Link Power

Link Power (abbreviated as LP) is a system introduced from MegaMan Star Force 2 onwards, revamping the BrotherBand mechanic. It bears resemblance to the Navi Customizer from the Battle Network series.

Overview

In the first game, a BrotherBand gives a HP boost and a fixed ability depending on which version that Brother is playing. With the Link Power mechanic, the player instead gains Link Power with each BrotherBand he forms. This Link Power grants the player the ability to equip Ability Waves, which function similar to the individual Navicust parts from the Battle Network series.

In-game Brothers are now kept in a separate interface from the player's real-life Brothers, allowing the player to fill all 6 Brother slots with real-life players without risking BrotherBands with in-game NPCs. The amount of Link Power granted by a BrotherBand increases as the player, or that Brother, has completed more of the game (inclusive of post-game content). Link Power granted by an in-game Brother is increased by completing that NPC's sidequest after the main story is completed.

In Star Force 2, NPC Brothers (including the player's Auto Brother) award a maximum of 100 Link Power, while real-life Brothers award up to 150. The maximum Link Power a player can have is 1300 (400 in-game and 900 from 6 real Brothers)

In Star Force 3, the player can form BrotherBands with more NPCs than simply Geo's friends, resulting in a maximum of 900 in-game Link Power. Real Brothers award a maximum of 130 Link Power, and if they are in the same Purpose team with the player, with 50 LP for the first Brother and 10 more for every additional one. Furthermore, engaging in Wi-Fi battles with Brothers grants the player 1 more LP, up to a maximum of 120. This totals a maximum of 1900 Link Power a player can have.

Ability Waves

Each Ability Wave contains a slash, followed by a number. This number depicts how much Link Power the Ability Wave requires to equip. Naturally, stronger Ability Waves consume more LP than weaker ones, and rarer versions of Ability Waves consume less LP than commonly found ones.

Ability Waves are commonly found in Mystery Waves located all across the EM Roads. In addition to this, the player may encounter a Hertz in-battle. The Hertz is deleted if the player even touches him with a single Buster shot, but if the battle is finished with the Hertz intact, the player rescues him. In Star Force 2, the Hertz immediately rewards the player with an Ability Wave, while in Star Force 3, Hertzes are collected and can be returned at the Mr. Hertz Square in exchange for strong Ability Waves.

Noise Changes also award special Ability Waves after completing a certain number of battles, much like how Style Changes in BN3 award NaviCust parts. These Ability Waves also take up much less LP than other commonly acquired versions.