As any Megaman fan knows, every robot master is weak against another robot master's weapon. So, there is typically a cycle, or "loop" you can follow. It consists of defeating the easiest robot master first, then earning his weapon and using it on the robot who's weak against it. Repeat until all robot masters are destroyed. Of course, once you get good, you don't have to do this; you can just take them out in some random order with just your plasma cannon; that's the beauty of the Megaman games!
Most walkthroughs tend to agree on this order: Bombman, Gutsman, Cutman, Elecman, Iceman, Fireman. That's a good order, considering Bombman is pretty easy to beat. Some say you should defeat Cutman first. I don't like this one as much, because while Cutman is also easy, you won't have the Super Arm to get the Magnet Beam in Elecman's stage, meaning you'll have to repeat that stage later. Another personal favorite is starting with Fireman. He never gave me a lot of trouble, and his Fire Storm is really handy in later stages. But for the sake of any beginners, my order will be based on that first order, beginning with Bombman.
Bombman has a simple stage overall, with just a few tricky spots. This stage marks the first appearence of a recurring enemy, the Sniper Joes, first of the Joe series robots. Because of the shields, you can only hit them when they're jumping or shooting.
Bullet Bombs look like large bullets with faces that fly in a wave pattern. Watch out for them, as they appear near pits in this stage. Also stay far away when you shoot them, because they explode when shot, which will hurt you if you're too close.
There is one annoying section near the end of the stage. Flying Shells will hover by and fire spread shots at you; this is the only time you can shoot them. There is one point where they come at you while crossing a spike pit. Great care must be taken so as not to get knocked into the spikes. While in all the other Megaman games, the temporary invincibility you'd get when hit also protects you from spikes, that doesn't hold in this game, so you have to be extra careful.
Bombman: Bombman shouldn't give anyone any trouble. He just jumps back and forth, throwing bombs sometimes. Just dodge the bombs, making sure you're out of the blast radius, and return fire with the plasma cannon or Fire Storm if you have it.
The bane of many Megaman players, Gutsman's stage has a deadly trap right at the start, trapdoor platofrms that travel along a track and will try to dump you at certain intervals. The easiest way to avoid this is to jump right as the round section on the left of the platform hits the gap in the track; you should be fine if you try that.
This stage introduces yet another recurring foe: the Mettaurs (also called Mets, Metalls, Metools, Hardhats, etc), cute little robots that hide inside hardhats, only popping out to fire at you. They should be only slight annoyances.
You'll also find robots here known as Pickelmen. They look kind of like Mettaurs, only with a full humanoid body, carrying a shield and a pickaxe. They work kind of like the Sniper Joes; they are only vulernable when they're throwing their pickaxes at you. You can try out Hyper Bombs here, just make sure the shield is down when it goes off. If you have Fire Storm, it'll burn right through the shield and take out the Pickelman in one hit.
Following this walkthrough, you'll encounter your first BigEye near the end of this stage. These monstroseties guard several of the robot masters' rooms, as well as Wily's fortress. They're tough to kill and dish out lots of damage. Try to run under it if you can.
Gutsman: Gutsman is a bit harder than Bombman was. Whenever he lands from a jump, the ground will shake, knocking Megaman off his feet for a moment. To solve this, keep an eye on Gutsman, and jump as high as you can right before his feet touch the ground. He'll also throw boulders at you, but you can jump over them if you take advantage of the high spot on the left of the room. Three Hyper Bombs should be all you need to take down this big lug.
This is a somewhat long stage, but it shouldn't be too difficult. Watch for Bunby Helis in this level (also known as Bladers). Take them out as quickly as possible before they start dive-bombing you.
The Super Cutters that fly out of the chutes can't be destroyed. Just run right past the chutes, however, and you should be fine.
Suzys take several hits to destroy and they do a considerable amount of damage for their size. If you have Fire Storm, great. Just incinerate them with that. If not, try Hyper Bombs or Super Arm if there are blocks available.
Cutman: Cutman is a pushover. Even the plasma cannon will beat him easily. If you really want to screw him over, use Super Arm to throw the blocks in his room at him. Two hits will do him in. Fire Storm also works well.
Watchers inhabit some of the vertical portions of this stage. They look like floating green orbs, and when they detect you, they'll shoot lightning at you. Try to destroy them before that happens.
Those annoying Gabyoals make their debut appearence in this stage. These spiny little robots slide along the ground, speeding up when they detect you on their level. Normal plasma shots don't hurt them either; it only stuns them temporarilly. You'll need a special weapon of some kind to destroy them. Try your newfound Rolling Cutter on them, or use Hyper Bombs if the platform they're on is small enough.
Another annoying trap here is the debut of the appearing/disappearing platforms. These irritating things appear and disappear in a set pattern. You have to watch the pattern, then move across them at the right time.
You'll find the Magnet Beam partway through this stage. It's in plain view, only it's being covered by three blocks that you need the Super Arm to clear away. The Thunder Beam will also destroy these blocks, but that means you'll have to repeat this stage after beating Elecman. The Magnet Beam is incredibly useful; it creates platforms you can walk on temporarily. The longer you hold the fire button, the longer the platform will be.
There's another BigEye guarding Elecman's room. Use the Magnet Beam to climb over it.
Elecman: Elecman is quite easily the hardest of the six robot masters in this game. He moves with considerable speed, and his Thunder Beam is powerful enough to kill you in just three hits. Use the Rolling Cutter to even the odds. Use the raised portion on the left side to give you some height so you can jump over the Thunder Beam easier. Good luck trying to take him out with just the plasma cannon.
Robots called Crazy Razys patrol the first part of this area. If you shoot them, their upper bodies will separate from the lower, and they'll behave like the Bunby Helis. Try to shoot them in the head to prevent this.
There is some water in this level, but unlike other Megaman games, you don't jump any higher underwater, although you still move slightly slower.
The appearing/disappearing platforms are back, and they seem a bit tougher than in Elecman's stage, but you now have the Magnet Beam you can use if you get impatient.
This stage contains one of the game's toughest elements: a huge chasm that you must cross using Foot Holders. The footing on those things isn't always that great, and their friends will try to shoot you off, along with the Pepes that fly through the second half of the chasm. Once again, the Magnet Beam will make life much easier.
Iceman: The shots from Iceman's Ice Slasher are heavily damaging, like Elecman's, but fortunately, Iceman is much more predictable and fights in a simple pattern. He jumps, firing Ice Slashers at three levels, then another three on the way down. Jump over the lower and middle Slashers and let the high ones pass over you. You can try the plasma cannon on him, but the Thunder Beam will fry him before he has the chance to do much at all.
The flamethrowers can be frozen with the Ice Slasher, then used as a platform. That will allow you to reach a couple of weapon energy capsules.
Changkeys are fireballs that shoot from the lava pools then drift down. Watch that they don't knock you into a pit!
There's one point where you must move past a chute with fireballs flying out. It's very difficult to avoid getting hit, but you can bypass the whole area with the Magnet Beam.
Fireman: Fireman doesn't do much, but he still packs a lot of firepow...er... packs a lot of heat... Okay my puns aren't funny. Anyway, all he does is stand there and shoot fireballs at you. Simply jump the fireballs and return fire. You may take a couple of hits, but as long as you have plenty of health, you should be fine. The Ice Slasher will take him out even faster.
Dr. Wily greets you to his humble abode with three BigEyes, one right after the other. They're easy to deal with now, though. Just shoot them with the Ice Slasher, then run underneath them if they're in mid-jump, or switch to your buster and finish 'em. Use the Super Arm to clear the blocks at the entrance to the fortress.
There's another segment with Foot Holders, like in Iceman's stage. Use the Magnet Beam again, but note there are spikes on the ceiling, so don't go too high.
In the final section, you'll have to use the Magnet beam to reach the ladder, which means you must have it at this point, or you're stuck.
The boss of this area is the first of many appearences throughout the series: The Yellow Devil (aka Yellow Demon, Rock Monster, Cyclops). It consists of a mechanical eye lodged in a body made of some kind of yellow goo. It shoots beams from the eye, but its major attack is to disassemble itself, hurling chunks of itself at you before reassembling on the other side of the room. This is certainly the toughest version of it right here, and it may take you several tries until you defeat it. When the monster throws chunks at you, it does so in a set pattern. Realizing the pattern is the key to avoid getting hit. When the eye opens, shoot it with the Thunder Beam. You'll probably only get one shot before it closes and repeats the pattern. You can also cheat and use the Pause trick (After firing your shot, hammer the Select button to pause and unpause the game. The beam will travel slowly through the enemy, making a hit with every slight movement it makes), but it's much more gratifying to beat it the right way...
You'll fight Cutman and Elecman again in this stage. Even though there are no blocks to throw, you can still beat Cutman easily with the plasma cannon. Elecman can be beaten the same way as before.
The actual boss is a copy of Megaman; and a strong one at that. Whenever you switch to a special weapon, the clone switches to the same. The Fire Storm does the most damage, but the copy will jump whenever you fire at it, so be sure to jump and fire so he jumps right into it.
This is a short and sweet stage. Just use the Thunder Beam to clear out the Suzys and Screw Drivers and follow the waterflow in the pipe until you reach the boss.
At the end of this area, you'll fight seven strange mechanoids encased in bubbles. They emege from chutes one at a time, circling the room as they fire at you. There are blocks in the room, but don't throw them yet. Destroy the first three with the plasma cannon, then hurl the blocks at the last four, which are faster to destroy with plasma shots.
Almost there. Use the Magnet Beam to easily cross the section with the track platform, but be sure to grab the power-up under the teleporter; it refills your health and all of your weapons. You'll be needing the boost.
Step into the teleporter to fight Bombman, Fireman, Iceman, and Gutsman again, in that order. After beating Gutsman, you'll face Dr. Wily.
Dr. Wily: The first phase of Wily's battle mech is firing shots from a red swivel turret in a sort of arc. Target the turret with the Fire Storm to destroy it quickly. After that's destroyed, Wily will fire spiraling plasma balls at you. They're easier to avoid than they may seem. The red jewel under the cockpit is the core, so that's what you want to hit. Many people say to use Thunder Beam, but I found Rolling Cutter to work just as well, if not better.
Ending: Dr. Wily falls out of his destroyed craft and grovels at Megaman's feet. We don't see what happens to Wily after that; the next thing we see is Megaman revert back to Rock as he walks home, where Dr. Light and Roll are waiting.
