FAQ - Guide for Gauntlet: Dark Legacy

                           Mega Man X2 FAQ
                                 By X

*Updates to this guide can be found at the end.

Story: It has been months since the destruction of (Sigma) and little
has changed. The Maverick revolt by Sigma is over, 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 last of
the resistance. Little do they suspect that real war is about to
begin...

Mega Man X's controls:

A – Dash (In this game you start with the Ground Dash, though your
boots do not show it like the previous game did).
B – Jump (Longer you hold it down, the higher X will go).
      Wall Jump (Performed by touching a wall and then pressing the
button, and you will climb the wall, able to be done multiple times by
pressing the button again when you touch the wall again)

Dash Jump – Performed by hitting the Dash button and the Jump button at
the same time. This will let you jump much farther than a regular jump.

Y – Shoot X-Buster shots. Hold down for more powerful (charged) blasts.
Longer you hold it down, more powerful the shot will be.
L or R – Cycle through the weapons you have earned from the Mavericks
(explained below).
Start – Opens the Status Screen. Here, the game is paused, and you will
be able to select which weapon you wish to use (convenient if you don't
have time to use L or R to cycle), absorb a Sub-Tank, or exit the
level.

Basic Things for Beginners: (those that have played the original Mega
Man X need not read this section)
- If no enemies are around, take the time to charge up your X-Buster.
This will make it quite easier when enemies come, as charged shots keep
going after destroying an enemy, whereas basic shots will not. Your X-
Buster can reach three levels of power:
1)	No charging. Small yellow sphere fired forward.
2)	Charged to blue level. Larger, green rocket-shaped shot fired forward
(does not stop unless multiple hits are required for enemy).
         3) Charged to yellow level. Even larger, blue and pink, circular shaped
shot fired forward (does not stop unless multiple hits are required for
enemy, much more powerful than the previous two shots).

- Wall Jumping will be necessary to complete most levels. Be sure to
get the hang of it, it's not that hard.
- Sliding down walls will also help. To slide down a wall, touch the
wall and press the direction of the wall on the control pad. You can
fire your X-Buster while sliding down as well.
-	You can select the Exit feature from the subscreen when you
return to a level in which you have already defeated the Maverick
there. Selecting Exit will cause you to teleport out of the level, and
return you to the Maverick selection screen.
-	If you Dash forward and fire while doing so, the increased speed
makes a non-charged shot more powerful, equivalent to two non-charged
shots. (Thanks to Freespace2dotcom at [email protected] for
pointing this out.)
- There are five main different power ups you will see on the ground:
White and Yellow Capsules – These will refill X's energy meter. There
are small and large ones. Obviously, large ones will refill more life
than small ones.
Blue and Red Capsules – These will refill the Maverick weapon's meter.
There are small and large ones. Again, the large ones will refill more.
Extra Lives – These look like X's head, and are glowing. They will give
you an extra chance to play the game. You can have a maximum of nine.

Level 1: Abandoned Reploid Factory

Nothing much to say here, just continue through, blasting enemies and
recharging as they come. Eventually, you will fall down a pit to a
horizontal boss door.

BOSS: GIANT REPLOID

Despite its size, this boss is not hard whatsoever. Its attacks barely
harm you, and it is incredibly weak against your X-Buster. Four charged
hits will destroy it. If the robot knocks you off the top platforms,
just use the ladders to get back up.

Once you claim victory, you teleport out and see additional story line.
After that you go to a stage selection screen. This game, I suggest
Wire Sponge as the first boss (thanks to Rubyheart,
[email protected] for pointing out Wire Sponge as the better
first pick).

*X XX

XX XX

(Note that the above X's and * refer to where the boss is located at on
the selection screen.)

Immediately in the beginning of this stage "Weather Control", Wall Jump
up the left wall, where you will land in a hidden ledge, acquiring your
first HEART TANK.

Heart Tank – There are eight of these in this game, just as the last.
When you receive one, it will add two points of health to your energy
meter for the rest of the game.

This level has several weather balls in small rooms. Since all you have
is a low power X-Buster, no effect will take place by destroying them.

Once you come to the rocketing platforms over the spikes, get on the
second one (hurry because it will start raining soon). Once it gets
close to its maximum height, slide down the left side of the platform a
little bit, then Dash Jump left and then turn right to hit the gray
walls of the area above you. Climb up there, then go to the second set
of gray area to acquire your first SUB TANK.

Sub Tank – There are four of these in the game. If you are at full
energy and you take an energy capsule, the energy will be used to fill
a Sub Tank. You can absorb Sub Tanks at any time (if they contain
energy) to give to your own energy meter. Unlike the last game, full
Sub Tanks give almost your entire energy meter (though a few units
short).

However, it has come to my attention that some people have difficulty
in performing this task. If you are one of those people, simply come
back here later on when you have the Air Dash, and then you can easily
pull it off.

Continue through this level until you reach the Maverick.

BOSS: WIRE SPONGE

This boss should not be too hard. Walk in with the X-Buster fully
powered, and release the shot right away.  Attacks include:

-	Wire Sponge will pull himself to the ceiling with a stretching
hand. Charge up the X-Buster, then jump and release to hit him. While
up there, Wire Sponge will fire small projectiles at you, which are
easily dodged.
-	Wire Sponge will drop to the ground, then fire his hand at you.
Wall Jump up, then drop down to the other side and fire.
-	Wire Sponge will get red with fury. Lightning will then strike
three places in the room. Get to the other side of the room to avoid
being hit if he is completely on the other side. If not, you will
unfortunately probably have to take a hit.

Nothing else special happens, so just fire away and soon you'll win.

WEAPON: STRIKE CHAIN

The name describes the weapon. This weapon will fire a chain forwards,
allowing you to grab onto walls. Charged up (see later), the chain
becomes bigger and extends longer.

Once you're done, I suggest you visit Wheel Gator next.

XX XX

XX *X

Wheel Gator inhabits the level named "Dinosaur Tank". The entire stage
you will see the background shifting because of where you are. This may
be confusing for a bit, but you'll soon get used to it. You will see a
Heart Tank later in the stage, as well as a door that looks different
that the normal boss ones. Ignore both of these for now. You will find
a Robot Walker later as well, but this you can use. Keep in mind that
these are different in this game than the last game. Now the hands of
the Robot Walker are spiked. These Robot Walkers can levitate for a
short time, by jumping then holding the button. Also, you can charge up
the spiked hands, causing you to do a Dash Attack. Soon you will come
to Wheel Gator's room. Outside however, is a large robot. Keep sliding
down and jumping back up onto the left wall and hit it with charged
shots. Don't jump up so that the robot is off screen, however,
otherwise you have to reinflict damage already done.

BOSS: WHEEL GATOR

Enter this battle with a charged shot ready. As soon as you go in, you
will notice Wheel Gator jump up on the right side of his room, from a
pool of red liquid (blood?). Release your shot as soon as the battle
begins, which will result in Gator sinking down into the red mess. At
this point, switch to the Strike Chain, climb the left wall, and stay
at the top. Always stay on top of the walls during this battle. His
attacks include:

-	Wheel Gator, while under the red liquid, will send a Spin Wheel
up the wall you are on. Drop off, then resume climbing. A second,
faster one may come after that, dodge it the same way. Either way, now
Wheel Gator will jump out of the liquid. Drop down to right beside the
Maverick, turn around, fire, then Dash to the other side and climb that
wall.
-	Wheel Gator (while out of the liquid) will send two Spin Wheels
toward you. Drop down, then climb the wall again. Sometimes he will
send two more, dodge them the same way.
-	Wheel Gator will begin to flash, open his mouth, and then fire
several plasma shots at you. Dodge these and return fire. (It should be
noted that Wheel Gator can only be hit with either the Strike Chain or
a fully powered X-Buster, normal shots will reflect now, and also while
flashing multiple hits will work).
-	Later in the battle, Wheel Gator will jump up, then whirl
constantly in the air, eventually striking the wall. Dodge this at all
costs. Wherever he hits on the wall will become damaged. Now if you try
to touch that section of wall, you will be hurt. Only use the other
wall at this point. If you can strike him while he is whirling, it will
stop his assault on the wall.

Get in a shot whenever you can and eventually you should claim victory.
Make sure you are not close to the liquid when Gator comes back up,
otherwise his mouth will grab you, immobilizing you and damaging you
for a few seconds.

WEAPON: SPIN WHEEL

This weapon is the same thing that Wheel Gator used against you. A
razor sharp wheel will drop at your feet and travel on the ground.
Charged up, this weapon will shoot spikes in eight directions around
you.

At this point in the game, you will see more story line and see the
three X-Hunters teleport down onto three different stages, but only to
ones you haven't visited yet. You can tell which stage they are on by
following the dot with their logos by highlighting a new Maverick.
Check to see if they are on Bubble Crab's level, "Deep-Sea Base". If
one of the X-Hunters are, do NOT go to that stage. If they are, then
revisit either Wheel Gator's level or Wire Sponge's level, and Exit
them right away. The X-Hunters will teleport to new stages. Repeat this
process until they aren't at the "Deep-Sea Base".

The next Maverick to go after is Bubble Crab.

XX XX

X* XX

Bubble Crab is in the "Deep-Sea Base". As you go through this level,
you will find a large fish going through the level to the right of you.
The light it shines out detects movement. If you move while the light
hits you, a laser beam shoots out after you. Shoot whatever part you
can for the time being. Eventually, it will open up a gate on the
ground beneath you and then descend. Do not descend with it, but
instead Dash Jump over to the wall on the right. Climb up the wall and
take the Energy Capsule there if needed. Go back to the wall, and slide
down it just a little bit. Wall Jump as high as you can, so that you're
still sliding, then Dash Jump left off the wall and try to hit some
floating platforms. Climb the platforms to the right and you will find
the second HEART TANK.

Keep on going through the level until you reach the boss door.

BOSS: BUBBLE CRAB

As soon as you enter the room you will see Bubble Crab come down and
the room halfway fill up with water. Make sure you have the Spin Wheel
ready. Bubble Crab will most likely start by surrounding himself with a
protective bubble, but the Spin Wheel can cut through it. As soon as
the battle starts, fire one off. His attacks:

-	Bubble Crab will jump up and try to land on you. Dash out of the
way.
-	Bubble Crab will create three large bubbles in the air. Stay
between them to avoid getting hit, and destroy them at all costs, as
damage can be fatal.
-	Bubble Crab will fire Bubble Splash at you. Climb up the wall and
Dash Jump off to the other side to avoid it.

Watch out for these and fire a Spin Wheel whenever possible. Notice
that the water level fluctuates throughout the battle, which will
change your jumping ability. Notice that it takes a few seconds for the
Wheel to actually move, so learn timing here. If at any time you see
Bubble Crab slowly coming towards you, climb the wall and Dash Jump off
to the other side, then turn around and fire.

WEAPON: BUBBLE SPLASH

This weapon will fire streams of bubbles, eventually curving upward.
Charged up, the bubbles will instead encircle you, thus giving you a
small shield. When the bubbles are around you, you can jump higher in
water.

XX *X

XX XX

Now this time you want to find the X-Hunters. Make sure that one of
them is at Flame Stag's level, "Volcanic Zone". If not, then use the
strategy I used above, revisit a conquered stage and Exit out until
they are at this stage.

Close to the beginning of this level, you will find a beetle shaped
hovering robot trying to ram you. Jump onto the platform on its back,
and it will carry you higher. Jump to the left and you will find the
second SUB TANK.

Continue through a short distance, and then you will hear a rumbling
sound (have your Spin Wheel ready). QUICKLY climb up through tunnel
above you. Lava is rising, (now you know why it's the "Volcanic Zone")
which can quickly kill you. Halfway up, you will spot a Heart Tank.
Quickly jump over to the ledge and use the Spin Wheel to kill the robot
and take your third HEART TANK. If you are fast enough, you should be
able to get up and out in time. If you do die, just repeat this
process, only this time your goal is to get out in time. Keep going on,
and you will find platforms that sink into lava when you touch them.
Past there, Wall Jump up to find yet another hovering beetle robot. You
will see some weaker areas of the ledges, lure the robot into smashing
into them, thus destroying them. Here you will find a boss door that
looks different. Enter there for the first X-Hunter Battle.

The boss here could be one of three possible X-Hunters:

SERGES:

Serges is a small robot that uses a hover platform constantly. When you
enter, be sure you have a charged X-Buster shot ready. Shoot at Serges
immediately and not at the platform he is on. Attacks include:

-	Serges will change form, jumping up and shooting spheres. Stay on
the ground and you will not be hit. You can damage Serges while he has
changed form, so use that to your advantage. You can also jump onto his
platform, but watch out for when he comes back down.
-	Serges will float closer to you, dropping mines down. Do not land
on the mines, as you will be damaged. Try to destroy them with charged
X-Buster shots if you can, but only if you necessarily need to. Wall
Jump up and Dash off to escape from being hit by Serges.

Blast the X-Hunter whenever you can and eventually you can claim
victory. Use the Sub Tank during the battle if you need to (providing
you have some energy in there by now), you can always refill it.
Eventually you should claim victory, though Serges will not die. After
he teleports out, you get one of Zero's parts.

VIOLEN:

Despite his size, Violen is not incredibly hard. Enter with a fully
powered X-Buster shot, and release it immediately. But then immediately
switch to the Bubble Splash. Violen has few attacks:

-	Violen will jump up and try to land on you. Dash out of the way.
-	Violen will throw out a spiked ball chained to himself. If you
are close enough, it should not hit you. Use this time to unload Bubble
Splash onto him.

Violen shouldn't take too long. Like any X-Hunter, you will not be able
to kill him, but your reward is one of Zero's parts.

AGILE:

Agile is anything but easy. This incredibly quick X-Hunter will put up
a tough fight. Enter his room with a fully powered X-Buster shot, and
release it immediately. While charging, climb the wall, and stay there
until he attacks:

-	Agile will fling a huge beam at you, covering half the screen.
Hopefully, you will be on the wall, so you can drop down to avoid it
and fire at him.
-	Agile will rush at you. Climb the wall and Dash Jump off to the
other side, then immediately climb the wall.
-	Agile will jump up with his sword pointed at you. Either you'll
get hit or you'll already be headed away from him.

You may have to use your Sub Tanks during this battle.

Note: You do not have to fight these three bosses. It is not necessary
to complete the game, and if you have a hard time doing it, just skip
them. However, it will change the end of the game slightly and leave
you with less energy for the final boss.

Whoever you fight, keep going through the level and you will soon reach
the next boss.

BOSS: FLAME STAG

This boss is not extremely hard. Enter the room with the Bubble Splash
ready. When you start, immediately shoot the weapon (it is wise to
usually press the fire button two or three times for a greater chance
of a hit). Flame Stag's attacks include:

-	Flame Stag will throw various types of fire at you. Jump to the
walls and climb up, then fall back down and return fire.
-	Flame Stag will turn into flame and start dashing towards you.
Fire off a round of Bubble Splash to halt him.
-	Flame Stag will jump up and go off screen. Dash around until he
returns, thus preventing him from hitting you. Fire the Bubble Splash
when you stop Dashing.

A quick way to defeat him is to fire, then Wall Jump because
projectiles are coming, then fall back down, Dash over to him, fire
again, then Dash back and Wall Jump back up. Repeating this pattern
will quickly finish him, though he could jump up and go off screen a
couple times.

WEAPON: SPEED BURNER

This weapon allows you to shoot fire much like your X-Buster. Charged
up, X becomes pure fire and Dashes forward (works in the air) like
Flame Stag did during the battle.

This time, return to past stages until one of the X-Hunters ends up at
the "Robot Junkyard", Morph Moth's stage.

X* XX

XX XX

After the robots that are hanging from chains disappear, you will see
junk being sucked up, while you are not. Right after the orange pillar
you can pass through, switch to the Spin Wheel and then release it. You
will see it cut through the ground. You will need a second one, then
fall through the pit you just created. Down there you will find the
first enhancement capsule of the game.

GEAR CRUSH: In this game, the armor does not provide additional
protection. Instead, it is a strong offense rather than defense. With
the Gear Crush in your possession, any time you are hit by a projectile
(laser, etc.) it will power up the Gear Crush. Once it is fully
powered, activating it will send an explosion across the screen,
damaging anything you see.

In this level before you reach the boss, you will find two mini-bosses.
Remember that mini-bosses do not have an energy meter, so you will have
to guess how close you are to defeating them. You will see a large
robot rise out of the junk from the ground. Fire at the midsection with
fully powered X-Buster shots. Once it is destroyed, a small pink bug
will come out. Destroy it as quickly as you can, because if you take
too long another large robot will rise out. When the large robot tries
to land on you quickly Dash out of the way.

After the first boss, you will come to a ladder leading down. Kill the
robots on the bottom ledge, then Wall Jump up and kill the robot on
that ledge with a Spin Wheel (not an easy task, experiment with
different methods). An easier way I recently was told about was to stay
on the ladder at the level of that top ledge which you need to reach,
jump off, and use the Gear Crush (if it's not powered you can use the
robot's shield to power it up). The Gear Crush will allow you to
momentarily levitate, then you can just barely make it over to the side
of the ledge and Wall Jump up onto it. Proceed on and you will find the
X-Hunter room. Defeat the second X-Hunter then continue on (scroll up
to Flame Stag's level in this guide for the boss you are at).

When you come to the large robot blocking your way to the next boss,
this time use a Spin Wheel to kill it.

BOSS: MORPH MOTH

When you enter, have your Speed Burner ready. You will notice that
Morph Moth is quite small for a Maverick, jump up and fire the Speed
Burner, while avoiding his swinging. When Morph Moth returns to normal
color, shoot him again. Eventually you will knock it down. You can't
hit it while on the ground, so just jump around to avoid it. Soon it
will resume hanging and begin sucking in junk. Shoot the Moth as fast
as you can, since you can't avoid this. Once you knock it down again,
this time it flies up and morphs into its final form. Morph Moth can
now fly and spread pollen. Dash under it

-	Morph Moth will at first just swing, spreading junk. Jump up and
fire the Speed Burner at the Maverick. Don't shoot it again until it
returns to its original color
-	After Morph Moth is shot enough, it will drop to the ground. You
cannot harm it now, so just jump around to avoid it.
-	Morph Moth will suck in junk from around the room. You cannot
avoid this, so shoot it as quickly as you can.
-	The next time you knock Morph Moth down, it will fly up and morph
into its final form. In this form, it can spread pollen which and fire
lasers. Dash under the pollen and hit it with a Speed Burner.
-	If you suddenly see Morph Moth pause, quickly Dash away because a
laser is being aimed at you.

Also try to avoid being hit by the final form, as damage from him then
is great.

WEAPON: SILK SHOT

This weapon will fire some junk forward which will shoot in four
directions when it hits something. Charged up, a much large piece of
junk is fired, and it can draw in energy capsules.

Now it is time to head over to the "Central Computer" to face Magna
Centipede, so for the last time use the return to previous stages
strategy until the last X-Hunter lands at that stage.

XX X*

XX XX

In this level, watch out for the spotlights. If they touch you, cannons
come down from the ceiling and fire at you. Fortunately, you can
destroy the cannons but you will probably take a few hits first. Also
watch out for large falling blocks, as they can easily crush you. Only
the purple ones can be destroyed. Soon you will meet a sword mini-boss.
If you have the Gear Crush fully powered, use it for a one hit kill. If
not, aim for the hilt with fully powered X-Buster shots.

Soon you will come to a part where you have to go down. Avoid all the
spotlights here for good reason. First slide down the right wall, then
use the left wall. Once you hit the ground, Dash all the way to the
end, to avoid the blocks and the data receivers. The more spotlights
you hit on your way down, the more blocks that come. You will have to
fight a mini-boss again, and if you are hit by any of the data
receivers, the boss becomes harder. Once you reach the end, you will
hit the last X-Hunter door. Go in for your final fight, and scroll up
to the Flame Stag section for the last X-Hunter's strategies.

Leave the room after the fight and then Wall Jump up to the mini-boss I
spoke of earlier. This strategy only applies if you did not get hit by
any data receivers. The boss is relatively simply. Just use fully
powered X-Buster shots on him and jump whenever he fires beams at you.
Dash under him when he jumps up to avoid the rays he fires then. If you
get hit enough, you can use the Gear Crush, which may or may not kill
him, but will definitely inflict a high amount of damage.

In the next section, watch out for the falling floors and the cannons
coming. Soon you should reach the boss door.

BOSS: MAGNA CENTIPEDE

This boss is not going to put up an easy fight, but with a little
practice he's not so bad. Immediately when the battle begins, jump over
a little and hit him with a Silk Shot. This will knock off his stinger,
depriving him of his ability to inject you with poison. Attacks
include:

-	Magna Centipede will teleport as soon as you hit him, so do not
attempt to fire twice in a row. Then he will teleport back onto the
battlefield. If he is on the ground, you can easily hit him again. If
not, he will be on the ceiling.
-	Magna Centipede will throw three throwing stars at you from the
ceiling. Dodge these, then fire the Silk Shot on the ground, using the
smaller projectiles to hit Centipede.

Get in a shot whenever possible and after a little while you should
win. If you happen to run out of Silk Shot, charge up the X-Buster.

WEAPON: MAGNET MINE

This weapon will fire a mine that attaches to walls then explodes. It
will harm robots if it hits them however. Charged up, an energy ball
will slowly cross the screen wherever you fired, able to inflict damage
multiple times. You can aim this weapon, by holding up when shooting
it.

If you have all three of Zero's parts now, you will see more story
line. Now go to the next Maverick's level, "Energy Crystal" where
Crystal Snail guards.

XX XX

XX X*

This level is not going to be easy. Once you find the Robot Walker,
jump back up and fall down the hole to the left. You will land in a
small area. Get as far to the left as you can on that area (the back of
the Walker's foot should barely be touching), then Dash Jump to the
left, jump out at the last second, and shoot the Strike Chain at the
very small section of wall just before the pit, so you can be pulled to
it, Wall Jump up and take the fourth HEART TANK. This is an extremely
difficult task to complete, and will definitely take you many tries.

Eventually you should come to a mini-boss, encased in crystal, and
rockets above firing at you. Use the Gear Crush (it is probably powered
by now) and also fire at the large robot encased in crystal using the
Spin Wheel (get close). Eventually all will be destroyed.

After you beat the boss, slide down the large ramp, and then slide down
the wall right there. You will land on a ledge with crystal enemies.
Kill them and proceed left to find the second enhancement capsule.

ITEM TRACER – The helmet upgrade in this game is different. Instead of
breaking blocks, it now will detect hidden passages by selecting it and
then activating. It will be immediately used when you get it, and you
will see it point to the ceiling above the capsule. You can jump up
through the wall and to the left to get the extra life.
Thanks go to Dan Leary ([email protected]) for telling me what the I
stands for.

Eventually you will come to the next boss door. If you are not at full
energy, use the crystal robots attached to the walls outside to fill up
your energy tank (and possibly your Sub Tank) for you will certainly
need it.

BOSS: CRYSTAL SNAIL

This boss is one of the harder ones. Enter the battle with a Magnet
Mine ready. Do not fire though, as Snail's shell will block it. Only
try to strike this Maverick when he is out of his shell. Attacks:

-	Crystal Snail will pop out of his shell. Shoot him then. Then
Snail will separate from his shell and rush at you. Shoot him again.
-	Crystal Snail will jump up and spin inside his shell. If you can
do two precisely timed hits with the Magnet Mine, you can knock him out
for damage. If not, when he lands, time is slowed down for you. Try to
hit him now. If you miss, he will Dash towards you twice with his
shell. Avoid these.

Following these tips you should claim victory soon. Also note that when
Crystal Snail is out of his shell, he will try to get back in for
protection, but you can delay this by Dashing against the shell (thanks
to Rubyheart, [email protected] for pointing this out).
Use your Sub Tanks if you have to.

WEAPON: CRYSTAL HUNTER

This weapon will fire crystals forward at a downward angle, encasing
enemies in crystal, allowing you to use them as stepladders. Charged
up, this weapon will slow down time for both you and your enemies.

At this point, instead of going to the next Maverick, return to the
Robot Junkyard. Go through a short distance until you come to the robot
with a shield. Freeze it with a Crystal Hunter, jump on top of it,
jump, and then Air Dash over to the wall. Wall Jump up, and collect
your fifth HEART TANK.

The next Maverick to face is Overdrive Ostrich, who resides in the
"Desert Base".

XX XX

*X XX

You will find this an odd stage since you must ride bikes through it.
Eventually you should see a Heart Tank among other power ups on spikes
above you. Ignore these for now. Walk on the floor beneath the spikes,
and then Dash Jump off the edge. Land on the ledge to the right with
blocks that don't fit in with the rest of the walls. Use the Spin Wheel
to destroy them and then go in to find your next enhancement.

AIR DASH – This enhancement allows you to dash in the air, like you do
on the ground. You will definitely find this helpful after exiting the
stage. Just like the Ground Dash was essential to getting almost
everything in the original Mega Man X, the Air Dash is essential like
that in this game. It's a shame that you get it this late however.

Continue through the level to find the next boss.

BOSS: OVERDRIVE OSTRICH

Overdrive Ostrich is another Maverick not easily finished off. Once you
enter his door, you will have to launch and destroy a rocket to reach
his battle area. Make sure you have the Crystal Hunter ready, since it
can temporarily encase him in energy. Attacks include:

-	Overdrive Ostrich will run at you, knocking you back and damaging
you severely. Try to jump over and Air Dash over him, then turn around
and shoot.
-	After hitting the Maverick, Ostrich will jump up and fire Sonic
Slicers at you. Try to avoid them, though it isn't easy. Fire again
here.
-	If you stray too far from Ostrich, he will run out from the
background and try to land on you. Dash out of his way and then fire at
him.

A good strategy is to hit Ostrich, then Dash under him as he jumps up,
avoid the Slicers (if you can) and then hit him again, repeating this
process. Or you can hit him, then run to another part of the
battlefield so that you can hit him when you lands again. However you
do it, you should win quickly.

WEAPON: SONIC SLICER

This weapon will fire three boomerang shaped projectiles forward, which
bounce off walls. Charged up, you will use them exactly as Overdrive
Ostrich did during the battle.

After this fight, you should see more story line and you will learn the
location of the X-Hunters Base, but do not go there yet. You still have
a lot more to collect.

First return to the Dinosaur Tank stage. Go through the level until you
come to the part with a wall on the right which you can easily Wall
Jump up, and a pit, which is the way to keep going through the level.
Wall Jump up and then Jump to the left, Air Dash to the small section
of wall that is lower on the left. Wall Jump up through that narrow gap
and find the last enhancement capsule.

X-BUSTER UPGRADE – This enhancement allows you to charge the Maverick
weapons (the descriptions I have listed for every weapon) and will
allow you to charge your X-Buster to a pink level. Once done, you can
fire two fully charged blasts, instead of one, which are also more
powerful.
Note: You must hold down the charge button a little longer after it
reaches the pink level. If you don't the first blast will be the
smaller green one. If you wait long enough, it will be a larger shot.

Keep going through the level, until you can see the Heart Tank above
you. Go to the right on the small section of the floor that is higher.
Select the Speed Burner and charge it up. Jump up, Air Dash, then use
the Speed Burner. Hopefully you will have hit the very small section of
wall that is not spiked. Wall Jump up and collect the sixth HEART TANK.

Exit the level, and now go to the Deep-Sea Base. Follow through the
level until you get to the part where the large fish robot opens up
more of the level. Keep following it until you can see an energy
capsule encased in a wall. Stand a little to the right of the capsule,
charge up the Bubble Splash, and then jump. You can see a Sub Tank
above you. When you hit the surface of the water, rapidly tap the jump
button to hit the wall and collect your third SUB TANK.



Exit that level, and now go back to the Central Computer. Go through
the level and do NOT get hit by any of the spotlights, otherwise this
won't work. When you see the moving blocks to your right, look back and
you can see one of the turrets still in the ceiling, provided you
didn't get hit by any of the spotlights. Just like how you got the
Heart Tank in Dinosaur Tank, get on the floor to the right that is
higher, jump, Air Dash, and use a powered up Speed Burner to hit the
turret, then Wall Jump up for your seventh HEART TANK. Keep going on
this level, however. After five sets of blocks fall, you will see the
floor dip a little. Stand on the floor before it that is higher. Just
like the last two times, charge up the Speed Burner, jump, Air Dash,
and then use the Speed Burner to hit the small section of wall above to
the right. Wall Jump up and collect the fourth and final SUB TANK.

Exit this level, and now return to the Desert Base. Find the section
with the Heart Tank above you on the floor of spikes. It was intended
in this game for you to use the bike provided earlier to get this
enhancement, but I find it too hard and time consuming, so instead
(sorry to sound like a broken record), I get as close to the spikes as
I can, power up the Speed Burner, jump, Air Dash, then use the Speed
Burner to propel myself to the eighth and final HEART TANK. You'll die,
but lives are easily acquired, Heart Tanks are not. Be cautious with
this, though. Do not jump too high or else the Air Dash will slam into
the small section hanging down from the ceiling, and don't go too far
or the Speed Burner will slam you into the spikes on the right wall.
However, if you want to use the bike as intended, just shoot down all
the ramps in advance, then return back to the bike and use it to reach
there. Hit the Dash button every time the bike hits a ramp to increase
speed and jumping capacity. A third way, I was recently informed of, is
to instead use the part of the ceiling that sticks out to your
advantage. First change to Gear Crush, then jump and Air Dash to that
section of ceiling. Slide down off of it, then Air Dash again. Once you
are over, use the Gear Crush. The temporary levitation of it will allow
you to float slightly over and acquire the Heart Tank, however this
method will of course result in a death.

Return to the Deep-Sea Base. Let the fish robot destroy the ground
again, and this time slide down the left wall there. You will enter a
secret location. Power up the Silk Shot, and energy capsules will
continually be drawn towards you as long as you hold down the fire
button. Take as many capsules as it takes to fill your Sub Tanks, then
exit the level. Also get your lives up to a maximum of nine here. In
the beginning, you should see that extra life above. Charge up the
Bubble Splash to make yourself invulnerable, then Air Dash over to the
ledge. Use a Spin Wheel to destroy the ground, then collect the extra
life. Exit out and repeat this process until you have nine lives.

Finally, go to the X-Hunters Base at the North Pole.

XX XX

XX*XX

Not much to say here, just go through the level until you reach the
boss door.

BOSS: VIOLEN

Fortunately this time around you won't have to deal with the speech
from this X-Hunter. Not much has changed, except that now blocks form
in the stage, which can block both you and Violen. Attacks:

-	Violen will send out his spiked ball on a chain. Just avoid it
and fire Bubble Splash at him.
-	Violen will hover in the air and shoot downward. Move away from
him to avoid getting hit.

Basically what I do is Dash toward him, fire a spray of Bubble Splash,
Dash back, then repeat. There are small chances of getting hit this
way. If you need a Sub Tank, go ahead and use it.

Once you destroy Violen, you'll return to the stage selection screen.
If you used a Sub Tank, return to the Deep-Sea Base and refill your Sub
Tanks and lives again. Then select the X-Hunter Base again to go to the
second level of it.

Travel through this level (no enhancements this time either) until you
reach the boss door. Again, use the Spin Wheel to kill the large robot
on the outside.

BOSS: SERGES

This boss is a little hard, but not if you use special techniques. Walk
in the room with the Gear Crush ready. Air Dash onto the platforms over
the spikes right away. When the battle starts, release the Gear Crush
to immediately destroy the cannons Serges is using. Watch out if the
platform you are on disappears after that. If your Gear Crush isn't
powered, your second best choice is to use Magnet Mines on the cannons
(thanks again to Rubyheart [email protected] for pointing
that out). Then, switch to the Sonic Slicer, and drop down to the small
part of his machine under him. While there, power up the Sonic Slicer
and constantly use it, thus effectively attacking him and avoiding his
only attack at the same time (one again, thanks go to Rubyheart
[email protected] for showing me the easier way to defeat
Serges). Serges only main attack after destroying the cannons is firing
a large green energy ball, which splits into four. Staying on the lower
part of his machine will let you avoid it however.

Again, once Serges is destroyed, you return to the stage selection
screen. Refill your Sub Tanks and lives at the Deep-Sea Base, then
return to the X-Hunter Base.

There is one more enhancement in this game. You need all enhancements,
all Mavericks defeated, all Sub Tanks, and all Heart Tanks for the
capsule to appear. Go through this new level until you reach the part
with two ladders, one going up and the other going down, with spikes on
the right wall. If you don't have everything, just go through the level
using the down ladder. Otherwise, lure a bat to the ladder, then freeze
it with a Crystal Hunter. Use the frozen bat to reach the top ladder.
Freeze another bat over the spikes, get on top, jump a very small
amount, then Air Dash over and hopefully you will land on the non-spike
ground. Kill the enemies there, then jump and immediately Air Dash over
to get between the floor and ceiling of spikes. Wall Jump up to the
small ledge which converts to spikes, where you can see spikes for
ground and on the right wall. Here comes the hard part. These
instructions must be followed precisely! Charge up the Strike Chain,
fire it, and then jump JUST BEFORE it hits the wall of spikes. Once you
get over there, turn around and Air Dash over to the ledge with the
extra life on it. Use a Sub Tank if you need to (you must be at full
energy). Slide down the left side of the wall until you reach a secret
room. Inside, you will find Dr. Light's last capsule. If you're having
trouble with this technique, use the one sent to me by BraveDiehard. Do
the same thing up until charging the Strike Chain. Instead, charge the
Speed Burner. Jump up, Air Dash over, then when falling through turn
around and activate the charged Speed Burner before you hit the spikes.
This will let you hit the left wall, and slide down (use a Sub-Tank)
and enter the secret room also.

DRAGON PUNCH – After hearing Dr. Light's strange speech (totally out of
character for him), you will receive the Dragon Punch. This is the
equivalent in this game of what the Hadoken Fireball was in the last
game. Press Forward, Down, Down and Forward together, then Y to
activate it. X's fist becomes flame and he shoots up. However, you must
be at full energy to pull off the move. Also, X does not regain control
until he hits the ground. If you shoot up over spikes, you're dead, so
practice this and learn how to use it correctly (it'll pay off), as any
boss left in the game (except for the final one) will be instantly
destroyed by one strike from this technique. Also note, that like the
last game, passwords will not save this enhancement.

Continue through the level until you reach the next boss door.

BOSS: AGILE

Agile is different this time around, as he hovers in the room. His
weakness is the Magnet Mine, which can easily be aimed. Simply stand at
the left side of the room, hold up, and continually fire. Do not charge
up, as it will do the same amount of damage. Attacks include:

-	Agile will drop spiked floors on you (not an instant kill). These
will hit you. Just take the hit and then fire more Magnet Mines.
-	Agile will summon spikes from the sides of the room. If you're at
the bottom, they won't hit you. Keep firing Magnet Mines.

The easiest way to beat Agile, though, is to get yourself at full
energy (go ahead and use a Sub Tank, they're so easy to refill in this
game) and then fire off a Dragon Punch for a one hit kill (I told you
it would pay off).

Refill your Sub Tanks and lives at the Deep-Sea Base, then go back to
the X-Hunter Base.

In this level, you will have to refight all of the Mavericks you
previously defeated. Enter the capsule on the right, and you will be
teleported to the eight other capsules. Use all the same strategies as
before, only this time you may want to charge up your weapons. I will
list specific new things below.

Layout of the capsules:

Morph Moth                             Wheel Gator
Wire Sponge                            Overdrive Ostrich
Bubble Crab                            Crystal Snail
           Flame Stag   Magna Centipede

After defeating one of the Mavericks, small energy capsules appear on
the platforms above the capsules. Always collect these after defeating
the Mavericks, they always come back.

Order:
-	First, go to Morph Moth. In the beginning, release a Dragon Punch
to send Morph Moth straight to stage three. Another one will finish him
off, or use the Speed Burner (charge up for extra damage). Thanks go
yet again to Rubyheart [email protected] for pointing the
Dragon Punch technique out.
-	Go to Wire Sponge next. Charge up the Sonic Slicer to continually
hit him.
-	Bubble Crab is harder now because his ceiling is lined with
spikes. You can charge up the Spin Wheel for extra damage, but it makes
it difficult to dodge him.
-	Use the exact same strategy as before on Flame Stag, be sure not
to charge.
-	On Magna Centipede, charge while he is teleporting.
-	Don't charge against Crystal Snail, regular Magnet Mines work
better.
-	Note the difference of Overdrive Ostrich's stage here. Charge up
the Crystal Snail to make it easier to avoid his Sonic Slicers.
-	Do not charge up the Strike Chain against Wheel Gator. Doing so
will draw you into the wall by him, thus causing you to hit him.

Once you beat the last Maverick, you learn who the final boss will be.
Refill any Sub Tanks and lives, then go back to the X-Hunters Base for
the last time.

You should recognize this as Magna Centipede's level. Travel through
until you reach the part where you previously fought the sword mini-
boss. Here is where the game will change depending on whether you got
all of Zero's parts from the X-Hunters or not. If you did, then Sigma
teleports down with his little speech, and a gray Zero. After he
finishes, the real, fully reconstructed Zero comes and blasts away the
fake Zero. If you did not receive all three parts, the real
reconstructed Zero teleports down with Sigma, and you will have to
fight him.

BOSS: ZERO

Zero can be easy if you use the right techniques, but otherwise he can
be hard. Get the Speed Burner ready, but do not charge as it will do
less damage that way. Attacks:

-	Zero will fire two blasts at you followed by his Beam Sabre. Wall
Jump up and stay up there for a little bit.
-	Zero will dash after you with his Beam Sabre outstretched. Here,
jump off the wall, Air Dash in mid-air, land, then turn around and
fire.
-	Zero will slam the ground creating projectiles shooting into the
air. Get off the wall and Air Dash to hit him.

Keep repeating this strategy and eventually you will knock the
reprogramming out of Zero.

No matter which way this goes, Zero will destroy the middle of the
ground, and you will be able to fall down for the next fight.

BOSS: SIGMA

Sigma can be sort of easy in this game. Pull out the Sonic Slicer and
learn his attacks:

-	Sigma will start the battle by growing claws, then he will rush
at you. If he connects, you will be flung across the room. Wall Jump up
and avoid this.
-	Sigma will create five purple energy balls. Use the walls to
avoid them and jump around. Fire while he is creating them.
-	Sigma will jump up and teleport out. Dash around the ground
constantly. Soon he will teleport back down in an attempt to hit you.
When he lands, fire.
-	Sigma will begin to glow yellow, making himself invincible.
Immediately Wall Jump, for a weapon like a charged Electric Spark in
the last game will come for you. After he fires, drop down and return
fire.

For an easy way in the beginning, try to avoid getting hit for a bit,
and when he disappears, use the Dragon Punch. He will teleport back in
and be hit by it for half of his energy meter gone. Do not attempt it
twice, switch to the Sonic Slicer.

Once Sigma's body is destroyed. His true form comes out, a computer
virus.

BOSS: VIRUS SIGMA

This boss looks like a mini-boss, and unfortunately, you cannot see an
energy meter for him. However, he will change colors as he is closer to
defeat. The color red means the next few hits will destroy him. Get the
Strike Chain ready (do not charge up) and watch out for attacks:

-	Sigma will move across the room, then begin shooting a large red
laser to the ground. The only way to avoid this is to climb up the wall
and Dash off over his head. (Thanks go out to [email protected] for
pointing this out to me.) Though, I find I get hit more using that
strategy, so I usually purposely take the hit and then continue hitting
Sigma. Figure out which way you find easier, and use it.
-	Sigma will create small enemies. You can destroy them for energy.
-	Once Sigma turns red, stand still. He will reform outside of you,
constantly damaging you. Fire the Strike Chain repeatedly, but not too
fast. Wait until the sound of it hitting him disappears, then fire
again. Soon he will die.

Use Sub Tanks if you have to (you will). I will note that three Dragon
Punches will kill him, but it's more worthwhile to use the Strike Chain
since it is difficult to hit him and you will probably waste all your
Sub Tanks trying to accomplish this.

Once the Virus Sigma is destroyed, you win the game. Sigma will say
some words about Zero while he is dying, but he doesn't finish and you
never really know what he means. Watch the ending scene, and that's it.

At this point I would like to include a separate order for Mavericks I
was told about from Freespace2dotcom ([email protected]).
However, I will not include a long detailed FAQ about how to get every
item, you can draw it out from above, and I should note I really don't
like this order as some bosses are particularly hard without the proper
weapons, like Flame Stag, since you need a whole new strategy without
the Bubble Splash.

1)	Flame Stag
2)	Morph Moth
3)	Overdrive Ostrich
4)	Wire Sponge
5)	Wheel Gator
6)	Bubble Crab
7)	Magna Centipede
8)	Crystal Snail

Another E-mail I recently received concerned another Maverick to start
with. [email protected] pointed out to me that if you have a turbo
controller, it's easy to start with Bubble Crab, because the constant
hammer of X-Buster shots can eventually dissolve his shield. Thus, he
will keep getting knocked back from the stream of energy and not hurt
you. If he does, however, cross to your side, just go to the other
side.

This FAQ is by me, X. Have any comments, questions, found some typos,
or specific parts you would like me to go more in-depth on? I will be
happy to answer all and anything you wish to know about the game
(provided I know it of course, though I most likely and hopefully
will). Simply E-mail me at [email protected]. There are limitations
to this however. I will not respond to E-mails that have excessive
cussing, or people that are rude. Be polite, I'll be polite. Be rude,
you'll get ignored. It's as simple as that.

Also many thanks go out to Rubyheart for his help in seriously
improving this guide. You can see points I particularly thank him for
his help throughout the FAQ.

If you wish to place this FAQ on your site, please send me an E-mail
first. I will most likely give you permission, I just want to know
where it's headed.

This FAQ is Copyright 2001 by X. Thank you to all those that took the
time to read it.

Most Recent Update: (this section was requested by Rubyheart)

- Added a second way to receive the Dragon Punch.