Mega Man Battle Network/Program Advance Guide

When certain chips are slotted in, they may be instead to form a single, more powerful attack known as the Program Advance. Program Advances are often performed when three (sometimes more) chips are slotted in the correct order, with the correct letter codes.

To perform a Program Advance, simply slot the chips in the correct order, and before the turn begins, you will see that your chips will combine to form a new attack. With letter-coded Program Advances (ie. Program Advances that require different chips with a common letter code), you can also (for the most part) boost its attack rating (if any) with other chips such as ColorPoint or Attack+10 for more damage. However, remember that as the chips are not combined until the turn begins, you will typically have only two (one if you use Soul Unison) space left to add power to your Program Advance.

In MegaMan Battle Network 5, Program Advances may be performed only once in battle, although different Program Advances may be performed in the same battle.

In designing a folder, it is common to have the ability to make at least one Program Advance - many common folders revolve around a single letter code and a Program Advance that fits that letter code. Folders prior to Battle Network 5 may have as many of the constituent BattleChips as the folder-building rules allow, to maximize the chances of drawing all the chips needed for a Program Advance.

In our BattleChip guide, the Program Advances that the chip is a part of is listed on the page. For a complete list of Program Advances, check out the Program Advance Library.

*-Coded Chips
In Battle Network 2, a *-coded chip can act as a wildcard which can act as one missing letter code. Note that all *-coded chips substitute for one and only one letter code, thus while Cannon A, Cannon B, and Cannon * will form the ZetaCannon1, the combination of Cannon A, Cannon *, and Cannon * will simply be three Cannon attacks.

With letter-coded Program Advances, of course, this point is rendered moot - you can use any combination of letter-coded and *-coded chips, and all *-coded chips will take the same letter code. This also means that you can execute Program Advances with only *-coded chips. in megaman 5 you can also make a program advance called cactdance you need cactball I,J,H

Dark and Light Advances
Starting in Battle Network 4, with the introduction of DarkChips, some Program Advances may require a sufficient level of karma to perform. For example, the PoisonPharaoh requires a low level of karma in Battle Network 4, while the PileDriver requires a high level of karma. Thus, the usage of DarkChips and DoubleSoul, as well as the SoulCleaner Navi Customizer Part, will affect which PAs become available.