FAQ/Walkthrough - Guide for MegaMan X3

                         Mega Man X3 FAQ
                               By X

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

Story: In the year 21XX, all the Mavericks have been neutralized thanks
to the efforts of a Reploid scientist named, "Dr. Doppler". Using his
Neuro Computer he has been able to suppress any abnormal behavior in
the reploids and prevent them from going berserk. Many of the most
advanced reploids have gathered near their mentor and founded "Dopple
Town", a perfect Utopian community. With Dr. Doppler guiding them, the
world seemed ready to enter a new golden age…
After a few months…
The Mavericks who were supposed to have been neutralized by the Neuro
Computer suddenly appeared and began to riot…
At Maverick Hunter Headquarters, all the intelligence indicated that
Dr. Doppler was the mastermind behind the invasion. Soon, the call went
out to X and Zero to destroy the invading Mavericks and to bring Dr.
Doppler to justice.
Maverick Hunter X and Zero. Dispatch!!
A few hours later, emergency contact was made by the headquarters of
Maverick Hunter.
"This is the headquarters of Maverick Hunter. We are under attack from
the Doppler force. All units return to base immediately and return
fire."

Mega Man X's and Zero's controls:

A – Dash (In this game you start with the Ground Dash, though your
boots do not show it like the original Mega Man X did).
B – Jump (Longer you hold it down, the higher X or Zero 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 either of the
previous two Mega Man X games 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).
- The X-Buster specifications above do not apply to Zero. His X-Buster
reaches four levels from the very start. The first two levels are
identical to X's. The third level (pink) shoots first a first level
shot, then a second level shot. The fourth level (green) shoots two
fully powered shots, followed by the use of Zero's Beam Sabre. The
sabre is more powerful as well.
- 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.
-	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.)
- 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.
- 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.
- Zero can ONLY take energy capsules. All other items in the game are
off-limits to him.

Level 1: Maverick Hunter Headquarters

You will begin the game as X. Travel through a short distance and
eventually you will be captured by Mac. Once that happens, Zero breaks
through the ceiling and you will play as him for a short while. Zero is
virtually identical to X now, with the exception of the X-Buster
difference, and the fact that his life meter is larger. Keep going, and
you will fight Mac. Only used powered up shots on Mac. Once you beat
him, shoot the robot holding X, then you resume control as X. Finish
the level and you will fight a boss.

BOSS: LARGE REPLOID

Just as in Mega Man X2, this boss is not hard. Just stand at the back
and use fully powered shots on him. You will probably take a few hits,
but it doesn't matter.

Before we go into the actual Maverick fighting in this game, I'd like
to explain the Zero situation in this game. Playing as Zero earlier
will not be your only time doing that (though it can be). On any level,
pressing R on the subscreen will shift the screen over so you can see a
comlink to Zero. Selecting him will cause Zero to replace X. There are
some things to keep in mind about playing as Zero however.

-	Zero has a better X-Buster, plus the Beam Sabre, this is a great
advantage.
-	Every level in this game has three enclosed rooms. The first two are
blocked off by doors that you fought X-Hunters in while playing Mega
Man X2. The last one is the boss room. Zero cannot pass through any
of these doors. The only doors in the game he can pass through is
the first one in Maverick Hunter Headquarters, a door in Crush
Crawfish's level, the first door to the boss of any level (but not
the second) and one more in the final fortress eventually. If you
try to take Zero in one, X comes and replaces him.
-	Zero cannot be summoned more than once per level, and he cannot be
summoned if X is too close to a door that blocks him off. Thus, you
cannot use Zero for more than one-third of any level.
-	Zero has only one life. If you let him die at some point (with the
exception of the first level), he teleports to Dr. Cain and explains
his power generator is damaged, thus taking him out of the game
permanently. This will ruin the ending and alter the chance for an
incredibly powerful upgrade later.
-	Zero cannot receive any enhancements, Heart Tanks, Sub Tanks, etc.
He can only take energy capsules.
-	Zero has a larger life meter than X, though not as high as when X
receives all eight Heart Tanks.
-	Thus, in conclusion, Zero is better than X in the beginning, but by
the end will be greatly inferior.

The first Maverick's level to visit will be Blizzard Buffalo.

X* XX

XX XX

(Note the above X's and the * correspond to where the Maverick is
located on the selection screen. This is particularly needed in this
game as the names are not listed.)

This level is covered with ice. Watch out as you can easily slide into
spikes. After the enclosed rooms I spoke of earlier, the level will
have snow falling. When you see the tornado-like winds, use them to
jump up and stay on the top of the ledges. Blast the enemies and stay
as high as you can on the icy ledges here. Once you reach as far right
as you can go, Dash Jump to the right, and Wall Jump off of the tiny
ledge to the right. If done right, you can walk forward into the small
room. Here you will receive your first enhancement.

AIR DASH – Better in this game than in X2. When you have these on, X
can Dash in the air to the right, left, or straight up (hold up while
in the air prior to hitting the Dash button).

Once you take it, (practice a little for the way to go up) return to
the ledge that got you there. You can switch to Zero if you want to
reduce damage to X. Return all the way back to the tornado, then Dash
Jump left to the bottom. You should see a Sub Tank above you. Get on
the ledge a little to the right that has a ground enemy and a hovering
enemy. Destroy them, stand at the edge, then jump left, Dash straight
up, then you should be able to get close to the ledge with the Sub
Tank. Wall Jump over to get your first SUB TANK.

SUB TANK – There are four of these in the game. When you take one, it
is added to the subscreen. From now on, whenever you take an energy
capsule (only as X, not as Zero) and you have full energy, the energy
is transferred to the Sub Tank. Whenever you use a Sub Tank, the energy
is drained out and added to your own life meter.

Now that you have the tank and the Air Dash, proceed to the Maverick
(below where you got the Air Dash).

BOSS: BLIZZARD BUFFALO

Blizzard Buffalo is a large Maverick, and you don't have his weakness.
However, there is a trick to beating him. Enter with a charged shot and
release it immediately. Attacks:

-	Blizzard Buffalo will attempt to ram you. If he catches you, you are
placed between his horns and you are smashed into the wall. The only
way to avoid this is to try to get to the Wall and Dash Jump off to
safety, or Dash straight up in the air.
-	Blizzard Buffalo will fire three ice balls at you, which are are
aimed straight at you every time. You have to constantly move to
avoid these. Once they make contact with the floor or wall, they
become large ice shards.
-	Blizzard Buffalo will fire an ice ray at you, freezing you in your
tracks. He will then ram into you, damaging you severely. Avoid this
at all costs.

These all together make Buffalo hard. However, there is a special trick
to defeating him. Thanks to my brother for pointing this out to me. In
the beginning, release one shot, then Wall Jump up to avoid getting hit
by him. Get close to him and fire one shot. He will turn around. As
soon as he does, then jump and Dash straight up into the air. He will
turn back around. When you drop, shoot him again. Repeat this process
and you should quickly claim victory.

WEAPON: FROST SHIELD

This weapon fires an icicle forward, guided by a rocket thruster. If it
hits the ground or a wall, like Blizzard Buffalo's weapon, an ice shard
remains there temporarily. Charged up (see later), this weapon instead
forms a shield for X which he holds in front of him temporarily.

The next Maverick to face is Toxic Seahorse.

XX X*

XX XX

I usually start this level as Zero. Keep going through the level, and
you will soon come to a part where you must climb the walls (with
sludge running down them). Eventually when you get almost to the top,
you can see the way out, by going right. Instead, keep climbing up and
you will receive your first HEART TANK. Remember to switch off Zero if
you were using him.

HEART TANK – There are eight of these in the game. When X takes one
(won't work for Zero) two points of energy are permanently added to X's
life meter.

Don't worry about the fans that blow you away later on. You can't get
use out of this area until later. When you come to the second enclosed
room of this level, you will fight a mini-boss. Remember that mini-
bosses do not have energy meters. Fire at the top of the robot, and
avoid the projectiles it produces. Its dual tentacles are not lethal,
just Dash under them.

Continue through the level until you reach the next Maverick.

BOSS: TOXIC SEAHORSE

This boss isn't too hard now that you have the Frost Shield. Enter the
room with it ready. His attacks:

-	Toxic Seahorse will jump up and try to land on you. Dash out of the
way.
-	Toxic Seahorse will fire off an Acid Burst, which rebounds around
the room. Just avoid it and attack.
-	Toxic Seahorse will glow green, then liquify, thus slipping beneath
the floor. He then will reform somewhere. Stay on the walls to avoid
getting hit.
-	When reaching half energy, Toxic Seahorse instead fires off two Acid
Bursts, which stay on the ground. Stay on the walls now, and don't
attack until they dissolve.

A quick way to defeat this boss is to Dash away from him in the
beginning, fire a Frost Shield, then Dash once Toxic Seahorse jumps.
He'll land on the Frost Shield and become damaged. Then, repeat the
procedure and you can defeat him in a matter of seconds.

WEAPON: ACID BURST

This weapon fires a ball of acid which splits into four smaller acid
bursts when it strikes something. Charged up, this weapon fires two
acid balls which bounce around the floor and walls.

After this fight, you will see story line involving Dr. Doppler, Bit,
Byte, and a Mysterious Maverick (Mega Man X players should easily
recognize this guy, but for those of you who don't, this is Vile).

Now head over to Tunnel Rhino's stage.

XX XX

XX *X

Go through this level until you reach the part with conveyor belts and
dirt being shot out of the ceiling. At the part where you have to start
going down, Dash Jump over to the section of wall jutting out. Climb up
and you will receive your second SUB TANK.

It should be noted now that you could fight Bit at any time when you
reach an enclosed room. It won't necessarily be this level, but it
could be, therefore I shall list the strategy here. Refer back to this
level when you do actually fight Bit.

BOSS: BIT

Bit will put up a good fight. Enter the room with your X-Buster fully
charged. Then switch to the Frost Shield and use that for the remainder
of the battle. Release it when the battle starts, then Wall Jump to
avoid his attacks:

-	Bit will Air Dash towards you with a blade outstretched. He is
invincible in this form. If he is in the air, Dash under him to the
other side. If he is close to the ground, Wall Jump up and Dash Jump
off to the other side.
-	Bit will fire a ring at you. Avoid this as it will immobilize you
until Bit hits you.
-	Bit will shoot tannish fireballs at you. Avoid these at all costs.

Use a Sub Tank if you need to and after some practice you should win.
There is a special trick to Bit. If you use his weakness (Frost
Shield)on the final hit, Bit will be destroyed rather than teleporting
out. If either Bit or Byte (see later) live, you will refight them in a
new form later on. If not, you will fight a different boss. In my
opinion, the refight between Bit and Byte is easier than the Elephant
Reploid you will face instead, but do whatever you want here. Thanks go
to Freespace2dotcom ([email protected]) for telling me how to
actually destroy Bit and Byte.

When you come to the second enclosed room, you will fight a mini-boss.
Wall Jump immediately when the battle starts to avoid getting hit.
Shoot it in the head when you fall down, then Wall Jump up again.
Repeat this process and charge your X-Buster while on the wall.

Keep going and soon you'll reach the boss door.

BOSS: TUNNEL RHINO

This boss is another one easily defeated with his weakness. Enter the
room with the Acid Burst ready. The only real attack Tunnel Rhino has
is trying to ram into you. When the battle starts, release an Acid
Burst, then quickly Wall Jump up. When he comes close to the wall, Dash
Jump to the other side, turn around, and fire another Acid Burst. He
will then try to ram you again, so repeat. When he reaches half energy,
Tunnel Rhino will glow sometimes. If this happens and he strikes a
wall, then you wall immediately fall off of it, so watch out for this
attack. Soon you should win.

WEAPON: TORNADO FANG

This weapon fires a drill forward. The drill will continually strike an
enemy if it needs multiple hits. Charged up, X holds a drill in front
of him until he gets hit. You can fire three of these at a time.

Next go over to face Volt Catfish.

XX XX

*X XX

Avoid the platform in the very beginning. It will take you to Vile, who
you should not fight right now.

When you reach the second rising platform (not counting the one I told
you to skip) ride it all the way to the top. Go into the small room to
the right, and you will see a Heart Tank on some spikes. Drop a little,
Air Dash over to the wall, and slide down to take your second HEART
TANK. Once you hear the sound of receiving it, immediately start Wall
Jumping back up again. Jump off and Air Dash back to get out unharmed.
Don't worry if you lose a life, Heart Tanks are rare, lives aren't.
Continue through this level. You might want to switch to Zero once the
walls with electricity running along them come. Soon you should reach
the boss door.

BOSS: VOLT CATFISH

This boss is yet another one that is incredibly easy when it's weakness
is used. Begin the fight by releasing a Tornado Fang, then Wall Jump up
and Dash off to the other side. Attacks:

-	Volt Catfish will fire an energy ball at you, which trails the floor
and wall. Jump over it.
-	Volt Catfish will fire three energy spikes at you, these are hard to
avoid and you will probably take a hit. Once they are released, he
sucks them back in. If you hit him fast enough, they will dissolve.
-	Volt Catfish, when reaching half energy, will stand in the middle of
the room drawing in energy about to release it. Strike him to stop
this process.

Just like the past bosses, just fire, Wall Jump up and Dash to the
other side, then fire again and repeat the process. He gets easier once
he reaches half energy as he will only stand in the middle and he won't
stop using the lightning drawn attack.

WEAPON: TRIAD THUNDER

This weapon creates three energy spikes around X which form a two-
second force field, which then shoot lightning in three directions.
Charged up, X will slam the ground with his fist, damaging robots. Then
two large energy balls will shoot across the floor, continuing on walls
and ceilings.

The next Maverick to face is Crush Crawfish.

XX XX

X* XX

There are no enhancements available to you in this level. One
interesting thing to note is that the second enclosed room can be
entered with Zero, and it is a good idea to use him from then on
anyway. Just keep going until you reach the boss.

BOSS: CRUSH CRAWFISH

Crush Crawfish is a tad bit harder, even with his weakness. Enter with
the Triad Thunder ready. Start Wall Jumping up immediately and use the
weapon. Attacks:

-	Crush Crawfish will shoot a brown object at you, pulling you down
off the wall. You can easily get back up though.
-	Crush Crawfish will fire a pincer at you. If you are high enough on
the wall, you can avoid it.
-	Crush Crawfish will grab you if you are too low. Press buttons like
crazy to get out of his grip.

After beginning the battle, cross to the other side of the room and
hopefully he will stay in the center instead of following you. If he
does, stay on that wall, stay at the top, and continually use the Triad
Thunder until he is destroyed. If he comes over to you, cross back to
the other wall. Soon the Triad Thunder should destroy him.

WEAPON: SPINNING BLADE

When you use this weapon, two razor sharp blades fire out, then turn
around and shoot behind you. Charged up, this weapon will instead fire
a huge blade connected on a green energy string. You can spin the
string around using the directional pad.

Now it is time to take a little detour in the game. Return to Volt
Catfish's level. Use Zero right from the start to avoid losing health
for X. Take the first platform there I told you to avoid earlier. When
you reach the bottom, switch back to X since the teleporter won't work
for Zero. Go through this small section and use the energy capsules to
refill your Sub Tanks. When you reach the boss door, you will find
Vile.

Note: You do NOT need to do this if you don't want to. If you have a
hard time here, you can always come back later on when you have more
enhancements. You don't have to do this to begin with, though you will
have to fight Vile later on in Doppler's Fortress and you will skip the
chance for an incredible power.

BOSS: VILE

In the beginning, Vile will be in his Robot Walker. Fire off a Spinning
Blade, then Wall Jump up as he is about to ram into you. Dash off to
the other side, then fire another Blade at him. Repeat this process
until he loses his Walker. Once he does, you will have to fight him
without it. When fighting him alone, he only has two attacks. If he
jumps over you, quickly Dash straight up in the air as fire is about to
hit you. Use the Spinning Blade when he lands. If he just jumps
straight up, bullets are headed for you, but they are easily dodged.
Make sure NOT to use up all the Spinning Blade. When you have about one
use left, switch to the X-Buster. Kill him on the final hit with the
Spinning Blade.

Once Vile is defeated, you have fifty seconds to reach the teleporter
before the factory explodes. This could take a little practice to
reach. Once you are back in Volt Catfish's level, Exit out.

Now head over to Neon Tiger's level.

XX XX

XX X*

Not too long after you start this stage, you can easily see a Sub Tank
above you on a ledge. Kill the robots near it and Air Dash straight up
to take your third SUB TANK.

Keep going on and before you climb down a ladder, you will see a
cracked wall near it. Pull out the Tornado Fang to drill through the
wall. Once through, Air Dash straight up to reach the ledge with the
second enhancement capsule.

X-BUSTER UPGRADE – This upgrade allows you to charge your X-Buster to a
fourth level, pink. Once done, X shoots two charged shots. If you can
time it right, both shots cane be fired at once, covering half the
screen as they go. You can also now charge the weapons you earned from
Mavericks.

Soon you should reach the next mini-boss in an enclosed room. Just fire
at the head with charged shots and avoid the projectiles it shoots,
nothing much to it.

The next enclosed room, however, could have Byte in it (you may fight
him later though, so just scroll to here when you actually do).

BOSS: BYTE

Byte will not be an easy fight. In the beginning, he will throw a
wheel-like projectile which attaches to the wall. Wait a second or two,
then Dash straight up in the air to avoid being hit by him, as he is
charging towards you. Fire at him whenever possible. He repeats this
procedure, so learn it, practice, and eventually you should win. If you
are lucky enough to have the Ray Splasher, use that instead. Just like
Bit, you need the proper weapon to actually destroy him if you want to.
Ray Splasher seems to inflict a lot of damage (I recommend using it if
you have it already), but apparently the destruction factor is the
Tornado Fang.

When you see the boss door, don't enter it. Instead, go back to the
edge of the small hill you just passed. Dash Jump off the edge, and you
should come in contact with the wall above the boss door. Wall Jump up
for your third HEART TANK.

Now enter the door for the next Maverick.

BOSS: NEON TIGER

This boss isn't that hard at all. The previous strategies don't apply
to him however. Enter the battle with the Spinning Blade ready, but
don't fire whenever he begins. Attacks:

-	Neon Tiger will jump up on the walls. Just avoid him.
-	Neon Tiger will fire rays at you from his tail. Shoot him with the
Spinning Blade and he'll stop.
-	Neon Tiger will become a solid color, then charge at you with his
claws. Wall Jump up to avoid him.

All you have to do is hit him with the Spinning Blade wherever he is,
and he will switch sides of the battle room. That way he won't be able
to hurt you and you can quickly win.

WEAPON: RAY SPLASHER

This weapon fires rays of light forward. Charged up, a light bulb like
object shoots into the air, firing the rays into different directions.

Now return to Tunnel Rhino's stage. Switch to Zero right away. Go
through until you reach a part where, after you climb a bit, can either
go left and up again, or right. If you go right, you should see a Heart
Tank blocked by a boulder hanging from the ceiling. Switch back to X,
then charge up the Triad Thunder to knock the boulder off the ceiling.
Air Dash over to get your fourth HEART TANK.

Keep going through the level until you see the same type of boulder
hanging from the ceiling. Same thing as before, use a fully powered
Triad Thunder to knock it down. When you Wall Jump up there, you will
find the third enhancement capsule.

SENSOR HELMET – This helmet upgrade gives you a digital map layout of
the level you visit, also noting what power-ups still exist there. On
the selection screen, it will tell you what power-ups still need to be
found on that specific level.

Exit the level and now return to Crush Crawfish's level.

When you start, drop down immediately and after you destroy the second
hovering robot, you should see some ground right below you that looks
slightly different than the rest. Charge up the Triad Thunder to smash
through, and you will earn the Hawk Robot Walker (it is useless now, I
will describe it later).

Now return to Toxic Seahorse's level. Start with Zero again. After the
first enclosed room, you will reach a part where you enter water.
Underwater you should see a small pit. Kill all the enemies around it,
then stand on the right side of the pit. Charge up the Frost Shield,
then stand on top and ride it all the way to the top. Air Dash straight
up to earn the Kangaroo Robot Walker (again, you can't use it now, I'll
tell how later).

Exit the level and now go to face Gravity Beetle.

XX *X

XX XX

Go through this level (I recommend Zero for the first third) until you
come to the part with a sunny sky. It's right after the enclosed room.
Climb up the tower to the left, then jump off the side at the right
time (practice to learn how) then Air Dash straight up to earn the Frog
Robot Walker (last time I'm gonna say this, but you can't use it yet,
you will be able to soon).

There are no other enhancements available right now, so just continue
through until you reach the next boss door.

BOSS: GRAVITY BEETLE

Gravity Beetle isn't incredibly hard either. Enter the room with the
Ray Splasher, but don't charge it up. Release it as soon as the battle
starts. Attacks:

-	Gravity Beetle will jump a very small distance. You can't get hit
unless you're incredibly close to him. Just shoot him.
-	Gravity Beetle will glow then try to ram into you. Just Wall Jump up
and Dash off to the other side, then fire.
-	Gravity Beetle will fire a small energy ball which ricochets around
the room getting larger. Avoid it and return fire.

If you just fire at him, all his abilities are disabled except for the
ability to jump. You should win this battle quickly.

WEAPON: GRAVITY WELL

This weapon fires out a small object into the air which creates a field
around it, damaging all flying robots on screen. Charged up, all flying
robots are flung off the screen.

Now return to Volt Catfish's stage yet again. Switch to Zero in the
beginning, then switch back to X when you find those capsules guarded
by the robots to refill Sub Tanks. Go all the way to the third rising
platform, and ride it all the way to the top. There you will find a
strange machine on the floor. Stand on top, charge up the Gravity Well,
and release it. The machine will rise to the top and you can find the
last enhancement capsule.

BODY ARMOR – This armor will generate a protective field around you
when you get hit, protecting you further from enemy attacks.

Exit the level and now go to the final Maverick, Blast Hornet.

*X XX

XX XX

Keep going through the level until you reach the first enclosed room.
Inside you will fight a small mini-boss. Just use non-charged X-Buster
shots constantly, and avoid it by Dashing or Wall Jumping.

Keep going through, and eventually you will be on top of warehouse
buildings. On the paths between them, there are some blocks. Destroying
the second set brings a hole. Fall down, and destroy the cracked wall
with a Tornado Fang. Do so through the walls that follow, until you see
another block on the ground. Destroy it, and fall through the new hole.
You will see a Chimera Robot Walker being held by the robot that Mac
held you with in the beginning. Destroy the robot and you can now use
the Chimera Robot Walker. Take the rising platform to the left to get
out.

Keep going with the Chimera until you reach the part that stops you,
close to the second enclosed room. Jump with the Chimera, jump out,
then Wall Jump up there to find your fifth HEART TANK.

Soon you should reach the next boss door.

BOSS: BLAST HORNET

This boss is yet another incredibly easy one. Enter the room with a
fully charged Gravity Well ready, and release it when the battle
starts. Then learn his attacks:

-	Blast Hornet will fly around the room. This is constant throughout
the entire battle, just dodge by staying in a corner.
-	Blast Hornet will fire miniature versions of himself. These can be
destroyed with the Gravity Well
-	Blast Hornet will fire a targeter at you. If it latches on, his
children will seek you out better.

If you just constantly use the Gravity Well, he will constantly be
damaged and thus no threat to you.

WEAPON: PARASITIC BOMB

This weapon will fire out a bomb which latches onto an enemy, then
paralyzing it and destroying it. Charged up, you will target enemies
and fire Blast Hornet's children at them.

After this fight, you will learn where Doppler's fortress is, as well
as his plans.

Now return to Blizzard Buffalo's stage. Travel through until you reach
the up ladder. To your left, you should see a strange platform. You
most likely noticed many of these on your trips through this game. I
will now explain them. You have already collected the four Robot
Walkers. These platforms allow you to activate them. I will explain
them here.

Chimera - Marked with an N. This Robot Walker is the same kind found in
the original Mega Man X. It can jump, Dash, and attacks by punching. A
basic yet powerful Robot Walker.

Kangaroo – Marked with a K. This Robot Walker is the same kind found in
Mega Man X2. It can jump, and attacks with spiked claws on the ends of
each arm. These can be charged, which shoots the arm out connected on a
rod. The Robot Walker can also jump and Dash. It cannot, however, hover
like it did in Mega Man X2. Once you have this kind, the Chimera model
is obsolete.

Hawk – Marked with an H. In my opinion, this is the best Robot Walker
in existence. It can jump, dash, and hover like the Kangaroo did in
Mega Man X2. It attacks with twin missiles from each arm.

Frog – Marked with an F. This is the only Robot Walker that is operable
underwater. All others explode upon entering water. It walks by
hopping, can jump, and attacks with heat-seeking torpedoes. It cannot
Dash, but underwater you can use the button to spin the propeller on
back for increased mobility.

Any one of these four Robot Walkers is available upon stepping on the
center of a Robot Walker platform with X. When you enter one, a new
life meter replaces your original, so in this game you can tell how
close your Robot Walker is to destruction. You cannot give energy back
to a Robot Walker, picking any up goes to X or his Sub Tanks.

Now Exit the level and return for the last time to Volt Catfish's
level. Select Zero again, and use him until you find some energy, then
switch back to X to give it to his Sub Tanks. Go through the level
until you pass the first enclosed room. After that, Wall Jump up the
right wall and you will find a Robot Walker platform. Select whichever
one you want (but Frog is a bad choice), then go back down. When you
fall, the Robot Walker's mass will crush the floor. Go to the left and
you'll find the fourth and final SUB TANK. Exit this level and now
return to Gravity Beetle's stage.

You will soon see ledges all over in a room that once had crates. They
are gone now that you have beaten Blast Hornet. Work your way up to the
top left one, and take your seventh HEART TANK. Exit this level and
return to Crush Crawfish's level.

In this level, once again drop in the beginning. Go left and select the
Hawk armor. Go to the right until you see the part where the robot
destroys the floor. Hover over to the right side. Drop down and stay to
the right each time. After a few drops, you can see a cracked wall.
Destroy it with the Robot Walker, then go through to take the eighth
and final HEART TANK.

There are no more standard enhancements in this game. However, if you
look at the selection screen, you will see ???? not taken in four
levels. These levels contain upgrades to the enhancements you already
have. I will list how to get each one, however you are limited to
selecting only one of these. If you skip them, however, you can get all
four later in the game. It is incredibly stupid to take one of these,
but here is how to get them:

Toxic Seahorse's level:

In this level, past the first enclosed room, is a pit. Don't go down
it. Instead, go to the right and use the Robot Walker to summon the
Frog armor. Drop down into the water, and destroy the fans with the
homing torpedoes. Go to the part where the fans were, jump, jump out of
the Frog and then Wall Jump up to find the Leg Chip upgrade. With it,
you can now Dash twice in the air before coming back down to the
ground. Not that great of a choice out of the four.

Blast Hornet's level:

In this level, you will see an area you can go up by Air Dashing
straight up. Do that, and you will find a Robot Walker platform. Choose
the Hawk armor. Keep going, and you will reach the edge of the floor
you are on. Dash Jump over and hold down the jump button to hover over.
You will land on a new ledge. Get out of the Hawk and then go over to
find the Energy Chip upgrade. Now when you stand still, X will
gradually regain health. It will also fill his Sub Tanks. The best
choice out of the four.

Crush Crawfish's level:

In this level, drop down immediately and choose a Robot Walker. Go
forward until a robot destroys the ground beneath you. This is just
like when you found the Heart Tank, but this time instead fall all the
way to the bottom. Keep going down there until you find a hole in the
fall. Drop down through it, and destroy the cracked wall to the left.
Get out of the Robot Walker and find the Body Chip upgrade. Now X's
defensive shield is stronger. Not the best choice either.

Gravity Beetle's level:

In this level, right after the second enclosed room, Wall Jump up and
activate either the Chimera or Kangaroo armor. Go through the rest of
the level until you can see the weak wall on the right. Destroy it with
your Robot Walker, then proceed through to find the Arm Chip upgrade. X
now has a new weapon on the subscreen, the Hyper Cannon. You can absorb
damage from enemies (I think certain types of projectiles). When fully
powered, you can use the Hyper Cannon, which uses fully powered X-
Buster shots.

Now it's time to go to Doppler's Fortress.

Soon you'll come to a mini-boss in this level. Zero will come down to
help you. Just constantly fire at it and it won't take long. Keep going
on. Once you climb up, you will be at the edge of a ledge. Get as far
to the right as you can, then Dash Jump to the right, and you'll
probably hit an enemy. Keep Wall Jumping up to the Robot Walker
platform though. Use a Sub Tank if you don't have full energy. Choose
the Hawk armor, and then drop back down and keep going. Soon you will
see an area with a pit, and to the right are spiked balls dropping out
of the ceiling. Get out of the Hawk and then slide down the left wall
in the pit. You will enter a secret area. This is the equivalent of the
Hadoken Fireball in X1 and the Dragon Punch in X2. You will see a pink
capsule in there. For it to appear, you must have collected every Heart
Tank, Sub Tank, Robot Walker, defeated every Maverick, and you must not
have any enhancement chips. When you come out of the capsule, you will
have the Gold Armor, which contains all four enhancement chips. Scroll
up just before this area to read what each does. Later you'll come to
the boss door. If you're not at full energy, or if your Sub Tanks
aren't full, just stand still outside the boss door and the Energy Chip
in the Gold Armor will refill you.

BOSS: BIT/BYTE

You will fight these if the door is on the bottom of the room. If
either Bit or Byte lived, you will fight this boss. Attacks:

-	The combo of the two will fire a blade at you. Wall Jump up to avoid
it.
-	The combo will fire an arm at you, which is hard to avoid. If it
does grab you, you will be smashed into the ceiling, but then it
pulls you down into perfect firing position.

If you just constantly use the Ray Splasher, you should easily win.

If neither Bit nor Byte lived, you will face a different boss.

BOSS: ELEPHANT REPLOID

This boss will be fought if Bit and Byte both died, and if the door is
on the top of the room at the end. Attacks:

-	The elephant will fire a hooked arm at you, grabbing, damaging, and
then releasing you. Just stay far away from the boss and you won't
be caught.
-	A machine above it will drop junk, which can be noticed when it
shakes. If you aren't caught under it, you can stand on it to your
advantage. If the junk is the smaller type, it will fire projectiles
at you, so constantly move to avoid the shots.
-	The boss will drop down after shaking. Use this time to hit its eyes
with the Tornado Fang.
-	The boss will fire small projectiles, which resemble miniature Acid
Bursts. Avoid them.

Learn these attacks, and hit it in the eyes with the Tornado Fang
whenever possible. Climb up the left wall and hit it when you can. Aim
for the eyes, not for the trunk. If you destroy its trunk, the boss
gets harder. You may need a Sub Tank for this fight.

Whoever you fight, after that reselect Doppler's Lab, and then go to
the next level.

If you used a Sub Tank, then just stand still until it is refilled.
Don't bother using the Robot Walker platform, even the Frog armor won't
help in the water ahead. Soon, you should reach a boss door. It should
be noted that this is the last boss door in the game that Zero can pass
through. This is the only boss in the game that Zero can fight.
However, if you do, Zero will be out of the game and the ending will
change for the worse. However, it will give X an incredible power. So,
choose wisely. If you aren't too good at this game, I suggest using
Zero here. If you are, however, don't waste Zero.

BOSS: BUG HELICOPTER

If you are playing as Zero, enter the room with a fully charged shot
ready. Waste two shots prior to entering so the Beam Sabre is ready.
When you enter, immediately climb up the wall and then jump off to hit
the mini-boss with it. If you won't have time to do that, instead Dash
under it when it dives down, then turn around and strike it with the
Beam Sabre. Then shoot it until it dies, which won't take long (only
two or three shots). Don't worry if it grabs you, only a few shots are
needed. Then, it will land on Zero, almost destroying him. Zero will
return to Dr. Cain's lab, out of the game, but he will give his Beam
Sabre to X. Now, your X-Buster can reach a fifth level, a green level.
When you release two shots, X fires a green beam forward, which removes
three-fifths of any bosses life meter!

If you are playing as X, just shoot it with the X-Buster until it dies.
Dash away from it when it tries to grab you.

Either way you choose, just keep going now. Soon you should reach the
boss door.

Note: If you didn't fight Vile earlier when I noted to, then this room
will be empty, therefore you can't earn the Beam Sabre.

BOSS: SEA REPLOID

This boss is not incredibly hard, with or without the Beam Sabre. Wait
outside the door to let the Gold Armor recharge you, then walk in. If
you have Zero's Beam Sabre, just use it, a two-hit kill. If not,
instead use the Frost Shield (non-powered, powered up won't damage it)
and constantly jump off the wall and shooting at it's center to kill
it. Dash away from the projectiles and avoid the projectile from its
arm. Thanks go out to Rubyheart ([email protected]) for
pointing out the Frost Shield as its weakness.

Note: If you didn't destroy Vile before, you will fight him here
instead, but use the same strategy as before. I've been told that the
Ray Splasher is a good choice to fight him with.

Go to the next section of Doppler's Fortress. In this section, you will
have to refight every Maverick in the game. Here is the layout:

     Blizzard Buffalo   Toxic Seahorse
Blast Hornet                     Neon Tiger
  Volt Catfish              Crush Crawfish
     Gravity Beetle     Tunnel Rhino

Note that every time you beat one, you land on a strange machine.
Shooting it produces power-ups. Switch sides every time you shoot for
more. If you nail it with the Beam Sabre, you get an extra life.

Order:
-	Blast Hornet. Same thing as before, just use the Gravity Well on him
and Dash away if he flies over above you.
-	Blizzard Buffalo. You can do one of two things. You can either use
the previous strategy, (non-charged shots and using the Air Dash to
make him turn around), or you can use the Parasitic Bomb and then
run over to the other wall to avoid attacks.
-	Toxic Seahorse. Again, same thing. Pull out the Frost Shield, throw
one, than Dash away, causing him to land on it, and repeat until
destruction.
-	Neon Tiger. Same thing as before, just constantly use the Spinning
Blade and he won't touch you (unless you're too close).
-	Crush Crawfish. No different. Stay on top of the wall and use the
Triad Thunder.
-	Tunnel Rhino. Use the Acid Burst and use the walls to avoid getting
hit by him, but Dash off before he hits the wall.
-	Gravity Beetle. Use the Ray Splasher and he'll barely attack.
-	Volt Catfish. Use the Tornado Fang constantly and Dash under when he
jumps until he reaches half energy. Jump over his attacks as well.

Now go to the door in the top-right corner. Use the power-up inside to
increase your health, then defeat the robot. If you are not at full
health outside the door, then wait and let the Gold Armor recharge you.
Now enter the door.

BOSS: DR. DOPPLER

Now it is the time to actually face this guy. After his little speech,
he'll throw off his lab coat and attack. In the very beginning, turn
away from him and shoot an X-Buster shot. Then a green field will go
up. Had you hit him, the energy from the shot would instead of damaging
him, recharge him. Attacks:

-	Dr. Doppler will activate the green field. This only happens if he
just finished an attack and you shoot. Any damage the attack you did
would have done will instead increase his life meter. Hit him with
the Acid Burst when the field disappears
-	Dr. Doppler will cover himself with three red sections. Then he will
jump up and shoot himself forward at whatever level you are. If he
is above, just Dash under. If he is below, Wall Jump and Dash off to
avoid him. When he hits the wall, attack with the Acid Burst. When
he falls, do a sucker shot, then shoot him again.
-	Dr. Doppler will fire three golden orbs at you. Easily dodged, once
three are gone, then do a sucker shot then attack him.

If you have the Beam Sabre, do the same thing, only do two sucker shots
(the charged ones) then hit with the Sabre. Make sure not to hit him
with the Beam Sabre when the green field is up, as it will restore
three-fifths of his life meter.

Once he is beaten, you learn more about the story, then you will
teleport out. Reselect Sigma's level, and wait to recharge any Sub
Tanks, then continue on. There are few enemies here, and you will see
Zero if he is not out of the game. Soon you will have to Wall Jump up
and use the Air Dash. Once you go through the hole at the top, prepare
for the fight.

BOSS: SIGMA

Here he is yet again. Though this time I actually like how he looks.
Charge up the X-Buster before entering here, if you can. Attacks:
-	Sigma will shoot fire at you. I still haven't found a very good way
to avoid this, so your best bet is to try to fire first. Aim at his
head with the Spinning Blade (the shield will reflect attacks).
-	Sigma will jump up in the center of the room and shoot fire down at
you. Use this time to attack from behind with the Spinning Blade.
-	Sigma, when at half energy, will throw his shield. Wall Jump up to
avoid this and shoot him when he is undefended.

If you have the Beam Sabre, use that (best time to hit is when he jumps
in the middle of the room) for a two-hit kill. Try not to use any more
than one Sub Tank while facing him. The best strategy is to try shoot
him in the head once in the beginning, then start climbing up the wall.
Once he starts launching fire, do a plain Air Dash off to the right,
then do an upward Air Dash. By the time you land, he should start using
his mid-air attacks. This is a perfect time to shoot him with Spinning
Blade or the Beam Sabre. Once he lands, hit him in the head again, then
repeat the strategy on the other side. If you used the Beam Sabre
first, it might be wise to switch to Spinning Blade now because it's
hard to charge up while constantly moving and Air Dashing. Thanks go to
Freespace2dotcom ([email protected]) for giving me the Air
Dash strategy.

Once you defeat this Sigma, however, you will face an even greater foe…

BOSS: BATTLE BODY SIGMA

When I first fought this guy, I had thought that this boss was simply
impossible, but now I really don't think it's so bad. You will
obviously note his massive size right away, but the problem is look at
his head. That is his only weak point! And it only works to hit him
with either fully powered X-Buster shots, or the Beam Sabre.
Immediately activate the Hyper Cannon right away. Attacks:

-	Sigma will blast himself into the air, float over to the other side,
then drop. Easily Dashed under.
-	Sigma will throw various types of projectiles at you, either balls
or guided missiles. Dodge these at all costs, either by jumping away
or Wall Jumping or Air Dashing, whatever it takes.
-	Sigma will fire a large ray covering a large portion of the screen.
Any time touching this ray drains health. However, it does destroy
his projectiles as well.

You will most likely run out of Hyper Cannon before this fight is over,
so you will have to resort to manual charging then. You will need at
least three Sub Tanks here, no doubt. That's why I told you to save
them. Of course, if you have the Beam Sabre, use it for another two-hit
kill. Though, once you defeat this Sigma, the game isn't over yet…

Sigma is horrified that he cannot defeat you, even with the battle
body. So, he has decided to inhabit you to rule the world. Virus Sigma
appears, and begins flooding the tunnel with lava. If you don't have
full energy, use a Sub Tank. Climb the walls, though it is difficult
with the sides. Climb up the right side for a better chance. To avoid
being knocked down by Sigma, you will have to stay as far up as
possible. If you get knocked down, constantly jump out of the lava to
avoid being crushed by the walls, and shift your positioning. Once you
reach the top, the game takes over and you win. When X hits a dead end,
he shouts an expletive (that surprised me) and then Virus Sigma is
about to inhabit him when…

Here the ending will change, depending on whether Zero is still in the
game or not. I would include it in the FAQ for those who want to know
the alternate endings, but I myself have too many times accidentally
seen endings I did not want to, despite spoiler warnings because I
didn't notice them. Therefore, if you wish to know, I will be happy to
tell you, just E-mail me.

Before I close this FAQ, I would like to include an extra order of
fighting the Mavericks that was sent to me from Freespace2dotcom
([email protected]). I don't really like this order since I
typically don't like to switch after playing too long with one, and I
really have a lot of trouble with Crawfish, but if others can benefit
from it, here it is:

1)	Blizzard Buffalo
2)	Crush Crawfish
3)	Neon Tiger
4)	Gravity Beetle
5)	Tunnel Rhino
6)	Blast Hornet
7)	Volt Catfish
8)	Toxic Seahorse

This order is beneficial in the fact that some weapons are acquired
earlier (like the X-Buster in Tunnel Rhino's stage) and the fact that
you will ALWAYS have the proper weapon to destroy Bit and Byte.

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] or [email protected]
(I prefer the latter). 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.

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.

Also many thanks go out to Freespace2dotcom for his help in seriously
improving this guide. You can see points I particularly thank him for
his help throughout the FAQ.

I must also, sadly add, that this will be my last FAQ contribution to
the X series. I am sorry, but I do not have a Playstation or
Playstation 2, thus I will be unable to play X4 or X5. However, this
will not necessarily be my last FAQ overall.

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

Updates: (This section requested by Rubyheart,
[email protected])

- Added a new strategy to the Sea Reploid boss. Removed the
[email protected] E-mail address. Apparently it no longer exists for
some reason. Also added a new way to use the Ground Dash.