Armor Parts (Mega Man X3)

The Armor Parts, often called the Third Armor, X3 Armor, or Max Armor among fans, are four parts that form an armor for Mega Man X that can be obtain from Light Capsules in Mega Man X3. Each part also has an enhancement chip to improve its abilities, but X's system can handle only one of the four chips, being unable to obtained another once he decides to take one of them. However, if none of the enhancement chips are taken, a secret Hyper Chip (ハイパーチップ) will become available, which grants the effects of all chips and gives the armor a golden color.

Functions

 * Foot Parts - X can use the Variable Air Dash (ヴァリアブルエアダッシュ). While in the air, X can dash straight forward or straight upward.
 * Foot Chip - Allows X to use the Variable Air Dash twice, or dash jump and air-dash in the same jump.


 * Body Parts - Damage is reduced by half. When X is struck by an enemy's attack, a blue Defense Shield (ディフェンスシールド) is generated and additional damage is reduced. The amount of damage reduced with the force field active is 25% (approx. 62.5% total damage reduction).
 * Body Chip - In addition to a 50% reduction in damage, an orange force field is projected rather than a blue one. Additional damage is reduced even further. The amount of damage reduced with the force field active is 50% (approx. 75% total damage reduction).


 * Arm Parts - X gains a second X-Buster, and can charge up to four charge levels. At the fourth, X can fire out a Cross Charge Shot (クロスチャージショット) by shooting both arm cannons in rapid succession. When the Armor is fully assembled, X uses half the weapon energy for his Special Weapons. It can also make X climb ladders faster.
 * Arm Chip - Gives X access to the Hyper Charge (ハイパーチャージ), which enables unlimited charge shots as long as it has weapon energy.


 * Head Parts - X gains a ground-penetrating Item Radar (アイテムレーダー) that shows a map of the stage when X beams in. Life Ups, Sub Tanks, Ride Armors, and Armor Capsules are highlighted. These are also indicated on the stage select screen, color-coded to show which ones have not been found yet.
 * Head Chip - X can stand still and regenerate energy at a slow rate. This can also be used to fill Sub Tanks.


 * Hyper Chip - Assuming X did not get any of the four upgrading chips in any of the boss stages and collected all of the other items, he can gain all of them in Doppler Stage A with the Third Armor turning into gold. This armor also causes X's energy to regenerate more quickly and the Hyper Charge to use up less energy. However, it is not saved in passwords, so it must be re-obtained whenever the console is turned off.


 * Beam Saber - Though technically not a part of the armor, it serves the same purpose as an upgrade to X's offense. If Vile MK-II is destroyed using either the Ray Splasher or Spinning Blade before the final stages, the sub-boss in Doppler Stage 2 (Vile) is replaced by Mosquitus. If Zero is called before entering the room, he will be able to fight this boss, unlike bosses before or after this, where X takes over for Zero. After defeating it, it will land on Zero, seriously damaging him. Zero will then give his saber to X before teleporting back to the Hunter Base. Without the Arm Parts, X will simply swing the saber, much like Zero. If the Arm Parts are received, X's final charge level (Red) is replaced with a green one, much like Zero. After firing the two shots, X can swing the saber, this time creating a shockwave that can hit enemies at a distance. Both the standalone saber and the shockwave do a very severe amount of damage; so much so that bosses, including Sigma and Kaiser Sigma, can be defeated with 2 slashes.

Armor Part Locations

 * Head Part: Tunnel Rhino's stage. Requires the Triad Thunder and the Arm Part.
 * Head Chip: Blast Hornet's stage. Get a Ride Armor (preferably the Hawk one) and dash jump over the big pit.


 * Body Part: Volt Catfish's stage. Use a charged Gravity Well in the vertical spiked area to reach it. Alternatively, one could use the Foot Chip's double up-dash to bypass the annoying buster upgrade.
 * Body Chip: Crush Crawfish's stage. Grab a Ride Armor, and after the Hamma Hamma falls and you kill it, hop down the following pit and open the cracked wall.


 * Arm Part: Neon Tiger's stage. Requires the Tornado Fang and the Foot Part.
 * Arm Chip: Gravity Beetle's stage. Grab a Ride Armor, then punch through some differnet looking blocks.


 * Foot Part: Blizzard Buffalo's stage. In the same big room as the Sub Tank, dash-jump to the right on a small platform with two heights.
 * Foot Chip: Toxic Seahorse's stage. Get the Frog Ride Armor, then, at the fork underwater, take the upper path. Destroy the fans and wall-jump up there.

Other media
In the Rockman X3 manga, the Third Armor was not achieved by use of a capsule, but instead collected piece by piece by the reformed Mavericks X spared throughout the story, and delivered to him by Marty as part of a rescue mission after he and Zero were captured by the Nightmare Police, making it the first armor X received as a complete set instead of individual pieces. The armor boosted X's abilities, allowing him to defeat the Nightmare Police and Doppler without effort, but it was damaged beyond use in the battle against Sigma, and was destroyed along with X's body against Kaiser Sigma. X's body managed to reconstitute itself, wearing the golden version of the Third Armor. After destroying Kaiser Sigma, X discarded the Third Armor, leaving the helmet behind in the wreckage of Doppler's and Sigma's base.

Trivia

 * The armor is often mistakenly referred to as "Max Armor" by the fans, due to the Bandai model kit from the Mega Armor series naming it as such, and naming the golden variation as "X3 Hyper Special". It is however, unnamed, just like the First Armor and Second Armor. The term Max in its model name was actually meant to signify the "full armor", as in the "Maximum Armor", not an actual name. The term Hyper from the X3 Hyper Special is meant as the armor with the Hyper Chip equipped.
 * Three versions of the armor were released in the Mega Armor series: the original white version, the chrome golden version, and a silver version of the golden armor. The white "Max Armor" and golden "X3 Hyper Special" armors were originally released in plastic bagged add-on kits, while the silver armor was released as part of a 4 pack of model kits. All three versions of the armor later received individual full figure releases.
 * The "X3 Hyper Special" model kit depicts X's soft armor and parts of his buster and boots as black instead of gold, a coloration that is never seen anywhere else.
 * The name "Max Armor" was also used for its Kotobukiya model, and the golden version is named "Max Armor Hyper Chip Ver."


 * The name "Third Armor" was used in Mega Man X Official Complete Works, but it is actually a mistranslation of the Mega Armor toyline.


 * In the prototype version, the white parts of X's armor were supposed to be changeable depending on which enhancement chip was used; this was changed because the color changes conflict with the rest of the palette in X's orbs if he loses a life.


 * The details from the buster varies between sources. Its original illustrations have a simpler design in the top part. In the Kotobukiya illustrations, the top part has the same design as the lower part. In the Rockman X3 manga, the lower details are absent and the top part has the same design as the game's lower part.