Mega Man X5

• General Information
• Route Information
• The Enigma Manip
• Maverick Parts
• Ranking System
• General Techniques
• Dash Jumping
• Saber Dash Cancel
• Volt Kraken
• Kraken - Wall Skip
• Dynamo
• Dinorex
• Dinorex - First Half

General Information

Route Information

All Stages

This is largely incomplete information at this time after a brief conversation in The Practice Room in 2025.

The route for X5 All stages primarily focuses on defeating mavericks with a high grade to give parts. These parts then take time to craft, dictating when they are available for use.

It also focuses on using Zero and his Saber Dash Cancel for maximum damage output. This results in the at first bizarre route of Pegasus as the next to last stage, since Pegasus's weapon removes the saber dash cancel.

Parts Routing and Grade

Getting a part from a maverick depends on having a GA(?) grade upon completing the stage.

Your rank itself is determined by how well the game thinks you completed the stage (as opposed to X6 where it is purely a function of an item collected). Rank is calculated based on

• Damage taken (by stage)
• enemies defeated (by stage)
• Time taken (by stage)
• Total Mavericks defeated

As such, there are two routes, one for WR attempts, and one that is safer for beginner.

• Dinorex First, which requires getting an immediate GA rank to make the parts routing work. It gives the Hyepr Dasher and Saber+ quickly, which is of course faster.
  
• Bat first, which is more likely to get you GA rank after two stages (with Dinorex second), at the cost of having those parts slightly later and a longer journey through the Bat's stage.
  

The parts gained are listed on the parts page - https://goodboyrush.net/books/mega-man-x5/page/maverick-parts

 

The Enigma Manip

The enigma manipulation refers to guaranteeing the Enigma Cannon shot at the space colony successfully destroys it, unlocking the final stages with Zero still a playable character.

Normally, even if you defeat all 8 mavericks, there is a small chance the colony is not destroyed, resulting in not being able to play as Zero for the remainder of the game (at least until a new game is started).

There are two known manips. Neither counts against In-Game-Time. One is significantly faster for Real Time, however only has a 4 frame window. The other is trivial to execute except the significant Real Time needed.

The RNG Manips

Intro Stage Demo

This is faster RTA but has tighter timing. You must press start to end the demo at a specific point.

Mattrex Demo

It takes longer to see the Mattrex Demo, since the game will play other demos first, however the Mattrex demo has a very easy place to end the demo for success - watch the whole thing.

That's it. Watch the whole demo, don't press start until you see the title screen again. Then continue your game and go immediately to the Enigma Shot.

How do the manips actually work?

The Enigma cannon succeeds or fails on a variety of factors, however these are ultimately controlled by the game's current "RNG" value. The game's randomness is set to a known value when a stage starts, then changes based on the events that follow. This value sticks through the stage selection screen, where the Enigma Cannon (and the Shuttle, if you get there) ultimately checks it for success against the Space Colony.

The manip works because of the title screen demo.

Just like normal gameplay, the demo screen itself sets the RNG value to known values at beam-in, and progresses it "normally" as the demo plays itself out. As such, it always lands on known RNG values every time it plays out.

The places mentioned above, the 4 frame window in the Intro Stage, and watching Dinorex to completion, are both RNG values where it is a 100% success rate for the Enigma Cannon even without upgrades (that is, with 0 mavericks defeated). 

In theory, there are likely other places the manip could work. However, these are the best two - one is fast RTA, the other is extremely reliable.

Maverick Parts

After defeating mavericks with a level of at least 8, Alia will ask if you want Life+ or Weapon Energy+. That + is a part that can be equipped, and the part you get depends both on the Maverick defeated, and the Life/Energy choice.

Many of these are currently documented at the Mega Man Home Page - https://mmhp.net/GameHints/MMX5.html#Items

All Stages Route Parts

• Bat - Life
  • The Anti-Virus options are not useful in a speedrun, so take the HP
• Mattrex - Life
  • Again, neither part is particularly useful.
  • You should be here early enough there is no part anyway
• Grizzly - Energy (Hyper Dash)
• Whale - Life
  • Weapon+ grants the Energy Saver
• Axle Rose - Energy (Z-Saber+)
• Izzy Firefly - Life
  • For the HP. Energy gives shot eraser for Zero
• Squid
  •  Life if you play the last stages as X
    
  • Energy grants Saber Extend for Zero but is not available until the final stages
    
• Pegasus - Life
  • this part will never be built if you do it next to last, but this creates the Jumper part

Time Until Part is Crafted

After selecting a part, it takes 2 in-game-hours (so 2 selected stages) to be created. This Includes Dynamo encounters and Zero/Sigma stages. This is why the optimal route  for All Stages defeats Grizzly for the Hyper Dasher second, then uses Dynamo and the autoscrolling Duff McWhalen to have the Dashing part crafted.

What controls a Maverick's Level?

• Rank increases a maverick level. The route assumes GA before fighting Grizzly
  
• Hours left until impact
  • Does not affect Level after the colony is destroyed (such as by using The Manip immediately)
  • The route depends on hours passing to allow mavericks to gain levels. Do not fire the enigma cannon until after fighting Grizzly for the Hyper Dasher.

Ranking System

Akiteru's Pastebin

https://pastebin.com/cnvAww69

Mega Man X5 ranking system documentation by Akiteru

Done on USA version

 

POINTS TIERS

 

STAGE TIME:

less than 1'00"00 - 8 points

less than 2'00"00 - 4 points

less than 5'00"00 - 2 points

5'00"00 or greater - 1 point

 

ENEMIES DEFEATED:

less than 40 - 8 points

less than 80 - 4 points

less than 150 - 2 points

150 or greater - 1 point

 

DAMAGE RECEIVED:

less than 16 - 8 points

less than 32 - 4 points

less than 64 - 2 points

64 or greater - 1 point

 

MAX DAMAGE DEALT TO ANY ENEMY IN THE STAGE (INCLUDING BOSS):

8 or greater - 8 points

6 or greater - 4 points

4 or greater - 2 points

1 or greater - 1 point

 

NUMBER OF TIMES GONE INTO "VIRUS MODE" DURING THE STAGE:

0 - 8 points

1 - 4 points

2 - 2 points

3 or greater - 1 point

 

----------------------

 

NEW RANK CALCULATION

 

MEH:

less than 32: decrease rank

32 or greater: same rank

 

PA:

less than 32: decrease rank

less than 40: same rank

40 or greater: increase rank

 

GA:

less than 24: decrease rank

less than 36: same rank

36 or greater: increase rank

 

SA:

less than 20: decrease rank

less than 32: same rank

32 or greater: increase rank

 

A:

less than 12: decrease rank

less than 32: same rank

32 or higher: increase rank

 

B:

less than 15: decrease rank

less than 28: same rank

28 or higher: increase rank

 

C:

less than 12: decrease rank

less than 20: same rank

20 or higher: increase rank

 

E:

less than 16: same rank

16 or greater: increase rank

The short version is, don't get hit, have at least one massive damage hit, and do it fast without needing kills.

General Techniques

Dash Jumping

In the Playstation 1 Mega Man X games, you do not need to re-press dash to jump fast. You can hold the jump button and "just jump". This saves the start-up time to begin a dash before jumping.

Saber Dash Cancel

Zero's most effective damage technique(s) involve slashing, then dashing to interrupt the combo, then slashing again.

The first 2 hits of Zero's triple slash do not give bosses invincibility frames, allowing you to do this over and over again. It is a small amount of damage, but significantly faster than most other techniques.

Execution

In principle, execution is easy to explain - push dash, push slash, push dash, push slash. In practice, this can be slightly tricky to get right. 

One factor is where is your dash button? Many runners change the default controls, so dash can be in an awkward place to "double mash". The way you grip the controller during this mash can also make it hard to move otherwise.

You can also use double tap dash itself, though that works better with saber-saber-dash-cancel.

The other big factor is timing, making sure your dash actually interrupts a combo, and that the combo actually lands hits between dashes

Pegasus Ruins Things

In Mega Man X5, defeating Pegusus will give Zero a new attack executed by dashing and slashing. This negates this technique, and is why Pegasus is done next-to-last in all stages.

Volt Kraken

Kraken - Wall Skip

Late in Kraken's stage is a section with two of the colored gate switches over spikes. The speedrun can be seen skipping this through the wall using an invincibility trick. This requires damage boosting.

• Get on the right edge of the moving platform
• As soon as it starts moving, dash jump to the wall, and slide down it
• Your objective is to take damage from the electrical plug in the wall, then stand on the spikes with the invincibility frames until the platform arrives
• When the platform does crushing damage, quickly jump up the wall and air-dash through the gate.

Dynamo

Dynamo attacks twice in runs that play enough maverick stages - after 2 mavericks, and after 6. While Dynamo has a higher level and more attacks in the second encounter, he is trivially defeated by Zero in both instances.

Fights with Zero

Assuming a run through all stages where Zero is collecting upgrades, Dynamo is trivially defeated using the Saber Dash Cancel .

Fights with X

Charged Grizzly (using the Fourth Armor), while not the weakness that stuns Dynamo, is very effective.

Dinorex

Dinorex - First Half

This stage is all about moving fast, but also not taking damage. If you are playing Dinorex first, you need to achieve GA rank.

Decent

The first section of the stage falling and outrunning the flame throwers. Dashing off the ledges is largely enough to outrun the fire, but be quick. The timing is important for saving a cycle at the bottom in the lava section.

 

Lava Tunnels

The Heart Tank is in the bottom in the lava, in the far left. Most categories want nothing to do with this.