

← and → make short hops in that direction, and dashing will result in a long jump.

When crossing the garages near the middle of the stages, destroy all of the blocks with the Tornado Fang. Chimera Armor Module, in Blast Hornet's stage: X needs the Tornado Fang to get this.The game also contains two special armors used only by enemies: the Goliath Ride Armor ( see Vile's Ride Armors section below) and the REX-2000. All Ride Armors except for the Frog Ride Armor will short out upon entering the water. Each Ride Armor now has a visible life bar, so it is easy to tell when one will begin to spark. When X steps on one, he will be prompted to choose a Ride Armor out of the Modules he has. They can be activated at special Ride Armor platforms, very long platforms with a χ ("chi", Greek letter for Chimera/χιμάρα) on them. Scattered throughout the levels are Ride Armor Modules, small chips that allow X to use a certain model of the Ride Armor type DRA-00. Mega Man X3 takes the Ride Armor system further than any other game in the series. The Rabbit Ride Armor is also used in the Game Boy games Mega Man Xtreme and Mega Man Xtreme 2. It may also hover for a short period of time if the jump button is held while in the air. The spikes begin to spin when charged, so enemies that walk into it will be destroyed. By holding the fire button, the Rabbit Ride Armor can charge up an attack and when released, the armor dashes forward with spinning spikes. Armed with spiked fists, it can destroy certain blocks.

Mega Man X2 introduces the Rabbit Ride Armor (Ride Armor type EG-2 custom), a much more powerful version that is also used by the Rideloid-G grunt enemies. In Maverick Hunter X, the Ride Armor works just like the X8 counterpart, mainly in attacking with two piston punches combo and using the back booster to dash. However, they can quickly destroy any armor X is wearing, so it is best to destroy them quickly. Small grunt robots (Armor Soldiers) that appear on several stages can pilot Ride Armors with much lesser defense. After the sparking period is done, the armor explodes. While sparking, no more damage can be taken, and some players use this opportunity to "go berserk", as nothing else can negatively affect the Ride Armor. They can take a maximum of 16 hits before they start to spark. This Ride Armor can walk, dash, jump, and single-punch enemies, but cannot climb walls.

X can find two Ride Armors that he could use: A green one in Chill Penguin's stage, and a red one in Sting Chameleon's stage.
