Mega Man X4/Items

Normal upgrades
The four upgrades are sorted here according to the game progression suggested in the guide. The upgrades can only be utilized by X, Zero cannot.

Leg Upgrade
Location: Web Spider's stage Requirements: None

The boots upgrade is found near the beginning of Area 1 in a cave hidden behind a waterfall on the right wall. This gives you the ability to hover for a short time by pressing the jump button while in midair. You can move backwards and forwards when hovering, but this will decrease your hover time. It also allows you to air dash.

Helmet Upgrade
Location: Cyber Peacock's stage Requirements: None, Soul Body recommended

Achieve an 'S' ranking in the third speed section to get it in the next room. Remember that Soul Body can eliminate the pesky yellow electric balls that slow you down. With this, special weapons won't consume any weapon energy unless they are charged.

Arm Upgrades
Location: Storm Owl's stage Requirements: Lightning Web

Notably, there are actually two arm upgrades in this game. You can't equip both at the same time, so you have to pick one. However, you can always go back to the capsules to switch to the other one later. They are both found in Storm Owl's stage, above the spike-lined area. Fire a Lightning Web from the right platform onto the left wall of the spike shaft, then dash jump and wall jump off the web up to the capsules. This may take a few tries and deaths. The second capsule is just beyond the first to the left.

Both upgrades enable X to charge special weapons.

The first capsule you'll find contains the Stock Charge upgrade. This enables X to charge up to four charged shots at once, and then fire them one after another. Note that the shots are not fired when you release the fire button: that just makes you stop charging; you must tap the fire button again to start firing them.
 * Stock Charge

Right behind the Stock Charge capsule is the second capsule containing the Plasma Shot upgrade. This gives X a bigger, much more powerful fully-charged shot that leaves behind a plasma ball on impact, which does further damage to any enemy that touches it.
 * Plasma Shot

Body Upgrade
Location: Magma Dragoon's stage Requirements: One of the two Arm Upgrades & Twin Slasher

When you first encounter the Ride Armor in Area 2, dash jump off the initial ledge you find it on, then jump out of the armor to grab the ledge close to the ceiling. Climb up here and use a charged Twin Slasher to break open the rocks blocking the way to the capsule. This enables X's Nova Strike Giga Attack, an extremely powerful air dash attack. It needs full weapon energy to work, but it can recover energy either from weapon energy capsules or from damage X takes. It also reduces damage inflicted to X, much as the same as the previous three games in the series.

Ultimate Armor
This armor can only be obtained with a cheat code. On the character select screen, highlight X, and press twice,  six times, then hold  and  and press. X will now be colored blue and purple when the game starts. Now, any upgrade capsule will grant X the Ultimate Armor. It's got the same capabilities as the normal armor upgrades (including the Plasma Shot buster upgrade), except it allows unlimited use of the Nova Strike, and you get it all at once instead of in pieces.

Black Zero
If playing as Zero, you can obtain his black armor through a cheat code. Highlight Zero on the character select screen, then hold, press six times, release , press and hold  (hold this until the level starts) and press.