiranos. From the platform, jump to the ledge to its right. Climb the wall on the right, then jump from it to the ledge to the left. Jump up to the next ledge, fire rapidly at the Tiranos, switch to Crystal Hunter, and hit the lured Batton Bone G with it. Jump on the Batton Bone G, then from it up to the ledge to the left. Climb the left wall, dash-jump to the ledge to the right, jump over the gap, go right down the ledge, and turn around to fire at the two pursuing Batton Bone G enemies. There's now a ladder above you and below you. First, the above route will be given, and will tell you how to get the secret Shoryuken Upgrade - if you don't want it or don't have the requirements for it; just don't get it, as this next section still covers the top route. SHORYUKEN UPGRADE! You must have all Heart Tanks, Sub Tanks, and Upgrades for this. If you brought the platform this far, once it reaches the spikes, jump three times quickly to make it go up, and jump to the later. If you didn't bring the platform, go back left up the ledge to lure a Batton Bone G to you, then go back down and right and then fire a Crystal Hunter at it when it's near the above ladder. Jump onto it, then from there to the part of the wall to the left of the ladder, and from there onto the ladder, and climb it. To the left is an extra life; take it. Go right and charge to the 3rd level, then jump and fire at the Disk Boy 08 until he is destroyed. Jump up to where he was and fire at the Batton Bone G (go up and left for two energy capsules). At this point, make sure you have full health and don't get hit until you reach the capsule. Jump to the right onto the wall, and slide then air-dash four times until you land on the ground (not the spikes). You need to fire rapidly as the Garakuta Robots come at you until both are destroyed. Then, jump straight up and air-dash between the upper and lower spikes before you land. Go right up the two ledges. Now, switch to Speed Burner and charge up. Jump up and air dash right over the row of spikes, and when your between that row and the next row of spikes, release holding left (even if you don't go all the way left with the fire, it will add enough speed to get you there). Take the extra life on that ledge. Then, slide down the left wall, and you'll go through an invisible passage. Go left and jump up. To the left is the Light Capsule. Go up the ledge and enter it. If you got the Shoryuken, go right down the ledge and out of the invisible passage and fall down the gap. Note that an alternate route to this will be given later on in the FAQ. Now, the FAQ will cover the bottom route you can take to reach this point. Go down the ladder. Go left onto the wall charging up. Below you, to the right, past some spikes, is a Cannon Driver. Hop over a bottom cannon, keeping distance from the wall so the upper cannons' impact won't hit you, and release and the bottom's shot. Repeatedly charge up and release through the bottom shot to defeat the Cannon Diver. Then, you should dash-jump right over the spikes. Go right, down to the ledge below you. Dash left off this ledge to pass three more ledges and go down to the fourth, past a gap (you'll dash over a spike ledge, a regular ledge, and another spike ledge). You should dash-jump to the right down two ledges, past the Tubamail Generator. Go down the ladder. Go left, down a ledge, up a ledge, and then down onto the ground. Jump onto the left wall and from there to the right to the floating ledge where the Disk Boy 08 is standing, facing away from you. You should fire rapidly at him to destroy him, then go right and fall to the ground. To get the extra life, you need the Dash Upgrade - jump straight up, then air-dash between the spikes. Go right, charge-up then release a few times at the Tubamail Generator (releasing once its Tubamail-S enemies start to charge so you destroy it and damage the Generator with the same shot), then go right up the ledge, down another, up another, and then down another. This is where both paths meet. Go right up the ledge. ALTERNATE ROUTE TO SHORYUKEN UPGRADE! Go right and draw a Paraloid R-5 towards you. Fire a Crystal Hunter at it while it's at the left end of the ledge. Jump on top of it, then jump straight up facing the right wall. At the height of the jump, press start, switch to Giga Crush and use it. This extra height should bring you to the right wall - press jump repeatedly to get onto it. Climb to the top, then jump to the left wall and slide down it to reach an invisible passage. Go left and jump. To the left is the Light Capsule. Go left up the ledge and enter it. Charge up, go right, hop, and fire at the Paraloid R-5. Charge up, then dash-jump to the right and release midair. This way you can destroy the second Paraloid R-5 and land on the ledge past the spikes. Charge up, hop, and fire to defeat the third one. Then, you should dash-jump over the spikes to another ledge while charging up. Release at the lower Paraloid R-5, then charge up, hop and right, then turn left and release to defeat the one above you (landing back on the ledge, of course). Charge up, then dash-jump right to the next ledge, releasing at the peak of your jump, to defeat the last Paraloid R-5 and a Paraloid V-1. If you can't make these dash jumps, consider using the Crystal Hunter on the Paraloid R-5 enemies, then jumping onto them and using your dash-jumps from on top of them. Jump right up on the ledge over the spikes, and then go right through the gray door. Go through the next one. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Agile has the highest attack speed in the world. He's the spy of the X- Hunter, and due to his military skills, also serves as a vanguard and combat officer. With his leader, Serges, defeated, Agile is now the last X-Hunter, and has entered his Agile Flyer in a desperate attempt to defeat X. If you land on the spikes on the ground, your health is reduced by 32. In other words, even with all the Heart Tanks, it will kill you instantly. Simply stay on the platforms. As you go up higher above the spikes as more platforms come, the spikes actually rise right below the screen, so going off the screen even partially will result in death. He'll also fire off mines behind him, which will come around to the screen from behind. Only one will reach you, but it will be extremely large. Being on the lower of the two levels if there are two uneven platforms generally allows you to avoid this, but just jumping up the wall is safer. You can even fire a charged shot at it to destroy it. However, if you're hit by it, your health is reduced by 6 bars of health, so make sure you avoid that blast one way or another. He will often create two platforms on either side of him, move around, and then drop them. They will fall at the lengths determined by where he is, so you want to be under Agile when they are dropped. This is always possible by standing unless he created the same lengths last time, in which case you should dash-jump over the cliff and attempt to land on the opposite landing platform. Alternatively, if you are above where the platforms are created, you don't have to worry about any of this. If they hit you while being created or fall on you, they'll be destroyed, but your health will be reduced by 4, so avoid them as best you can. After the platforms reach the walls but before falling, two electric shots are released from each point of collision (four in total). Two go up from the points of intersection, and the others come down the wall and go across to the end of their platform. These are easily jumped over, and can only be somewhat tricky when trying to get under Agile. If above the platforms, jumping to the side as the platforms hit will avoid them altogether. If you are hit by one of these shots, your health will be reduced by 2. If you contact Agile, your health is reduced by 4. Even climbing up the wall, this is generally not on issue. However, on occasion, he will turn red and ram against the wall you're nearest to, so if he does this, make sure to be above of below him. After using that, he'll always follow up by creating the spiked platforms. The strategy, by now, should seem obvious. There really are no more attacks. Thus, simply hop up the wall and repeatedly slide down to fire at him. When Agile turns red, you should just simply jump up a bit to get above him as he rams against the wall. When he creates his platforms, do the same, then jump off the wall slightly to avoid the electric shot, land between the shot's diameter and Agile on the platform, then jump back onto the wall before it falls. When not red, Agile will not come too close to the wall, so don't worry. Even if you do an extremely sloppy job and are hit multiple times, he should still fall. He'll be gone in no time. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ RECAP: [SHORYUKEN UPGRADE] - Proceed through the stage until you reach an area with a ladder above and below you and spikes to your right. Go left up the ledge to lure a Batton Bone G to you, then go back down and right and then fire a Crystal Hunter at it when it's near the ladder. Jump onto it, then from there to the part of the wall to the left of the ladder, and from there onto the ladder, and climb it. To the left is an extra life; take it. Go right and charge to the 3rd level, then jump and fire at the Disk Boy 08 until he is destroyed. Jump up to where he was and fire at the Batton Bone G (go up and left for two energy capsules). At this point, make sure you have full health and don't get hit until you reach the capsule. Jump to the right onto the wall, and slide then air-dash four times until you land on the ground (not the spikes). You need to fire rapidly as the Garakuta Robots come at you until both are destroyed. Then, jump straight up and air-dash between the upper and lower spikes before you land. Go right up the two ledges. Now, switch to Speed Burner and charge up. Jump up and air dash right over the row of spikes, and when your between that row and the next row of spikes, release holding left (even if you don't go all the way left with the fire, it will add enough speed to get you there). Take the extra life on that ledge. Then, slide down the left wall, and you'll go through an invisible passage. (Alternatively, the much-less taken route is perhaps much easier to acquire. Go down the ladder and proceed as usual until you reach a Paraloid R-5. Lure it to the left side of the ledge, and from below, jump and fire a Crystal Hunter at it. Jump up the ledge and onto it, and jump straight up. Press start at the peak of your jump and use Giga Crush while facing right to jump a little higher, and repeatedly press jump so that after it, you reach the right wall. Jump up it, then dash-jump over to the left wall and climb it and slide down it until you reach the invisible passage.) Go left to and jump up. To the left is the Light Capsule. Jump up the ledge and enter the capsule to receive the Shoryuken Upgrade. To perform this, make sure you have full health, then press back, down-back, down, down- forward, forward, and then fire, while equipped with the X-Buster. This takes off around 6 bars of health per moment (around 1/10 of a second) it contacts its enemy, so it easily has the potential to kill bosses in one hit! /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ X-Hunter Stage (Fourth) ?????????? \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ As all three X-Hunters have been defeated, the only thing left to do is destroy the 8 Mavericks again, who have been recreated and want a rematch. Luckily, they're all still in their creation capsules, and all the creation capsules are in the same room, so you can fight one after another. Don't let the name surprise you - there's no single boss for this stage, just the eight Mavericks. Go right up the wall. The capsule to the left has been destroyed - you can assume it lead to the previous three stages (there's really no actual explanation). Go right, through the capsule. You will now be in a room with 8 capsules. From the top left down, then right, then up (making a U), in order, the bosses are: Morph Moth, Wire Sponge, Bubble Crab, Flame Stag, Magna Centipede, Crystal Snail, Overdrive Ostrich, and Wheel Gator. You can create any order you like. To reach a capsule on the first level, enter it. To reach a capsule on the second level, jump over the first level capsule (or go through it if it's been destroyed), go up the ledge, and enter it. To reach a third level capsule, jump from that ledge away from the capsule to the floating ledge, then from there back up in the opposite direction, and enter the capsule. To reach a fourth level capsule, jump away from the capsule to the floating ledge, then back up in the opposite direction, and enter the capsule. Note that the top four floating ledges have small energy capsules, so you can regain health if you lost it between battles. Anyway, for the sake of completion... /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> This is the same battle as the first time, except now the ground is covered in snow and the hills are much larger. Use the same tactics, but remember that with the larger hills, dashing long distances to change direction could be difficult, so stay near the middle of a hill most of the time. Use the Crystal Hunter to make your battle significantly easier. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> This is the same battle as the first time, except now the arena is much smaller. Use the same tactics - just be more careful in the enclosed space. Use the Sonic Slicer to make your battle significantly easier. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> This is the same battle as the first time, except he's far more likely to use his spin air-dash now. Use the same tactics. Use the Strike Chain to prolong the battle and, in my opinion, make it more difficult (I recommend the X-Buster instead). \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> This is the same battle as the first time, except there are now instant-kill spikes on the top of the arena. Use the same tactics, but make certain that you do not jump much when the water level is high, and try to dash under Bubble Crab instead of jumping over him off walls. Use the Spin Wheel to speed up the battle. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> This is the same battle as the first time, except now he's blue for the entire battle and can thus lift/slam you for the entire battle. Use the same tactics. Use the Bubble Splash to change the battle dramatically, yet make it faster. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> This is the same battle as the first time. Use the same tactics. Use the Speed Burner to speed up the battle. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> This is the same battle as the first time. Use the same tactics. Use the Silk Shot to make the battle drastically easier. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> This is the same battle as the first time, except the arena is significantly smaller. Use the same tactics, but be more cautious when avoiding him when he charges at you. Use the Magnet Mine to drastically change yet speed up this battle. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ Each time you defeat a Maverick, its capsule is destroyed. Once all eight capsules are destroyed, the room with the capsules will start to explode. You will then get a transmission from Sigma, who was apparently revived by Serges and wishes for you to come to him. ======================================================================= /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ X-Hunter Stage: Central Computer Stage ?????????? POWER ???? rp SPEED ???? rp Neo Sigma POWER 18500 rp SPEED 18500 rp \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ ======================================================================= Note that this is the same stage as Magna Centipede's stage - while you can't go entirely through it, you can still get the Heart Tank and Sub Tank here (though their location isn't included now). Go right and up the ledge. Defeat the Barrier Attacker. Go right past him and up another ledge, and then defeat another Barrier Attacker. Go right and defeat another before dropping down the ledge. Go right down another ledge, taking care NOT to touch the spotlight, and fire rapidly - while the shield is being created, you should defeat this Barrier Attack - if not, retreat. Go right up the ledge, and when the spotlight is going to the right, go to the column, charging up. When the spotlight passes the column going left, go right, releasing and firing rapidly to defeat the Barrier Attacker, then go down the ledge. Dash behind the column as the spotlight goes right past it, and then dash left as it passes the column to the left. Here, you can either go down the ledge, right, then try to dash down the next ledge when the spotlight is as far right as possible, or dash then jump to the right onto the small ledge and then onto its top as the spotlight passes the column there, then jumping down when the top spotlight is at least at the column going left and the bottom one is just starting to go left. Either way, get past the two spotlights, and then go right and up the ledge. Go right and up the ledge. Go right and a large block enemy, called an Installer, will move right. Go up the ledge. Go right. The Installer will fall into a small gap. Then, one will fall to its right. Then, one will fall on top of the first one. Then, one will fall on top of the second one. Last, a purple, destroyable one will fall on top of the fourth. If you want you can try going after the second one falls, or you can simply let all five fall and then proceed. Either way, go past the lower ledge and to the upper one. When you do this, it will trigger the Installer in front of you to go right and fall down the ledge. Then, three more will fall to its right, followed by a purple one on top of the three. Try to jump between the right ones, or simply wait, destroy the purple one, and proceed. Either way, get past the ledge that goes down then the small one that goes up. Then, go down the ledge. Dash right, as the one above you will fall and try to crush you against the ground. Then, jump up onto the wall, as the one to your right will come left and try to crush you against the other one. Dash right then jump (once the ceiling's high enough) over the purple Installer that comes toward you. This one will NOT try to crush you, but stay put while another purple one from above comes down, landing on the second one, and then going right above you, then crushing you. If you don't get past the purple one, fire rapidly at it and then dash to the right. Go right. Go past the Installer above you. As you get close to the lower ledge, another one will fall into the small gap as the one behind you falls and wait for you to be pushed left against it by a purple Installer that falls. Once they all fall, simply jump on top of the one to your left. Pass the lower then upper ledge and then go right. Go right. Installers will fall into the next gap in this pattern: left, right, right, left, left, and right. Dash then jump to the right over the gap after the second one falls, then go right down the ledge and wait against the edge of the cliff. Another Installer will fall to your left (which you will miss if you wait too long in the last section). Jump on top of it on its right ledge, and once it gets halfway across the cliff, dash then jump to the right off of it to the ledge on the other side of the cliff. Go right. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ____ | / X Boss: Zero /__| ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Sigma appears, followed by Zero. Sigma informs you that Zero has a problem with you for letting him die, and now wants revenge. You must now battle your best friend! Note that if you collected all of Zero's parts, Sigma's Zero will be a fake black one, and the real Zero will destroy it for you, allowing you to completely skip this battle. Sigma disappears, and leaves you to battle Zero. Zero took over the Maverick Hunters after Sigma betrayed them during the first Maverick Revolt. He was X's best friend, and they fought together until Zero sacrificed himself to destroy an otherwise- invincible machine. Now, Serges has revived Zero to follow Sigma and destroy you. This battle is not easy, and he can easily kill you in no time at all! If you're hit by his large Z-Buster shot, you will lose four bars of health. This moves incredibly quickly. You can fire three shots at this to destroy it, but jumping onto a wall is by far your best option. If you're hit by his Z-Saber shot, you will lose three bars of health. This CAN be destroyed with a fully charged shot and a regular shot, but it moves so quickly that it's highly unlikely you'll destroy it. Jumping onto a wall, again, is your best idea. He always uses the above to attacks together. He'll fire two large Z- Buster shots, followed by a Z-Saber shot. These are fired consecutively and move EXTREMELY quickly. Although it's not impossible to fire rapidly to destroy the two Z-Buster shots, and then jump over the Z- Saber one, getting onto the wall is most surely your best bet. He'll also fire his small Z-Buster shot alone if you're closer to him. This can be destroyed with two shots, but since you're going to be closer to him, this is a bad idea. Dashing away and getting on the wall is your best bet. His most devastating attack of all, though, is his Z-Saber slash. If you're WAY too close to him, he'll dash against you and smash you into a wall with his Z-Saber. If you're already against the wall, he'll continually slash at you. If you're hit by this, you'll lose 5 bars of health. You should never be this close to Zero, though, so it shouldn't come up. So far, it seems you can avoid all his attacks by simply getting on the wall. However, when you do so, Zero will dash over below you and smash the ground. This will send 6 pieces of debris up - three on either side of Zero. When he does this (which will be immediately), you need to dash-jump off the wall over Zero and past all the debris. If you're a hotshot, you can try to jump between the gap directly above Zero, and then once you're past the debris, move so you don't land on Zero and dash, but he may smash the ground again and make two more particles go up directly above him. Note that the first time he does this, the ground is severely damaged, though this has no impact on the battle. If you're hit by this, your health is reduced by 2. If you come into contact with Zero, you'll lose 3 bars of health. This probably won't happen unless you try to show off when he smashes the ground. Last, but perhaps most significant at all, when you fire a shot at Zero, he immediately guards and blocks the shot. He will NEVER be hit by a regular shot, or by Sonic Slicer, Strike Chain, Spin Wheel, Bubble Splash, Silk Shot, Magnet Mine, or Crystal Hunter. When you fire a charged up shot at him, he'll usually block it without fail, too. How, then, do you defeat him? Zero won't ALWAYS block charged shots. The times he won't are when he's firing or when his back is turned. He faces you when he smashes the ground. Thus, get on the wall, and when he dashes over to you, dash-jump over him while charging, and then turn around, release so it hits him from behind, then dash to the opposite wall. Repeat this process. You'll get the pattern down eventually, though the actual speed and consistency you need here is more than it sounds. Also, hitting him with a charged shot only takes off one bar of health, so he'll take quite a while to defeat. If you're impatient, you can alternatively use the Speed Burner, which even after he blocks will trail at him at a low height and hit him for 2 bars of health. Anyway, with patience, and possibly a couple tries to get the pattern down, you'll knock down 31 of Zero's 32 bars of health, and he'll regain consciousness. Note that you can't kill Zero by using the Speed Burner - the last hit will only remove one bar of health. \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> After defeating Zero, he will remember you, and smash a hole in the floor that leads to Sigma. He'll run ahead to destroy the main computer. Or, if you collected Zero's parts, he'll tell Sigma that he hates him, regardless of a prophecy that Zero would follow Sigma, make the same hole, and run ahead to destroy the main computer. Go right down the hole. Sigma is the originator of the Maverick revolt. He was originally the leader of the Maverick Hunter's elite 17th unit, yet now focuses on destroying the Maverick Hunters and the human race. Though defeated 6 months ago, Serges revived Sigma and gave him this Neo Sigma body. He is fast, and with a wide array of attacks, you need to be able to be not only extremely fast, but also place yourself well at all times. First, Neo Sigma will dash at you, then swipe with his electric claws. Unfortunately, he'll follow you across the entire arena if you try to dash away, so jumping (preferably onto a wall if your best bet). Even if he misses, he'll continue to charge and swipe until you're hit or on a wall. If hit, you will be sent diagonally and bounce on two walls, losing 2 bars of health at each impact and falling after the second one (you'll lose 4 bars total). Neo Sigma will also create 5 electric shots and send them at you one at a time. Wherever you're standing when he releases a shot will be where it is shot at in a straight line. Thus, stay moving to scatter the shots. If he's away from you and you're on the ground, just jump up the wall over all the shots. Jumping up the wall and over the third shot generally guarantees safety if he's far away and you're on the wall, and just jumping across the room over him works fine if he's in them middle of the room. If you're on the wall above him, dash-jumping to the other wall and then jumping up the wall over the last two shots works, or if you go early, waiting under the first shot then jumping up the wall over the next four will bring success. There are plenty of ways to avoid these. These shots are fast, but you should be able to avoid them. If you're hit by one, you lose 4 bars of health. If you contact Sigma, you lose 2 bars of health. This is different than his slash, and will probably only happen when he teleports. When he disappears, get to one side of the room, and when he starts to appear, dash away. Once Sigma has lost more than half his life (he has 15 bars of health or less), he will gain a new attack. He will glow yellow (during which time he is invincible), then release a tall electric beam that reaches about halfway up the arena at you. You must climb the wall to get over this. If you're hit by it, you lose 6 bars of health, so make sure to get up when you see him glow! To defeat Neo Sigma, you always want to be on the ground next to the wall farthest from him. If you're not at it, dash to it. From here, you can fire at him. If he fires his electric shots at you, you can easily just jump up the wall to avoid them. If he dashes to slash at you, you can jump up the wall, then jump over him and dash to the other wall. When he disappears, wait next to one wall, then dash to the other, so he's as far away from you as possible. Meanwhile, charge while he fires his electric shots at you and release when you land, and also charge as he dashes at you and fire at him from behind after you jump over him. Once he starts turning yellow, simply jump up the wall while charging, jump over his large beam, release while he turns back to his regular color, and dash back to the wall. Since he loses multiple bars of health with each shot, he should actually go down considerably fast, so just do your best not to go down first, and you'll win. Sigma is destroyed! Well done! \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ ======================================================================= ____ \ / ----------------------------------------------- > <<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>> /__\ ----------------------------------------------- ======================================================================= Sigma's Neo Sigma body is destroyed, but he's not through quite yet. He manifests himself in his viral form, drawing upon energy from the main Central Computer. This viral form is more than capable of deflecting not only almost every weapon you throw at it, but regular and partially charged shots as well. Can you defeat him? The first thing you may notice is that Sigma Virus has no life bar. You have no way of tracking how much longer he has to live...or do you? He starts out green. After being shot 12 times, he turns light blue. After being shot 8 more times, he turns dark blue. After being shot 12 more times, he turns purple. After being shot 8 more times, he turns orange. After being shot 10 more times, he turns red. After being shot 8 more times, he turns dark red. After being shot 8 more times, Sigma Virus is destroyed. He has a total of 56 bars of health, and one is depleted each time is hit by a level 3 or higher shot. All other bosses have 4/7 of this (save Zero, who has even less), giving Sigma Virus significantly more health than them. Sigma Virus follows a set pattern. First, he'll move to midway up a wall (generally the one he's closest to) and create laser shooting down, then move across the entire room. In case of emergency, standing exactly against either wall can protect you from this, but it's not certain. It's a much better idea to get on the opposite wall and jump over him. If hit by his laser, you will lose 6 bars of health. After reaching the other wall, he will rotate and move to the point you're at. Generally, staying near him on the ground after jumping over him, then dashing slightly away is the best method, though simply dashing away at any time will avoid this attack. If you contact Sigma Virus, your health will be reduced by 2. Once he reaches the location you were at when he started moving, he will stay in place and fire two shots towards you. If you're still close to him from when he rotated at you, dash away again. If hit by one of these, your health will be reduced by 4. These shots he fires at you, if they miss, will turn into enemies. One of the enemies they can turn into is Tiranos. Tiranos moves slowly, but if you contact him, your health will be reduced by 2. He can also shoot three slow bullets straight at you, which also reduce your health by 2. Of all the enemies he produces, these have the most health, so firing rapidly while dashing at them is the best idea. If it takes too long, then after jumping over Sigma Virus (since he'll repeat the pattern), release a charged shot to finish them off. These shots can also become Tubamail-S enemies. If hit by these, you lose 1 bar of health. These will leave the screen on their own, so you only have to worry about jumping over them. However, as they're fairly likely to leave behind energy capsules and are destroyed after 2 shots, the idea of shooting them isn't a bad idea, either. Nonetheless, you don't have to worry about them still being there when he releases his next two shots, as they'll be gone. The shots can become Fishern enemies, as well. If you contact one of these, your health is reduced by 1. One regular shot will destroy these enemies, so jump and fire a few times if they start to go up and you'll get rid of them easily. The only trouble is when they're released high, and thus get in your way as you jump over Sigma Virus as he uses his laser. Do your best to go between Sigma Virus and the Fishern while firing in this event. Last, these shots can become Scriver enemies. They jump around every now and then, and if you contact them, you loes 2 bars of health. They also jab with the screwdriver-shaped object on their faces, which will also reduce your health by two. Not only are these enemies easy to avoid, but they drop energy capsules quite often. Fire charged shots at them, and if they drop energy capsules, make sure to get them. After the two shots, he may or may not attempt to rotate into you again. Then, the pattern will be repeated. Last, while Sigma Virus is red and dark red, he will disappear and reappear frequently. If he appears over you, you will be trapped inside of him, and continue to lose 2 bars of health each second, usually until the end of the battle (although I have seen him disappear again on rare, rare occasion). There's a set time between his disappearances and reappearances, and I've found that running to the center of the room (and waiting there the first time until he starts to appear), then dashing to the opposite wall and repeating this works well. He'll start to appear just as you dash away. The pattern is fairly simple. Start by getting to the right and charging up. As he comes at you with the laser, dash-jump over him, turn around midair (taking care not to go into him), and release. He will come at you, so dash slightly away. He will then fire two shots, at which point you should charge and dash all the way to the opposite wall, then defeat his minions. More often than not, he'll retreat to the wall he's closer to and use the laser again (though he MAY go to the wall right near you after a slight rotation, in which case you just dash to the other side), so repeat this. Generally, releasing a third level shot will defeat all the minions and hit Sigma Virus. The exception is if there is a Tiranos, in which case you'll need to fire another shot to defeat it and Sigma Virus won't be hit. If there are two Tiranos enemies, fire rapidly before jumping up the wall to jump over Sigma. Once he becomes red, dash along the ground, and when he appears, know that he'll use his two shots and try to position yourself based on that fact. If you get trapped too early, this could mean Game Over, but do what you can - charge and release as often as you can, and use Sub Tanks if you have them. His weakness is Strike Chain, and using this significantly speeds up the battle. With patience and perseverance, Sigma Virus will be weakened greatly and retreat to the Central Computer to draw upon as much power as it can, but Zero will destroy it as the Sigma Virus enters it, defeating it. Once you finish him...well, I'll let you find out for yourself (or, you can read about it in the Plot Information section). \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ ----------------------------------------------------------------------- IX. Additional Tips Still can't beat a stage? These tips may help you out. -To fill up your Sub Tanks easily, go to Morph Moth's level and go past the first Old Robot. Near the ladder is a large energy tank. Midway down the ladder on either side are two more. Past the ladder, if you go down, are two more still, so each life you can get five extra large energy capsules worth of Sub Tanks. -If you have both the X-Buster Upgrade and the Silk Shot, you can fill up your Sub Tanks even more quickly. Go past the large door on the ground that the Sea-Canthller opens and slide down the left wall to enter a secret passage. Go left through it and charge up the Silk Shot. You will attract multiple large energy capsules. You can repeatedly do this, and in this section, you have unlimited Silk Shot ammo, so you can easily fill them all up. Alternatively, if you have the Spin Wheel, you can dash-jump left up to a ledge before the first Ride Chaser jump in Overdrive Ostrich's level, use the Spin Wheel on the blocks, and find another such room. -Getting a Heart Tank adds two bars to your total, allowing you to take more hits. When you have all the Heart Tanks, you'll have four more life bars than weapon bars. -To fill up a Sub Tank, collect energy capsules when your life is full. To use them, press start, select one, and press whatever your shoot button is. It will refill your current energy. -You're invincible for a moment after being hit. Aim for enemies or projectiles that will hurt you less and then run through a more powerful enemy. Also, get hit by an enemy before getting on spikes, as it won't be an instant death while you're temporarily invincible. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- X. Plot Information Ever wonder why you were running around, shooting robots? Here's all the information you need to know about it. First, I'll list the dialogue. I'll put in three brackets what the scene is, and in three parentheses anything that happens that isn't dialogue during the scene. Second, I'll put the plot information from the game manual. A. In-game Dialogue [[[You watch as X and another Maverick Hunter race off for an abandoned factory as a narrator speaks.]]] It has been 6 months since the destruction of (Sigma) and little has changed. The Maverick revolt started by Sigma has ended, but Mega Man X and the new generation of Maverick Hunters have yet to destroy all of Sigma's followers. Lead by information gained by Dr. Cain, Mega Man X and the rest of the Hunters have tracked the last of the Mavericks to an abandoned reploid factory. There they hope to wipe out the rest of the resistance. Little do they suspect that real way is about to begin...Mega Man X2 versus X-Hunters [[[Three figures appear around a crystal ball that shows X having success at the abandoned base and discuss him.]]] Serges: This is their leader. His name is Mega Man X. Violen: Those who underestimated him are now nothing but scrap. Agile: We won't make the same mistake. He is powerful, but he is blind to what is happening around him. Serges: Our Mavericks will keep him busy until we are ready. Agile: Yes. How is the plan proceeding? Serges: Collection is proceeding as scheduled. However, we are having problems with the control chip. Agile: We have little time. We must finish construction on schedule. We must hurry... [[[(Optional) X finds a Light Capsule in the Desert Base Stage.]]] Dr. Light: Mega Man X, enter the capsule. This enhancement will modify your main drive unit. With it you will be able to dash while in mid- air. Use it wisely, Mega Man X. [[[(Optional) X finds a Light Capsule in the Dinosaur Tank Stage.]]] Dr. Light: Mega Man X, enter the capsule. This enhancement will modify your X-Buster. With it you will be able to charge energy in both arms at once. This enables you to do a Double-Shot or to charge any weapon! [[[(Optional) X finds a Light Capsule in the Robot Junkyard Stage.]]] Dr. Light: Mega Man X, enter the capsule. This enhancement will modify your body armor. With it you can absorb damage and transfer it into explosive weapon energy. [[[(Optional) X finds a Light Capsule in the Energen Crystal Stage.]]] Dr. Light: Mega Man X, enter the capsule. This enhancement will modify your radar optics. It uses some energy, but with it you will be able to see objects that you could not see before. Good luck, Mega Man. [[[The three figures are gathered around the crystal ball and have watched X defeat a quarter of their Maverick force.]]] Agile: I see now why Sigma fell at the hands of Mega Man X. He is quite formidable. Serges: I am not sure our Mavericks can hold him long enough. We may have to intervene. (((The scene changes to Cain's lab, and X enters.))) X: Dr. Cain! What happened?! Dr. Cain: A group of Mavericks calling themselves the (X-Hunters) have just contacted us... Serges: Greetings. We have all of Zero's parts. Violen: They can be yours, if you can defeat us. Agile: We look forward to meeting you, X! Dr. Cain: X, Zero's control chip is still stored here. I doubt it is possible to resurrect him without it. X: Dr. Cain, I've got to get Zero's parts back at any cost! [[[(Optional) X encounters Violen.]]] Violen: X, I shall crush you like a tin can! (((X defeats Violen.))) Violen: It cannot be! Now the unification is in jeopardy! [[[(Optional) X encounters Agile.]]] Agile: Welcome X. Your destruction is at hand! (((X defeats Agile.))) Agile: I may have failed, but you will never see Zero! [[[(Optional) X encounters Serges.]]] Serges: I am Serges and I cannot allow you to stop the unification! It is for the good of all! (((X defeats Serges.))) Serges: You have merely delayed the inevitable. We will meet again. [[[(Optional) X collects all three of Zero's parts and brings them to Dr. Cain.]]] Dr. Cain: I can try to reactivate Zero to help, but I need more time before you can reinstall his control chip...Try to slow them down! Good luck! [[[(Possible) X has brought Dr. Cain all of Zero's parts, and then continues to defeat all the remaining Mavericks. He returns to inform Dr. Cain.]]] Dr Cain: Mega Man X! I've located the X-Hunter's base! It's at grid location 00. That's right at the North Pole! X: Roger, Dr. Cain! I'm on my way! Dr. Cain: It will take more time to reactivate Zero...Slow them down Mega Man X! [[[(Possible) X hasn't obtained all of Zero's parts, but still manages to defeat the entire Maverick force. He returns to inform Dr. Cain.]]] Dr. Cain: I'm sorry X...One of the X-Hunters attacked the base and...took all of Zero's parts away...They are going to rebuild Zero at their base. I tracked them to location 00 - The North Pole! X: I can't let them tamper with him Dr. Cain. I've got to save him! [[[X destroys Violen.]]] What?! How could he have overloaded my circuits?!! Arrrggghhh... [[[X destroys Serges.]]] Serges: This is impossible! The prophecy must be fulfilled! [[[X destroys Agile.]]] Agile: NO!! This cannot be!!! Master, avenge me! [[[X proceeds to finish off all the recreated Mavericks and destroy the X-Hunter base when he receives a transmission.]]] Sigma: It has been a while, Mega Man X. X: What?! Sigma!! Sigma: It seems that the X-Hunters have failed. But don't worry, I have arranged for some new toys for you to play with... [[[X goes to the Central Computer Stage and reaches Sigma, and then Zero appears beside Sigma.]]] Sigma: Look who I found wondering around Mega Man! My friend here has a small problem with you. It seems that you let him die and he's not too happy about that! Now I think it is time that he repays the favor! [[[(Possible) The X-Hunters created Zero.]]] (((X fights Zero and weakens him without destroying him, and Zero regains his consciousness.))) X: Zero... Zero: X: Do you remember me... Zero: Yea...I guess so...Sorry to cause you so much trouble. X, you need to go after Sigma! I'll try and destroy the main computer! X: Take care of yourself, Zero. I don't have time to put you back together again! Zero: I'll be ok. Get going, X! [[[(Possible) Dr. Cain created Zero.]]] (((Two large Z-Buster shots, followed by a Z-Saber shot, come from off- screen and destroy Zero, who for some reason has black-colored armor. Then, the real Zero comes on screen.))) Zero: Sigma, you should have studied the blueprints closer! There is only one Zero! Sigma: Wait, Zero! I know your secret! You were destined to follow me! Zero: Maybe so, but I still don't like you! Sigma: Fine. If you will not follow me, then I'll watch you die once again! (((Zero fires thrice at Sigma, but Sigma warps away before the shots connect.))) X: Zero! Zero: Sorry to keep you waiting, Mega Man X. The greetings will have to wait. We've got to defeat all the Mavericks including Sigma! I'll take out the main computer, and you follow Sigma! Let's go! [[[Zero's now with you and you have your plan.]]] (((Zero smashes the floor, revealing a hole.))) Zero: Here it is, X! Sigma lies just ahead! [[[X drops down the hole, and encounters Sigma.]]] Sigma: You are merely a bothersome insect, Mega Man X! It is about time that I crush you beneath my heel! [[[X destroys Neo Sigma and wounds Sigma Virus. Sigma Virus rushes to the Central Computer to gain more energy, but it is destroyed by Zero, and Sigma is once again defeated.]]] Sigma: Mega Man X, I have lost to you again...Each defeat only makes me stronger and serves to bring you to your ultimate doom! But, something is not right. I...don't quite understand...Why did Zero...He is...last...of the doctor's creations...Arrrrrggggghhhhh... [[[X and Zero both stand and watch the X-Hunter base explode as a narrator speaks.]]] Joined by his friend Zero, Mega Man X gazes out over the sea. Sigma has once again been destroyed, but X wonders if the fighting will truly end. Was Dr. Light's dream of a world in which Reploids and humans lived together in peace merely a dream? The price of peace is high, X thinks to himself. Who or what must be sacrificed for it to become a reality? And when the time comes, will he be able to do it? The future holds the answers, or... B. Game Manual Plot Information FUTURE TIMES X-TRA! X-TRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT! Reploid Elimination Not Completed By Bradbury K. Wells Times Staff Writer A new uprising is eminent in the battle to contain the Maverick Reploids that have broken away from their control center. Once believed to be completely contained, these Mavericks have been detected in an abandoned production factory, according to an intelligence report by well-known scientist Dr. Cain. A special armada of Maverick Hunters was mobilized toda to the production factory, but only one reploid has been able to penetrate the heavy artillery outside the factory. Known as Mega Man X, this same reploid has been primarily responsible for the apparent elimination of the threat six months ago. According to Dr. Cain's report, now Mega Man X will battle the Mavericks in an attempt to locate and destroy the leader of this new uprising. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- XI. X. Tidbits These are things you probably never noticed, and may want to try out. Give them a try! CUT SPONGE! Defeat Wire Sponge with the Sonic Slicer, and his wires will be cut, then he will be cut in half, as he explodes. DEFENSELESS SNAIL! Fire a Magnet Mine at Crystal Snail and he will be sent flying out of his shell. You can dash into his shell to kick it away from him and prevent him from reentering it. MOVE DURING EXPLOSION! Fire the fatal shot to Crystal Snail and be hit by a Crystal Hunter before it connects. He will explode. You can now break free of the ice, and move about the arena during the explosion. THE END! At the very end of the game, Black Zero will stand on the screen. However, if you collect all of Zero's parts, the real Zero will stand on the screen. SECRET DURING CREDITS! If you complete the entire game without getting a Heart Tank, Sub Tank, or Upgrade, Zero will encounter X on the highway and run ahead of him during the credits. Although very obscure, this is one of the most difficult things to do in the game! WALK THROUGH SIGMA! You need all three Zero Parts and the Shoryuken for this. Go to the room where Zero destroys the fake Zero, but before the scene begins, walk in as far as you can and use the Shoryuken. You should stand directly on the spot Zero destroys. When he does so, you will fall, even though he's still talking. Don't let him complete his dialogue, and then Sigma's will overlap it. You will be able to walk around through Sigma before the battle begins. LONG-DISTANCE JUMP! To jump as far as you can, you need the Dash Upgrade, the X-Buster Upgrade, the Speed Burner, and the Armor Upgrade. Charge-up the Speed Burner. Then jump, air-dash, release, air-dash, press start, switch to Giga Crush, use it, charge up while using it, press start, switch to Speed Burner, release, and air-dash. Try to get Crystal Snail's Heart Tank without the Ride Armor using this! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- XII. Frequently Asked Questions Here are questions that are commonly asked about the game, and their answers. Q: I put in my password and lost all my lives, the energy in my Sub Tanks, and my Shoryuken doesn't seem to work! Is my game faulty? A: No, passwords remember none of these things. Q: Is there some super-secret upgrade such as the Z-Saber anywhere? A: No. If you get the Shoryuken and Zero Parts, you have everything. If it's not in this FAQ, it's not in the game. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- XIII. Credits Gestahl -I wrote what you're reading. Reeve -I used his website, megaman-x.com, for both the Game Manual information I included in my Plot Information section and the Sourcebook information I used throughout this entire FAQ. Xybazelu -He told me about how to use the long-distance jump in the tidbits section. (Unsure) -Several people told me about how Zero appears during the credits and using the Shoryuken to walk through Sigma. I can't remember who these people were. If you want to be listed here, please contact me (information for contact above).