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|                                                                      |
|                        Mega Man X5 Parts FAQ                         |
|                           v 1.21, 12-30-01                           |
|                      By Jjukil (Jjukil@aol.com)                      |
|                                                                      |
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Divisions

  0. VERSION CHANGES
    Updates to this document.

  I. INTRODUCTION
    What is this document all about?

  II. OPTIONAL PARTS
    II-A. PARTS SYSTEM EXPLANATION
      Explanation about using and getting parts.
    II-B. PARTS SYSTEM DETAILS
      Trouble getting or using parts?  Look here.
    II-C. MAIN PARTS LIST
      Describes each individual part, sorted by source boss.
    II-D. ANALYSIS AND TIPS
      Tips about good parts, ranking charts, and combo examples.

  III. THE USUAL FAQ ENDNOTES
    Copyrights, credits, disclaimers, etc.

---

0. VERSION CHANGES

1.21, 12-30-01:  One unfortunate change.
-I am now officially considering Excite's email dead and buried.  I gave it
 three weeks to recover, and it hasn't, so I'm closing the account ASAP.
 (What a Christmas present.  =/ )  So my email is back to Jjukil@aol.com.
 It may go somewhere else soon, in which case I'll update it again.  And if
 you've sent me anything at the excite.com address in the last few weeks, I
 haven't gotten it, so please send it again, to the new address.

1.2, 6-30-01:  Several modifications.
-Format change again; split II-A up, as anticipated, into II-A and II-B,
 and "renumbered" the other sections.  II-A features the full description and
 a brief summary, while II-B features all the nagging details that cause
 problems.
-Went over yet another test about getting parts (they just keep coming...),
 and added the results to the Parts System Details.
-Finally, FINALLY, sat down and figured out if Xtreme difficulty made a
 difference in boss levels.  ...the answer is "No."
-Found two more Shot Eraser shots.
-Tweaked Z-Saber Plus's description a bit(I noticed a bigger improvement in
 boss fights this time around).
-Discovered Black Zero also starts with Super Recover--which he can add to
 the equippable version for double the effect!--and the skimpy 2/3 version of
 W-Energy Saver.
-Took out the "Future Improvements/Ideas" blurbs.  The FAQ is still incom-
 plete, but I can't foresee any new sections coming, and now that the game's
 been out for a few months, feedback has slowed to a trickle--much less
 suggestions, which STARTED at a trickle and are now at a complete stop.
 Corrections may still be coming, however, as well as more Analysis and Tips.
 And suggestions are still appreciated, of course!

1.1, 4-23-01:  Several modifications.
-Went over more tests about actually getting parts, and added the results to
 the Parts System Explanation.  When it got a bit long, I added a brief
 summary before the details.  (This section may be split in two in the next
 update.)
-Changed Shock Absorber's Specifics, although the change isn't as drastic as
 the last one.
-Added a couple rather high-profile (read:  endboss) shots to Shot Eraser's
 list, one courtesy of Zen.
-Just a side note:  the next update may not come for a while, as I've got
 school and other things creeping up on me.  I do plan on at least one more,
 though.

1.0, 4-8-01:  Completed FAQ.  Mostly.
-Got the more mysterious parts tested.  Chief among the parts that needed
 corrections were Shot Eraser, Z-Saber Plus and especially Shock Absorber--
 that one's much better than I thought if you're unarmored.
-Reworked the rankings to suck a bit less.  There are several kinds now, and
 they span both the Main Parts List and a new section.
-Several format changes.  Morphed the Successful Part Combinations
 section into Analysis and Tips, which includes several ranking charts and
 the Summary section from the Main Parts List.  Also put a new subsection in
 the Parts list that separates the description from any in-depth
 analysis(Specifics).
-Added some combos and took out others, and tried to make them more
 interesting.  =)
-Generally added more splashes of detail across the document.
-Updated the Copyright to cover me for THIS century. =P

0.5, 3-20-01:  Original document.

---

I. INTRODUCTION

Hello and welcome to the Mega Man X5 Parts FAQ.  This was a side project of
mine for several weeks, and then evolved into my second attempt at a major
FAQ, the first being the Azure Dreams Fusion FAQ.  (End shameless plug.)
I'm doing it for two reasons.  First, mixing and matching abilities comes
naturally to me; I'd probably do some Final Fantasy system FAQs if they
hadn't already been done to death.  (This is why I cover Fusion in my Azure
Dreams FAQ.  (End shameless plug; serious this time.))  Second, for a while
there, how to even access the parts was a raging debate on the Gamefaqs X5
message board.  When it was finally solved, it left me with many questions
about parts that other FAQs couldn't answer, so, as usual, I decided to
answer them myself, and document my findings.

As of version 1.0, I feel proud enough of my work with this FAQ to call it
that--an FAQ, instead of a beta or an early version.  That doesn't mean I
don't want your help, though.  I've gotten a few suggestions about what to
put here, but I'd still like to hear from you.  So once you're finished
reading this document, drop me a line about what info you'd like filled in,
what categories you'd like me to discuss, generally anything.  You can
reach me at Jjukil@aol.com.  Thanks!

Okay, let's dive right in, then, shall we?

---

II. OPTIONAL PARTS

The Parts system may be confusing, but once you finally manage to get the 
parts, they can be pretty beneficial, as was no doubt the intention of the 
game's designers.  =)  This guide should help you figure out the ins and 
outs of the system, what each part can do for you, and how you can make 
them work best for you.

---

II-A. PARTS SYSTEM EXPLANATION

You get parts from bosses, as you may have already noticed.  To get one,
you have to beat a boss that is at least Level 9.  Bosses' levels depend on
how much time is left on the countdown timer--the fewer hours remain, the
higher level the bosses are.  So to level up bosses, lose hours.

Bosses level up as you go through the game, of course, but you'll miss at
least two parts if you just plow through.  To get all eight parts, you'll
want to make them all Level 9 before you beat any of them.  To do this, use
up hours on your countdown timer by killing yourself off in a stage, then
EXITING the stage (don't just hit continue) and entering again.  (Kinda
self-defeating, but it's the only way to get 8 parts.  I recommend Squid
Adler's level--you can die in 3 seconds without even touching the
controller.)  Bosses will be Level 9 when there are 10 hours left on the
clock (which will become 9 when you enter a stage).

Once you've beaten a Level 9 boss, after Alia's spiel about getting its
weapon you'll see an option:  Weapons + Life +, or Weapons + Energy +.  The
second + represents your part, and the part you get by choosing Weapons +
Life + is different from the one you get from Weapons + Energy +.  Of
course the game doesn't tell you what you're getting, but this FAQ will, in
the helpful list below.  Choose wisely, my friend.  =)

Unfortunately, you do not have instant access to these parts.  The 
mechanics have to build them first.  It takes them two countdown timer 
hours to do this, which translates to two boss battles, two stage selects 
on game over screens, or one of each.  If you fight Dynamo, you'll skip
ahead, but Dynamo doesn't give you a part, so two boss battles later you
won't get anything.  (This does make sense, really, but it does make
messing with parts very irritating....)

Once you have the part, hit L1 on the Stage Select screen to get to the
parts screen.  From there, select one of your "bodies," AKA characters, by
pressing X, then equip parts to it.  You can equip either 4 or 2, depending
on the body.  When you're done, press Triangle, then switch to other bodies
if need be.  (And don't worry--you can use the same part on more than one
body.)

-In Summary:  To get parts, beat bosses after enough countdown hours have
 passed.  To get all eight parts, keep losing and reentering stages until
 there's 10 hours left.  You'll get one of two parts for each boss.  The one
 you get is based on whether you choose Weapon + Life + or Weapon + Energy +
 after winning.  Two countdown hours later, you'll have the part, ready for
 equipping on as many characters or Armors as you like in the main screen.


---

II-B. PARTS SYSTEM DETAILS

These are some of the more irritating tidbits about getting and using Parts.
As of version 1.2, these outnumbered the points in the general explanation,
so, just as with the main parts list, I've moved them into their own section.
If you're having trouble getting a part, this will probably answer your
question--most of these specifics are about just that.  (If you still have
trouble, by the way, email me and I'll see if I can figure out what's going
on.  It'll help if you tell me things like who you were using, what level the
boss was on, what difficulty level you were on, if you'd used a code, etc.)

-Boss Levels 1:  When bosses get to Level 9 depends on who you're playing as.
 If you're using X, you'll first see a Level 9 boss when there are 10 hours
 left (which will change to 9 when you enter a stage).  You can reach one if
 you're Zero one hour earlier--11 remaining, 10 when you enter a stage.  I'm
 not sure why they did this; I suppose they think it's harder to beat bosses
 with X, so they made them level up later for him.  Ironically it makes the
 game MORE challenging if you use X and want all the parts, since you have
 to wait this extra hour, but you can combat this (see Winning Before 0
 Hours below).

-Boss Levels 2:  Note that if you're playing on the Easy difficulty level,
 bosses never gain levels, so you'll get no parts.  It's the price you
 pay....  (Xtreme difficulty, to my knowledge, does not affect boss levels.)

-Bodies:  The term "bodies" here is used to describe the characters you
 select from to take into battle.  Zero only has one "body"; while you can
 get armor for him--see below--it replaces his unarmored body in the
 character select screen.  X, on the other hand, has five bodies--his Armors.
 He goes into battles using whatever body you choose.  This makes a
 difference in strategy with parts, mostly because the Fourth, Falcon and
 Ultimate (an enhanced Fourth Armor; X4 homage, anyone?) Armors can have
 only 2, whereas Zero and unarmored X can have 4.  (X's Gaea Armor can't
 equip parts at all, and, therefore, will never be spoken of again in this
 document.  =)  

-Black Zero:  This is Zero's only upgrade, aside from the equippable parts.
 This is known as Black Zero due to the color his body becomes when he gets
 it, and it makes him inherently have four parts without using slots, along
 with increasing his weapon capacity by 50%.  These parts are Shot Eraser,
 Virus Buster, Super Recover and, most importantly, Shock Absorber.  Zero's
 answer to X's Armors is very powerful, since it lets you equip a grand
 total of eight parts(sure, you can't change four of them, but still).

-Getting Black Zero/Ultimate Armor:  You can get Black Zero and/or Ultimate
 Armor in two ways:  sliding down the right side of the wall just after the
 spike field in the second-to-last stage in the game, or cheating and
 starting the game with it.  Normal gameplay isn't all THAT different with
 Ultimate X, but you'll need to adjust your strategies if you plan on
 cheating and abusing Black Zero--getting Shock Absorber really helps Zero
 succeed, but is useless for his upgraded counterpart.

-Boss Levels 3:  If you use EITHER cheat code, bosses take one extra clock
 hour to level up FOR X ONLY, so he can't get a part for another hour.  Zero,
 on the other hand, still gets the parts at the normal times.  Isn't that a
 gyp....I'm pretty sure you can't complete the entire game in 9 clock hours,
 so make sure to follow the Winning Before 0 Hours tip below if you cheat,
 want all the parts, and use X.

-Winning Before 0 Hours:  If you're using X, you'll have to wait until at
 least 10 hours remaining to get all eight parts.  This is a pretty harsh
 number to beat the game with, since there are 10 stages to go through during
 the countdown.  If luck's on your side, though, you won't need them all.
 You can complete your mission by shooting the Enigma cannon, but whether it
 succeeds or not is random--even if you get all four repair modules, you can
 still win or lose.  (Note that this also means that even if you have no
 modules, you can complete your mission by firing ahead of time!)  So make
 sure you save when you get the fourth Enigma repair module.  If you lose,
 reset and reload your game.  You'll get it eventually.  Alternatively, just
 beat stages with Zero starting at 11 hours left until X is eligible for
 parts.


---

II-C. MAIN PARTS LIST

This format's vaguely confusing, so check out this explanation first.  
First you'll get the boss that has the two parts listed ahead.  Life and 
Energy stand for Weapon + Life + and Weapon + Energy +, respectively; they 
tell the obvious--which weapon + option you choose to get the part.  After
the name, you'll get an overall description, then any technical specifics
you don't need to know, but might find interesting.  Next come some good
offensive and defensive uses for the part.  Then, if a certain Armor (like
Black Zero) includes the part or something close to it built-in, it'll be
listed in Already on?, meaning you might not want to use it with that Armor.

The last category, Overall Rank, is just that--a general personal rank for
the part.  This is not to be confused with the part's total usefulness--in a
system where you can only get half the parts, that's somewhat of a tease.  I
rank my favorite eight choices from 1-8, with 1 being the most useful, then
rank the eight I don't choose from 9-16, with 9 being the most useful.
When I'm forced to choose between two parts of relatively equal value, I
generally place a lot of value on the parts that offer Life.  After all, the
more Life you have, the longer you can keep using parts!  ...as in, keep
living.  =)  You might consider experimenting with the top ranks from the
bottom half, since your strategies might not agree with mine.  (Speaking of
strategy, more strategy-specific rankings can be found in Analysis, below.)


Grizzly Slash:

LIFE: Shock Absorber
 Grizzly Slash is the best boss to start with if you mostly use Zero.  Not
 only does he give Zero good abilities, but both his parts work well for
 him.  This part does two things.  First, it doubles your defense if you're
 unarmored.  I found this out by accident, actually =)  Second, it changes
 how you get hit, as in your recovery stance.  You don't fall out of the air
 when you get hit, and you don't move backwards.  It's a good part, but most
 of the effects are included with any of X's Armors--and it's even already
 ON Black Zero--making the Hyper Dash better.
SPECIFICS:  When most things hit you, like shots, you get thrown back a bit,
 and fall a fair distance if you're in the air.  Some things, usually bigger
 shots and robots, will force you back about twice as far over nearly double
 the time.  What the Shock Absorber does, if you're Zero or unarmored X, is
 remove all horizontal and vertical movement from these hit stuns.  You just
 freeze in place for however long you were supposed to be flung around.  If
 you do a ground dash, then jump, you still lose the extra speed, though.
 X's Armors remove all vertical movement, and remove the delayed hit stuns,
 but just reduce the horizontal movement.  When this is on them, they have
 no horizontal movement, giving them the best hit stuns in...well, Mega Man
 history, really!
OFFENSIVE USES:  You won't get moved away from your firing post.
DEFENSIVE USES:  Reduces the impact from fire and, if you're unarmored,
 doubles your defense rating.
ALREADY ON?:  Black Zero.  Moreover, all of X's Armors have almost the same
 thing--they double your defense and reduce your recoil, possibly in a
 better way than this part.  Putting this part on the Armors does give you
 even better recoil, though.
OVERALL RANK:  10

ENERGY: Hyper Dash
 This part makes your character dash faster.  This was heaven for me, since
 I sorely missed the ultra-fast dashes of the SNES Mega Man X games.  Like
 Speedster below, it can get awkward climbing walls, but not as much.  It's
 got a kind of glitch to it, but this is only a problem for X in midair-
 -Zero's glitch changes for the better after he gets the F-Splasher(which
 makes his midair dash invincible).  You'll probably have more than enough
 fun with it to make up for X's problem anyway.  I know I do!
SPECIFICS:  This part is fun, but glitchy.  Your dashes move about 150% as
 fast as before, but you don't go a longer distance.  In fact, you actually
 LOSE a little bit of distance--about the length of X's body standing(not
 Zero's, he has a different standing stance).  This is not a problem on the
 ground, but air dashes only cover half the distance of ground dashes, and
 they still lose the same distance.  (Ground dashes that you jump out of
 don't suffer at all, of course.  You'll gain speed and distance.)  This
 part works differently with Zero's F-Splasher air dashes, though:  your
 dash takes the same amount of time as it does without the part, but goes
 faster and about one and a half times as far.  Since the F-Splashed dash
 is invincible, this works very well for him.  Finally, this part has
 another glitch underwater--the dash speed is lowered a bit as usual, but
 the time dashing wasn't extended as usual, so the dashes are shortened
 further.  Don't worry about this one, though, since you barely have enough
 room to dash during any of the time you're underwater anyway, in this game.
OFFENSIVE USES:  For Zero, you practically get a mini-Nova Strike with the
 F-Splasher.  As for X...well...sometimes your best offense IS a good
 defense...and your only offensive benefit here is improving that defense.
DEFENSIVE USES:  Gets you away faster for either.  For Zero, you also get
 a mini-Nova Strike.  =)  Just don't run into shots.
ALREADY ON?:  None.
OVERALL RANK:  3


Duff McWhalen:

LIFE: Super Recover
 Capsules offer 150% of the energy.  Yee and hah.  Actually, if the Energy 
 alternative weren't much better, this would be a handy thing to slap on 
 until you got better parts, but as it is, Capsules randomly appear while 
 the alternative will always be in effect.  You do get 2 more life bars to 
 go with it, though.  Because of that, you might go for it if you use Zero,
 or if you just plain don't use weapons; otherwise stay away.
OFFENSIVE USES:  Recovering weapon energy faster lets you use weapons
 more....
DEFENSIVE USES:  Recovering life energy lets you live longer.
ALREADY ON?:  Black Zero.  However, equipping Super Recover on him gives
 him the effect both times--capsules offer 200% of the energy.
OVERALL RANK:  12

ENERGY: W-Energy Saver
 Weapons use half the energy.  This is extremely useful if you use weapons
 often--or have always wanted to!  If you're using X, there should be no
 question--Falcon, Fourth and Ultimate Armor can all benefit more from
 more weapon energy than more capsule recovery.  Even Zero might consider 
 it--having more Dark Hold and C. Flasher can help out in certain sticky 
 situations.
OFFENSIVE USES:  Double offensive weapon uses.
DEFENSIVE USES:  Double defensive weapon uses.  =)
ALREADY ON?:  Well, X's Armors and Black Zero have skimpy versions(weapons
 use 2/3 energy).  But putting this on replaces it(no layering up the
 effect, sorry....), so it doesn't really count.
OVERALL RANK:  4


Squid Adler:

LIFE: Quick Charge (X)
 X's best friend.  It's only usable by him, of course.  This pretty much 
 halves the time it takes for him to charge up--it's just a shade slower 
 than how long it takes for a boss to lose his invulnerability after 
 getting hit.  Useful in all situations.
OFFENSIVE USES:  Uhh...quickly charge.  =)
DEFENSIVE USES:  Charge defensive weapons faster (particularly the
 C-Slash Shield) with the Fourth or Ultimate Armors.
ALREADY ON?:  None.
OVERALL RANK:  2

ENERGY: Z-Saber Extend (Z)
 Not as good for Zero as the alternative is for X, but useful nonetheless.  
 This adds a little aura to the end of each of Zero's saber swings.  It's
 something like his hand's length away, usually, but it varies.  This seems
 most useful on ladder/wall swings, somewhat useful on the three-hit combo,
 and totally useless on midair swings, once you get Grizzly's weapon anyway.
 Not as cool as I expected, but I use it with Zero anyway....
OFFENSIVE USES:  Extend the Z-Saber.  The name of the game.  =)
DEFENSIVE USES:  Well...sometimes a good offense IS the best defense...
 and your only defensive benefit here is increasing that offense.
ALREADY ON?:  None.
OVERALL RANK:  11


Izzy Glow:

LIFE: Burst Shot (X)
 You get five regular pellet shots on the screen.  They're also green, but
 I don't think this does anything.  This is not as useful as advertised,
 but if you're rapid-firing from across the screen it can help you out.
 Personally I've gotten in the habit of charging till I get up close, then
 rapid firing, but that's just me.  Still, the life powerup attached to
 this part makes it seem more useful than the alternative right now.
SPECIFICS:  The green color gets overriden by Speed Shot's blue if you
 combine the two parts.  Whee!
OFFENSIVE USES:  Having more shots on the screen can take out more stuff
 faster, in the right places.
DEFENSIVE USES:  Just increasing your offense....
ALREADY ON?:  None.
OVERALL RANK:  7

ENERGY: Shot Eraser (Z)
 Lets Zero destroy more shots than he already could anyway.  Not MANY more,
 but there are several, such as Squid Adler's electricity bolts.  This works
 on all of Zero's weapons.  It also turns your saber purple.  I've seriously
 underestimated this part in the past, but now that I've seen what it can
 do...it still doesn't change my strategy enough to forfeit the life
 powerup.  It might seem better if you got it close to the beginning of the
 game, though.
SPECIFICS:  Here's a list of the shots I've seen this work on so far:
 -Squid Adler's electricity bolts.
 -The yellow blasts from the final form of the Battleship.
 -The purple balls from the strange purple robots that are invincible most
  of the time; there's some at the start of the Space Trap stage.
 -The yellow dots from the wall-crawling droids; there's some at the start
  of the Volcano stage.
 -The fully-charged normal shot, and its aftermath, from Zero's second to
  last stage boss.  (If you've played the game, you'll know what I'm talking
  about.  ISN'T THAT INSANE!?)
 -The huge freakin' shots Sigma shoots from his hands in the final battle.
  (Special thanks to Zen for this one!)
 -The green and blue shots from the first boss(you've gotta cheat to do
  this one).
 That's it, so far.  You can find the minor enemies in other places too, of
 course, such as some of the final stages of the game....By the way, there's
 a quirk to Shot Eraser's saber color change.  Z-Saber Plus changes the
 color too, to red, but Shot Eraser overrides it...unless you're Black Zero,
 who already has it.  Then your saber will always be red if you use Z-Saber
 Plus, even if you actually equip this part.  Whatever....
OFFENSIVE USES:  Shooting down shots can give you an advantage in
 positioning.
DEFENSIVE USES:  Not getting hit.  ...sometimes.
ALREADY ON?:  Black Zero.
OVERALL RANK:  14


Dark Dizzy:

LIFE: Anti-Virus Guard
 Instead of four, it'll take getting hit by a whopping eight Sigma Virii to
 get infected.  It's hard to get infected if you're TRYING in this mode.  I
 don't like these parts at all, because I find the Virii easy to dodge and
 not very damaging anyway.  If you're having trouble, though, go ahead and
 slap this on...if you're X.  If you're Zero, then there is no benefit
 whatsoever to using it, because there's benefits to getting Infected.  The
 only reason this is preferred is the Life.
OFFENSIVE USES:  Just improving your defense.  If you're X.
DEFENSIVE USES:  Uhh...guards against viruses.  =)  If you're X.
ALREADY ON?:  None.
OVERALL RANK:  8

ENERGY: Virus Buster
 You can shoot and eventually destroy the Sigma Virii.  To me this is the 
 better of the two Virus guarding powerups--you can get rid of them once 
 and for all, and they rarely just come out of nowhere at least to me.  I 
 don't like either of them, though.  Again, there is no benefit to using 
 this with Zero, so don't even think about it--especially with Black Zero, 
 who already has it (for plot purposes, I assume). 
OFFENSIVE USES:  I can't decide what to call this.  It lets you hit the  
 Virii, which would seem like it improves your offense, but if you think 
 about it, that's really increasing your targets, almost bringing DOWN
 your offense.  It IS bringing down your offense if you're Zero--you
 might accidentally make what's basically Zero's answer to Mario's
 Starman explode!  Still, if you're X, it does help you shoot enemies...I
 dunno.  I'm probably thinking about this too much.  =P
DEFENSIVE USES:  Lets you take out damaging virii.
ALREADY ON?:  Black Zero.
OVERALL RANK:  16


The Skiver:

LIFE: Jumper
 Ah, the Skiver's powerups.  These two don't focus on offense or defense so
 much but mobility.  They're the best of the bunch to me and I really wish
 you could combine them.  But you can't--you have to choose one, and I
 generally prefer this one, which raises your jump height by about half.
 You still move at the same speed, I think, but you can go higher if you
 hold the button down.  It does not work on Zero's second jump (from
 midair).  This makes accessing places easier and can help out some boss
 fights.  And it's just plain fun.  =)
OFFENSIVE USES:  Not much, although it lets you reach and shoot more stuff.
DEFENSIVE USES:  You will also be able to dodge more.... 
ALREADY ON?:  None.
OVERALL RANK:  1

ENERGY: Speedster
 This is even more fun.  Your normal horizontal movement speed increases by
 50%--or close to that, maybe a little less.  Unfortunately, this does not
 work with dashes, which almost ruins the point for me, since all I ever do
 is dash.  On the ground this is fun, and you get longer jumps out of it
 too, but climbing the walls can get risky and difficult when you move
 farther outwards, and most of the time Hyper Dash and/or Jumper will get
 the same job done.  Still, I know I'd use it if I didn't like Jumper more.
OFFENSIVE USES:  It helps you get to enemies quicker....(This is better for
 Zero.)
DEFENSIVE USES:  This gets you away from stuff quicker too.  However, it
 should be noted that it can actually throw you off and put you in more
 danger while wall-climbing up one side of a wall (not bouncing between
 two walls).
ALREADY ON?:  None.
OVERALL RANK:  9


Mattrex:

LIFE: Speed Shot
 Shots travel across the screen faster.  No, no, not weapon shots--just 
 Buster ones.  Speed Shot affects any of X's Buster shots and Zero's
 Z-Buster, but I don't really see the point to any of it--shots move fast
 enough for me, and faster shots can throw off my timing.  Ah, well, at
 least it's not as bad as the Anti-Virus ones, and X's pellet shots turn a
 nifty blue.  Still, its alternative totally outdistances it.
OFFENSIVE USES:  Uh...shots...get...there...sooner.  Yeah.
DEFENSIVE USES:  Just "increasing" your offense.
ALREADY ON?:  None. 
OVERALL RANK:  15

ENERGY: Buster Plus
 This increases Buster shots' power.  For Zero, this pretty much sucks.  You
 save one Z-Buster shot at the most against regular enemies, and that's
 assuming you even use the Z-Buster, which I don't.  It's much better for X
 though, and also turns his pellet shots a nifty purple.  It can help out
 even more on bosses for both characters(more for X again), especially in
 the last stage.
SPECIFICS:   The effect is different for X and Zero on normal enemies, but
 the same for bosses.  For bosses, each shot does 1 more bar of damage.
 This works on all kinds of Buster shots, even regular pellets, so go wild
 with X.  For normal enemies, from the tests I've done so far, I'd say that
 X's shots are probably 125-130% as powerful against normal enemies.  This
 rounds up as it cumulates.  (Detailed example:  enemies that normally take
 2 shots still take 2, but those that could normally take 3 take only 2,
 because those two shots did 2.5 times the normal damage, and that's 3
 rounded up.)  Basically, count on having to do about 3/4 as much damage as
 before.  You'll notice this less the higher you charge up, since few
 enemies can withstand charged shots.  As for Zero, I don't have the
 percentage of improvement yet, and I'm finding it very hard to test because
 it takes so long for it to make a difference.  I've shot something six
 times with this thing on and had it not die.  Estimates are welcome, but
 for now, suffice it to say:  it sucks.
OFFENSIVE USES:  Take down enemies more quickly with more powerful shots!
 (Wow, I feel like Dr. Light--I mean, an ad....)
DEFENSIVE USES:  Just increasing your offense.
ALREADY ON?:  None.
OVERALL RANK:  5


Axle the Red:

LIFE: Ultimate Buster (X)
 Ergh.  This is NOT the Ultimate Buster.  What this does is make it so all 
 you fire is fully charged shots.  This sounds great at first, and I'll
 admit it's kinda fun, but it's got a lot of limitations that make it
 frustrating for me.  The alternative is much saner, although you might
 want to try this one for grins sometime.
SPECIFICS:  Okay, here's why the Ultimate Buster sucks.
 -You can't fire instantly after you've fired once.  In fact, it takes you
  about as long to fire again as it would if you charged up the shot using
  Quick Charge.  Using that and the Auto Charge option in the config menu
  does pretty much the same thing as the "Ultimate" Buster, with some slight
  loss of charge time and noise reduction.
 -You no longer have access to pellets or slightly-charged shots.  This is
  especially painful in the Falcon Armor, which has the worst fully charged
  shot in the history of the X series.
 -You also lose access to your special weapons' normal form if you're in
  the Fourth or Ultimate Armor--you'll only fire the charged form.
 Maybe it would be better if it went as fast as the Hyper Cannon from X3,
 which it was obviously trying to emulate....
OFFENSIVE USES:  I'd almost go so far as to say this DECREASES your 
 offense, seeing as how you can no longer rapid-fire.  However, it does 
 speed your charge time even faster than Quick Charge, and you don't even
 have to do the charging.
DEFENSIVE USES:  You can react to any strange surprises faster.
ALREADY ON?:  None.
OVERALL RANK:  13

ENERGY: Z-Saber Plus (Z)
 Turns your saber red, and makes it slightly more powerful.  It doesn't seem
 nearly as effective as Buster Plus for X, but it does do a bit more damage
 against normal enemies and bosses.  I haven't made exact measurements for
 either, but it definitely adds up in boss fights.  If you can't have Z-
 Saber Extend, and you really shouldn't if you want to use both characters,
 this is the next best thing for Zero.
SPECIFICS:  This part's saber color change can be overridden by the Shot
 Eraser.  If you're using Black Zero, however, that override goes away, for
 whatever strange reason.
OFFENSIVE USES:  See the above ad for the Buster Plus.
DEFENSIVE USES:  Just increasing your offense.
ALREADY ON?:  None.  I think.
OVERALL RANK:  6


---

II-D. ANALYSIS AND TIPS

The irritating part about the Parts system is that you can't really just 
slap a rank onto each part, pick the top 4 parts and call it a day, 
because you're only allowed to choose 1 of 2 parts every time.  Some good 
combinations you'd really want to have just aren't possible--without a 
Game Shark, anyway.  Still, it's more than possible to build offensive, 
defensive and/or mobile powerhouses using just the Parts.  Read on for tips
on some of the best parts, several different ranking charts, and some 
examples of successful part combinations, with their source Maverick and
option (Life + or Energy +) included for reference.


Most Productive Part:  Shock Absorber may not be the best part, but it
 certainly tries with how much it does.  And it certainly would be if X
 didn't have such easy access to its near-equivalent.

Most Complex Part:  This is either Hyper Dash or, more likely, Buster Plus.
 These are the ones I spent the most time testing, and with all their quirks
 and transformations and glitches, I'd never use them if the end results
 weren't still so valuable.

Best Offensive Part:
X:  Quick Charge, hands down.  It practically doubles your offense.
Zero:  Actually, it's probably Hyper Dash.  The Z-Saber powerups are nifty,
 but Hyper Dash makes Zero's invincible air dash almost twice as powerful
 since it goes twice as far.  Plus it gets him to enemies faster.

Best Defensive Part:
X:  Shock Absorber or Super Recover.  The former's constant but often
 emulated, the latter's random but rather helpful.
Zero:  Shock Absorber until you have Black Zero, after which point it's
 Hyper Dash(which REALLY SUCKS, since they're both from the same source
 boss!!).

Part Most Often Already On:  I'd have to call it Shock Absorber.  Black
 Zero has it, and it's emulated nearly perfectly by X's Armors.  There's
 also a wimpy version of W-Energy Saver on every armor.

Rank Lists:

Overall Rank List                    Part Rank List
 Copied from above.                   Overall ranking of the parts
                                      themselves, discounting Life/Energy
                                      powerups and the source boss.
 1. Jumper (S-L)                      1. Jumper (S-L)
 2. Quick Charge (A-L)                2. Speedster (S-E)
 3. Hyper Dash (G-E)                  3. Quick Charge (A-L)
 4. W-Energy Saver (W-E)              4. Hyper Dash (G-E)
 5. Buster Plus (M-E)                 5. Shock Absorber (G-L)
 6. Z-Saber Plus (R-E)                6. W-Energy Saver (W-E)
 7. Burst Shot (I-L)                  7. Buster Plus (M-E)
 8. Anti-Virus Guard (D-L)            8. Z-Saber Extend (A-E)
 9. Speedster (S-E)                   9. Super Recover (W-L)
10. Shock Absorber (G-L)             10. Z-Saber Plus (R-E)
11. Z-Saber Extend (A-E)             11. Ultimate Buster (R-L)
12. Super Recover (W-L)              12. Shot Eraser (I-E)
13. Ultimate Buster (R-L)            13. Burst Shot (I-L)
14. Shot Eraser (I-E)                14. Speed Shot (M-L)
15. Speed Shot (M-L)                 15. Virus Buster (D-E)
16. Virus Buster (D-E)               16. Anti-Virus Guard (D-L)

   S=The Skiver.  G=Grizzly Slash.  A=Squid Adler.  W=Duff McWhalen.
       M=Mattrex.  R=Axle the Red.  I=Izzy Glow.  D=Dark Dizzy.
               L=Weapon + Life +.  E=Weapon + Energy +.

X Rank List                          Zero Rank List
 Parts to get if you mostly use X.    Parts to get if you mostly use Zero.
 1. Jumper (S-L)                      1. Shock Absorber (G-L)
 2. Quick Charge (A-L)                2. Speedster (S-E)
 3. Hyper Dash (G-E)                  3. Z-Saber Extend (A-E)
 4. W-Energy Saver (W-E)              4. Super Recover (W-L)
 5. Buster Plus (M-E)                 5. Z-Saber Plus (R-E)
 6. Ultimate Buster (R-L)             6. Shot Eraser (I-E)
 7. Burst Shot (I-L)                  7. Speed Shot (M-L)
 8. Anti-Virus Guard (D-L)            8. Anti-Virus Guard (D-L)
 9. Speedster (S-E)                   9. Jumper (S-L)
10. Super Recover (W-L)              10. Hyper Dash (G-E)
11. Shock Absorber (G-L)             11. W-Energy Saver (W-E)
12. Speed Shot (M-L)                 12. Quick Charge (A-L)
13. Virus Buster (D-E)               13. Buster Plus (M-E)
14. Z-Saber Plus (R-E)               14. Burst Shot (I-L)
15. Z-Saber Extend (A-E)             15. Ultimate Buster (R-L)
16. Shot Eraser (I-E)                16. Virus Buster (D-E)

Black Zero Rank List
 Parts to get if you cheat and start the game with Black Zero.  =)
 1. Jumper (S-L)                       9. Speedster (S-E)
 2. Hyper Dash (G-E)                  10. W-Energy Saver (W-E)
 3. Z-Saber Extend (A-E)              11. Quick Charge (A-L)
 4. Z-Saber Plus (R-E)                12. Buster Plus (M-E)
 5. Super Recover (W-L)               13. Ultimate Buster (R-L)
 6. Burst Shot (I-L)                  14. Shock Absorber (G-L)
 7. Speed Shot (M-L)                  15. Shot Eraser (I-E)
 8. Anti-Virus Guard (D-L)            16. Virus Buster (D-E)


Successful Part Combinations:

MOBILE ASSAULT 1:  Jumper, Hyper Dash (Skiver-L, Grizzly-E)
Gives you much more flexibility in reaching those tough spots.

MOBILE ASSAULT 2:  Speedster, Hyper Dash (Skiver-E, Grizzly-E)
The most fun you can have on two legs.  Really good for Zero.

GATLING MAN (X only):  Burst Shot, Speed Shot
Rapid fire has never been so rapid.

SHOOTING GALLERY (Z only):  Shot Eraser, Virus Buster (Izzy-E, Dizzy-E)
You'll be able to take out most anything on-screen.

THE REAL ULTIMATE BUSTER (X only):  Ultimate Buster, W-Energy Saver (Red-L,
 Whalen-E)
Makes using charged weapons convenient and less costly.

ULTIMATE SABER (Z only):  Z-Saber Plus, Z-Saber Extend, Shot Eraser
 (Red-E, Adler-E, Izzy-E)
Pretty much a no-brainer.  Subtract Shot Eraser if desired....

THE BEST OFFENSE 1 (X only):  Buster Plus, Quick Charge, W-Energy Saver,
 Burst Shot (Mattrex-E, Adler-L, Whalen-E, Izzy-L)
Your best bet for pure damage dealing with X.

THE BEST OFFENSE 2 (Z only):  Z-Saber Extend, Z-Saber Plus, Hyper Dash,
 W-Energy Saver (Adler-E, Red-E, Grizzly-E, Whalen-E)
Lets you get the drop on, then destroy enemies.

THE BEST DEFENSE:  Shock Absorber, Super Recover, Jumper,
 Virus Buster(X) or Shot Eraser(Z) (Grizzly-L, Whalen-L, Skiver-L, Dizzy-E
 or Izzy-E)
Substitute Shock Absorber for Hyper Dash if you're using Armor!


What To Avoid:

-Putting a part on an Armor it's listed to already be on.  Watch out
 especially for this with Black Zero, who carries three fairly useful parts
 and four slots to mess up on.  (Note that putting Super Recover on again
 isn't as bad, since it's the only part in the game where that will give
 him double the effect!)

-Putting on two parts that conflict.  The only examples I can think of 
 this involve the "Ultimate" Buster--don't put it with Quick Charge or
 Burst Shot.  I'll post more when I can figure them out.

-Putting Speed Shot or Buster Plus on Zero if you don't have the Z-Buster.
 ...it's not gonna work.

-Putting either of Dark Dizzy's parts on Zero at all.  Just take the extra
 two life points and get on with your life.... =P


---

III. THE USUAL FAQ ENDNOTES

Credits

Well, unfortunately the biggest credit I have to give goes to a group of 
people I don't remember the names of.  =P  The ones I'm talking about here 
are those involved in the debate about parts on the Gamefaqs message 
board.  They really shed some light for me on how to get the 
parts--especially the one that listed which 8 parts he got by beating the 
Mavericks with Zero and picking one Weapon + type.  Even though the part 
about different parts with X and Zero turned out to be wrong, I finally 
figured out parts by testing it myself.  Sadly, now these messages are
gone, and I have no idea who participated in the search.  The one accurate
credit I can give for this group goes to Uratoh, who posted a message
explaining getting parts briefly and accurately close to the beginning of
April.  I seem to remember him from the debate, too.  Still, thanks a lot,
everyone!

Thanks also go to Mandi Paugh, for http://www.mmhp.net.  The site is
really cool, and the X5 hints were helpful too.  Keep up the great work!

Big thanks should go to CJayC, for hosting (and putting up with) me, and
http://www.gamefaqs.com in general.  I wish him nothing but success.

Zen(zen@zork.net) told me about bosses giving parts at Level 9 (not 7)
and the Shot Eraser erasing a shot in the final battle, two things I
definitely appreciate!  He and Niko Pinedar(l_pineda@skyinet.net), Ryan
Aikens(Ryan_Aikens@excite.com) and J2keen35@aol.com are largely, if
indirectly, responsible for the part system explanation redo in v 1.1.
Thanks, all!

Thanks go to Jujuboy (jujuboy@pacbell.net) for telling me about bosses
giving X parts one clock hour later if you're using a cheat code.  Sorry
I missed this one, and glad you found it!

And, of course, I'll give Capcom credit where it's due.  (...on time, this 
time.)  Capcom is probably the most prolific game developer out there 
today, and for all their games I don't enjoy, I enjoy more games by them 
than anyone but Square.  Again, keep up the good work!

Finally, I'd like to give everyone who sends in their suggestions and
contributions thanks in advance!  =)


Copyright

This FAQ is Copyright 2001, JJ Ukil(Jjukil@aol.com).  I do not want bad
things happening to it without my knowledge.  You may not publish it,
reprint it for commercial use, modify and redistribute or reprint it, or
use information from it in another document without my written consent.
I welcome and highly encourage its distribution, but only unmodified and in
its current form.  I would also greatly prefer you mention to me that you
are distributing it.  I have found my work in odd places before, and it has
made me unhappy.  I've found my modified work in odd places before, too, and
that has made me very unhappy.  (Especially because the modification was
horrible.)

Disclaimer

Finally, I'd like to remind everyone that this FAQ is NOT the final
authority on the parts system.  It may have most of the information it's
going to get now, but it is still meant to be a work in progress, and your
contributions are greatly appreciated.  Should you find an error or have
ideas about what you'd like to see here, please e-mail me at
Jjukil@aol.com, and I will add it to the list of improvements for the
next version of the FAQ.  However, I want any emails you send me to be
polite, coherent, and, in the case of new info, informative.  Flaming me 
for no reason will get you nothing, and I will tend to respect your 
opinion less (read: not at all) if your suggestion is phrased rudely.  
Remember: polite, coherent, and informative.  Thank you! =)

----

Well, that's about it!  Hope you enjoyed it!

Thanks, Jjukil

