Bosses - Metroid Prime Guide - IGN (2024)

Bosses In Metroid Prime

There are a lot of bosses in Metroid Prime -- some new, and some returning. But they all share a deadly disposition and relentless drive to end our favorite bounty hunter. Metroid Prime's bosses all display a health meter at the top of the screen, which lets you gauge which ones of your attacks cause the most damage.

Parasite Queen

Reward: You lose all your stuff (what!)

Parasite Queen is the first boss in Metroid Prime.

She is largely immobile, only able to turn to attack you, and is protected by energy shields. Before you start blasting, make sure to scan her as she doesn't make a repeat appearance. The battle is very straightforward: just spam your cannon to shoot through the gaps in the shield to cause damage. It's best to stay locked on and quick-strafe around her to line up with the gaps.

Parasite Queen can be easily beated if you shoot it in the mouth fast as you can when there is a space in the energy shield. Since you're about to lose your charge beam and missiles, feel free to try them out and use them liberally in this battle. Once the Parasite Queen is defeated, it's time to evacuate the station. Good luck!

Hive Mecha

Reward: Missile Launcher

Hive Mecha is the Second Boss in Metroid Prime.

The Hive Mecha doesn't directly attack you -- instead, it will protect itself by sending Ram War Wasps after you. These wasps will come for you and cause direct and indirect damage by pushing you in to the poisonous water. The best way to take out the wasps is to stand still, manually aim and spam your blaster when they're moving and locking on to them when still.

Once they are gone, the Hive Mecha will reveal its weak spot when it prepares to expel a new batch. It's a giant red light, so it's an easy target. Just be sure to shoot it as soon as you see it; it disappears fast. Once you destroy all four of its weak spots, you will be able to pick up the Missile Launcher across the bridge.

Incinerator Drone

Reward: Morph Ball Bomb

Incinerator Drone is the Third Boss in Metroid Prime.

Like the first two bosses, the Incinerator Drone is a stationary nuissance. The machine will attack you with spinning flamethrowers and you have to jump to avoid damage. Don't forget to scan it for more info on its week points (and to get closer to that treasured scan completion).

After avoiding the flames for a set time, the Drone will open up and expose a weak spot (it's glowing red -- you'll know it when you see it). Blast away and you'll cause the Drone to fire its fiery blast at the ceiling, triggering a swarm of Barbed War Wasps. Everytime you do this, a part of the hive is destroyed, so shoot the wasps, dodge the flames, and blast away at the core to emerge victorious and claim your prize, the Morph Ball Bomb.

Flaahgra

Reward: Varia Suit

Here's how to beat Flaahgra:

This dangerous plant is yet another stationary boss, but it can lunge at you with its claws and even shoot gross, tangled plant growth your way. Start off by scanning it to expose its weak spot: it needs sunlight. Since it's surrounded by toxic pools of water, you should always stay on the walkway around the planet.

Your mission is to deprive the plant of sunlight and then damage it with a bomb attack. To do this, lock on to the plant and fire your cannon .until Flaahgra is stunned. Now high-tail it to the nearest solar panel that's pointed at the plant. Use the morph ball or run, but quickly position yourself behind it and quickly lock on and blast the base of the solar panel to disengage it. Once the plant is deprived of sunlight, it will collapse and a morph ball tunnel will open up that leads directly to the plant. Roll in, get close, and drop a Morph Ball Bomb to attack.

There are four rounds. Each time, one more solar panel will drop into place and activate. Look for the closest one, stun the plant, and avoid the plant barricades (just go the other direction). Note that the plant will try and return the panels into working order if you don't stun it, so keep an eye out and fire away when you have to. After two panels, access the next tunnel and drop a bomb. Then after three panels, do it again. After all four panels are in play, there's only one tunnel left. Flaahgra is done for and you can jump across the shriveled petals to get to your reward: the Varia Suit.

Sheegoth

Reward: Wave Beam

Sheegoth is the fifth boss in Metroid Prime. Here is how to beat Sheegoth:

The Wave Beam is sitting in the middle of the arena -- which, of course is too good to be true. As you try to grab it, it will descend into the floor below and Baby Sheegoth will come growling out into the room.

Dispose of all four of them and when you're finished, mama Sheegoth will break through the back wall. Scan her. Then proceed to lock on to her, side stepping to the right and left. Don't use your Power Beam, Sheegoth will absorb it and use the power to shoot energy blasts back at you. Instead, get close enough to her so she'll let an ice blast go, and once she does let go of the lock, quickly aim at her neck or mouth (from either side of her), and shoot missles.

Only use missiles. If you hit the crystals on her back (which you probably will if you don't let go of the lock on), you'll just charge her up. Shooting her legs won't damage her either. Aim for her neck and mouth, and if she flashes red you'll know you've hit successfully. You need to stay somewhat close to her or she'll stop shooting ice blasts at you, and you won't be able to hit her. Once you've dealt enough damage this way, she'll fall over dead.

Thardus

Reward: Spider Ball

Here's how to beat Thardus:

Reminiscent of the Stone Talus in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (or vice versa), Talus is a rock creature brought to life by Phazon. You can scan it (you should!), but it cannot be targeted as usual. The data suggests you should try another visor, and that's just what you need to do. Use your Thermal Visor to locate the hot spots on Thardus.

You'll be able to lock on to him while using this visor. You can easily crack the highlighted stone portion of his body with the use of charge blasts and missiles. Try not to get too antsy and use Super Missiles just yet. Save those for a bit. When the Phazon-infused rock cracks open, it will expose the highly radioactive material beneath it. The material is far too bright for your Thermal Visor, so just switch it off and you'll be able to lock on as usual. Repeat the same process of hitting the weak spot with charge blasts and missiles, all the while sidestepping out of his line of fire.

Thardus will often summon rocks from beneath the ground and toss them your way. Take the moment to lock on to them and blast them to pieces. Note: if you're in Thermal Visor mode and try this, the Phazon material inside will blind you. If you get frozen by Thardus, just quickly tap the B-button to get out of it. Another attack that you must get a handle on is his boulder form. You will him animate, leaning back and then curling up in ball form. This is your cue to turn into a Morph Ball and boost out of the way. It's important that you memorize this animation. As soon as he begins to roll into a ball, do the same and boost out of the way. Thardus will also summon snow storms to blur your view. Try not to let it disorient you too much, and use your Thermal Visor when possible to cut through the haze. When it gets to the point that his Phazon is exposed during a snow storm and you cannot see him, try to get as close as possible and use those Super Missiles. You should eventually be able to work him down to the final center point of his body. Work through it and he will die.

Elite Pirate

Reward: Just some battle memories

The Elite Pirate is the seventh boss in Metroid Prime -- though it's more of a mini-boss and you will encounter its species more often.

This Phazon-infused Frankenstein might be the result of years of work by the Space Pirates, but he's much weaker than he looks. He can absorb shots from your Power Beam, so try to hit him with Super Missiles. Dodge his shots by hiding behind the pillars in the room. Also, if he slams his fists to the floor sending out a shock wave, just double jump to avoid it. Nailing him with two good Super Missile shots ends the fight.

Omega Pirate

Reward: Phazon Suit

Turn on your Scan Visor as you enter and download the data from her stasis chamber as you approach it. If you are careful, you can complete the scan before triggering the cutscene (if you scan later, you might get hit by an attack). It will tell you a lot about her tactics; the Omega Pirate will disappear often to repaint herself with Phazon, thus healing her wounds. This is her weakness, and you are going to exploit it to beat her. The other hint is that she is strong to Beam weapons -- that means you should stick to Missiles -- Super Missiles.

You can see four points of glowing Phazon on the Omega Pirate. You'll need to destroy these, it doesn't matter which order. You can use Missiles, Super Missiles, or Power Bombs to destroy the Phazon. The Power Bombs are definitely the most effective weapon here -- you can make fairly quick work of her if you plant them correctly near her feet - they often destroy more than one Phazon area at a time.

You will need to double jump (you should be charging your Power Beam while you do this) over it and before you even hit the ground fire a Missile or Super Missile at whatever point it is you're locked on to. Or alternatively save yourself a lot of hopping and enter morph ball form and drop a Power Bomb under the Omega Pirate. The Phazon shell protecting the area will shatter. Repeat this process until ever point on her body -- knees, shoulders, etc. -- is shattered.

At this point, Omega Pirate will sink to her knees and call out her lackeys; a medley of Wave, Ice, and Plasma Troopers. Switch to your regular vision to identify the color, if you need to fend them off, but it's best to just fire off a few shots at them to keep them at bay as they're really only there to distract you.

Turn on your X-Ray Visor and listen for the Omega Pirate. You will eventually be able to spot her (X-Ray only) repainting herself in one of the pools of Phazon. While running around, charge your beam and then when you spot her recharging, lock on to her and fire a Super Missile directly at the center of her chest. This will cause major damage, and she will flee. If you left her helpers alive, she'll usually try one more recharge, so repeat your attack pattern.

The Omega Pirate will reappear eventually in normal form, however, and you will have to repeat the first processes, cracking each Phazon body joint again. If her lackeys are still causing you trouble, try to use the Omega Pirate as a weapon; when she slams her fists down the Phazon wave she sends out often kills them.

While we've had the most success just ignoring them to finish this battle fast, some fiends such as the Plasma Troopers can do serious damage and may require you to kill them. Just be sure to absorb all the energy they leave behind. Then resume firing Super Missiles at Omega. Like before she will retreat to her Phazon Pool, call out more lackies, and you will want to focus on locating her to deliver those crucial Super Missile hits while she's recovering.

Sooner, hopefully rather than later, she will die. A combo of Power Bombs against her shields and just four to five Super Missiles when she is cloaking will do the trick.

Phazon Elite

Reward: Artifact of the Warrior

Surrounded by bendezium, the only way to free him is to lay a Power Bomb at his feet. This will free him, but before you get too antsy about defeating him remember to scan him. While he doesn't look exactly like the Elite Pirates, he basically behaves just like them. So, blast him repeatedly with Super Missiles and double jump above his wave charges. After you defeat him you will earn yourself the Artifact of Warrior.

Meta Ridley

Reward: Just a blast of sweet nostalgia

Meta Ridley begins his routine by firing at you from the air. Lock on to him, charge up your Power Beam, and prepare to fire a Super Missile when he exposes his chest. This process should be relatively easy, as he positions himself directly over the edge of the Artifact Temple.

His second maneuver is flying far off into the distance and then dropping multiple bombs as he performs a fly-by. You really can't harm him during this attack, so just try to sidestep out of the way and keep locked on him when possible so you know when and where he's coming from. Eventually, he will return to the edge in front of the temple where you can resume firing Super Missiles at him. He may temporarily land and take a swipe at you, but just back away and continue charging. In the process, he'll actually reveal a few energy capsules and even some missile ammunition. Just repeat hitting him with Super Missiles and sooner or later he will have to land in the temple's center.

When the dragon-faced beast finally does ground himself, watch out; viciously he will charge at you and whip his sharp tail in circles in an effort to smack you with. The key is to stay locked on to him and sidestep right as he's charging toward you. If you can repeatedly position yourself behind him after he charges it will give you a moment to gather your thoughts because he has to spin around and search for you -- just watch out for that tail and if you get cornered, Morph Ball roll out of there! Don't even bother firing at him until he pauses and begins to breathe fire at you. Laser-like in precision, the beam of fire can be easily jumped over, giving you time to charge your Power Beam and fire off a Super Missile. If you hit him in the open-mouth it will send him reel back, whereupon he will expose a soft spot in his chest plating. Keep that Power Beam charged because you'll have to hit him with another Super Missile as quickly as you can. Unfortunately, he will return charging at you for a bit before giving you another opportunity.

There is an advanced technique you can use, however. When he opens his mouth to breathe fire, have your Wave Beam ready and charged. Activate the Wavebuster Beam (which you should have acquired during the walkthrough) by hitting the Y-button in sync. The steam of energy will track repeatedly from his mouth to his chest, draining his energy. Watch your missile intake, and try to leave yourself with about 40-50 missiles during this process.

Chances are that you're going to have to finish him off with Super Missiles, continuing to hit his mouth and chest with the concussive blasts. Near the end of his life, he will become extremely fierce, charging at you quickly and often. Remember to keep your distance even if it means rolling away from him. With persistence, the shadowy guardian will be knocked into the crater below with the help of the Chozo.

At this time a transport to the Impact Crater below will be revealed. There is a save station waiting down there, don't worry, so simply descend and prepare for the final battle.

Metroid Prime

Metroid Prime (Shell)

Scan and greet Metroid Prime. This spider-like thing is not only frightening to gaze upon, but also to fight. Prime is incredibly smart. Having a constantly supply of Phazon, it has been able to adapt and increase its powers for a great while. It is equipped with a tractor beam, caustic breath with the precision of a laser, gas bombs, and a number of other things. The point is, you're going to need to be on your toes constantly. To avoid projectile attacks, it's often wise to approach Prime and stand close, just be careful not to get too close or it will take a swat at you.

During this period of time Prime will adapt to your weaponry by morphing its shell. Depending on the color, it will be vulnerable to only one type of weapon. Be sure to charge your attacks and stay locked on to the small opening where its face resides. Use ultra-powered weapons such as Super Missiles, Wavebuster, Ice Spreader, and Flamethrower to expedite the process. Just be cautious not to drain your missile count. The fight will take place through several levels of the Impact Crater. Not until roughly the third will you want to be extremely aggressive.

Another move that Metroid Prime has is the charge. After you deal a few good blows to it, Prime will charge you. To avoid it, roll into ball form and use the crevices in the ground to avoid the giant spider. Repeat this process several times. The most difficult part will be keeping up with the shell changes, so memorize how to access your Beams.

Be on the lookout for floating orbs. These slow-moving projectiles are harmless until they come into contact with you. When they approach ground level, it is wise to destroy them with a missile blast or two. More likely than not, they will reveal missile ammunition and occasionally ultra energy, which is a nice recharge for your Power Suit.

If you can keep up this process long enough, you will send the shelled version of Metroid Prime crashing down below. But the fight is not over yet.

Metroid Prime (Core)

This form is completely different than the shelled version of Prime, so remember to scan it if you hope to complete your Log Book. Exposed, it's highly aggressive, but the good news is it is also very vulnerable. None of your weaponry will harm it, so don't even bother. Only a phazon-infused Arm Cannon will suffice. Of course, you don't have one of those...or do you?

Begin by locking on to Prime and following its every move. Eventually it will cling to the wall and ready a few powerful attacks. In the process, phazon will drip from its core, pooling on the ground beneath it. Double jump over the waves of energy it sends toward you. Eventually, it will disappear, cloaking itself from your current visor. As aforementioned, Prime is incredibly smart. Flip through your other visors -- X-Ray and Thermal -- to locate it.

The thing with Prime at this point is it cloaks according to the last visor you were using. So, get used to looking around and cycling through you visors. Once locked on to him in cloaked form, find the pool of phazon and step into it. It will bond with Samus's Phazon Suit and send her into hyper mode. This is the only thing that hurts Prime, and it's devastating to it. The problem is, these pools of phazon dry up, so you'll have to repeat the process several times.

Meanwhile, Prime will occasionally call up Metroids to attack you. It's best to ignore them, but if they latch on frequently and become a problem set a Power Bomb to clear them out. You may even find they leave some energy or ammunition behind.

If you can successfully manage yourself through all of this, you will conquer Metroid Prime.