Battle Chip



A Battle Chip (バトルチップ) is a data storage device in the Mega Man Battle Network series that an operator can insert in the PET to transfer its data to a NetNavi, giving support in combat. There is a wide variety of Battle Chips that serve various purposes, like giving armament to the NetNavi use as a means to inflict damage or providing a line of defense to the Navi fall back on. Although most enemy Navis don't use Battle Chips as part of their attacks in the games, some do as part as their basic moveset, and DS Navis will use any Battle Chips that exist within the user's Folder. Some Battle Chips, like Attack +10, have a condition to be used.

Chip Codes
Each Battle Chip has its own letter code. Only chips of the same name or code can be selected in the Custom Screen. For example, the chips Cannon A, Cannon B, and Cannon C have the same name, and the chips Sword S, Wide Sword S, and Long Sword S have the same code. In both examples, these combinations lead to a Program Advance, where 3-5 chips are combined to form a stronger effect. Besides letters, the * (Asterisk) code, introduced in Mega Man Battle Network 2, acts as a wildcard, allowing the player to load up more chips

In some games, like Mega Man Network Transmission and Rockman.EXE 4.5 Real Operation, Battle Chips don't contain codes.

Battle Chip Classes
Battle Chips are placed in a backpack in the games. They vary in power and rarity and thus have different rankings. The following ranks divide up the vast number of chips since Mega Man Battle Network 3:

Normal Battle Chips
These chips are used for battling purpose.
 * Standard Chips
 * Basic chips that are unrestricted in any folder, except for number of copies allowed. In the first Mega Man Battle Network game, 10 copies were allowed, reducing to 5 in Mega Man Battle Network 2, 4 in Mega Man Battle Network 3 to 5, and in Mega Man Battle Network 6. they were restricted according to their MB.


 * Mega Chips
 * Without the Team Style or Mega Folder Navi Customizer program, the player can only have a maximum of 5 Mega Chips in a folder. In Mega Man Battle Network 3 to 5, only one copy of a Mega Chip can be in the Folder, but a similar chip from a different series can inserted (e.g. ShadeMan and ShadeManSP chips in the same folder is allowed).


 * Giga Chips
 * Without the Giga Folder Navi Customizer Program, the player can only have one Giga Chip in a folder. Most Giga Chips are version-exclusive, and by all means cannot be traded.


 * Dark Chips
 * Tainted chips that cause bugs and permanently removes 1 HP from your maximum per battle used, along with moving MegaMan down the "dark" side. In Mega Man Battle Network 4, they appear only when MegaMan is anxious or "dark", and cannot be used with any other chip aside from other Dark Chips. In Mega Man Battle Network 5, they can be inserted in the folder, complete with their own codes, but are restricted to a maximum of 3 per folder, no exceptions or Navi Cust Parts, and can also be used to perform Chaos Unisons. In Mega Man Battle Network 6, Japanese owners of a Beast Link Gate could slot in toy Dark Chips to activate their attacks, due to some secret data in the game containing these attacks. US players could hack the game to achieve a similar result.


 * Secret Chips
 * Chips that usually consist of Navi Chips from the opposing version of game (ie in Team Colonel they would be Team ProtoMan Chips like finding the Meddy chip in Colonel or TomahawkMan chip in ProtoMan), or special chips gained from certain events (e.g. upgrading Bass to BassGS). This division was also present in BN3 with the Bowlman and Mistman chips. These chips function like any Mega Chips would.


 * Scrapped Chips
 * Not a class per se, but those chips were cut from the game (and are sometimes Japanese-exclusive). Some of these chips are classified, but others don't have a class at all (this causes the game to interpret them as standard chips). Most of them freeze the game when used, but proper hacking allows them to execute smoothly. Although some chips have an image, most earlier scrapped chips had an image of MegaMan holding his buster, while later ones contained no image at all or a purple box.

Special Battle Chips

 * Synchro Chips
 * Exclusive to the anime only, the Synchro Chip can unite a human and a Navi.


 * Sub Chips
 * Chips used only outside of battle that can have various effects like restoring HP, reducing random encounters, or unlocking protected Mystery Data. They are destroyed upon use, and are analogous to potions or other consumable items in more conventional roleplaying games.

Chip Types
Chip Types and attacks affect the properties it has against certain enemies, and later on, affect which ones can be used as sacrifices for Souls, or which can be charged. The first three games had only Fire, Water, Elec, Wood, and Null, but later games added on new elements, leaving these elements (although some aren't actually counted as elements) as the elements all chips are classified under. This system is still in effect in Star Force, with the change that battle cards in Star Force can have multiple elements, and that all elements but Null, Fire, Water, Elec, and Grass are now "affinities".


 * Type null.gif None: Any Battle Chip with this Chip type have no special advantages, and make a good standard method of attack for the early part of the game.


 * Type fire.gif Fire: Battle Chips with this element symbol will do double damage to any Wood-based enemies. They can also cancel any Grass panels they come into contact with, doing a further double damage to objects on them.


 * Type water.gif Water: Battle Chips with this element symbol will do double damage to any Fire-based enemies. They are also capable of removing Lava and Geyser/Volcano panels, and freezing enemies on Ice panels in Mega Man Battle Network 6.


 * Type electric.gif Elec: Battle Chips with this element symbol will do double damage to any Water-based enemies. They also do a further double damage to any enemy standing on an Ice panel (MMBN2-4) or a Sea panel (MMBN5), or encased in a bubble (MMBN6). They are also known for inflicting paralysis and other status effects.


 * Type wood.gif Wood: Battle Chips with this element symbol will do double damage to any electric-based enemies. They are known for not inducing flinch, allowing other attacks to be used as a follow-up, and on occasion they cause confusion.


 * BC Attribute Wind.png Wind : Battle Chips with this element symbol will do double damage to cursor enemies (BN6 only). They are also known for shifting the position of objects or enemies on the field, as well as removing auras and barriers regardless of strength.


 * BC Attribute Sword.png Sword : Battle Chips with this element symbol will do double damage to wind enemies (BN6 only). They are also known for having great damage, but limited range. Some viruses in certain games are immune to all but sword attacks.


 * BC Attribute Break.png Breaking : Battle Chips with this element symbol will do double damage to sword enemies (BN6 only). They are also known to break through guards and generally have high power, albeit limited range; they have a single strong hit in earlier games, but slightly weaker, multiple hits in later games.


 * TypeCursor.png Cursor: Battle Chips with this element symbol will do double damage to breaking enemies (BN6 only). They are also known for being able to pierce through Invis-like defenses, as well as targeting panels at the player's will.


 * TypeRecover.png Recovery: Battle Chips with this element symbol generally do not do any damage (some do, most notably Roll's chips) - instead they heal, or on occasion provide a friendly status boost. This element was removed in Mega Man Battle Network 6, replaced by the null element for healing chips.


 * TypeCrack.png Cracking : Battle Chips with this element symbol involve cracking or destroying panels, limiting movement space and cancelling any ground-based attack. This is often coupled with another element (usually null).


 * TypePlus.png Plus: Battle Chips with this element symbol involve boosting the attack power of other chips, and the player's Buster for a select few.


 * TypeInvis.png Invis: Battle Chips with this element symbol involve a defense that lasts a short time, but renders the player invulnerable to all but a few attacks.


 * TypeObstacle.png Obstacle: Chips that create an obstacle in the field.


 * Barrier/Aura: Battle Chips with this element symbol give the player a barrier or a special aura-like barrier that negates a set amount of damage. While Barriers act as if they had their own HP count (but are permanent until destroyed), an Aura protects the player from any damage below a set number until negated by its time limit or its set damage is matched or overridden. Some of these chips have elemental stereotypes, causing them to be weak against other elements, but have special abilities like regeneration or higher defense. Wind attacks blow away the barriers regardless of how much health it had or if the Wind attack even connected.


 * Evil Chips: These chips can only be used by MegaMan.EXE when his spirit has been significantly put under control of his Dark Soul.


 * Navi Chips: Battle Chips that summon a NetNavi.

In the Anime
Battle Chips in the MegaMan NT Warrior anime differ greatly from the game. Firstly, they have to be recharged after every use. Secondly, there is no Folder of thirty chips as a Net Battler can have as many chips as they like. Usually the Battler shouts out the chip's name before activating it.