Mega Man X3 Walkthrough

Fastest Route For 100% Item Collection
This is the fastest route to collect all of the items and riding armors. It does not include the special chips, as avoiding them allows you to collect the Golden Chip in the first stage of Dr. Doppler's. This order assumes you are defeating the Maverick in that stage unless otherwise specified or they have already been defeated. Also, it states to die to exit the stage when the boss of that level is deemed to difficult to defeat at that level for the average player. If you are able to do so, have at it.


 * 1. Blizzard Buffalo's stage. Acquire energy tank and Double Dash. (die to exit stage) (2 / 20 items)
 * 2. Tunnel Rhino's stage. Acquire energy tank. (3 / 20 items)
 * 3. Neon Tiger's stage. Acquire energy tank, heart, and X-Buster. (die to exit stage) (6 / 20 items)
 * 4. Blast Hornet's stage. Acquire heart and N riding armor. (die to exit stage) (8 / 20 items)
 * 5. Volt Catfish's stage. Acquire heart and energy tank. (10 / 20 items)
 * 6. Tunnel Rhino's stage. Acquire heart and mapping helmet. (12 / 20 items)
 * 7. Crush Crawfish's stage. Acquire heart and H riding armor. (14 / 20 items)
 * 8. Gravity Beetle's stage. Acquire F riding armor. (15 / 20 items)
 * 9. Volt Catfish's stage. Acquire armor upgrade. (16 / 20 items)
 * 10. Gravity Beetle's stage. Acquire heart. (17 / 20)
 * 11. Blizzard Buffalo's stage. Acquire heart. (18 / 20 items)
 * 12. Toxic Seahorse's stage. Acquire heart and K riding armor. (20 / 20 items)

For experienced players, there is a faster route that requires the minimum amount of stage revisits. People forget that Tornado Fang can break the ice blocks guarding the heart tank in Blizzard Buffalo's level. After defeating Tunnel Rhino and Blizzard Buffalo, Bit and Byte may both be defeated, which is handy since they both can now be encountered at this point. Defeating Neon Tiger next also ensures that Vile may be permanently put down as well, whenever the player wishes to face him
 * 1. Tunnel Rhino: Acquire sub-tank, defeat. (1 of 20)
 * 2. Blizzard Buffalo: Acquire heart tank, leg upgrade, sub-tank, defeat. (4 of 20)
 * 3. Neon Tiger: Acquire sub-tank, arm upgrade, heart tank, defeat. (7 of 20)
 * 4. Gravity Beetle: Acquire Frog ride armor, defeat. (8 of 20)
 * 5. Blast Hornet: Acquire N ride armor, heart tank, defeat. (10 of 20)
 * 6. Gravity Beetle: Acquire heart tank. (11 of 20)
 * 7. Volt Catfish: Acquire heart tank, armor upgrade, sub-tank, defeat. (14 of 20)
 * 8. Tunnel Rhino: Acquire heart tank, helmet upgrade. (16 of 20)
 * 9. Crush Crawfish: Acquire H ride armor, heart tank, defeat. (18 of 20)
 * 10. Toxic Seahorse: Acquire heart tank, K ride armor, defeat. (20 of 20)

Intro Stage: Maverick Hunter Base
After X and Zero first destroy the giant bug-like helicopter (This will be an FMV on the enhanced version of the game), move along through the first set of enemies and down a shaft. From there, keep moving through until see the traitor Mac kiddnap X and Zero bust through the ceiling. Playing as Zero, move forward but cautiously, as parts of the ceiling collapses in certain spots. Eventually you will reach a shaft heading up with a bottomless pit below you and a life energy capsule. As you climb, large spiked balls will fall, bouncing from wall to wall. To avoid them, alternate the walls you climb by dash-jumping to the other side, starting with the left wall. Once at the top, go through the door on your right, and Mac will show up with the captured X. He can be defeated easiest with one shot of the Z-Saber, followed by a single yellow shot. Destroy the machine holding X, and Zero will warp out, leaving you to play as X again. Go right and climb up the next shaft. Enter through the doorway to appear on top of the base where you'll fight Maoh the Giant.

Maoh is simple to defeat, his only attack is sending down either of his spiked balls on your location, which hit for minimal damage. Jump and shoot charged shots at his head to take him out.

Secret Stage: Maverick Factory: Vile MK II
After the defeat of two of the eight bosses, Vile's stage can be accessed from a teleporter hidden in the stages of Blizzard Buffalo (in a pit), Crush Crawfish (in a secret passage) and Volt Catfish (in a lift that only works if Vile is present).

Doppler's Lab
Depending on what combination of Bit, Byte, and Vile have been defeated before all eight Mavericks of Mega Man X3 have been defeated, and if Zero is available, the bosses and mini-bosses in Dr. Doppler's fortress will differ.

Part 1: Waste Disposal Area
Walk until the sub-boss room. REX-2000 appears regardless of what bosses have been previously defeated. If Zero is still alive, he will tone down the difficulty of this fight substantially - he'll prevent X from being crushed by the ceiling, as long as he stays on the ground.

The REX-2000 is quite harmless. It will fire shots at you and small homing missiles, but they deal negligible damage. Repeated uncharged shots will destroy it promptly. If Zero is not alive, the ceiling will impose a time limit on the fight by descending on the arena with spikes.

After this, take the Ride Armor and go to the Hidden Capsule Item.

There are two different bosses:


 * Godkarmachine O Inary appears when either Bit, Byte, or both are still alive. Bit and Byte will merge into one robot, and it is very well-armed. It can fire its fists at X and they will grab him and toss him around: This is nearly unavoidable without the air-dash. Godkarmachine O Inary may also use a pink beam sabre to slash at X. This attack also produces a forward projectile that splits into an upward and downward shot when hit hits the wall.


 * Press Disposer appears when Bit and Byte are both destroyed. It resembles an elephant that hangs onto the top-right part of the screen. A converyor belt scrolls enemy robots onto the screen, and then destroys them when they reach the right side of the screen.

The Press Disposer will grab X with a claw, dealling a lot of damage. It will use several other attacks with its "trunk", but when it is destroyed, damaging acid will fill the bottom part of the screen. Aim for the head above the trunk instead.

Part 2: Main Water Tanks/Broken Water Tanks
Mosquitus

There are two different bosses:
 * Vile appears if he wasn't defeated.
 * Volt Kurageil appears if Vile was defeated.

Part 3: Cyberspace Labs/Teleporters
Transporters with the eight bosses and Dr. Doppler.

Final Part: Underground Hanger
The final boss, Sigma.