================================
========Mega Man 3 Guide========
================================
by Tim
: http://megaman.retrofaction.com
: tim@megaman-network.com
======
Index:
======
1. Introduction
2. Boss Weaknesses / Recommended Order
3. Power-Up Uses and Locations
4. The Doc Robot
5. Magnet Man's stage
6. Hard Man's stage
7. Top Man's stage
8. Shadow Man's stage
9. Spark Man's stage
10. Snake Man's stage
11. Gemini Man's stage
12. Needle Man's stage
13. Needle Doc's stage
14. Spark Doc's stage
15. Gemini Doc's stage
16. Shadow Doc's stage
17. Break Man's stage
18. Dr. Wily's Castle, Stage 1
19. Dr. Wily's Castle, Stage 2
20. Dr. Wily's Castle, Stage 3
21. Dr. Wily's Castle, Stage 4
22. Final Stage
23. Boss Weapons
24. Secrets and Tips
25. Legal
================
1. Introduction:
================
Welcome to the official Mega Man Network guide for Mega Man 3, the third installment
in the Classic Series. Refer to the index above for an easy reference guide, and go to
http://megaman.retrofaction.com/mmc/guides/ to find guides for all of the other games
in the Classic Mega Man series. Happy gaming.
=======================================
2. Boss Weaknesses / Recommended Order:
=======================================
-Magnet Man --------- Arm Cannon / Spark Shock
-Hard Man ----------- Magnet Missile
-Top Man ------------ Hard Knuckle
-Shadow Man --------- Top Spin
-Spark Man ---------- Shadow Blade
-Snake Man ---------- Arm Cannon or Needle Cannon
-Gemini Man --------- Search Snake
-Needle Man --------- Gemini Laser
===============================
3. Power-Up Uses and Locations:
===============================
Power-Up Use Location
-------------------------------------------
Rush Coil - springboard device - have at start.
Rush Marine - submarine device - defeat Shadow Man.
Rush Jet - hovering jetboard device - defeat Needle Man.
Energy Tanks - refill your life meter; 9 Max - Found randomly.
=================
4. The Doc Robot:
=================
After completing the intitial eight stages, the mysterious Doc Robot will appear in
redesigned versions of Gemini Man, Spark Man, Needle Man, and Shadow Man's stages and
battle you twice each stage - each time taking on the abilities and characteristics of
a Robot Master previously defeated in Mega Man 2.
Here's a short layout to what variations are in what stage and the optimum MM3 weapons
you should use against each form.
Needle Man:
1) Air Man ------- Magnet Missile
2) Crash Man ----- Hard Knuckle
Spark Man:
1) Metal Man ----- Spark Shock
2) Quick Man ----- Gemini Laser
Gemini Man:
1) Flash Man ----- Needle Cannon
2) Bubble Man ---- Shadow Blades
Shadow Man:
1) Wood Man ------ Needle Cannon
2) Heat Man ------ Hard Knuckle
======================
5. Magnet Man's Stage:
======================
This opening stage can be tough at first. Start out heading to the right, but watch
yourself for the flying Magnets - they'll often pick you up and try to drop you into
pits. Destroy the low flyers and move on. At the end, climb down the ladder and face
Break Man for the first time.
Break Man Strategy
==================
Break Man is really easy this time. He just hops while firing, and the only thing you
have to worry about is collision damage. Stand about 1/4 the way from the right wall
while pounding away at him. When Break Man gets too close to you, slide under his next
jump, run to the other side and repeat until Break Man blows a hole in the floor and
leaves.
After Break Man reveals the new passage for you, drop down and take out the two Spring-
top robots. Drop down at the end of this part and destroy the enemies here, then ascend
the staircase. Climb down the ladder and take out the enemies while dealing with some
powerful magnets. Then drop down (don't climb the ladder) the next section and hold
Left to drop onto a platform with some energy. Continue heading down and you'll face
the first of the disappearing blocks sections. The patterns for the first two are easy
- use Rush Coil if you need to. The third is trickier since you have a giant magnet
attempting to pull you into the pit. Jump across the blocks as quick as you can, and
head across the final part back to solid ground. Climb up the ladder, take out the
shooter at the top, and climb the next ladder. Destroy the Springtop here and head to
the boss gate.
Magnet Man Strategy
===================
He repeats a semi-consistent pattern of jumping thrice, then either pulling you towards
him (by making himself a giant magnet - he can't be harmed when doing this) or hovering
and shooting three magnets down at you. If he does his pull attack, slide away from
him; if he shoots magnets, then jump/slide under or over them. The rest of the battle
should be spent sliding under his jumps and having some trusty Arm Cannon shots or
Spark Shocks ready to meet him when he comes down. Timing and persistence is key to
this battle.
====================
6. Hard Man's Stage:
====================
Start off by heading right. When you see the giant bees appear near the top, run left
to scroll them off the screen - this way you can bypass the annoying mini-bees. Keep
doing this for all the bees. When you reach the green claptraps, slide across them and
under the low overhang to get inside the cave. Climb the ladder and slide across the
next set of traps and climb the next ladder. Now use Rush Coil to bounce your way up to
the Hammer Joe when he's not firing, and take him out. Head left and climb up the next
ladder. Here head down the mini staircase and destroy the monkey enemies. Head to the
right and climb the ladder, and grab the energy behind the Hammer Joe if you need it;
otherwise continue climbing. Destroy the monkey at the top, and head up the next ladder.
In this next section, you'll deal with some Metdozers. Jump and hit their heads to
defeat them. When the path branches, take the top route to get an Energy Tank, then
climb the ladder and then the next one to get back outside. Deal with some more green
claptraps and more bees until you reach the end. As you climb down the ladder, you'll
drop into a room where Break Man comes to face you again.
Break Man Strategy
==================
The same basic strategy applies, except this time the room is a bit staggered. Just
keep firing shots at Break Man and try your best to jump or slide around his repetitive
jumping and shooting until he disappears.
After Break Man is defeated once more, drop down while holding Right to grab another
large energy capsule, then head further down, use the Arm Cannon to defeat the large
red robot down there, and you'll find yourself at the boss gate.
Hard Man Strategy
=================
Hard Man is sort of like Guts Man, except he is a lot more predictable. Hard Man will
start off by firing three Hard Knuckles at you. Either attempt to dodge them or just let
them hit you (you're better off dodging, though), then he'll jump into the air and
pound into the ground. Make sure you're facing him when he does this so you can fire off
a Magnet Missile in his direction when you're through being stunned from the impact.
Repeat this strategy, but be careful not to rapid-fire your Missiles since you'll go
through them quickly.
===================
7. Top Man's Stage:
===================
Navigating the first part of this stage is fairly easy. As the robot parts come together
to make one robot, destroy them and move on. At the end, climb down the ladder and hang
off the top rung to destroy the Top Shooter. Climb the staircase and climb down the next
ladder. Move through the following sections while dealing with the connecting robots
that pursue you, and head down some more to face some of those Metdozers you found in
Hard Man's stage. Take them out and drop down the ladder near the end. Continue heading
down to face a giant tomcat. Take out this annoying furball by shooting its head and
jumping over the yarnballs. After you kill it, move onward. After a while, you'll en-
counter another tomcat; deal with it the same way you did before, and continue upwards.
Jump from block to block over the spike pits while avoiding the connector robots, and
get up to solid ground. Slide in between the cracks to face another Top Shooter. Destroy
it and move on to the final part where you have to make your way across some spinning
tops. Wait until you have a clear jump before attempting to cross, and once you reach
solid ground again, head to the boss gate.
Top Man Strategy
================
He's so predictable it's ridiculous. He starts off creating three tops that hover, then
fly at you in diagonal angles. Slide to avoid them, then count to four and jump over him
when he spins across the room. Blast him with a Hard Knuckle when he stops spinning.
Repeat until you beat him.
======================
8. Shadow Man's Stage:
======================
The lava is mostly in the background here, so you don't have to worry about it for now.
At the beginning, just drop down the holes in the flooring until you reach the bottom.
Here, defeat the shooter enemy in your path, then head to the right and fall down again
to fight that red guy again.
Break Man Strategy
==================
This fight is the same as in Magnet Man's stage, so you can just read that one, or work
around Break Man's insanely easy pattern yourself.
After you beat him again, drop down through the hole he leaves, and equip the Magnet
Missiles when you reach the bottom. Traverse the darkened areas while avoiding the
suicide bomber robots. Partway through you'll encounter Shadow Robots along the floors
and ceilings; just use Magnet Missiles to take them out. Continue along the path until
you reach the end, then fall down the pitfall. Proceed along the straightforward path
until you reach a lava pit with suspended platforms. The objective is, of course, to
cross them, but you have to avoid the ParaTroopas as you cross. To take them out with
ease, shoot them from afar and make your way across the platforms with care. After you
reach solid ground, you'll have to deal with some annoying flies that try to crash into
you, along with some more small hopping robots. Take these out, and you'll reach the
boss gate.
Shadow Man Strategy
===================
Shadow Man's a tough one. He's extremely fast, so you have to be fast to counter him,
and he has a variety of attacks, ranging from sliding into you, to throwing Shadow
Blades, to pouncing on you. And what's worse, the only way to use the Top Spin on him is
to get right up next to him! Try to time it so you start Top Spinning as he's in the
middle of jumping or something. And pray to God that you don't mysteriously wipe out the
whole meter with one use. Other than that, bring some Energy Tanks for this fight.
=====================
9. Spark Man's Stage:
=====================
This stage can be quite hazardous the first couple of trips. To make your trip easier,
have the Shadow Blades equipped whenever you cross some large expanse. Anyway, start off
by luring the first robot off the ledge, destroy it, then climb the ladder. Head up to
the next section and avoid the electric barriers that travel along the floors. You'll
also have to deal with sparkers that fly through the room shooting little sparks at you.
At the end, climb the ladder, defeat the Hammer Joe and go up some more. Cross the small
platform section, keeping in mind that the platforms rise to the spiked ceiling, so be
careful with your jumps. Deal with some precarious sections with electric fields and
head up. Keep going through these next few sections until you reach a section with fall-
ing garbage chutes. Wait for the first block to fall, then shoot it and quickly slide
under before another comes down and either blocks you in or crushes you. Repeat for the
next few and fall down the really long tunnel. Make your way through a larger junk chute
section, climb down the ladder, and slide under the passage to refill any wasted Shadow
Blade energy. The next and final section is another platform hopping scenario, except
with those connecting blocks you saw earlier in Top Man's stage coming after you this
time. Bait them into following you, then nail them with a Shadow Blade to eliminate them
from your path, cross the remaining platforms, and you'll reach the boss gate.
Spark Man Strategy
==================
This Robot Master is fairly easy - he'll hop around his irregularly shaped room shooting
Spark Shocks at you. You'll want to get close and pound away with the Shadow Blades -
they fly in six directions, so you can aim diagonally when he's on the center pedestal.
Try to hit him continuously so he doesn't charge a giant Spark Shock and hurl it at you.
======================
10. Snake Man's Stage:
======================
This stage is a fun one. Start off heading right while destroying the hopping/flying
enemies in your path. You'll also have to take out a few Tower Snakes, but a few shots
to the head will get them out of the way quickly. Make your way to the ladder and take
out more little snake heads. Climb up the next ladder to find a mega-sized version of
the Tower Snake. Don't worry, the moving parts of the snake can get you a little tripped
up, but as long as you keep nailing its head, you'll defeat it easily. Once it's gone,
move on through the winding maze of levels. After a while, you'll find some Hammer Joes
and pole-vaulting enemies, but these are merely bothersome robots in your path. You'll
reach a long ladder after a while; climb it to find a second giant Tower Snake. Take it
out like you did the first one, and move on again. This short part involves more pole-
vaulting robots, but soon you'll have to make a wide jump. Use Rush Coil if it helps
you, but Mega Man can make the jump solo by standing on the very edge of the cliff. Take
out another pole-vaulter and climb the ladder. Jump to the next tower and ascend it,
then you'll have to make your way to the boss gate by hopping across platforms with
clouds rising out of them. At times you can use the clouds as platforms to give you an
added boost, but other times if you jump as a cloud is emerging, you can inadvertently
knock yourself to an untimely doom. So be careful, and watch out for the flying clouds - they're bullets in
disguise, and have just enough kick to them to send you backwards into a pit. Finish
this last section and you'll find the boss gate nestled high in the sky.
Snake Man Strategy
==================
This Robot Master likes to ram you, so watch out. He will start off and proceed across
the screen, not pausing to see if you're in the way. He also sends out Search Snakes to
deter you from trying to escape. Shoot the snakes with the Arm Cannon and dodge Snake
Man himself (he follows a repetitive pattern), shooting him with the Arm Cannon or the
Needle Cannon whenever you get a clear shot.
=======================
11. Gemini Man's Stage:
=======================
The first part of this stage involves avoiding a lot of robots that drop down and shoot
flame towers. Deal with them and move on to the end where you'll encounter Break Man.
He won't fight you here, but he'll reveal a passage for you. Drop down into the cave,
and proceed to blast your way through the larva eggs to create paths for you to move
through. You'll go through this type of obstacle for a while until you reach an open
area. Next you'll face a giant penguin. Shoot the crank atop its head while using the
enemies he shoots out to gain power-ups. Destroy it and head on to face another penguin.
Take it out and drop down. The next section involves a giant lake. If you have the Rush
Marine adapter, you can circumnavigate this section, however, you can gain items by
taking the top route across the blocks, but you'll deal with more enemies this way. Use
whichever method you prefer, and reach the end. Now climb the ladder, get to the next
one, and head to the boss gate.
Gemini Man Strategy
===================
He splits into two clones for this battle (both of which can be harmed), and proceeds to
run around in a easy to avoid pattern around the room. Use Search Snakes to knock him
out of commission, and adjust your strategy if he reforms (at which point, he'll just
run around shooting Gemini Lasers at you). He's not hard at all.
=======================
12. Needle Man's Stage:
=======================
Start off moving forward, and take out the Needle Shooters that get in your way. Keep
heading forward and the next section will require you to move across some high ledges
while avoiding more enemies. At the end of this outside section, head down the ladder,
and slide through the small gaps while avoiding the giant needles that come down from
the ceiling. Continue heading through here and carefully cross the platform section.
Climb up the ladder and defeat the enemies in each section before ascending the ladders.
Keep climbing up to face another giant hopper robot. Use the Hard Knuckle to take it
out, and head on up to reach the boss gate.
Needle Man Strategy
===================
Given the way the Gemini Laser rebounds, and the way Needle Man jumps, using the Laser
on him is a bit tedious, but as long as you try to score direct hits on him, you'll do
fine. Don't stay too close to Needle Man, otherwise you're liable to get stabbed by the
needle arrangement on his head. Also watch out for the rapid fire Needles he shoots in
your general direction. Since the Laser reflects at a 45 degree angle, if you're able to
time it right, you can usually score multiple hits with one laser, but it's a tad hard
to do. Stick with trying for direct hits, it's easier this way.
=====================
13. Needle Doc Stage:
=====================
Your second trip here looks...different. Now it's nighttime, and a lot of stuff is
switched around. Anyway, head to the right and drop down the hole in the ground. Maneu-
ver through the needles that pop out of the floor in the following section, and make
sure Rush Jet is at full energy. You can use either him or Rush Coil to reach the items
in the next part, but I recommend Coil as you'll need Jet later on. Head up the ladder
at the top to reach the first boss gate, where the Doc Robot will mimic Air Man.
Air Doc Strategy
================
Use Spark Shocks or Magnet Missiles while avoiding his tornadoes. Fortunately, you now
have a slide with which to better handle those annoying things. Slide under the Air
Shooter attack and fire away with your chosen weapon. Air Doc won't take long to fall.
After taking out Air Man, head on through the rest of the stage, which mostly requires
Rush Jet. Stay near the middle of the screen so you can better maneuver around the
Paratroopas, and don't stop for the energy refills - you'll need all of Rush Jet's
energy supply to make it to the end. At the end of this long gap, climb up the ladder
and use what little energy you have of Jet remaining to cross to the next ladder. Climb
up and head across this long section while taking out any enemies that cross your path
to reach the next boss gate, where the Doc Robot will mimic Crash Man.
Crash Doc Strategy
==================
If you can manage to hit him, four Hard Knuckles will take him out. If not, try the Top
Spin or the standard Arm Cannon. He's every bit as tough here as he was in Mega Man 2.
====================
14. Spark Doc Stage:
====================
From the start of this redesigned stage, use Rush Coil to reach the high ledge, then
equip the Gemini Laser. Climb up the ladder and use it on the robot occupying said
ladder and continue upwards. To make your trip through the next section easier, use Rush
Jet to cross the large expanse, thus avoiding a trip on the cycling wheels. You can do
so for the next section after the ladder as well. Climb the next ladder and slide
through the narrow passage to reach the boss gate, where the Doc Robot will mimic Metal
Man.
Metal Doc Strategy
==================
The Shadow Blades do decent damage, (though they'll never be as good as the Metal Blade,
and this battle proves it). However, I found the Spark Shock to work even better at
times. If neither of these appeal to you, use Magnet Missiles. Your only real concern
in this battle is that Metal Doc attacks just as frenzied as Metal Man did, so you may
take a bit of damage in this fight.
After beating Metal Man, fall down a long spike-lined tunnel. For the safest results,
hold left whenever it won't cause you to collide with some spikes, and you'll make it
down safely. Head to the right through another long section and you'll eventually reach
some more of the junk heaps from the first trip here. Destroy them like before and make
your way across the ledges to the next boss gate, where the Doc Robot will mimic Quick
Man.
Quick Doc Strategy
==================
Your primary problem lies in the fact that Quick Doc is really hard to avoid given his
size, and the fact that you don't have the Time Stopper. Add this to the fact that the
Gemini Laser (which works really nice) is really hard to hit with, but as long as you're
careful with how you move and fire, you should come out of this battle alive. I really
recommend having about three Energy Tanks in reserve (you can always pick up more in
Wily's Castle).
=====================
15. Gemini Doc Stage:
=====================
You'll start off the same as you did the first trip through. Head to the pit that Break
Man created earlier and drop down. Now it gets slightly different. Blast through the
multiple layers of larva eggs and go down the ladder. Fight through some more of the
eggs and you'll reach the first boss gate where the Doc Robot will mimic Flash Man.
Flash Doc Strategy
==================
Use the Shadow Blades or Needle Cannon to do decent damage here. The size of the Doc
Robot makes it really difficult to clear him if he's running towards you, so dodge the
best you can.
After beating Flash Man, continue on and use either Rush Marine or Rush Jet to bypass
the lake section, then make your way through the ladder series and head down to the
second boss gate. Here, the Doc Robot will mimic Bubble Man.
Bubble Doc Strategy
===================
He's every bit as easy as the first time, though the Shadow Blades don't work quite as
well as the Metal Blade. You can use the Spark Shock as an alternative.
=====================
16. Shadow Doc Stage:
=====================
This starts off the same as the first trip, except with no lava falling down the back-
ground. Head down until you reach some of the platforms that quickly drop you. You can
attempt to get past them, or do like I do and use Rush Jet to bypass them. Use Rush on
the following section as it's rather tough, and get back to solid ground. Head to the
right and maneuver through the next small section to reach the first boss gate, where
the Doc Robot will mimic Wood Man.
Wood Doc Strategy
=================
Since you can't penetrate the Leaf Shield anymore, wait until he tosses it, then blast
away point-blank at Wood Man with the Needle Cannon. Repeat until he's dead.
After beating Wood Man, head out into the rest of the stage. Use the energy capsule to
refill yourself, and head to the right to find some more Paratroopas. Handle them like
the first time around and knock them out of the sky before they can return the favor,
and move on. Be careful when jumping due to the spiked ceiling though, and get back to
solid ground. At the end, refill yourself with some more energy capsules and you can
continue on to the boss gate, where the Doc Robot will mimic Heat Man.
Heat Doc Strategy
=================
Use the Hard Knuckle the same way you used the Bubble Lead in the last game, then get
out of the way as he flares across the screen. Dodge his other attacks by sliding and/
or jumping, and continue pelting him to death.
======================
17. Break Man's Stage:
======================
Break Man makes one last valiant attempt to fight you before you go on to battle through
Wily's Castle. Show him who's boss and finish him off quickly.
===============================
18. Dr. Wily's Castle, Stage 1:
===============================
From the start, use Rush Coil to the left to grab the 1-Up. Now head back to the right,
destroying the Top Shooters that sit atop the large ledges with the "W" logo. Head to
the ladder and jump across if you want the Energy Tank; otherwise head down into the
underground section of the Castle. Head through the watery section and destroy the
enemies as they come at you. At the end, use Rush Jet to get up and over the Sniper Joe.
Climb the ladder and proceed to make your way up while grabbing items and defeating
enemies. One room here in particular has a lot of items, so use Rush Jet and the Hard
Knuckle to reach these otherwise inaccessible places. At the top, slide between the
small platforms and take out the series of Hammer Joes that you encounter. Head up the
next ladder to find a rather easy series of disappearing blocks - but be careful as you
try to reach the ladder. You have to wait for the last block to appear to give you a
boost to it, otherwise you'll land on the spikes below. Climb the ladder, recharge your
Rush Adapters if necessary, and head in the gate to face the boss.
Turtle Maker Strategy
=====================
The trick to this battle is not to attack the machine itself - it's invincible. Instead
target the turtles that it shoots at you, and it'll take damage. Use the Shadow Blades
to hit them, and the turtles will increase in speed (and take more damage) the more you
hit them. Be wary of the small tornadoes that come out of the walls, and concentrate all
your firepower on the turtles to beat this boss.
===============================
19. Dr. Wily's Castle, Stage 2:
===============================
This stage is very, very short. Start by jumping up and being faster than the drop gates
to reach the top. Head up the left side of the passage and grab the 1-Up if you need it.
Climb the next two ladders and maneuver your way through a section of the ClapTraps and
giant bees (which you can't scroll off the screen this time). Next, equip the Rush Jet
and fly through the final section, grabbing Energy Tanks and weapon pellets until you
reach the boss gate.
Yellow Devil mk-II Strategy
===========================
As soon as you enter the room, get to the far right. Now dodge the blocks that come
flying into the room by jumping or sliding, then equip the Hard Knuckle and pop the eye
a good one when it opens up. Repeat this strategy, and use Rush Jet to avoid his cas-
cading wave attack if you can execute the evasive maneuver in time. Continue assaulting
the eye when it pops out after the Devil re-forms, and you'll have no troubles against
this boss.
===============================
20. Dr. Wily's Castle, Stage 3:
===============================
This stage is also pretty short, but its difficulty makes it seem a bit longer. Start
off by using the Shadow Blades to take out the enemies above you, then use Rush Coil to
bounce your way up to either of the ladders. Ascend the next section and climb the next
ladder. Take the Energy Tank to your right and use Rush Coil to get up to a high ledge.
Make your way through this section very carefully. When you see the lights go out, wait
in your location and fire Magnet Missiles when the orbs appear on the floor/ceiling.
Make your way across while doing this and slide along the bottom path to get another
Energy Tank, then fall down the hole. Equip the Hard Knuckle and drop down. Use the
Knuckle on the giant hopper robot and move on. Climb the ladder - here's where it gets
tough. The following two sections rapidly move across the screen and you have to move
from moving platform to the next very quickly so you don't get shoved into the spikes
lining the walls. It may take some practice, but once you get the hang of it, you won't
have too many problems. Sometimes it's best to hang out on the top rung of the ladder to
watch and get a pattern going before attempting this section. Make it to the top of
these two and use Rush Jet to get some more power-ups, then head on to the boss gate.
Triple Clone Strategy
=====================
It's a triple remake of the Mega Clone battle from the first game. Here you have to deal
with three of the clones, and they appear randomly on teleporters. Only one of them can
be harmed, the other two are merely holograms. However, they can still shoot and damage
you (that's not what I call fair). And every time they enter the teleports, they're
randomly switched around. The best strategy I recommend is to hop from ledge to ledge
tossing Search Snakes to uncover the real clone, and then center your attacks on him
once you find him. The Search Snake by far does the most damage, so it is the ideal
weapon with which to fight.
===============================
21. Dr. Wily's Castle, Stage 4:
===============================
This stage leads to the teleport room. Start off by recharging your weapons with the
energy pellets you find at the beginning, then head down. Destroy the first rock throw-
ing robot here, and keep winding your way down, destroying more and more of the rock
throwers as you go. At the bottom, you'll reach a gate that leads to the teleport room.
Here's the layout of the teleports.
Needle Man Snake Man
Magnet Man Spark Man
Gemini Man Hard Man Top Man Shadow Man
After you beat all eight again, exit the room and head to the next teleport. In this
section, you'll find a lot of power-ups, so recharge your Rush Jet, Spark Shocks, Shadow
Blades, and Top Spin as your primary concern, then slide down through the cracks to face
Wily.
Wily Pinbot Strategy
====================
Have the Spark Shocks equipped as you drop down, and start firing them at the rotating
turret on the bottom of Wily's ship. Junp to avoid his plasma shots while pounding away
at it. Use an Energy Tank if you really, really need to. As soon as it's gone, switch to
the Rush Jet to get ready for the second part of the battle.
The Pinbot now just shoots stuff at you, and you have to hit Wily's cockpit. So just
use Rush Jet to fly up and stay level with the cockpit (where half of the return fire
misses you anyway) and pepper Wily to death with the Arm Cannon. Rush's energy will far
outlast Wily's life meter. After you defeat him, Wily starts to beg, but *B-boing!!*
just as Mega Man gets to the old doctor, Wily's head springs off, revealing that it
was only a dummy!
================
22. Final Stage:
================
Here it is: the final level. It helps to have your reserves fully stocked, but you can
use the bounty of powerups given to you. This stage is merely a single room, so grab
all the energy and weapon refills, then head through the boss gate to the final battle.
Gamma Strategy
==============
Have the Shadow Blades equipped when you enter the door, and as soon as his energy meter
fills up, start jumping while chucking the Blades vertically to destroy him. Since the
last two bosses share a life meter, you only have to knock half of Gamma's energy off
to defeat him. As soon as the first part of the head is defeated, quickly switch to the
Top Spin.
Dr. Wily Strategy
=================
Wily settles into a cockpit in the head of Gamma and assumes control of the giant robot.
Now look carefully - there are high ledges, both of which you could reach with the Rush
Jet or Rush Coil, but I personally wait for one of Gamma's fists to come slamming across
the screen, then I use it to give me the necessary boost to the lower ledge. Climb to
the top, head to the edge, then leap out and over Wily's head, and start Top Spinning
as you fall. If you hit him in the right spot, Wily will do down for the count with but
a single hit!!
=================
23. Boss Weapons:
=================
- Magnet Missiles - Mega Man shoots magnet projectiles which will seek out metallic
objects, to a certain degree.
- Hard Knuckle - Mega Man shoots a fist-shaped projectile forward. It starts off slowly,
but quickly picks up speed. It can be used to break down some walls.
- Top Spin - Press Jump and Fire to activate it. Mega Man whirls through the air like a
spinning top, but be warned - there appears to be a bug with the weapon in that you
can sometimes use it without using any of your energy, and other times you can drain
it with one use. A finicky weapon this is.
- Shadow Blade - A derivative of the Metal Blade (but not nearly as useful), Mega Man
shoots a ninja star which returns after traveling a short length. It can fire in six
directions.
- Spark Shock - Mega Man shoots a ball of electricity forward.
- Search Snake - Mega Man can toss three snakes on the ground which will crawl on floors
and up walls while "searching" for the enemy.
- Gemini Laser - Mega Man shoots a beam which can reflect off a wall at a 45 degree
angle and split into separate beams.
- Needle Cannon - Like the Arm Cannon, but Mega Man rapid-fires needles.
=====================
24. Secrets and Tips:
=====================
1. Wily Password: A1(B), A3(B), A6(R), B2(B), B5(B), D3(B), E1(R), F4(B).
2. Start with 9 Energy Tanks: A6(R).
3. Controller Tricks: Mega Man 3 is full of little controller tricks that you can use
to help you or just plain have fun. These only work in the NES version, so the few
remakes (Wily Wars, Complete Works) do not include them, and they require the use of
Controller 2. So just have a friend press the required buttons and have yourself a
blast!
- Super Jump - Hold Right on Controller 2; Mega Man's jumps will nearly touch the top
of the screen!
- Slow Mode - Hold Up on Controller 2; all the animations will be slowed down.
- Time Freeze - Hold Up and A on Controller 2; almost all robots will freeze. Though,
just like with the laws of physics, objects in motion will tend to stay in motion,
so a Robot Master in mid-jump will normally finish that jump, but you can use it to
freeze a Robot Master during one phase of attack, and then blast them to oblivion.
- Jump/Stop Combo - Hold Up, Right, and A on Controller 2; Mega Man gets both the
Super Jump and the Time Freeze tricks.
- Having trouble with those pits? Use this trick then. As soon as you fall into one,
quickly press Right on Controller 2 and the Jump Button on Controller 1; if you do
this correctly, Mega Man will bound out of the pit and be able to journey on,
though you'll have to sacrifice the music for the rest of the stage.
- An alternate method to this is to simply navigate the pit while you're down there.
To do this, hold Right on Controller 2 while you jump into a pit. Then while hold-
ing that button down, you can maneuver safely through. Be wary though, if you stay
down there too long, Mega Man will eventually succumb to gravity and die.
- There's also a way you can use Rush Adapters even if you haven't acquired the part
yet to use them! First, find an weapon pellet (large). Then open your subscreen and
put the cursor on the Spark Shocks for Rush Marine or point to the Shadow Blade if
you want to use Rush Jet. Needless to say, you must have these weapons if you wish
to use the Adapters. Now press right, and Rush will appear, wagging his tail. Press
A or Start, and pick up the energy to start using Rush. You'll probably have to
fill its energy up all the way before you can use it much, but...
- Invincibility - Go to your subscreen, and hold Up and A on Controller 2 as you
exit, and Mega Man will get stuck in his faintwarp state, which means he can't be
hurt. It's kind of useless seeing as you can't move or do anything while in this
state, but you can use it to get by some tough spots when fighting bosses!
- You can use the Time Freeze trick to get a longer ending (with some new, wilder
music after Protoman's theme plays). To do this, hold Up and A while Light is
telling Mega Man about how he found him in the lab, and when Mega Man goes to
teleport, thus leading to the rest of the ending, he'll freeze in his faintwarp
state. Now just keep holding those buttons to hear the music in its entirety.
- "Zombie Mega Man" - This one is interesting. A zombie in "Final Fantasy 3" is a
character whose HP is reading zero, yet he is still alive. To "zombie" Mega Man,
hold Right on Controller 2, then jump into a pit. Jump out immediately after you
hear the Death sound effect, and Mega Man will be able to continue on with no
energy (!). He can't be harmed, but can't use his Arm Cannon either. However, you
can still use Master Weapons since they use a separate energy supply, so you can
take out the stage boss with no worries! Just note that any amount of energy acts
just like the "Revivify" Item, which will cure Mega Man's zombie status. Weapon
energy won't have this effect, though.
*Thanks to Mandi Paugh of the Mega Man Homepage for compiling a list of these.
==========
25. Legal:
==========
This guide must always be shown in full form with credit given to the author, and a link
and credit must be given to Mega Man Network (http://megaman.retrofaction.com/). All
associated characters and games are copyright to Capcom.
