Hints and tips
This section deals with some handy hints you might want to know about the game. Some people might consider some the information revealed below as spoilers (but most of the other guide sections contain spoilers anyway), so please don't read this section unless you've already been through the game or you truly want to know. Some information deals with the endings of the game, so read on with care.
| If you choose X as your main character, you won't be able to use Zero's Z-Buster. |
| If you choose Zero as your main character, you won't be able to use X's Fourth Armor. |
| Regardless of who you choose at the beginning of the game, you'll be able to choose to use either X or Zero in any stage. |
| There are three possible endings to the game. The first one will be when Zero becomes a Maverick, the other two will be determined by who you use to beat Sigma at the end, X or Zero. |
| Zero will only become a Maverick if your time runs out, or if both the Enigma and Shuttle missions fail. |
| If the Enigma mission fails, you'll go on to the Shuttle mission. If the Enigma mission succeeds, you'll go straight on to the Zero Virus stages, and you won't have to fight the other four bosses, but it's recommended that you do, so that you can get the special weapons. |
| After some thorough testing, we've been unable to determine what causes the Enigma/Shuttle missions to succeed or fail, it seems to be random, but it also seems that how many lives you have could affect the outcome, the more lives you have, the more chance you'll have of the missions succeeding. |
| During the Enigma and Shuttle missions, on the weapon status screen, you can choose to fire the weapon or launch the shuttle. If you choose to before gaining all of the required parts, it'll fail, so it's not recommended that you launch before getting all four parts. |
| X's Ultimate Armor and Zero's Black Armor will make the game much easier to go through, especially when fighting Sigma's two forms. |