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//version 2.0// //updated 12-17-2012//
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============ MEGA MAN 3 ==============
== (ROCKMAN 3: DR. WILY NO SAIGO!?) ==
========= STRATEGY GUIDE =============
======= written by NeoChozo ==========
====== www.themmnetwork.com/ =========
======================================
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Welcome to the Mega Man Network walkthrough and strategy guide for MEGA
MAN 3, the third title in CAPCOM's original MEGA MAN series. This text
document covers all of the stage guides and other pertinent information
for completing this title. Use the index below as a reference guide,
and visit Mega Man Network's MEGA MAN games section for more informat-
ion on this game as well as information and walkthroughs for the other
games in the series.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
== CONTENTS ==
==============
1. Introduction
2. About This Game
3. The Story So Far
4. Recommended Order
5. Weapons and Items
6. Walkthrough
A. Magnet Man's Stage
B. Hard Man's Stage
C. Top Man's Stage
D. Shadow Man's Stage
E. Spark Man's Stage
F. Snake Man's Stage
G. Gemini Man's Stage
H. Needle Man's Stage
I. Doc Man Robot Stage 1
J. Doc Man Robot Stage 2
K. Doc Man Robot Stage 3
L. Doc Man Robot Stage 4
M. Break Man Mini-Stage
N. Skull Castle-3, Stage 1
O. Skull Castle-3, Stage 2
P. Skull Castle-3, Stage 3
Q. Skull Castle-3, Stage 4
R. Skull Castle-3, Stage 5
S. Skull Castle-3, Stage 6
7. Secrets and Tips
8. Legal
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===================
== 1. INTRODUCTION:
===================
MEGA MAN 3 was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), though the
title has been ported to numerous other platforms over the years, including the
MegaDrive (SMD), PlayStation (PSX), PlayStation 2 (PS2), PlayStation Store
(PSS), the Xbox (MXB), the GameCube (GCN), and more recently, the Wii Virtual
Console (WVC). Refer to the setup manual for more detailed information on your
individual platform.
======================
== 2. ABOUT THIS GAME:
======================
MEGA MAN 3 is essentially a continuation of MEGA MAN 2. It uses the same game
engine, the same graphics, and pretty much the same everything. What is differ-
ent this time around is an actual plot that dictates the story progression of
the game. Whereas MEGA MAN 2 was your standard revenge story, this one has Dr.
Light and Dr. Wily actually working together to build a special new robot until
things go wrong.
MEGA MAN 3 adds new features to the gameplay, as well. MEGA MAN 2 introduced
three special Items to help you through; this game does the same except they
come in the form of Mega Man's new canine companion named Rush (for those who
might not get the reference, "rush" was a style genre of popular 80s Japanese
music). Rush has three different forms acquired throughout the game to assist
with certain areas. Mega Man also has a new ability - by pressing Down and the
Jump button, he can slide to make it through narrow passages. This is also
pretty much a ducking maneuver as well, since it reduces your height by half.
There is also a new character here - Break Man - who's origins are revealed in
the game itself.
The last thing that changes up the game is the addition of extra stages after
the eight Robot Masters. These extra stages also feature copies of the Robot
Masters from the last game, giving you a chance to try out whole new weapons on
them. This essentially doubles the length compared to MEGA MAN 2 - in fact,
this is the longest Mega Man game of the Classic series. These new additions
add a refreshing outlook to the overall experience.
=======================
== 3. THE STORY SO FAR:
=======================
It is the year 20XX... After being defeated twice by Mega Man, Dr. Wily has
reformed his ways and offered to work with Dr. Light to construct a large robot
to keep the peace permanently. Dr. Light and Dr. Wily begin building this ro-
bot, named Gamma, but suddenly, eight mysterious Robot Masters go berserk and
steal valuable elements needed to complete Gamma's construction. Each Robot
Master then occupies a different mining world to keep the parts away from those
who need them.
Dr. Light sends Mega Man into battle to defeat these new menaces and to recover
the parts needed to complete the Gamma Project.
========================
== 4. RECOMMENDED ORDER:
========================
Like its predecessor, you'll face eight Robot Masters in any order of your
choice before advancing to the second part of the game. Each Robot Master is
weak to another's weapon, but like MEGA MAN 2, the order doesn't proceed in a
complete "loop". Even if you started with Snake Man, you would still be fight-
ing Magnet Man with the Arm Cannon, as his weakness is the weapon obtained from
Spark Man. So run with it the best you can; of course you can tackle the Robot
Masters in any order, but this one is one of the easier ones to follow.
BOSS WEAKNESS WEAPON OBTAINED
==== ======== ===============
Magnet Man Arm Cannon/Spark Shock Magnet Missile
Hard Man Magnet Missile Hard Knuckle
Top Man Hard Knuckle Top Spin
Shadow Man Top Spin Shadow Blade
Spark Man Shadow Blade Spark Shock
Snake Man Arm Cannon/Needle Cannon Search Snake
Gemini Man Search Snake Gemini Laser
Needle Man Gemini Laser Needle Cannon
NOTE: Like previous MEGA MAN games, some of the names differ in translation
(though the weapon names remain the same). If you are using this walkthrough
for the Japanese version, ROCKMAN 3, the name differences are as follows:
Proto Man - Blues
Dr. Light - Dr. Right
The Robot Master names remain the same, except for the "-man" convention; i.e.
Magnet Man is Magnetman, Hard Man is Hardman, and so on. Additionally, the
Japanese version has a sub-title, "The End of Dr. Wily!?", that is not found in
the North American version.
========================
== 5. WEAPONS AND ITEMS:
========================
Each defeated Robot Master yields another weapon to your arsenal. These weapons
are useful for more than just defeating more bosses, so experiment with the
weapons a bit and you might have an easier time.
WEAPONS
=======
1. ARM CANNON
Mega Man's standard weapon can fire up to three shots at a time. These are
small energy bullets and don't do a lot of damage on their own.
2. MAGNET MISSILE
Gained from Magnet Man, this weapon allows you to fire magnetic missiles
which have a limited tracking ability.
3. HARD KNUCKLE
Gained from Hard Man, this weapon allows you to fire a fist-shaped pro-
jectile that slowly picks up speed as it flies. You can slightly aim it
up or down and you can break some barriers, too.
4. TOP SPIN
Gained from Top Man, this odd weapon allows you to create a charge attack
by spinning in the air. It drains WE only if you touch something, and even
then only drains WE proportionate to what you're attacking. If you remain
in contact for a long time, you'll suck your WE meter dry, though if you
barely hit something, you won't drain a lot. Keep this in mind when you're
fighting Shadow Man.
5. SHADOW BLADE
Gained from Shadow Man, this weapon allows you to fire a large shuriken
forward in any of six directions that will return to you after a short
flight.
6. SPARK SHOCK
Gained from Spark Man, this weapon allows you to fire a large ball of
electricity forward.
7. SEARCH SNAKE
Gained from Snake Man, this weapon allows you to throw out three snakes
which will "search" along the ground and walls for different targets.
8. GEMINI LASER
Gained from Gemini Man, this weapon allows you to fire a laser forward.
When it hits a wall, it will reflect off at a 45 degree angle and continue
to split into smaller lasers.
9. NEEDLE CANNON
Gained from Needle Man, this weapon allows you to rapid-fire large needle-
shaped projectiles.
POWER-UP ITEMS
==============
1. ENERGY TANKS
These are portable LE storage units that will refill your LE meter in a
pinch. You can carry up to nine of these items, and you will find them
scattered throughout stages (or you could use the secret Password to give
you a full complement at the start).
RUSH ADAPTERS
=============
1. RUSH COIL
You will begin the game with this. Jump on Rush's back and he'll deploy a
small springboard to help you reach higher areas.
2. RUSH MARINE
This is earned by defeating SHADOW MAN. Use it underwater and Rush turns
into a small submarine.
3. RUSH JET
This is earned by defeating NEEDLE MAN. Use it and Rush will convert into
a jetboard that you can freely maneuver in any direction.
==================
== 6. WALKTHROUGH:
==================
The game walkthrough itself is broken into segments that comprise the "stages"
of the game. Each stage walkthrough will take you through that stage, past the
Robot Master, and go over any extra information (there is no backtracking here
since the game does not allow you to revisit stages once completed). The walk-
through will begin at the first recommended stage.
6A: MAGNET MAN'S STAGE
======================
This opening stage can be tough at first. Start out heading to the right, but
watch out for the flying Magnets - they'll often pick you up and try to drop
you into pits. Destroy the low flyers and move on. At the end, climb down the
ladder and face a new mysterious robot.
MINI-BOSS BATTLE: BREAK MAN
---------------------------
Break Man is easy in this stage. He'll just go from left to right, jumping
and firing. Make use of your slide while pounding him with your Arm Cannon.
When he gets too close to you, slide to the other side of the room and re-
peat. After a while, Break Man will leave and you'll be free to proceed.
After Break Man reveals the new passage for you, drop down and take out the
two Springtop robots. Drop down at the end of this part and destroy the ene-
mies here, then ascend the staircase. Climb down the ladder and take out the
enemies while dealing with some powerful magnets. Then drop down (don't climb
the ladder) the next section and hold Left to drop onto a platform with some
LE refills. Continue heading down and you'll face the first of the vanishing
blocks sections. The patterns are easy if you watch them, but the next two
force you to contend with magnets as well, so while jumping you need to make
sure that you don't get tugged off of a block. Rush Coil can make these first
two parts a bit easier. The third and fourth sections are done over pitfall
traps, so be careful of where you're jumping. Once you get past it, you'll
reach the ladder. Climb up it and take out the shooter at the top, and climb
the next ladder. Destroy the Springtop here and you'll reach the boss gate.
BOSS BATTLE: MAGNET MAN
-----------------------
Magnet Man has a pretty repetetive pattern that is easy to learn. Watch out
for his attacks, though, to make this battle a bit easier.
1. JUMPING: He jumps three times in a row, usually, before leaping high or
staying on the ground for another attack.
2. MAGNET MISSILE: When he leaps to the ceiling, he will fire off three
magnets that go forward and then rocket down to your location.
3. MAG PULL: When he stays low after a jump, he'll engage his giant magnet
and try to pull you towards him. He is invincible during this attack.
Fire your Arm Cannon and slide under him during his small jumps, then wait
for either follow-up attack. Slide away from his Magnet Missiles and con-
tinue firing when he lands or just slide away from his Mag Pull. Fire when
you have the chance, and repeat this pattern. Later in the game, you can
use the Spark Shock for a bit more damage.
Defeating Magnet Man rewards you with his Magnet Missile. Now return to the
Stage Select and select Hard Man's stage next.
6B: HARD MAN'S STAGE
====================
Start off by heading right. When you see the giant bees appear near the top,
run left to scroll them off the screen - this way you can bypass the annoying
mini-bees. Keep doing this for all the bees. When you reach the green clap-
traps, slide across them and under the low overhang to get inside the cave.
Climb the ladder and slide across the next set of traps and climb the next
ladder. Now use Rush Coil to bounce your way up to the Hammer Joe when he's
not firing or stand below and use the Magnet Missile to take him out. Head
left and climb up the next ladder. Here head down the staircase and destroy
the monkey enemies. Head to the right and climb the ladder, and grab the
large LE behind the Hammer Joe if you need it; otherwise continue climbing.
Destroy the monkey at the top, and head up the next ladder. In this next sec-
tion, you'll deal with some Metdozers. Jump and hit their heads to defeat
them. When the path branches, take the top route to get an ENERGY TANK, then
climb the ladder and then the next one to get back outside. Deal with some
more green claptraps and more bees until you reach the end. As you climb down
the ladder, you'll drop into a room where Break Man comes to face you again.
MINI-BOSS BATTLE: BREAK MAN
---------------------------
Break Man employs the same strategy he did the first time, except that the
staggered layout of this room means you don't get as much room to move
around. Your best bet is to simply stand in the middle and fire as rapidly
as you can. You'll trade hits, but it's better to be hit by his Arm Cannon
than him directly. After a while, he'll disappear again.
A hole opens in the floor after Break Man leaves. Drop down and go to the
right to grab a large LE refill, then head down the ladder. Use the Arm Cann-
on to defeat the large red robot down there, and you'll reach the boss gate.
BOSS BATTLE: HARD MAN
---------------------
Hard Man is extremely predictable, in that he only has two moves. His att-
acks cause a bit of damage, though, so watch out for them to make this
battle easier.
1. HARD KNUCKLE: He will fire off two fist projectiles, one straight ahead
and the other a bit high. Try to jump over the first one, and beware
because they will return to him.
2. GROUND CRASH: He'll leap in the air and try to slam down on your locat-
ion. This move shakes the ground and paralyzes you for a bit, so do not
get caught under him.
Try to dodge the Hard Knuckles and then slide away from his jump attack.
Fire the Magnet Missiles at him at a steady pace, but not too fast or
you'll rapidly deplete your WE. Fire at him after he lands, and again be-
fore he uses his next Hard Knuckle attack. He'll go down quickly.
Crushing Hard Man earns you his Hard Knuckle. Return to the Stage Select and
head for Top Man's stage.
6C: TOP MAN'S STAGE
===================
Navigating the first part of this stage is fairly easy. As the robot parts
come together to make one robot, destroy them and move on. At the end, climb
down the ladder and hang off the top rung to destroy the Top Shooter. Climb
the staircase and climb down the next ladder. Move through the following
sections while dealing with the connecting robots that pursue you, and head
down some more to face some of those Metdozers you found in Hard Man's stage.
Take them out and drop down the ladder near the end. Continue heading down to
face a giant tomcat robot. This first one can be difficult because its yarn
balls keep bouncing around the small space. Jump over them and fire a couple
of Hard Knuckles to take it out quickly. After it's been destroyed, move on
to the right and down the next ladder. Keep moving to the right to take out a
Top Shooter; destroy the spinning tops if you need LE or WE refills. Next,
you'll encounter another tomcat robot. This one is a bit easier since the
yarn balls bounce off the screen, leaving you to tackle small hopping robots.
Defeat this one and move on up to the next area. Jump from block to block
over the spike pits, take out the Mettool and grab the large LE refill, and
climb the next ladder. Slide in between the cracks to face another Top Shoot-
er. Destroy it and move on to the final part where you have to make your way
across some spinning tops. Wait until you have a clear jump before attempting
to cross, and once you reach solid ground, you'll reach the boss gate.
BOSS BATTLE: TOP MAN
--------------------
Top Man redefines easy. Just memorize his attack pattern and you'll finish
this fight in seconds.
1. HOMING TOP: He'll create three tops that fly up and then zoom in on your
location.
2. TOP SPIN: After this, he'll whirl around and charge across the screen.
There aren't enough words to describe how easy this fight is. Fire a Hard
Knuckle to start the battle off, slide towards him to dodge the Homing Tops
he launches, then leap over his Top Spin. Repeat three more times and he'll
go down.
Defeating Top Man gives you his tricky Top Spin weapon. Return to the Stage
Select and head for Shadow Man's stage next.
6D: SHADOW MAN'S STAGE
======================
The lava is mostly in the background here, so you don't have to worry about
it for now. At the beginning, just drop down the holes in the flooring until
you reach the bottom. Here, defeat the shooter enemy in your path, then head
to the right and fall down again to fight that mysterious red guy again.
MINI-BOSS BATTLE: BREAK MAN
---------------------------
Break Man is easy in this stage. He'll just go from left to right, jumping
and firing. Make use of your slide while pounding him with your Arm Cannon.
When he gets too close to you, slide to the other side of the room and
repeat. After a while, Break Man will leave and you'll be free to proceed.
Drop down through the hole and defeat the small hopper robots. Equip the Mag-
net Missile and when the room darkens, use it to defeat the Shadow Makers at
the top. Use the Arm Cannon to hopefully eliminate the Bomb Runners before
they crash into you and explode. This section has a lot of these enemies as
well as annoying sidewalkers, so just get past them and drop down the next
tunnel. Proceed along the straightforward path until you reach a lava pit
with suspended platforms. The objective is, of course, to cross them, but you
have to avoid the ParaTroopas as you cross. To take them out with ease, use
the Magnet Missile as you land on each platform. Once you cross this segment,
you'll have to fight a few annoying dragonfly robots before reaching the boss
gate.
BOSS BATTLE: SHADOW MAN
-----------------------
Shadow Man is irritating, but then again, he is trained in the ninja arts.
He can be extremely fast, and the outcome of this battle can sometimes de-
pend on how your Top Spin is feeling that day. Study his attacks, though,
for an easier time.
1. NINJA LEAP: He'll jump around a lot, coming down on you hard with a kick
attack.
2. SHADOW BLADE: If he's not jumping around, he'll probably use this two-
pronged attack which throws out large shurikens that return to him.
3. NINJA SLIDE: His final attack is to slide towards you and kick you. He
usually uses this right after his jump attack.
Of course, the only weapon that effectively hurts him requires you to be
very up close and personal. Try to use the Top Spin so that you just barely
catch his hitbox - if you get too close, you'll remain in contact for too
long and drain more of your WE than his LE. Catching the outer limits of
his hitbox allows you to manage your Top Spin WE more effectively. Try to
hit him so that you come down as he's landing or in the middle of a jumping
attack, and bring along a couple of Energy Tanks in case the fight doesn't
quite go your way.
Shadow Man's defeat gives you the Shadow Blade and the RUSH MARINE ADAPTER.
Return to the Stage Select and head next for Spark Man's stage.
6E: SPARK MAN'S STAGE
====================
This stage can be quite hazardous the first couple of trips. To make your
trip easier, have the Shadow Blades equipped whenever you cross some large
expanse. Anyway, start off by luring the first robot off the ledge, destroy
it, then climb the ladder. Head up to the next section and avoid the electric
barriers that travel along the floors. You'll also have to deal with sparkers
that fly through the room shooting little sparks at you. At the end, climb
the ladder, defeat the Hammer Joe and go up some more. Cross the small plat-
form section, keeping in mind that the platforms rise to the spiked ceiling,
so be careful with your jumps. Deal with some precarious sections with elec-
tric fields and head up. Keep going through these next few sections until you
reach a section with falling garbage chutes. Wait for the first block to fall
down, then jump over it quickly and move to the right before another one
drops. Repeat for the next few and fall down the really long tunnel. Make
your way through a larger junk chute section, climb down the ladder, and
slide under the passage to refill any wasted Shadow Blade WE. The next and
final section is another platform hopping scenario, except its filled with
the connecting blocks from Top Man's stage. An easy way is to jump out to
make them appear and then you can destroy them, but a faster way is to just
leap out and use a series of short hops to get past all of them except for
the last one. Use Magnet Missiles to take them out, and leap out to get the
last one to appear, then fall back to your ledge. Wait for it to come towards
you and then destroy it - this one will knock you into the pit if you come
after it early. Once you're done, hop to the right and you'll reach the boss
gate.
BOSS BATTLE: SPARK MAN
----------------------
Spark Man is a pretty easy boss with the Shadow Blade. Know his attack
patterns and how best to defend to make this fight a bit easier.
1. SPARK SHOCK: He will tap his arms together and create a wave of sparks
that goes out in eight directions.
2. SPARK CHARGE: He'll tap his arms together to create a large Spark Shock
and hurl it directly at you.
If he's not doing one of these two things, he's jumping around the room
towards you. Let him get close; you'll take a couple of hits, but then
pound him relentlessly with the Shadow Blade so he can't use the Spark
Charge. Remember you can aim the Shadow Blade in any of six directions, so
if Spark Man hangs out in the center, you can be below him and aim up.
After Spark Man's defeat, you'll gain the Spark Shock. Now return to the
Stage Select and head next for Snake Man's stage.
6F: SNAKE MAN'S STAGE
=====================
This stage is rather long. Start off heading right while destroying the hopp-
ing/flying enemies in your path. You'll also have to take out a few Tower
Snakes, but a few shots to the head will get them out of the way quickly.
Make your way to the ladder and take out more little snake heads. Climb up
the next ladder to find a mega-sized version of the Tower Snake. Don't worry,
the moving parts of the snake can get you a little tripped up, but as long as
you keep nailing its head, you'll defeat it easily. Two shots to the head
with the Hard Knuckle will do the trick. Once it's gone, move on through the
winding maze of levels. After a while, you'll find some Hammer Joes and pole-
vaulting enemies, but these are merely bothersome robots in your path. You'll
reach a long ladder after a while; climb it to find a second giant Tower
Snake, take it out like you did the first one, and move on again. The next
part involves more pole-vaulting robots, but soon you'll have to make a wide
jump. Use Rush Coil if it helps you, but Mega Man can make the jump solo by
standing on the very edge of the cliff. Take out another pole-vaulter and
climb the ladder. Jump to the next tower and ascend it, then you'll have to
make your way across this next area by hopping across platforms with clouds
rising out of them. At times you can use the clouds as platforms to give you
an added boost, but other times if you jump as a cloud is emerging, you can
inadvertently knock yourself to an untimely doom. So be careful, and watch
out for the flying clouds - they're bullets in disguise, and they have just
enough kick to send you backwards into a pit. Finish this last section and
you'll reach the boss gate.
BOSS BATTLE: SNAKE MAN
----------------------
Snake Man is another easy Robot Master, but doing them in this order pre-
vents you from having the weapon that really hurts him. Still, his patterns
are easy, so remember them and you'll have no problems.
1. RAMMING: He charges across his lair at you at a steady clip, but his
room is staggered and he hops just enough for you to slide under him
when he reaches your side.
2. SEARCH SNAKE: He'll deploy two or three of those once he reaches the
middle of his room, but you can easily jump over them or shoot them.
His pattern is extremely repetitive, so just hammer away with the Arm Cann-
on the entire time, jumping when he does to hit him some more. Slide under
his jump when he's on your side and dodge his Search Snakes, and he'll
start going back to the right. Keep firing at him and you'll defeat him
easily. The second time you face him, finish this fight even faster with
the Needle Cannon.
Snake Man's destruction gives you the Search Snake. Return to the Stage Sel-
ect and head to Gemini Man's stage.
6G: GEMINI MAN'S STAGE
======================
Gemini Man's stage is somewhat longer than what you've seen before. In the
first part of this stage, you'll take on arcing robots that drop fire towers.
Try to shoot them out of the air. Other robots include hopping penguins. At
the end, you'll run into Break Man again, but this time he just clears a path
for you. Drop down into the cave where you have to clear paths by destroying
the fish eggs and the larva that swim out of them. This part isn't hard, it's
just time-consuming. After you get out of this area, you'll face a large pen-
guin-generating robot. Shoot the top of its head repeatedly, but also make
sure you take out the little penguins it deploys for LE or WE refills. Climb
the next obstacle and you'll engage another one, so take it out as you did
the first one. Once you drop down, you'll be at a giant lake area. You can
use Rush Marine here, but be warned - his WE depletes rapidly and you won't
make it to the other side. Use him only to get an extra life and an ENERGY
TANK, then hop up to one of the low ledges. Taking the top route makes you
contend with dragonflies and the fish below shooting rockets, but being care-
ful with your jumps will help you get past here. Use an Energy Tank if you're
getting low on LE, because you can replace it at the end before the ladder
with another ENERGY TANK. Climb the ladder, take out the two small leaping
robots, and climb up the next ladder to find a giant red stomper. Wait for it
to leap all the way to the left, then take a long jump over its head and
slide to reach the boss gate.
BOSS BATTLE: GEMINI MAN
-----------------------
Gemini Man is a slightly tricky one. His attacks come pretty fast, but as
long as you know what to expect, this battle will be over quickly.
1. GEMINI SPLIT: He'll create a double of himself that runs around the per-
imeter of the room with the other one.
2. JUMPING: He hops around a lot, trying to land on you.
3. GEMINI LASER: When he's not in dual form, he'll fire his laser beam
which will ricochet off the walls.
He's not hard at all. He'll immediately split into two and start racing
around the outer perimeter. Use the Search Snakes and try to hit both of
them since they can both take damage. After he reforms into a single robot,
he'll run around back and forth with his Gemini Laser active. Keep hitting
him with Search Snakes and he'll bite the dust.
Defeating Gemini Man will give you his Gemini Laser. Afterwards, return to
the Stage Select and head to the final Robot Master, Needle Man.
6H: NEEDLE MAN'S STAGE
======================
This stage is fairly short. Start off moving forward, and destroy the first
Needle Shooter. Jump over its needles and hit it with the Arm Cannon. The
next few are perched on ledges, so its better to just let them shoot and leap
over their rolling attacks. Climb down the ladder at the end and you'll make
your way through a very short area with enemies you've faced in some previous
stages. Go up the next ladder to reach an outdoor area with Mettools and
armored cannons. Defeat the cannons by firing when their shield is up, and
take out the other enemies to include the dragonflies that show up at the end.
Down the next ladder is a section where large needles come down from the
ceilings. Slide through the low passages, adjusting your direction as needed
to avoid these. Jump across a platform area while dodging the next needle,
and head up. The next area has an ENERGY TANK at the top, but it might be
hard to get it with the Rush Coil. If you get it, good. Keep going up and
you'll eventually take on another giant red stomper. Take it out by hitting
its eye with the Hard Knuckle, and you'll go up another ladder to reach the
boss gate.
BOSS BATTLE: NEEDLE MAN
-----------------------
Needle Man leaps around a lot and uses projectile-based attacks. Despite
this, he is still very easy to defeat. Watch his patterns and you'll have
an easier time.
1. NEEDLE CANNON: His most oft-used attack, he will either stay on the
ground or jump to fire a stream of needles in your direction.
2. NEEDLE CRASH: If you're too close to him, he'll stab forward with the
needle array on his head. Try to stay further away from him if possible.
Defeating him is no problem. The Gemini Laser eats 25% of his total LE, and
even if he is jumping around, you can use the Laser's ability to rebound to
still hit him. Slide around on the floor so he doesn't land on you, and
keep firing away to beat him.
Conquering Needle Man gives you the Needle Cannon and the RUSH JET ADAPTER.
Return to the Stage Select screen and you'll find that four of the Master
stages are still active. A new, mysterious enemy - the Doc Man Robot Model K-
176 has downloaded the attack data of the Robot Masters from MEGA MAN 2, and
will challenge you a total of eight times in the next four levels. The stages
have been altered slightly, so using the above walkthroughs won't help you.
Refer to the quick explanations of the stage layouts below to reach each area
that the Doc Robot has hidden in. You'll begin with what used to be Needle
Man's stage.
6I: DOC MAN ROBOT STAGE 1
=========================
This time, you'll visit at nighttime. Move to the right and take out the
Needle Shooters, then head down. You'll immediately deal with a more irritat-
ing section with needles from the floors and ceilings. Grab the large LE
refill at the end, and head up. The next few sections require Rush Coil or
Rush Jet if you want to get all of the items, but try to conserve your Rush
Jet WE for the next area. Head all the way up the ladder and you'll reach the
boss gate. For your first encounter with the Doc Man Robot, it will mimic Air
Man's abilities.
BOSS BATTLE: AIR DOC ROBOT K-176
--------------------------------
Since the Doc Man Robot only copies the powers of a Robot Master but not
its form, trying to jump over it isn't a good idea because of its height.
The Doc Man Robot mostly sticks to firing Air Shooters and then jumps
across the layout of the room. Use the Magnet Missile or the Spark Shock
when there are no Air Shooters on the screen and you'll defeat this form
easily.
Defeating the boss will open up the second half. Move through here and you'll
reach a large expanse. Equip Rush Jet and start making your way to the right
through the barrage of dragonflies and Paratroopas while making every effort
to collect all of the WE refills so you can make it to the end. Climb the
ladder at the end and use Rush Jet again to make it to the next ladder. Climb
up and you'll reach a long horizontal section with various enemies. You'll
soon run into a mini-boss fight with a gigantic Mettool. Avoid its red ball
attack, shoot the little Mettools for LE and WE refills, then aim diagonally
and hit the cross on its head with the Shadow Blade. Keep moving and you'll
engage more Mettools and armored cannons, and then another giant Mettool.
Take it out and fight one more Needle Shooter to reach the boss gate. For the
second encounter, the Doc Man Robot will mimic Crash Man's abilities.
BOSS BATTLE: CRASH DOC ROBOT K-176
----------------------------------
The Doc Man Robot is almost as difficult as the original. If you can hit
with it, you can end the battle with only four Hard Knuckles. Alternative-
ly, you can try to hit with the Top Spin. Failing these techniques, avoid
its Crash Bombs and attack with your Arm Cannon.
With the first two forms of the Doc Man Robot beaten, return to the Stage
Select and head to what used to be Spark Man's stage.
6J: DOC MAN ROBOT STAGE 2
=========================
From the start, lure the red sidewalker over the edge and destroy it. Use
Rush Coil to bounce up to the ledge, and climb the ladder. Use the Gemini
Laser to defeat the small robot occupying the ladder, and continue your as-
cent. In the next area, you'll have to contend with the floating sparker
robots as well as spinning wheels over a series of ledges and pitfalls. Cross
on solid ground where feasible, and use the wheels at the end to reach the
ladder. Cross a few more wheels in the next room and go up. Continue to the
right and slide to reach the boss gate. In this encounter, the Doc Man Robot
will mimic Metal Man's abilities.
BOSS BATTLE: METAL DOC ROBOT K-176
----------------------------------
The Spark Shock or the Magnet Missile should be your preferred weapon - the
Magnet Missile moreso since you don't really have to aim. Use your slide
and jump to dodge the hail of Metal Blades, and you should end this fight
quickly.
Moving out of here, grab the large LE refill and thread your way down the
long spike corridor. Head to the right and take out two of the Springtop ro-
bots, then slide into the next area. Here, you'll have to maneuver around
some more of the junk heap dispensers, but this isn't hard - just jump on top
of the trash piles and keep going. Make your way across the next set of
ledges and you'll reach the boss gate. This time, the Doc Man Robot will mim-
ic Quick Man's abilities.
BOSS BATTLE: QUICK DOC ROBOT K-176
----------------------------------
Just like the original, this version of the Doc Robot is pretty difficult
to avoid, but thankfully it's nowhere near as fast as the original Quick
Man. You should use the Gemini Laser for direct hits when possible, but the
ricochets will easily strike it when it's jumping around, too. Slide to
avoid collisions and the Doc's Quick Boomerangs, and you should take it
down quickly.
With the next two forms of the Doc Man Robot beaten, return to the Stage Sel-
ect and head over to what used to be Gemini Man's stage.
6K: DOC MAN ROBOT STAGE 3
=========================
This stage starts out basically the same as the original, except you'll deal
with fast-moving crawling robots instead of penguins. Take out the arcing
fire shooters the same as before, but be prepared to face a lot more of them.
Once you clear this first part, drop down through a hole and start blasting
through tons of fish eggs to clear paths to the rest of the level. Do this
until you reach a ladder, then blast through more of them while dodging the
hovering robots that drop their containers on you to reach the boss gate. In
this encounter, the Doc Man Robot will mimic Flash Man's abilities.
BOSS BATTLE: FLASH DOC ROBOT K-176
----------------------------------
Its pattern remains the same as in your first encounter with Flash Man, so
pound away with the Needle Cannon and try to jump over it when it comes
your way. If it uses the Time Stopper, you'll be frozen for a little bit,
but resume firing when you're free.
Once you've beaten the Doc Man Robot, continue to the next area. Use Rush
Coil to bounce up over the high wall, then refill any LE you need with the
respawning crawler robot that falls from the ceiling. In the next area, use
Rush Jet to fly at the top of the screen so you avoid the enemies, and coll-
ect the WE refills as you go across. In the next area, avoid more hovering
robots and climb up a ladder, then make your way through a series of small
ladders with crawling robots to drop down to the boss gate. If you couldn't
tell already, the Doc Man Robot will mimic Bubble Man's abilities this time.
BOSS BATTLE: BUBBLE DOC ROBOT K-176
-----------------------------------
For the most part, the Doc Man Robot's pattern remains the same as the
original battle with Bubble Man, although the Shadow Blade isn't nearly as
effective as the Metal Blade was. Consider using the Spark Shock instead
when the Doc Robot is closer to the ground, and jump over its Bubble Lead
attacks.
With the next two forms of the Doc Man Robot beaten, return to the Stage Sel-
ect and head over to what used to be Shadow Man's stage.
6L: DOC MAN ROBOT STAGE 4
=========================
This stage is quite a bit harder than its original incarnation. For the first
part, you need to jump down spike-lined corridors. Go whichever way you want,
but on the third one hold Right just a bit so you don't hit the spikes below
you. Defeat some Sidewalkers as you go, then go to the right and down a ladd-
er to fight a red stomper. Slide under it and drop down another level. This
area is full of Sidewalkers, Bomb Runners, and Shadow Makers that will turn
out the lights. The first part is easy to navigate; when you reach the plat-
forms that drop under your weight, you can either use Rush Jet or navigate on
your own. To do it on your own, jump as you land so you don't get dropped.
For the second section, use a Magnet Missile after the fourth platform, and
another one in mid-jump to the two stacked atop each other so you destroy the
Shadow Maker. Keep jumping to reach the last one, then jump again to reach
solid ground. Climb down the ladder and destroy more Sidewalkers to reach the
boss gate. This time, the Doc Man Robot will mimic Wood Man's abilities.
BOSS BATTLE: WOOD DOC ROBOT K-176
---------------------------------
The strategy remains the same as the first time you fought Wood Man, except
now you should use the Needle Cannon. Wait for the Doc Man Robot to throw
its Leaf Shield towards you, jump over it, and stand between the falling
leaves while you hammer away with the Needle Cannon. Slide under the Doc
Man Robot when it jumps or gets too close to you, and you'll end this fight
quickly.
After defeating the Doc Man Robot, head out of the gate and grab the large LE
refill. Go to the right to take out a battery of Hammer Joes, then go down at
the end. This large corridor is filled with small hoppers and Paratroopas.
Use the Magnet Missile to take out each robot as you make your way through
this platforming segment. Once you have reached solid ground again, head to
the right and you'll find a Springtop on a high ledge. Take it out either
with Magnet Missiles or the Hard Knuckle, and you'll reach the boss gate. For
the final encounter, the Doc Man Robot will mimic Heat Man's abilities.
BOSS BATTLE: HEAT DOC ROBOT K-176
---------------------------------
Oddly enough, the Doc Man Robot this time seems to be quite a bit faster
than the original model. Equip the Shadow Blade and slide to avoid the
initial Atomic Fire burst. Hit the Doc Man Robot with the Shadow Blade and
it will turn into a large fireball and rocket across the screen at you.
Jump over it and fire again, then slide away from the next Atomic Fire
blast. Keep repeating this strategy and you'll beat the Doc Robot for the
final time.
Defeating the final two forms of the Doc Man Robot will return you to the
Stage Select, where the mysterious Break Man will challenge you again.
6M: BREAK MAN MINI-STAGE
========================
This isn't even a stage, really. Selecting this merely takes you to another
battle with Break Man. This time, he's got a rather odd-looking facemask on.
BOSS BATTLE: BREAK MAN
----------------------
The room layout is similar to the encounter in Hard Man's stage. Just stay
on the center platform and fire away with your Arm Cannon. Slide under his
jumps, turn, and keep repeating this over and over. Break Man will take a
little bit more of a beating this time, but you'll eventually make it.
After defeating Break Man, you'll rush to Dr. Light's lab, where Dr. Light
frantically runs back and forth, exclaiming that his "partner", the supposed-
ly-reformed Dr. Wily, has stolen all of the recovered parts for Gamma and
declared his intent to take over the world! *sigh* Wily must be starved for
attention. You know what to do. Follow him to his newest Skull Castle.
6N: SKULL CASTLE-3, STAGE 1
===========================
From the start, use Rush Coil to the left to grab the 1-Up. Now head back to
the right, destroying the Top Shooters that sit atop the large ledges with
the "W" logo. Head to the ladder and jump across if you want the ENERGY TANK;
otherwise head down into the underground section of the Castle. Head through
the watery section and destroy the enemies as they come at you. Climb the
ladder and proceed to make your way up while grabbing items and defeating
enemies. One room here in particular has a lot of items, so use Rush Jet and
the Hard Knuckle to grab the ENERGY TANK and the LE and WE refills. At the
top, take out the Hammer Joe from the ladder, then jump and slide between the
narrow passages to reach the other side. You'll deal with a battery of Hammer
Joes here - defeat them and use Rush Jet to reach the ladder after the last
Joe. Up here will be a very easy set of vanishing blocks. Take the first
three to grab refills, then wait for the blocks to catch up to the other side
and leap up to the ladder. If you need more WE, grab it from up top and you'll
reach the boss gate.
BOSS BATTLE: TURTLE MAKER
-------------------------
There is a trick to this battle. Don't waste time trying to attack the
drone that makes the turtle mechas directly because it's invincible. In-
stead, wait at the bottom while dodging the water currents for the drone to
deploy a turtle. Hit it with the Shadow Blade and the drone will take dam-
age. As you progress, the turtles will get faster and faster, and sometimes
you'll have to hit them twice if you only destroy the shell. Keep sliding
back and forth to avoid being hit, and destroy five of the turtles to take
this boss out. Alternatively, you can use the Top Spin.
Surviving this battle advances you to the next area of Skull Castle. There
are a few Energy Tanks scattered during these stages, so don't fret if you're
using them to survive boss fights.
6O: SKULL CASTLE-3, STAGE 2
===========================
This stage is incredibly short. From the start, jump past the drop traps and
head up the right-hand side to grab large WE refills. Slide to reach the left
hand ladder, and keep going up to reach an extra life. Continue your vertical
ascent and when you start heading to the right, you'll have to get past a lot
of green ClapTraps. When the giant bees show up, use the same tactic from
Hard Man's stage and reverse your direction to scroll them off the screen.
After you get through here, there will be a large open area that you have to
use Rush Jet for. Grab the two ENERGY TANKS in here if you need them along
with all of the large WE refills to reach the boss gate.
BOSS BATTLE: YELLOW DEVIL II
----------------------------
It's another battle with the infamous Yellow Devil boss from the first MEGA
MAN. At the start, slide immediately to the right so you have as much time
to dodge the incoming blocks as possible. This is the only hard part since
you can't see where they're coming from yet (though they do come in a pre-
defined pattern that's easy to memorize). Once the Devil has fully formed,
sock it in the eye with a Hard Knuckle, and avoid its three ranged plasma
bullets. Get to the left side now and look only for the blocks you have to
jump over (very bottom row) or the ones you have to slide under (the second
row). Once it reforms, hit it again and quickly switch to the Rush Jet and
try to avoid its cascading wave attack. Once this is over, the process
repeats again, so just keep nailing it with the Hard Knuckle to defeat it.
Surviving this battle advances you to the next area of Skull Castle. There
are a few Energy Tanks scattered during these stages, so don't fret if you're
using them to survive boss fights.
6P: SKULL CASTLE-3, STAGE 3
===========================
This stage is also pretty short, but its difficulty makes it seem a bit long-
er. Start off by using the Shadow Blades to take out the enemies above you,
then use Rush Coil to bounce your way up to either of the ladders. Ascend the
next section and climb the next ladder. Take the ENERGY TANK to your right
and use Rush Coil to get up to a high ledge. Make your way through this sect-
ion very carefully. When you see the lights go out, wait in your location and
fire Magnet Missiles when the Shadow Makers appear on the floor or the ceil-
ing. Make your way across the room while doing this and slide along the bott-
om path to get another ENERGY TANK and some WE and LE refills, then fall down
the next passageway. Equip the Hard Knuckle and use it to take out the two
giant red stomper robots, then climb the ladder to reach a new kind of area.
Here you have three cycling pieces of platform that you have to scale to
reach a ladder at the top. This isn't hard, but it may take some practice to
get it right. Ascend the two sections like this and climb the ladder. Use
Rush Jet to get to the top and a Hard Knuckle to break the wall for some more
mystery items, then you'll reach the boss gate.
BOSS BATTLE: COPY MEGA MAN TRIO
-------------------------------
Another rehash of a boss fight from the first MEGA MAN, except this time
THREE Mega Mans will spawn on different ledges. Here's the catch - you can
only damage the "true" clone, and he appears on random ledges. Your best
best is to hop from ledge to ledge and toss Search Snakes to try and find
the real one. Once you do, center your attacks on that one. Only a few
Search Snakes will actually reduce your clone to dust, so just be patient
until you find your real target, and then you'll be able to take this boss
down with ease.
Surviving this battle advances you to the next area of Skull Castle. There
are a few Energy Tanks scattered during these stages, so don't fret if you're
using them to survive boss fights.
6Q: SKULL CASTLE-3, STAGE 4
===========================
This is mostly just a vertical drop down to the portal area. Start by grabb-
ing the WE refills in this first room, then drop down to run into a concrete
boss that throws junk cubes at you. Destroy it and move down to face two more
of them. Down the next ladder is a Hammer Joe; avoid it and move on to anoth-
er room with some LE and WE refills. Grab them and continue going down to
face a few more concrete robots, and you'll reach the gate that leads to a
portal. Enter it to go to another area where you will just fall down a tunnel
and reach the portal room. Below is the approximate layout of the room. All
portals are marked, and the [] icons represent ledges.
enter
____________| |___________
| |
| |
|NEEDLE SNAKE|
|____ [] [] ____|
| |
|MAGNET [][] SPARK|
|____ ____|
| #
|GEMINI HARD TOP SHADOW# exit
|____ ____ ____ ____#
|__________________________|
After every rematch with a Robot Master, you'll receive a large LE refill.
The last forms of Dr. Wily aren't exactly difficult, so if you find yourself
using Energy Tanks here, don't fret too much. Once you've defeated all eight,
exit the room and start grabbing the WE refills - you want your Spark Shock,
Rush Jet, and Shadow Blades full primarily. Head to the next portal to ad-
vance to the next area of Skull Castle.
6R: SKULL CASTLE-3, STAGE 5
===========================
This very short stage leads to the battle with Dr. Wily. You'll find some
mystery tanks here with some WE refills, so use them to refill the Spark
Shock, Rush Jet, and Shadow Blade if you haven't already. When you're done,
slide down through the cracks to face Dr. Wily.
BOSS BATTLE: WILY MACHINE-3
---------------------------
This battle occurs in two phases. For the first phase, Wily's machine will
simply walk across the screen. Equip the spark Shock and start firing at
the rotating turret on the bottom of the machine. Jump to avoid any plasma
shots that come your way, and don't be afraid to use an Energy Tank if you
are taking too much damage. Once you've depleted the armor's LE, it will
blow off and the second phase will begin.
This time, the cockpit is exposed. Switch to Rush Jet and hover level with
the cockpit while you blast away with your Arm Cannon. The Wily Machine
will continue to shoot energy blasts at you, but your altitude will keep
them from hitting you. Chances are that you might run out of Rush Jet WE
during this part, so supplement with diagonally-fired Shadow Blades to fin-
ish Wily off.
You may think it's finally over, but just as Dr. Wily falls to the ground and
starts his begging, Mega Man approaches and *b-boing!!*, Wily's head springs
off, revealing that it was only a robot! Now you'll go to the real final
battle. Make sure you have a couple of Energy Tanks in reserve, just in case
things don't go your way.
6S: SKULL CASTLE-3, STAGE 6
===========================
The final stage is probably the shortest in the game. Grab all of the WE re-
fills, the mystery tanks, and the ENERGY TANK, then head into the gate for
the final battles.
BOSS BATTLE: GAMMA BODY
-----------------------
I suppose in order to make up for the length of the game, the designers
made these last two battles incredibly simple in nature. Anyway, equip the
Shadow Blade and run to the center after Gamma's body finishes forming.
Stand directly under the head, and simply jump while firing Shadow Blades
vertically. This way, Gamma's arcing energy bullets won't even hit you. You
only need to deplete 50% of the meter to move the fight to the next phase.
BOSS BATTLE: WILY CONTROL CHAMBER
---------------------------------
After Gamma's head is destroyed, Dr. Wily pilots a cockpit and attaches to
Gamma to control it directly. Now you need to avoid gigantic fists coming
from the sides as well as energy bullets aimed right at you. Switch to the
Top Spin and wait for one of the fists to come in from the side. Jump on it
and use it to reach the ledges around Dr. Wily's head. Leap off to the
center and start Top Spinning as you go down. If you hit it just right, you
will obliterate this form in a single hit! Alternatively, you can toss a
few Search Snakes on the head and they'll go back and forth chomping away
at Dr. Wily. Deplete the remaining 50% of the LE meter to win this fight.
Dr. Wily is defeated... again. And he begs for his life... again. But the
fortress begins to collapse, and both Mega Man and Dr. Wily are trapped under
wreckage. Suddenly, a mysterious shadowy figure drops down and destroys the
wreckage trapping Mega Man. He wonders what happened to Dr. Wily, and remarks
that "it's too late". He then collects Mega Man's body and teleports away.
Some time later, Mega Man awakens in Dr. Light's lab. Dr. Light says he found
Mega Man lying there, and muses about how he got there. But then... there's
that whistle you've heard from Break Man the entire game. Dr. Light excitedly
reveals that the whistle in fact belongs to a robot named Proto Man.
Mega Man later goes through Dr. Light's journals of the first line of Robot
Masters, and under entry #000, he finds "Proto Man: New Robot Prototype;
Brother of Mega Man". So the mysterious robot is his brother! Mega Man is
left to ponder this on his own, probably over a steaming cup of coffee.
=======================
== 7. SECRETS AND TIPS:
=======================
MEGA MAN 3 has a few things here and there that count as extras in the game.
There aren't a lot, but they're worth checking out.
1. CONTROLLER 2 TRICKS
MEGA MAN 3 has a few odd controller 2 tricks that can be performed during
the game. Now, these only work with the original NES version, so remakes
and ports such as the ROCKMAN COMPLETE WORKS or MEGA MAN: THE WILY WARS
will not feature them. Have someone take a second controller and input the
following button combinations:
- HIGH JUMP: Hold Right to make Mega Man's jumps touch the ceiling.
- SLOWDOWN: Hold Up to slow down all of the action
- TIME FREEZE: Hold Up and A to freeze everything. A small note worth mak-
ing is that the first law of physics still applies here - any object in
motion will continue to remain in motion, i.e. a Robot Master in the
middle of a jump will finish that jump before freezing.
- HIGH JUMP/TIME FREEZE: Hold Right, Up, and A to make Mega Man jump high
and freeze the action.
- PIT SAVER: If Mega Man falls into a pit, hold Right on Controller 2
while pressing Jump on Controller 1. Mega Man will jump out of the pit
and keep going, but for some reason this stops the BGM track. An alter-
nate method is to simply hold Right on Controller 2, so Mega Man can
just navigate the bottom of the screen. You'll eventually die, however,
unless you jump out of the pit.
- EARLY RUSH ADAPTERS: This one's odd. You must have the Spark Shock (for
Rush Marine) or the Shadow Blade (for Rush Jet). First, find a large WE
capsule. Go to the subscreen and put the cursor on the corresponding
weapon. Press A or Right on Controller 2 and Rush will appear. Exit the
subscreen and pick up the WE to use Rush early.
- INVINCIBILITY: Go to the subscreen with Controller 1, and hold Up and A
on Controller 2. When you exit, Mega Man will be stuck in his teleport
animation, so he can't be hurt. You can't move or anything doing this,
but you could avoid some attacks, I suppose.
- LONGER ENDING: Hold Up and A (Time Freeze trick) during the ending when
Dr. Light is telling Mega Man how he found him. When Mega Man goes to
leave, he'll get stuck in his teleport animation, but the music will
continue to play... and play for as long as you hold the buttons. And it
gets pretty interesting, too.
2. ALTERNATE WEAKNESSES
This one isn't terribly useful in many ways, but during the rematches, you
can use each Robot Master's own weapon against him to defeat each one in
only seven hits. Then again, considering that some of them fall to other
weapons in less hits, I don't know how useful this really is... oh, and
good luck attempting this on Top Man.
3. PASSWORDS
The game's passwords store a lot of data, specifically Energy Tanks and
which bosses have been defeated. Below are some passwords to help you
through the game.
- START GAME WITH 9 ENERGY TANKS
(RED) A6
- START AT THE DOC ROBOT STAGE
(RED) A6 / (BLUE) A3, B5, D3, F4
- START AT BREAK MAN
(RED) A6 / (BLUE) A1, A3, B2, B5, D3, F4
- START AT SKULL CASTLE
(RED) A6, E1 / (BLUE) A1, A3, B2, B5, D3, F4
============
== 8. LEGAL:
============
This walkthrough must always be shown in full form, unaltered, with credit giv-
en to the author, and a link to Mega Man Network (
http://www.themmnetwork.com/)
must be provided. You are free to use this for personal use, but if you wish
to host it on another website, you must e-mail me first with a request for per-
mission. Copyright (C) 2012 Timothy Jones (NeoChozo). Some rights reserved.
All rights, including the copyrights of game, scenario, music and program are
Copyright (C) Capcom Co., Ltd.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
