Depending on the player's actions during the game, it's possible to unlock what are normally the final set of stages, namely Gate's laboratory, much earlier than normal than what is considered the norm for the X series; with the exception of "Mega Man X5", players normally had to defeat the 8 main bosses before unlocking the final stages. In "X6", defeating both the Zero Nightmare and High Max, Isoc's bodyguard, are enough to unlock Gate's laboratory before even defeating most of the main bosses.