Soon after Lan Hikari and MegaMan.EXE defeat the terrorist group Gospel, Dr. Wily once again reforms the WWW in Mega Man Battle Network 3 for a more evil goal: reviving the program Alpha that went berserk before the creation of the internet. With the game now released in separate Blue and White versions, fans of the Mega Man Battle Network franchise can have twice the fun with exclusive features that can force players to make changes to their playstyles to adapt to each version’s improvements.
Carrying over a majority of Battle Network 2’s gameplay, Battle Network 3 introduces key additions such as meta-affecting Navi Customizer and more chip limits thanks to nigh-overpowered special types. With these features present in the recently-released Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection, newcomers and veterans to the game might be thrilled as to the kinds of chip combinations they can pull off. However, just which chips dominate the Battle Network 3 roster?
10 Invis
When it comes to facing tough foes like the evil Dr. Wily in a player’s Battle Network experience, it’s important to pack some recovery chips for emergency heals. However, for players who want to focus on the offense, perhaps damage mitigation could work for their benefit. This is the primary benefit that Invis provides, especially since it provides temporary immunity to damage.
Acquired from the ACDC Square Netdealer and the Scilab’s blue mystery data, Invis is a nifty survival tool in any player’s arsenal - especially if they need time to refill their Custom Gauge in clutch situations.
9 VarSwrd
Lovers of the Mega Man franchise may remember the combat variety Zero offers in terms of his swordsmanship, especially since his boss battles will teach him slash techniques for his Z-Saber contrary to Mega Man’s elemental blasts. In Battle Network 3, players can finally express their love for Zero with VarSwrd. Obtained from either the NumberMan Machine or by giving “Shake1S” to an NPC near the Scilab information desk, VarSwrd gives players access to a “magical shifting sword.”
In the game, this essentially allows players to input various codes while pressing A in order to unleash different attacks. One of the must-learn combos that are also exclusive to Battle Network 3 gameplay would be Element Sonic, which is achieved via pressing B-B-Left-Down-Up. This attack unleashes four wide-arching slashes that hit opponents. Unlike other attacks, Element Sonic doesn’t have i-frames, allowing players to immediately follow up with other attacks.
8 GaiaBld
Secured via Lotto Number 33157825, GaiaBld in a player’s Battle Network gameplay is one of the Special Chips associated with the Wood Style. While it has certain elemental restrictions (strong against Elec but weak against Fire), GaiaBld is a sheer behemoth when used in combat properly. This is majorly due to its property of enhancing its attack power with all chips put after it. The ability is a far cry from GaiaSwrd, which only takes the power of the chip next to it.
As a result, GaiaBld put at the front of a combo immediately enhances its base 100 Attack with whatever is put in front of it. Players do need to remember that they can only use GaiaBld with the Wood Style. Near the endgame, attaching powerhouses such as Bass GS (700) and a bunch of upgraded Mines (130-300) can easily secure a Gaia Blade with 1700 Attack.
7 Bolt
When players use the Lotto Number 54390805, they get access to Bolt, which is one of the special chips associated with the Elec Style in Mega Man Battle Network 3. In a player’s Battle Network gameplay, Bolt is stated to simply damage objects and their surroundings. While this is an easy way to clear obstacles, this also means Bolt can damage things the game considers “objects” such as separate parts of giant bosses. This setup can become extremely overpowered with the right setups.
For instance, Ice Stage transforms all panels to ice that doubles the damage of all Elec element attacks, which lets Bolt deal 600 Attack to both monsters and even boss body parts (considered objects). If an ice-enhanced Bolt hits a Prism (an object) that spreads attacks to its surroundings, Prism will add yet another 600 Attack to the mix for a minimum of 1200 Attack. This damage increases further against large bosses, whose object-classified body parts can bounce attacks off Prism that just counters with essentially double the attack.
6 FlashMan
Considering how Battle Network opponents can move quickly around the battlefield, players can have a much smoother time by either eliminating them much faster or slowing them down to secure powerful attacks. Both of these are possible with stuns such as FlashMan, wherein putting it in an F-coded Folder can make this card an ace in the hole for powerful combos.
At its core, players need to use an Elec Style with two Custom+2 mods in their Navi Customizer. To start this combo, players should use IceStage to cover the field in ice and then Repair to avoid slipping. This essentially doubles all the damage of Elec-based attacks. Afterward, spamming FlashMan alongside the Hyper Ratton Program Advance could potentially net as much as 3,620 Attack before having to use FolderBak to reset their combo chips.
5 PlantMan
Even in the older days of Battle Network gameplay, PlantMan is easily a must-have for players who want to dominate the early game given his potential for virus clearing. At its core, using PlantMan will not only deal some damage to all opponents but also use his Plant Weed attack on them to stun them for a short duration.
Although FlashMan has a particular function, PlantMan dominates in terms of sheer early-game versatility. In a P-coded Folder, enhancing PlantMan with Wood+30 can open battles for neat multi-hit combos. Meanwhile, P-coded support chips such as Sensor3 and Plasma3 can paralyze opponents and force them into stunlock, with MetaGel2 being able to push opponents in these situations.
4 Prism
When players reach Yoka Area 1, they should get the Blue Mystery Data behind the WWW door in order to get Prism. While its description says it “fires randomly,” its functionality reflects the origins of its name. Similar to how a Prism can split into colors when hit by light, Prism actually spreads the attack sent to it to adjacent squares - essentially doubling damage when used against giant bosses that occupy many panels.
This ability makes Prism quite a handy tool to exploit the environment to the player’s advantage. When facing multiple opponents, players can simply whip out Prism so a block gets thrown in front of them and then blast it with an attack to spread it to adjacent foes. Ideally, players should use Prism when they’re in the end-center of their area in the game so the Prism gets sent to the end-center of the enemy’s area. This is capable of transforming combos such as the Gaia Blade and the Bolt above to reach ridiculous damage numbers.
3 FoldrBak
Players able to reach Undernet 2 in their Battle Network gameplay may be able to acquire the unimposing FoldrBak from the BugFrag Trader. And despite being able to acquire this chip early in the game, it’s quite an indispensable part of any player’s arsenal considering its use. At its core, FoldrBak will instantly return all chips players used in the match, including this chip.
This essentially gives them yet another opportunity to dish out combos in the match, which is integral for players who haven’t quite gotten the groove in their Battle Network 3 gameplay yet. Unfortunately only available for Blue players, FoldrBak is a must-use for players who haven’t quite gotten the hang of their ideal combos.
2 AreaGrab
Although a part of the rather simple environment-affecting chips in a player’s Battle Network experience, AreaGrab is a great way to teach players on tinkering with their surroundings. At its core, AreaGrab steals an entire left edge from the enemy, essentially giving players another means of getting close to their opponents.
Its inclusion in the player’s starting folder is a testament to its usefulness, as this range-closer can make more melee-focused builds viable. However, perhaps a more practical use for AreaGrab is simply for mobility, as players need to have as much room as possible, especially when facing multiple enemies with different directional attacks.
1 FullCust
Players who grew up with Battle Network 3 know that the Mega Man game enables quite a lot of technical customizations, with certain combos even capable of breaking the game with how they interact with certain mechanics. Of course, players can only ever succeed in these combos once they execute them as soon as possible, which is where FullCust comes in.
Unlike other Custom Gauge fillers, FullCust instantly refills the Custom Gauge and allows players to get another turn. This can easily make this chip an integral part of combo facilitation. Players can put FullCust as their finisher if they want to secure a few damage points, or even put it first followed up by chips players want to discard. The latter is advisable if they want to clear more spots in their Custom Screen for their combo chips to appear.
Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection is currently available on PC, PS4, and Switch.