It kinda sucks that not only has the stage select been altered from the traditional look, but the robot masters are arranged in the reccomended order already: Toadman, Brightman, Pharaohman, Ringman. Smae goes for the second wave: Crystalman, Napalmman, Stoneman, Chargeman.
As for Rush adapters, you get Rush Coil after beating Toadman, and Rush Jet after beating Chargeman.
In the first four robot master stages, you'll find the B, E, A, and T circuit plates. Collect all of them to be able to summon Beat.
Finally, keep an eye out for P-chips. You can take them to Dr. Light and have him make power-ups. More on that later.
Expect most of the same enemies from the NES stage to appear, just in a different layout.
After defeating the first snail, you'll find the 'B' plate. It's in plain view.
There are small energy capsules hiding out in the water in out of the way places.
An important thing to keep in mind. In this game, you'll bounce back a short distance when firing a charged Mega Buster. Mind your environment when firing it.
At the end of the water section, look for something flashing in the wall. Jump inside and slinde to uncover an energy tank.
Toadman: Toad fights the same as before. But his attacks don't seem as ridiculously powerful as they were then. Rapid-fire him or use Ring Boomerangs.
Brightman has plenty of wierd traps throughout his stage. First of all is a dark chasm to cross using flashing platforms that move all about when you're on them.
You've also got lots of those flying enemies that cause the lights to go out when you shoot them.
Another oddity is a platform with a face on it. Stand on it and it'll move down and to the right. Jump and it shoots up. You'll need to alternate to cross another chasm.
Fnally, we have the U-track platforms from last time. The 'E' is in this area as well. It's not difficult to miss, just be sure you don't fall.
Brightman: As with most of the robot masters, there's little I can say that wasn't said in the NES game. Keep on firing the Rain Flush and hope you don't get nailed with the Flash Stopper too much. The Rain Flush uses far less energy in this game, so that'll give you a break.
The stage starts out the same. Only now, you can stop the quicksand with the Rain Flush. That gets the scorpions out of your hair as well.
Most of the stage is pretty straight forward otherwise. Just keep an eye out for goodies.
This stage has the 'A', and it's the toughest circuit plate to get. These small footholds collapse when you step on them. Try to call Rush Coil on the one right under the 'A' to give yourself a boost to it. You may lose a life to get it, but it's better then the alternative; repeat this stage after beating Ringman to snare it with the Ring Boomerang.
Pharaohman: What can I say? Use Flash Stopper like before, and he's easy pickin's.
This stage is also straight forward. The light platforms are back, just be aware of them, and you should have few problems.
The 'T' is also in plain view. No prob.
The large ring guys are back, and you can handle them the same way; use Flash Stopper to freeze them in their moment of weakness.
Again, Rain Flush uses a lot less energy than in MM4, so don't be afraid to use it to easily clear out enemies.
Ringman: Just do your best to dodge the Ring Boomerangs and counter with charged Pharaoh Shots. It should be a one-sided fight.
The first thing you do here is fight a odd mini-boss. It consists of some kind of radar dish with a central core, the sphere in the middle. It's vulernable when it opens up to shoot fireballs. Charged buster shots work just fine.
Afterwards, you'll go through a short stage with numerous bombs you must shoot to clear them away. Just don't get too close or you'll get hurt too.
Ballade: Ballade puts up a decent fight. He runs and jumps all over the room, stopping to fire a couple of small Ballade Crackers every once in a while. Dodge as best you can and use charged Pharaoh Shots; they work nicely since you can angle them up in case he tries to jump over it. He'll flee once you wear him out enough.
Now you have four more robot masters to deal with.
In the next wave of robot master stages, there are W, I, L, and Y circuit plates. Unlike the optional Beat plates, you must have these four to proceed after beating the MM5 masters. Anyway, the 'W' is in this stage, in the downward shaft next to the Crystal Joe.
The path splits eventually, but I can't think of either path being significantly better than the other.
Look for more crystals falling from the ceiling. Luckily, they only fall one at a time unlike the NES game, making them easier to avoid.
An obsticle that may be unexpected is certain parts of the floor that rise and collapse, trying to either crush you or drop you into a pit. Stay vigilant!
Finally, there are a couple platforms with weird faces. Stand on them and shoot Pharaoh Shots down at them to make them move across gaps.
Crystalman: It takes a little fancy footwork to avoid the multiple Crystal Eyes he shoots. He fires them whenever he does a big jump. Otherwise, he'll fire smaller, single crystals. Smash him up with Ring Boomerangs. Charge Kicks are also effective.
There are certain parts of the floor that are on fire. The flames act as spikes and kill you in one hit. You can put them out temporarily with the Rain Flush. On such floor is blocking a ladder; put the fire out and climb it to find Protoman, who has power-ups for you.
The drills that also kill you in one hit are back. But there are some instances where you'll have to ride them across chasms.
The 'I' is settled on top of a flaming floor with collapsing platforms. You'd better hustle if you hope to get it.
Napalmman:: Take care of Napalmman with Crystal Eyes. Fire them at the walls to diffuse them, making them able to hit Napalm multiple times.
Stoneman has a fairly uninteresting stage. There are some rotating platforms like Windmans in MM6, but little else worth talking about.
The big hippos normally from Ringman's level have taken up residence here. Use Rain Flush or Pharaoh Shots to hit them without bothering to shoot out the platform.
The 'L' is near the end of the stage, in plain view.
Stoneman: Stoneman has the same attacks and the same weakness as before; Napalm Bomb. He's easy enough.
Same thing as in Stoneman's stage. This level is straight forward and doesn't have much to talk about.
Once more, the 'Y' is right out in the open. Doesn't require much to find.
Chargeman: I'm running out of stuff to say. I wish they had made things at least a little different from the NES game. Anyways, in case you haven't played MM5, Chargeman is weak against Power Stone.
As I already mentioned, you must have collected the W, I, L, and Y plates to advance any farther.
Ballade: The rematch. Ballade's fighting style has changed a bit. In addition to being a bit stinger, he also fires larger and more powerful Ballade Crackers. Use a similare tactic as before, using Pharaoh Shots. You'll win the awesome Ballade Cracker after beating him.
Now you must escape the collapsing fortress. Use your newfound Ballade Crackers to clear away the bombs in your way. Just don't get too close to them.
After escaping, you'll have one last chance to make items before challenging the final stages. Be sure to at least get the Weapon Refill to restore your weapon energy.
Dr. Wily: 3rd Station
This is one big stage. The first portion has you dodging missiles and battling big Mettaurs minding huge cannons. They have the same weak point as normal.
Another new enemy is a strange-looking springing robot that tries to jump on you. They take a lot of punishment, so try to sneak past them before they mangle you too much.
Your first mini-boss here is a large machine with a hook weapon and comes equipped with some of your special weapons; namely Ring Boomerang, Napalm Bomb, Power Stone, and Ballade Cracker. Use your own Ballade Crackers and aim for the crystal in the middle when it forms.
The next areas require careful jumps, and some need you to use Rush Jet to cross spiked gaps.
Another mini-boss is a mechanical eye that floats around and splits up when hit. Use Napalm Bombs and watch for the real eye.
The flashing blocks with crosses on them can be destroyed with Charge Kick. You can uncover some valuable power-ups in the bowels of the fortress with this.
Another eye mini-boss, but different from before. This one splits in two and crawls across the ever-changing room. Again, Napalm Bombs are its weakness.
Near the last saucer-riding Sniper Joe, look for another flashing cross-block. Destory it to enter a room where Protoman will refill all of your heath and weapons. You'll need that for the big battles ahead.
You know it and love it; the teleporter room. Beat the robot masters once more and move on. Finally, the last battle lies ahead.
Dr. Wily: The bad doc comes after you in three phases. The first is the main torso of a giant mech and tries to pound you with huge metal arms. Use the Power Stone to reach the crystal near the top of the screen to damage the unit. When that's destroyed, you must now fight the head. When it opens its mouth to suck you in, cram as many Crystal Eyes or Ballade Crackers down its throat as you can. It'll also try ramming you; rapid fire with normal buster shots to interrupt it. When the entire mech is gone, Wily will engage you in his saucer. He'll try destroying parts of the floor, then drop plasma balls on you. Angle Ballade Crackers or charged Pharaoh Shots up at it before it cloaks.
Dr. Light's Lab
In between stages, you'll have the chance to cash in those P-chips you been picking up (I have no idea what the 'P' is supposed to stand for.) for power-ups. You can access Dr. Light's lab after clearing a stage, or by pressing Select on the stage select screen.
1-Up: Do I really have to explain what this does? (50 P-chips)
Mini Energy Tank: These do nothing on their own, but for every four you collect, you'll receive a full Energy Tank. (20 P-chips)
Weapon Tank: Stored weapon energy that you can use to recharge a special weapon. (30 P-chips)
Energy Tank: A staple of the Megaman series; use this to refill your health. (60 P-chips)
Super Tank: This handy item will restore your health and all special weapons to 100%. (120 P-chips)
Weapon Refill: When you buy this, your special weapons are instantly recharged. This is helpful later in he game, where you do not automatically recover weapon energy between stages. (80 P-chips)
Energy Balancer: If you have no special weapon equipped, you'll automatically recover the weapon with the lowest energy when you pick up a capsule. Get this ASAP. (150 P-chips)
Ending:
Wily escapes as usual. Megaman tries to escape the doomed space fort, but is trapped by a strong air lock. Ballade shows up, badly wounded and with a change of heart. He sacrifices himself, self-destructing and allowing Megaman to escape.
