Guardroid

Guardroid (ガードロイド) is a New Generation Reploid and a common enemy soldier in Mega Man X8. Except for Guardroid VR and Guardroid σ, Axl can copy any Guardroid to transform into a standard Guardroid.

Guardroid
Guardroids are mass-produced, general-purpose Reploid soldiers that appear in many locations throughout Mega Man X8. They come in several varieties equipped with different weaponry, such as energy sabers, blasters, lasers, bazookas, flamethrowers, missile launchers, liquid nitrogen, and grenades. Some may also use a light shield to deflect attacks.


 * Guardroid: The standard Guardroids that appear in several stages.


 * Guardroid COM: Blaster-carrying Guardroids summoned when intruders are caught in the searchlights in the stage Pitch Black.


 * Guardroid FIG: Saber-wielding Guardroids summoned when intruders are caught in the searchlights in the stage Pitch Black.


 * Guardroid FLY: Guardroids equipped with jetpacks to grant them limited flight capabilities. They only appear in the stage, Jakob.


 * Guardroid HIG: Guardroids equipped with heavy firepower such as bazookas and homing missiles. May use a light shield to deflect attacks. They appear in the stages Booster Forest, Inferno, and Sigma Palace.


 * Guardroid KNI: High-ranking Guardroids assigned to protect the Jakob Project, that may use a light shield to deflect attacks or use bazookas and homing missiles. They only appear in the stage, Jakob.


 * Guardroid LIG: Guardroids given sentry duty. May use a light shield to deflect attacks. They appear in the stages Pitch Black, Inferno, Jakob, and Sigma Palace.

Guardroid VR
Guardroid VR is a virtual Guardroid equipped with a jetpack that appears in the seventh virtual reality test of Optic Sunflower's stage, Troia Base.

Depending on the results from the previous tests, there are three variations of this Guardroid. In the lowest difficulty, only one Guardroid equipped with a giant hammer will appear, and in the intermediate difficulty, the Guardroid is able to switch between a hammer and a vulcan gun. In the highest difficulty, two Guardroids will appear, one equipped with a hammer and the other with a vulcan gun.

Guardroid σ
Guardroid σ is a special type of Guardroid. These Guardroids are also refered to as Copy Sigmas as evident by the boss in Gateway.

Guardroid σs first appear briefly in the beginning of the game emerging from the wreckage of an orbital elevator transport container, taking the form of Sigma. This shocks X, making him believe he's facing an army of his nemesis' clones, until Lumine, the director of the Jakob Project, emerged from the group and explained that they needed to copy a sturdy body to protect themselves during the accident. The Guardroids then reverted to their original forms without incident.

On the Gateway Space Station, after fighting Guardroids taking the form of the eight Mavericks, the Hunters face off against a Guardroid σ taking the form of Sigma. Once he was defeated, however, he reverts to his original form.

Guardroid σs are the main enemies present in the final level, Sigma Palace, all of them morphing into Sigma. They have three attacks: erecting a barrier, shoot three projectiles, or lunge with a saber slash.

The σ in its name is the greek letter sigma in lower case. This mirrors the upper case Σ associated with the real Sigma.

They also appear in TEPPEN alongside Lumine in the card New-Generation Reploids.

Trivia

 * Ninja_Guardroid.png In the playable character model folder of the PC version of Mega Man X8, there is a file called "PL_BOKO" containing an unused version of the Guardroid, which resembles a ninja similar to ShadowMan.EXE. It does not seem to have an unique ability aside from the normal dash, and any projectiles it might have been able to shoot are not in the game files.