Mega Man X4 No Damage (Zero): Slash Beast

Twitter:   / magnus_blade  

Other Mega Man runs:

MattTheNoMoreHero's Maverick Hunter X, Vile No Damage Run (Hard Mode):    • Mega Man MHX - Vile Run (No Damage)  

Challenges:
-No Damage (Even in Ride Armors)
-No Heart/Energy/Weapon Tanks
-No Black Armor

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Slash Beast's stage generally isn't too much of a problem, and Area 1 literally has nothing you should worry about aside from the mini-boss. And even that isn't very challenging. But onto Area 2....oh boy.

It seems like smooth sailing at first, but when you get into the freakin' Rider Armor, everything goes down to ever living hell. For starters, let's start on that ride armor, shall we? That thing is input lag city. Dashing, jumping, attacking, it all has like some 0.3 second (maybe a littler more) input lag. Sometimes it so bad, a jump or attack won't even register at all when I tap X. No, it's not my controller because other games work just fine with near instant input timing. Sometimes, I can't even attack enemies in the air because it lags too much, resulting in some very stupid failed attempts.

Want to add more insult to injury? This section in the ride armor is absolutely crazy. You've got mobs of airborne enemies coming your way from both directions, and with jumping and attacking problems that are out of your control, this can be a pain if you get surrounded. Also, how about those damned reploids in the enemy ride armors suddenly dashing from off-screen without warning? It was bad enough that the horribly placed one BEFORE getting into the ride armor forces me to think out of the box and prepare Raijingekis for the respawning ones (as if you aren't on the same screen as them, they'll continue to infinitely respawn...). This is where the quick executable Raijingeki truly shines when you use it after a Z-Saber slash. It's too slow to catch the spawning armor riders on it's own, so it makes a lot more difference and guarantees your safety if executed in that fashion.

...Now let's talk about Mr. I'm-too-reliant-on-the-RNG-herp-derp (Slash Beast). Along with speeds rivaling Dragoon's and an incredibly random moveset, this guy is a problem on his own. Do you know how many failed attempts I had on this stage alone? If I somehow had the laggy ride armor to cooperate with me and get through the stage, this asshole just ruined takes with the sheer randomness he decides to use his techniques. Dragoon's random too, but at least he's FAIR with it once you've studied all his combinations and different patterns he alternates between. Slash Beast has nothing like that. He does his twin slasher when he wants to (LOL, I mean, look at that Twin Slasher x4 he did starting at 4:53. I've never seen him repeatedly use it THAT many times before out of all the times I've played this game), and all of his high, low, and jumps that are cancelled into the dive attack are all randomized with no set pattern.

If it isn't obvious by now, Twin Slasher is HARD to dodge due to it's execution speed and when he can use it at any moment's notice. It's downright unavoidable if he traps you in the corner, which it's wise to dash under him constantly when he does jumps and when you feel like he's closing the distance too much. Only way to dodge it effectively is to not get too greedy with hits, take your time and dash under it the moment you see him starting up the animation for the attack. Or if you're lucky and are far away from him, jump in between them.

When his HP drops, Beast attempts his counter attack and fang grab attack, where if it catches you, he'll soon power ram you into a wall. The counter attack (where you see him with his arms and claws crossed) will trigger an instant, unavoidable (for Zero) Twin Slasher upon striking him during the animation. The only predictable thing he has is the fang grab attack. He'll always use it after his rushing attack x2 where he rams into both walls with his claw.

While I respect Slash Beast's design and fighting style, the way he was executed in battle is one of X4's fatal flaws with enemy AI (and it's unforgiving reliance on a RNG).

Overall Stage Difficulty 9/10, for all the wrong reasons!

...But let's talk about something positive for once. Shippuuga is an excellent ground special attack. It doesn't have multiple uses like the previous two weapons, but it gets the job done against quick enemies on the ground. It's activated by pressing the special attack during a dash (which I love to do oh-so much), and has some impressive damage output. Does a good job at hitting enemies who have shields and have hitboxes under them (you'll see a bit of this next stage). It also helps with speed running a bit since Zero's still in motion with the dash slash. Another one of my reliable techniques I had to get my hands on first.

From this point on until the final stage, the rest of this game will be a snap, really. Enjoy the video and the upcoming stages.