Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection is finally out for PS4, XB1, Switch, and PC via Steam! How have you been enjoying the games so far? For newcomers, the first Mega Man Zero game might be a bit difficult, so don’t be afraid to use the Casual Scenario Mode and Assist-Save features to play each game at your own pace. Some of you out there surely want to experience these games at their original difficulty and level of challenge, so here are few tips and tricks for defeating some of the earlier bosses in Mega Man Zero!

■ Aztec Falcon

One of the keys to defeating Aztec Falcon is using the walls to your advantage. When Aztec Falcon approaches from the opposite end of the screen, jump up the wall, then leap over him to slash him from behind with your Z Saber. Repeat this process, and you should be able to take him down.

You’ll need a bit of technical skill to strike Aztec Falcon from behind this way, so make sure to practice – you can use Assist-Save if you’d like to get some practice in, too!

Beware his vacuum attack. Repeatedly dash in the opposite direction to make sure you don’t get sucked in.

Another way to defeat Aztec Falcon is to charge your Zero Buster while repeatedly wall jumping, then blast him when he attaches himself to the opposite wall.

You’ll definitely need some technical skill to charge your Zero Buster while performing wall jumps, so choose whichever combat approach works best for you.

■ Pantheon Core

The key pattern for defeating this boss is to wait until it finishes spouting fire to approach and slash it with your Z Saber. After two short bursts of fire, Pantheon Core will follow with a longer fire attack. This is your moment to escape to the far left side of the screen to unleash a charged Buster attack. After this longer fire attack, the floor panels will raise individually, attempting to crush you into the spikes above. You can avoid demise by moving forward one segment at a time. If you repeat this process, you can destroy the Pantheon Core!

■ Anubis Necromancess the Third

Anubis Necromancess attacks by throwing his staff at Zero. After this attack, he teleports to the other side of the screen, so you can effectively use that moment to do some damage with your Z Saber. His movement patterns can change, but he typically repeats the teleporting pattern above. Use your Z Saber and Zero Buster to dispose of the enemies he summons.

Dust clouds telegraph where spiked pillars will rise from the sand, so dash to evade them. If you find yourself in between two pillars, jump from the highest point on the ground, and wall jump up one of the pillars to avoid being crushed. If you try to escape by jumping from lower spots, you’ll definitely take some damage!

■ Maha Ganeshariff

In order to defeat Maha Ganeshariff, it’s important to safely evade each of his various attacks. You can disrupt his pendulum attack by using your Z Saber to cut the wire from which he swings.

For his rolling attack, a perfectly timed jump will help you avoid damage, but you’ll have to carefully dodge the bombs that follow. Maha Ganeshariff always drops bombs in designated locations, so there are safe points you can use to escape. In other words, if you dodge his rolling attack in this “safe zone,” you don’t have to worry about the bombs. Check out the video above to get a sense of where these safe areas are.

Maha Ganeshariff’s hand slap attack won’t hurt you if you’re far enough from him, so attack him from afar with a charged Buster shot. You’ll have a chance to land a massive attack on him once he stops! Use this opportunity to go to town with your Z Saber.

One more thing: you won’t be able to dodge Maha Ganeshariff’s attacks if you fight at the edge of the screen. Make sure you stick to the middle of the screen during combat.

■ Guard Orotic

Guard Orotic’s attacks always come from the right first, so escape to the left and then prepare yourself to escape to the right from the equivalent left-side attack. After evading two attacks, use your Z Saber to attack Guard Orotic’s core. You should be able to defeat him if you follow this pattern.

Evading attacks from the blue and green arms can be difficult while standing opposite from the attacking arm. In these instances, you’ll have better luck avoiding damage by standing behind the attacking arm on the same side (e.g., on the left side of the screen when the left arm attacks).

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So, what do you think? Hopefully these tips will make it a bit easier to clear some of the earlier stages in Mega Man Zero. Regardless of which boss you fight, moving around recklessly will result in taking damage. Move in response to your opponents’ patterns so you can plan a counter-attack to unleash some serious damage.

Once you’ve successfully mastered these tips, we’d love for you to try your hand at completing each of the six games in Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection and get your fastest time on the leaderboards in Z Chaser. Best of luck!