I - Introduction
001.0 - Contact Info
002.0 - Legal Info
003.0 - Version History
II - Items
001.0 - Heart Tanks
002.0 - Sub-Tanks
003.0 - Miscellaneous Items
004.0 - Enhancements
005.0 - Ride Armors
006.0 - Weapons
007.0 - The Golden Armor
008.0 - The Z-Saber
Welcome to my Mega Man X3 Items FAQ.
Any questions, comments, corrections, or contributions are welcome, my
email is tarrun75(at)gmail(dot)com. Please make sure to add something
related to Mega Man X3 in the subject line so I don't have to figure
out what game you're talking about. Questions regarding something
that's already covered in the guide will not be answered. Credit will
be given to anything sent to me that I add or major corrections. For
corrections, please email me only if it's something really important,
something that will clearly confuse anyone reading.
Legal information:
This document is copyrighted Tarrun 2008.
This guide may not be reproduced under any circumstance except for
personal or private use. It may not be placed on any web site, magazine
or otherwise distributed publicly without advanced written permission.
This guide may not be used for profit, and may only be used on
gamefaqs.com. Use of this work on any other web site besides the ones
noted above or as a part of any public display is a violation of
copyright and is strictly prohibited.
Version History:
First Submission: Version 1.0
II - Items
001.0 - Heart Tanks
X begins the game extremely weak, and this is never more apparent than
in his pitifully small energy meter, which has a meager sixteen bars.
However, you can find eight heart tanks - one in each stage - to
increase his maximum energy by two units, sixteen in total. That's
right, you can double X's maximum energy by the end of the game!
- Neon Tiger's Stage - At the very end of the stage is a final insect
robot that will take you to a platform above the door leading to Neon
Tiger. Alternatively, you can also perform a dash-jump from the higher
step and climb up the wall yourself. Either way, the heart tank is on
this ledge.
- Blizzard Buffalo's Stage - Near the beginning, after entering the
main building and climbing up the ladder, jump into a Ride Armor and
head right. Use it to destroy the enormous blocks of ice to reveal a
gap, and at the bottom you'll find a heart tank.
- Toxic Seahorse's Stage - Follow the first waterfall of toxic waste to
the top instead of entering the new area on the right. The heart tank
is at the top on a small ledge being guarded by a weak robot.
- Tunnel Rhino's Stage - After entering the caves, you'll find a
section at the top of a vertical tunnel that branches off left or
right. Go right, and use a charged Triad Thunder to knock the boulder
to the ground - the heart tank is on the platform behind it.
- Gravity Beetle's Stage - Keep in mind that you have to defeat Blast
Hornet before you can obtain this heart tank. Once you've entered the
main building, you'll come across a large room with a bunch of
platforms. Make your way to the top left corner to find the heart tank
sitting on a platform. If Blast Hornet is still alive, the gap between
platforms will be blocked by large crates.
- Blast Hornet's Stage - In the area outside where you find the Chimera
Ride Armor, use a vertical air dash to reach the right wall after the
sequence where you destroy the boxes by the air-ship. Climb up to the
top to find the heart tank.
- Volt Catfish's Stage - Ride up the second elevator to the very top
instead of getting off about halfway up. The heart tank is sitting on a
bed of spikes against the wall, so to get it you have to jump to the
other side and slide down without touching the ground. Afterwards, jump
back to the other side and jump down the elevator shaft. Just watch out
for the spikes lining the walls.
- Crush Crawfish's Stage - Grab a Ride Armor and continue to the next
screen. One of those red robots that whirls a mace around will fall
through the bridge and cause it to collapse. Carefully jump down two
stories, but you'll have to stay along the edges to avoid missing it.
On this level, the wall to your right is cracked, so destroy it with
the Ride Armor. The heart tank is in the hidden room.
002.0 - Sub-Tanks
Instead of the E-Tanks from the original Mega Man series, X has Sub-
Tanks to accomplish the same goal. Once you find a Sub-Tank, any energy
capsules you collect when X has full energy will be stored in any
available Sub-Tanks. Should X ever be in a tight situation and need to
recover, you can tap into these reserves to boost X's health. A full
Sub-Tank will recover X's entire energy meter, and unlike E-Tanks, you
can reuse Sub-Tanks as many times as you want as long as you refill
them. The only drawback is that the passwords don't remember if any of
your Sub-Tanks were full, so you'll always have to refill them when you
return to play.
- Neon Tiger's Stage - Near the beginning of the stage, there's an open
area with the insects that you can stand on. Though you can use them to
bypass the second level, climb up the right wall and destroy the red
robot that swings a mace at you. The Sub-Tank is directly above you in
the far right corner, so use the platform-insect to reach it.
Alternatively, you can also use the enhanced boots and perform air-dash
up to it.
- Blizzard Buffalo's Stage - There's a good chance you spotted this
Sub-Tank as you were going through the level, since it's right in plain
view as you climb up the ladder leading to the area just before the
Maverick's room where the blizzard is taking place. However, X can't
reach the ledge it's on without the enhanced boots. Conveniently, the
enhanced boots are in this same area at the end, so once you pick up
the boots you can backtrack to the beginning to grab the Sub-Tank.
Standing on the elevated step to the right of the ladder, jump to the
left and perform a vertical air-dash to reach the ledge.
- Tunnel Rhino's Stage - In the part of the tunnel where columns of
dirt are dropped on you and the moving platforms, the Sub-Tank is in
the far right corner. You're supposed to drop down a series of steps,
and you'll probably spot it as you're going. Simply jump to the wall
and climb up to obtain it.
- Volt Catfish's Stage - Beyond the room where you fight Bit or Byte,
there's a long vertical passage with orbs of electricity running up and
down. Head up top first and jump into a Ride Armor when you find the
Ride Armor platform. Now return to the vertical tunnel and jump down.
When you reach the bottom, the Ride Armor's mass will cause the floor
to crumble beneath you. Follow this new path to a hidden room where
you'll find the Sub-Tank and some energy capsules.
003.0 - Miscellaneous Items
Besides heart tanks and Sub-Tanks, there are a few other items that
will help X as he blasts his way through the various stages. A list of
these items and their uses can be found below.
- Small Energy Capsule - These small, golden capsules refill X's energy
meter by two units. They're rarely found throughout the levels, but
enemies frequently drop them when destroyed. If you have full energy
and empty Sub-Tanks, the energy will be stored there.
- Large Energy Capsule - A much larger version of the energy capsule
that recovers eight units of energy instead of two. Enemies can also
drop these, but they're often found placed in the stages themselves as
well.
- Small Weapon Capsule - If any of X's weapons meters are low, these
small, blue capsules will recover them. Even if you're currently
equipped with a weapon that's full, the capsule will transfer to
another that does need it. Weapon capsules are dropped by destroyed
enemies.
- Large Weapon Capsule - Similar to the larger energy capsules, the
upgraded weapon capsule is a more effective version, and can also be
dropped by enemies.
- Extra Life - These helmet icons will grant the player another life
and allow them to start at one of the check points throughout the
stages instead of getting game over and replaying the entire level.
Extra lives are often tucked away in secret locations, but they also
have a tendency to drop from enemies, particularly the robot bats.
004.0 - Enhancements
It seems that Dr. Light was a clever fellow. Recognizing that the world
may need a hero in the future, he stored away several item enhancement
capsules that would boost X's abilities. However, this concept has been
taken a step further in Mega Man X3, since each enhancement can be
upgraded again. The catch is that, normally, only one part can be
enhanced at any given time, so you'll have to forfeit three super
enhancements for the other. However, it is possible to obtain all of
the super enhancements using the Golden Armor enhancement, but in order
to do so you can't upgrade to any of the super enhancements beforehand.
- X-Buster Enhancement -
Where It's Found: In Neon Tiger's stage, there's an open area with
several insects you can jump on and use as platforms. Afterwards there
are some robots that become columns to block your path, and at the end
of this room is a ladder in front of a cracked wall. The cracks should
tip you off that something's funny about it, but you'll also notice
that your X-Buster shots bounce off of the wall, which is another clue.
Use the Tornado Fang to drill through it, and use a vertical air-dash
to reach the platform where the capsule is.
What It Does: The enhanced X-Buster has two distinct upgrades from the
basic model you begin with. For one, as always, you can use it to
charge up any of your other weapons at the cost of more energy.
Secondly, you can charge up the X-Buster in both of your arms, and if
you shoot both cannons simultaneously, the two shots will merge and
create a super shot that does extra damage.
- Super X-Buster Enhancement -
Where It's Found: In Gravity Beetle's stage, there's a vertical tunnel
directly above you after exiting from the Bit/Byte boss room. Climb up
to the top to find a Ride Armor platform. Use any Ride Armor and
continue on with the level until you reach a wall that you can break.
This breakable wall is pretty easy to find, since it looks unique from
the rest of the stage and it's the very last area where the Ride Armor
can travel. After breaking through, cross over the bed of spikes and
find the capsule at the end.
What It Does: Otherwise known as the Hyper Cannon, the twice-upgraded
X-Buster will grant X a new weapon that stores charged shots, allowing
you to release a barrage of cross-charged shots. The Hyper Cannon, like
your other weapons, does have a specific energy meter that drains as
it's used.
- Armor Enhancement -
Where It's Found: Take the elevator in Volt Catfish's stage up to the
top and find the cylindrical gravity well at the bottom of a vertical
tunnel lined with spikes. Stand on it and use a charged Gravity Well to
levitate it up. The capsule is right in front of you at the top.
What It Does: The enhanced armor reduces the amount of damage you'll
receive, but also generates a defensive barrier that protects him. In
other words, it increases your invulnerability time by a few seconds.
- Super Armor Enhancement -
Where It's Found: In Crush Crawfish's stage, take a Ride Armor and
follow after the mace-swinging robot that falls through the bridges
where the heart tank is found. Enter the building, and jump down into
the first seemingly bottomless pit. Instead, you'll safely land on the
ground and find a cracked wall. Destroy it with the Ride Armor and head
inside to find the capsule.
What It Does: The armor chip doesn't grant X any new abilities, but
simply upgrades enhanced armor. More damage reduction, and an increased
length of time the protective barrier stays up.
- Helmet Enhancement -
Where It's Found: There's a second hanging boulder in Tunnel Rhino's
stage beyond a series of falling rock traps. Use a charged Triad
Thunder to knock it down, and climb up the wall to find the capsule on
the surface at the top.
What It Does: The enhanced helmet is an upgrade from Mega Man X2 -
instead of searching for any items on screen, the helmet will show you
a map of the stage when you first enter, marking any hidden items with
a dot. But don't rely on it, this FAQ is infinitely more helpful, I
swear!
- Super Helmet Enhancement -
Where It's Found: After riding up the elevator in Blast Hornet's stage,
there's a small lip of the ceiling that's hanging down just far enough
that you can reach it with an air-dash. At the top you'll find a Ride
Armor platform, so pick any Ride Armor besides the Frog. The next area
is a wide-open area with moving platforms, but the area you're looking
for is in the top right corner. Dash to the edge of the platform you're
standing on, leap off, and then jump out of the Ride Armor to clear the
spikes against the wall.
What It Does: When standing still, the helmet chip will slowly refill
X's energy meter. However, I want to emphasize the word "slowly". To
make up for it, though, the helmet chip will also fill up X's Sub-
Tanks. It may take awhile, but once you have it, make sure to be at
full energy before taking on any bosses.
- Boots Enhancement -
Where It's Found: Following the dark area in Blizzard Buffalo's stage,
there's a portion of the stage where it's snowing just before the boss
room. In this area is an elevated highway that you use as platforms,
with the icy lower level littered with Reploids on snowmobiles. Stay on
the highway, and dash-jump off of the final platform and grab onto a
thin ledge jutting out from against the wall. Enter the room here to
find the capsule with the enhanced boots.
What It Does: Similar to Mega Man X2, since you begin with a dash, the
enhanced boots allow X to perform an air-dash. However, X3 takes it one
step further, since you can now perform an air-dash vertically as well
as horizontally.
- Super Boots Enhancement -
Where It's Found: Before dropping down into the water in Toxic
Seahorse's stage, jump into the Frog Ride Armor. Take the higher path
until you reach a set of fans, which you can destroy with a few
torpedoes. Leave the Ride Armor and climb up the wall to come up to a
new area that isn't submerged. There's an empty area that looks
promising near the water level, but the enhancement capsule is cleverly
hidden behind it in the next screen. Climb up the wall to find it.
What It Does: The boots chip double X's air-dashing abilities by
allowing him to perform two air-dashes before falling back to the
ground. You can perform a pair of horizontal air-dashes, a pair of
vertical air-dashes, or one of each.
- The Golden Armor Enhancement -
Where It's Found: You'll find this capsule in the first level of
Doppler's Fortress, just after the mini-boss with the collapsing
ceiling. For more information, check out the section dedicated to the
Golden Armor.
What It Does: The Golden Armor is the only way to use all four of the
super enhancements at the same time. Good deal, I say!
005.0 - Ride Armors
Ride Armors have always played small roles in the Mega Man X games, but
X3 puts them to more use. Throughout the stages, you may come across a
yellow platform that will give you a Ride Armor to play with if you've
collected any of the Ride Armor items. There are four in total, all
with slightly different abilities, but you have to find the Chimera
Ride Armor before being able to use any of them.
- Kangaroo Ride Armor (K) -
Where It's Found: Before diving into the water portion of Toxic
Seahorse's stage, jump into the Frog Ride Armor and take the higher
route until you reach some fans. Destroy them, and jump to the wall and
climb up to the surface. If you explore the area on the right, you'll
find the super boots chip, but we're not interested in that at the
moment. Fans of Mega Man X2 may know that X can skip across the water
if you jump just as X lands back on the water's surface, so that's what
we're going to have to do to reach the Kangaroo Ride Armor. There are
some spiked turtle shells floating around to complicate things further,
but you can perform an air-dash over them. At the end, use a vertical
air-dash to reach the ledge.
What It Does: I'm not sure what the name is supposed to imply - if
anything - but the Kangaroo Ride Armor is basically an upgraded version
of the Chimera, and seems to be the Ride Armor Vile uses. Instead of
fists, the Kangaroo has spikes to punch with, but not a whole lot else
is unique about it.
- Frog Ride Armor (F) -
Where It's Found: After the boss room where you fight Bit or Byte in
Gravity Beetle's stage, climb up the ladder to reach an area that's
back outside. Climb up the metal column on the left, and use a vertical
air-dash to reach the Frog Ride Armor on the ledge.
What It Does: The Frog Ride Armor is unique in that it's the only Ride
Armor that can survive underwater - if you've attempted to use one, you
know that it will immediately short out and explode. It also shoots
homing torpedoes, but it's not a Ride Armor you'll use often since it
hops instead of walking normally.
- Chimera Ride Armor(N) -
Where It's Found: In Blast Hornet's stage, there's an area with a
series of warehouses connected by bridges. Destroy the second set of
boxes on the rooftop, and drop down to the ground through the hole
created. Use a Tornado Fang to destroy the left wall of the warehouse,
and slide down the side to find the Chimera Ride Armor suspended in a
containment machine. Destroy it and claim your prize.
What It Does: This is the standard armor that you can walk around in
and punch stuff. Nothing special, but you're required to obtain this
Ride Armor before you can use any of the others.
- Hawk Ride Armor (H) - -
Where It's Found: In the initial area of Crush Crawfish's stage, drop
down from the crane and find the Ride Armor platform. To your right are
two bridges that are about as long as the screen and a smaller, more
cylindrical platform. Use a charged Triad Thunder to destroy it, and
grab the Hawk Ride Armor sitting on the ground.
What It Does: The Hawk Ride Armor, as the name implies, can fly - sort
of. It certainly hovers for a while, anyway, and you can get quite a
bit of extra distance when combined with a dash. The Hawk also fires
missiles instead of punching, but they aren't homing missiles like the
Frog Ride Armor's are.
006.0 - Weapons
The X-Buster is going to be the workhorse of your arsenal, but the
weapons collected from defeated Mavericks certainly come in handy,
particularly against bosses. In this section, you'll find descriptions
of how each weapon works and how effective they are against the bosses.
005.1 - Weapons Database
- Ray Splasher -
Obtained From: Neon Tiger
What It Does: When fired, the Ray Splasher will erratically release a
stream of energy shots in front of you. When charged, X will release a
glass orb above him that will shoot a handful of shots in all
directions.
Most Effective Against: The Ray Splasher is a great weapon because both
Vile and Byte are weak against it on top of one of the eight Mavericks
- in this case Gravity Beetle, who loses three units of energy per hit.
In order to permanently destroy Byte and Vile, the final shot must be
from the Ray Splasher. For this reason, Neon Tiger is usually the first
Maverick I destroy, since Bit, Byte, and Vile will appear after any two
of the bosses are defeated.
- Frost Shield -
Obtained From: Blizzard Buffalo
What It Does: The uncharged Frost Shield is basically an even slower
version of the Tornado Fang, except this one isn't able to destroy
breakable walls. Instead, after hitting something, the icicle will fall
to the ground and create an ice stalagmite that continues to injure
anything that comes into contact with it. The charged version creates
an ice spike that sticks to the end of the X-Buster and can be used as
a battering ram. After a few moments, the spike will break off and
slide along the ground.
Most Effective Against: Like the Ray Splasher, the Frost Shield is also
able to permanently destroy one of the three side-bosses. Since Byte
and Vile are vulnerable to the Ray Splasher, that leaves Bit. However,
if you destroy both Bit and Byte, you will have to face a different -
and in my opinion much more difficult - boss later on in Doppler's
Fortress. Since Bit is easier to fight alone than Byte, I usually don't
finish him off, but if you'd like to, this is the weapon to use. As a
bonus, Frost Shield is also one of two weapons that does added damage
to Sigma, and it inflicts three units of damage to Toxic Seahorse.
- Acid Burst -
Obtained From: Toxic Seahorse
What It Does: When used, a wimpy blob of acid will splatter on the
ground a few feet in front of you, with a few extra drops splashing
afterwards. The charged variation is slightly better, with a pair of
larger acid blobs bouncing across the entire screen, leaving puddles of
acid where it lands.
Most Effective Against: Tunnel Rhino and Dr. Doppler both receive three
energy units of damage per hit, and five when the Acid Burst is
charged. It may not be the most exciting weapon, but it gets its job
done.
- Tornado Fang -
Obtained From: Tunnel Rhino
What It Does: When fired, Tornado Fang creates a small drill that flies
across the screen, which can destroy some walls as well as attack
enemies. If you quickly tap the Y-Button upon firing, the drill will
break up and create a wall of smaller drills. When charged, the drill
will become locked into the X-Buster as long as you have energy and
hold the Y-Button down.
Most Effective Against: Slow and weak is a bad combination, but Tornado
Fang does three units of energy against Volt Catfish, and is just as
effective against Byte as the Ray Splasher is (though it doesn't
destroy him). Besides those two, the Tornado Fang can destroy breakable
walls, which usually leads to goodies like heart tanks or Ride Armors.
- Gravity Well -
Obtained From: Gravity Beetle
What It Does: Supposedly, using the Gravity Well will change the
gravity in the immediate vicinity where it hovers. Unfortunately, it
only affects certain things, and to be quite honest it really isn't
worth the time to figure out what those things are. When charged, it
has the same effect, but its radius covers the entire screen.
Most Effective Against: Offensively, use it to easily defeat Blast
Hornet, but never against anything else - the Gravity Well does
absolutely no damage to any other Maverick. Other than that, you need
to use a charged Gravity Well to find the armor enhancement in Volt
Catfish's stage, but that's about the extent of which I've ever used
this "weapon".
- Parasitic Bomb -
Obtained From: Blast Hornet
What It Does: The uncharged Parasitic Bomb releases an explosive that
will attach itself to the first thing it comes into contact with and
explode a few moments later. There is a bit of a time delay, but
enemies seem to be paralyzed during this time. When charged, X will
lock onto four enemies or fewer and release hornets to attack them for
as long as you hold the attack button down.
Most Effective Against: Blizzard Buffalo is vulnerable to the Parasitic
Bomb, but that's really the only time you'll want to use it. This is
the kind of weapon that sounds much cooler than it really is.
- Triad Thunder -
Obtained From: Volt Catfish
What It Does: Uncharged, three orbs of electricity will surround X and
connect with streams of electricity, shocking anything that touches the
barrier. When it begins to dissipate, the orbs will shoot off in
different directions for more damage. The charged variant is one of the
more interesting attacks, as X will slam the ground with his fists and
release a large electric orb in either direction. This isn't terribly
exciting by itself, but the resulting shock will cause hanging objects
to fall to the ground.
Most Effective Against: Triad Thunder is effective against Crush
Crawfish and Bit, though you still need to use Frost Shield if you plan
on permanently destroying Bit. Otherwise, Triad Thunder is actually a
pretty good attack to use to quickly destroy a large group of weak
enemies that have surrounded you. The charged version is also used to
get rid of the suspended boulders blocking some extra items in Tunnel
Rhino's stage.
- Spinning Blade -
Obtained From: Crush Crawfish
What It Does: After such a unique name like "Triad Thunder", Spinning
Blade sounds a bit stale, doesn't it? It is, however, spot on when it
comes to being descriptive. When fired, Spinning Blade will release a
pair of blades that act like a boomerang. Instead of catching it,
though, the two blades pass over and under you. When charged, an
enormous blade will be released on a wire and hover about half of a
screen in front of you, destroying anything that gets in its way.
Most Effective Against: Spinning Blade is a weapon that is pretty
effective against a few enemies, most notably Sigma. An uncharged Blade
will inflict two bars of damage against Blast Hornet, Neon Tiger, Vile,
and Sigma himself. A charged Spinning Blade will deal out a whopping
five bars of damage to the big boss man - the most from any weapon.
- The Z-Saber -
Obtained From: Zero in the second stage of Doppler's Fortress - check
out the section dedicated to Zero's Z-Saber below for more information.
What It Does: Having the Z-Saber gives X an extra attack after charging
his X-Buster, and will end a combo will a swing of the Z-Saber.
Most Effective Against: It's extremely powerful, so anything you want!
006.2 - Damage Chart
While each Maverick is vulnerable to a specific weapon, occasionally
there's a second or third weapon that can also be used in case you're
low on energy for the other. Below is a comprehensive list of each
weapon, including the X-Buster, and how much damage it inflicts on all
eight Mavericks, the three extra bosses, Dr. Doppler, and both of
Sigma's forms. The Z-Saber isn't included in this list, but any hit
from the Z-Saber will automatically halve the energy meters of a boss.
- X-Buster - Uncharged Charged Cross-Charged
Neon Tiger One Two Three
Blizzard Buffalo One Two Three
Toxic Seahorse One Two Three
Tunnel Rhino One Two Three
Gravity Beetle One Two Three
Blast Hornet One Two Three
Volt Catfish One Two Three
Crush Crawfish One Two Three
Bit One Two Three
Byte One Two Three
Vile One Two Three
Dr. Doppler One Two Three
Sigma One Two Three
Kaiser Sigma One Two Three
- Ray Splasher - Uncharged Charged
Neon Tiger Zero Zero
Blizzard Buffalo Zero Zero
Toxic Seahorse One One
Tunnel Rhino One One
Gravity Beetle Three Three
Blast Hornet One One
Volt Catfish One One
Crush Crawfish One One
Bit One One
Byte Two Two
Vile Two Two
Dr. Doppler One One
Sigma One One
Kaiser Sigma Zero Zero
- Frost Shield - Uncharged Charged
Neon Tiger One Two
Blizzard Buffalo One One
Toxic Seahorse Three Five
Tunnel Rhino One One
Gravity Beetle One One
Blast Hornet One One
Volt Catfish One One
Crush Crawfish One One
Bit Three Five
Byte One One
Vile One One
Dr. Doppler One One
Sigma Two Four
Kaiser Sigma Zero Zero
- Acid Burst - Uncharged Charged
Neon Tiger One One
Blizzard Buffalo One One
Toxic Seahorse One One
Tunnel Rhino Three Five
Gravity Beetle One One
Blast Hornet One Two
Volt Catfish One Two
Crush Crawfish One One
Bit One One
Byte One One
Vile One One
Dr. Doppler Three Five
Sigma One One
Kaiser Sigma Zero Zero
- Tornado Fang - Uncharged Charged
Neon Tiger Zero Zero
Blizzard Buffalo Zero Zero
Toxic Seahorse Zero Zero
Tunnel Rhino Zero Zero
Gravity Beetle Zero Zero
Blast Hornet Zero Zero
Volt Catfish Two Three
Crush Crawfish Zero Zero
Bit Zero Zero
Byte Two Five
Vile Zero Zero
Dr. Doppler One One
Sigma Zero Zero
Kaiser Sigma Zero Zero
- Gravity Well - Uncharged Charged
Neon Tiger Zero Zero
Blizzard Buffalo Zero Zero
Toxic Seahorse Zero Zero
Tunnel Rhino Zero Zero
Gravity Beetle Zero Zero
Blast Hornet Four Six
Volt Catfish Zero Zero
Crush Crawfish Zero Zero
Bit Zero Zero
Byte Zero Zero
Vile Zero Zero
Dr. Doppler Zero Zero
Sigma Zero Zero
Kaiser Sigma Zero Zero
- Parasitic Bomb - Uncharged Charged
Neon Tiger One One
Blizzard Buffalo Three Three
Toxic Seahorse One One
Tunnel Rhino Zero One
Gravity Beetle Two Two
Blast Hornet One One
Volt Catfish One One
Crush Crawfish Zero Zero
Bit One One
Byte One One
Vile One One
Dr. Doppler One One
Sigma One Zero
Kaiser Sigma Zero Zero
- Triad Thunder - Uncharged Charged
Neon Tiger One Two
Blizzard Buffalo One Two
Toxic Seahorse One Three
Tunnel Rhino Zero Two
Gravity Beetle One Two
Blast Hornet One One
Volt Catfish Zero One
Crush Crawfish Three Five
Bit Three Five
Byte One Two
Vile Zero One
Dr. Doppler One Two
Sigma One Two
Kaiser Sigma Zero Zero
- Spinning Blade - Uncharged Charged
Neon Tiger Two Four
Blizzard Buffalo One One
Toxic Seahorse One One
Tunnel Rhino One One
Gravity Beetle One One
Blast Hornet Two Three
Volt Catfish One Two
Crush Crawfish Zero Zero
Bit One One
Byte Two Two
Vile Two Five
Dr. Doppler One One
Sigma Two Five
Kaiser Sigma Zero Zero
007.0 - The Golden Armor
Naturally, with Capcom having already indulged fans twice before with
the Hadouken and Shoryuken, there was a slim chance they'd have been
able to get away with not adding another secret in Mega Man X3.
Normally, X can't equip himself with all of the super enhancement
chips, which are found in Dr. Light's pink capsules. Of course, as a
greedy pig, I'm just not satisfied unless I can have it all, and
luckily Capcom was willing to indulge me. The Golden Armor will give X
all of the enhancement chips and a pretty neat color scheme as a bonus.
In order to be eligible for the Golden Armor, you need to find all of
the items except for the super enhancements. This means you must have
all of the heart tanks, Sub-Tanks, Ride Armors, and normal upgrades.
The information needed to find all of these items can be found in this
guide, so be sure to check it out if you're stuck anywhere.
Once you've got everything, enter Doppler's Fortress. Blast your way
through the level normally, but try to keep your energy meter as close
to full as possible. You need to be at max energy for the capsule to
appear, but there are a few recovery capsules scattered around the
stage to help you out.
After fighting the mini-boss in the room with the collapsing ceiling,
you'll enter a large area with several of those pesky robots that hang
on the walls and shoot energy orbs at you. Dash off of the ledge you're
standing on, aiming for the far right wall, and fire a charge shot as
you begin to descend in your arc to destroy the wall robot. Grab the
energy capsule to recover your health, and use any stored health in
Sub-Tanks if you aren't at full energy. Remember, you don't need all of
your Sub-Tanks to be full, but your actual energy meter has to be.
At the top of this side is a Ride Armor platform, so pick a Ride Armor
and jump down to the ground. Since the Ride Armor has its own separate
energy meter, you can take as many hits as you want while using it and
not have to worry about losing energy yourself. Make your way to the
lower right and drop down, and follow this passage until you reach an
area with spiked cannonballs rolling into a pit. Jump out of the Ride
Armor and slide down the left side of the wall to find a hollow spot.
If all goes well and you've met the requirements, a final capsule will
be in this room containing the Golden Armor. For an explanation of your
new abilities, check out the Enhancements section of this FAQ.
008.0 - The Z-Saber
The Golden Armor is certainly a great prize, but it just doesn't have
the same sort of punch that the Street Fighter moves did. If only there
was another secret item to find...
Zero's Beam Saber is actually pretty easy to get, but you have to
fulfill two prerequisites before entering Doppler's Fortress. The first
is to defeat Vile, destroying him with the Ray Splasher. Second, you
have to keep Zero alive. With those two fairly simple requirements
checked off, play through the second stage of Doppler's Fortress until
you reach the underwater area.
If you've been using Zero throughout the game, you'll know that the
game never allows you to enter a boss room as Zero, instead forcing you
to switch to X. However, it turns out that there's an exception to this
rule. If you defeated Vile with the Ray Splasher, there's an insect
robot in the second stage of Doppler's Fortress that acts as the
stage's mini-boss instead of Vile. The entrance to this room is
directly after the underwater area, so switch to Zero after stepping
back on dry land.
The boss is a joke even when using X, but Zero makes it child's play. A
single combo is enough to destroy it, so charge up the Z-Buster and
take it down. As the robot struggles to stay in the air, it will hover
over Zero before crashing into him - it seems like poor old Zero is
always getting needlessly destroyed, doesn't it? X will appear soon
after, and Zero will tell him that he's too damaged to continue
fighting. To help his friend, he bestows X with the Z-Saber.
X uses the Beam Saber exactly like Zero, so you'll have to charge up
the X-Buster one extra time to finish off with a slash from the Z-
Saber. The only difference is that if you have the Hyper Cannon, the
slash will create an energy wave that flies across the screen.
Zero's Z-Saber isn't quite as powerful as the Hadouken or the
Shoryuken, but it's still better than anything else you have. The Z-
Saber will always knock out half of a boss's energy meter - including
Dr. Doppler and both forms of Sigma! The trade-off is that you get a
slightly different ending, but the changes aren't too significant.
