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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!
- Chill Penguin's Stage - To prevent the player from keeping the Ride
Armor for too long, there's a blue pillar that the Ride Armor can't
jump over. Directly above here, on top of the caves you just left, is
an area you can be reached by performing a dash-jump. Use the Flame
Wave to destroy the second igloo and grab the heart tank.
Unfortunately, since most players take on Chill Penguin first, you may
have to come back for this one later.
- Storm Eagle's Stage - Ride of the platforms in the very beginning of
the stage, and perform a dash-jump at the very top to the left. You'll
wind up on top of the building where you begin, and the heart tank is
right there.
- Spark Mandrill's Stage - After a Mega Tortoise at the end of one of
the dark areas, you'll see the heart tank on a platform in the very
right corner of the area. You can either use the Boomerang Cutter to
snag it, or simply jump from the wall and climb up to reach it. Both
are tricky, and both will likely require several attempts.
- Flame Mammoth's Stage - After defeating Chill Penguin, the lava in
Flame Mammoth's stage will cool and solidify, allowing you to walk on
it. You'll find a heart tank at the end of an area with platforms and
several Dig Labors.
- Armored Armadillo's Stage - Fall down the long, open area and
immediately begin attacking the tank with the spikes in the front. It
is possible to destroy it with the X-Buster, but if you're having
trouble you can use the Flame Wave to make things easier. If you
destroy it before it passes the ledge with the heart tank, you can
climb up and grab it. Otherwise, the tank will destroy the rock
formation and make it even with the ceiling, which is too high for X to
reach.
- Launch Octopus's Stage - Jump onto the ship that's launching missiles
at you to uncover a hidden area below the level. Destroy the Sea Snake
in the underground cavern to open a room in the right corner containing
a heart tank.
- Boomer Kuwanger's Stage - Just before entering the tower itself,
you'll see a small platform that juts out just before the entrance with
the heart tank sitting on it. Use the Boomerang Cutter to claim your
prize.
- Sting Chameleon's Stage - After defeating Launch Octopus, there's a
small pit just before the caves and the armor enhancement. Slide down
and break the rocks with your boots, and then jump to the platform on
the other side of the cavern to find the heart tank.
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.
- Storm Eagle's Stage - Jump onto the platform that rises up and shoot
the glass windows of the building to create a path. Destroy the Gun
Volt inside, and collect the Sub-Tank behind it.
- Spark Mandrill's Stage - Near the beginning of the level, the area
will branch off into two sections, with one ladder leading up and
another leading down. Head down and follow this path to the right until
you come across the Sub-Tank behind a pipe. Use the Boomerang Cutter to
obtain it.
- Flame Mammoth's Stage - In the same room with platforms and Dig
Labors where the heart tank was, make your way to the top of the
platforms and head to the left past some Mettools. At the end is an
extra life, and you'll find the Sub-Tank if you jump from here and
climb up the left wall. Use the boots to break through the blocks.
- Armored Armadillo's Stage - After dropping down into the mines, a
tank with spikes will break through a rock wall and chase after you.
Hang around on the wall and allow it to pass you, and explore the cubby
where the tank was to find the Sub-Tank.
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. A
great way to quickly earn several extra lives is by entering Armored
Armadillo's stage and fighting the groups of bats repeatedly.
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.
- Boots Enhancement -
Where It's Found: In Chill Penguin's stage, make your way to the top of
the ice cavern with all of the spike wheels and you'll stumble upon the
capsule. It's literally right in your way - you can't continue until
passing through it.
What It Does: The boots allow X to perform a dash, either by tapping
forward twice or pressing the A-Button. Not only does this give you a
boost of speed, but you can jump almost entirely across the screen
during a dash.
- Helmet Enhancement -
Where It's Found: Found in Storm Eagle's stage, after all of the
vertical platforms, there's a narrow tower of crisscrossing metal bars
that you have to climb up. Instead of jumping to the platform at the
top, drop down on the other side and jump to the ledge on the right.
Destroy the flammable tanks, and enter the room to find the capsule.
What It Does: The helmet protects X from falling rocks, and gives him
the ability to smash through certain walls by jumping up and breaking
them with his head. These walls are unique in their appearance, and
they kind of look like Tetris blocks.
- Armor Enhancement -
Where It's Found: In Sting Chameleon's stage, just before entering the
caves, and above the heart tank in this stage, climb up the rock wall
and run to the end. There's a mini-boss guarding the capsule, and you
need to shoot its head to defeat him. After it's destroyed, the capsule
will appear from the ground.
What It Does: X's enhanced armor doubles his defense, reducing the
amount of damage received from attacks by half.
- X-Buster Enhancement -
Where It's Found: Near the beginning of Flame Mammoth's stage, you'll
find some breakable blocks above the second set of assembly lines
(after the collecting the free energy capsule and dropping down).
Perform a dash-jump from the ledge on the right and break the blocks
with the enhanced helmet. At the top you'll find the capsule containing
the X-Buster Enhancement.
What It Does: The enhanced X-Buster allows X to fire an upgraded
charged blast. As a bonus, you can also use the enhanced X-Buster to
charge up your other weapons.
005.0 - 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
- Shotgun Ice -
Obtained From: Chill Penguin
What It Does: X will shoot a shard of ice from his X-Buster, freezing
anything it hits. As a bonus, if the shard of ice hits a wall, it will
shatter and send small slivers out diagonally and straight back. When
this item is charged, it will create a platform of ice to stand on.
Most Effective Against: Spark Mandrill is the only Maverick that will
become frozen by the Shotgun Ice, and a single, uncharged shot knocks a
whopping three bars from his energy meter. You can also use the Shotgun
Ice to make fighting the spider mini-boss easier.
- Storm Tornado -
Obtained From: Storm Eagle
What It Does: Firing the Storm Tornado creates a horizontal funnel that
slowly spins across the screen, obliterating anything in its way. A
charged Storm Tornado creates a vertical column of wind that surrounds
X for about one second.
Most Effective Against: Flame Mammoth is weak against the Storm
Tornado, and receives three units of damage for every hit. However,
charged Storm Tornados are devastating against Vile in Sigma's
Fortress, and they'll dish out eight units of damage to him.
- Electric Spark -
Obtained From: Spark Mandrill
What It Does: An orb of electric energy will shoot across the screen
when used. The charged variation creates two vertical columns - one on
either side of X - and flies to the sides of the screen.
Most Effective Against: The Electric Spark weapon is one of the more
useful attacks in the game, since it does double damage to both Vile
and Sigma at two energy units. However, poor Armored Armadillo gets the
worst of it - uncharged shots deal three units of damage, while charged
shots double that. Also, attacking Armored Armadillo with Electric
Spark will destroy his shield, which normally absorbs your X-Buster
shots.
- Flame Wave -
Obtained From: Flame Mammoth
What It Does: The X-Buster becomes Flame Mammoth's trunk, as a
continuous jet of fire will be released. It's doesn't have much reach,
however. The charged Flame Wave creates an actual wave about as tall as
X himself that runs along the ground in front of you, destroying
anything in its path.
Most Effective Against: Capcom couldn't resist the juxtaposition
between fire and ice, so Chill Penguin takes the most damage from the
Flame Wave, three energy units from an uncharged blast and four from a
charged one. You will have to wait until Chill Penguin's
invulnerability wears off following a hit before another one registers.
However, this isn't the case for regular enemies, so some of the more
durable Reploids, such as the mining tanks found in Armored Armadillo's
stage, can be quickly destroyed using the Flame Wave.
- Rolling Shield -
Obtained From: Armored Armadillo
What It Does: The uncharged version emits an oval orb that rolls along
the floor. It's only when the weapon is charged does it actually become
a shield, creating a blue barrier that completely encases X inside. The
shield will last indefinitely without draining your weapon's energy
meter, and will only disappear after it sustains a hit that would
normally reduce your energy by more than one unit. Unfortunately, you
can't use any other weapons while the shield is up, so there are very
few areas where it can be practically applied.
Most Effective Against: Capcom has a bizarre obsession with making the
least useful weapon the trick to defeating the most difficult enemies
to make up for the waste of space it causes for the rest of the game.
As such, the Rolling Shield knocks out four units of Vile's energy and
is the equivalent to a charged X-Buster shot against Sigma's final
form. Also, Launch Octopus is vulnerable to the Rolling Shield, and
will sustain three units of damage when hit by it.
- Homing Torpedo -
Obtained From: Launch Octopus
What It Does: This weapon, along with the Boomerang Cutter, is one of
the more useful weapons in the game, and you'll probably use it far
more during the actual stages than most of the others you'll obtain. As
the name implies, the Homing Torpedo sends out a small missile that
locks on to the nearest target, exploding upon contact. The charged
variation creates a half-dozen of these missiles, and they fly out in
all directions to find an enemy.
Most Effective Against: Boomer Kuwanger is vulnerable to the Homing
Torpedo for two equally important reasons. Not only does it injure him
by three and four energy units from uncharged and charged shots,
respectively, but also does all of the work by searching him out for
you. Thanks to the Homing Torpedoes, you can simply stand in the corner
and fire off missile after missile and watch as it tracks Boomer around
the room. The second mini-boss in Sigma's fortress can be fought using
the Torpedoes while you slide down the walls. Also, as mentioned above,
you can also use the Homing Torpedoes in the stages themselves to
attack otherwise hard-to-reach enemies.
What It Does: The Boomerang Cutter releases a boomerang that will reach
about halfway across the screen before returning to you in an arcing
motion. When charged, four or five large boomerangs will appear on
screen and randomly fly around the room.
Most Effective Against: The Boomerang Cutter makes fighting Sting
Chameleon child's play, since you don't have to worry about jumping up
to attack him. Instead, you can stand underneath and fire off a
Boomerang, which will spin up and take three units of energy from
Sting. You can also use the Boomerang Cutter to slice off Flame
Mammoth's trunk and Launch Octopus's tentacles, which prevents them
from using their main attacks. It may also be worth noting that the
Boomerang Cutter can be used to retrieve items for you, and in some
cases it's the only way to collect some of the Sub-Tanks or heart
tanks. However, you can also use it to grab any energy capsules that
happen to fall in areas you wouldn't normally be able to reach.
What It Does: When fired, the Chameleon Sting will release three green
stingers that fly out straight ahead and diagonally in front of you.
The charged version is somewhat more useful, since it will temporarily
make X completely invulnerable to any attacks. However, unlike the
Rolling Shield, you can still attack, but only using the Chameleon
Sting.
Most Effective Against: Storm Eagle, and that's it. Sure, it drains
Vile's energy by two, but there are far better weapons to use in that
case. Besides those two, it's equivalent to a regular, uncharged X-
Buster shot to all of the other Mavericks.
- The Hadouken -
Obtained From: Dr. Light's capsule above Armored Armadillo's boss room.
The next section is entirely dedicated to the specifics of obtaining
the Hadouken, so check it out for more information.
What It Does: By performing the button combination of Ryu and Ken's
Hadouken attack in Street Fight - Down + Down-Forward + Y - while at
maximum energy, X will release a fireball from his hands that destroys
anything and everything.
Most Effective Against: Everything. Seriously, the Hadouken is the most
powerful attack in the game, so as long as you can time the attack
correctly, you can destroy any enemy with it. The Hadouken makes the
fight with Vile, Sigma's Dog, and Sigma himself and absolute joke
instead of the severe pain that they are otherwise. As for Sigma's
final form, actually damaging Sigma with it is next to impossible since
you have to be on top of the claws and time it perfectly, and even then
it doesn't automatically destroy him. That's also not mentioning the
fact that you have to maintain full energy, too, which can be a
challenge. Still, that's quite a weapon.
005.2 - 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, Vile, and Sigma.
- X-Buster - Uncharged Charged
Chill Penguin One Three
Storm Eagle One Two
Spark Mandrill One Three
Flame Mammoth One Two
Armored Armadillo One One
Launch Octopus One Three
Boomer Kuwanger One Three
Sting Chameleon One Three
Vile One Four
Sigma One One
- Shotgun Ice - Uncharged Charged
Chill Penguin One Two
Storm Eagle One Two
Spark Mandrill Three Four
Flame Mammoth One Two
Armored Armadillo One Two
Launch Octopus One Two
Boomer Kuwanger One Two
Sting Chameleon One Two
Vile Two Eight
Sigma One One
- Storm Tornado - Uncharged Charged
Chill Penguin One Two
Storm Eagle One Two
Spark Mandrill One Two
Flame Mammoth Three Four
Armored Armadillo Zero Two
Launch Octopus One Two
Boomer Kuwanger One Two
Sting Chameleon One Two
Vile One Eight
Sigma One One
- Electric Spark - Uncharged Charged
Chill Penguin One Two
Storm Eagle One Two
Spark Mandrill One Two
Flame Mammoth One Two
Armored Armadillo Three Six
Launch Octopus One Two
Boomer Kuwanger One Two
Sting Chameleon One Two
Vile Two Four
Sigma Two Three
- Flame Wave - Uncharged Charged
Chill Penguin Three Four
Storm Eagle One Two
Spark Mandrill One Two
Flame Mammoth One Two
Armored Armadillo Zero Two
Launch Octopus Zero Zero
Boomer Kuwanger One Two
Sting Chameleon One Two
Vile One One
Sigma One One
- Rolling Shield - Uncharged Charged
Chill Penguin One Two
Storm Eagle One Two
Spark Mandrill One Two
Flame Mammoth One Two
Armored Armadillo One Two
Launch Octopus Three Four
Boomer Kuwanger One Two
Sting Chameleon One Two
Vile Four Four
Sigma One One
- Homing Torpedo - Uncharged Charged
Chill Penguin One Two
Storm Eagle One Two
Spark Mandrill One Two
Flame Mammoth One Two
Armored Armadillo One Two
Launch Octopus One Two
Boomer Kuwanger Three Four
Sting Chameleon One Two
Vile Four Four
Sigma One One
- Boomerang Cutter - Uncharged Charged
Chill Penguin One Two
Storm Eagle One Two
Spark Mandrill One Two
Flame Mammoth One Two
Armored Armadillo One Two
Launch Octopus One Two
Boomer Kuwanger One Two
Sting Chameleon Three Four
Vile Two Four
Sigma One One
- Chameleon Sting - Uncharged Charged
Chill Penguin One N/A
Storm Eagle Three N/A
Spark Mandrill One N/A
Flame Mammoth One N/A
Armored Armadillo One N/A
Launch Octopus One N/A
Boomer Kuwanger One N/A
Sting Chameleon One N/A
Vile Two N/A
Sigma One N/A
006.0 - The Hadouken
The Hadouken is a joke thrown in by Capcom as a final secret item. In
order to obtain it, you need to have all of the weapons, heart tanks,
Sub-Tanks, and equipment enhancements. There's a common misconception
that you're also required to have full energy and have all four Sub-
Tanks filled, but this is not true for the Super Nintendo version. I
have heard that this is required when playing the PC version, but since
I don't own that copy there's no way I can confirm this.
Once you've collected all of the items, head to Armored Armadillo's
stage. The enhancement capsule that contains the Hadouken is found on a
ledge just above the entrance to the Maverick's room, and it's very
possible that you found it by accident the first time through, although
there was a large energy capsule instead of Dr. Light's capsule since
you didn't have all of the required items in your first run. Stand on
the mine cart as it barrels through the mines, and as it flies out into
the open, dash-jump off of it and stick to the right wall. Once there,
climb up to the ledge.
Unfortunately, even with all of the requirements met, it's still
possible that the capsule won't be there. In fact, it may take anywhere
from three to six attempts to successfully find it. There's no way to
guarantee that it will appear, so the best you can do is commit suicide
by jumping into the crevice and restarting from the final mine cart. To
prevent having to replay the entire level, make sure you have at least
six lives on hand.
When the capsule finally does appear, Dr. Light will be dressed in a
Ryu costume and will present you with "a special present". After
obtaining the Hadouken, whenever X has full energy, press Down + Down-
Forward + Y, the traditional Street Fight "quarter-circle + attack"
motion, and X will release a fireball from his palms. While this is
certainly cool, the goofy, high-pitched "Hadouken!" that X cries as he
does this almost makes obtaining the Hadouken worth your while by
itself.
However, the Hadouken is also extremely powerful. So much so, in fact,
that it will destroy any enemy in one hit, including all of the
Mavericks, Sigma's Dog, and Sigma's first form!
