Mega Man Battle Network 3

A month after the whole Gospel incident finds Lan and MegaMan doing the usual—going to school and having fun NetBattling. The idea of winning the N1 Grand Prix tournament has them so excited they don’t realize at first that an old foe has returned...

Battle Network 3 is very similar to the first two games. In fact, about the biggest differences between it and the second title are the addition of the NaviCust feature, and the ability to counter enemies to win BugFrags. I find this game to be lacking in effort in some places (there is no longer a jack-in transmission animation, and even the title screen doesn’t animate), but lots of polish in others (the main menu and the key items menu are pretty cool, if but a little monochrome).

Note: This game came out in White, Blue, and Black versions. I’m told that the English Blue is actually the Japanese Black, but as of yet I have no proof of this. This page currently covers mostly the English Blue version.

Countering

Countering earns you BugFrags in this game. Most counters result in you gaining 1 BugFrag regardless of the type of enemy. However countering a boss will net you 10 BugFrags, and you get exponentially more BugFrags by countering more than one enemy in a single battle (two enemies gives you 3, three enemies gives you 8, and so forth).

The timing can be finicky on some enemies. However, since the power of the enemy doesn’t influence how many BugFrags you get, there’s no harm in fighting weak enemies for BugFrag gathering purposes. Probably the easiest enemy to counter is the lowly Mettaur. Simply hit it with a Cannon or something as it is cocking its pickaxe back, and you’ll get the counter.

Navi Customizer

You no longer get PowerUp items; instead you raise your stats using the NaviCust feature. You pick up pieces to add to the customizer from Mystery Data and other places. See more details on this on the Strategies page.

Style Changes

As with the previous game, you can get style changes here. You can only have one style change at a time (plus your normal style, which you can switch to at any time). When you get a new style, you’re asked if you want to level it up. If you choose “find another,” you will be a candidate for earning a new style change after enough battles. Otherwise, you level up the style you are currently using. If you like a style, always choose to work with it, and it will gain in power. However, if you choose “find another” you can fight with your current style change while looking for another one (you don’t have to be using the “Normal” style).

You gain NaviCust programs by leveling up styles, so you may wish to level up once or twice before switching styles (every time you level up, you are asked again if you wish to level up more, or find a new style), because you get to keep the program even after you switch styles.

• What’re the differences between the White and Blue versions?
  In White, you encounter MistMan instead of BowlMan, and Mr. Famous is replaced by an assistant who doesn’t have Punk. Other than that, there are supposedly a lot of differences in the chips and etc. that you can acquire, but there is no way to ever tally these differences through merely playing the game. (After all, just because a particular chip hasn’t shown up doesn’t mean it absolutely doesn’t exist...) Aside from reverse-engineering the game, the only way to tell would be to ask someone at Capcom who knows, or find someone else who has done so. I assume that the official strategy guide had Capcom’s input, since writers need to get these guides out the door in a timely manner and there’s no way to do that without inside help. So, I suggest an official strategy guide if you’re really curious.
• Should I buy White or Blue?
  Blue if you want to fight Punk. Otherwise, it really doesn’t matter. Or you could wait for the Yellow version that will combine the two and have all of the items all in one cart. I’m only kidding; there is no Yellow version. Yet.

Play Control:

Identical to the previous game’s.

Graphics:

The graphics are more or less the same as the previous game’s.

Animation:

The sprites are more or less the same as the previous game’s.

Music:

About the same as always, although I think I found the previous games to have more catchy music. However, the songs make lots of use of stereo which is nice.

Sound Effects:

The same as the previous game.

Plot:

The plot has a bit of a slow start, but it improves and at least Wily is in it. (I’m probably one of the only two people in the world who is happy by that, but hey, it’s just not the same without Wily.) What’s curious is while the plot does make references to events from the first game, it seems to pretend as though the second game never happened (except for a curious development near the end of the game...).

Difficulty: (normal to hard)

About the same as the previous two titles. In particular, the final boss is just as aggravating as the one in Battle Network 2.

Replay Value:

One thing this game has going for it is the fact that the plot is so long that you’ll forget what happened in the beginning by the time you get to the end. So starting over may well feel like playing a new game for a while.

Polish:

As mentioned elsewhere, this seems to come and go. But there are some clever features, such as when MegaMan loses contact with Lan and is forced to escape the Net without using any Battle Chips or otherwise getting in touch with Lan. They even remembered to alter the dialogue that appears when you try to run from battle (yes, I check these things).

Overall: 85%

It’s really hard to say. The third installment doesn’t stand out as being either significantly better or significantly worse than the previous two games, but its user interface is steadily improving and the Style Changes and Navi Customizer are fun new features.

+ Plus:

The chip-ordering system from Higsby’s shop is a great feature. Couple this with the fact that you can merge libraries from your friends, and you can easily get chips that would otherwise be out of your reach.

- Minus:

Some of the Net Squares are a pain to walk to, and even the shortcuts rarely help since they can often take just as much time to reach (Tamako’s jumps to mind). It would have been nice if there were some warp points between Squares like the previous game. And I won’t even mention how slow MegaMan walks when he’s tiny via the PresData...

The plot in Battle Network 3 is surprisingly long. This walkthrough will not cover every single step through the game or tell you what items you find where. However I cover the basics of what to look out for. Note that although I don’t go into details about the plot, reading through this will still involve spoilers, so skip it if you’re worried about things like that.

This walkthrough covers the Blue version of the game. I will eventually play through the White, but it may be a while. If you’re playing White, some of the details given below may differ, but I figure the plot sequence will remain the same.

Before you start, be aware that later in the game you will be required to consume a number of Fire- and Aqua-based chips. (Doesn’t matter which ones, as long as they have the right Element.) I would recommend that you do not gamble such chips away or otherwise get rid of them until after you pass the event where they are needed. It’s true that you can’t get totally stuck, for if you run out of chips you can fight enemies for more, but having enough before you start will save you a lot of time.

This covers only the initial play through the game. The hidden areas and “Title Menu Star” aspects are not covered.

• The N1 Grand Prix
  • First things first. Talk to everyone and go through the tutorial.
  • When you’re ready, head to the park to participate in the N1 Grand Prix preliminaries.
  • Jack into the Net from Lan’s room.
  • This preliminary is a quiz. You answer by finding the correct chip with the “O” (true) or “X” (false) somewhere in the Net. Here are the questions (with answers) that I was given:
    • Question 1: O in ACDC 3 (red means stop)
    • Question 2: X in ACDC 2 (a ton of anything is a ton)
    • Question 3: X in ACDC 1 (the answer is 55, not 54)
  • Talk to Lan’s mom to advance the plot.
• And the Return of...?
  • Jack in at Lan’s computer and go to Yai’s computer in ACDC 2.
  • Go to the school at night.
  • Jack into the Net and find the key in ACDC 2 (it’s in a big open area).
  • Go into Lan’s classroom. The disk is in an animal cage. Go to the teachers’ lounge at the end of the hall and then through the door inside.
  • After the plot, leave the lounge and search the school for the others. After talking to all three (and getting your Roll chip), get the parasol from the classroom beside Lan’s.
  • Go back to the lounge and jack in.
  • Boss: FlashMan
  • (Rule number 98: Never get deleted.)
  • Sleep when ready.
• N1 Grand Prix Preliminaries
  • Go to the Metroline station and talk to the kid standing there (Chisao).
  • Go into the school and talk to Dex.
  • Boss: GutsMan (Note: As far as I know you don’t actually have to win this battle.)
  • Go to the SciLab via the Metroline and up to Lan’s dad’s lab. When you come back down you’ll get a cut scene.
  • Go to the Net and head for the Metroline within the Net (it’s in ACDC 1).
  • You have three missions here:
    • Mission 1: Three-round survival.
    • Mission 2: Find the “Virus King” Navi. You actually have to find him twice, because they mess up the cut the first time. He’s not hard to track down though.
    • Mission 3: Find the Navi in ACDC 2. This is another three-round survival.
  • Lan’s PET is malfunctioning so you’ll have to escape the Net on foot. This one is actually pretty interesting; you can’t use Battle Chips, and you can’t communicate with Lan.
• The Zoo Goes Zonkers
  • The next scene is the field trip to the zoo. Go through the plot and learn how to use the Navi Customizer.
  • Read all of the computer panels next to the animal pens, then go to the lion cage.
  • After the cut scene, walk through the hall behind the building to get to the first area of the zoo. Then walk behind the building near the lower left. Enter the inn and exit out the front. Go to the electrical tower near the zoo entrance.
  • Go back into the zoo and jack in at the panda control panel.
  • You find programs emulating different animals, plants, and items. You have to properly combine these programs with the Mettaur-like viruses to pass. The solutions are:
    • Mouse = Cat
    • Frog = Snake
    • Rabbit = Rabbit
    • Gorilla = Banana
    • Sea Lion = Ball
    • Clam = Otter
    • Tree = Beaver
    • Pandas = Bamboo + Tire
    • Mongoose = Cobra
    • Jar = Octopus
    • Parrot = Tongue Twister
    • Monkey = Walnut + Chestnut
    • Cat, Lion / Wool, Lamb / Wolf, Fox = Tiger + Sheep + Dog
  • Boss: BeastMan
• Lan gets a Job!
  • Talk to everyone in the school and a mail will arrive from Higsby.
  • You will have three jobs to do:
    • Job 1: Get equipment from the merchant in ACDC station. Go to Yoka Inn and find the bag under a table. Go back to the merchant to finish the job.
    • Job 2: Go to ACDC 1 in the Net. Find the Navi that looks like the TV “Virus King” and fight a SnowBlow.
    • Job 3: Take the chip to the red Navi in SciLab 2. She’s right near the SciLab Square exit.
• N1 Grand Prix Preliminaries (Again)
  
  • Time for the N1 again. Go to the SciLab cyber-square and find the yellow Navi. Trade a LongSwrd E for the CYokaPas. Use it at the Cyber Metroline.
  • Talk to the Navi in Yoka Square for the next preliminaries. You have to use the PreFolder for this, so don’t do this until you are ready. The PreFolder can’t be edited, but it’s not all that bad. It has the chips to do a LifeSwrd Program Advance, which you probably haven’t been able to do until now unless you’ve managed to snag the correct LongSwrd off a Swordy.
  • Mission 1: Find five people in the real world dressed as Navis. They are:
    • In SciLab near the coffee machine.
    • In the bath at the Yoka inn.
    • Behind a building in the first area of the zoo.
    • Behind trees above Yai’s house.
    • In the teacher’s lounge in the school.
  • Mission 2: Three-battle survival.
  • Sleep to advance the plot.
• That’s a (Bubble) Wrap!
  • Go to Mayl’s to help her install her BubbleWash.
  • Work for Higsby again. You need a Wind *. If you don’t have one already, go to Yoka 1 and fight WindBoxes.
  • Give the chip to Higsby at Mayl’s.
  • After the cut scene jack into Mayl’s computer and go out to the Net to find BubbleMan (he looks like Bomberman). Mayl will give you her pass code at this point to get past the security cube that is blocking your way.
  • Follow the bubble trail. It will lead you to Yoka Square. Leave the Square to Yoka’s Net and follow the bubbles along the blue road, past the water heater, and to the narrow path.
  • Go the SciLab in the real world and talk to the man in Dr. Hikari’s lab near the computer. Jack into the computer and talk to the program inside, and win the PresData from some Shrimpys.
  • Give the PresData to Higsby, then leave Mayl’s house and bump into the man on the street. Make sure to add the new part to your Navi Customizer.
  • Go back into the Net to BubbleMan. Meet the Bubble Brigade (this part is pretty funny).
  • Chase the brigade to ACDC 2 (they’re where the school key was).
  • Get your style change.
  • Chase the brigade to SciLab 1. You get to where they are from the Cyber Metroline station.
  • Chase the brigade to Yoka 1, where the Bubble Door is.
  • Boss: BubbleMan (For the love of all things good, don’t use a Fire-type style change for this battle!)
  • Once ProtoMan toasts BubbleMan for you (after you did all the work), sleep to advance the plot.
• One Day Till N1!
  • Find Roll and Glyde on their respective home pages, and GutsMan in Yoka 1. You have to find all three to get the Beach Pass. (This isn’t at all clear, since the plot mentions sending them mails, but you have to actually visit them in person.)
  • Go to Beach Square in the Net and talk to the yellow Navi.
  • Head to Beach 1. Fight bad Navis. You have to use the transporters to get to where GutsMan is.
  • (Wily hates Chaud and ProtoMan more than Lan and MegaMan...)
  • Take the DataDisk to the SciLab. Give it to the man in Lan’s dad’s lab, then go back down the elevator for a cut scene.
  • Sleep to advance the plot.
• It’s the N1 at Last!
  • Go to Beach Station via the real-world Metroline. Find the TV station and talk to Tora.
  • Boss: KingMan (Note: According to a reader you don’t actually have to win this fight.)
  • Go through the doors inside the TV station to the N1 stage. It’s all the way down the hall.
  • After the introductions, you’ll all go off to an island. Get your ExpMemry and head outside to the ferry below the station.
  • Once off the ferry, go inside the cave. You will be given a new Folder that you have to use for the next few parts.
  • Round 1: Find VictData. You’ll need to get the HadesKey and then go down the slope to the locked door.
  • Round 2: Pick a door, any door. You will face MetalMan regardless of the door you choose; however the door determines the environment of your battle. From bottom-left to upper-right, they are: Door 1 is inferno (some lava tiles); door 2 is desert (all sand); door 3 is arctic (all ice); door 4 is amazon (all grass).
  • Now you have to find a folder within a 3 minute time limit. Which folder you want is up to you; you fight only GutsMan using this folder. (If you don’t pick them all up now, though, I suggest coming back later and getting each just to get the chips in your library.) Here are their highlights:
    • N1-FldrC is mostly cannon balls and mini-bomb type items.
    • N1-FldrB is a nice mix of water/fire/electric with Roll and GutsMan (uh?).
    • N1-FldrD is swords and some weird things, plus FlashMan and BubbleMan.
    • N1-FldrA: This one requires passing a quiz. The answers to the questions that I got were (the number indicates which item to pick, with 1 being the top item): 3, 2, 1, 3, 1. If the answers or questions are shuffled randomly, however, these might not apply to you. I didn’t have time to write down the actual questions and answers, sorry. Anyway, this folder has chips for a LifeSwrd Advance, as well as BeastMan, Roll, FlashMan, various swords, HiCannons, and things. No healing except for Roll.
  • Quarter-Finals: GutsMan. You know the drill.
  • After this, you are allowed to use your own Folder. Remember to equip it! Also, talk to the man in the lobby of the TV station to get a BrakChrg. He also gives you the code required to bypass the error: LOZXME. There is a reason they are giving this to you now. Equip this because it will help against KingMan.
  • Talk to Ribitta and find Chaud out on Beach Street, along the narrow path to the lower left. After the cut scene go back to the TV station to the stage where you were before.
  • Semi-Finals: KingMan. Using the BrakChrg you can destroy his pawns and knights with just charged shots.
  • Go outside and talk to Mayl, who mailed about Yai. After the cut scene, go back to watch Chaud and Q.
  • Follow Chaud up the elevator to the editing room.
  • Boss: DesertMan
  • (Why do they stand there and Net Battle? Hitting him over the head with the PET worked better...)
  • (Chaud, you know, a simple “thanks” would have sufficed.)
• Visiting the Hospital
  • Note: Somewhere around now, you will be able to order chips at Higsby’s shop. This is great because you can generate yourself a copy of any chip in your Library, even if you’ve never used that chip before...and the prices aren’t bad either. (Definitely make a copy of your AntiDmg chip. What? You don’t have one? For goodness sakes, go buy one! I’ll wait for you here.) Also, you can now go back to the areas used during the N1 and pick up the extra folders, jack into places, and so forth. Oh, and the Job BBS will have some more jobs on it, of course.
  • Go to the hospital on Beach Street and visit Yai. Wander the hospital finding stuff first. Yai is in the last room on the second floor.
  • She wants tea. Go to the vending machine in the lobby.
  • Find Mamoru on the beach below the hospital.
  • Give the tea to Yai.
  • Go back home to advance the plot.
• Work for Tora
  • Go to the park to talk to Dex. Tora shows up and wants you to do some jobs for him to learn Chaud’s secret. Go to SciLab and talk to Tora.
  • Look at the Job BBS and do all of the “Tora” requests. See below if you need help with them.
  • Side note: the Tally isn’t the only way into the Undernet, although it will be your primary entrance. You can jack into the computer in the editing station of the TV studio in the upper left corner to reach Undernet 6 (there’s no text saying there’s a jack-in port; you just have to try hitting R). You need to get through a security cube; such cubes in which the keys are “held by a Navi” you open by finding and defeating the stated Navi at least twice elsewhere in the Net (I believe it’s twice).
  • Get a second Folder (that you can edit!) from Tora. Sleep to advance the plot.
• The HBD that Ended Hub
  • Go to school. Talk to everyone to advance the plot.
  • Go to Dex’s house and try to go inside. You’ll get a cut scene where everyone comes to see Dex off.
  • Go to the hospital and find Mamoru on the beach again. Learn about HBD. (Note: This plot point is explained near the end of the first game, if you’re confused.)
  • Find a doctor on the third floor, then go back to Mamoru.
  • You need a chip for Mamoru, but chances are you don’t have it. Go to HadesIsland by riding the ferry on Beach Street. Jack into the first area (where you found the VictData). Equip the Fish NaviCust program and run around until you fight a ColdHead.
  • Go back to Mamoru with the chip.
  • Sleep to advance the plot.
    
• The Tree of Life
  • Go to the hospital to Mamoru. Then go to the operating room at the end of the third floor.
  • Go to the elevator when it’s suggested that Lan take a break. When the vines appear, go back up to the third floor to the operating room. Lan will jack into the door after you can’t reach the operating room.
  • You get the EngyChng NaviCust program at this point (don’t you love these eight letter names?). You must equip this and then burn up Fire-based Battle Chips in order to proceed. Skip trees and weeds that you don’t absolutely have to burn to save on chips. If you run out of chips, equip the OilBody NaviCust Program and fight Totems.
  • After you are done here, go to the room where Yai was and jump out the window.
  • Go back inside the hospital and talk to a nurse for the key. Then head to the basement (the entrance is on the beach). After the cut scene, Lan jacks in.
  • Burn the top-most weed on the left side to open the door.
  • Find PlantMan and he’ll sic a virus on you.
  • Mini-Boss: Goofball
  • Go into the hospital to the operating room on the third floor. Lan will jack in automatically.
  • On the right side of the nine weeds, burn the middle left.
  • On the left side, burn the middle for a heal spot if you need it.
  • Hosp Comp 4: After finding the path to area 4 (past the right tree), talk to the program for a clue. It is actually misleading here; it means to burn the weeds in the upper-left clump of weeds, not the upper-left weed in a clump. Anyway, find the upper-left clump and burn the upper-right weed for a switch. (Burn the lower-right weed for three copies of HeatShot I—two freebies!)
  • At the line of eight weeds, burn the second from the right for a warp point. Skip the next tree you come to and run around it the long way for a mystery item (plus you save the chip).
  • Step on the warp point to be on your way to area 5.
  • Hosp Comp 5: Wander up to three weeds in a row. Burn the middle one for a switch. Find groups of four weeds. Burn the upper-left of one for a warp point to an HPMemory. Burn the upper-left of the other for a switch. Burn the tree leading to the I-shaped group, and burn the center of the top bar for another switch. Go through where the doors were for a warp point to PlantMan.
  • Boss: PlantMan
• Anyone got a Match?
  • Lan’s receiving a commemoration at the SciLab. Go to the Virus Lab.
  • After the ceremony, leave the room for a cut scene with Mr. Match (which seems to ignore the second game entirely...).
  • Yoka 2 is in trouble, so jack in and head there. You need the PresData to get to where the bad Navis are.
  • Trouble in the Beach area now. Two Navis are found in Beach 1, one in Beach 2.
  • SciLab 1 area is next.
  • Go to ACDC Square. Talk to the official.
  • Go to the hospital and talk to Mamoru.
  • When you leave Mamoru’s room, you’ll get a cut scene and Mr. Match will enlist you.
  • Take the first data, FireData, to SciLab1, on the top level.
  • Take the HeatData to the program in the lobby vending machine.
  • Take the FlamData to the research lab computer.
  • Go to Lan’s room to advance the plot.
• Fire in the Net
  • Jack in from Lan’s room and start from ACDC 1, and explore the entire Net. You need Aqua-based chips to put out the fires. Here you have no choice about skipping any to save chips—you have to get them all. If you run out of chips, you can buy them from various vendors, or equip the Fish NaviCust program to coax Aqua-based viruses to attack you.
  • There are flames in each of the networks: ACDC, SciLab, Yoka, and Beach. There are no fires in the Squares themselves, so just explore the outer Net areas. A SneakRun can be handy during this part. Mr. Match will tell you when you get all of the flames in a particular area, so keep looking until he does.
  • FlamMan is in Undernet 3. The entrance to the Undernet is in Beach 2 if you’ve never been there before; use the Tally you got earlier and find the bad Navi blocking the way. Follow the postmaster’s instructions to find the way to Undernet 3 (and the UnderSquare).
  • Go past the bad Navi to where the earthquake occurs. Then go back and talk to the bad Navi to get through.
  • Boss: FlamMan (Match goes through Navis faster than Wily goes through Mets...)
  • Boss: Bass (Just kidding here. You’re supposed to lose this battle. Bass’s attack pattern is the same as the previous game, but, he’s got a LifeAura which I couldn’t penetrate with any of my attacks. Practice dodging instead of just lying down if you want, but since you can’t knock him out of his attacks, there really isn’t any way to dodge.)
  • (Wouldn’t it be nice if that Official gave you his DarkAura?)
  • Go back to the SciLab, up to Lan’s dad’s lab. You’ll end up in the hospital with a cut scene.
  • Sleep to advance the plot.
• Penetrating the Undernet
  • In a rather surprising turn of events, Chaud decides to call on Lan for help. He explains Alpha and tells you about “S” in the Undernet.
  • Go to the hospital to the room where Yai was for another interesting cut scene. Talk to Lan’s dad.
  • Talk to Chaud in the Virus Lab when ready. He’ll give you a NaviCust part. Equip it and head for the Undernet.
  • Note: At this point, the Virus Lab will have a system set up to raise viruses. There’s also a new job on the board where you can pick up your very first baby viruses. This is of course an optional route, but go ahead and fool with it if you want.
    
  • In the UnderSquare, wander around and talk to all the bad Navis. One will tell you to stand under the statue. Go do so.
  • After the cut scene, head out of the Square. Talk to one of the bad Navis to fight all four at once. They are using souped-up versions of normal viruses.
  • After that, wander the rest of the Undernet for the others. There are 10 in all. When you defeat all the bad Navis, you will know because you will get a cut scene.
• Where Evil Falls
  • Now you must work your way up through the ranking system.
  • Rank #10: Go to Hades Isle via the ferry and enter the cave, then jack into the first N1 battle machine you come to. This is where you found the VictData. Explore this area to find the Navi ranked #10. Don’t worry, he’s very obvious, so you’ll know him when you see him. You’ll have to fight some souped up viruses to win his rank.
  • Sidetrack time: This is the second time in the game when you have to walk into an obvious trap. Oh well. Go to Zoo Comp 2 (jack in at the panda control panel) and fight four bad Navis in a row, which are using powered-up viruses.
  • Rank #9: The next clue is easy, but takes a little detective work. If you go to Hosp Comp 2 (jack in from the hospital basement), the Navi there will mention that the bad Navi came from the Beach area. So head to Beach 1 and find the warp point to the hospital (there was a security cube in the way, but you got the code for it a little while ago).
  • Once you find the warp point, it’s a direct path to the Navi ranked #9. Talk to him to get his rank and the clue to the next one.
  • Rank #8: Head over to Undernet 3. The Navi ranked #8 is found where FlamMan was.
  • Boss: BeastMan
  • When MegaMan tries to leave, a Navi will jump him. You’ll face another souped-up virus battle here. There’s no break between this and BeastMan, so try to end the BeastMan battle with relatively high HP.
  • Rank #7: The first part of this clue is easy. Go to the principal’s laptop in the teacher’s lounge; the Navi is down and left a little from where FlashMan was, near the servers.
  • Yet another clue before you can get the rank. This one can be frustrating unless you remembered the origami in Mamoru’s room in the hospital. (This clue was probably a lot easier for the Japanese players.) Go get a paper bird from the colorful thing on the wall there.
  • When you bring back the origami to #7, you’ll get a mail from Chaud.
  • Head to ACDC Square and read the BBS.
  • Rank #3: Head to Undernet 2 and work your way around to the north where there is a bad Navi standing in the way. He’ll let you pass now, so you can enter Undernet 4. You’ll know you’re in the right place because you can reach a super-high yellow level via warp points.
  • You’re getting close when you find the blue ledges that form a circle around a post. There’s a Net Dealer there. Ahead of the dealer is a slope. It doesn’t appear that there is anything down there, but walk down to the end for a cut scene.
  • Boss: CopyMan (Technically this battle is against GutsMan, since that’s who CopyMan is emulating. As an interesting twist, he can use the Z-Punch Program Advance.)
  • Rank #2: So you find out that S is ranked #1. Big surprise there. But first you have to find #2. “Place of battle”? This one shouldn’t be too tough...
  • Go to the TV Station and jack into the N1 battle machine. Find the Navi inside (he sticks out like a sore thumb).
  • Boss: BowlMan/MistMan (Um, okay, now I’ve seen everything. By the way, it’s “bowl” as in bowling. Yes, he throws bowling pins at you.)
  • Rank #1: Finally, it’s off to find “S” or should I say Serenade? You need to find a place where there is a boulder. Where have you seen boulders?
  • Go to the Yoka inn, into the baths. A path has now opened up around the right side of the water. Walk up to the cave opening you can see there.
    
  • Inside you will discover the origins of the Undernet. Most of this cut scene is on auto-pilot.
  • Once the alarm sounds, go to SciLab 1. If you haven’t been to the TetraCodes gates yet, you get there from the path that branches off from the SciLab Square. It takes a little bit of winding around to reach it. When you find the location, jump through the warp hole that DrillMan created.
  • You will end up in Undernet 5. Wind your way around to DrillMan, who is waiting on the left side of this area. You do not need to switch areas to get to him. If you end up in another section of the Undernet, you’re going the wrong way.
  • Boss: DrillMan
  • (A typical game would have involved a final boss battle against Alpha here and that would be that. This is not a typical game. You definitely get your money out of this one.)
• The Plot That Would Not End
  • After the cut scene you will end up in town. Explore the town talking to people (those tanks look like something Dr. Wily would build...). In particular talk to Mayl and then Dex.
  • You will get a mail sending you to the SciLab Square. Get the OfclPass from ProtoMan. This allows you to take the real-world Metroline.
  • Go to the real-world SciLab, up the elevator to Lan’s dad’s lab.
  • (Alpha is the Internet? Now that’s a new one. Don’t worry, I won’t make any bad Microsoft jokes, although they would fit very well here.)
  • After the meeting, go back to ACDC town. Find Lan’s friends. They are facing off with a tank. Luckily for Lan, the tank has miraculously bad aim. Lan will jack in. Get the mystery data first, then confront the “virus” that you will see sitting there.
  • Mini-Boss: AlphaBug (Now our buggy software is trying to assimilate us! Oops, I said no Microsoft jokes. Never mind.)
  • Go to Lan’s dad’s room in the hospital. Talk to his mom and search the bed.
  • Head to the locked meeting room that connects to Dr. Hikari’s lab room in the SciLab. The card key you found will get you through the door.
  • Talk to Lan’s dad and learn about Lan’s grandfather named Tadashi (not Thomas, notice).
  • Go to Beach Street and try to board the ship that you normally take to Hades Isle.
  • Go to ACDC town and talk to Yai in her house (this solution to the problem is more obvious if you’ve watched any of the cartoon shows...).
  • When you are ready, sleep to advance the plot.
• WWW Base
  • Note: Before you trigger this section of the plot, you may want to take care of any unfinished business: finding items, beating Navis and getting their chips, finishing jobs on the BBS, and such.
  • Go to the boat and you will head for Wily’s island.
  • Inside the first room, search everything then try to open the door to advance the plot.
  • After the cut scene, go up the elevator and outside to the next door. This will trigger another cut scene and Lan will jack in.
    
  • In the WWW computer stages, you have to avoid the blobs on the floor and the claws moving above the track, or you will get picked up and deposited at the start of the level. I suggest saving every time you successfully get past a section of them. That way if you get picked up, you can simply reset the game rather than redoing the entire level. Also a SneakRun isn’t a bad idea, since getting attacked at the wrong moment can mess up your rhythm and cause you to get grabbed when you otherwise wouldn’t have. (Note: if you can’t see the blobs in the floor, equip the “Alpha” NaviCust part.)
  • Boss: FlashMan (Remember him? From waaaay back at the beginning of the game. Despite what he claims, he’s really not much more deadly now than he was at the start. So much for “Full Synchro.”)
  • Search all of the things in Wily’s room, then search the statue by the water a second time. Lan will get frustrated and knock the statue into the water. Novel approach.
  • Boss: BubbleMan
  • Boss: DesertMan (There is little break between these two so you may wish to have a FullEnrg Sub Chip here to save yourself time. Don’t worry, you’ll find another one a little later.)
  • Go down the ramp to where Chaud is. Lan will jack in after the cut scene.
  • Boss: PlantMan and FlamMan (No break at all between these two. Sorry.)
  • Enter the next door and search the wires at the back of the room to find the passage.
  • Boss: DrillMan
  • (Hey, Chaud, since you’re leaving me to save the world, can’t you just give me a ProtoMan chip?)
  • (Hasn’t anyone considered climbing up to the podium and assaulting Wily physically?)
  • Boss: Bass (For some mysterious reason, Bass’s invincible aura has been demoted to a simple 100 HP shield, so you can actually damage him now.)
  • Be aware that there is no break between Bass and the final boss, so you will not be able to customize your Folder for each battle. You will have to organize it for them both beforehand (I’d optimize it for Alpha as Bass is more of a pushover). Also if you die to Alpha you have to fight Bass all over again. However, your HP is restored automatically before both the Bass and the Alpha battles, so you don’t have to worry about ending the Bass battle with high HP.
  • Final Boss: Alpha

Most of the bosses in the game are Net Navis or normal virus enemies (sometimes super-powered but still with the same basic battle patterns) which are detailed in the Data Base. This section only contains details which differ from the Data Base. Note: Hidden bosses are not yet listed here. I will get to them later.

ProtoMan:

As far as I know, the only way to battle ProtoMan in this game is to find Chaud on Hades Island (where the quarter-finals took place) after you’ve beaten the game at least once (Title Menu Star). This makes no sense in terms of the plot, because why would Chaud and Lan leave in the middle of a catastrophe and go to Hades Isle just to Net Battle? But it is an interesting way of hiding it.

See ProtoMan’s Data Base entry for his fighting pattern. Beat Chaud to get a coveted ProtoMan chip.

Bass:

The auras are from the first game, but are not explained in this one. If you haven’t played the first game, know that when you see an aura (a second HP value displayed in larger numbers), you must hit the aura with an attack that does at least the stated value (100 in Bass’s case) to break through the aura before you can damage the real target (Bass). Any attack on the aura which does less than 100 damage will not have any effect whatsoever. Also note that chips which do accumulative damage (such as Roll, who does three separate hits) will not break the aura even if the total would be over 100, unless each individual hit does at least 100 damage. (For example, an AntiDmg will work, because it does three hits of 100 damage each. So the first hit will break the aura, and the other two will damage Bass, for a total of 200 damage to Bass.)

Note that Bass restores his aura only after he performs one of his two “super” attacks (those being the field-filling energy spheres, and the fist slam). If you can knock him out of this attack with a powerful enough blow (you have to make him reel; simply hitting him won’t do), you can prevent his aura from reappearing that round. Rinse, repeat.

Alpha:

Alpha has what is essentially an aura, but its value is not shown. Hit the red gem in Alpha’s chest with a strong enough blow (the damage required is not very much at the beginning, but seems to increase as Alpha becomes lower in health) to turn the gem blue. Hit the blue gem to damage Alpha. Knocking off all of Alpha’s 2000 HP in this way can get tiring. Come with lots of good chips, and don’t bother with any chips which cannot hit the center square on Alpha’s side, because you cannot use Area Steals and only the center tile will result in damage to Alpha. (If you want to use chips like Trumpy, place the object on the lower-left tile on Alpha’s side, and it will not be harmed by Alpha. As a bonus it will also block Alpha’s horizontal arm if you are standing on the bottom row.)

Alpha’s primary attack involves him sending his two metal arms toward you—the first arm always comes down the column on which you stand, and the second flies forward along your row. So to dodge, move sideways for the first fist, then up or down for the second. Alpha also has a machine gun that hits the tiles under your feet—this effect is very fast so you have to move around quickly to avoid it. Not to mention the very unfair burst of electricity attack that alternates between hitting the middle row and the top and bottom two rows... Good luck dodging that. And a missile or...something that flies across a row and then blows up when it hits the left side of the screen, damaging the left two columns of your space. Finally, there is a pink beam which cracks panels and also travels to the left, off the screen. This is probably the most avoidable of Alpha’s attacks, so don’t let it hit you.

• Extra Folders: In this game, in addition to your regular folders, you can pick up an “extra” folder which cannot be edited. You can only have one extra folder at a time; when you get a new one, it overwrites your existing one. Always take new extra folders when they are offered to you even if you’re not sure you’ll like them. All chips in an extra folder get placed into your Library even though you can’t take them out of the folder. This means you can go order copies of them for your own use from Higsby’s shop later.
• Finding Items: There are naturally a lot of things hidden in the game that you don’t have to find to finish it. If you want to go the extra mile, finding them is mostly a matter of exploring everything. Look for people hiding behind walls and such (both in the real world and the Net), search every object in the game for hidden items, walk down to the end of every dead-end path in the Net, press R a lot to try to jack in (even in places where it doesn’t say you can do so), and so forth.
• Raising Viruses: You can obtain viruses by getting them from other people or by finding them in the Net. Finding viruses is similar to finding Navis that you have previously defeated—walk onto a specific tile (usually at the end of a dead-end passage) and you will be attacked. You must fight the viruses before you can tame them (makes sense, I know). Feeding viruses increases the damage the virus chip does when you use it during battle. You can see the damage ratings and the effect of the BugFrags you have fed the viruses by talking to the program in the viruses’ room.
• Job BBS: This is a brief list of (most of) the missions on the request board. I put a star (*) by the ones that give you critical items. I also list what you get from the mission, but there can be side benefits as well. For example, if a mission involves a Battle Chip, that chip ends up in your Library even if you don’t get to keep it. This means you can go make yourself a copy of it later...
  • Sales duels: Meet in ACDC Square. Find brother in SciLab Square. Go back to ACDC Square and talk to the brother there. Then back to the SciLab Square (again). Finally back to ACDC Square to get paid. You get the chip involved: Slasher B.
  • Delete mis-transmitted data: Go to the Virus Lab next to the Job BBS and talk to the scientist in there. Go to the zoo and search the machine by the Flamingo. Fight Yort and Ratty2 and Ratty; get HPMemory.
  • (*) Trouble with son: Go to Yoka Metroline station and talk to the woman there. She sends you off to find the bad Navi; he’s in ACDC 3. Fight some viruses. Get SpinYllw.
  • Sick Navi: Need a Recov30 * to do this one. Meet at SciLab station. Get RegUP3.
  • Delivery: Meet in ACDC 1 near the cyber-Metroline station. Take the tools to the blackboard in Lan’s classroom at the school. Get Yo-Yo1.
  • Broke: Meet at Yoka Inn and give 8000 zenny. Talk to the man again. Find the Navi in Yoka 2. Get CashData. Give the data to the man. Get your money back plus HPMemory.
  • Rare chip: The Navi is in the telephone in Yai’s house. Fight two Twinners. Get 10,000 zenny.
  • Boyfriend: This one is weird. Go to Beach Square in the Net, and talk to the yellow TV Navi. I think your responses determine your prize.
  • Deliver chip: Find the old woman near Yoka Inn. Take the chip to the businessman at DNN; he’s inside the TV studio near the props. Return to the old woman and talk to her again. Deliver new chip to the purple Navi in ACDC Square. Get Aqua+30.
  • Look for friends (Tora): Meet at ACDC park. Find Navi in Yoka area 1, past the water heater. Find the vet in the zoo near the entrance. Get RegUP3.
  • Stuntmen wanted (Tora): Meet at Beach area 1. The Navi you want looks like an official. This is a five battle survival. Get HPMemory.
  • (*) Riot stopped (Tora): Meet at the TV station lobby. The scientist wants you to find three jack-in points. One’s on the stage, where you fought in the semi-finals. (Yes, you have to walk on-stage while there’s a show going on...) One’s in the door switch upstairs. The third is the TV van outside. Get Tally (this item is needed to enter the Undernet—in fact, you can go there now if you want; the entrance is in Beach 2, where the “bad” Navi is blocking the way).
  • Gathering data (Tora): Meet in teacher’s lounge. Find the program in SciLab 1 that once had the data. Go to ACDC 2 and find the purple Navi where the school key was. He wants a Yo-Yo1 G. If you don’t already have one, the Yorts give them. Take the InsrData back to the man in the teacher’s lounge. Get SloGauge.
  • (*) Rehab: Go to the hospital TV and talk to the Official. Fight a Quakerα, Vineyα, Eleballα, and Puffballα. Get a Humor NaviCust program and WWW-ID (this is used to open those mysterious skull-doors). Note: If at all possible, do this one with a Fire-based style. Toasting the Viney and Puffball with your flamethrower attack is so-o-o much easier...
  • Virus in computer: Meet in the principal’s office (where FlashMan was). Jack into the principal’s laptop and find the bombs. There are three. One’s on a control panel, one’s on a server, and the last one is in the statue. (You can either diffuse them by answering the questions correctly, or by getting the answer wrong and fighting viruses. Either one works. If you choose—or end up with—the latter, use a Fire-based attack on the bomb on the enemy’s side of the field to destroy the viruses instantly. Conversely, don’t let the viruses hit the bomb on your side!) Get AntiRecv B.
  • Looking for condor: Meet in zoo outside the parrot cage. Go to Mamoru’s room in the hospital and talk to the old man. Go to ACDC town and “search” the slide in the park to place the old doll there. Go to another area (such as inside a building) and return. Catch the condor and take it back to the zoo. Get SubMem (this increases the number of Sub Chips you can carry).
  • Adopt a Virus: Meet in SciLab 2. Give 50 BugFrags. Get three viruses: Bunny, TuffBunny, and MegaBunny.
  • Old Master: Meet in SciLab vending machine. Find the yearbook in the teacher’s lounge. Go to Beach Street and talk to the waitress by the café. Go back to the Navi. Get GrabRvng Y.
  • (*) Gang Busting: Talk to program in Yoka Square. Fight 4 bad Navis in the Yoka area, then talk to the program again. Get ExpMemry (this increases the size of your NaviCust grid).
  • Meet Navi: Go to Undernet 2. Find the blue Navi and fight some viruses. Get HP Memory.
  • Hide and Seek: The goal is to find the Navis hiding in the Zoo Comp (jack in at the panda terminal). Generally there is one Navi per area. They aren’t very difficult to find as you can see them standing on the map; the only trick is to make sure to go down every dead-end passage. Each one will give you a chip, plus you get a GutImpct when you clear the job.
• Here are some of the Error Codes you may encounter (you need the ModTools first before you can input these). Find others! (Note to Capcom: Next time, don’t use the screwy special characters!)
  • Error A3 (BrakChrg): LOZXME
  • Error B2 (SetIce): ALSKWR
  • Error B3 (SetLava): YUOMNCB
  • Error B5 (SetMetal): BMKWIRA
  • Error C2: UTIXMLA
  • Error D26: OIUWMAN
  • Error E1 (MegFldr1): PIMSJL
  • Error H2: UTIWSMF
  • Error H3: SKLROT
  • Error F3 (Reflect): ITACRWQ
  • Error G2C (Giga Folder 1): TISLAEJ
  • Error G2G (Giga Folder 1): CVVDSWR
  • Error S2S: FAAFETG
• Here are the answers to the first two quizzes.
  • QuizMan (get RegUP3)
    1. 3
    2. Mettaur
    3. 9
    4. 380 Zennys
    5. 3
  • QuizMaster (get HPMemory)
    1. 8th
    2. Lion
    3. 2
    4. Stuffed animal
    5. Backward
    6. 3
    7. Teacher’s lounge
    8. 3
    9. 300 Zennys
    10. Clay statue

Much in the vein of the X series, Lan and MegaMan meet with Lan’s grandfather—who has died but exists as computer data—inside Alpha before they are forced to leave him and escape. Well, Lan escapes with MegaMan’s help, and MegaMan is thought to be dead. But Lan’s father restores him at the end of the ending, after the credits. Although we don’t get to see much of the reunion between Lan and MegaMan, we can probably imagine how it went.

It is interesting to note that since MegaMan survived, it is completely possible that Bass did also...

As with the previous titles, during the credits we get to watch various cut scenes, some of which are drop-dead hilarious. Of course, to understand the jokes requires having played through the game, so if you show the ending to your friends or family, they won’t get what is so funny...