Platformer lovers who just want to revisit the classics won't get enough of the Mega Man franchise. And while Mega Man X did introduce an edgier take to the Mega Man character, it's the good ol' Mega Man that truly showed the potential of gaming's original super fighting robot. And in Mega Man 3, Rock needs to don his blue suit yet again to stop Dr. Wily from acquiring the last Energy Elements.
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As with other Mega Man titles, Mega Man 3 needs players to fight yet another set of Robot Masters. However, players aiming for a speedrun may want to try a particular order to get through the classic title.
- Boss Skill: Top Spin
- Weakness: Mega Buster (x2 Damage), Hard Knuckle
For any Mega Man player, the most optimal way to fight the Robot Masters is to always find the one weak against the current boss skill Mega Man possesses. In terms of the beginning of the game, players should always find a boss weak against Mega Man's Mega Buster — and in this case, this is Top Man.
Thankfully, Top Man has quite the predictable attack pattern. He constantly releases three tops that will fly at Mega Man's current position. Mega Man can easily dodge this by staying on the far end of the side opposite Top Man and moving forward right before the attacks reach him. Top Man will then move to the other side of the room to repeat this attack.
- Boss Skill: Shadow Blade
- Weakness: Top Spin
- Notes: Drops Rush Marine
After Top Man has been spun out, players should head to Shadow Man's stage. Shadow Man uses two predominant attack patterns, and the challenge is to predict which one he'll use. Top Spin will work great against either strategy.
Firstly, Shadow Man can jump three times before shooting two Shadow Blades. If anticipated properly, shooting Shadow Man in his jumps is fairly easy. Secondly, Shadow Man can jump three times before rapidly sliding towards the player, which they can easily dodge and grab a swift counter.
Players should do Shadow Man second, as he drops the Rush Marine. This will be extremely useful in the Gemini Man and Snake Man stages.
- Boss Skill: Spark Shot
- Weakness: Shadow Blade
Spark Man will surprise players with his pair of smaller and larger sparks, but boasts a larger threat with his multi-directional attacks. However, his combat strategy does contain two steps.
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First, Spark Man will jump three to four times before unleashing a multi-directional small spark that goes in all directions. Secondly, he'll unleash the larger Spark Shock that deals more damage.
Thankfully, players can easily kill Spark Man if they get to dodge the sparks and attack whenever possible. Shadow Blade will be extremely useful in this situation, too.
- Boss Skill: Magnet Missile
- Weakness: Mega Buster (x2 Damage), Spark Shock, Shadow Blade
After unplugging Spark Man, Mega Man can proceed with Magnet Man's stage. Magnet Man possesses two attack strategies that he uses in a random order. Firstly, he can jump towards Mega Man and fire three Magnet Missiles afterwards. Secondly, he will activate his magnetic body and pull Mega Man towards him. When Magnet Man uses this second attack, he's invincible - making him a tricky opponent to fight due to his mobility.
Thankfully, Magnet Man does leave an opening. Players can damage Magnet Man during his jump towards Mega Man by shooting at him. Mega Man can then slide away afterwards to avoid being close to him for his magnetism.
Players can also use Spark Shock and Shadow Blade against Magnet Man, and the Mega Buster deals double damage against him.
- Boss Skill: Hard Knuckle
- Weakness: Magnet Missile
By the time players pull away from Magnet Man's poles, it's time to fight Hard Man in his territory. Thankfully, Hard Man has quite a repetitive but deadly pattern. First, Hard Man will shoot two Hard Knuckles before trying to jump on top of the player. And if he misses Mega Man and his the ground, time will stop for a moment. This "moment" can be quite distracting to players. Moreover, Hard Man remains invincible during jumping.
Thankfully, players can avoid the Hard Knuckles by standing further from him as possible. Moreover, players can easily pummel Hard Man with Magnet Missiles.
- Boss Skill: Gemini Laser
- Weakness: Search Snake, Shadow Blade
After softening up Hard Man, players can then go to Gemini Man's stage. This fight can get tricky, given that Gemini Man splits into two and jumps all over the room, and possesses two attack stages. It's recommended that players use Top Spin to keep pressuring Gemini Man as much as possible. Useful special moves in this stage would be Search Snake and Shadow Blade.
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If players attack with a non-Top Spin attack, Gemini Man will freeze time temporarily and fire a pellet at the player. To avoid the pellet shot, Mega Man should shoot Gemini Man before he gets to touch the ground. That way, the pellet will most likely miss.
When players get Gemini Man at half health, he will start running around the room and jump-shot at him. It's at this point that he will start firing the Gemini Laser. Hard Knuckle works at this phase, too.
- Boss Skill: Needle Cannon
- Weakness: Gemini Laser
- Notes: Drops Rush Jet
After removing Gemini Man out of the picture, players can use his Gemini Laser against Needle Man. In this boss fight, Needle Man possesses two different attacks. Firstly, Needle Man can keep on jumping and shoot four needles. Thankfully, players can easily avoid the attack by sliding under him.
Secondly, Needle Man can bend forward and shoot his Needle Crown. This is a larger and deadlier attack, and getting close to his head can also deal damage.
The best way to eliminate Needle Man is to use Gemini Laser, which bounces across surfaces. The Gemini Laser will probably hit Needle Man due to his erratic jumping. Upon defeat, Needle Man also drops an item called the Rush Jet, which is useful for the repeat of this stage.
- Boss Skill: Search Snake
- Weakness: Needle Cannon
- Notes: Useful in Top Man Shadow Man stages Wily Stage 1
Once Needle Man was pinned, players can face Snake Man. While the jumpy Snake Man isn't extremely hard to deal with, the environment and his attacks make him the irritating foe. Players should mind the uneven flooring when trying to evade his attacks.
Meanwhile, Snake Man's primary mode of attack is to release snakes at the highest point of his jumping patterns. These little critters crawl on the floor and deal slight damage. Thankfully, players can shoot through the center stage - and his weakness against Needle Cannon can easily eliminate him.