Dark Soul

This section is under construction.

The information may not be complete or 100% accurate.

Dark Soul, or ABD (オートバトルデータ Auto Battle Data), is an AI entity in Mega Man Battle Network 4 and Mega Man Battle Network 5 that moves on its own and utilize the BattleChips that the player have used throughout the entire game. This is also related to Karma.

It can be used by the player when they fall to deletion while in Evil emotion and trigger Dark Double Soul (ダークソウルユニゾン Dark Soul Unison).

Although DarkInvs can still be used in Mega Man Battle Network 6 with the Beast Link Gate, it merely calls from a pool of selected preset chips rather than use a Dark Soul chip system.

In the Legacy Collection, the way the game determines when Dark Soul can use a registered chip has been modified to force you to use more Standard Chips.

Mega Man Battle Network 4

The Dark Soul AI will be used for the following:

• MegaManDS: In addition to its own attacks, it will use BattleChips the player has used in the save. It will copy MegaMan's HP, buster Attack stat, buster Speed stat, and certain Programs. The MegaBuster and Power Attack will also change if MegaMan has Patch Cards.
• DS Navis: In addition to their own attacks, they will use player chips just like Dark Soul. They will also copy certain Programs. The DS Navis’ HP and attack power will be dependent of MegaMan’s HP before any customizations.
• Free Tournament: As the AI is dependent on the other player, in addition to their own attacks, they will use the chips of the player who sent it. They will also copy that player's HP and certain Programs at the time of sending the Navi.
• Dark Double Soul: If MegaMan is Evil emotion and he was to be deleted, he will become 1 HP and go into this berserk state instead. He is still prone to AntiRecv as that chip reduces the HP instantly instead of damaging them.
  • In this game, if MegaMan is hit with a multi-hit dimming chip into deletion, Dark Double Soul won’t trigger.

Copied Abilities

• Dark Soul will copy MegaMan’s current Buster stats.
• Dark Soul will copy the following Programs: SuperArmor, FirstBarrier, FloatShoes (except WoodManDS), UnderShirt.
• The following Patch Card abilities will be copied: any First Barrier#/LifeAura, AllGuard.
  • Only MegaManDS will receive the following modifications: any Buster Patch, any Charge Shot Switch, any Panel Change, any Weapon Change
• If MegaMan has any bugs, they will be copied as well, but only the following will appear in battle: Battle HP Bug, Player Bug (LV1 only)
  • Only MegaManDS will display the following bugs: Buster Bug, Panel Bug
  • While the bugs are copied but not shown to be affected, they will still matter for the Static BattleChip’s extended range.
• The player’s Karma is stored in the Navi as well. This will affect in Free Tournament, where ProtoMan will do attacks depending on the opponent’s Karma.

Chip Pool

Dark Soul will keep track of nearly every chip and Program Advance you used in the game (even in NetworkDuel). The less chips have been used in the playthrough, the more narrowed down the chip pool will be. Good-only and Evil-only chips will be recorded, even if they poof in battle. They both can also be used by Dark Soul in battle.

• VariableSword and NeoVariable will use a command by itself without player input.

Dark Soul's chip pool are made up by counting the usage of the each chip. The more used a chip is, the more it will count in the pool, meaning they are more likely to be used by Dark Soul. The chip pool is determined as such:

• Top 16 most used Standard/Dark Chips (except DrkVulcn), the count of the chip will depend on how often that Standard/Dark chip is used.
  • #1, #2 most used Standard/Dark Chip x4
  • #3, #4 most used Standard/Dark Chip x2
  • #5 through #16 most used Standard/Dark Chip x1
• Top 5 most used Mega Chips/DrkVulcn x1
  • DrkVulcn is considered as a Mega Chip by the game (will not trigger Beat in the English version).
• Top 1 most used Giga Chip x1
• Top 1 most used Program Advance x1

Chip Blacklist

The AI will not use these following chips and Program Advances:

Chip Blacklist

Standard	Mega	Giga	PA
LifeSync SloGauge FstGauge ColorPt CopyDmg Atk+10 Navi+20	Atk+30 BugFix DblPoint FullCust BugChain PrixPowr	Duo	GigaCan3 H-Burst MagShok1 MagShok2 MagShok3 BodyGrd PoisPhar P.Driver

Mega Man Battle Network 5

The Dark Soul AI will be used for the following:

• DarkMegaMan & DS Navis: In addition to their own attacks, it will use BattleChips the player has used in the save. DarkMegaMan’s HP will always be set, but DS Navis’ HP and attack power will be dependent of MegaMan’s HP before any customizations.
  • Copied Abilities: Unlike MMBN4, these Navis do not copy MegaMan's abilities, except for DarkMegaΩ. He will copy MegaMan’s Attack and Speed Buster stats, AirShoes, and FloatShoes.
• Dark Double Soul & DarkInvis: If MegaMan is Evil emotion and he was to be deleted, he will become 1 HP and go into this berserk state instead. DarkInvis works similarly with a timed duration of invincibility and using chips. He is still prone to AntiRecv as that chip reduces the HP instantly instead of damaging them.
  • As a change from the previous game, if MegaMan is hit with a multi-hit dimming chip into deletion, Dark Double Soul will still trigger.
• Chaos Unison: If a Chaos Unison B PowerAttack is released at green, a Dark Soul will be summoned on the opponent's side. The Dark Soul cannot be summoned if enemy doesn't have any open panels (this includes all hole panels). They are considered as an obstacle on the field, so they can occupy panels and will interact with chips such as the ElecReel chips.
  • Dark Soul actually has 500 HP when it is summoned. While they are invincible, they can be deleted if they trigger AntiRecovery.
  • In the JP version, if a LifeSync is used during a virus battle on a Dark Soul, all of their ally viruses’ HPs will become Dark Soul’s current HP. In the NA/EU version, LifeSync will target Dark Soul but HPs will not be altered.

Chip Pool

Dark Soul will keep track of nearly every chip and Program Advance you used in the game (even in NetworkDuel and Team Navis). The less chips have been used in the playthrough, the more narrowed down the chip pool will be. Good-only and Evil-only chips will be recorded, even if they poof in battle. They both can also be used by Dark Soul in battle.

• VariableSword and NeoVariable will use a command by itself without player input.

Dark Soul's chip pool are made up by counting the number of usage of each chip. The more a chip is used, the more it will count in the pool, meaning they are more likely to be used by Dark Soul. The chip pool is determined as such:

• Top 16 most used Standard/Dark Chips, the count of the chip will depend on how often that Standard chip is used.
  • #1, #2 most used Standard/Dark Chip x4
  • #3, #4 most used Standard/Dark Chip x2
  • #5 through #16 most used Standard/Dark Chip x1
• Top 5 most used Mega Chips x1
• Top 1 most used Giga Chip x1
• Top 1 most used Program Advance x1
• In MMBN5DS, the rules have been significantly modified.

Chip Blacklist

The AI will not use these following chips and Program Advances: (In MMBN5, no PA is excepted)

Chip Blacklist

Standard	Mega	Giga	Dark
CactBal series ElemRage Quake series Katana series DrilArm series Skully series AqWhirl series Astroid series SpShake2 SpShake3 Voltz series RainyDay SloGauge FstGauge CopyDmg LifeSync Attck+10 Navi+20 ColorPt	NumbrBl Poltrgst BugFix FullCust Attck+30 DblPoint NapalmMan series MagnetMan series Meddy series Colonel series ToadMan series BlizzardMan series CloudMan series CosmoMan series LarkMan series GridMan series Django series Otenko LeadRaid	DethPhnx Phoenix ChaosLrd	DarkInvs DarkPlus DrkSonic

MMBN5 DS

The rules for the Dark Soul have been modified for Mega Man Battle Network 5: Double Team DS to minimize AI manipulation. Also, opposite version Giga Chips are now able to be used legitimately with the Dark Soul by using the W Slot's BN5 GBA Folder Convert feature.

1. The chip pool is no longer sorted by number of use. What determines the pool is the first 16 chips the player has used within the game's internal BattleChip order (this order is different from Library order). The chip pool is now determined as such:
   • First 16 Standard/Dark Chips used within the order
     • 1st and 2nd Standard/Dark Chip used within the order x4
     • 3rd and 4th Standard/Dark Chip used within the order x2
     • 5th through 16th Standard/Dark Chip used within the order x1
   • First 5 Mega Chips used within the order x1
   • First 1 Giga Chip used within the order x1
   • First 1 Program Advance used within the order x1
2. After using certain chips, the AI must use the buster (3 normal shots in a row) 8 times before being able to use another chip. This essentially wastes Dark Soul time and minimizes chip use.
   • The following chips are affected:
     • DarkCirc
     • DrkSword
     • DarkInvs (will not be used by Dark Soul)
     • DarkPlus (will not be used by Dark Soul)
     • DrkLance
     • DarkWide
     • DarkThnd
     • DrkRecov
     • DarkMetr
     • DarkDril
     • DarkTorn
     • DrkSonic (will not be used by Dark Soul)
     • SerchMan
     • SerchMnSP
     • SerchMnDS
     • ShakPar1
     • ShakPar2
     • ShakPar3
     • BigNoise

Operation Battle

Main page: Operation Battle (MMBN5)

When DarkInvs is used in Operation Battle, it will use chips from the current chosen folder. Chips can be slot in during the Dark Soul period, but the Navi will not instantly use them. They will all be used once the Dark Soul ends.

Legacy Collection

The rules for the Dark Soul have been modified for the Legacy Collection to minimize AI manipulation. It uses the original GBA Dark Soul method, but now requires you to use more Standard Chips before registering higher class chips.

1. It will now check the top 3 Standard Chips for any Dark Chips:
   • If a Dark Chip is found, and the total number of Standard Chips is less than 4: The Dark Chip is set as your 4th most used chip and any blank spots this creates is taken by Cannon, then MiniBomb, then AirShot in that order. These placeholder chips will be replaced once 3 Standard Chips are registered.
     • If you already have use counts for Cannon, MiniBomb, or AirShot, the game will double up on the entries of these chips.
   • If a Dark Chip is found, and the total number of Standard chips is more than or equal to 4: It checks for a non-Dark Chip starting from 4th spot and swaps the Dark Chip with that one.
     • In BN4, as DrkSword is required to be used by the story, it will forced to fill this spot. Making the 4 chips Dark Soul will use if you never use any other chips in the playthrough to be: Cannon, MiniBomb, AirShot, and DrkSword.
     • In BN4, although DrkVulcn is considered among the Mega Chips for Dark Soul, it is considered as a Dark Chip for this new limitation feature.
2. For non-Standard/Dark Chips, you are now required to use a certain number of unique Standard Chips before Dark Soul is allowed to use those top used chips in its AI:
   • Mega Chips:
     • Top 1 most used Mega Chip: At least 3 unique Standard Chips
     • Top 2 most used Mega Chips: At least 6 unique Standard Chips
     • Top 3 most used Mega Chips: At least 10 unique Standard Chips
     • Top 4 most used Mega Chips: At least 14 unique Standard Chips
     • Top 5 most used Mega Chips: At least 16 unique Standard Chips
   • Top 1 Giga Chip: At least 12 unique Standard Chips
   • Top 1 Program Advance: At least 12 unique Standard Chips

Glitches

• In both MMBN4 and MMBN5, a combo system where the AI would recognize a specific chain of chips then stored (top 8 combos) was planned and coded in. However it is bugged and it doesn't work as it should. Due to this, MegaMan would detect this behavior as failure, only moving to a random panel then randomly picks to use the buster or a chip. If it picks a chip, it will attempt the combo again and won’t try to use a new chip until it has failed 5 times.

Battle Network 4

• Disappearing Dark Soul HP glitch
• Dark Double Soul Off Field glitch

Battle Network 5

• Dark Double Soul Off Field glitch
• Zero HP Field Screen glitch
• AntiDamage Dark Soul quirk

Trivia

• Due to the potential of abuse in MMBN5 via Dark Double Soul and Chaos Unison failed B PowerAttacks, Capcom has set up multiple Dark Soul restrictions in the official Capcom tournaments. The development team has noted that the idea of the system is just a look at the player’s battle history, competitive players training ABD in such a way was unprecedented.
• In a NetworkDuel, the dimming chip of Dark Soul can be cut in to. As since it’s technically a different entity than MegaMan, it will execute its dimming chip in a chain even after MegaMan gets deleted.