Mega Man 2/Password Mechanics

FAQ
Q: Why can't I start on the later Dr. Wily stages?

You just can't. The passwords don't allow it.

Introduction
Did you ever wonder how the passwords were created when you were a kid? This document will hopefully help you understand and create your own passwords to go as you please through this game. The password system for this game is fairly simple to use so there shouldn’t be any problems.

Preamble
This section will let you to create passwords that you can use to jump to almost any point in the game, with the notable exception of Dr. Wily's stages. The password system is simple to use but first I'd like to explain how it works. There are five rows and five columns used to make up the password screen. The columns are lettered from A to E, the row are numbered from 1 to 5 making the password screen a 5x5 grid totaling 25 empty spaces.

The passwords themselves are inputted like a coordinates on a map via dots. This sort of stuff should be second nature if you’ve done basic Cartesian Geometry in math class. There are nine dots used to make up a password - eight dots for each of the eight Robot Masters and one for the number of E-tanks. The eight dots that indicate whether or not a Robot Master is defeated can be found on rows 2-5. The top row is used to indicate how many E-Tanks you have.

Starting at A1, the number of E-Tanks on the top row goes like this:

A1 : No E-tanks

A2 : One E-tank

A3 : Two E-tanks

A4 : Three E-tanks

A5 : Four E-tanks

You can put a dot into any of the positions on the top row, however, the positions of the other eight dots for the Robot Masters will change as well. Not randomly but in a ordered set depending on where the dot on the A row is located. Figure out how many E-Tanks you want and then use the corresponding list below to fill in a password. That’s it. That should be everything you need to know so I’ll get on with the tables now.