Karma
From The Rockman EXE Zone Wiki
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Karma is a fan terminology for the points system used in Mega Man Battle Network 4 and Mega Man Battle Network 5 that affects how close MegaMan is to embracing the evil. This is also related to Dark Soul.
The amount of karma points determines which abilities are available to the player. Karma goes down by using Dark Chip and will go back up by abstaining to use Dark Chips. Although Dark Chips can still be used in Mega Man Battle Network 6 with the Beast Link Gate, the karma system was removed.
Karma Points
At the start of the game, MegaMan has 500 karma points. This amount can go up or down after every battle, depending on if MegaMan uses a Dark Chip or Dark Soul in it. It can go to a maximum of 1000 points or a minimum of 0 points. However, once MegaMan has less than 300 karma points, he will no longer gain karma unless SoulClean is equipped. However, SoulClean is bugged in BN5.
- 1000 points: Good (善)
- 500-999 points: Neutral (通常)
- 470-499 points: Slightly Evil (やや悪)
- 0-469 points: Evil (悪)
MegaMan's Appearance
MegaMan's appearance is affected by the number of karma points he has. In Mega Man Battle Network 4 and Mega Man Battle Network 5, MegaMan's color palette gradually becomes darker as he loses karma points, and turns a light blue if MegaMan has the maximum of 1000 karma points. This will appear in battle and the MegaMan menu.
Additionally, in Mega Man Battle Network 5: Double Team DS, MegaMan's expression on the bottom screen will change depending on the number of karma points he has, slowly growing twisted as his karma drops.
| Evil MegaMan (0-469 pt) | Slightly Evil MegaMan (470-499 pt) | Neutral MegaMan (500-999 pt) | Good MegaMan (1000 pt) |
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Emotion Value
In BN4 and BN5, non-Evil MegaMan can enter the Worried state if you take too much damage without fighting back. There is a hidden Emotion Value (ココロ値 Heart Value) statistic in battle that determines whether you're in Normal emotion or in Worried emotion. It can't go lower than 1, and it can't go higher than 255 (in BN4) or 254 (in BN5). When your Emotion Value hits 255, you enter Full Synchro emotion.
At the start of every battle, your Emotion Value is set to a specific value based on your karma:
- If you have 1000 karma, it starts at 190.
- If you have 470-999 karma, the value is calculated from the number of karma points you have:
- In BN4, it starts at 128 plus your karma points divided by 20 (rounded down).
- In BN5, it starts at 103 plus your karma points divided by 20 (rounded down).
- If you have 0-469 karma, you're locked into the Evil emotion so the Emotion Value does nothing anyway.
The Emotion Value goes up when you deal damage with non-dimming chips or Patch Card abilities, and goes down when you take damage. Once it falls below 65, you enter the Worried emotion. When you get it to 65 or higher again, you go back to your Normal emotion. Every attack has an Emotion Attack Power separate from its normal attack power, so it's hard to tell what your current Emotion Value is.
Emotion Value also goes up with recovery from chips and Patch Cards, but only goes up to 254, so it requires a non-dimming chip to land afterwards to enter Full Synchro. Recovery Chip Emotion Value:
- Recov10 & Recov30: +30
- Recov50 & Recov80: +40
- Recov120 to Recov300: +50
- Roll series: +50
Multi-hit attack increase your Emotion Value on every hit, so they are an easy way to get to 255. This can be done immediately by scoring a Counter Hit, or racking up enough Emotion Value so that you hit 255. In BN5, however, it's not possible to go into Full Synchro this way, as this Emotion Value will not go higher than 254. When you fire off an attack while in Full Synchro, your Emotion Value gets reset to 153 in BN4 or to 128 in BN5.
Battle Network 4 ProtoMan
In BN4, ProtoMan's attack at low HP (half HP or lower) will differ depending on MegaMan's karma.
- 500-1000 points: β and Ω versions of ProtoMan will use DeltaRayEdge at low HP. His DS version, in addition to the previous conditions, will only use it when its Dark Soul Level is Lv7 to Lv10. None of his versions will use BladeCross.
- 0-499 points: All versions of ProtoMan will use BladeCross at low HP. His β, Ω, and DS versions will never use DeltaRayEdge.
During a Free Tournament battle, ProtoMan will check a different karma value depending on what type of Navi he is fighting:
- MegaMan: checks the player's karma as usual.
- Waiting Room Navi: checks the karma of the player that sent the Navi (saved at the time they were sent).
- NormalNavi/HeelNavi: treats karma as 500.
States
Good MegaMan
1000 Karma points.
- MegaMan is bright in color.
- All the same conditions as Neutral MegaMan but in BN5, attacks from opponent Dark Chips will not cause a bug.
Neutral MegaMan
500-999 Karma points.
- MegaMan is in his standard colors.
- Can access Normal, Full Synchro, Angry, Worried, and (5DS) Danger emotions. When a Dark Chip is used, MegaMan stays in an Evil emotion until the battle ends.
- In BN4, Dark Chips only appear in Worried emotion but do not appear at all in a NetworkDuel.
- In BN4, when MegaMan steps on a Dark Hole panel, it is removed.
- In BN5 NetworkDuels, Dark Chips will poof if they are attempted to be used.
- Can use Double Soul system and Chaos Unison system.
- Can use Good-only chips.
- Cannot use Evil-only BattleChips.
Slightly Evil MegaMan
470-499 Karma points.
- MegaMan is dark in color but still can access Good MegaMan's abilities.
- All the same conditions as Neutral MegaMan but when MegaMan steps on a Holy panel, it becomes a Normal panel.
Evil MegaMan
0-469 Karma points.
- MegaMan is black in color.
- Starts battles and can only be Evil emotion.
- As a result, cannot go into Full Synchro, Angry, or Worried emotions.
- Dark Chips will appear in the Custom Screen:
- In BN4, 2 Dark Chips appear in the 9th and 10th slot of the Custom Screen at the start of battle.
- In BN5, If the Custom Screen has empty slots and Dark Chips are in your Folder, Dark Chips are guaranteed to appear next time it opens.
- When MegaMan steps on a Holy panel, it becomes a Normal panel.
- Cannot use Double Soul system and Chaos Unison system.
- Can use Evil-only chips.
- Cannot use Good-only chips.
- In BN4, cannot obtain HubBatch in Black Earth 2.
- In BN4, if a battle against an Ω Navi ends with MegaMan in Evil emotion, the reward will be a DS Navi Chip regardless of Busting LV.
- In BN5DS, do not get support from Party Battle System team members.
- Once per battle, losing all HP triggers Dark Double Soul, which makes MegaMan go berserk. Afterward, MegaMan stays at 1 HP. If MegaMan has UnderShirt equipped, it will trigger first; then if he gets hit again, Dark Soul triggers. While in this state, you have no control over MegaMan; he will move randomly and can use chips you've used before, this includes Good-only chips. You can still send him chips like normal, but he will be less instantaneous on using them.
- In BN4, if MegaMan is hit with a multi-hit dimming chip into deletion, Dark Double Soul won’t trigger.
- In BN5, Dark Double Soul will trigger from a multi-hit dimming chip and won’t be instantly deleted.
Battle Network 4 BattleChips
Good-only Chips
These chips may only be used when you have 470 to 1000 points.
- GunSol series, including GunSolEX
- Barrier, Barr100 and Barr200
- HolyPanl
- BugFix
- Snctuary
- V1 Navi Chips, except LaserMan and ShadeMan
- SP Navi Chips
- DeltaRay
- HolyDrem
- RollArrow series
- GutPnch series
- HawkCut series
- NumbrBl series
- P.Driver Program Advance
Evil-only Chips
These chips may only be used when you have 0 to 469 points.
- Static
- Hole
- Muramasa
- Anubis
- ElemDark
- BlakWing
- DarkLine
- DS Navi Chips
- BugCurse
- BlakBarr
- BugCharg
- DarkNeo Program Advance
Dark Chips
Dark Chips only appear in the Worried or Evil emotions. Once the Dark Chip is selected in battle, it inflicts a bug on MegaMan that lasts until the end of the battle. The 2 Dark Chips that appear on your Custom Screen is dependent on your HP. The Dark Chips that can be selected will be changed every turn.
You can only pick up to 10 Dark Chips, afterward Dark Chips will no longer appear in the Custom Screen. An infinite number of the same chips can be picked within that limit.
| Name | Attack/Effect | Bug |
|---|---|---|
| DrkCanon | (Max HP) - (Current HP).
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MegaMan's buster levels becomes 1. PowerAttack becomes a Flower buster. In NetworkDuel, this gives the opponent Angry Emotion. |
| DrkSword | Enemy with the highest current HP.
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MegaMan automatically moves to the frontmost column. |
| DarkBomb | 200 damage | MegaMan automatically moves to the backmost column. |
| DrkVulcn | 20 damage.
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MegaMan becomes confused. |
| DrkLance | (Enemy with highest max HP)/2.
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HP drops during the Custom Screen. |
| DrkSpred | 400 damage. | When MegaMan moves, panel he leaves becomes a Swamp panel. |
| DrkStage | Cover every panel on your side with Dark Holes, and opponent's side with Swamp panels. | Custom-1; 1 less chip can be chosen in the Custom Screen. |
| DrkRecov | Recover 1000 HP | HP drops rapidly during battle and during the Custom Screen. |
| Name | 1-49% HP | 50-100% HP |
|---|---|---|
| DrkCanon | 24/64 | 0/64 |
| DrkSword | 3/64 | 12/64 |
| DarkBomb | 3/64 | 12/64 |
| DrkVulcn | 3/64 | 12/64 |
| DrkLance | 3/64 | 12/64 |
| DrkSpred | 2/64 | 8/64 |
| DrkStage | 2/64 | 8/64 |
| DrkRecov | 24/64 | 0/64 |
Battle Network 5 BattleChips
Good-only Chips
These chips may only be used when you have 470 to 1000 points.
- GunDelS series, including GunDelEX
- Barrier, Barr100 and Barr200
- HolyPanl
- BugFix
- Snctuary
- Regular Navi Chips
- SP Navi Chips
- JustcOne
- MetrKnuk
- HolyDrem
- BigHook
- Otenko
Evil-only Chips
These chips may only be used when you have 0 to 469 points. In BN5GBA, these chips can be used by Team Navis but not in BN5DS.
- Static
- Muramasa
- Anubis
- BlakWing
- DS Navi Chips
- BugCurse
- BugCharg
Dark Chips
Dark Chips are now part of the normal folder set-up and a folder can only contain 3 Dark Chips each.
- When MegaMan uses the Dark Chip as is, he'll receive a bug. However, if the chip is used through a Chaos Unison Charge, he will not receive a bug.
- A bug will be given to the enemy MegaMan if they are not Good MegaMan (less than 1000 Karma).
Changes from Battle Network 4:
- Dark Chips now give bugs after the chip is used instead of simply by selecting them.
- DarkSword has set damage and its bug has been changed.
- DarkLance is now Wood element instead of non-elemental, has set damage, and its bug has been changed.
| Name | Attack/Effect | Bug |
|---|---|---|
| DrkSword | 400 damage. |
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| DarkTorn | 50 damage.
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| DarkCirc | 300 damage.
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| DarkMetr | 100 damage.
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| DarkThnd | 200 damage.
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| DrkRecov | Recover 1000 HP. |
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| DrkSonic | Summons a Dark Tuby.
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| DarkInvs | Becomes temporary invincible and move and attack like Dark Soul AI. |
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| DarkPlus | +50 damage to next chip.
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| DrkLance | 400 damage.
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| DarkDril | 100 damage.
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| DarkWide | 300 damage.
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Manipulating Karma
Losing HP
After each battle in which you used Dark Chip(s) and/or Dark Soul, you lose 1 HP after the battle, unless you only have 1 HP or it's a multiplayer battle. Additionally, the game keeps track of how many battles you've lost HP in, and after 499 battles, you will not lose any more HP from using Dark Chips, permanently. If you have 1 HP already, the battle doesn't count. In other words, if you start at 1000 HP, the lowest you can go is 501.
- In BN4, the counter keeping track of how much HP is lost will be reset if you start the next game continue. Meaning you can continue losing maximum HP and go even lower.
Optimized HP Values
- Maximum for Good MegaMan: 1000
- Maximum for minimum Evil MegaMan: 997
- Maximum for permanent Evil MegaMan: 836
- Minimum with all HP Memories: 501 (not counting additional continues in BN4)
Losing Karma
You can lose karma after any battle in which you used Dark Chip(s) and/or Dark Soul.
- If you're Normal or Good MegaMan, your karma is instantly knocked down to 480, turning you Slightly Evil.
- If you're Slightly Evil, you lose 10 karma if you activated Dark Soul, or you lose 4 karma if you didn't activate Dark Soul, but did use Dark Chips.
- If you're already Evil MegaMan, you will lose 1 karma regardless of what you used.
Gaining Karma
You gain karma by fighting battles without using Dark Chips or Dark Soul. Running away increases your karma by just as much as winning the battle does, so it's faster to run from enemies than to fight them if you want to regain your karma.
If you're NOT using SoulClean, here's how it works: if you have less than 300 karma, forget about it. You have a permanent Dark Soul; your karma will no longer increase unless you equip SoulClean. Otherwise, you will gain 1 karma.
If you ARE using SoulClean, you will get 3 karma for every battle that you can't escape 100% of the time. Otherwise you will get 1 karma.
Permanent Evil
Once your karma falls below 300, you can no longer gain karma, and you can do as many "clean" battles as you like without losing your darkness.
Once you have a permanent Evil MegaMan in BN5, you can take Dark Chips out of your folder and use DS Navi chips as much as you want. Do note that having a permanent Evil MegaMan does not prevent you from losing HP by using Dark Chips or Dark Soul.
Glitches
Battle Network 4
Battle Network 5
- Double Karma glitch
- Double HP loss glitch
- Unpredictable SoulCleaner glitch
- ChipRecovery Karma glitch
- ShadowMan Emotion Value error
Trivia
- If you just want Evil MegaMan to use in NetworkDuels, the quickest way to get one requires only 3 battles, so you will lose only 3 HP. Do the following:
1. Use a Dark Chip. Your karma become 480.
2. Use your Dark Soul. You can do this by using a Dark Chip when you are about to be deleted, but without killing the enemy, so you go into Evil emotion. Then allow the viruses to delete you and it will activate Dark Double Soul. After this, your karma becomes 470.
3. Use a Dark Chip (karma becomes 466) or your Dark Soul (karma becomes 460) depending on how long you want Evil MegaMan to last. You now have Evil MegaMan!- To get a permanent Evil MegaMan as quickly as possible, follow the regular steps for getting Evil MegaMan, but for step 3 use your Dark Soul. That way you will jump to 460 karma. After that you just need to do 161 consecutive battles, each time using Dark Chips or your Dark Soul. Afterwards, you have 299 karma, which is enough for a permanent Dark MegaMan. Your total HP loss amounts to 164, meaning that if you start with 1000 you will end up with 836 HP.