How to Mega Man 11 (In 7 Steps)

I was reading a post from fellow blogger Cross-Up about his time with Mega Man 11. While I was delighted to find that yet another person had picked the game up, he wasn't having the easiest time with the game.

Saying Mega Man games are hard is like telling someone water is wet. Everyone already know this, bu there's a huge difference between being told something and actually experiencing it. Reading his post reminded me how much I struggled when I played a Mega Man game for the first time. It was death after death, after death. Nevertheless, I persisted and now, playing a Mega Man game is like breathing to me. In an attempt to lighten the load for up and coming Mega Man 11 players, I've compiled a seven step mini guide. Hopefully,

01. Slide and Charge

Sure, Mega Man is known for jumping and shooting but after having two of his mainstay abilities striped from him in Mega Man 9 and 10, they have thankfully been returned and our blue boy can Slide and Charge once more. Charged shots are better than they have ever been in any Mega Man game piror. Yes, you have to sacrifice a few seconds to unleash a fully charged blast, but it is well worth it. Enemies that have shields can be temporarily stunned and exposed, leaving them open for an attack. Sniper Joes and Mets, enemies that are notorious for hiding behind armor are now much easier to take down. Sliding not only lets you travel levels a bit faster, but it is great for avoiding enemy attacks or putting distance between you and an enemy and there are some speedy mofos in this game so anything that lets you go a bit faster is a muster. As much as you'll be jumping and shooting in Mega Man 11, make sure you Charge and Slide just as much.

02. Use The Double Gear System

Mega Man 11 has something that no other classic Mega Man game has. The Double Gear system a marvelous invention of Dr. Wily that is being used by all of the bosses. To level the playing field, Dr. Light installs the same tech into Mega Man. If you are struggling with Mega Man 11 or this is your first Mega Man game, use. This. Power. You can power up Mega Man's firer power with the Power Gear function, which really comes in handy for step 3 below, but by far, the best use out of the Double Gear system is the Speed Gear ability. Speed Gear let's you temporarily slow down time to spam hits so you can make mincemeat out of mini bosses or do away with that pesky mook that has been blocking your path. Speed Gear is also great for helping you navigate those really tricky sections of a level (like the instant kill scrolling fire in Torch Man's stage.) Yes, it is entirely possible to play Mega Man 11 without using the Double Gear system but it is so good that I can only see the most hardcore Mega Man fan that wants to play the game with as little assistance as possible wanting to do so.

03. Use Your Weapons

The special weapons in Mega Man 11 are some of the best in the whole series. Block Dropper is great for crushing those out of reach nuisances, Bounce Ball unleashes bouncy chaos that has a higher damage output than you might expect and Pile Driver lets you perform an air dash, great for skipping parts of those blasted Yoko Block sections. There's even more fun to be had when you factor in the Power Gear. Chain Blast turns into a huge bomb with explosive power that would make Michael Bay jealous, Tundra Storm becomes a freaking screen nuke and the powered up version of Block Dropper has you raining down so much concrete you may as dropping a building on some poor sap. It takes up more weapon energy when using special weapons with Power Gear but the end result is magnificent. Special weapons are great for making boss fights easier but I advise you to use them during your trip to these bosses to make the journey less stressful. Mini bosses are highly susceptible to whatever the boss of that stage is weak to and with the Power Gear in use, you can make short work of them.

04. Try, Try Again

If this is your first time playing a Mega Man game, the game over screen will become an all to familiar sight. It was something I was greeted with time and again when I first played Mega Man 2 and Mega Man 3 years ago. Like playing a fighting game, getting bodied is part of the learning experience. Defeat can be more instructive than victory sometimes. Reflect on your loss, get back out there and give it another go. You get knocked down so you can get back up.

05. Shop Til You Drop

The shop in Mega Man 11 holds more items than any other Mega Man game and bolt drops are much higher than in previous entries. Stocking up on lives should be a no brainer but I also think grabbing some E-Tanks and W-Tanks should be just as much of a priority. I've found myself using a few of those during boss fights, largely because I don't have a bosses strategy down just yet or I go overboard on the Power Gear and use up all my special weapon energy. Oh and pick up Beat! That metal bird has saved my can on so many occasions either because I didn't jump correctly or I was knocked into a pit. If you're looking for a good place to farm for Bolts (the game's currency) Block Man's stage is excellent.

06. Know Your Limits

If this is your first time playing a Mega Man game you've got the difficulty on Normal or Super Hero, you're gonna get your metal butt kicked over and over again. There is no shame on playing on Casual or Newcomer if you're fresh to the series. You gotta crawl before you can walk and when playing a Mega Man game, trying to prove how much of a man/woman you are should be the last thing on your mind.

07. Take Comfort

For a new player, Mega Man 11 may seem hard, and yeah, it does have some tough spots but as someone that's been doing these rodeos for a long time now, I can assure you that Mega Man 11 isn't even close to being the toughest game in the series. Mega Man 9 has a crippling overuse of spikes to inflate it's difficulty. In the first Mega Man game there are no E-Tanks whatsoever and there are some pretty hard hitting bosses as well as zero mercy invincibility on contact with spikes. Mega Man & Bass also has no E-Tanks, has bull-bull level design as well as bad game design making it one of the most frustrating experiences even for veteran Mega Man players. You can take some solace knowing that there are far crueler Mega Man games out there. I'd go so far as to say that Mega Man 11 is great for newcomers with the Double Gear system as well as adjustable difficulty settings, the later of which, very, very few games in this series even have.