The purpose of this page is to document all known tricks and other interesting information of the PSX Mega Man X games. These include Mega Man X4, Mega Man X5, and Mega Man X6.
Tricks
SDC (Slash Dash Cancel)
This is the trick that makes Zero superior to X in most stages. It destroys most bosses incredibly quickly, and also works well on regular enemies if necessary.
This trick is performed by pressing the attack button to slash on the ground, then dash to cancel the slash animation. The dash can be cancelled by another slash, so slash again as soon as possible. The first two hits of Zero's triple slash do not trigger invincibility on bosses, so every slash will cause damage.
Turnaround SDC (X6)
Zero's sword physics have changed in X6, making this trick possible. First, be as close to the opponent as possible, and have your back faced towards him. Then slash, and when the slash hits, turn around towards the boss. This will instantly make you start the second slash of the three hit combo. Then press dash and the other direction, so you face away from him again. Slash again, and repeat.
Guard Shell trick (X6)
When Zero has his Guard Shell (Shieldner Sheldon's weapon) out, slashing will make his Saber hit multiple times for each slash. This is a valuable asset in unassisted runs, but selecting Guard Shell is generally too slow for a TAS.
Bosses with abnormal invincibility
Usually, bosses have 60 (X4) or 30 (X5, X6) frames of invincibility after getting hit from attacks other than Zero's first or second slash, or attacks they don't take damage from. But some exceptions exist:
- Magma Dragoon (X4): Has only 30 frames of invincibility after each hit, rather than 60 frames like all other bosses from this game.
- Web Spider (X4): Gains invincibility after getting hit by Zero's first and second slash.
- Cyber Peacock (X4): Gains invincibility after getting hit by Zero's first and second slash.
- Frost Walrus (X4): Gains invincibility after getting hit by Zero's first and second slash.
- Blaze Heatnix (X6): When hit, regardless of which attack, will always trigger a "stunned" state, stopping his attack and giving him a long period of invincibility. This only doesn't happen when he does certain attacks. During these attacks, he has normal invincibility when attacked.
- Infinity Mijinion (X6): When hit by a saber (either by X or by Zero), he'll always trigger a "stunned" state and gain invincibility.
Z-Saber regular Air Slash vs. Kuuenzan (X4)
Defeating Split Mushroom as Zero gains you Kuuenzan, which replaces Zero's air slash. However, Kuuenzan isn't always better against certain bosses.
Bosses against whom regular Air Slash is better
The following bosses take 3 damage from Air Slash, but 2 from Kuuenzan:
- Split Mushroom
- Cyber Peacock
Bosses against whom Kuuenzan is better
The following bosses take 2 damage from Air Slash, but 3 from Kuuenzan:
The following bosses take 1 damage from Air Slash, but 2 from Kuuenzan:
- Magma Dragoon
- Slash Beast
Bosses for whom this doesn't matter:
The following bosses take 2 damage from both Air Slash and Kuuenzan: