~B
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| Mega Man X5 Parts FAQ |
| v 1.4, 9-14-02 |
| By Jjukil (Jjukil@aol.com) |
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Divisions
0. VERSION CHANGES
Updates to this document.
I. INTRODUCTION
What is this document all about?
II. OPTIONAL PARTS
II-A. PARTS SYSTEM EXPLANATION
Explanation about using and getting parts.
II-B. PARTS SYSTEM DETAILS
Trouble getting or using parts? Look here.
II-C. MAIN PARTS LIST
Describes each individual part, sorted by source boss.
II-D. ANALYSIS AND TIPS
Tips about good parts, ranking charts, and combo examples.
III. THE USUAL FAQ ENDNOTES
Copyrights, credits, disclaimers, etc.
---
0. VERSION CHANGES
1.4, 9-14-02: Several modifications.
-Correction: Black Zero starts with half of Super Recover. Weapon energy
pellets give him 150%, but life energy pellets don't. Curious....
-New info about Speedster and Hyper Dash, concerning the Falcon Armor. Check
their descriptions for more details. Thanks go to Marshmallowman for help
with this update and the above one.
-A few minor edits here and there, some suggested by, again, Mech Gouki.
(Contributor and volunteer proofreader. Gotta love that. ;)
-Mech Gouki, by the way, is the guy that's been contributing the boss level
updates below. He's decided he'd rather have his nickname in here more than
his real one. I can understand that; I'd hate to have my real name
plastered all over someone's FAQ. =P So I've changed most of his refs in
this FAQ to Mech Gouki or just Gouki.
1.36, 3-10-02: And another two.
-An MMH ranking gives sixteen extra boss levels, if you can ever get there.
Furthermore, it's called MEH, not MMH. Gouki actually got to this
level over a week ago, but I was busy, so I couldn't update. I don't know
how he did it, but I'm definitely glad he did!
-Revised Winning Before 0 Hours. If you haven't had much (or any) success
with the Enigma, these extra details might help.
1.35, 2-24-02: More Gouki-inspired updates. =)
-Update on the Boss Levels: a PA ranking gives bosses EIGHT extra levels.
Note that this is untested by me, since I'm absolutely horrible at raising
my rank, but I trust Gouki more than myself about this section anyhow.
Neither of us has seen what the MMH rank does yet. (Actually, I didn't even
remember it existed.... -_-; )
-Some reevaluation of the Ultimate Buster. The good news: it's faster than
I thought when shooting charged special weapons. The bad news: it's slower
than I thought when shooting charged normal shots....
1.3, 2-8-02: A few additions, most of them courtesy of Mech Gouki again.
-The hour requirements are now fully his work, given to me via email and
copied here. Definitely some interesting stuff here.
-New Part System Detail about Life/Energy powerups, and who gets them when.
-Short note added to Shock Absorber.
-Minor miscellaneous edits, again.
1.25, 1-9-02: Redid hour requirements. Again.
-X cannot get parts in 10/9 hours. It takes him 9/8. Codes do not seem to
make a difference; I simply got X wrong somehow in one of the tests.
Frankly I'm surprised nobody's told me about this until now. Thanks go to
Mech Gouki for doing so.
-Some very good insight (in that it seems to be more correct than most of my
babble ;) also from Gouki about how hours change if you DON'T spend the first
five or seven killing yourself off.
-Minor miscellaneous edits (including the logo).
1.21, 12-30-01: One unfortunate change.
-I am now officially considering Excite's email dead and buried. I gave it
three weeks to recover, and it hasn't, so I'm closing the account ASAP.
(What a Christmas present. =/ ) So my email is back to Jjukil@aol.com.
It may go somewhere else soon, in which case I'll update it again. And if
you've sent me anything at the excite.com address in the last few weeks, I
haven't gotten it, so please send it again, to the new address.
1.2, 6-30-01: Several modifications.
-Format change again; split II-A up, as anticipated, into II-A and II-B,
and "renumbered" the other sections. II-A features the full description and
a brief summary, while II-B features all the nagging details that cause
problems.
-Went over yet another test about getting parts (they just keep coming...),
and added the results to the Parts System Details.
-Finally, FINALLY, sat down and figured out if Xtreme difficulty made a
difference in boss levels. ...the answer is "No."
-Found two more Shot Eraser shots.
-Tweaked Z-Saber Plus's description a bit (I noticed a bigger improvement in
boss fights this time around).
-Discovered Black Zero also starts with Super Recover--which he can add to
the equippable version for double the effect!--and the skimpy 2/3 version of
W-Energy Saver.
-Took out the "Future Improvements/Ideas" blurbs. The FAQ is still incom-
plete, but I can't foresee any new sections coming, and now that the game's
been out for a few months, feedback has slowed to a trickle--much less
suggestions, which STARTED at a trickle and are now at a complete stop.
Corrections may still be coming, however, as well as more Analysis and Tips.
And suggestions are still appreciated, of course!
1.1, 4-23-01: Several modifications.
-Went over more tests about actually getting parts, and added the results to
the Parts System Explanation. When it got a bit long, I added a brief
summary before the details. (This section may be split in two in the next
update.)
-Changed Shock Absorber's Specifics, although the change isn't as drastic as
the last one.
-Added a couple rather high-profile (read: endboss) shots to Shot Eraser's
list, one courtesy of Zen.
-Just a side note: the next update may not come for a while, as I've got
school and other things creeping up on me. I do plan on at least one more,
though.
1.0, 4-8-01: Completed FAQ. Mostly.
-Got the more mysterious parts tested. Chief among the parts that needed
corrections were Shot Eraser, Z-Saber Plus and especially Shock Absorber--
that one's much better than I thought if you're unarmored.
-Reworked the rankings to suck a bit less. There are several kinds now, and
they span both the Main Parts List and a new section.
-Several format changes. Morphed the Successful Part Combinations
section into Analysis and Tips, which includes several ranking charts and
the Summary section from the Main Parts List. Also put a new subsection in
the Parts list that separates the description from any in-depth
analysis(Specifics).
-Added some combos and took out others, and tried to make them more
interesting. =)
-Generally added more splashes of detail across the document.
-Updated the Copyright to cover me for THIS century. =P
0.5, 3-20-01: Original document.
---
I. INTRODUCTION
Hello and welcome to the Mega Man X5 Parts FAQ. This was a side project of
mine for several weeks, and then evolved into my second attempt at a major
FAQ, the first being the Azure Dreams Fusion FAQ. (End shameless plug.)
I'm doing it for two reasons. First, mixing and matching abilities comes
naturally to me; I'd probably do some Final Fantasy system FAQs if they
hadn't already been done to death. (This is why I cover Fusion in my Azure
Dreams FAQ. (End shameless plug; serious this time.)) Second, for a while
there, how to even access the parts was a raging debate on the Gamefaqs X5
message board. When it was finally solved, it left me with many questions
about parts that other FAQs couldn't answer, so, as usual, I decided to
answer them myself, and document my findings.
As of version 1.0, I feel proud enough of my work with this FAQ to call it
that--an FAQ, instead of a beta or an early version. That doesn't mean I
don't want your help, though. I've gotten a few suggestions about what to
put here, but I'd still like to hear from you. So once you're finished
reading this document, drop me a line about what info you'd like filled in,
what categories you'd like me to discuss, generally anything. You can
reach me at Jjukil@aol.com. Thanks!
Okay, let's dive right in, then, shall we?
---
II. OPTIONAL PARTS
The Parts system may be confusing, but once you finally manage to get the
parts, they can be pretty beneficial, as was no doubt the intention of the
game's designers. =) This guide should help you figure out the ins and
outs of the system, what each part can do for you, and how you can make
them work best for you.
---
II-A. PARTS SYSTEM EXPLANATION
You get parts from bosses, as you may have already noticed. To get one, you
have to beat a boss that is at least Level 8. Bosses' levels depend mostly
on how much time is left on the countdown timer--the fewer hours remain, the
higher level the bosses are--and how many bosses you've beaten--the more
you've beaten, the higher level the bosses are. So to level up bosses, lose
hours and beat other bosses.
You'll miss two or three parts if you do the latter, though. So to get all
eight parts, you'll want to make every boss Level 8 or above--in this case,
Level 9--before you beat any of them. To do this, use up hours on your
countdown timer by killing yourself off in a stage, then EXITING the stage
(don't just hit continue) and entering again. (Kinda self-defeating, but
it's the only way to get 8 parts. I recommend Squid Adler's level--you can
die in 3 seconds without even touching the controller.) Bosses will be Level
9 when there are 9 hours left on the clock (which will become 8 when you
enter a stage) for X, or 11 hours left (which becomes 10) for Zero.
Once you've beaten a Level 8+ boss, after Alia's spiel about getting its
weapon you'll see an option: Weapons + Life +, or Weapons + Energy +. The
second + represents your part, and the part you get by choosing Weapons +
Life + is different from the one you get from Weapons + Energy +. Of
course the game doesn't tell you what you're getting, but this FAQ will, in
the helpful list below. Choose wisely, my friend. =)
Unfortunately, you do not have instant access to these parts. The
mechanics have to build them first. (This does make sense, really, but it
also makes messing with parts very irritating....) It takes them one
countdown timer hour to build the Life or Energy powerup, and another to
build the part. Hours go down whenever you enter a stage, so you generally
have to go through two boss battles, two stage selects on game over screens,
or one of each to get your part. (The fights with Dynamo throw off this
process a bit, since he takes off a countdown hour but doesn't give you a
part himself. So you can get a part after you beat him, but you won't get a
part two countdown timer hours afterwards.)
Once you have the part, hit L1 on the Stage Select screen to get to the
parts screen. From there, select one of your "bodies," AKA characters, by
pressing ><, then equip parts to it. You can equip either 4 or 2, depending
on the body. When you're done, press /\, then switch to other bodies if need
be. (And don't worry--you can use the same part on more than one body.)
-In Summary: To get parts, beat bosses and wait for countdown hours to pass.
To get all eight parts, keep losing and reentering stages until there's 9
hours left (or 11 if you play as Zero). You'll get one of two parts for
each boss. The one you get is based on whether you choose Weapon + Life +
or Weapon + Energy + after winning. Two countdown hours later, you'll have
the part, ready for equipping on as many characters or Armors as you like in
the main screen.
---
II-B. PARTS SYSTEM DETAILS
These are some of the more irritating tidbits about getting and using Parts.
As of version 1.2, these outnumbered the points in the general explanation,
so, just as with the main parts list, I've moved them into their own section.
If you're having trouble getting a part, this will probably answer your
question--most of this section is about just that.
-Boss Levels: When and how bosses level up has never been down to an exact
science. Well, for me, anyway. I've recently received some info from Mech
Gouki (guojun83@hotmail.com) that has tested well for me every time,
though, so he may have it down after all. With his permission, I've
included it word for word. (You should probably send any questions you have
about this to him, by the way. He'll be able to answer them better than I
can. =)
"A Boss has to be at least LV 4 for him to give you a Life or Energy UP. A
Boss has to be at least LV 8 for him to give you A Life+ or Energy+.
4 factors determine the boss levels.
1) Game Level -
If the game is on easy mode, the boss will never gain levels, which mean you
will never get parts. Setting it on Extreme won't make a difference. Note
that changing game levels only apply for a new game. You can't save a game
on Xtreme, then later play that saved game on easy.
2) Hours passed -
This determines the Basic Level of a boss. At the 16 hour (15 when you enter
a stage), the basic boss level is Lv 1. At the 15 hour (14 when you enter),
and at the 14 hour (13 when you enter), the basic boss Level becomes Lv 3.
At the 13 and 12 hour, the basic boss level is Lv 5.
So the increment is this. 1, 3, 3, 5, 5, 7, 7, 9, 9, and so on.
Note that it counts your hours remaining, and not your hours passed. When
you launch the Enigma and it fails, it gives you 1 more hour, which may end
up reducing basic boss levels.
A quick table
Hours Left Basic Boss Lv
16 1
15 3
14 3
13 5
12 5
11 7
10 7
9 9
8 9
and so on.
3) Number of the 8 bosses previously defeated -
Add the number of the bosses you previously defeated. For example, if you
are fighting Bolt Kraken, and you have already defeated Cresent Grizzly and
Shining Firefly, add 2 to the Levels.
Dynamo does not count as one of the eight bosses.
4) Rank of the character used -
Depending on the Rank of the character, a value is added to the boss levels.
B = + 0
A = + 0
SA = + 2
GA = + 4
PA = + 8
MEH = + 16
As you can see, this is the reason why Zero fights bosses at 2 levels higher
than with X.
So if you fight a boss at the 13 hour, with 2 bosses previously defeated, at
Rank SA, the boss level is 5 + 2 + 2, which makes Lv 9."
-Life/Energy Powerups: Gouki's also pointed out to me an interesting point
about these powerups. The character that receives one from a boss is NOT
the one who beats the boss--it's the one you're playing as when the powerup
is completed and given to you, one countdown hour later. This can work to
your advantage in some instances (IE, you beat the first boss with Zero, but
actually want to use X) but against you in others(accidentally getting
powerups meant for Zero with X while trying to collect part of his armor),
so watch out for it.
-Bodies: The term "bodies" here is used to describe the characters you
select from to take into battle. Zero only has one "body"; while you can
get armor for him--see below--it replaces his unarmored body in the
character select screen. X, on the other hand, has five bodies--his Armors.
He goes into battles using whatever body you choose. This makes a
difference in strategy with parts, mostly because the Fourth, Falcon and
Ultimate (an enhanced Fourth Armor; X4 homage, anyone?) Armors can have
only 2, whereas Zero and unarmored X can have 4. (X's Gaea Armor can't
equip parts at all, and, therefore, will never be spoken of again in this
document. =)
-Black Zero: This is Zero's only upgrade, aside from the equippable parts.
This is known as Black Zero due to the color his body becomes when he gets
it, and it makes him inherently have three parts without using slots. These
parts are Shot Eraser, Virus Buster and, most importantly, Shock Absorber.
It also increases his weapon capacity and recovery from weapon energy pellets
by 50%. Zero's answer to X's Armors is very powerful, as it improves his
weapon usage and equips one of his best parts without using a slot.
-Getting Black Zero/Ultimate Armor: You can get Black Zero and/or Ultimate
Armor in two ways: sliding down the right side of the wall just after the
spike field in the second-to-last stage in the game, or cheating and
starting the game with it. Normal gameplay isn't all THAT different with
Ultimate X, but you'll need to adjust your strategies if you plan on
cheating and abusing Black Zero--getting Shock Absorber really helps Zero
succeed, but is useless for his upgraded counterpart.
-Winning Before 0 Hours: If you're only using X, you'll have to wait until 9
hours remaining to get all eight parts. This seems like a pretty harsh
number to beat the game with, since there are a full ten stages to go
through during the countdown thanks to Dynamo, but it can be overcome in
several ways. First off, whether the Enigma (or the shuttle) succeeds is
actually random--you can have all four repair modules or none and still win
or lose (although getting more modules does seem to raise the success rate).
So just save after getting the fourth Enigma module and keep trying until
you get it to stop the count right there. For a little more insurance, if
you don't mind using Zero briefly, beat the first stage with him at 11 hours
left. This will bring bosses to Level 8 for X, making him eligible for
parts immediately. So even if you can't get the Enigma to succeed, you
should still have enough time to finish all ten stages, especially with the
extra hour the cannon gives you by failing. Zero won't get any of X's
bonuses, either, if you never use him again. You'll just have to do your
item scavenging after the count's over (although you could try to get Squid
Adler's Armor capsule while you're killing yourself off at the beginning).
---
II-C. MAIN PARTS LIST
This format's vaguely confusing, so check out this explanation first.
First you'll get the boss that has the two parts listed ahead. Life and
Energy stand for Weapon + Life + and Weapon + Energy +, respectively; they
tell the obvious--which weapon + option you choose to get the part. After
the name, you'll get an overall description, then any technical specifics
you don't need to know, but might find interesting. Next come some good
offensive and defensive uses for the part. Then, if a certain Armor (like
Black Zero) includes the part or something close to it built-in, it'll be
listed in Already on?, meaning you might not want to use it with that Armor.
The last category, Overall Rank, is just that--a general personal rank for
the part. This is not to be confused with the part's total usefulness--in a
system where you can only get half the parts, that's somewhat of a tease. I
rank my favorite eight choices from 1-8, with 1 being the most useful, then
rank the eight I don't choose from 9-16, with 9 being the most useful.
When I'm forced to choose between two parts of relatively equal value, I
generally place a lot of value on the parts that offer Life. After all, the
more Life you have, the longer you can keep using parts! ...as in, keep
living. =) You might consider experimenting with the top ranks from the
bottom half, since your strategies might not agree with mine. (Speaking of
strategy, more strategy-specific rankings can be found in Analysis, below.)
Grizzly Slash:
LIFE: Shock Absorber
Grizzly Slash is the best boss to start with if you mostly use Zero. Not
only does he give Zero good abilities, but both his parts work well for
him. This part does two things. First, it doubles your defense if you're
unarmored. I found this out by accident, actually =) Second, it changes
how you get hit, as in your recovery stance. You don't fall out of the air
when you get hit, and you don't move backwards. It's a good part, but most
of the effects are included with any of X's Armors--and it's even already
ON Black Zero--making the Hyper Dash better.
SPECIFICS: When most things hit you, like shots, you get thrown back a bit,
and fall a fair distance if you're in the air. Some things, usually bigger
shots and robots, will force you back about twice as far over nearly double
the time. What the Shock Absorber does, if you're Zero or unarmored X, is
remove all horizontal and vertical movement from these hit stuns. You just
freeze in place for however long you were supposed to be flung around. If
you do a ground dash, then jump, you still lose the extra speed, though.
X's Armors remove all vertical movement, and remove the delayed hit stuns,
but just reduce the horizontal movement. When this is on them, they have
no horizontal movement, giving them the best hit stuns in...well, Mega Man
history, really! (One extra note, however: just in case you were hoping,
this will not work on The Skiver's high-recoil attacks.)
OFFENSIVE USES: You won't get moved away from your firing post.
DEFENSIVE USES: Reduces the impact from fire and, if you're unarmored,
doubles your defense rating.
ALREADY ON?: Black Zero. Moreover, all of X's Armors have almost the same
thing--they double your defense and reduce your recoil, possibly in a
better way than this part. Putting this part on the Armors does give you
even better recoil, though.
OVERALL RANK: 10
ENERGY: Hyper Dash
This part makes your character dash faster. This was heaven for me, since
I sorely missed the ultra-fast dashes of the SNES Mega Man X games. Like
Speedster below, it can get awkward climbing walls, but not as much. It's
got a kind of glitch to it, but this is only a problem for X in midair--
and only then for the Fourth Armor, as the Falcon Armor's flight isn't
affected at all. Meanwhile, Zero's midair glitch changes for the better
after he gets the F-Splasher(which makes his midair dash invincible).
You'll probably have more than enough fun with it to make up for the
glitches anyway. I know I do!
SPECIFICS: This part is fun, but glitchy. Your dashes move about 150% as
fast as before, but you don't go a longer distance. In fact, you actually
LOSE a little bit of distance--about the length of X's body standing(not
Zero's, he has a different standing stance). This is not a problem on the
ground, but air dashes only cover half the distance of ground dashes, and
they still lose the same distance. (Ground dashes that you jump out of
don't suffer at all, of course. You'll gain speed and distance.) This
part works differently with Zero's F-Splasher air dashes, though: your
dash takes the same amount of time as it does without the part, but goes
faster and about one and a half times as far. Since the F-Splashed dash
is invincible, this works very well for him. Finally, this part has another
glitch underwater--the dash speed is lowered a bit as usual, but the time
dashing wasn't extended as usual, so the dashes are shortened further.
Don't worry about this one, though, since you barely have enough room to
dash during any of the time you're underwater anyway, in this game.
OFFENSIVE USES: For Zero, you practically get a mini-Nova Strike with the
F-Splasher. As for X...well...sometimes your best offense IS a good
defense...and your only offensive benefit here is improving that defense.
DEFENSIVE USES: Gets you away faster for either. For Zero, you also get
a mini-Nova Strike. =) Just don't run into shots.
ALREADY ON?: None.
OVERALL RANK: 3
Duff McWhalen:
LIFE: Super Recover
Capsules offer 150% of the energy. Yee and hah. Actually, if the Energy
alternative weren't much better, this would be a handy thing to slap on
until you got better parts, but as it is, Capsules randomly appear while
the alternative will always be in effect. You do get 2 more life bars to
go with it, though. Because of that, you might go for it if you use Zero,
or if you just plain don't use weapons; otherwise stay away.
OFFENSIVE USES: Recovering weapon energy faster lets you use weapons
more....
DEFENSIVE USES: Recovering life energy lets you live longer.
ALREADY ON?: Black Zero has this for weapon energy pellets, but not life
energy pellets. Moreover, equipping Super Recover on him gives him the
effect both times--weapon capsules offer double the energy.
OVERALL RANK: 12
ENERGY: W-Energy Saver
Weapons use half the energy. This is extremely useful if you use weapons
often--or have always wanted to! If you're using X, there should be no
question--Falcon, Fourth and Ultimate Armor can all benefit more from
more weapon energy than more capsule recovery. Even Zero might consider
it--having more Dark Hold and C. Flasher can help out in certain sticky
situations.
OFFENSIVE USES: Double offensive weapon uses.
DEFENSIVE USES: Double defensive weapon uses. =)
ALREADY ON?: Well, X's Armors and Black Zero have skimpy versions(weapons
use 2/3 energy). But putting this on replaces it(no layering up the
effect, sorry....), so it doesn't really count.
OVERALL RANK: 4
Squid Adler:
LIFE: Quick Charge (X)
X's best friend. It's only usable by him, of course. This pretty much
halves the time it takes for him to charge up--it's just a shade slower
than how long it takes for a boss to lose his invulnerability after
getting hit. Useful in all situations.
OFFENSIVE USES: Uhh...quickly charge. =)
DEFENSIVE USES: Charge defensive weapons faster (particularly the
C-Slash Shield) with the Fourth or Ultimate Armors.
ALREADY ON?: None.
OVERALL RANK: 2
ENERGY: Z-Saber Extend (Z)
Not as good for Zero as the alternative is for X, but useful nonetheless.
This adds a little aura to the end of each of Zero's saber swings. It's
something like his hand's length away, usually, but it varies. This seems
most useful on ladder/wall swings, somewhat useful on the three-hit combo,
and totally useless on midair swings, once you get Grizzly's weapon anyway.
Not as cool as I expected, but I use it with Zero anyway....
OFFENSIVE USES: Extend the Z-Saber. The name of the game. =)
DEFENSIVE USES: Well...sometimes a good offense IS the best defense...
and your only defensive benefit here is increasing that offense.
ALREADY ON?: None.
OVERALL RANK: 11
Izzy Glow:
LIFE: Burst Shot (X)
You get five regular pellet shots on the screen. They're also green, but
I don't think this does anything. This is not as useful as advertised,
but if you're rapid-firing from across the screen it can help you out.
Personally I've gotten in the habit of charging till I get up close, then
rapid firing, but that's just me. Still, the life powerup attached to
this part makes it seem more useful than the alternative right now.
SPECIFICS: The green color gets overriden by Speed Shot's blue if you
combine the two parts. Whee!
OFFENSIVE USES: Having more shots on the screen can take out more stuff
faster, in the right places.
DEFENSIVE USES: Just increasing your offense....
ALREADY ON?: None.
OVERALL RANK: 7
ENERGY: Shot Eraser (Z)
Lets Zero destroy more shots than he already could anyway. Not MANY more,
but there are several, such as Squid Adler's electricity bolts. This works
on all of Zero's weapons. It also turns your saber purple. I've seriously
underestimated this part in the past, but now that I've seen what it can
do...it still doesn't change my strategy enough to forfeit the life
powerup. It might seem better if you got it close to the beginning of the
game, though.
SPECIFICS: Here's a list of the shots I've seen this work on so far:
-Squid Adler's electricity bolts.
-The yellow blasts from the final form of the Battleship.
-The purple balls from the strange purple robots that are invincible most
of the time; there's some at the start of the Space Trap stage.
-The yellow dots from the wall-crawling droids; there's some at the start
of the Volcano stage.
-The fully-charged normal shot, and its aftermath, from Zero's second to
last stage boss. (If you've played the game, you'll know what I'm talking
about. ISN'T THAT INSANE!?)
-The huge freakin' shots Sigma shoots from his hands in the final battle.
(Special thanks to Zen for this one!)
-The green and blue shots from the first boss(you've gotta cheat to do
this one).
That's it, so far. You can find the minor enemies in other places too, of
course, such as some of the final stages of the game....By the way, there's
a quirk to Shot Eraser's saber color change. Z-Saber Plus changes the
color too, to red, but Shot Eraser overrides it...unless you're Black Zero,
who already has it. Then your saber will always be red if you use Z-Saber
Plus, even if you actually equip this part. Whatever....
OFFENSIVE USES: Shooting down shots can give you an advantage in
positioning.
DEFENSIVE USES: Not getting hit. ...sometimes.
ALREADY ON?: Black Zero.
OVERALL RANK: 14
Dark Dizzy:
LIFE: Anti-Virus Guard
Instead of four, it'll take getting hit by a whopping eight Sigma Virii to
get infected. It's hard to get infected if you're TRYING in this mode. I
don't like these parts at all, because I find the Virii easy to dodge and
not very damaging anyway. If you're having trouble, though, go ahead and
slap this on...if you're X. If you're Zero, then there is no benefit
whatsoever to using it, because there's benefits to getting Infected. The
only reason this is preferred is the Life.
OFFENSIVE USES: Just improving your defense. If you're X.
DEFENSIVE USES: Uhh...guards against viruses. =) If you're X.
ALREADY ON?: None.
OVERALL RANK: 8
ENERGY: Virus Buster
You can shoot and eventually destroy the Sigma Virii. To me this is the
better of the two Virus guarding powerups--you can get rid of them once and
for all, and they rarely just come out of nowhere at least to me. I don't
like either of them, though. Again, there is no benefit to using this with
Zero, so don't even think about it--especially with Black Zero, who already
has it (for plot purposes, I assume).
OFFENSIVE USES: I can't decide what to call this. It lets you hit the
Virii, which would seem like it improves your offense, but if you think
about it, that's really increasing your targets, almost bringing DOWN
your offense. It IS bringing down your offense if you're Zero--you
might accidentally make what's basically Zero's answer to Mario's
Starman explode! Still, if you're X, it does help you shoot enemies...I
dunno. I'm probably thinking about this too much. =P
DEFENSIVE USES: Lets you take out damaging virii.
ALREADY ON?: Black Zero.
OVERALL RANK: 16
The Skiver:
LIFE: Jumper
Ah, the Skiver's powerups. These two don't focus on offense or defense so
much as mobility. They're the best of the bunch to me and I really wish
you could combine them. But you can't--you have to choose one, and I
generally prefer this one, which raises your jump height by about half.
You still move at the same speed, I think, but you can go higher if you
hold the button down. It does not work on Zero's second jump (from
midair). This makes accessing places easier and can help out some boss
fights. And it's just plain fun. =)
OFFENSIVE USES: Not much, although it lets you reach and shoot more stuff.
DEFENSIVE USES: You will also be able to dodge more....
ALREADY ON?: None.
OVERALL RANK: 1
ENERGY: Speedster
This is even more fun. Your normal horizontal movement speed increases by
50%--or close to that, maybe a little less. Unfortunately, this does not
work with most dashes, which almost ruins the point for me, since all I ever
do is dash. On the ground this is fun, and you get longer jumps out of it
too (and almost a full screen of extra distance from the Falcon Armor's
flight function!), but climbing the walls can get risky and difficult when
you move farther outwards, and most of the time Hyper Dash and/or Jumper
will get the same job done. Still, I know I'd use it if I didn't like
Jumper more.
OFFENSIVE USES: It helps you get to enemies quicker.... (This is better for
Zero.)
DEFENSIVE USES: This gets you away from stuff quicker too. However, it
should be noted that it can actually throw you off and put you in more
danger while wall-climbing up one side of a wall (not bouncing between
two walls).
ALREADY ON?: None.
OVERALL RANK: 9
Mattrex:
LIFE: Speed Shot
Shots travel across the screen faster. No, no, not weapon shots--just
Buster ones. Speed Shot affects any of X's Buster shots and Zero's
Z-Buster, but I don't really see the point to any of it--shots move fast
enough for me, and faster shots can throw off my timing. Ah, well, at
least it's not as bad as the Anti-Virus ones, and X's pellet shots turn a
nifty blue. Still, its alternative totally outdistances it.
OFFENSIVE USES: Uh...shots...get...there...sooner. Yeah.
DEFENSIVE USES: Just "increasing" your offense.
ALREADY ON?: None.
OVERALL RANK: 15
ENERGY: Buster Plus
This increases Buster shots' power. For Zero, this pretty much sucks. You
save one Z-Buster shot at the most against regular enemies, and that's
assuming you even use the Z-Buster, which I don't. It's much better for X
though, and also turns his pellet shots a nifty purple. It can help out
even more on bosses for both characters(more for X again), especially in
the last stage.
SPECIFICS: The effect is different for X and Zero on normal enemies, but
the same for bosses. For bosses, each shot does 1 more bar of damage.
This works on all kinds of Buster shots, even regular pellets, so go wild
with X. For normal enemies, from the tests I've done so far, I'd say that
X's shots are probably 125-130% as powerful against normal enemies. This
rounds up as it cumulates. (Detailed example: enemies that normally take
2 shots still take 2, but those that could normally take 3 take only 2,
because those two shots did 2.5 times the normal damage, and that's 3
rounded up.) Basically, count on having to do about 3/4 as much damage as
before. You'll notice this less the higher you charge up, since few
enemies can withstand charged shots. As for Zero, I don't have the
percentage of improvement yet, and I'm finding it very hard to test because
it takes so long for it to make a difference. I've shot something six
times with this thing on and had it not die. Estimates are welcome, but
for now, suffice it to say: it sucks.
OFFENSIVE USES: Take down enemies more quickly with more powerful shots!
(Wow, I feel like Dr. Light--I mean, an ad....)
DEFENSIVE USES: Just increasing your offense.
ALREADY ON?: None.
OVERALL RANK: 5
Axle the Red:
LIFE: Ultimate Buster (X)
Ergh. This is NOT the Ultimate Buster. What this does is make it so all
you fire is fully charged shots. This sounds great at first, and I'll admit
it's kinda fun, but it's got a lot of limitations that make it frustrating
for me. The alternative is much saner, but you may like it more than I do,
so give it a whirl sometime.
SPECIFICS: Okay, here's why the Ultimate Buster sucks.
-You can't fire instantly after you've fired once. In fact, it actually
takes you a tiny bit LONGER to fire again than it does to charge up a shot
using Quick Charge. Your reflexes might even this out a bit, but they
might not, and they probably won't if you're playing the game on Slow.
-You no longer have access to pellets or slightly-charged shots. This is
especially painful in the Falcon Armor, which has the worst fully charged
shot in the history of the X series.
-You also lose access to your special weapons' normal forms if you're in
the Fourth or Ultimate Armor--you'll only fire the charged forms.
(Unarmored X still fires only the normal forms.)
Charged weapons do benefit from this part, however. The recovery time
doesn't apply, and you can switch weapons with L1 and R1 and still instantly
fire a charged shot. A couple of charged weapons also restart your jump
when fired in midair, so you can use this part to extend your jump distance.
Still, weapons have limited uses, and if you've got the Falcon Armor you
shouldn't need to extend your jumps too often anyway.
OFFENSIVE USES: I'd almost go so far as to say this DECREASES your
offense, seeing as how you can no longer rapid-fire. However, like Quick
Charge, it does speed your charge time, and it speeds it even more if you
use charged special weapons.
DEFENSIVE USES: You can react to any strange surprises faster, and possibly
save yourself from dying at a gap.
ALREADY ON?: None.
OVERALL RANK: 13
ENERGY: Z-Saber Plus (Z)
Turns your saber red, and makes it slightly more powerful. It doesn't seem
nearly as effective as Buster Plus for X, but it does do a bit more damage
against normal enemies and bosses. I haven't made exact measurements for
either, but it definitely adds up in boss fights. If you can't have Z-
Saber Extend, and you really shouldn't if you want to use both characters,
this is the next best thing for Zero.
SPECIFICS: This part's saber color change can be overridden by the Shot
Eraser. If you're using Black Zero, however, that override goes away, for
whatever strange reason.
OFFENSIVE USES: See the above ad for the Buster Plus.
DEFENSIVE USES: Just increasing your offense.
ALREADY ON?: None. I think.
OVERALL RANK: 6
---
II-D. ANALYSIS AND TIPS
The irritating part about the Parts system is that you can't really just
slap a rank onto each part, pick the top 4 parts and call it a day,
because you're only allowed to choose 1 of 2 parts every time. Some good
combinations you'd really want to have just aren't possible--without a
Game Shark, anyway. Still, it's more than possible to build offensive,
defensive and/or mobile powerhouses using just the Parts. Read on for tips
on some of the best parts, several different ranking charts, and some
examples of successful part combinations, with their source Maverick and
option (Life + or Energy +) included for reference.
Most Productive Part: Shock Absorber may not be the best part, but it
certainly tries with how much it does. And it certainly would be if X
didn't have such easy access to its near-equivalent.
Most Complex Part: This is either Hyper Dash or, more likely, Buster Plus.
These are the ones I spent the most time testing, and with all their quirks
and transformations and glitches, I'd never use them if the end results
weren't still so valuable.
Best Offensive Part:
X: Quick Charge, hands down. It practically doubles your offense.
Zero: Actually, it's probably Hyper Dash. The Z-Saber powerups are nifty,
but Hyper Dash makes Zero's invincible air dash almost twice as powerful
since it goes twice as far. Plus it gets him to enemies faster.
Best Defensive Part:
X: Shock Absorber or Super Recover. The former's constant but often
emulated, the latter's random but rather helpful.
Zero: Shock Absorber until you have Black Zero, after which point it's
Hyper Dash(which is really annoying, since they're both from the same
source boss...).
Part Most Often Already On: I'd have to call it Shock Absorber. Black
Zero has it, and it's emulated nearly perfectly by X's Armors. There's
also a wimpy version of W-Energy Saver on every armor.
Rank Lists:
Overall Rank List Part Rank List
Copied from above. Overall ranking of the parts
themselves, discounting Life/Energy
powerups and the source boss.
1. Jumper (S-L) 1. Jumper (S-L)
2. Quick Charge (A-L) 2. Speedster (S-E)
3. Hyper Dash (G-E) 3. Quick Charge (A-L)
4. W-Energy Saver (W-E) 4. Hyper Dash (G-E)
5. Buster Plus (M-E) 5. Shock Absorber (G-L)
6. Z-Saber Plus (R-E) 6. W-Energy Saver (W-E)
7. Burst Shot (I-L) 7. Buster Plus (M-E)
8. Anti-Virus Guard (D-L) 8. Z-Saber Extend (A-E)
9. Speedster (S-E) 9. Super Recover (W-L)
10. Shock Absorber (G-L) 10. Z-Saber Plus (R-E)
11. Z-Saber Extend (A-E) 11. Ultimate Buster (R-L)
12. Super Recover (W-L) 12. Shot Eraser (I-E)
13. Ultimate Buster (R-L) 13. Burst Shot (I-L)
14. Shot Eraser (I-E) 14. Speed Shot (M-L)
15. Speed Shot (M-L) 15. Virus Buster (D-E)
16. Virus Buster (D-E) 16. Anti-Virus Guard (D-L)
S=The Skiver. G=Grizzly Slash. A=Squid Adler. W=Duff McWhalen.
M=Mattrex. R=Axle the Red. I=Izzy Glow. D=Dark Dizzy.
L=Weapon + Life +. E=Weapon + Energy +.
X Rank List Zero Rank List
Parts to get if you mostly use X. Parts to get if you mostly use Zero.
1. Jumper (S-L) 1. Shock Absorber (G-L)
2. Quick Charge (A-L) 2. Speedster (S-E)
3. Hyper Dash (G-E) 3. Z-Saber Extend (A-E)
4. W-Energy Saver (W-E) 4. Super Recover (W-L)
5. Buster Plus (M-E) 5. Z-Saber Plus (R-E)
6. Ultimate Buster (R-L) 6. Shot Eraser (I-E)
7. Burst Shot (I-L) 7. Speed Shot (M-L)
8. Anti-Virus Guard (D-L) 8. Anti-Virus Guard (D-L)
9. Speedster (S-E) 9. Jumper (S-L)
10. Super Recover (W-L) 10. Hyper Dash (G-E)
11. Shock Absorber (G-L) 11. W-Energy Saver (W-E)
12. Speed Shot (M-L) 12. Quick Charge (A-L)
13. Virus Buster (D-E) 13. Buster Plus (M-E)
14. Z-Saber Plus (R-E) 14. Burst Shot (I-L)
15. Z-Saber Extend (A-E) 15. Ultimate Buster (R-L)
16. Shot Eraser (I-E) 16. Virus Buster (D-E)
Black Zero Rank List
Parts to get if you cheat and start the game with Black Zero. =)
1. Jumper (S-L) 9. Speedster (S-E)
2. Hyper Dash (G-E) 10. W-Energy Saver (W-E)
3. Z-Saber Extend (A-E) 11. Quick Charge (A-L)
4. Z-Saber Plus (R-E) 12. Buster Plus (M-E)
5. Super Recover (W-L) 13. Ultimate Buster (R-L)
6. Burst Shot (I-L) 14. Shock Absorber (G-L)
7. Speed Shot (M-L) 15. Shot Eraser (I-E)
8. Anti-Virus Guard (D-L) 16. Virus Buster (D-E)
Successful Part Combinations:
MOBILE ASSAULT 1: Jumper, Hyper Dash (Skiver-L, Grizzly-E)
Gives you much more flexibility in reaching those tough spots.
MOBILE ASSAULT 2: Speedster, Hyper Dash (Skiver-E, Grizzly-E)
The most fun you can have on two legs. Really good for Zero.
GATLING MAN (X only): Burst Shot, Speed Shot
Rapid fire has never been so rapid.
SHOOTING GALLERY (Z only): Shot Eraser, Virus Buster (Izzy-E, Dizzy-E)
You'll be able to take out most anything on-screen.
THE REAL ULTIMATE BUSTER (X only): Ultimate Buster, W-Energy Saver (Red-L,
Whalen-E)
Makes using charged weapons convenient and less costly.
ULTIMATE SABER (Z only): Z-Saber Plus, Z-Saber Extend, Shot Eraser
(Red-E, Adler-E, Izzy-E)
Pretty much a no-brainer. Subtract Shot Eraser if desired....
THE BEST OFFENSE 1 (X only): Buster Plus, Quick Charge, W-Energy Saver,
Burst Shot (Mattrex-E, Adler-L, Whalen-E, Izzy-L)
Your best bet for pure damage dealing with X.
THE BEST OFFENSE 2 (Z only): Z-Saber Extend, Z-Saber Plus, Hyper Dash,
W-Energy Saver (Adler-E, Red-E, Grizzly-E, Whalen-E)
Lets you get the drop on, then destroy enemies.
THE BEST DEFENSE: Shock Absorber, Super Recover, Jumper,
Virus Buster(X) or Shot Eraser(Z) (Grizzly-L, Whalen-L, Skiver-L, Dizzy-E
or Izzy-E)
Substitute Shock Absorber for Hyper Dash if you're using Armor!
What To Avoid:
-Putting a part on an Armor it's listed to already be on. Watch out
especially for this with Black Zero, who carries three fairly useful parts
and four slots to mess up on. (Note that putting Super Recover on again
isn't as bad, since it's the only part in the game where that will give
him double the effect!)
-Putting on two parts that conflict. The only examples I can think of
this involve the "Ultimate" Buster--don't put it with Quick Charge or
Burst Shot. I'll post more when I can figure them out.
-Putting Speed Shot or Buster Plus on Zero if you don't have the Z-Buster.
...it's not gonna work.
-Putting either of Dark Dizzy's parts on Zero at all. Just take the extra
two life points and get on with your life.... =P
---
III. THE USUAL FAQ ENDNOTES
Credits
Well, unfortunately the biggest credit I have to give goes to a group of
people I don't remember the names of. =P The ones I'm talking about here
are those involved in the debate about parts on the X5 message board at
Gamefaqs. They really shed some light for me on how to get the parts-
-especially the one that listed which 8 parts he got by beating the
Mavericks with Zero and picking one Weapon + type. Even though the part
about different parts with X and Zero turned out to be wrong, I finally
figured out parts by testing it myself. Sadly, now these messages are gone,
and I have no idea who participated in the search. The one accurate credit
I can give for this group goes to Uratoh, who posted a message explaining
getting parts briefly and accurately close to the beginning of April 2001. I
seem to remember him from the debate, too. Still, thanks a lot, everyone!
More appreciated help from the X5 message board came from Marshmallowman, who
gave me info on Speedster and Black Zero's Super Recover. Of course, it's
probably common knowledge as of this writing, since he first gave it to me a
while back....
Big thanks should go to CJayC, for hosting (and putting up with) me, and
http://www.gamefaqs.com in general. I wish him nothing but success.
Thanks also go to Mandi Paugh, for http://www.mmhp.net. The site is
really cool, and the X5 hints were helpful too. Keep up the great work!
Zen(zen@zork.net) told me about bosses giving parts at Level 9 (not 7) and
the Shot Eraser erasing a shot in the final battle, two things I definitely
appreciate! He and Niko Pinedar(l_pineda@skyinet.net), Ryan Aikens
(Ryan_Aikens@excite.com) and J2keen35@aol.com are largely, if indirectly,
responsible for the part system explanation redo in v 1.1. Thanks, all!
Thanks go to Jujuboy (jujuboy@pacbell.net) for telling me about bosses giving
X parts one clock hour later if you're using a cheat code. This info may
have been proven wrong later on, but hey--so's a lot of mine! ^^;
Big thanks go to Mech Gouki (guojun83@hotmail.com), AKA Chen Guojun, for his
contributions on boss levels and various other things. (See the updates for
more details. =P) If you've got a question about how bosses level up, this
is definitely the guy to go to.
And, of course, I'll give Capcom credit where it's due. (...on time, this
time.) Capcom is probably the most prolific game developer out there today,
and for all their games I don't enjoy, I enjoy more games by them than anyone
but Square. Again, keep up the good work!
Finally, I'd like to give everyone who sends in their suggestions and
contributions thanks in advance! =)
Copyright
This FAQ is Copyright 2002, JJ Ukil(Jjukil@aol.com). I do not want bad
things happening to it without my knowledge. You may not publish it,
reprint it for commercial use, modify and redistribute or reprint it, or
use information from it in another document without my written consent.
I welcome and highly encourage its distribution, but only unmodified and in
its current form. I would also greatly prefer you mention to me that you
are distributing it. I have found my work in odd places before, and it has
made me unhappy. I've found my modified work in odd places before, too, and
that has made me very unhappy. (Especially because the modification was
horrible.)
Disclaimer
Finally, I'd like to remind everyone that this FAQ is NOT the final
authority on the parts system. It may have most of the information it's
going to get now, but it is still meant to be a work in progress, and your
contributions are greatly appreciated. Should you find an error or have
ideas about what you'd like to see here, please e-mail me at Jjukil@aol.com,
and I will add it to the list of improvements for the next version of the
FAQ. However, I want any emails you send me to be polite, coherent, and, in
the case of new info, informative. Flaming me for no reason will get you
nothing, and I will tend to respect your opinion less (read: not at all) if
your suggestion is phrased rudely. Remember: polite, coherent, and
informative. Thank you! =)
