------------------------------------------------------------------------------- //version 2.0// //updated 12-04-2012// =================================== ===== METROID PRIME 2: ECHOES ===== ======= 100% STRATEGY GUIDE ======= ======= written by NeoChozo ======= =================================== +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Welcome to my 100% walkthrough for METROID PRIME 2: ECHOES, the second game in NINTENDO and RETRO STUDIOS' METROID PRIME sub-series. This text document covers all of the pertinent information for completing this title, both as a normal run and as a speed run. Version 2.0 finally completes the FAQ, and is a complete, from-the-ground-up revision of the existing source material. Use the index below as a reference guide, and visit GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com/) to find other FAQs I've written. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ == CONTENTS == ============== 1. Setup and Controls 2. About This Game 3. The Story So Far 4. Mode Explanation 5. Samus' Abilities 6. Weapons and Items 7. The Planet Aether 8. Walkthrough A. Arrival At The Temple Grounds B. The Deserts Of Agon C. The Swamps Of Torvus D. The Fortress In The Sky E. Path to the Sky Temple F. The Final Energy Controller 9. Log Book Database 10. Item Locations 11. Secrets and Tips 12. Legal ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ========================= == 1. SETUP AND CONTROLS: ========================= METROID PRIME 2: ECHOES was originally released for the Nintendo GameCube (GCN) but has been ported to the Nintendo Wii as part of the METROID PRIME TRILOGY. Refer to the setup manual for more detailed information on your individual platform. This game is a more expansive version of what was found in the first METROID PRIME, but mostly has the same style and features. To navigate the in- game menus, rotate the Control Stick to the option you want to choose, then press A to confirm or B to cancel. Below is a list of the default controls for both Single-Player Mode and Multiplayer Mode. SINGLE PLAYER CONTROLS ---------------------- CONTROL STICK: Move around, Look around, or Aim (w/ R Button). CONTROL PAD: Switch between available Visor Enhancements. C STICK: Switch between available Beam Weapons. START/PAUSE: Pause game, Bring up Databanks and Log Book. L BUTTON: Lock onto enemies, Scan objects, and use Grapple Beam. R BUTTON: Pan camera, Aim (with Control Stick), Activate Spider Ball. Z BUTTON: Bring up Map Screen. Y BUTTON: Fire Missiles/Charge Combos, Charge Seeker Missiles, Set Power Bombs. X BUTTON: Switch in and out of Morph Ball form, Switch Maps. A BUTTON: Fire Beam Weapons, set Morph Ball Bombs, or Confirm Options. B BUTTON: Jump, Space Jump, Use Gravity Boost, Use Screw Attack, Use Boost Ball, Strafe Dash (w/ L Button), or Cancel Options. MULTIPLAYER CONTROLS -------------------- Most of the control features are the same, except for using the Log Book or scanning objects. You will also never encounter water, so using the Gravity Boost is negated. You will activate your special weapons using A or Y depen- ding on whether or not you are in standing form or Morph Ball form. For more information on Multiplayer, see "Section 4: Mode Explanation". Do note that some secondary functions of the buttons require you to be in Morph Ball form, such as setting Bombs or Boosting. Additionally, the Gravity Boost only works underwater (just as the Screw Attack only works on land). ====================== == 2. ABOUT THIS GAME: ====================== METROID PRIME 2: ECHOES is a continuation of the story that began with Samus Aran's first encounter with the deadly mutagen known as Phazon. For the most part, it plays like the first game - it is still rendered in first person per- spective and you control Samus from the HUD view. What is different is the size and scope of the game. METROID PRIME 2 is easily twice the size of the first game, and that's partly due to the Light and Dark dimensions that are the chief gameplay mechanic. Like Tallon IV, Aether was struck many years ago by a Phazon meteor. But where Tallon IV's ecosystem was merely poisoned, Aether's very fabric was ruptured in two, leaving the devastated normal dimension, but also creating a twisted, warped dark dimension. This spawned a race of dark creatures that the Luminoth came to call the Ing. Traveling back and forth between Light and Dark Aether to collect items, trigger events, and fight bosses will be key to successful completion of this game. The game also changes up a few things from the first game. For one thing, bottomless pits are present for the first time ever in a Metroid game. Falling into one doesn't kill you (since you only have one life), but you do suffer what is called a "Terminal Fall", where you fall a specified distance, sustain 10 HP of damage, and then respawn back where you started from (or if you crossed a certain amount of distance, somewhere else relative to a spawn point). You can also fire your Arm Cannon while attached to Grapple Points - this is more than just a feature, since sometimes in the middle of flight, you'll be attacked by aerial enemies. Another major change that will affect your combat tactics is the Beam Ammo System - instead of gaining a Beam and having unlimited usage, you are restricted to how many units you have left, but you can expand your inventory with Beam Ammo Expansions. Also, the Dark World itself is so poisonous that exposure to its atmosphere drains your energy away. This in of itself is a very interesting gimmick that affects how much you can explore at any given time. And finally, this game marks the debut of "Dark Samus", a powerful new enemy that you'll quickly realize is a ghost from your previous mission. Overall, METROID PRIME 2: ECHOES builds upon the framework established with the first game and adds a number of new and interesting features. The only negative thing to say is how much stopping the art of "sequence breaking" seems to have been a focal point in the game's development. ======================= == 3. THE STORY SO FAR: ======================= Like the last game, this one has a fairly rich backstory that sets up the whole experience of exploring the planet Aether and its twin dimensions. Here is the introduction to the story as told from the game manual: A WAR OF TWO WORLDS ------------------- Once, long ago, a race of creatures called the Luminoth settled on planet Aether after many nomadic generations spent roaming the universe. They carved out a peaceful existence there, coming to know the land and animals and bath- ing in the power of what they called the "Light of Aether". To prolong the lifetime of the planet, they decided to harness this light by building Energy Controllers that would be housed in holy temples. They build three of these temples, one in each of their settlements, and linked them to their most sac- red place, the Great Temple. A golden age of peace and prosperity blessed them, and they were content. The peace would not last, though. They tracked a meteor on a crash-course with their planet, and could do nothing but watch as it approached. The met- eor's strike scorched the earth, cast the seas into convulsions, and spread a veil of darkness over all that the Luminoth knew... but that was not all. The explosion and the energy from the meteor opened up a dimensional rift in Planet Aether, spawning a second planet that existed in a different dimens- ion. Dimensional rips soon blossomed on Light Aether, and an evil race of dark creatures ventured forth, spreading violence. The Luminoth named these creatures the Ing, and soon created portals to follow them into a world they would come to know as Dark Aether. This twin planet, which had given birth to the Ing Horde, was a poisonous mirror of their own, and the Luminoth retreated from its damaging effects. Over time, however, as the Ing continued to make war on Light Aether and be- gan to possess both creatures and friends, the Luminoth had to return and fight. They set up beacons of light that acted as protective oases against the dark creatures, and fought tooth and nail against the Ing. The war raged, and a stalemate soon became apparent; the Luminoth could not defeat the Ing on Dark Aether, and the powerful light of Aether was too much for the Ing to overcome. The stalemate could not last forever. The planet's energy had been divided between the light and dark worlds, and both sides wanted to control it. The Luminoth created an Energy Transfer Module designed to absorb the energy from Dark Aether, only to have it stolen and used against them. Their temples fell one by one, until only their last, the Great Temple, remained. With only enough planetary energy to support one world, this temple was all that stood between Dark Aether completely eclipsing Dark Aether, eradicating the last of the Luminoth... Into this conflict came a new factor. A Federation ship chased as Space Pir- ate vessel onto the surface, only to be attacked and decimated by the Ing. After losing contact with the troops, the Federation suspected the worst. Un- willing to abandon all hope, they sent an urgent message to Samus Aran... Mission received from Galactic Fedetation... Locate troops lost in Dasha region of Planet Aether... Priority 1... ======================= == 4. MODE EXPLANATION: ======================= There are two main gameplay modes available in METROID PRIME 2: ECHOES. Read below for basic descriptions of each mode. SINGLE PLAYER ------------- Single Player is the main story mode of the game where you guide Samus Aran through the planet Aether to discover what happened and to ultimately defeat the Ing Horde and save the planet. This gameplay mode comes with two levels of difficulty: Normal Mode and Hard Mode. Hard Mode is unlocked after you complete the game once in Normal Mode. Hard Mode gives a little bit more of a challenge, in that all enemies take twice as much damage, and you take twice as much damage from their attacks. This becomes troublesome when you factor in things like Dark Aether's atmosphere or the reviled Boost Guardian. Addit- ionally, there is one Image Gallery that can only be unlocked by completing the game in Hard Mode. MULTIPLAYER ----------- This is the bonus mode of sorts where you and another player can battle it out in a no-holds-barred game of either Deathmatch or Capture The Flag. This option only appears if you have two controllers plugged into the GameCube, naturally. Once you select it, you have your choice of which multiplayer game you want to play, then you select your map (you have one to start with, but additional maps are unlocked as you play through the Single Player Mode). Then you and a friend either work cooperatively to capture the enemy's terr- itory or just go at it trying to kill each other using a myriad of special weapons, some of which never appear in the game (such as Death Ball). Over- all, this is just an extra mode thrown in as a nod to fans who have wanted to be able to have a Halo/Call of Duty/Battlefield/insert your favorite FPS game here-like multiplayer experience using Chozo weaponry. The rest of this guide is primarily dedicated to covering Single Player, but there are plenty of other guides and FAQs dedicated to this particular mode. ======================= == 5. SAMUS' ABILITIES: ======================= You have a number of powerful moves at your disposal besides just jumping and firing Beams or Missiles. Utilizing the full potential of your Power Suit will allow you to Bomb Jump, strafe around enemies, and increase your jumping prow- ess. Below is a brief list of the various feats you can perform in the game. STANDARD MOVES -------------- These are moves that are pre-programmed into the game already that you can use to take advantage of terrain and obstacles. 1. DOUBLE BOMB JUMP To pull this move off, set a Bomb and carefully watch the animation. Every time you set off a Morph Ball Bomb, the Bomb shimmers for a little bit prior to exploding. In the split second that the shimmering stops, set the second Bomb, and let the first Bomb pop you up. At the peak of your Bomb Jump, set your third Bomb. As you come back down, the second one will det- onate, popping you up into the third Bomb's explosion, which will send you even higher. 2. L-LOCK JUMP This one is really easy, and actually gains you a bit of height. The best places to use it are the times when you need to make precision jumps. To lock your view, simply hold the R Button and pan downwards until you are literally staring at your feet. As you get your desired angle, hold the L Button to lock your view in place and let go of R. This way you'll be able to make precision jumps without losing sight of what you are trying to reach. 3. L-LOCK STRAFE DASH Hold L to lock on to a target, then tap B while locked on to move from side to side around them in a circle. This comes in handy during pretty much the entire game and is upgraded a bit after acquiring the Space Jump Boots. 4. BEAM TRACTOR Once you find the Charge Beam, you can tractor refills to your location by aiming at them and charging up. If they're within range, they'll be pulled to you, eliminating the need for you to go to them. 5. SCREW "ATTACK" The game would otherwise have you believe that the Screw Attack is present just for movement purposes (since this is really mostly the original Space Jump anyway), but you can actually use this to defeat enemies if you hit them just right. Usually this involves an area above or below the enemy's actual hitbox, but if you master this, you can actually quickly eliminate some bosses (and killing Dark Tallon Metroids with it is pretty fun). ADVANCED MOVES -------------- Most of these tricks are still intact from the first METROID PRIME, and are executed in much the same way. These are mostly advanced moves that you won't really need to use in the game, since this guide will generally point you along the regular route. However, in the instances where alternate or faster routes are indicated, mastery of some of these tricks will help you out. 1. DBJ-MORPH This trick is a small variation on the 2D games' morph jumping moves. If used properly, it can get you a bit of extra distance and/or height when Bomb Jumping. To execute it, start from a place you can safely pull off a DBJ or TBJ from, then hit X to unmorph at the peak of your jump. Pushing forward on the Control Stick while the game adjusts to your suddenly in- creased height launches you forward and boosts you a bit higher. Note that the Morph can also be executed off of a Wall DBJ (where you execute the DBJ while shoved against a wall). 2. GHETTO JUMP This special jump involves you jumping up against a wall and then pushing out from the wall during a Space Jump. You can do single Ghetto Jumps as well; the end result is a slight boost in height and distance if you're trying to go farther. This operates on the same principle as the wall DBJ or Wall TBJ - sliding against a wall increases your height. 3. L-LOCK SPRING JUMP This is a slight variation of the regular L-Lock Jump, and is performed in much the same fashion. To do this, set up a regular L-Lock Jump and leap in the direction of your target. As you near the apex of your jump, let go of the L Button to force Samus' view back up, and you'll "spring" forward a little bit. 4. LOCK-ON LADDER JUMP I'm almost embarrassed to admit that the name for this trick (LOL) came solely from us being excessively bored while experimenting with the jump mechanics (We did unsuccessfully try to name the Roll Jump the "ROFL", as well). Anyway, this gets you a boost in height as you jump towards an ob- ject while you remain locked on. In other words, don't release L as you would with an L-Lock Spring Jump. Lock onto something, then jump directly as the lock-on point; as you sail "over" it, the camera will continue to force your view down at the same time as it is trying to get you to look forward, thus you will "boost" upwards a little bit. This is most useful in Feeding Pit as you're getting the Light Beam; it eliminates the process of actually lowering the Lift Crystal platforms. It can also be used to sling yourself over Grenchlers, Space Pirates, or even the Alpha Blogg! SEQUENCE BREAK MOVES -------------------- These are moves that take advantage of certain game mechanics in order to speed things along or facilitate alternate routes through certain areas. Most of these require a precise amount of skill and timing to actually pull off. Like the moves in the section above, these won't really be utilized that of- ten in the walkthrough. Where it is possible to use them to get an item early or clear a room differently, it will be notated how to do it in the context of that area. 1. INSTANT UNMORPH The instant unmorph is a trick that occurs when you are coming out of a Bomb Jump, but the camera instantly places you in first person, HUD view instead of backing out of third person view. This usually requires that your Morph Ball be against some kind of surface (a wall, for instance), but in such a way that the camera doesn't swing around to face the Morph Ball. Positioning yourself so that your back is to a wall usually works best. Do a single Bomb Jump (doubles are much trickier) and unmorph at the peak of the jump, and if you instantly return to HUD view, you will then have the full range of your jump powers, as this tricks the game into thinking you're on solid ground. See below for moves that use this trick. 2. BOMB SPACE JUMP This is a Bomb Jump that uses an instant unmorph (see below). To do this, you need to trigger an instant unmorph right after a Bomb Jump. The bene- fit to this is that the instant unmorph fools the game into thinking that you are on a solid surface, and therefore have your full range of jumping power (for instance, a Space Jump will carry you three jumps high, or a Screw Attack will be four jumps high). You can use this handy trick to completely skip the Ing Hive Temple Keys (they don't count for percentage, so this is mostly just a speed trick). 3. ROLL JUMP This trick also requires an instant unmorph. This is executed by rolling in Morph Ball form off of a ledge, then triggering the instant unmorph and using the distance you've already gained plus your jumping abilities for extra distance. The tricky part with this one is that usually, your Ball has to be at least halfway obscured by whatever you are falling from, and the timing seems to vary a bit. Still, it can be utilized to cross Watch Station Access without the Grapple Beam. 5. FREEZE DASH/WSA DASH This dash (also called the "Kip Dash" - named after its discoverer, Kip) is useful for crossing large gaps as long as you can cross a certain point so that you "respawn" near where you're trying to land after triggering a Terminal Fall. It differs from a standard Scan Dash (which in of itself is vastly degraded from the first game) by requiring a complete scan of a fixed object that doesn't go for the Log Book (like a door). It is most useful for crossing Watch Station Access for the early Screw Attack. To execute it from this particular area, back up against the ledge in Watch Station Access and fully scan the door. While holding the scan, jump back- wards while holding L, then rotate the Control Stick back-left, hold it, then rotate it back down. Now in a fluid motion before the small "freeze" occurs, hold R and rotate the stick to the back-left position again. After the freeze and you start flying backwards, use your second jump for extra distance to continue your trajectory while not letting go of any buttons you have held down. Wait for the Terminal Fall to occur and see where you respawn - if you didn't get enough distance (in this particular room, this is about 60% of the way across - past the second Grapple Point), then it won't respawn you on the opposite side. This dash can be used in other places in the game, but due to how the mechanic changes for each dash de- pending on where you are standing or what you're scanning, it is difficult to give instructions. The more you practice this, the easier it becomes to correctly execute. 6. UNDERWATER DASH This one allows you to cross large horizontal distances underwater without the benefit of the Gravity Boost (and thus has the most use in Hydrodynamo Station, as you can cut out a large part of the circuitous puzzle of the Transit Tunnels connecting Gathering Hall, Training Chamber, and the Cata- combs. You can do this on land too, but you barely get any extra distance apart from a normal Space Jump. To pull this off (using Hydrodynamo Stat- ion as an example), jump while holding L and begin moving to the left. Press the R and B Buttons and hold them down while still holding left to make yourself slowly start turning. After about a quarter turn (about 30- 40 degrees), release the Control Stick only while continuing to hold L, R, and B to make yourself fly through the water at high speed. Use your sec- ond jump for distance or height as needed, but let go of L and R for the second jump. Using two of these allows you to get the Grapple Beam and the Gravity Boost much earlier than the game intends. ======================== == 6. WEAPONS AND ITEMS: ======================== The Power Suit is an advanced Chozo exoskeleton that the Chozo modified for your personal use. It provides life support functions and is well shielded from attack. The modular nature of the Power Suit allows for the addition of weap- ons, Visors, and other gear as needed, all of which are strewn about both dim- ensions on the planet Aether. BEAM WEAPON ENHANCEMENTS ------------------------ The first METROID PRIME gave you four Beam Weapons with unlimited ammunition. For the first time, this game gives you new Beams that have an ammo system, so conservation and management of your weapons is key. With the Charge Beam, you receive an added boost of power. 1. POWER BEAM The Power Beam is the default Arm Cannon weapon. This is your only Beam that you will be able to fire without regards to Ammo. Press A to fire, and hold A to use the Charge Beam. This beam can open blue doors and elim- inate weak enemies quickly. Press Y when charging to use the Super Missile Charge Combo or hold Y to use the Seeker Missiles. 2. CHARGE BEAM This is the primary power-up to the Arm Cannon that enables an energy- storing function that allows you to fire more powerful shots. Press and hold A when firing to activate the Charge Beam. When charging with any beam, press Y to use its Charge Combo (if you have acquired the corres- ponding upgrade). You begin the game with this item. 3. DARK BEAM This item is found in AGON WASTES. It is capable of firing blasts of shad- ow energy that can hinder enemies and objects as well as nullify Luminoth Light Crystals and/or Beacons. This beam can open black doors and has a good effect against Light World Creatures, but a limited effect on Ing and other darklings. Charging the Dark Beam creates the Entangler, a blast which is capable of freezing enemies. 4. LIGHT BEAM This item is found in DARK AGON WASTES. It is a strong laser type weapon capable of hitting multiple targets with a single shot and can also set enemies on fire. With this beam, you can energize Crystals and Beacons that have been nullified. This beam can open white doors and inflict great damage to Ing and other Dark World creatures. Charging the beam fires the Lightblast, a scattershot type energy burst capable of setting multiple enemies on fire. 5. ANNIHILATOR BEAM This item is found in the ING HIVE. It combines the elements of light and dark energy into powerful object-seeking streams. The beam has high-power sonic capabilities, enabling it to manipulate many sonic-powered devices. You can supercharge Crystals and Beacons, which will compel Ing and dark- lings to their destruction. This beam can open gray doors and is effective against both Light and Dark creatures. Charging this beam fires the Dis- ruptor, a powerful blast that is capable of stunning even the strongest enemies. MISSILE SYSTEM ENHANCEMENTS --------------------------- Your Arm Cannon can be adapted into a concussive blast system that enables you to fire energy-based Missiles. Missiles can be charged with Beam Weapons to create Charge Combos if you have found the corresponding upgrade, or you can fire groups of Missiles on their own. 1. MISSILE LAUNCHER The first Missile Expansion gives you the ability to fire Missiles, and is found in the TEMPLE GROUNDS. Missiles fired with a lock-on will seek their targets. Missiles can destroy objects made from Brinstone. There are also Charge Combo enhancements scattered throughout the environment. They use the Missile Launcher and the Charge Beam in tandem to fire more effective blasts. 2. SEEKER MISSILE This item is found in the GREAT TEMPLE. It adds the capability to launch multiple missiles in a single blast. While holding Y to charge the Launch- er, use R to Free Look and pinpoint targets. You can target up to five objects/enemies, or use the locks to target a single enemy five times. The Seeker Launcher is also used to open certain doors. CHARGE COMBO ENHANCEMENTS ------------------------- The Charge Combos let you use the Missile Lancher and the Arm Cannon together for combination attacks that are stronger than the Beam Weapons on their own. When charged, press Y to fire the selected Beam's Charge Combo. Each shot consumes Missiles to fire. 1. SUPER MISSILE This upgrade is found in TORVUS BOG. It is the Power Beam's Charge Combo, and creates a powerful blast which inflicts damage equivalent to approx- imately 5 Missiles fired at the same time. Use Super Missiles to damage extremely strong opponents. 2. DARKBURST This upgrade is found in AGON WASTES. It is the Dark Beam's Charge Combo, and tears open a rift to the Dark World and creates a black hole that will suck nearby enemies into oblivion. Its power is limited in that it is a slow-moving blast, and is therefore limited against agile foes. 3. SUNBURST This upgrade is found in the TEMPLE GROUNDS. It is the Light Beam's Charge Combo, and it can damage multiple targets in a wide area as it flies for- ward. Like the Darkburst, this Combo is very slow-moving, making it ineff- ective against agile targets. It has power to set its targets ablaze for a short while. 4. SONIC BOOM This upgrade is found in DARK AGON WASTES. It is the Annihilator Beam's Charge Combo, and it projects a powerful wave of sonic force. It is ext- remely costly in terms of Ammo consumption, but its effectiveness against a large group of enemies is very useful. MORPH BALL ENHANCEMENTS ----------------------- The Morph Ball function allows you to compact your size in order to fit into small passageways. There are multiple upgrades to this form that increase your effectiveness while morphed. 1. MORPH BALL This upgrade changes your Suit into a compact, mobile sphere. Like the Varia, it is modular and able to accept numerous modifications to its structure. Press X to activate the Morph Ball. You begin the game with this upgrade. 2. MORPH BALL BOMB This upgrade is found in AGON WASTES. It is the default weapon for the Morph Ball. Press A when morphed to drop Bombs, or drop them in timed seq- uences to perform a "Bomb Jump". Morph Ball Bombs have a limitless supply, but you can only set three at a single time. Bombs can be used to activate devices or destroy cracked surfaces or structures made of Talloric Alloy. 3. BOOST BALL This upgrade is found in DARK TORVUS BOG. It can be used to quickly acc- elerate the speed of the Morph Ball by charging. When using the Boost Ball press B to activate a quick boost, or hold to charge for a longer speed boost. The Boost Ball can also be used to navigate half-pipes. 4. SPIDER BALL This upgrade is found in the SANCTUARY FORTRESS. It magnetizes the Morph Ball, allowing it to attach to any magnetically-charged surface. When you are traveling along a magnetic track, hold R to stay attached to the sur- face. Sometimes, you can hold B to charge the Boost Ball and "launch" to and from various magnetic surfaces. 5. POWER BOMB This upgrade is initially found in DARK TORVUS BOG, but Expansions are found throughout the environment. This is the strongest Morph Ball weapon, and can destroy many materials, including Bendezium. Each Power Bomb Exp- ansion you find increases the number of Power Bombs you can carry by 1. ARMOR AND ENERGY ENHANCEMENTS ----------------------------- You can find specialized Armor Enhancements that increase your defensive cap- abilities, mobility, and reduce the damage Dark Aether can inflict on you. 1. VARIA SUIT The is an advanced Chozo exoskeleton/battlesuit specially built for you by the Chozo. It is well-shielded against attack, and its modular nature allows for the equipping of visors and other battle gear as needed. You begin the game with this upgrade. 2. DARK SUIT This upgrade is found in DARK AGON WASTES. This suit reduces the effects of Dark Aether's atmosphere and enhances defensive shielding capabilities. Even though it is able to better withstand the caustic effects of Dark Aether's atmosphere, dark attacks still can cause heavy damage, and your energy loss rate is proportial to the recovery rate of a Light Zone. 3. LIGHT SUIT This upgrade is found in the GREAT TEMPLE. This suit is a fusion of Lum- inoth and Chozo battlesuit technology that is completely resistant to the harmful effects of Dark Aether. With it, you can travel unimpeded in Dark Water and you can also access Luminoth energy transport systems. 4. ENERGY TANK There are 14 Energy Tanks scattered throughout the environment. These will increase the power level available to your Suit's defensive screens. Each Energy Tank increases your Suit's energy by 100 units. The more energy your Suit has, the longer you can stay alive. You can fully recharge your Energy Tanks at Save Stations as well as your Gunship. VISOR ENHANCEMENTS ------------------ Your Visor is your primary means of navigation through the environment. Mod- ifications to it will allow you to increase the number of things you can see and track via radar optics. 1. COMBAT VISOR The Combat Visor is the default visor. It provides you with a basic HUD that includes Ammo and Missile counts, mini-map, radar, threat assessment, energy gauge, and lock-on reticules. Use this during most battles. 2. SCAN VISOR The Scan Visor is used for data collection and analysis. It enables a mag- nifier in the viewscreen that will locate scannable targets. Scanning objects can activate devices or reveal enemy weaknesses. You cannot fire while using this Visor. 3. DARK VISOR This upgrade is found in DARK TORVUS BOG. It can be used to detect inter- dimensional objects that are not normally seen in the visible spectra. Objects and enemies that exist in transdimensional areas will be high- lighted with the Visor. 4. ECHO VISOR This upgrade is found in the SANCTUARY FORTRESS. It uses sound waves to detect unseen objects and enemies. Some enemies can cloak themselves with sonic powers, rendering them invisible. Use the Echo Visor to interact with sonic-based security systems. MOVEMENT SYSTEM ENHANCEMENTS ---------------------------- Part of your power is your agility and jumping prowess. With these special Chozo upgrades, your mobility is greatly enhanced. 1. SPACE JUMP BOOTS This upgrade is found in DARK AGON WASTES. These can increase your jumping height by adding special thrusters to your boots that allow you to jump again while in mid-air. Press B to jump once, then B again in mid-air to double jump. The Space Jump can be used to reach higher areas than a nor- mal jump allows. 2. GRAPPLE BEAM This upgrade is found in DARK TORVUS BOG. It allows you to swing back and forth from special points in the environment. Grapple Points appear in your Visor as special Grapple Hook icons. Press and hold L to fire the Grapple Beam and hold L to stay connected, or let go to release. The Grap- ple Beam can be used to cross wide gaps. While grappling, you can alter your trajectory as well as fire your Arm Cannon, however, you cannot lock- on to any objects. 3. GRAVITY BOOST This upgrade is found in TORVUS BOG. It is a special Luminoth upgrade that allows for unhindered movement in aquatic environments by making use of special armor and visor modifications. When in water, press B twice to Space Jump, then B again to engage the Boost thrusters that allow you to float for a short time. Use the added boost to gain additional height. 4. SCREW ATTACK There upgrade is found in the SANCTUARY FORTRESS. It is a modular add-on to your mobility systems that allows for extensive travel over lengthy distances without use of a Grapple Beam. While Space Jumping, press B to start screwing, then press B repeatedly to continue the jump. While Screw Attacking, you can defeat enemies in your path and maintain a maximum of five consecutive jumps. With the Screw Attack, you can also "wall jump" off of specially charged surfaces. ======================== == 7. THE PLANET AETHER: ======================== Like with the first METROID PRIME, Retro Studios has created a masterpiece of a planet so that you can still have the classic exploration feel that generally defines a Metroid game. Much of this game is still looking high and low for different passages (although this in of itself might be more of a sequence- breaking mentality), bombing obstacles out of the way, and looking for the most efficient way out of an area. What you'll find below is a brief list of some things to consider that might make your journey through the twin dimensions of Aether a bit less hair-raising. GENERAL TIPS ------------ 1. Like in almost every Metroid game, you'll often deal with not just one enemy, but an entire horde of them. Make liberal use of the L Button dur- ing a swarm to constantly target and pick off the nearest threat to you. Remember that some enemies can't fit through doors because of their size, but you can hide on the opposite side and blast them through it. 2. Even though there is a lot of information to process, your Combat HUD can be a lifesaver in battle. It will definitely help you to check out your Radar and Mini-Map features regularly. Your Threat Assessment will slowly increase as you near dangerous areas (although it is almost always squeal- ing at you while traversing Dark Aether...), and when enemies are present, your targeting reticles will automatically appear. 3. Scan everything!! Often you'll discover new stuff or methods of beating bosses by scanning them, and of course, you gain the artwork galleries by scanning and filling up your Log Book. Keep in mind that there are several things in the game that are one-time items: miss them once, and you for- feit them for the remainder of the game. For convenience, I have not only marked each of these one-timers during the walkthrough, but you will also find a list of them at the end of the guide, in the Log Book section. 4. Every room in the world has a name. If you're unfamiliar with them, you can press Z at any time to call up the map, which will highlight which one you're in. Many points in this walkthrough refer to specific locations, so this will be helpful for you to know the room layouts and how they con- nect to each other. AREAS OF AETHER --------------- Aether is split into four distinct regions that you'll explore during the game, but Aether itself is split into two dimensions - Light Aether and Dark Aether (effectively giving you eight areas to explore). Is this a Zelda-ish gimmick? Kind of, but it's still executed quite nicely. Years after playing this game, I can still get all puckered up wandering around Dark Aether... Anyway, Light Aether is the "normal" world, and Dark Aether is its twisted counterpart where the Ing rule supreme. Here, the atmosphere is poisonous, the water is like solid acid, and the inhabitants overall are much more diff- icult. Travel through Dark Aether is made possible by use of Luminoth Light Crystals and Beacons, which can be activated to provide areas of safety. Your goal is to visit Dark Aether, fight the Ing masters for the planetary energy stored in their Energy Controllers, and return it to Light Aether's Energy Controllers. Like in the last game, most of these areas are accessible with large Transports, although Transports don't exist in the Dark World - i.e. you can't travel from Dark Agon Wastes to Dark Torvus Bog. Keep in mind also that while Dark Aether is essentially a "mirror" of Light Aether, not all geographical features are intact between the worlds. To avoid getting lost or confused, you can press X on the Map Screen to alternate between the two dimensional maps. What follows below is an abbreviated list of the eight regions of this planet. 1. TEMPLE GROUNDS/GREAT TEMPLE This is the area Samus begins the game in. It is home to the Main Energy Controller as well as the landing site for the GFMC. From this area, you can unlock paths leading to the various other areas of the game. 2. AGON WASTES This region was once a lush and fertile plain, but was laid to waste by the Phazon meteor, and is now a dry and cracked desert. This is where the Space Pirates have made their base, and is your first stop after speaking to U-Mos at the Great Temple. 3. TORVUS BOG This region was once a beautiful forest, but was utterly destroyed and sunk into the ground by the Phazon meteor. Its swampy regions are home to many nasty creatures such as Grenchlers and Bloggs. The upper region is still mostly above water, while the lower region is submerged. 4. SANCTUARY FORTRESS This mechanical fortress was once a stronghold for the Luminoth, but with their impending defeat has been taken over more and more by the Ing. Most of the inhabitants will not think twice about attempting to take you down. 5. SKY TEMPLE GROUNDS/SKY TEMPLE Like the Temple Grounds, the Dark Aether counterpart is home to their ver- sion of the Great Temple and is the home of the Ing Horde. This area is mostly unaccessible until you find the nine Sky Temple Keys. 6. DARK AGON WASTES The Dark Aether counterpart of the Agon Wastes makes the regular version look like a paradise by comparison. This area is home to many Warrior Ing and other dark creatures. Its Energy Controller is protected by the gigan- tic guardian, Amorbis. 7. DARK TORVUS BOG The Dark Aether counterpart of the Torvus Bog isn't that much different, although you can freely explore the lower area since there is no submerged region. The Hunter Ing are found here, and its Energy Controller is guard- ed by the mutant Chykka. 8. ING HIVE The Dark Aether counterpart of the Sanctuary Fortress is every bit as dan- gerous as its Light Aether version. Here, the Dark mechanoids that the Ing have possessed patrol the areas as well as darkling Metroids. The Ing have possessed the Luminoth guardian, Quadraxis, and it now protects the Hive's Energy Controller. GETTING AROUND -------------- Running around a planet takes a long time. Fortunately, there are plenty of region-connecting transport elevators that link them. Moving around within individual areas is accomplished via doors, gates, or tunnels. The Great Tem- ple provides three pathways to Transports that will lead to other areas of Aether, but there are other Transports to be found as well. These must be scanned before use, but then remain online for the duration of the game. The doors are mostly beam or missile activated, and there are tunnels and navi- gation systems that can be accessed with the Morph Ball, Boost Ball, or the Spider Ball. Refer below to see a short list of the means you will be using to move from place to place. DOORS ----- 1. BLUE DOOR These are standard doors, and can be opened with any Beam or Bomb. 2. BLACK DOOR These doors can only be opened with the Dark Beam. 3. WHITE DOOR These doors can only be opened with the Light Beam. 4. GRAY DOOR These doors can only be opened with the Annihilator Beam. 5. RED BLAST SHIELD This shield means that a Missile impact is required. Once the shield has been broken, it becomes a blue door. 6. GREEN BLAST SHIELD This shield means that a Super Missile impact is required. Once the shield has been broken, it becomes a blue door. 7. YELLOW BLAST SHIELD This shield means that a Power Bomb detonation is required. Once the shield has been broken, it becomes a blue door. 8. PURPLE BLAST SHIELD This shield means that the Seeker Missiles must be used to hit multiple targets simultaneously. Once the shield is deactivated, it becomes a blue door. 9. LOCKED DOOR This kind of door is a regular passage, but is locked until a certain objective (defeated boss, scanned item, etc.) has been accomplished. PORTALS ------- 1. DARK PORTAL These are either already constructed or exist in the natural environ- ment, and provide a means of access to Dark Aether. Fire the Dark Beam or complete a certain sequence to access these portals. 2. LIGHT PORTAL These rifts in the natural environment provide a means of access from Dark Aether to Light Aether. Fire the Light Beam at these portals to access them. OTHER TRANSPORTATION -------------------- 1. TRANSPORT ELEVATOR You'll use the Scan Visor to activate these giant lifts that take you from place to place around Aether. Once a particular Transport has been activated, it remains online for the duration of the game. 2. LUMINOTH WARP Once you have acquired the Light Suit, you can step into beams of pure energy and transport to different locations. 3. LUMINOTH GATES These Luminoth gates are accessible only after you have received the up- grade to your Translator Module from U-Mos. U-Mos will give you the Violet upgrade, and the Amber, Emerald, and Cobalt modules will be given as you progress through the game. 4. MORPH BALL TUNNEL Once the Morph Ball has been acquired, you can and will use these small passages to travel new places. Some tunnels are blocked, though, and the obstructions must be removed. 5. MAGNETIC RAIL These crimson, cobalt, and amber-colored rail systems can only be trav- ersed with the Spider Ball. Hold R when near a Rail to magnetically attach to and use them. You can use Morph Ball Bombs to dislodge from tracks or the Boost Ball to rocket between tracks. 4. KINETIC ORB CANNON These cannons can interact with the Morph Ball and will propel you over long distances. POWER-UP STATIONS ----------------- There are various consoles you will find that can aid your progress in some form or another. 1. MAP STATION These will allow you to download an entire copy of an area map. Step into the hologram to download the data, and Z to open your Map Screen. You are unable to download map data of Dark Aether, but can see the areas you have explored by toggling between Light and Dark Maps by pressing X on the Map Screen. 2. SAVE STATION These will allow you to save your game progress. Step into the hologram to save your game up to that point and refill your energy (Ammo levels do not change). These are marked on the Map Screen with an [S] icon. 3. AMMO STATION There are only two of these on Dark Aether - one in Dark Agon Wastes and the other in Dark Torvus Bog, and are marked on the map with an [A] icon. Stepping into the hologram will refill all Missile and Beam Ammo counts. ENERGY AND AMMO REFILLS ----------------------- There are various kinds and sizes of refills that will be dropped by enemies or found throughout Aether's environment that you can use to replenish energy or ammunition. Note that refills of a certain type will not appear until you have found the corresponding item. 1. ENERGY REFILLS These are small colored spheres with a small dot in the center that will replenish lost energy. There are four kinds of energy refill; each one re- plenishes a different amount. - Purple Sphere: Small Energy; replenishes 10 Units - Red Sphere: Medium Energy; replenishes 20 Units - Blue Sphere: Large Energy; replenishes 50 Units - Yellow Sphere: Ultra Energy; replenishes 100 Units 2. MISSILE AMMO REFILLS These are small Missile-shaped icons that replenish used Missiles. There are two kinds of Missile Ammo; each one replenishes a different amount. - Single Spike: Small Missile Ammo; replenishes 5 Missiles - Double Spike: Large Missile Ammo; replenishes 10 Missiles 3. BEAM AMMO REFILLS These refills come in Light and Dark varieties. Dark Beam Ammo looks like a purple crystal and you get it by destroying things with the Light Beam. Light Beam Ammo looks like a white crystal and you get it by destroying things with the Dark Beam. There is no Annihilator Beam Ammo because the Beam draws from both your Light and Dark supplies. There are three kinds of ammo refill; each one replenishes a different amount. - Crystal w/ Single Bar: Small Beam Ammo; replenishes 5 Units - Crystal w/ Double Bar: Medium Beam Ammo; replenishes 10 Units - Crystal w/ Triple Bar: Large Beam Ammo; replenishes 30 Units 4. POWER BOMB AMMO REFILLS These are small orange and gray disk icons surrounded by a white halo of light. Each one refills a single Power Bomb. OBSTRUCTIONS AND HAZARDS ------------------------ There are many things in Aether's environment that will hinder your progress. Some are natural, while others are man-made. 1. SANDSTONE This relatively weak structure can be destroyed with Morph Ball Bombs. 2. TALLORIC ALLOY This weak metal can be destroyed with Morph Ball Bombs. 3. BRINSTONE This kind of rock is similar to Radion, and can be destroyed with Missiles. 4. DENZIUM This is a super-dense type of rock that can only be destroyed using Power Bombs. 5. WATER By itself, it can't harm you, but unless you have the Gravity Suit, your progress will be impeded significantly. 6. DARK WATER This extremely poisonous substance acts like solid acid in that you take damage rapidly if you touch it, but you cannot go "under the water" unless you have the Light Suit. 7. PHAZON This highly radioactive substance will harm you like the plague. The blue variety's effects can be negated with the Phazon Suit, but the red variety can still easily kill you. ENGAGING IN COMBAT ------------------ METROID PRIME 2's Combat System is mostly unchanged from the first game. When you are engaging a target, you will ordinarily use the Combat Visor, although some enemies can only be tracked with the Dark or Echo Visors due to optical camouflage or sonic patterns. Hold L to lock on to your target so you can always be facing it. Tap B while locked on for your Strafe Dash move so you can circle the enemy and avoid most attacks thrown your way. Dark World enem- ies are weak to the Light Beam, Light World creatures are weak to the Dark Beam, and everything is weak to the Annihilator Beam, but you can defeat some enemies with tactics apart from just firing beams or missiles. Knowing how to defeat an enemy quickly may often make the difference between a quick kill and one that takes extra time. Some enemies or objects can by their very nat- ure hinder your abilities - Diligence Drones can interfere with your systems no matter what Visor you use and the Rezbits can actually infect your Power Suit with a computer virus, rendering you unable to function for a short time while you reset. Lastly, a feature that was present in the original demo that seems to have been removed from the final product is Ing Possession - in the demo, Warrior Ing would charge you and attempt to take over your Power Suit. This doesn't seem to occur in the final game, but oh well, it would've been a nice feature for you to have to battle for control over yourself. ================== == 8. WALKTHROUGH: ================== With the first game, I wrote two separate walkthroughs - a Regular Route one and a specialized Speed Run one that utilized most of the Sequence Breaking maneuvers beneficial to a 100% game. With this guide, I have opted to simply write a single guide that incorporates both the standard route and directions for quick completion of objectives. Part of this is due to the fact that a lot of Sequence Breaking tricks found in the first game do not carry over to this one and that many tricks that are in this game just aren't viable for a 100% game. This walkthrough goes mostly by the intended route, but is also written in such a manner that you will be moving quickly through most areas while still collecting all of the items and scans. Boss strategies are simplified with the fastest method of beating them provided, and any specialized Sequence Breaking that still allows for 100% completion is provided in subdivided sections within the main walkthrough. With all of that in mind, this walkthrough is broken into segments that com- prise the major regions of the game: Temple Grounds, Agon Wastes, Torvus Bog, Sanctuary Fortress, and finally, the path to the Sky Temple. Further into the walkthrough, the regions are subdivided into sections based on what item you're trying to acquire, and each time you travel between regions or take a path be- tween Light and Dark Aether, a small "Mission Outlook" is provided to give you an idea of what your objectives are and what items and scans you'll acquire for that particular area. LOG BOOK ENTRIES ---------------- Every single creature, item, or object you need to scan for Log Book complet- ion will be annotated in the walkthrough when you first encounter that par- ticular scan. One-time scans will be capitalized with astersisks around them (*) to make them easier to spot. Limited scans, meaning those that appear for a short while, will be marked with double asterisks (**), but you should still scan them the first time you see them. ITEM NUMBERING -------------- Every item - Modules, Energy Tanks, Ammo Expansions, Pirate Data, Luminoth Lore, and Trooper Logs - is numbered within the walkthrough segments. While this was originally designed so that I could keep track of what items had been acquired during the writing process, I found that it also makes for a handy reference tool for the player utilizing this guide to make sure they're "on track", so to speak. This numbering format lists the item or scan with the amount you currently have divided by the end total to be found, i.e. "[ENERGY TANK (01/14)]" or "[LUMINOTH LORE: "TITLE" (01/41)]", etc. HARD MODE --------- As a general rule, Hard Mode only increases the strength of the enemies and bosses in the game, and doubles the amount of damage you receive from enemy attacks (which makes Dark Aether at times an unbearable pain). Therefore, the individual walkthroughs will not cover Hard Mode, but each boss section will have an additional strategy part that covers what to expect from each battle. With all of that covered, the walkthrough itself begins below. Watch the open- ing cinematic to see as Samus arrives on Aether to investigate the disappear- ance of the GFS Marine ship. After your ship enters Aether's atmosphere and finishes its rather spectacular crashing sequence, the game will begin. 8A. ARRIVAL AT THE TEMPLE GROUNDS --------------------------------- This section details the first part of this walkthrough as you arrive on the planet Aether, explore the Temple Grounds for the GFS Ship Tyr, and locate the Great Temple before heading off to Agon Wastes. : =TEMPLE GROUNDS= : ___________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Investigate area and locate members of GFMC Trooper Squad Bravo. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: Missile Launcher | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: GSGT C. Benet, SPC B. Reevs, PFC M. Veroni, PFC L. | | Brouda, SPC M. Angseth, CAPT A. Exeter, LCPL J. Brode, | | PFC G. Haley, PFC S. Milligan, SPC F. Triplette, PFC I.| | Crany, PFC E. Denys | | 2. P. Data: None | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: Samus' Gunship**, GF Gate VI, Worker Splinter, Bomb | | Slot, Dark Trooper, Splinter Cocoon, Green Kralee, GF | | Bridge, GF Gate MK VII, *Growler Class Turret*, G.F.S. | | Tyr, Dark Splinter, Kinetic Orb Cannon, War Wasp, War | | Wasp Hive | |_________________________________________________________________________| After you touch down in the Landing Site, you'll emerge from your ship. Begin by spinning around and scanning your ship for the ["SAMUS'S GUNSHIP"**] Log Book entry. This also gives you a chance to see how your Scan Visor works now - objects that you can scan for the Log Book are fully colored red as opposed to a red square symbol, and other items are colored blue. Items that you've already scanned will then be colored green. Scan your ship now while it's in its repair sequence - once it finishes you won't get the Log entry for some reason. Once you've got it, turn and head towards the webbing that's in front of you. Lock on and shoot it with the Power Beam, and head through the blue door. Midway into the next area, you'll reach a fork. You can't take the left-hand path yet, so head to the right and drop into Hive Chamber A. Activate the Scan Visor and scan the gate in front of you to add ["GF GATE MK VI"] to your Log Book, then scan the console to its left. Shoot the two lock mechanisms that activate after the scan, and morph/roll through the next area when you've cleared enough room. You'll end up in another tunnel; run forward while holding L (in other words, move sideways to the left) to spot another terminal. Scan it to activate the gate in front of you, and again, roll on through when you have enough room. There is a Map Station (you can't scan these for the Log Book this time) just ahead of you, so use it if you really want a map of the area, and proceed around the bend into the next room. Hive Tunnel is a sight indeed. Try to ignore the multiple GFMC Troopers hang- ing from the ceiling as you try to scan one of the scurrying rodents to add a ["WORKER SPLINTER"] to your Log Book. Shoot the webbing at the far end and take the blue door into the Command Chamber. Scan the Trooper by the green gate for ["GSGT C. BENET"]'s Log Entry, then scan the other Trooper near the left-hand corner for ["SPC B. REEVS"]'s entry. Morph under the passage and locate the Morph Ball tunnel leading into the next area of the room. Roll to the center structure, unmorph to scan the ["BOMB SLOT"], the morph and bomb yourself (Y in Morph Ball mode) into the Slot, and set another Bomb to acti- vate it. After the lock in the next room is disabled, roll out of the slot and a cutscene will trigger where some of the dead Troopers are possessed by a mysterious black energy. Quickly scan one of them for the ["DARK TROOPER"] entry, then save some time by just hightailing it into the Morph Ball tunnel. More Troopers will zombify in the next room, but you can roll past them, too, and scan the gate next to Benet. This will open up a new passage full of more Dark Troopers, but you should have the Charge Beam ready for these - there's too many for you to just bypass. Blast them away and run into Hive Chamber B. As you reach Hive Tunnel B, a very odd sight awaits you. You'll see an image of what appears to be you, clad in a black and blue Power Suit. Watch as this "dark" Samus opens a portal and disappears. Since you have no other options, head into the room and follow whatever went through into the portal. You'll be warped to the twisted dimension known as Dark Aether. Here, the atmosphere is poison, the terrain very unwelcoming. As you emerge, you'll see this Dark Samus absorbing a very familiar bluish substance - Phazon! Unfortunately, as you're busy putting the pieces to this puzzle together, your dark version fires a single shot at the globe of light surrounding you. The crystal then shatters, and the Dark Samus leaves you to the vicious Warrior Ing horde that is waiting above. You manage to escape back to the portal, but not before the Ing have their way with you, and steal much of your Power Suit in the entire process. Safely (mostly) back in the regular world, you'll receive a damage report that specifies your Space Jump, Bombs, Power Bombs, Missile Launcher, Boost Ball, and Grapple Beam have all been stolen from you. Also, you're be- ginning to understand it all - a creature that feeds on Phazon that somehow resembles you... somehow, Metroid Prime survived when she assimilated your Phazon Suit back on Tallon IV! Now that your situation has gotten incredibly worse, pick up the pieces, dust yourself off, and move on. The end of Hive Chamber B has two Morph Ball tunnels obscured by some sac-like creatures. Blast them and take the only available one to reach Hive Chamber C. Blast some Dark Troopers if you feel like taking out your aggression from the Ing encounter, then head through the blue door just around the corner (there is a Save Station in this room located behind some crates; blast them to reveal the pathway). The first door, though, leads to the Hive Transport Area. Scan the elevator console to your left, and step aboard to reach the upper area of the Temple Grounds. Upon emerging in the Industrial Grounds, run forward and scan the red panel near a corner to move a large crate from your path. Move into the new area a bit slowly so you can scan the ["SPLINTER COCOON"] on the wall before it breaks. Also scan the ["GREEN KRALEE"] crawling about, and when the cocoons do rupture, scan a ["WORKER SPLINTER"] before dispatching them. When they're gone, head up and around through a pathway to reach a bridge. Scan it to add the ["GFS BRIDGE"] entry to your Log Book, then scan the panel nearby to act- ivate two locking mechanisms. Shoot them to lower the bridge, and continue on into the Collapsed Tunnel. Before entering the Morph Ball passage, scan the dead trooper to your right for ["PFC M. VERONI"]'s entry. The next door after the tunnel will lead out into the Temple Assembly Site, where you'll be greeted by one of those awe-inspiring cutscenes. As you move forward, you'll find a new kind of enemy. Scan one of them for the ["SPLINTER"] entry, then ignore them and scan the panel on the side of the room with the violet holo- gram. The sequence will lower the crate from before to where you can lock on to a weak part of the cable and shoot it down to create a bridge to the next area. Head on through into Dynamo Chamber to reach a new gate. Scan it for the ["GF GATE MK VII"] entry, then scan a panel nearby to move it out of the way. After this point, you can't go back until quite a bit later in the game, so if you missed any scans, you'll have to wait awhile. More Splinters will attack in the Communication Area; pay them no mind as you run to the rear of the area to find another trooper. Scan it for ["PFC L. BROUDA"]'s Log entry, then scan the nearby panel to activate the automated distress signal (too bad the atmosphere's interfering). The commotion will arouse some Dark Troopers when you enter the next area down the hall, but come on, they're rather slow getting up, and you can easily make it to the door before they realize where you've gone. Take out the Splinters from around the corner in Trooper Security Station, and DO NOT shoot the turret until you've scanned it for the [*"GROWLER CLASS TURRET"*] entry as this is the only time in the game it will ever appear. After the coast is clear, roll into a small tunnel to your right to reach the other side of the gate. Scan the console as well as the trooper for ["SPC M. ANGSETH"]'s entry - hmm, it seems she has a case of hero worship - then return and roll under the slight- ly-malfunctioning gate. Deal with a few more Splinters and continue on out to the GFMC Compound. ************************************************************************ = SEQUENCE BREAK = BREAK TYPE: Extra Item/Respawn Glitch ACQUISITION: Extra Missile Expansion (101%) TECHNIQUES: Ghetto Jump ------------------------------------------------------------------------ There is a way to get your first upgrade twice and have a few extra Miss- iles on hand. Near where you come in, look at the wall to your left. There is a slight indentation that isn't just graphical, it is actually a formation in the rock. You can Ghetto Jump here - it might take a few tries - and shove yourself up onto the rock above you. Head across, drop down and grab the Missile Launcher from the storage crate without trigg- ering the cutscene. Go towards the edge of the cliff where the scene would normally occur, and head into GFMC Compound the normal way. This time, the cutscene will occur, and the storage crate will respawn after- wards, giving you a chance to grab 10 Missiles instead of 5. This only affects you for the duration of the game up until such time as you collect the last Missile Expansion. Your count won't go above 255, but at the end of the game, it will track your item completion status as 101%. NOTE: The rest of this walkthrough will assume you did not do this trick, so as not to screw up the item numbering for the rest of the Missile Expansions. ************************************************************************ Moving into this area normally, you'll soon reach a cutscene where Samus investigates the main computer of the GF ship, and sees a video recording of the events that transpired before the troopers were all savagely killed. Once you're done, run around grabbing all the Log Book entries from the dead GF Troopers first. They include the entries for ["CAPT A. EXETER"], ["LCPL J. BRODE"], ["PFC G. HALEY"], ["PFC S. MILLIGAN"], and ["SPC F. TRIPLETTE"]. Afterwards, be sure to scan the ship itself to add the ["G.F.S. TYR"] entry to the Log Book, then return to that giant yellow crate and blast it open with a Charge Beam shot to find the [MISSILE LAUNCHER (005/255)]. Collecting it will give you five Missiles, and awaken some of those nasty creatures that decimated the Marine squadron. Scan the ["DARK SPLINTER"] first, then method- ically take them down with Charge Beam shots. When they've been eliminated, you can proceed. Once you've destroyed all the Dark Splinters, head up the ramp into the GFS ship and hop out through the hole in the side to reach a high ledge. Head around the bend and scan the ["KINETIC ORB CANNON"] on the floor, then scan the panel to activate it. Morph into the hologram to rocket across the way to reach a red door. Use the nearby crates if you're out of Missiles, and let one fly at the door to shatter the protective blast shield. Head through the Morph Ball tunnel inside to emerge in an area with yet another dead trooper (which makes you wonder if the GF Troopers can use the Morph Ball). Scan it to retrieve ["PFC I. CRANY"]'s entry, then head into the next area, a rather short room called Sacred Bridge. The last of the Trooper Logs lies in a corner to the left - scan ["PFC E. DENYS"]' entry, then roll down the tunnel to the right and scan the ["WAR WASP"] swarm that attacks you. Elimin- ate them and scan a panel above you to activate another Orb Cannon. Use it to fly up to the other side, and continue on into Sacred Path. Fight off some Wasps near the doorway and add the ["WAR WASP HIVE"] to your Log Book before obliterating it, then turn to the left-hand wall and (scan it if you need to find the exact weak point) fire a Missile to shatter part of it. Now hop down and run to the far-right corner. Turn to an alcove to find a panel; scan it to activate a Kinetic Orb Cannon, then use that to launch yourself at the cracked wall. The blast will shatter the remainder of the wall, and you can use a set of metallic tracks to wind around to a blue door on the far end of the room. Head inside and scan the elevator to take you to the Great Temple. : =GREAT TEMPLE= : ___________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Investigate the Great Temple area. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: Energy Transfer Module, Violet Translator Module | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: None | | 3. L. Lore: Origins | | 4. Scans: Sandbat, *Alpha Splinter*, *Dark Alpha Splinter*, Ener-| | gy Controller, U-Mos (Luminoth) | |_________________________________________________________________________| Upon arriving, head out the door into Transport A Access. As you run forward, you'll have a chance to scan a ["SANDBAT"] as a swarm of them flies forward. Don't worry if you don't get them here, they appear quite often in the game, and you can scan them then. At this point, you can save your game by rolling into a hole in the left-hand wall. Remember this spot, as you can gain some Missiles after you have the Morph Ball Bombs. For now, save and head into the Temple Sanctuary. As you enter this area, a group of Worker Splinters will drop from the ceil- ing and be transformed by the Ing into Dark Splinters. You'll have to battle them quickly, so strafe around the interior of the area while popping off charged Power Beam shots at them to take them down quickly. After you've taken out all of the Dark Splinters, a cutscene will take over. Have the Scan Visor ready to scan the [*"ALPHA SPLINTER"*] because it will immediately attack. This is similar to the Plated Beetle fight from the first game, so stay locked on while peppering it with Charge Beam fire and dash out of the way when it trembles, because it is about to execute a fast leaping attack. After playing with it for a bit, the Ing will arrive and make this battle a bit more difficult. MINI-BOSS BATTLE: DARK ALPHA SPLINTER ------------------------------------- The Dark Alpha Splinter is a beefed up version of its former self, but at least it has an energy meter for you to track the damage you're inflicting on it. Read below for Normal and Hard Mode strategies for dealing with this mini-boss. [NORMAL MODE] Just like with the Alpha Splinter, you want to scan this one quickly to get the [*"DARK ALPHA SPLINTER"*] entry before it begins attacking. You can use the remaining Missiles you have to inflict some decent damage, but you'll end this fight faster with charged shots. When it's far on the other side of the room, it's a good idea to pepper it with the Power Beam, and save the Charge Beam for when it leaps across the room. Just like with the orig- inal version, this one'll charge when it rears back and shakes, so get out of the way, as this version can kill you with but a few hits. [HARD MODE] This battle doesn't change much, except for the fact that the Dark Alpha Splinter moves around a bit more and hurts you a LOT more if you get hit by its charge attack. Defeating the Dark Alpha Splinter reveals a curious new item. Approach it and it will swirl around in the air before crashing directly into you. Your Suit systems inform you that you have assimilated an "Unknown Technology", but it doesn't appear to be harmful (for the record, this item does not count tow- ards your 100% item rating). After you regain control, head forward to the blue door to enter the Controller Transport to reach the Main Energy Con- troller above you. As you enter, stay near the door and scan the ["ENERGY CONTROLLER"] in the distance for your Log Book. Approaching it will trigger the next cutscene where you are introduced to the last Sentinel of the Lum- inoth race, U-Mos. U-Mos will relate to you the tale of the great war going on, and through the use of nifty hand-generated holograms, show you a Phazon meteor smashing into Aether that created a dark twin copy, as well as the Ing race that the impact spawned. After telling his story, U-Mos will beg your assistance, since you have unwittingly recovered their stolen Energy Transfer Module. With it, U- Mos says, you can venture into Dark Aether and take the energy from their temples and restore it to Light Aether. Since you have nothing better do do anyway, and since there's an evil version of you running around and a race of giant spiders that stole your gear, why not? U-Mos gives you a Luminoth [TRANSLATOR MODULE (1/4)] that will enable you to, for now, decode Violet Luminoth Holograms. Once the cutscene is over, scan U-Mos for the ["U-MOS (LUMINOTH)"] entry to your Log Book, then scan the Violet Hologram near the door for your first entry of [LUMINOTH LORE: "ORIGINS" (01/41)]. Return via the elevator down to the Temple Sanctuary, and scan the Violet Hologram near- by to reach Transport B Access which leads back down to the Temple Grounds. : =TEMPLE GROUNDS= : ___________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Locate pathway to Agon Wastes. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: Energy Tank (x1) | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: None | | 3. L. Lore: J-Fme's Testament, Our Heritage | | 4. Scans: None | |_________________________________________________________________________| When you re-emerge in the Temple Assembly Site, avoid the Dark Splinters and make a beeline for the red door across the room. Shatter it with a Missile and head inside to grab the [ENERGY TANK (01/14)], then exit and take the blue door to your right back through the Collapsed Tunnel into Industrial Site. Once back here, run down and scan the large gate with the violet holo- gram to unlock a new path, then scan the dead Luminoth on the ground for another piece of [LUMINOTH LORE: "J-FME'S TESTAMENT" (02/41)]. Head through the blue door and go down the tunnel (use the Morph Ball to roll for a faster trip), and go through the next blue door. Scan the console to activate the transport and head into the small alcove to your left, shooting away the web- bing to reveal a [MISSILE EXPANSION (010/255)]. Exit the alcove and head out to the edge of the cliff and scan the Violet Hologram for the next entry of [LUMINOTH LORE: "OUR HERITAGE" (03/41)]. When you've scanned it, hop onto the hologram and take the transport down to the Agon Wastes. 8B. THE DESERTS OF AGON ----------------------- This section details the second part of this walkthrough as you explore the wastelands of Agon and its twisted dark counterpart, the Dark Agon Wastes. You will infiltrate the Space Pirate facilities and have your first run-ins with the dreaded Ing Horde as you attempt to claim Dark Agon's energy. From this point forward, the walkthrough will sub-divide into smaller sections based on item acquisition. THE MORPH BALL BOMB =================== This subsection will go over your recovery of your Morph Ball Bomb powers. : =AGON WASTES= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Conduct initial reconnaissance of Agon Wastes. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: Morph Ball Bomb | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: None | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: Agon Bearerpod, Lumite, Sandgrass, Sandigger, Pirate | | Trooper, Brizgee, Shriekbat, *Alpha Sandigger*, *Bomb | | Guardian* | |________________________________________________________________________| From the elevator room, turn and scan one of the nearby plants to add the ["AGON BEARERPOD"] to your Log Book, then head into the next area. Scan a ["LUMITE"] as it flies around as well as the ["SANDGRASS"] at the far end, then take the blue door into Mining Plaza, where a cutscene will introduce you to your new desert-like environment. When you've regained control, move forward a little bit to make a ["SANDIGGER"] emerge from the ground. You can easily defeat these by firing charged shots at them, but it's not worth the time. Bypass it and run across the desert, then fire a Missile at the red shield to access Save Station A so you can save your progress. In here, you can also scan for the Sandbats if you didn't get them earlier. Return to the Mining Plaza and start making your way up the platforms lining the back of the area. Along the way, you'll have to fire Missiles at the Brin- stone columns to collapse them. The fallen columns will create bridges across the area that you can use to travel. Work your way around to the very top of the area and take the bridge to the blue door leading to Mining Station Access. Roll through the Morph Ball tunnel to reach the door lead- ing into the expansive Mining Station A, where you'll meet some of your old "friends". Walk into the area and you'll alert some pesky Space Pirates hanging out in the area. Scan one to add the ["PIRATE TROOPER"] entry to your Log Book, then methodically take them out. Once they've been eliminated, scan around on an upper ledge to capture a scan of a ["BRIZGEE"], then flip to your Map and find where the red door is in the room. Make your way there using the ledges in the room, and head into Temple Access. Inch around the corner to scan a ["SHRIEKBAT"] from the ceiling, then blast them as they fly towards you. Head through the next door to reach the Agon Temple. There aren't any doors for you to access yet, so just head on into the middle of the arena to take on another Alpha-type creature. This one's a gigantic Sandigger, and you must get a lock quick if you want the [*"ALPHA SANDIGGER"*] entry because it will disappear quickly. After popping off a few shots at it, dark energy will swarm and transform this into another mini-boss. MINI-BOSS BATTLE: BOMB GUARDIAN ------------------------------- This Dark Alpha Sandigger has been possessed by the punk Ing who stole your Morph Ball Bomb, and it's time to get it back. This battle is pretty easy; read below for Normal and Hard Mode strategies for eliminating this Sub-Guardian. [NORMAL MODE] Start off with a quick scan to add the new [*"BOMB GUARDIAN"*] entry to the Log Book, then lock onto it. This sub-boss can be incredibly easy to defeat if you know precisely what to do. You'll first lock onto the head; this isn't what you want, so quickly strafe dash around until you get a lock on its tail. Fire charged Power Beam shots at it while avoiding the Bombs it deposits around the playing field, and stop when you stun the creature. Quickly switch locks to its head and fire a regular Power Beam shot, two half-charged shots (when you barely see energy charging in your Arm Cannon), then a fully-charged shot. Done just right, this should cut off 50% of the Bomb Guardian's total health. I'm not sure how it works, but the damage detection on this particular sub-guardian is pretty odd. Take advantage of it while you can. After the Bomb Guardian recovers, repeat the strategy over again and finish it off. [HARD MODE] The Bomb Buardian will take more damage here, so it probably will take you four or so rounds to actually take it out. During this fight, you will want to avoid being in front of the Bomb Guardian if it hasn't been stunned, because it will execute a very quick charging attack at you. Stay behind it and when it's stunned, attack it from the side so that it can't "see" you for an easier victory. Make sure you get that fully- charged shot in, otherwise the Bomb Guardian will rear up and literally spew Morph Ball Bombs all over the arena. Taking down the Bomb Guardian will restore your [MORPH BALL BOMB] powers. Grab the item and use them to blast the Talloric Alloy gate out of the way so you can reach the door at the end of the room that leads to the Agon Energy Controller. THE SPACE JUMP ============== This subsection will go over your recovery of your Space Jump powers. : =AGON WASTES= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Locate portal to Dark Aether. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: Amber Translator Module | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: None | | 3. L. Lore: Saving Aether, Light of Aether | | 4. Scans: Dark Pirate Trooper, Pillbug | |________________________________________________________________________| Once the obstruction is out of the way, enter the blue door and use a Bomb Jump to reach the Bomb Slot on the central structure. This will activate a device that rotates the walls and takes you to the Agon Energy Controller. Enter the area and you'll find a dead Luminoth and a glowing hologram. Scan the hologram to activate a recording where the dead Luminoth Sentinel tells you of the nearby portal to Dark Aether, and how you must recover three keys to access its Dark Temple in order to reclaim Agon's energy. After the message is finished, you will receive an upgrade to your [TRANSLATOR MOD- ULE (2/4)] that allows you to decode Amber-colored Luminoth Holograms. Use your new module to scan the nearby wall for the [LUMINOTH LORE: "SAVING AETHER" (04/41)], then go back down to the Agon Temple. Now the Temple has some War Wasps in here, but you can easily evade them by heading straight across to the blue door. Don't explore the other sides yet, because you don't have the Dark or Light Beams to access the two other pathways. Exit the Temple and return back to Mining Station A. Make your way up the ledges and go through the blue door that you didn't go through earlier. This will take you into a small room with a Kinetic Orb Cannon. Use the Cannon to shoot you up and through the small maze, then as you get to the other side, roll behind the dead Luminoth to find a [MISSILE EXPAN- SION (015/255). Head through the next door to reach Portal Terminal, where you'll fight some more Space Pirates. Just as quickly though, they'll be possessed by the Ing, so scan one quickly for the ["DARK PIRATE TROOPER"] entry. These are a bit tougher than regular Pirate Troopers, so utilize effective cover while taking them out. Defeating them will activate a Bomb Slot at the far end of the room. Head down this long area and go into the small passage on the left to find the [LUMINOTH LORE: "LIGHT OF AETHER" (05/41)], then head up the ramp and look at the portal structure. It doesn't have any power yet, so you need to Bomb Jump into the Bomb Slot so you can turn the power on. This will in turn cause conveyor belts on the walls to start moving. There is a slightly faster method to accomplishing your next task, but it involves jumping from a platform at the Morph Ball Tunnel and mid-air morphing to fall into it. It's a bit tricky, but doable after some practice. If you want to do this the normal way, use the Morph Ball to ride the conveyor belts to reach the Morph Ball Tunnel, then navigate the maze and use Bombs to get the debris out of the way. Scan the Tunnels for the ["PILLBUG"] crawling around first, since you can't scan while in Morph Ball mode. As you navigate the tunnel, you have to activate platforms as you go. This will cause some War Wasps to come out as well, but you can keep moving to avoid them. Moving all of the platforms into place causes sunlight to stream through the lenses into the portal. Do this for the other side of the wall as well, and once both lenses have been activated, the portal to Dark Aether will activate. Fall out of the tunnel and head inside the portal to reach this dark area. : =DARK AETHER= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Conduct reconnaissance of Dark Aether and recover the Space Jump. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: Space Jump Boots | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: None | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: Bladepod, Light Crystal, Light Beacon, Inglet, Night- | | barb, Warrior Ing, Lightbringer, *Jump Guardian*, | | Light Portal | |________________________________________________________________________| In Dark Aether, you'll encounter a room similar to Portal Terminal, yet still different. You'll find for the first time that Dark Aether is like a mirror of Light Aether, as many rooms between the worlds are more or less identical save for certain terrain features. As you look around, you'll see half-spheres of light and sparkling balls hanging in the air. Run from your starting point to one of the permanent Light Zones and scan the crys- tal for the ["LIGHT CRYSTAL"] entry, then scan one of the sparkling balls for the ["LIGHT BEACON"] entry. Light Zones are permanent, and Light Beac- ons are temporary and have to be charged with Beam weapons. Scan the large weed-looking objects for the ["BLADEPOD"] entry and shoot them if you need refills. At this stage of the game, Dark Aether's atmosphere will drain your health very quickly, so you need to move from safe zone to safe zone to recover lost health. As you look out across this area, you'll see two pathways off to the left and the right, just like in Light Aether. Take the easier left-hand path for more Log Book entries, but if you want, you can take a quick detour on the right-hand path to grab an item upgrade a little bit earlier. ******************************************************************** = SEQUENCE BREAK = BREAK TYPE: Early Item/Boss Trick ACQUISITION: Space Jump Boots TECHNIQUES: Double Bomb Jump-Morph, Ghetto Jump -------------------------------------------------------------------- You're here in Dark Aether to acquire the Space Jump Boots anyway, but this small break speeds the process along a little bit. You have to be pretty proficient with Double Bomb Jump-Morph techniques and basic Ghetto Jumping techniques to pull it off, though. Head through Portal Site and veer off to the right. Shoot the Light Beacon above the path to the right-hand side to give yourself a safe zone, and position yourself in Morph Ball form just below the rocks. Execute a Double Bomb Jump and unmorph at the peak of the jump while holding forward on the Control Stick and you should barely balance on the ledge above you. Continue on through this short area to reach the next room - you need to be fast with this as there are very few safe zones. Look to your left to see a Bladepod and Ghetto Jump against the wall to land on top of it. Now look to the ledge in front of you, and L-Lock Spring Jump to land on it. Keep running to the next door and you'll reach Judgment Pit. Move to the left to the find a safe zone and look out across the expansive room. Now, remember that this is the Dark Aether version of Mining Station A, so figure where the Luminoth statue would be in that world and you'll have the approxi- mate location of where the as yet-unformed Jump Guardian is. Fire until your shots stop bouncing off the ground and the walls and you will have the precise location you need. The idea here is that you can damage the Jump Guardian even though (a) he's not there, and (b) the fight hasn't started. Fire 25 fully-charged blasts, then jump down into the room to "trigger" the fight. When the Jump Guardian actually spawns, it will only have enough health left that you can kill it with one charged blast. Scan it before killing it, then collect the Space Jump Boots and return the way you came back to Portal Site. Before leaving Dark Aether, make a quick run along the normal path to get the remaining Log Book and activate the Bomb Slot. ******************************************************************** Going the "regular" route, you should head to the right-hand side and act- ivate the Bomb Slot to trigger a similar occurrence back in Light Aether. The gate in front of you will lower and allow you to proceed into the next area. In this next room is a safe zone and some black puddles moving about on the floor. Scan one when it solidifies for the ["INGLET"] Log Book entry and shoot them with rapid-fire Power Beam shots. Keep going past there to reach the next area where you can find a Save Station if you need it, then scan for a ["NIGHTBARB"] in the swarm above you. Once you get past this area, you'll reach Duelling Range, Dark Aether's version of Mining Plaza. Once you enter the first safe zone, you'll encounter a large Ing that looks like the ones who stole your gear at the beginning. Scan this to add the ["WARRIOR ING"] to your Log Book, then focus on striking its red/yellow eye to inflict damage. The Warrior Ing is very common in Dark Aether but won't take much to defeat. Its primary attacks are generating dimensional lasers that you can strafe from or trying to melee attack you with its legs. Fire upon it as quickly as you can to defeat it and track it when it dissolves into a puddle form. The Warrior Ing can't enter the safe zone, but it will get as close as it possibly can. Eliminate it, and start making your way up the ledges around the room. There are no safe zones here, which makes this trip hazardous, but there is a ["LIGHTBRINGER"] you can scan, which is more or less a portable safe zone. Follow it as it walks up the path so you can stay safe and recover energy while you reach the next safe zone. Follow it to another Lightbringer, and take this path to a blue door at the end. Go through the Morph Ball Tunnel and you'll reach the Judgment Pit. MINI-BOSS BATTLE: JUMP GUARDIAN ------------------------------- How you defeat this boss depends on what route you took earlier. Getting to this room via the small sequence break described above lets you fire upon the Jump Guardian before the battle begins, making the actual fight much easier. Otherwise you have to deal with its normal complement of attacks. Read below for Normal and Hard Mode strategies for dealing with this Sub-Guardian. [NORMAL MODE] If you used the sequence break, wait for it to jump down, scan it for the [*"JUMP GUARDIAN"*] entry, and fire another charged shot to kill it. If you're doing this the normal way, you'll have to contend with the normal Warrior Ing attacks, plus watch out for its incredibly agile leaping pow- ers (it did steal the Space Jump, after all). Fire Missiles or charged shots at its eye and stop if the eye glows blue because it's about to Space Jump. Follow where it goes and rapid-fire the Power Beam. Strafe about to avoid its dimensional lasers and keep moving about the safe zone to try and avoid its melee attacks. If it jumps and lands again on the ground, jump to avoid its Wave Quake attack. Keep firing upon it and it will eventually die. Keep in mind that if you forget to scan it, you can do so immediately after the final hit, since it takes about six or seven seconds to actually "die". [HARD MODE] If you used the sequence break, you have to fire about 50 charged shots at its invisible form to bring it down to where you only have to fire a single shot after the battle actually starts. This in of itself wastes all the time that you would've saved by coming here faster, but whatever. It keeps you from having to fight a very agile mini-boss. The battle is exactly the same, although as you whittle the Jump Guardian's health down it will leap around a lot more and try to attack you with more melee attacks. Watch out for its Wave Quake attack and you shouldn't have too many problems. Along with some health and ammo refills, the boss leaves behind the [SPACE JUMP BOOTS] upgrade that was stolen from you. Now that you have your trusty double jump back, you can start really reaching some more areas. Use your new item to exit out of the room via the lower blue door (don't bother with the red door just yet), and return to Portal Site. If you used the sequence break to get the jump on the Jump Guardian, remember that you still have to access the Bomb Slot to your right and go through the next two rooms to get the Inglet, Nightbarb, Warrior Ing, and Lightbringer scans. Once you're done and back in Portal Site to exit, some Dark Troopers will show up to mess with your day. They're fast, but if you race across the room and Space Jump to the platform, you can pull out the Scan Visor, scan the portal for the ["LIGHT PORTAL"] entry and activate the portal before they get to you. Enter the now-active portal to return to the safety of Light Aether. THE DARK BEAM ============= This subsection will go over your further exploration of Agon Wastes, more encounters with Space Pirates, and your first encounter with Dark Samus before you find the Luminoth's Dark Beam weapon. : =AGON WASTES= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Investigate Space Pirate facilities. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: Dark Beam | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: Energy Tank (x2) | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x3) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: Phazon Operations, Local Conflict, Great Discoveries, | | Rift Portal, Phazon Raids, The Hunter, Security Breach| | 3. L. Lore: Paradise, Cataclysm | | 4. Scans: Blueroot Tree, Pirate Skiff**, Vigilance Class Turret,| | Aether, Dark Aether, Humility Class Turret, Pirate | | Aerotrooper, *Dark Samus 1* | |________________________________________________________________________| Upon returning to Light Aether, some regular Pirate Troopers will appear to challenge you. Take them out and head to the left-hand side of the room where the transparent Bomb Slot is. Just like in Dark Aether, a gate has now been lowered, and you have a new path to take. Enter Transport Access and use the Bomb Slot in here to grab a [MISSILE EXPANSION (020/255)]. Head into the next room to reach an upper area of Save Station A where you'll find a strange plant on the ground. Scan it for the ["BLUEROOT TREE"] entry in your Log Book, then roll through the Sandbat-infested tunnel to reach the part that leads out to Mining Plaza. Scan the Amber Hologram to access the Agon Wastes Map Station, or head up the ledges like you did the first time. On your way up, scan another hologram for the [LUMINOTH LORE: "PARA- DISE" (06/41)], then proceed past the Sandbats to the central bridge. Head into Mining Station Access like before, but this time drop a Bomb on the block in the center of the passage to drop to another [ENERGY TANK (02/14)] at the bottom. Head into Mining Station A, take out any Pirate Troopers if they've respawned, and scan the Amber Hologram to enter a room with another MISSILE EXPANSION (025/255)]. To get out of Mining Station A, you have to go back to the Luminoth statue and Space Jump to the ledge aboe it. This will take you to a walkway with a [LUMINOTH LORE: "CATACLYSM" (07/41)] and a control panel to open a gate. Head through here and you'll find more Pi- rate Troopers next to some containers holding Phazon. You know from your last adventure that Phazon is very volatile, so take this to heart and blast the containers to annihilate the Phazon and the Pirate Troopers. Con- tinue through the rest of this area to reach the Central Mining Station, a large open area with with Pirate Troopers, doors, and some large turrets. Here is your opportunity for another extremely out-of-sequence item acquis- ition (although it doesn't do you much good at the moment). ******************************************************************** = SEQUENCE BREAK = BREAK TYPE: Early Item ACQUISITION: Beam Ammo Expansion TECHNIQUES: Ghetto Jump, L-Lock Spring Space Jump -------------------------------------------------------------------- This small sequence break allows you to grab an early Beam Ammo Ex- pansion. While it does you no good at the moment, you will be able to carry 100 units instead of 50 once you acquire the first Beam. To do this, enter Central Mining Station and take out the waves of Space Pirates that attack except for the last one (you need the two Turrets in place). If you destroy them, you have to backtrack two room so the Turrets will respawn. Now go to one of the turrets and look for slightly-slanted ledges next to the structures that house the turrets. Ghetto Jump against them until you can hop on top of it, then Space Jump up to reach the ledge above you. Hop into one of the turrets and use it to blast away the Space Pirate generators in the room. Destroying the one next to the back-left wall will ex- pose an area behind the rock where the Space Pirates were working. Hop down and use the Skiff knocked loose from the wall as a perch, then Space Jump to reach this area. Eliminate the Pirates and you will be able to bypass the shielded area via a small Morph Ball Tunnel in the wall. Head through here to claim the Beam Ammo Expan- sion like normal. Alternatively, you can Ghetto Jump from slants near the entrance and use the terrain of the room to get to a set of computer terminals to reach the Morph Ball Tunnel, but this is generally a bit more diff- icult. The easiest method is the one outlined first. Make sure if you're doing this for a full 100% game that you get the necessary Log Book scans along the way (the Pirates, the turrets, the Pirate Data, and the Luminoth Lore entries). ******************************************************************** Approaching Central Mining Station the "normal" way, on the other hand, doesn't require such trickery to get an early item. Enter the area and you will have to deal with a few waves of Pirate Troopers. Have the Scan Visor active to try and get the ["PIRATE SKIFF"**] entry now; the only other time this appears is in Torvus Bog's Torvus Temple area. Eliminate the Pirate Troopers however you see fit, then scan the turrets at the top of the room for the [*"VIGILANCE CLASS TURRET"*] entry. Eliminate the turrets and all of the Pirates to eliminate a set of lasers that block the lower door off. Enter the door to reach an empty room, and use Bombs to break through parts of the floor to reach a Morph Ball Tunnel. Take this tunnel and you'll end up in the Command Center where you have an electrical maze, a Dark Portal, and multiple Pirate Troopers. Roll through the small electrical maze, being sure to move only when it's safe and take the right-hand tunnel to reach a [MISSILE EXPANSION (030/255)] near the center of the maze. Return to the rest of the tunnel and navigate your way to the exit near the upper-right corner. Your arrival out of the maze will alert the Pirate Troopers left in the room. Take them out as you can, and begin scanning the computer termin- als for more Log Book entries: [PIRATE DATA - "LOG 4.468.1: PHAZON OPERAT- IONS" (01/10)], [PIRATE DATA - "LOG 4.885.3: LOCAL CONFLICT" (02/10)], [PIRATE DATA - "LOG 5.008.6: GREAT DISCOVERIES" (03/10)], [PIRATE DATA - "LOG 5.442.1: RIFT PORTAL" (04/10)], and [PIRATE DATA - "LOG 6.221.7: PHA- ZON RAIDS" (05/10)]. Also scan the spherical objects to gain the ["DARK AETHER"] and ["AETHER"] Research scans. Read all of the information about the Space Pirate operation, then head to the elevator to the right of the portal to reach the upper area of the room. Take out the Pirate Troopers as you come across them, then go through the next door to find Dark Samus once again. She is in another area that you can't reach, so wait her out and then continue along your way. Take the tunnel to your right to reach the large chamber at the top of the Command Center. Scan the terminals in here to unlock the large gate, then return back to the main area of the Command Center. Go through the newly-revealed door, and scan one of the new ["HUM- ILITY CLASS TURRET"] mechanoids for the Log Book. Take them out with char- ged shots, then use the Morph Ball to get past the moving laser puzzle. The next room will be the Biostorage Area, and you'll have your first run- in with the Metroids that the Space Pirates managed to take from Tallon IV before they escaped. Like the first time you found them in the last game, they won't break out of tanks in here, so you needn't worry. Walk past the tanks and around the large one to find [PIRATE DATA - "LOG 6.362.2: THE HUNTER" (06/10)]. Continue along your path into the next area, take out another Humility Class Turret, and use the Bomb Slot nearby to rotate a set of metal bars that block access to another door. Enter this door to reach Bioenergy Production, where you'll meet another group of specialized Space Pirates. Scan one for the ["PIRATE AEROTROOPER"] entry, then take them down with charged shots and Missiles. Get out of the way because they will try suicide moves when defeated. Afterwards, a set of controls will turn on, and you'll have to solve a small, but irritating, puzzle. There are three sets of terminals and three sets of movable platforms in this room. You have panels and controls to use to move them. The end goal is to arrange the platforms so you can (a) reach an Energy Tank at one end, and (b) reach the exit at the other end. Start off going for the Energy Tank - scan the panel on the left to lower a platform; scan the one on the right to raise a platform. Lower one platform on the left, two in the middle, and then lower all three on the right. Then use the Space Jump to ascend the ledges to claim the [ENERGY TANK 03/14)] at the top. Jump down and reverse the entire sequence to reach the door on the other side. Once you've completed this bout of irritation, make your way through the door and into a small Morph Ball maze. Go slowly through the lasers so you don't get hit until you reach the end. There is a Save Station nearby that you might want to use. By the save station is another terminal that you can scan for another Log Book entry, [PIRATE DATA - "LOG 6.713.5: SECURITY BRE- ACH" (07/10). Head into the next room, Sand Processing, and take out the two Turrets on the ceiling. Fire a Missile at the sloped wall on the far left to expose a new path, then take this to reach the Main Reactor. There is a lot of Phazon in here along with some music that tells you something big is about to happen, so just get it over with and drop down to the lower levels of the Main Reactor. BOSS BATTLE: DARK SAMUS (FIRST FIGHT) ------------------------------------- This is the first time you'll actually fight Dark Samus, so it starts off pretty easy. She has a limited number of attacks at this point, and you have more than enough room to maneuver. Read below for Normal and Hard Mode strategies for eliminating her. [NORMAL MODE] Start the ceremonies off by scanning her to add [*"DARK SAMUS 1"*] to the Log Book, then work on tracking her as she zips around the room. Dark Samus can effortlessly break your lock-on, so don't get frustrated. In this battle, using the Radar can really help in locating where Dark Samus is if you can't see her. Dark Samus has a limited repertoire of attacks at this point in the game. Early on, she'll use a Phazon spread that is pretty easy to avoid, or she'll create a Phazon shield that damages you if you're near her. As the battle progresses, she'll start attacking the pillars in the room trying to destroy them - just run away if she starts directly attacking one of them. Keep your Charge Beam active so you can fire off shots when you have the opportunity - after you've taken off a significant amount of her health, a cutscene will take place where she powers up with Phazon energy. Charged shots seem to do less damage, so rapid-firing the Power Beam works best for quick and easy damage. She also gains a Shinespark-ish move where she hurls herself at you with fer- ocious speed. Stay away from her except to attack, and you'll take her down with minimal effort. [HARD MODE] Attacking from far away is your best bet here because of the amount of damage she can inflict on you. She is a bit faster and attacks more freq- uently, but the main idea is still the same. Stay away from her and keep your finger near the L Button to reacquire your lock-on when she starts dashing. Using the Morph Ball to get away from her rocketing attack also seems to work fairly well. Keep attacking while effectively dodging to make this fight easier. Defeating Dark Samus causes her to destabilize. She shatters all of the Phazon tanks in the room as she disperses, giving you a chance to scan it for the ["PHAZON"] entry in your Log Book. After this is over, you can use an elevator in the corner of the room and you can reach the upper levels of the Reactor Core. Take the door to reach a small storage room where you can claim the [DARK BEAM] upgrade. Remember, this weapon operates on an Ammo system, so don't go firing it wildly. If you got that Early Beam Ammo Exp- ansion, you'll have 100 units instead of 50, giving you a slight edge. Be- fore leaving the room, scan the nearby consoles to download another piece of Log Book data: [PIRATE DATA - "LOG 6.989.8: SHADOW WAR" (08/10)]. Now use your new Beam to return to the Reactor Core. THE LIGHT BEAM ============== This subsection will go over your further exploration of Agon Wastes, more encounters with Space Pirates, and your first encounter with Dark Samus before you find the Luminoth's Dark Beam weapon. : =AGON WASTES= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Investigate Space Pirate facilities. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: None | | 2. P. Data: Federation Attack | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: Pirate Grenadier, Tallon Metroid | |________________________________________________________________________| Now that you have the Dark Beam, use it to open the door that goes back out to Reactor Core and follow the path to reach a gate with a crystal. Shoot this crystal to cover it with dark energy, which will open the gate. Taking this path will take you to the other side of Security Station B. Scan the terminals in this room to collect another Log Book entry: [PIRATE DATA - "LOG 7.013.6: FEDERATION ATTACK" (09/10)]. Open the two gates in this room so you can get back to Command Center and take out the Space Pirates. This time there is a new breed, so scan one of them for the ["PIRATE GRENADIER"] entry, then move in close to take them out so they can't use their ranged weapons. Once they're gone, head through into Biostorage Station where the Metroids will break out of their storage tanks. Scan one for the ["TALLON METROID"] entry, then use the charged Dark Beam and a Missile to take them out. Head to the upper level and enter the black door to find a room with a [MISSILE EXPANSION (035/255), then return to Command Center. This time, scan the ["DARK PORTAL"] for the Log Book, then activate it with the Dark Beam and return to Dark Aether. : =DARK AGON WASTES= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Continue reconnaissance of Dark Aether. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: Light Beam | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: Dark Agon Temple Key #1 & #2 | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: None | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: Dark Preed, Nullified Crystal, Light Lift Crystal, | | Dark Lift Crystal, Ingclaw, Energized Crystal, Ener- | | gized Beacon, Nullified Beacon, *Webling*, *Ing Web- | | trap*, Darkling Tentacle | |________________________________________________________________________| This Dark Portal takes you to Doomed Entry. This room has plenty of enemies you've encountered already, but there is a new scan to get. Look in the air and scan a ["DARK PREED"] for the Log Book, then work your way around the room using the platforms. Along the way, you will find a safe zone that has been disabled because the crystal is covered in dark energy. Scan this one for the Log Book to get the ["NULLIFIED CRYSTAL"] entry; you can turn any Light Crystal into this form by using the Dark Beam. Restore it to its normal state using the Power Beam and you can use it to recover energy. Make your way to the Luminoth statue on the nearby ledge and fire a Missile at it to destroy it. Scan the crystal that is revealed for the ["LIGHT LIFT CRYSTAL"] entry. Firing the Dark Beam at this gives you a new scan, ["DARK LIFT CRYSTAL"] and a platform to step on. Jump to the now accessible ledge and jump to reach the [DARK AGON TEMPLE KEY (1/3)]. Don't take the door right behind the key's location yet; instead follow the ledges around to another black door. There is a Warrior Ing in the next room, so kill it quickly and move onto Dark Oasis. There is a white door in here that you can't use yet since you haven't found the Light Beam. Instead, ignore the doors on the sides here and proceed into the next room you can reach. This room has a few more Lift Crystals that you need to use to reach the top area where the exit door is. Use the Save Station along the way, and you'll reach a room with a Morph Ball Tunnel and a small Phazon pit. Bomb Jump over the small gap so you don't hit the Phazon, and continue on into Phazon Site. This large room has multiple floating platforms and a few doors. The exit out of this room requires you to scan three consoles to unlock a door. Scan the first one by heading across the ground level and destroying the crates stacked against a wall. Ascend the ledges in the room and you'll find the second one along the side wall. Finally, use the moving platforms to ride to a small alcove where you'll find the third one. The unlocked door leads into Watering Hole, where you will find a large pool of Dark Water that you want to avoid. Use the platforms along the walls to navigate, but stop and scan an ["INGCLAW"] from a distance, then move quickly past them so you don't take a lot of damage from the toxic gas. Lumites also occupy this room, but if you keep moving, you shouldn't get hurt too much. Exit this room on the opposite side and you'll reach the Feeding Pit. This room will trade Lumites for Nightbarbs, but is also filled with pillars that you need to raise and lower to move on. Make your way around the room to the final pillar, then use the handy Lock-On Ladder Jump by locking onto the Lift Crystal, then jump towards it. Use your Space Jump after the lock gives you a quick boost and you should make it on top of the pillar without having to lower it. Jump to the ledge and enter the Ing Cache to find a dead Luminoth along with the powerful [LIGHT BEAM] upgrade! From here on out, remember that if you destroy creatures with the Light Beam, you get Dark Ammo and vice-versa. Exit this room back to the Feeding Pit to find numerous Lumites flying around. Stop at the first Light Crystal you see and fire the Light Beam at it to energize it. Scan this as a ["ENERGIZED CRYSTAL"] for the Log Book and also let some of the Lumites kill themselves. Do the same thing for the first Light Beacon you see, and use your alternating Beams to get the ["ENERGIZED BEACON"] and ["NULLIFIED BEACON"] entries. Use the Light Beam to open the white door that leads to a small passage blocked by spidery- looking Ing. Scan them for the [*"WEBLING"*] entry (I think these are one- time scans; I don't recall seeing them elsewhere in the game), then fire at the eyes with the Light Beam and move on. This will take you back to Doomed Entry; ascend the ledges to where you got the first Dark Agon Temple Key and head into the black door you bypassed earlier. You'll have to fight through some Dark Splinters in the next hallway, but if you move quickly, you won't take that much damage. Ahead lies the Battleground, where you'll find another key, but five Warrior Ing decide they don't want you to have it and they'll hide it. This begins a short mini-boss fight. MINI-BOSS BATTLE: WARRIOR ING CADRE ----------------------------------- This is nothing terribly difficult, really. Five Warrior Ing will take you on all at one time, but now you have the powerful Light Beam to help you out. This battle is the same for Normal and Hard Mode with the sole exception of damage ratios, so one strategy is provided. First off, scan the locked door in this room for the [*"ING WEBTRAP"*] entry; this is the ONLY time in the entire game this will appear, so make sure to get it. After you do, turn to the battle at hand. All five Warrior Ing will att- ack at the same time; employ the same tactic you used in the first game's Hive Mecha fight by constantly spinning around while targeting the near- est threat. Fire the charged Light Beam when you lock onto a Warrior Ing as this will immediately kill it, and use your charge to tractor in any ammo refills it leaves behind. Do the same for the Bladepods in the room if you get low. Keep firing for all five of the Warrior Ing and you'll quickly beat them. Finishing all five of the Warrior Ing off will reveal the second [DARK AGON TEMPLE KEY (2/3)]. Now that you have two of the three, take the lower path out of this room to reach an area full of lashing tentacles. Scan one of these as a ["DARKLING TENTACLE"], then use regular Power Beam shots to make them retract into the wall (just like a Reaper Vine). Return through here back to Doomed Entry and take the black door at the top into Dark Oasis. Since you now you have the Light Beam and can open white doors, take the white door in here to find an Ammo Station. After you leave, head to the end of this area and you'll find a Light Portal that you can use to return to Light Aether's Reactor Core. : =AGON WASTES= : Back in the Reactor Core, use the nearby Save Station to save your game. THE DARK SUIT ============= This subsection will go over your last exploration of Agon Wastes and your venture into Dark Aether to find the last Dark Agon Temple Key and confront the guardian of the Dark Agon Temple, Amorbis. : =AGON WASTES= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. None. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: Energy Tank (x1) | | 4. Ammunition: Beam Ammo Expansion (x1), Missile Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: Two Hunters | | 3. L. Lore: J-Stl's Testament | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| From the Reactor Core, you can backtrack to the Command Center and from there, take the upper white door out to the top level of Central Mining Station. If, however, you used the sequence break from earlier to get the Beam Ammo Expansion, you don't need to do this step. If you didn't get it, follow along. You'll emerge on the same level as the Vigilance Class Turr- ets. This time around, you can man them and fire at the large Space Pirate generators in the room. After destroying the, hop down and head for the back-left wall where you just exposed a Space Pirate computer room. Use a Space Jump from the nearby Skiff and get to the area where the Pirates were hiding, and you can enter a room to scan for the final [PIRATE DATA - "LOG 7.159.9 - TWO HUNTERS" (10/10)]. You'll see the item you're trying to get behind a shield, so use the nearby Morph Ball Tunnel to reach the area behind the shield to claim the [BEAM AMMO EXPANSION (1/4)]. While you're in here, scan the dead Luminoth for the [LUMINOTH LORE: "J-STL'S TESTAMENT" (08/41)] as well. Now return to Mining Station A, where some Pirate Aero- troopers will be waiting for you. Take cover near the entrance and pick them off to avoid their suicide dives, and return to Agon Temple. Once in the Temple, go to the left and enter the black door to reach Mine Shaft. This Morph Ball maze leads nowhere if you go to the bottom, but for now, roll through it until you see an opening in the ceiling. Be wary of the Pillbugs rolling around here as you use a series of regular and Double Bomb Jumps to navigate the upper part of this maze. Near the end, after the breakable blocks, hold left on the Control Stick to enter a hidden passage where you have to execute more Bomb Jumps. Finish this puzzle to claim the [ENERGY TANK (04/14)], then backtrack out of this maze to reach the Agon Temple again. Now return through Mining Station A and Portal Access to get to Portal Terminal, then activate the Dark Portal. : =DARK AGON WASTES= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Return the Dark Temple Keys and defeat the Dark Guardian. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: Dark Suit | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: Dark Agon Temple Key #3 | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: *Amorbis 1*, *Amorbis 2* | |________________________________________________________________________| You'll return to Dark Aether via Portal Site, where you first explored the Dark World. Head into the left-hand path and take it to Duelling Range, where you first fought a Warrior Ing. There is a black door here that leads to more or less a dead end, but you can drop off the ledge where you enter and collect another [MISSILE EXPANSION (040/255)]. Now you have only one Dark Temple Key left to collect. From Duelling Range, go to Judgment Pit and take the paths you took earlier to reach the pathway leading to the Dark Agon Temple. Once you get inside, head to the left and enter the door there to claim the final [DARK AGON TEMPLE KEY (3/3)]. Now that you have found all three keys, you can move to the red swirling light in front of the gateway to the Dark Temple. Open the gate and jump down to the nearby Safe Zone to see a large darksphere in front of you. As you approach it, worms will leap out of the ground, and the first major boss fight will be- gin. BOSS BATTLE: AMORBIS -------------------- Amorbis is the dark guardian of Dark Agon Wastes. This is a hive-mind group of worms that can attack one at a time or in groups before mounting a combined assault from its central darksphere. Read below for Normal and Hard Mode strategies for taking this boss out. [NORMAL MODE] This battle takes place in multiple phases. During the first phase, you will fight a single Amorbis as it leaps around its lair. When you get the chance, activate the Scan Visor so you can grab this boss' first entry, [*"AMORBIS 1"*]. You have to do it while the worm is just leaping out of the ground and follow its trajectory. Where Amorbis comes out of the ground is a bit random, but know that if you see dirt shaking nearby, you need to move out of the way. When you get a lock on its head, rapid- fire the Power Beam, use Missiles, or the charged Light Beam for much quicker damage. This will break part of Amorbis' armor off and force it into its second phase where it attaches to the central darksphere. As soon as it does, scan it again for the second entry, [*"AMORBIS 2"*], and fire another charged Light Beam shot at its head to damage its armored version. The armor will break off, the worm will screech, and it will begin a suction-like attack. As counterintuitive as this sounds, morph into a ball and let it suck you up, then detonate a Morph Ball Bomb while you're in its belly to get out and inflict significant damage. Now, the fight will go back into its first phase, but you'll have two Amorbis to deal with. Repeat the same exact strategy as before, detonating Bombs in each of the worm's bellies to reach the third phase where - you guessed it - you tackle all three Amorbis. If you keep up the attack, you'll keep Amorbis from using a spinning laser attack that takes up a lot of time and keeps you on your toes. Also keep in mind that Amorbis can spit dark globules and take out your safe zone - if this happens, quickly fire at the crystal with the Power or Light Beam to re-energize it. Simply take out all three worms when they are attached to the darksphere to win this battle. [HARD MODE] This battle isn't too different overall. The phases remain the same, al- though Amorbis takes a larger beating and attacks more frequently. Keep a close eye on your safe zone because you'll probably have to restore it once or twice. Space Jump over the rotating laser attack it uses in its darksphere phase, and use the same steps as in Normal Mode to eliminate this boss. Destroying the Amorbis cracks open the giant darksphere and reveals your most valuable upgrade yet - the [DARK SUIT]. This item drastically reduces the damage you take in Dark Aether, taking your energy away at a rate pro- portional to how quickly you gain it back when in a safe zone (approximate- ly one unit per second), and halves the amount of damage you receive from enemy attacks. This alone lets you survive longer and longer between safe zones. Once the cinematic is done, you have two options: recover Dark Agon Wastes' energy and return it to its Energy Controller, or simply leave. Collecting the energy isn't actually required, although not collecting Dark Agon's prevents sonic emitters from appearing later in the game in the Min- ing Plaza (and preventing you from getting an Energy Tank). Of course, for 100%, you could always cheat and use the 101% Glitch to grab the Missile Launcher twice and make up that extra 1%, but that's beside the point. To exit Dark Agon Temple without collecting the energy, go back to the entry point and nullify the Light Crystal. This gives you something of a platform to stand on, at which point you can just Space Jump to the ring above you and exit. Now exit Dark Agon Wastes, go to the Great Temple, and head to Torvus Bog without speaking to U-Mos (which isn't required in any form of the game anyway). But if you're going the regular way, head through the door that is accessible to you to find the Dark Agon Energy Controller. Activate the Bomb Slot to reach the next area, then approach the large ball of red energy. A cutscene will take over whereby you absorb Dark Agon's energy into your Energy Transfer Module, then you will regain control and you can leave. As you reenter Dark Agon Temple, three Warrior Ing will challenge you, but I recommend just running and Space Jumping past them to exit the Temple. From here, backtrack along the route you took when you came to Dark Agon Wastes the first time (via Judgment Pit back to Portal Site) and use the Light Portal to return to Aether. In Portal Site you'll have to deal with three Dark Pirate Troopers, but again, you can just ig- nore these because you can move faster than they can. Activate the portal and return to Light Aether. : =AGON WASTES=: __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Return energy to Agon Temple. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Back in Light Aether, return to Agon Temple and return the energy to Agon's Energy Controller. The Luminoth Sentinel will thank you for restoring the energy and direct you to the Torvus Bog. But first, you need to pay U-Mos a visit, so head back for the Great Temple in Temple Grounds. Backtrack the same way you initially came, back to the Main Plaza to the Transport to Temple Grounds. : =TEMPLE GROUNDS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Return to the Great Temple for your next mission. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x3) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: *Dark Missile Trooper* | |________________________________________________________________________| From here, return to Industrial Site. You don't want to hit the Great Tem- ple just yet, though. First, head back towards the Landing Site, this time scanning the Luminoth Hologram that accesses a new part of the Hive Cham- ber areas. As you reach another pit, jump down and another Dark Trooper battle will begin. This is a different kind of Trooper, though - scan it for the [*"DARK MISSILE TROOPER"*] entry, then take it out with Missiles of your own. Once you've beaten it, you will be rewarded with a [MISSILE EXPANSION (045/255)]. Now head through the remainder of the Hive Chamber rooms, ignoring all enemies or Dark Troopers as you come across them until you get back to Hive Chamber B (where you found the first Dark Portal). There are two Morph Ball Tunnels here; you used one to get around the gate the first time through here, but now that you have your Bombs back, you can use one against the small Talloric Alloy grate and access the Tunnel to reach another [MISSILE EXPANSION (050/255)]. The only place left to go to now is the Temple Assembly Site. As you enter this room, look to the right for a small block. Space Jump on top of this, then jump again to reach the nearby ledge with two crates. Follow this path along the edge of the room to reach a Morph Ball Tunnel that leads to yet another [MISSILE EXPANSION (055/255)]. Now you can take the elevator nearby that leads up to the Great Temple. : =GREAT TEMPLE= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. See U-Mos for further mission data. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: Harmony Class Drone | |________________________________________________________________________| As you make your way to the Great Temple via Transport B Access, you can find Morph Ball tunnels in the wall. Use your Morph Ball and Bombs to nav- igate through the puzzle to reach another [MISSILE EXPANSION (060/255)], then drop down and enter the Temple Sanctuary. Take the elevator up to the Main Energy Controller and speak to U-Mos for your next mission directive. He thanks you for returning Agon Wastes' energy, but warns that the Ing will now be seeking revenge for your actions. He also informs you that he has monitored an increase in Ing activity in the Torvus Bog area, so that is where you ned to go next. Once you're finished with U-Mos, take the ele- vator back down to the Temple Sanctuary and scan the Amber Hologram that leads to another Transport Access. In this hallway, you'll find a new scan entry - the ["HARMONY CLASS DRONE"] which is really just a renamed Pulse Bombu from the first game. It acts the same as its earlier version by hurtling at you if your Beam is charged, so ignore it for now and make your way to the Transport leading back down to the Temple Grounds. : =TEMPLE GROUNDS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Locate pathway to Torvus Bog. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Returning to Temple Grounds, you'll end up in a new area, Meeting Grounds. In front of you is a large half-pipe with several War Wasps. Run past them and bypass the green door since you can't open it to reach Hall of Eyes. You can't get out of this room because of another green door, but there is a Dark Portal that you can use to reach Dark Aether. : =SKY TEMPLE GROUNDS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Locate pathway to Torvus Bog. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| The Dark Portal takes you to the Sky Temple Grounds, Dark Aether's equiva- lent of Temple Grounds and home to the most powerful of the Ing. However, you can't venture to the Sky Temple yet. For now, head through the blue door to reach Abandoned Base. This is a very large room with very few safe zones, but even with the Dark Suit, you still need to be careful. There are plenty of Inglets about as well as a few Ingclaws. After a short distance, you will encounter criss-crossing laser beams - these are ["CORRUPTED SEN- TREYES"]; scan them for the Log Book and then shoot them to make them re- tract their beams briefly so you can pass thrugh the area. At the end of this room, you'll run into a dead end. There is a platform here that you can activate by using four Bomb Slots. The problem is that walls come down after each Slot activation that can block your path. Start off with your back to the platform and bypass the first Bomb Slot. Activate the others as you go in a circle and finally activate the first one last to solve the puzzle and unlock the platform. Jump on it now and recover energy in the safe zone as it moves through the room. Fire the Power Beam at the oncoming swarms of Nightbarbs until you reach the end, where you'll find a Light Portal above you. Open it and return to Light Aether. : =TEMPLE GROUNDS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Locate pathway to Torvus Bog. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| This room is the same as the Abandoned Base, except without the Nightbarbs and poisonous atmosphere. Head through here and take out the Space Pirates that come out to attack as you come across them. At the end of this area, you'll find a series of dark crystals. Use the Light Beam on them to move them into positions so you can advance. The last one requires you to use a platform suspended over some water in order to reach it. Activate it like you have the others and you'll reach a continuation of the path with some War Wasps. Take them out and advance to the next door that leads to the Transport to Torvus Bog. 8C. THE SWAMPS OF TORVUS ------------------------ This section details the third part of this walkthrough as you explore the Torvus Bog region of Aether and its twisted dark counterpart, the Dark Torvus Bog as you attempt to claim Dark Torvus' energy. You will take on stronger Ing during this section and accumulate a number of upgrades as you go back and forth out of this region. THE SUPER MISSILE ================= This subsection will go over your initial exploration of the Torvus Bog region and your acquisition of the Super Missiles on your way to the Torvus Temple. : =TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Conduct initial reconnaissance of Torvus Bog. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: S-Dly's Testament | | 4. Scans: Torvus Hanging Pod, Torvus Bearerpod, Shredder, Hyd- | | ling, Shrieker, Sentinel Crystal, Grenchler | |________________________________________________________________________| Torvus Bog is very much the opposite of Agon Wastes, and much of this area, like Phendrana Drifts in the first game, is underwater. For now, your ex- ploration of this region will be somewhat limited to just the upper section of the Bog. Start off heading across the first room and you'll find a Save Station to your left. Exit this room and look at the sacs hanging from the trees - scan these as a ["TORVUS HANGING POD"] for the Log Book, and scan the nearby dead Luminoth to decode the [LUMINOTH LORE: S-DLY'S TESTAMENT" (09/41)]. Also scan the ground-based plants for the ["TORVUS BEARERPOD"] entry. In front of you, there is a lake with a suspended metallic bridge that connects two tunnels. As you approach this lake, enemies similar to Shriekbats will emerge from the water; quickly scan these for the ["SHREDD- ER"] entry, and eliminate them with the Power Beam. At this point, you can try to Space Jump to the metal bridge, but you can't explore any further, so drop below and head underwater. Remember that like all Metroid games, underwater exploration is limited until you have a specific upgrade, so for now your movement will be sluggish and your visibility significantly re- duced. Head to the left and go through the black door to reach the Path of Roots; in here you'll find another creature to scan - get the ["HYDLING"] entry and move on through the tunnel to get out of the water. Through the next door is Great Bridge, an aptly-named room because there is a gigantic bridge leading into a large building. As you cross the area, new enemies will burst through the ground - quickly scan one to get the ["SHRIEKER"] entry, then fire at them rapidly to take them out. Once you eliminate all of them, the doors will unlock and you can make your way across the room. Scan the red crystals on the walls first for the ["SENTINEL CRYSTAL"] Log Book entry, then head through the red door to reach Portal Chamber. There is a Missile Expansion here, but you can't get it yet. Instead, head into the next area, and you'll wind up back in Torvus Lagoon, but on the other side of the gate. Scan the control panel to lower the gate and extend the walkway so that both sides are now open. You can now access the white door on the right-hand side that leads through Ruined Alcove into Forgotten Bridge. Immediately after entering, you'll be attacked by two snarling beasts. Scan one for the ["GRENCHLER"] entry, and you'll learn that these are more or less like Baby Sheegoths from the first game. Lock on and strafe around so you're behind it, and shatter its protective shell with a few Missiles, then attack the soft fleshy part to kill the beast. Take both of these enemies out while watching out for their biting attacks, you can reach the large bridge that crosses the room. You'll see a Missile Expansion off in the distance, but there's no way to get it just yet. For now, follow the bridge to a Dark Portal and activate it to have your first experience with the dark counterpart of this area. : =DARK TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Conduct initial reconnaissance of Dark Torvus Bog. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: Dark Sentinel Crystal, Ingsphere Cache | |________________________________________________________________________| Your first visit to Dark Torvus Bog will be sufficiently brief. Scan the blue crystals nearby to add the ["DARK SENTINEL CRYSTAL"] to your Log Book, then do the same for the bluish blobs - scan one to get the ["INGSPHERE CACHE"] entry. Activate the nearby Bomb Slot to rotate the bridge, then use the Light Portal to return to Torvus Bog. : =TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Locate the Torvus Temple area. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: Super Missile | | 2. Modules: Emerald Translator Module | | 3. Supplies: Energy Tank (x1) | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: Dark Aether | | 4. Scans: Dark Pirate Commando, Sporb | |________________________________________________________________________| Since you activated the Bomb Slot in Dark Aether, the bridge has rotated in Light Aether as well. But right afterwards, Space Pirates appear in the area. These are no ordinary Space Pirates either; scan one to identify it as a ["DARK PIRATE COMMANDO"], and then find some place to hide. These are nearly impossible to defeat at this point because they are like the Chozo Ghosts in that they appear, attack, then disappear, but more rapidly. These Ing-possessed Pirates have dark energy shots and EMP grenades that can quickly eat away at your energy, so hide somewhere and wait for them to get bored and leave. Once they disappear, return to the bridge where you can head across to grab the [MISSILE EXPANSION (065/255)], then take the next door to reach Abandoned Worksite. This area requires you to use the Morph Ball to get through, but first target the plant on the wall. Scan it for the ["SPORB"] entry, thn fire a Missile or the Light Beam at it to get rid of it; otherwise it will grab you from out of the tunnel while you roll through it. Make it to the end and go through the white door to reach the upper section of Great Bridge. Scan the nearby panel to activate a Kinetic Orb Cannon and use it to launch you across to the bridge. Cross the bridge and use the Morph Ball tunnel to reach a black door leading to a hallway in Temple Access. There are three circles here on this path; use a Bomb on the first one to fall through and grab an [ENERGY TANK (05/14)]. Now return to the top level of Great Bridge and return via the black door. This time go through the entire tunnel and take it to reach Torvus Temple. As you enter the large area, a Pirate Skiff will appear (this is your second and last opportunity to scan it if you didn't get the one in Central Mining Station earlier!). The Skiff will proceed to drop off three waves of Space Pirates, including regular Troopers and Aerotroopers. Defeat them with the charged Dark Beam and use the crates around you if you need refills. Once all of the Pirates are gone, a laser gate on the far side will open, revealing the [SUPER MISSILE CHARGE COMBO] upgrade. Now that you have this, you can open any green doors you see in the environment. Take the item and use the small platform to ride to the top of the area. Open the green door and head into the Torvus Energy Controller. Once you activate the Bomb Slot, you'll end up in an area like in Agon Wastes, with a dead Luminoth and a console. Scan the panel to hear from the deceased Sentinel about how the Ing took over Torvus. He will warn you of the dangers to come, and how the water of the dark world is poisonous. After his message is complete, you will receive an update to your [TRANSLATOR MODULE (3/4)] that allows you to decode Emer- ald colored Luminoth Holograms. Afterwards, scan the hologram on the wall for the [LUMINOTH LORE: "DARK AETHER" (10/41)]. Leave the Energy Controller and return to Torvus Temple. THE BOOST BALL ============== This subsection will go over further exploration of Torvus Bog and your venture into its dark equivalent to recover your Boost Ball ability. : =TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Investigate branching pathways from the Temple. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: Our War Begins | | 4. Scans: Pirate Commando | |________________________________________________________________________| Back in Torvus Temple, ignore the Shriekers as you leap down to the bottom of the area. In the middle of the room is an Emerald Hologram; scan it to lower a small transport down to the basement. Here you have a set of four pathways that lead to different areas. There is a green door that leads back through Temple Access to Great Bridge, an Emerald Hologram that leads to a new area of Torvus Bog, a blue door inside of a Morph Ball Tunnel that will take you to the Underground Transport (and down to the subterranean levels), and a purple door that you can't yet access will reveal a Trans- port back to Agon Wastes. If you want the Map for Torvus Bog, take the green door leading back to Great Bridge and scan the Emerald Hologram to reveal the Map Station. Once you have it, return to the Temple and go back to the lower area with the branching paths. Scan the Emerald Hologram to open a pathway via the Underground Tunnel to a new side of Torvus Bog. As you enter this room, a Grenchler will charge down the pathway. This is a bit difficult due to the cramped quarters, but try to get behind it to take it down. Once you've defeated it, roll underneath the door you came in through to find a hidden [MISSILE EXPANSION (070/255)]. Go down the tunnel towards the next door and you'll find two Sporbs; eliminate them with the Light Beam and head towards the next area. Before going through the door, turn to the back wall and scan the Hologram for the [LUMINOTH LORE: "OUR WAR BEGINS" (11/41)]. Once you've gotten it, take the door to reach Torvus Grove. As soon as you enter, you'll be set upon by a new kind of Space Pir- ate, so scan one to learn that it is a ["PIRATE COMMANDO"]. These are like the dark versions you faced in Forgotten Bridge, except they (a) don't have the ability to teleport and (b) they won't disappear, so you have to defeat them. Freeze them with a charged Dark Beam and shatter them with a Missile to end the fight and unlock the door. This door leads to the Meditation Vista, but dead ends because of the expansive gap. For now, use the Dark Portal to travel to Dark Aether. : =DARK TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Recover Boost Ball powers and search for Dark Temple Keys. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: Boost Ball | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: Dark Torvus Temple Key #1 | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: Hunter Ing, *Boost Guardian* | |________________________________________________________________________| The portal takes you to Gloom Vista, a room with nothing in it. Go through the door to reach Polluted Mire, where you'll encounter the only enemies worse than a pack of Warrior Ing - the transphasic ["HUNTER ING"]. Scan one for the Log Book, then attack them with charged Light Beam shots when they are solid and do your best to avoid the incredible reach of the tentacles. These Ing will follow you no matter where you go, so try to eliminate them quickly. Once you have defeated the Hunter Ing, you can use a set of plat- forms on the trees to reach a black door leading to Dark Falls. In here is a Save Station that you may want to use. Travel through this room to reach Dark Forgotten Bridge, although you'll be in a separate area from the rest of the room. Take out the two Lightflyers in here and enter the door at the end to reach the Dark Arena Tunnel. Travel through the Morph Ball Tunnel to reach the large open Dark Torvus Arena. As you look down, a gigantic Warr- ior Ing will shriek and transform into a black ball and shoot through a Morph Ball Tunnel. Looks like you've found the Ing who mugged you for the Boost Ball. Head down to the Arena and stand in a safe zone until your energy is full, then roll through the tunnel after the Ing to begin the next mini-boss battle. MINI-BOSS BATTLE: BOOST GUARDIAN -------------------------------- Welcome to your own personal hell. This battle is easily one of the most irritating in the whole game, probably due to the fact that there is not one single safe zone in this entire fight. Read below for Normal and Hard Mode strategies for eliminating this Sub-Guardian. [NORMAL MODE] Just like the Jump Guardian, this one is a gigantic Warrior Ing, although the space afforded to you in the Jump Guardian fight is not given to you here. The Boost Guardian starts off in his solid phase, but won't remain like it for long. Scan it quickly for the [*"BOOST GUARDIAN"*] entry, then try to fire a charged Light Beam shot at its eye from close range so the scattershot hits directly. If you can get more than one shot in, excellent. Shortly after this, the Boost Guardian will dissolve and start moving about the floor. Use the Morph Ball here and try to follow it around, setting Morph Ball Bombs to damage both the Guardian and to de- stroy any of the Inglets that pop up. Destroy these quickly so you have less threats to worry about, and tractor in any refills left behind. Eventually, the Boost Guardian will assume its own Morph Ball form and start rocketing around the room - you cannot damage it during this phase, so your best bet is to Space Jump atop the pillars so it can't run into you. As the pillars are destroyed, charge up because they leave behind Ultra Energy units worth a full Energy Tank which you definitely will need. Keep striking the Boost Guardian when you can to force it back into its Warrior Ing form and resume firing with the Light Beam. About six charged shots will finally bring it down. (I feel that I should point out for the record, and for the sake of all that is amusing in this world, that using some extremely off-the-wall sequence breaking to get the Screw Attack without the Boost Ball can net you an early Power Bomb Expansion, which will kill the Boost Guardian in one hit. It's quite funny to watch, really.) [HARD MODE] Pray to whoever you call God to make it through. Not only are you taking damage faster in Dark Aether than you would in Normal Mode, and not only are there Inglets constantly popping up to fire at you, but the Boost Guardian itself is an unforgiving, unholy amalgation of everything that can be called evil. Expect to lose at least two of your Energy Tanks in the first phase before you even get a chance to counterattack. You need to make sure every single shot counts. For this fight, I would recommend staying out of Morph Ball form when the Guardian is moving about in its "dissolved" state; instead jump around while manually aiming to fire some Light Beam shots at it since you can't lock on. You simply take too much damage from contact with the puddle form to make setting Morph Ball Bombs very viable. Make sure to grab the energy refills whenever you get the opportunity, and just try to keep inflicting as much damage as you poss- ibly can per round to eventually (hopefully) win. Although it should be said that the cruelest fate this game can inflict on you at this point is a victory over the Boost Guardian, only to have your energy run out during its incredibly lengthy death animation... not that this has ever happened or anything. Defeating the Boost Guardian returns your [BOOST BALL] upgrade. Now you can charge speed boosts again and navigate half-pipes. Quickly collect all of the energy refills you can, then return through the small tunnel to the large open area of Dark Torvus Arena. Use the half-pipe structure here to Boost back and forth until you can claim the first [DARK TORVUS TEMPLE KEY (1/3)] high on the ledge. Now backtrack through Dark Arena Tunnel to Dark Falls and use the Save Station. Once you've saved, go back through Polluted Mire to Gloom Vista, and use the portal there to return to Light Aether. THE SEEKER MISSILE ================== This subsection will go over continued investigation of Torvus Bog along with a return back through Temple Grounds to collect an item that allows you to explore the lower depths of Torvus. : =TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Continue exploration of Torvus Bog and Dark Torvus Bog. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: Krocuss, Spinner | |________________________________________________________________________| As you reenter Torvus Grove, you will find another half-pipe by the door that leads to Underground Tunnel. Use the Boost Ball to reach the top to find a walkway that runs along the top of the room. Take them around to the black door and enter Grove Access. In here you'll find small creatures crawling on the floors and walls. Scan one of them for the ["KROCUSS"] entry, then continue into Forgotten Bridge. This door leads you to the in- side of a metal tunnel where you will find a device that you can use the Boost Ball in. Scan it for the ["SPINNER"] entry, the morph and Boost in- side the device to open up a gate to the main area of this room. There is a red door that leads into Plaza Access, which is a room with various tunn- els. When you reach the red tunnel, you need to use Bomb Jumps to navigate your way to two Bomb Slots. Activate each so you can access a new part of the area, and use another Bomb Jump to reach the tunnel atop the second ledge. Roll down this new area and use the half-pipe to Boost to a [MISSILE EXPANSION (075/255)]. There is nothing you can access yet in Torvus Plaza, so return to Forgotten Bridge and go to the Dark Portal underneath the gate you opened a moment ago. : =DARK TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Continue exploration of Torvus Bog and Dark Torvus Bog. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: Energy Tank (x1) | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: Dark Torvus Temple Key #2 | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| The portal once again returns you to Dark Forgotten Bridge. Hop up to the bridge and use a Super Missile to open the gree door that leads into the Brooding Ground. You'll find a Light Lift Crystal in here that you need to shoot it with the Light Beam to make it rise so that you can reach an upper ledge. Jump to the ledge and then drop down to reach a door leading to Ven- omous Pond. Once you reach this area, you will see the second Dark Torvus Temple Key high on a ledge. First, though, you'll have to tangle with a Hunter Ing. Wait until it is hovering close to the Light Lift Crystal in the middle of the Dark Water, then energize the crystal with the Light Beam to kill (or at least severely damage) the Hunter Ing. Once it's gone, head through the red door to reach a Save Station. At this point, this walk- through will assume that you are going to utilize the sequence break below for the second Dark Temple Key. Although once you have the Grapple Beam, you will be returning to this room anyway as you head for the Dark Temple, so being unable to get this item now really won't affect your game in any way. ******************************************************************** = SEQUENCE BREAK = BREAK TYPE: Early Item ACQUISITION: Dark Torvus Temple Key #2 TECHNIQUES: Ghetto Jump, L-Lock Spring Space Jump -------------------------------------------------------------------- Getting this key before the Grapple Beam is actually pretty easy if you know exactly what to do. From the Save Station door, look down and just to the right to see some Ingsphere Caches. You can jump on top of these to reach the tallest one. The spot you have to stand on is very, very small, so you might have a bit of trouble actually reaching it unless you try a Ghetto Jump. Once you manage to balance on it, look up to the left towards the Dark Temple Key. Just at the edge of the platform is a small part that is a bit lower than the rest of it. Lock your view on this, then make a long L-Lock Spring Space Jump (like leaping off the rock spire in the first game's Geo- thermal Core for early acquisition of the Plasma Beam) towards the small lowered part. Release L at the peak of your second jump to give yourself a bit of a bounce, and you should just barely catch the edge of the platform. Hold forward on the Control Stick to bal- ance, then jump up to grab the second [DARK TORVUS TEMPLE KEY (2/2)] a little bit early. Ordinarily this would be most helpful if you intended on skipping the Grapple Beam item, but it never hurts to try and grab things early when you can. ******************************************************************** Once you have the second Key (if not, just get it later after you have the Grapple Beam), take the white door to reach the lower levels of the Dark Torvus Temple. There are two paths to take here since you obviously won't be able to access the actual Temple just yet. Take the blue door off to the left to reach an Ammo Station, then head into the green door at the end of the Morph Ball Tunnel for an [ENERGY TANK (06/14)]. Grab it, then backtrack to Venomous Pond and take the black door to reach Portal Chamber. This is nearly identical to the room of the same name in Light Aether, with the exception that you can reach a Light Portal here. Navigate the Morph Ball section, then use a series of platforms to reach another tunnel that leads to the portal. : =TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Continue exploration of Torvus Bog and Dark Torvus Bog. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Entering the portal takes you to the opposite side of Portal Chamber in Torvus Bog, the side you couldn't reach before. From where you get dropped off, simply grab the [MISSILE EXPANSION (080/255)], then take the portal back to Dark Aether. : =DARK TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Continue exploration of Torvus Bog and Dark Torvus Bog. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| There is nothing else to do in Dark Torvus Bog for now, so return to Dark Forgotten Bridge via Brooding Ground and use the Light Portal to return to Light Aether. : =TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Continue exploration of Torvus Bog and Dark Torvus Bog. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| The only thing left for you to do in Torvus Bog at this point is to return to the Underground Transport and try to explore more of the lower levels. However, if you do this now, you will be blocked by a purple door that you can't open or a blue door that leads to Hydrodynamo Station, which in turn leads to another purple door. Since you need to get the item that allows you to first open these purple doors, take the white door to Ruined Alcove and return to Torvus Lagoon. From here, go to Temple Transport Access and take the Transport back to Temple Grounds. : =TEMPLE GROUNDS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Locate specialized Luminoth Missile technology. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: Seeker Missile Launcher | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: The World Warped, Age of Anxiety | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Backtrack to Path of Eyes and look near the door to find a Morph Ball Tunn- el. Enter it and take the rather nice shortcut to the end of the room, and scan the Emerald Hologram for the [LUMINOTH LORE: "THE WORLD WARPED" (12/ 41)] entry, then use the Dark Beam to move a platform out of your way. Use a Super Missile to open the green door that leads into Hall of Eyes, and take this to reach Meeting Grounds. Locate the large half-pipe and quickly Boost up it before the War Wasps target you, and you'll find another Morph Ball Tunnel next to another entry of [LUMINOTH LORE: "AGE OF ANXIETY" (13/ 41)]. Take the Morph Ball Tunnel down to a section of crumbling blocks and get across them with the Boost Ball. Follow this path through a new part of Temple Transport C (along with a few other areas) before finally rolling over the purple door (the kind you couldn't open in Hydrodynamo Station). This circuitous path takes you to the lowest levels of the Great Temple, to an area called the Hall of Honored Dead. This room is filled with large statues of Luminoth war heroes along with a floor-based concentric ring puzzle and four Spinners. To solve this puzzle, you need to use the Spinn- ers to rotate sections of the floor. Each Spinner controls two sections of the ring, but there are five rings to manipulate. Solve the puzzle by work- ing from the outer ring to the inner ring, using the four Spinners in this order: Violet/Cobalt/Amber/Crimson, then reverse the order and use them again (Crimson/Amber/Cobalt/Violet) to align all five rings correctly. This causes the outermost ring to rise up and the Luminoth statues will focus lasers on the cage in the center of the room. The cage will break, reveal- ing the [SEEKER MISSILE LAUNCHER] upgrade. In addition to providing you another expansion to your Missile complement (085/255)], you can hold the Y Button to "charge" your Launcher. When this happens, move the targeting reticle over up to five points to simultaneously launch a Missile spread that will "seek" towards the highlighted points. The Seeker Missiles also open purple doors, which you'll have to do in order to exit this area. Target the five points on the door and fire the Seeker Missiles to open it, then head back out of the Hall of Honored Dead via a new route. THE GRAVITY BOOST ================= This subsection will cover your return to Torvus Bog to explore the lower levels to find the Gravity Boost upgrade. : =TEMPLE GROUNDS = : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Return to Torvus Bog. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: M-Dhe's Testament | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| As you make your way out of the Hall of Honored Dead via the Path of Honor, you will have two pathways out of the area. There is a Morph Ball Tunnel that leads back to Meeting Grounds via Service Access, but you can also head to the blue door to access the Landing Site on an upper ledge that you couldn't reach before. Scan the dead Luminoth on the ground to gain the [LUMINOTH LORE: "M-DHE'S TESTAMENT" (14/41)], then hop down to your Gun- ship to save your game and refill all energy and ammunition. Keep in mind that this is the last chance you will have to scan your ship for its Log Book entry; once you return back to Torvus Bog and acquire the Dark Visor, scanning your ship will only tell you the repair status. Once you have finished, hop back to the ledge you came from either by Space Jumping off your ship or using the moveable ledge below it, and go through Service Access to Meeting Grounds. Return through Hall of Eyes and use the short- cut through Path of Eyes to return to the Transport to Torvus Bog. : =TORVUS BOG =: __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Return to Torvus Bog. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| You'll return to Torvus Bog the same way you came in initially. Go along the path from Torvus Lagoon through Path of Roots into the Great Bridge area, then take the bridge back to Torvus Temple. Enter the elevator in the middle to travel to the lower level, and locate the purple door. Take out the five sub-locks with the Seeker Missiles and enter the next area to reach a Transport to Agon Wastes. : =AGON WASTES =: __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Return to Torvus Bog. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| The transport takes you to a room located just off of Transport Center. Use the Seeker Missiles to open the door and you'll find yourself high on the ledge. Across from you is a Dark Portal that you need to reach, and below you is a half-pipe that you can use the Boost Ball in. Accelerate until you have enough speed to reach the ledge on the other side, then head to Dark Aether. : =DARK AGON WASTES = : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Return to Torvus Bog. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Easy Expansions are the best. Your next [MISSILE EXPANSION (090/255)] is sitting directly in front of you. Grab it, then return to Light Aether. : =AGON WASTES= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Return to Torvus Bog. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Now back in Transport Center, simply boost into the half-pipe to go back to the Transport to Torvus Bog so you can explore the subterranean level. : =TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Explore the underwater Hydrodynamo Area. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: Recovering Energy, The New Terror, G-Sch's Testament, | | New Weapons | | 4. Scans: Preed, Blogg, Bloggling | |________________________________________________________________________| Returning to the Underground Transport, roll through the Morph Ball Tunnel to reach the blue door that leads down to Hydrodynamo Station. This is a large cylinder-shaped room that is mostly underwater, although the part you enter in on is still above the water. If you look at the map, you will see that the shaft runs down the center and there are three doors leading off to different areas that you will need to explore. For now, however, Space Jump up the ledges surrounding the upper part of the room. On your ascent, you'll find Puffer-like enemies; scan one for the ["PREED"] Log Book entry, then make your way to the top to reach a red door that leads to a Save Station. After you're finished, drop back to the metallic walkway above the waterline. ******************************************************************** = SEQUENCE BREAK = BREAK TYPE: Early Items ACQUISITION: Grapple Beam, Gravity Boost TECHNIQUES: Underwater Dash (x2), Ghetto Jump -------------------------------------------------------------------- Normally, acquiring the Gravity Boost and the Grapple Beam items re- quire lengthy circuits around the tunnels leading away from Hydro- dynamo Station to reach the Gathering Hall, Catacombs, and Training Chamber by way of the East, West, and South Transit Tunnels. This allows you to eliminate much of the trip by taking advantage of an underwater glitch to reach the areas much earlier than intended, and is a great time-saver in 100% item or scan runs since you'll be able to get the items/scans from the other rooms eventually anyway. Read below for breakdowns on what to do during each trip - since both items are located in relative proximity to each other, these two breaks can be done at the same time. GRAPPLE BEAM ------------ Start off heading for the Grapple Beam. Enter the water in Hydro- dynamo Station and move around the top ring until you find the black door. Line yourself up with the platform in front of the door by looking below you, and jump off into the water while both holding L and using the Control Stick to move to the left. Press R and B to slowly turn, then use your second jump after you have reached approximately a 30 degree turn, then release the Control Stick while continuing to hold L, R, and B. For the second jump, release L and R only after tapping B. If you execute this correct- ly, you'll fly through the water at high speed, although because of your viewing angle, it is difficult to map a trajectory. The timing of this is key - using your second jump too soon gives you height and you crash into the ring above you. Using it too late and your second jump doesn't work because your underwater mobil- ity is affected. Once this works, scan the console and use the Kinetic Orb Cannon to return yourself to the top of the room. Drop back down and execute the exact same sequence to reach the console by the white door. Scan it after the Underwater Dash and enter the white door to eventually reach the Gathering Hall. Use the Bomb Slot in here to reach the Dark Portal to travel to Dark Aether's Crypt. From here, defeat the Dark Pirate Troopers that are going to get in your path, then stand on the Spinner. Ghetto Jump from the Spinner as you try to land atop the laser emitter in the center. This takes a bit of practice. Once you are on top, Space Jump to reach the white door at the top which will take you through the Crypt Tunnel into the Undertemple Shaft. From here, follow the same steps you would normally to make the bridge con- nect to Sacrificial Chamber Tunnel, and head into Sacrificial Chamber to fight the mini-boss and recover the Grapple Beam. Once you're done, return to Light Aether and go back to Hydrodynamo Station. GRAVITY BOOST ------------- From here, it's incredibly simple. Since you've already scanned the first two consoles, just drop to the bottom of Hydrodynamo Station and scan the third console to raise the floor and expose the Hydrodynamo Shaft. From here, just head through the adjoining chambers to grab the Gravity Boost from the Storage Room. This in turn opens up a chance for you to skip the mini-boss fight, but that will be covered below during the "actual" path to the Hydrodynamo Shaft below. ******************************************************************** Assuming you're not attempting to get the Grapple Beam or the Gravity Boost earlier than intended, drop from the metallic walkway into the water, but jump towards the central structure to land on a smaller circular platform. Although your vision is blurred, you can still rotate around the ledge to see three doors on ledges around the room. To get to these, you need to scan consoles to extend ledges. Right now, drop to the very bottom of the Hydrodynamo, where you'll encounter a few large aquatic predators. Scan one for the ["BLOGG"] entry, then lock onto one and wait for it to open its mouth and charge at you. When this happens, fire a charged shot or a Miss- ile and then strafe out of the way quickly. Once the Bloggs are eliminated, you can scan a control panel to extend a ledge in front of the purple door. Each control panel also unlocks one of three locks at the bottom of this chamber. To reach the top again, roll into the central tube to reach a Kin- etic Orb Cannon that fires you all the way to the top. Drop back into the water and head to the ledge with the purple door. Jump to it and grab the [MISSILE EXPANSION (095/255)], then use the Seeker Missiles to open the door that leads into Training Access. Follow the path upwards and you'll see some ominous-looking blue sparkling particles. Enter the door to reach the Training Chamber and your fears will be confirmed when Dark Samus re- forms in front of you. She'll laugh evilly at you, then burst into small particles again and vanish. Don't worry about it now; you'll fight her again soon enough. For now, drop into the water and fight two more Bloggs to restore power to a Spinner in front of the large Luminoth statue. Using this Spinner rotates sections of the floor with Morph Ball Tunnels in them. Connect the red sec- tions first and drop into the tunnel underneath the floor to reach a black door. Before going through it, scan the nearby Hologram for the [LUMINOTH LORE: "RECOVERING ENERGY (15/41)], then head through the door to reach Transit Tunnel East. This room has a series of Morph Ball pipes that you can reach with the Kinetic Orb Cannon. Once you reach Catacombs, drop into the water and fight two more Bloggs, then head across the room and locate the small ledge that you can use to get back above the water. Here you'll find a gray door and a black door. The gray one leads to Transit Tunnel South, but you can't open it yet, so head for the black door instead. Above the underwater Dark Portal you can find another Luminoth Hologram; scan it for the [LUMINOTH LORE: "THE NEW TERROR" (16/41)], then scan the dead Lum- inoth by the door for a second [LUMINOTH LORE: "G-SCH'S TESTAMENT (17/41). After getting these two scans, enter the black door to reach Catacombs Access, which leads back to Hydrodynamo Station. Reenter the area and you'll find another control panel you can scan that extends a ledge in front of you and release the second lock. The Bloggs in this room have been replaced with smaller versions, so scan one to get the ["BLOGGLING"] entry and take them out with simple charged shots. Go through the door you entered the first time to return to Training Chamber and use the Spinner this time to connect the blue Morph Ball Tunnel sections. Drop into the floor and travel to the white door, which leads into Transit Tunn- el West. This is another long tunnel with Morph Ball pipes, but strong fans create currents that block your forward motion. There are a series of Bomb Slots here for you to use that reverse the direction of the currents and allow you to move on. Reach the door at the other end to enter the Gather- ing Hall. This room is like Catacombs, but the Luminoth statue has a large laser beam currently focused on a section of rock. Since there's nothing to do on the upper level, head underwater again and fight another Blogg. Once you defeat it, you will find another Dark Portal protected by a gate. Scan the Luminoth Hologram opposite this for another [LUMINOTH LORE: "NEW WEAP- ONS" (18/41)], then look at the surface of the water. There are some large floating platforms that you can shoot with the Dark Beam to make them flip (almost like Puddle Spores). Flip them over, then head above the water and use them to cross to the other side where you can reach the platform with the laser and a transparent Spinner. Obviously this means that you have a trip to Dark Aether coming up so you can use the Spinner for something. Head to the other side of the room where the gray door is to find a Bomb Slot; activating it will remove the gate over the Dark Portal, so drop into the water and enter the Portal. : =DARK TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Activate device to move laser in Gathering Hall. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| The portal takes you to the Crypt, which looks like the Gathering Hall ex- cept that it isn't underwater. There are several Dark Pirate Commandos that you have to deal with in this room, so either find a place to hide until they disappear, or make a quick break for the central laser and use the Spinner to move the laser beam. Of course, at this point, you could opt to go for the Grapple Beam by Ghetto Jumping off the Spinner to land on top of the laser emitter (and from there take the white door to Undertemple Shaft to the Sacrificial Chamber - for a more detailed explanation, read the Sequence Break section further above), but if you're interested in pro- ceeding normally, just move the laser and return to the Light Portal to get back to Light Aether. : =TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Explore lower Hydrochamber and retrieve Luminoth technology. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: Gravity Boost | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: *Alpha Blogg* | |________________________________________________________________________| Returning to the Gathering Hall, you will see that the laser has moved and cracked a part of the wall, revealing a Missile Expansion. However, you still can't get it because it is behind a forcefield. But you can access a Kinetic Orb Cannon that shoots you to a ledge with a white door that takes you to Gathering Access. Take this to reach the final part of Hydrodynamo Station, where you can scan the third and final console. This extends the bridge in front of you and releases the final lock at the bottom of the central shaft. This in turn disables the Kinetic Orb Cannon at the bottom, but raises the bottom out and exposes a new area. Fall to the bottom and enter the blue door to reach the Hydrodynamo Shaft. As you make your way down the series of ledges, you can shoot a school of Hydlings for energy and ammo refills, and you can look to your left to see a gigantic creature swimming in a cage. Scan this now to get the [*"ALPHA BLOGG"*] Log Book entry so you don't have to during the upcoming fight, and head through the door at the bottom to reach Main Hydrochamber. This room contains a ledge that you can't reach, but has a blue door at the bottom that leads to the Hydrochamber Storage where you can finally find the [GRAVITY BOOST] up- grade. Grabbing this adds the necessary shielding to your suit that allows you to freely navigate underwater and adds special thrusters that let you drift upward after an underwater Space Jump. Once you have this item, you can leave this room and return to the Main Hydrochamber. Immediately, the walls will rotate to lock you in, and the next mini-boss fight will begin. ******************************************************************** = SEQUENCE BREAK = BREAK TYPE: Boss Skip ACQUISITION: Gravity Boost w/o Alpha Blogg TECHNIQUES: Bomb Space Jump -------------------------------------------------------------------- This break allows you to get out of the Alpha Blogg battle once you have picked up the Gravity Boost. If you're doing this for a 100% scan game, you needn't worry since you can scan the Alpha Blogg as it swims around in its chamber. To do this, lock onto the Alpha Blogg as it starts its opening attack. Lure it over to where it is directly beneath the first platform, then stand still so it will prepare its charging attack. Dodge the small sonic bursts and dash out of the way as it hurtles towards you. When it gets stuck in the wall, morph against the wall and press towards it. Execute a Bomb Jump and hit X to try and trigger an instant unmorph. If it works, then just Space Jump and activate the Gravity Boost to make it to the first platform, then Space Jump and Gravity Boost a second time to reach the second ledge. Exit the Main Hydrochamber and proceed back to Hydrodynamo Station as you would normally. ******************************************************************** Of course, if you feel like fighting the Alpha Blogg or can't get the Bomb Space Jump to work, just read below for the mini-boss strategy. MINI-BOSS BATTLE: ALPHA BLOGG ----------------------------- The Alpha Blogg, like the Alpha Splinter before it, is simply a large Blogg. It has a number of potent sonic and biting attacks and it will charge at you often. Read below for Normal and Hard Mode strategies for eliminating this mini-boss. [NORMAL MODE] You should stay as far away from the Alpha Blogg as possible in order to have enough time to dodge its array of attacks. Usually it will fire off sonic blasts across the screen that will cause your Visor to blur and temporarily disable your weapons. The attack you want to watch out for most, however, is its charge move. It will telegraph this attack by mov- ing its jaws around a few times, then fly across the screen. Before you dodge, you need to either fire a Super Missile directly at the open mouth or use charged Dark Beam shots - the Dark Beam inflicts the most damage, but it's also harder to hit with. Keep circling the room taking advantage of your opportunities to attack, and this mini-boss will fall before too long. [HARD MODE] The Alpha Blogg is a little bit quicker in this mode, although its attack patterns remain the same. You, of course, will take more damage from its charge attack, and its sonic blasts will render you useless for a longer period of time. Continue to use charged Dark Beam blasts when its about to charge, and you shouldn't have too many problems defeating it. Defeating the Alpha Blogg will unlock the walls and stop the rotors from turning. Use your Gravity Boost to ascend through the water to the first ledge you see. Continue Boosting to each additional ledge to reach the door at the top that leads back to the bottom of Hydrodynamo Shaft. THE GRAPPLE BEAM ================ This subsection will go over your investigation of the remainder of the lower regions of Torvus Bog, including your trips into Dark Aether to re- cover your Grapple Beam ability. : =TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Explore Undertemple and recover Grapple Beam. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Use the Hydlings to refill any lost energy or ammo as you reenter Hydro- dynamo Shaft. Before going up, though, turn and look above the door that leads to the Main Hydrochamber. There is a ledge above you that you can now reach with the Gravity Boost that leads to a Dark Portal. : =DARK TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Explore Undertemple and recover Grapple Beam. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: Dark Torvus Temple Key #3 | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| As you enter Undertemple Access, you'll practically run right into the last [DARK TORVUS TEMPLE KEY (3/3)]. Grab it, then head right back through the portal since there is nothing else you can do in this part of Dark Aether. : =TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Explore Undertemple and recover Grapple Beam. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: Energy Tank (x1) | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: Dark Blogg | |________________________________________________________________________| Now that you have all three Dark Torvus Temple Keys, you can go to the Dark Torvus Temple and challenge the boss, but you should first make a circuit around the remainder of the lower level to acquire the Grapple Beam. It is entirely possible to defeat the Chykkas without it, but it does make the fight much easier, and you need the Grapple Beam eventually anyway. To get to where you need to go, you can go to the top of Hydrodynamo Station to save, or continue your exploration of the side paths since your movement in water is no longer hindered. Start off in Hydrodynamo Station and take the blue door into Training Access and head to the Training Chamber. As you enter, the Bloggs (or Blogglings, depending on the weather) will be possessed by the Ing. Scan this new creature for the ["DARK BLOGG"] entry, then defeat them like normal Bloggs. The benefit you have this time is that Dark Bloggs lose their sonic abilities, so all you have to worry about is the charging attack. On the other hand, you have to face both of them at the same time. Try to keep both in sight and dodge when one flies at you. Once they're defeated, use the Spinner to move the floor sections to again connect the red track. Drop into the Morph Ball Tunnel to go back to Transit Tunnel East to reach the Catacombs. Since you now have the Grav- ity Boost, navigation through here is much easier. When you reach the area with the vertical tubes, roll as far left as you can to reach a Bomb Slot. Activate it, then roll to the right past two tubes and use an Underwater Double Bomb Jump by slightly altering the timing of your Bomb placement (set the second just before the apex of your first jump, and the third be- fore the apex of your second jump) to reach a second Bomb Slot. Activate this one and roll left past two more tubes, then use another Underwater DBJ before the timer expires to reach a platform with an [ENERGY TANK (07/14)]. Once you have it, continue on through the rest of the Transit Tunnel to reach the Catacombs. In here, you'll fight two Grenchlers. Defeat them either in the water or above it, then use the Gravity Boost to reach a Bomb Slot underwater that will remove the barrier over a nearby Dark Portal. : =DARK TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Explore Undertemple and recover Grapple Beam. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: Grapple Beam | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: Dark Grenchler | |________________________________________________________________________| The Dark Portal takes you to the Dungeon where you'll meet Ing-possessed versions of the regular Grenchlers. Scan one for the Log Book as a ["DARK GRENCHLER"], then fight them as you would a regular one, substituting the Light Beam for the Dark Beam here. Once they're gone, take the black door to reach Undertransit Two, which is sort of like Transit Tunnel East back in Light Aether, only here you need to maneuver through the tunnels while avoiding being crushed by giant pistons. Get past this area and you'll find a black door leading to the Sacrificial Chamber, Dark Torvus' version of the Training Chamber. There are two floors to this room - you need to reach the upper area since you enter on the lower floor. First take out the Hunt- er Ing by energizing a safe zone, then work on making your way towards the white door on the other side. This door takes you to Undertransit One, another set of Morph Ball Tunnels, only these are more horizontal than the vertical ones you've seen before. There are three tunnels layered on top of each other with invisible breaks that will drop you to the pipe below. Use the window sections in each pipe to keep track of your location. As you make your way through using Bomb Jumps, go as far left as you can outside the Light Zone and you can use a Bomb Jump to go right to reach a [MISSILE EXPANSION (100/255)]. Go left where the path "splits" to reach the end of this tunnel that leads to the Crypt. This time, you'll enter the room on the upper portion that leads to a large laser emitter. Now there are two ways to go about getting out of this room. The first one is to go normally and use the Dark Beam on the crystal to lower the energy shield, which in turn will cause platforms to come out of the walls and trigger a Dark Pir- ate Trooper fight. You can then use these platforms to navigate the room to reach the white door at the top. The second method is a bit faster: there is a Spinner next to the laser emitter - stand on the Spinner and try to Ghetto Jump off of it to land on top of the emitter. Balance on it, then rotate and Space Jump to the white door. Take this to reach the Crypt Tunn- el, a room filled with Darkling Tentacles. Get through this room to reach the Undertemple Shaft - Dark Torvus' version of Hydrodynamo Station. This room is laid out the same as Hydrodynamo Station with the absence of any water. Drop to the bottom and ignore the Hunter Ing as you use the ledges to reach a Kinetic Orb Cannon. Have it fire you to the top of the room, where you can use the red door to reach a Save Station if you need to save. Drop down from the top to the metal walkway lining the room, and fall into the small opening to reach a small walkway going into the cage in the center of the Shaft. There is a dead Luminoth here, but it doesn't hold a Lore entry, so ignore it; instead, activate the Bomb Slot to rotate part of the walkway over to a new door. Take the walkway to the newly-accessible blue door to reach Sacrificial Chamber Tunnel, a room with many Ingsphere Caches as well as patches of Venom Weed. Use the Caches to refill Light Beam Ammo and energy, then proceed past the Venom Weed to reach Sacrificial Chamber, where you'll fight the next mini-boss. MINI-BOSS BATTLE: GRAPPLE GUARDIAN ---------------------------------- The Grapple Guardian is what would seem to be an Alpha Grenchler (though no such scan exists for the Log Book) that has been possessed by the Ing who stole your Grapple Beam abilities. Read below for Normal and Hard Mode strategies for eliminating this Sub-Guardian. [NORMAL MODE] Although this Grenchler is larger than the others, it still has a weak- ness in its back shell. The Grapple Guardian will use charging and biting attacks as well as the Grapple Beam which can latch onto anything made of metal (i.e. you). Start off scanning it to add the [*"GRAPPLE GUARDIAN"*] entry to the Log Book; doing so also exposes its weak point in its eye. Fire at the eye to work on stunning the creature; when you successfully stun it, lock on and strafe-dash around to the Guardian's back and pound at its shell with a Super Missile or regular Missiles - whichever you can get out faster. What you should do next is try to stand near one of the two power generators in this chamber and bait the Grapple Guardian into using its Grapple attack so it gets stuck to the metallic object. If you do this and don't get grabbed by the beam, you can get behind the beast and fire away with the Light Beam for heavy damage. If you do get caught in the Grapple Beam, fire at its eye directly with a Super Missile to free yourself. After inflicting enough damage, the Grapple Guardian's outer shell will break and its attack pattern will change. Instead of the natural shell, the creature will surround its vulnerable spot with Grapp- le energy and its only weak spot will be its eye. Fire at this rapidly with the Power Beam or Missiles to stun it, then switch to the Light Beam and again rapidly pound away at its eye to cause damage. After a few more rounds, the Grapple Guardian will succumb to your onslaught and you'll be victorious. [HARD MODE] Like other bosses which go through "phases", nothing changes much except for the amount of damage you receive and what you must dish out to the Guardian in return. The Grapple Guardian is much more protective in this mode of its rear shell and takes a lot more punishment overall before being stunned. Its weak point is also vulnerable for a shorter amount of time, meaning this battle is going to be prolonged. Try to force the Guardian to latch to the power generators as much as possible so you can have the most time possible to attack its shell. Once you destroy the shell, strafe back and forth while firing Missiles until you can inflict damage, at which point spam away on the Light Beam. Resort to Super Miss- iles if you run out of ammo, and you'll eventually beat it. The Grapple Guardian leaves behind your [GRAPPLE BEAM] upgrade for you to return to your inventory, and the floor you're on will descend to the lower level that you first entered on. Of course, this is a means to an end to get you reacquainted with your swinging abilities, so climb up the nearby debris pile and look at the ceiling. Scan the ["GRAPPLE POINT"] up at the top, then wait for the icon to glow and press L to use the Grapple Beam to attach to the point. Swing to the ledge across from you, then return to the Undertemple Shaft. You're finished exploring this area for now, and since you have all of the necessary equipment to go to the Dark Torvus Temple (unless you didn't get the second Dark Temple Key from Venomous Pond earli- er with the L-Lock Spring Space Jump trick, in which case you can grab it on your way to the Dark Temple). First, though, return to Crypt by way of Undertransit One and use the Light Portal to go back to Light Aether. THE DARK VISOR ============== This subsection will go over your return to the Dark Torvus Temple to fight the guardian, the Chykkas, for Dark Torvus' energy controller. : =TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Return Dark Temple Keys to Dark Torvus Temple. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x3) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: The Ing Attack | | 4. Scans: Dark Grenchler | |________________________________________________________________________| The portal takes you back to the Gathering Hall. Make your way back to Hydrodynamo Station and return to Torvus Temple. From there, make your way back to Great Bridge, where you'll have to engage a few more Dark Pirate Commandos. Head through the white door to reach Abandoned Worksite, and use either the Grapple Point (easier) or some small indentations in the walls (harder) to reach a [MISSILE EXPANSION (105/255)]. If you use the Space Jump method, you can get this at any time, technically, but having the Grapple Beam makes it much easier. Once you've grabbed it, return to Great Bridge and take the blue door to reach Path of Roots. In here is an Emerald Hologram; scan it for the [LUMINOTH LORE: "THE ING ATTACK" (19/41)], then work your way around the room to the other side behind the Sporb, where you can use the Grapple Point to grapple over to another [MISSILE EXPANSION (110/255)]. Now take the door back to Torvus Lagoon. Head to the side you started on and go under the water, then turn until you see a small alcove by some Venom Weed. Use the Gravity Boost to float over the Venom Weed and you can grab a third [MISSILE EXPANSION (115/255)]. Now take the pathway to Forgotten Bridge and use the Dark Portal. : =DARK TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Return Dark Temple Keys to Dark Torvus Temple. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: Dark Visor | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Beam Ammo Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: *Chykka Larva*, *Dark Shredder*, *Chykka Adult*, *Dark| | Chykka*, *Chykling* | |________________________________________________________________________| Back in Dark Forgotten Bridge, take the door into Brooding Ground and use it to access Venomous Pond. From here, go through the black door into Port- al Chamber and head into Poisoned Bog. Another Hunter Ing awaits you in this room, but you can try to ignore it as you Space Jump up to a ledge with a purple door. Open it with the Seeker Missiles and head into Cache A to claim a [BEAM AMMO EXPANSION (2/4)], increasing your ammo count to 150 units! Backtrack out of Poisoned Bog and return to Venomous Pond. If you didn't get the Dark Torvus Temple Key earlier, grapple across to it now since you're right next to the entrance to Dark Torvus Temple. If you do already have it, then simply visit the Save Station first, then enter the white door to reach Dark Torvus Temple Access. From here, proceed down the hallway to reach the Dark Temple. There will be a swirling red light for you to stand in that will begin the sequence of returning the three Dark Temple Keys to their places. After they are all in place, the gate will unlock and you can proceed into the Temple area. Dark Water will pour into the room, raising the platform you're standing on. After the water stops, you'll see a gigantic cocoon suspended on the wall in front of you. Its held in place by four supports which you have to knock down with either the Seeker Missiles or take them down with charged Power Beam shots. This is also the exact point where you can trigger the "Floaty Jump" glitch (temp- orary moon jump-like effect) by standing in the Dark Water when you break the final support. After all four are broken, the cocoon falls into the water and breaks, beginning the next major boss fight. BOSS BATTLE: CHYKKAS -------------------- The Chykkas are the dark guardians of Dark Torvus Bog. This is a three- part boss battle with five different Log Book scans. Read below for Nor- mal and Hard Mode strategies for taking this group of bosses out. [NORMAL MODE] This battle proceeds in a series of individual phases, during which time you fight different forms and mutations of the Chykkas. The first phase will be against the infant version, the Chykka Larva. Below is an explan- ation of each phase and what you need to do in each one. 1. PHASE 1: CHYKKA LARVA After the cocoon drops into the water, it will break and release the large water-based infant version. Scan it as it swims around for the [*"CHYKKA LARVA"*] entry, then focus on tracking it as it moves around the central platform you're standing on. As it swims around, a new kind of creature will spring out of the water - scan one of them for the [*"DARK SHREDDER"*] entry, then fire the Power Beam at them for health and ammo refills. Eventually, the Chykka Larva will do one of two things - either leap high in the air and crash back into the Dark Water or it will mount the platform and try to attack you directly. If it leaps, target its stomach and fire away with regular Light Beam shots. Don't waste time charging because you'll probably miss, and you want to cause rapid damage during this phase. If it mounts the plat- form, you'll probably be ensnared by its tongue and get dragged tow- ards it. Fire charged Light Beam shots at it this time to get it to let you go (or fire a Super Missile directly into its mouth). Watch out for the splashing Dark Water and move left and right to avoid the acid bursts that it spits. This phase ends when you've completely de- pleted the Chykka Larva's health meter. 2. PHASE 2: CHYKKA ADULT With the death of the infant, a new Chykka monster bursts out of a cocoon on the wall as the large central platform splits into three smaller platforms. Lock on and scan the new Chykka for the [*"CHYKKA ADULT"*] entry, then focus on targeting this aerial form. The Chykka Adult resembles a large dragonfly and hovers back and forth while either charging at you or spitting a wide swath of acid at you. The Chykka Adult is a creature of light (why it lives in the Dark World is a mystery) and is therefore weak to the Dark Beam. Your best bet is to get in close because the Dark Beam's slow rate of fire coupled with the Chykka Adult's fast rate of speed can make you easily miss, and you don't want to waste Beam Ammo. After you've dealt enough damage to the Chykka Adult, you'll stun it and it will remain suspended in the air. You have a very limited amount of time to find the nearest Grapp- le Point, swing over to the Chykka Adult so that you're facing it, and target the four glowing red points on its wings with the Seeker Miss- ile. Target all four of the points and hit them simultaneously to in- jure the Chykka Adult. 3. PHASE 3: DARK CHYKKA Injuring the Chykka Adult causes it to fall into the Dark Water. It will emerge after being possessed by the Ing and become a new scan entry. Scan it quickly for the [*"DARK CHYKKA*] entry and you'll find that this form is much easier. Now you can just target its enlarged thoracic sac and pound away with the Light Beam to rapidly cause dam- age. During this phase, the Dark Chykka will periodically release a swarm of enemies from its thorax - scan one for the [*"CHYKLING"*] entry and fire at them while alternating your Beams to collect Ammo for both beams. After whittling down its energy a bit more, you'll injure the Dark Chykka enough that the Ing possession will end and you'll reset to Phase 2 against the regular Chykka Adult. 4. PHASE 4: ALTERNATING CHYKKA AND DARK CHYKKA The fight will start again with Phase 2. Damage the Chykka Adult until you stun it again, then grapple over and target its wings with the Seeker Missiles. Injuring it again will cause the Ing to repossess the creature and turn it back into Dark Chykka. Pummel away at it now with the Light Beam until you eventually kill this monster. [HARD MODE] This battle proceeds in the same order as the Normal Mode fight, only all of the Chykka forms will cause much more damage to you. The Chykka Larva will mount the platform and try to eat you more often, and it is harder to avoid its acidic attacks. Once you fight the Adult, you must be quicker on the draw because the Chykka Adult will stay stunned for a much shorter period of time and it will be much harder to actually hit. Iron- ically, the Dark Chykka phase is still the easiest because you can pound away with Light Beam shots to cause massive damage. You will probably have to go three alternating rounds between the Adult and its Dark vers- ion, though, before completely depleting its health. Defeating all of the Chykkas causes the center platform to return to one piece and reveals a new upgrade in the middle. Claim the [DARK VISOR] and you'll be able to view objects that are in dimensional flux or invisible to the current timespace - basically a cooler X-Ray Visor. You'll use this item immediately as a series of ledges rises up within the Dark Temple, but become invisible. Navigate the ledges up to reach the door at the top, and head into the Energy Controller to take Dark Torvus' energy. Remember that if you're going for 100%, Dark Agon's and the Ing Hive's energy is all that you need to take (Dark Agon's to spawn sonic emitters later in Mining Plaza and the Ing Hive's for the Light Suit). Dark Torvus' energy doesn't seem to affect anything, so you can just enter the Controller which is two "rooms" away from the Dark Torvus Temple (thus reloading the room), and go back without doing anything. This way you don't have to make the lengthy side trip back to Torvus Temple (or for that matter, to the Great Temple); you can head straight to Sanctuary Fortress. Whatever you decide to do, exit the Dark Torvus Temple and backtrack through Venomous Pond to Dark Forgotten Bridge and use the portal there to return to Light Aether. : =TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Return energy to Torvus Temple. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| You'll emerge in Forgotten Bridge. Fight any Dark Pirate Commandos or Dark Pirate Troopers that appear in this area using your new Dark Visor. This helps immensely against the Dark Commandos since you can now see when they phase out of normal space. Backtrack to Torvus Temple and restore the ener- gy to the Temple and the Luminoth Sentinel will thank you for your courag- eous efforts. Now it's time to leave this place and return to U-Mos for your next goal. Start off heading back to the entrance to Torvus Bog by way of Great Bridge. Some Dark Pirate Commandos will lock you in, so dust them off with the Dark Visor and Light Beam. Once you're done, backtrack to Torvus Lagoon and head for the Transport to Temple Grounds. : =TEMPLE GROUNDS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Return to the Great Temple for your next mission. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Exit Torvus Bog back into Temple Grounds and make your way through the large room back into the Meeting Grounds. Here, deal with a few more Dark Pirate Commandos and take the elevator up to the Great Temple. : =GREAT TEMPLE= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Speak to U-Mos for your next mission. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Return to the Temple Sanctuary and take the elevator up to the Main Energy Controller to meet once more with U-Mos. He'll tell you that the final Energy Controller lies high in the Luminoth's Sanctuary Fortress - the site of their final stand against the Ing. He warns you that once the machines served the Luminoth - now many of them serve the Ing and will view you as an enemy. Finish listening to him and return to the Temple Sanctuary to unlock the Emerald Hologram that leads into Transport A Access. There is a Save Station to the right here - use it if you want, but you should first look for a small pile of rocks. Set a Morph Ball Bomb and roll underneath the Save Station for a [MISSILE EXPANSION (120/255)]. Once you're finished saving your game, continue back down to Temple Grounds. : =TEMPLE GROUNDS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Return to the Great Temple for your next mission. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: The Sky Temple | | 4. Scans: Luminoth Turret | |________________________________________________________________________| This transport takes you to Sacred Path near what you explored at the start of the game. Eliminate the War Wasps in here and proceed towards Sacred Bridge. Earlier in the game you had to use this bridge to proceed, but now that the bridge is up, you can't seem to get past it. Unless, that is, you look at it with the Dark Visor to see five controls around the bridge. Target each with the Seeker Missile and fire simultaneously to release the locks and bring the bridge back down. This will take you back to the GFMC Compound, where some nosy Space Pirates are prowling around. Eliminate them quickly and stand on the upper part of the cliff near the yellow door and look out so that you're facing the front part of the GFMC ship. You can use a long L-Lock Spring Space Jump out towards the ship and barely catch the edge; hold forward as you land if you manage to get on top of the ship, and you can traverse the length of it to find a [MISSILE EXPAN- SION (125/255)] at the end. If you can't make it, come back here after you have the Screw Attack and get it then. Drop down to ground level and scan the Emerald Hologram to open the path to Fortress Transport Access. Just inside the door is a powerful ["LUMINOTH TURRET"]. These are like the Auto Defense Turrets from the first game and pack a bit of a punch, so hide be- hind a wall and inch out only to fire Missiles at it. Destroy it, then move on to find a strange column of yellow light. Standing in it seems to do nothing, so ignore it for now and scan the hologram at the end for the [LUMINOTH LORE: "THE SKY TEMPLE" (20/41)]. Proceed on through the next door to reach the Transport leading to the Sanctuary Fortress. 8D. THE FORTRESS IN THE SKY --------------------------- This section details the fourth part of this walkthrough as you make your way through the aerial Sanctuary Fortress and its twisted dark counterpart, the Ing Hive as you attempt to claim the Hive's energy. The strongest mechanoids and Ing dwell in this region, but fortunately you will accumulate a number of powerful upgrades during this part. THE SPIDER BALL =============== This subsection will go over your initial exploration of Sanctuary Fortress and your recovery of your Spider Ball ability. : =SANCTUARY FORTRESS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Conduct initial reconnaissance of Sanctuary Fortress. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: Octopede, Rezbit, Quad MB, Quad CM | |________________________________________________________________________| As you get off the Transport into Sanctuary Entrance, you'll find yourself in a room surrounded by advanced Luminoth technology. Head down the long hallway and you'll find more Luminoth Turrets Take them out and scan the nearby panel to rotate the large ring. Keep going down the hallway and get past the Serenity Class Drones, then use the Spinner to rotate a second ring. After rotating the ring, you'll be able to proceed into the large open area of the Sanctuary Entrance. In the distance is the actual Fortress itself, but you have to cross a large bridge to get there first. The bridge is littered with storage crates and Phazon containers. As you reach the halfway point, a large group of Pirate Commandos will appear. Use the near- by crates as cover while you take them down - try shooting the containers with Phazon for some easy kills. After you eliminate all of them, head to the other side and you can enter the main fortress. Inside the door, you'll find your first new enemy - scan one for the ["OCTOPEDE"] entry and shoot them to make them self-destruct. Head through the white door to reach Power Junction, then take this short tunnel into the Reactor Access. Here you'll see large robots docked in the walls. You won't have to fight these yet, but in order to proceed, you need to use the Dark Visor to see a set of Seeker Missile targets on a high bridge. Activate them and a new robotic enemy will emerge. Scan this quickly as a ["REZBIT"], then charge the Dark Beam and fire when its close. The Rezbits can be dangerous because they phase in and out of normal timespace, can shield themselves, and as a last resort, can transmit a computer virus into your Power Suit. This virus is cool to witness at least once, because you enter a debug mode where a lot of interesting text scrolls across your Visor. To clear the virus, press L, R, and B at the same time to "reboot" your systems. Avoid this attack by freezing the Rezbit with the Entangler, then fire a Missile to shatter it. After its been defeated, jump up to the bridge and head into the Reac- tor Core. In here, you'll face another new kind of mechanoid. This four-legged robot has two parts - the ["QUAD MB"] (Main Body) and the ["QUAD CM"] (Command Module. Start off targeting the head and use charged shot. After you have destroyed it, wait for the main body to use a spinning attack and use the Boost Ball to rocket into its legs to stun it. After stunning the Quad, roll underneath it and set a Bomb to destroy it. Once its gone, you can proceed through the Reactor Core via one of two paths. On the left-hand side is a Cobalt Hologram that you can't access yet, so take the right-hand path to a Save Station. Use it, then go back to the main section of the Reactor. Take the ledges up while engaging or avoiding the Rezbits. At the top are two doors - you can't open the yellow one yet, so head into the blue door to reach the Mingyro Chamber. This room contains a set of spinn- ing concentric rings on the other side of the glassed in control chamber. Scan the nearby console to find a code that will enable you to turn off the Minigyro. The code is "AMBER COBALT CRIMSON EMERALD". By now in the game, you should know that these are more specific names for certain colors of doors, holograms, and such. Use the nearby Morph Ball Tunnel to gain access to the Minigyro, and activate the four colored Bomb Slots in the correct order (yellow/blue/red/green) to stop the spinning rings, which lets you access the next door leading to the Hall of Combat Mastery. This room is guarded by two Quads, so take them out as you explore the winding passages. There is a door that leads to a small transport, but it is pro- tected by a forcefield at the moment. There is also a Missile Expansion hidden in a network of Morph Ball Tunnels. Ordinarily this requires you to have the Spider Ball, but you can grab it early by standing atop a computer console almost directly across from the Expansion. Space Jump to the left corner towards the largest opening in the Morph Ball Tunnel, then at the last second, mid-air morph by pressing X to stuff yourself into the Tunnel, where you can simply roll down and Bomb Jump up to grab the [MISSILE EXPAN- SION (130/255)] much earlier than intended. For now, there is nothing else to do in this room, so take the small tunnel to reach a portal generator on the other side. Scan to activate it, and head for your first trip to the dark version of the Fortress, the Ing Hive. : =ING HIVE= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Conduct initial reconnaissance of the Ing Hive. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: None | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: Ingworm Cache, Dark Tallon Metroid, Dark Diligence | | Drone | |________________________________________________________________________| The portal takes you to the dark version of Hall of Combat Mastery, the Culling Chamber. In here, you'll find another form of Ing storage. Scan it for the ["INGWORM CACHE"] entry, then shoot to destroy it and collect any refills. Go through the blue door to reach Hazing Cliff, where you'll find an Ing-possessed Metroid - scan it for the Log Book as a ["DARK TALLON MET- ROID"], then kill it quickly with charged Light Beam shots. Along the left- hand side of this chamber is a walkway. Take it to reach the other side to find a short tunnel that is guarded by a new enemy. Scan it for the ["DARK DILIGENCE DRONE"] entry, then fire charged Light Beam shots to destroy them. After they're gone, proceed into the small nook to grab the [MISSILE EXPANSION (135/255)], then return to Culling Chamber. and enter the main part of the room. There are several Warrior Ing in here, so eliminate them with the charged Light Beam. There is a black door here that leads to a transport to the another area of the Hive. You'll also see the first Hive Temple Key in the same network of Morph Ball Tunnels where you got the last Missile Expansion, although this one requires the Spider Ball. ******************************************************************** = SEQUENCE BREAK = BREAK TYPE: Item Skip ACQUISITION: Hive Temple Keys (x3) TECHNIQUES: Bomb Space Jump + Screw Attack (at Hive Temple) -------------------------------------------------------------------- This sequence break will allow you to cut a lot of time off from your quest through Sanctuary Fortress and the Ing Hive. Because the Temple Keys don't count for percent, you don't have to get them. The Ing Hive is the only dark temple that you can access without the Temple Keys. To do this, simply ignore all directions from here on acquiring the Dark Temple Keys. Once you have collected the other items, proceed to the Hive Temple Access. Back up against the wall and morph so that the camera doesn't swing around. You need to exe- cute a "Bomb Space Jump", where you bomb jump and get an instant unmorph. Upon instantly returning to HUD view, jump and then Space Jump to get extra height. At the peak, Screw Attack forward - your "quadruple" jump will carry you over the gate and allow you to get into the Hive Temple. You won't be taking this route to exit the Temple, so leaving this gate in place is of no consequence. ******************************************************************** Remember this for later if you plan on skipping collection of the Hive Tem- ple Keys. Now take the black door to Central Hive East Transport, which will take you towards the Hive Dynamo Works. This area has a large pit in it that you can cross with the Grapple Beam, but you need to first take out a swarm of Nightbarbs, or they'll knock you off the Grapple Point. After you reach the other side, you'll find a Light Portal protected by a force- field. Switch to the Dark Visor and you'll see five targets across the pit near you. Charge up the Seeker Missiles and use them to hit the five tar- gets to unlock the forcefield. This part is made a bit tricky by the swarm of Nightbarbs, so take most of them out if you need to. Once the forcefield is down, activate the portal and return to Light Aether. : =SANCTUARY FORTRESS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Explore the secondary area of the Fortress. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: Spider Ball | | 2. Modules: Cobalt Translator Module | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: Agon Falls, C-Rch's Testament | | 4. Scans: Diligence Class Drone, Mechlops, Dark Quad MB, Dark | | Quad CM, Mekenobite, *Spider Guardian* | |________________________________________________________________________| The portal takes you to the regular Dynamo Works, although this area does not have a pit like its dark version. Go through the nearby black door to reach the Dynamo Access, where you'll find a new enemy, although one you've seen in the Ing Hive. This is a regular ["DILIGENCE CLASS DRONE"] that you can get rid of with the Dark Beam. Proceed onwards and scan beneath the floor for the ["MECHLOPS"] crawling about, then look at the floor and find the gap that leads to the underground area. Navigate this by setting Bombs for the Mechlops to pick up, then roll to the exit on the other side of the room. Eliminate a few more Diligence Class Drones and you'll reach a door leading to the large Main Gyro Chamber. Like the Minigyro, this area has a color puzzle for you to solve. There are two massive concentric rings spinning within the chamber; you can't go anywhere but down for now, but it takes you to a relative dead end. Instead, look for the Morph Ball Tunn- el by the window and take it to reach another area. Take the next Morph Ball Tunnel to reach a control chamber looking out towards the Main Gyro. If you need to save, go through the red door to reach the Save Station, then return to this small chamber and activate the nearby Bomb Slot. Activating the Bomb Slot triggers a grid of crimson, emerald, and cobalt circles to appear in front of the window. You have to fire at the gray ones to get the colored ones to move around so that you have all the crim- son circles on the top row, all the emerald ones in the middle, and all of the cobalt ones on the bottom. Fire at the gray ones to solve the top row first, then do the middle and the bottom. Completing the grid raises a second Bomb Slot; activate this to cause the outer Gyro ring to stop mov- ing. Now you can go through the first Morph Ball Tunnel and access the Gyro itself. Navigate the outer rign to reach a ledge on the other side that leads to another control room. In here, use the Spinner to open a gate that connects the two sides, then use the nearby elevator to reach a door at the top of the Main Gyro. This leads into the Temple Access corridor. In this corridor, you'll encounter another Quad, but this one is slightly different than the previous ones you've faced. With this one, you must take out the Main Body first, or else the Command Module will continually regen- erate. Once you've destroyed the Quad, you can enter the Sanctary Temple. This large open area is like the other Temples, except patrolled by some machines. Dropping into the area will trigger a cutscene where the two Quads are possessed by the Ing. Take a moment to scan them for the Log Book for the ["DARK QUAD CM"] and ["DARK QUAD MB"] entries, then proceed to handle them like you would ordinary Quads by taking out the Command Module with the Light Beam and boosting into the Main Body when it glows red. Once you've taken them out, you'll see components of a large unfinished mechanoid in this area. Use the platforms in front of you along with the Grapple Beam to work your way to the topmost platform in the room, then Grapple again across the chasm to the blue door across from you. Enter and use a Bomb Jump to reach the Bomb Slot on the central structure like the previous two Energy Controllers. This will rotate the walls and take you up to the Sanctuary Energy Controller, where you'll find another dead Luminoth and a glowing hologram. Scan the hologram to activate a recording where the dead Luminoth Sentinel tells you how this fortress once was a Luminoth sanctuary, but now the Ing have taken control of many of the mechanoids. After the message is finished, you will receive an upgrade to your [TRANS- LATOR MODULE (4/4)] that allows you to decode Cobalt-colored Luminoth Holo- grams. Use your new module to scan the wall for another [LUMINOTH LORE: "AGON FALLS" (21/41)], then return back down to Sanctuary Temple. From the exit, use the Grapple Beam to cross back to the middle platform, then inch forward until you barely see a spidery mechanical creature below you. Scan it as a ["MEKENOBITE"], then continue grappling over to the platform with the Cobalt Hologram. Scan it to reveal a new door that leads into Worker's Path. Jump from platform to platform as you go towards the door at the end, then go down and scan a panel to turn on a Kinetic Orb Cannon. Let the cannon boost you to the far side of the room, then ascend the next set of ledges to reach the Dynamo Works. In here, you'll see some Morph Ball Tunn- els with an entrance, but first, stop and scan for the creature crawling around inside. This is the [*"SPIDER GUARDIAN"*], and this is your only chance to scan it. Drop into the passage to start the next mini-boss fight. MINI-BOSS BATTLE: SPIDER GUARDIAN --------------------------------- This mutated Pillbug has been possessed by the Ing thug who jacked your Spider Ball abilities earlier in the game. This fight is a bit tough be- cause it takes place entirely in Morph Ball form. Read below for Normal and Hard Mode strategies for handling this Sub-Guardian. [NORMAL MODE] First off, take the lay of the land. This is a complex network of tunnels that spans four rooms. Each room has Bomb Slots in it along with electric barriers that the Spider Guardian seems to be avoiding. Look at the size of the ledges - some are thick while others are thin. The Spider Guardian has a forcefield surrounding it that can damage you if you're too close; this goes for thin walls too. If the forcefield can extend through a wall and touch you, you need to move out of the way. Some rooms are larger than they initially appear, requiring you to use the X Button to zoom in and out of the viewable field. Finally, this battle will move through a series of "phases" as you force this Guardian from room to room to its ultimate demise. Below is a list of what you must do in each room to fin- ish this fight. 1. PHASE 1: REGULAR LEDGES/SINGLE BOMB SLOT This one's fairly simple. Start at the edge of the lowest platform in the middle. When the Spider Guardian approaches, drop two bombs so you can stun it, then use your third to escape into the safe passage on the left. When you stun it and cause it to turn green, platforms will appear that let you reach the first Bomb Slot. Bomb Jump your way up the rest of the way and roll right to reach the Slot. Jump into it, set your Bomb to activate it, and DON'T move. Let the Guardian collide with the first electric field, then follow it into the next room. 2. PHASE 2: HALF-PIPE/SINGLE BOMB SLOT You'll make liberal use of the Boost Ball in this one. The trick here is to wait until the Guardian begins approaching whichever side of the half-pipe you're on, then fall down while dropping bombs in the hopes that you stun it. Once you do, boost up to the upper-left part of the room and roll to the next Bomb Slot. Activate it and drop as quickly as you can to the bottom of the half-pipe so the Guardian doesn't hit you. Once the Guardian collides with this electric field, boost again up the half-pipe to follow it into the next room. 3. PHASE 3: HALF-PIPE REDUX This room has another half-pipe. This time, though, boost to the top- most area and wait by the break in the platform. When the Guardian starts its approach, drop down while setting Bombs and repeat until the Guardian has been stunned. Boost up to the top again, and quickly navigate your way to the Bomb Slot in the center. Activate it and like with the last room, drop to the bottom of the half-pipe until it has fled into the next room. 4. PHASE 4: MOVING GATES/THREE BOMB SLOTS This is the hardest room because there are three Bomb Slots that must be activated in a specific order to make the Spider Guardian go in certain directions. You also have to watch where you are and keep an eye on where the Spider Guardian is before activating a slot so that you have enough time to get out of the way while still leaving enough time for the Guardian to run into an electric barrier. For the first one, drop to the bottom and wait just below the gap in the middle platform. From here, drop Bombs to stun the Guardian, and use your remaining one to boost up to the ledge. Waiting in the center also keeps you from being hit by the Guardian's energy field. When you stun the Spider Guardian, activate the first Bomb Slot after the Guardian is on the right-hand side of the screen, but traveling left. This will force it to the next level and cause it to hit the first energy gener- ator. When the Guardian has returned to the bottom, repeat the same steps, but make sure the Guardian is on the left-hand side traveling right before attempting to activate the second Slot in the upper right corner. Then repeat those two steps and hightail it to the Bomb Slot in the upper left corner. If you do this before the platforms retract, the Guardian will race into the third electric barrier and will fin- ally die. [HARD MODE] There is actually nothing different about this fight except for how much damage the Spider Guardian will inflict on you. It takes the same number of phases and the same amount of damage from each electric barrier. Your secondary focus in this fight aside from moving the Spider Guardian where you need it to go should be not getting struck by the mini-boss itself. Defeating the Spider Guardian reveals an exit out of this fourth room of the Dynamo Works that leads directly to the [SPIDER BALL] upgrade. Use your new ability to navigate back out of this area and look for a Spider Ball Track near the junction of the third and fourth rooms. Head up and go left to find a [MISSILE EXPANSION (140/255)], then return to Dynamo Access. Scan the ["SPIDER BALL TRACK"] here for your Log Book, then use it to reach a door above you. There is a dead Luminoth here, so scan it for the [LUMINOTH LORE: "C-RCH'S TESTAMENT" (22/41)]. At this point, you can either take the blue door to reach Central Area to Transport East and return to the Hall of Combat Mastery for your next "real" objective, or if you feel like taking a side trip for another early item, return to the Main Gyro Chamber and take the white door to reach Watch Station Access. ******************************************************************** = SEQUENCE BREAK = BREAK TYPE: Early Item ACQUISITION: Screw Attack TECHNIQUES: Freeze/WSA Dash, Roll Jump, Mid-Air Morph -------------------------------------------------------------------- This sequence break is pretty tricky to pull off because it requires a number of special moves, but it allows you to cross the expansive Watch Station Access (which is normally crossable only from the opp- osite side after you scan to lower Grapple Points. Accessing Watch Station in this manner in turn allows you to access the Vault and grab the Screw Attack much earlier than intended. For 100% scan runs such as this one, this break isn't recommended since you waste more time going back for things you missed, but for pure speed runs, it saves quite a bit of time. Once you get into Watch Station Access, there are two methods for crossing the gap - the Freeze Dash or the Roll Jump. Both techniques if executed correctly will get you enough distance when triggering a Terminal Fall to respawn on the other side. For the Freeze Dash, head into the room and jump to a small ledge on the left-hand side. Turn around so you're facing the door and fully scan it. While hol- ding the scan, jump backwards while holding L, then rotate the Con- trol Stick back-left, hold it, then rotate it back down. Now in a fluid motion before the small "freeze" occurs, hold R and rotate the stick to the back-left position again. After the freeze and you start flying backwards, use your second jump for extra distance to continue your trajectory while not letting go of any buttons you have held down. The end goal of this technique is to trigger the "Terminal Fall" state (where your crosshairs disappear) after you cross the second Grapple Point (or in other words, about 70% of the way across). This will respawn you on the other side - grab the Energy Tank and proceed into Watch Station. The second method is the Roll Jump. This is executed differently, and is more difficult to pull off while getting the required dis- tance, but it's not as control-sensitive as the Freeze Dash. Start near the door and morph. Roll off the right-hand side of the ledge and hit X to umorph as soon as half of the Morph Ball is covered by the ledge. This *should* trigger the "instant unmorph", after which you can use your Space Jump to cross approximately 65% of the gap and respawn on the opposite side. Head into Watch Station and navigate the room like normal (or take advantage of a tricky set of maneuvers to bypass the Spider Ball Tracks) to enter the Vault and grab the Screw Attack. ******************************************************************** If not using the Watch Station Access trick, proceed through Dynamo Access back to the transport and go to the Hall of Combat Mastery. THE POWER BOMB ============== This subsection will cover your return to the accursed Dark Torvus Bog area to fight the last of the Ing Sub-Guardians so you can reclaim your Power Bomb abilities. : =SANCTUARY FORTRESS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Leave Sanctuary Fortress and return to Temple Grounds. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: The Final Crusade | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Scan the hologram on the wall for another [LUMINOTH LORE: "THE FINAL CRU- SADE" (23/41)], then take the Dark Portal to return to the Ing Hive. : =ING HIVE= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. None. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: Ing Hive Temple Key #1 | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Upon your return to Culling Chamber, you can now get the first of the three Temple Keys. Use the nearby Spider Ball Track and maneuver across to reach the Morph Ball Tunnel maze where the first [HIVE TEMPLE KEY (1/3)] sits in the wall. After grabbing it, exit out and return to Light Aether. : =SANCTUARY FORTRESS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Return to Temple Grounds. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: Energy Tank (x1) | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: Ingsmasher | |________________________________________________________________________| Returning to the Hall of Combat Mastery, you can now make your way towards the exit. In doing so, you will most likely cause one of the dormant stat- ues to suddenly come to life. As it does, scan one for the ["INGSMASHER"] entry, then treat it like an Elite Pirate from the first game. Fire Super Missiles at its head, but not when its hand glow purple or white - during this phase it can only be damaged by opposite polarity beams. Finish it off with about four Super Missiles, and head out of this area into the Reactor Core. This time, Rezbits will be occupying the area, so try not to get in- fected with their annoying virus as you drop to the bottom where the Kinet- ic Orb Cannon is. Use the Cannon and hold R as you to fly to attach to the large golden sphere, then navigate the surface when the electrical current isn't crackling. At the very top, align yourself on the red crystal and use the Boost Ball to rocket to the next sphere. Continue to repeat this for every single sphere in the room, being mindful of the electrical currents on every other orb. At the very top, roll and Bomb Jump to claim the [ENER- GY TANK (08/14)], then drop back down and go to the opposite end of the room with the Cobalt Hologram. This unlocks the door to the Sanctuary Map Station, so download the map if you need it. There is nothing else you can do in Sanctuary Fortress right now, so take the door that leads out to the Sanctuary Entrance. As you reach the bridge, however, Dark Samus appears and completely oblit- erates your route of escape. She really must hate you or something... But what Dark Samus didn't count on was the network of Spider Ball Tracks that line the remains of the bridge. Roll to the left and attach to the Spider Ball Track, then use the Boost Ball to jump from Track to Track until you get to the Temple Grounds side once again. Take out the Luminoth Turrets again as you head back to the Transport to Temple Grounds. : =TEMPLE GROUNDS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Return to Torvus Bog. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| There is nothing to do here except to return to the Great Temple so you can take its pathway to Torvus Bog. Back in the GFMC Compound, though, you can make another attempt at that Missile Expansion atop the GFS Tyr if you couldn't get it earlier. Backtrack via Sacred Bridge and Sacred Path to get back to the Great Temple. : =GREAT TEMPLE= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Return to Torvus Bog. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| *yawn* Go to Temple Transport C and take it down to Temple Grounds. : =TEMPLE GROUNDS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Return to Torvus Bog. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: Energy Tank (x1) | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Back in the Meeting Grounds, head along the same path you took earlier to reach Torvus Bog. Once you get to the Path of Eyes, though, you can open a green door that you couldn't access the first time. Use the Kinetic Orb Cannon to blast you far across a gap to reach a ledge. After you land, use the Grapple Beam to grapple across another gap to reach the [ENERGY TANK (09/14)], then return to Path of Eyes and continue on through to the Trans- port to Torvus Bog. : =TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Locate source of explosive energy in Dark Torvus Bog. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| At this point in the walkthrough, you have undoubtedly noticed that in the areas where you're backtracking, I am no longer giving explicit directions. Especially in the case of Torvus Bog; you should be as familiar with this region as you are the back of your hand. Return to Torvus Temple via the same exact way you've taken before and use the elevator down to the lowest levels. Go to Hydrodynamo Station and go down even further to reach the Main Hydrochamber where you fought the Alpha Blogg (or not, if you skipped the fight). There is an alcove in here that you can reach with the Gravity Boost that contains a Spider Ball Track. Roll up it to find a Dark Portal that goes to the dark version of this area, the Undertemple. : =DARK TORVUS BOG: = __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Reclaim the Power Bomb. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: Power Bomb | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: *Power Bomb Guardian* | |________________________________________________________________________| Well, that was easy. This takes you directly to the next mini-boss fight. MINI-BOSS BATTLE: POWER BOMB GUARDIAN ------------------------------------- The Power Bomb Guardian fight is a bit difficult. This is a gigantic dark Sporb that has been possessed by the Ing who took your Power Bomb capa- bility, and spits rapid-fire Power Bombs instead of acid darts. Read be- low for Normal and Hard Mode strategies for taking the Sub-Guardian down. [NORMAL MODE] The Power Bomb Guardian isn't too much of a terror in this round. You have to, of course, use the Spider Ball to navigate the winding Spider Ball Tracks around the pillar to reach four Bomb Slots located at the top. Like with the Spider Ball Guardian, these Slots control an energy field that, when activated, send surges through the Power Bomb Guardian's body that causes damage. There are safe zones located on the track it- self, but your path is complicated not only by the constant stream of Power Bombs, but by Inglets that pop up from time to time. You can set your own regular Bombs to try and get energy refills from the Inglets, but this only slows you down. Try and get to the top as fast as you can, using Bomb Jumps when necessary to reach higher portions of the Track. Once you activate a Bomb Slot, it will send an electrical surge through the Power Bomb Guardian and take off a significant chunk of its health. Try to stay attached to the track and let go of R here and there to drop to lower portions to confuse the Inglets. If the Guardian manages to get a Power Bomb next to you, just drop off the track - these will dis- lodge you anyway, but you'll also take a good amount of damage from being struck by the blast radius. Just play this battle safe and try to get to the remaining Bomb Slots as fast as you can. After the third one has been destroyed, the Guardian will take to firing flurries of Power Bombs - when this happens, wait out the Power Bomb attack, then make a break as fast as you can for the final slot. Once you trigger the final slot, a part of the ceiling will come down and crush the offending Sporb. [HARD MODE] Prepare for some degree of frustration. The Guardian doesn't let up in its streams of Power Bombs much, and it seems to have a bit more accuracy when launching them directly at you. Still, play it safe and try to use Inglets for refills - you can stand at the bottom and shoot them off with your beam if need be, then tractor in the refills. As before, wait for a flurry of Power Bombs to stop before making a run for one of the Bomb Slots. As before, trigger all four Slots to defeat this mini-boss. Defeating the Power Bomb Guardian will reveal your reward at the top. Use the Spider Ball tracks again to reach the top of the area to claim the [POWER BOMB (02/10)] upgrade. This only gives you two Power Bombs at the moment, and you'll be putting them to use right away. Drop to the bottom and use a Power Bomb on the yellow door to reach Undertemple Access. Get past the Darkling Tentacles and use your other Power Bomb to open the next door. Use the Kinetic Orb Cannon to reach the top of this area, then drop and grapple across to the white door to head to the Crypt. There is a light portal here that you can take to get out of Dark Torvus Bog. THE ECHO VISOR ============== This subsection will cover your return to Sanctuary Fortress for further exploration of the area, along with your second fight with Dark Samus. : =TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Locate pathway back to Sanctuary Fortress. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x2) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| This returns you to the Gathering Hall. Defeat some enemies to refill your Power Bombs, then set one in the floor to destroy it. This reveals a small curved area with a plug - destroy this with another Power Bomb and the water will drain from the room. Now you have a viable half-pipe to use, so use the Boost Ball to latch onto Spider Ball Tracks on the sides of this room. These will lead to two Bomb Slots that you have to activate to remove a forcefield. Once its gone, head to the platform with the laser with the Grapple Beam, then jump to the [MISSILE EXPANSION (145/255)]. Exit this room via the white door and go through the Transit Tunnel to reach the Training Chamber. There will probably be Dark Bloggs in here; if you can, ignore them and roll up the Spider Ball Tracks just to the left of the Luminoth statue to find a Bomb Slot. Activate it to move the statue forward which will in turn reveal another [MISSILE EXPANSION (150/255)]. Collect it and locate the yellow door. If you have Power Bombs left, open it. If not, destroy the Bloggs/Dark Bloggs to hopefully grab a refill. Once you open the yellow door, you'll locate a Transport leading to Sanctuary Fortress. : =SANCTUARY FORTRESS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Determine source of sonic emissions. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: Torvus Falls | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| This Transport takes you to Research Access, a hallway that is filled with irritating Octopedes. Eliminate them and enter Main Research, where you'll have to deal with two Quads. There is a [LUMINOTH LORE: "TORVUS FALLS" (24/ 41)] entry here; scan it for the Log Book before continuing. Now take the Spider Ball Track across the room and up to the door to Transit Station. Have your beam charged as you enter because a Luminoth Turret will be right inside the entrance. In here, use a Power Bomb to destroy a Denzium panel near the middle of the room. This will reveal a Dark Portal that you can take to reach the Ing Hive again. You're about to go on a joy-ride of some back and forth portals. : =ING HIVE= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Determine source of sonic emissions. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: Dark Ingsmasher | |________________________________________________________________________| This takes you to Hive Portal Chamber. Once you enter, you'll awaken anot- her sleeping statue. This one, however, is dark and much more deadly. Scan it as a ["DARK INGSMASHER"] and get ready to attack. These are much more powerful than regular Ingsmashers because they are not only stronger due to Ing possession, but they can use shoulder-mounted rocket launchers and jump to create Wave Quakes. They can also sucker punch you, so keep your distance and fire Super Missiles or the Light Beam when you get the chance. Just like their light cousins, they are weak to opposite polarity beams when their fists glow purple or white. Eliminate this enemy and you'll find a Light Portal behind where it broke out from. : =SANCTUARY FORTRESS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Determine source of sonic emissions. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| This takes you to an alcove in Transit Station, but there is a small Morph Ball tunnel near the grate that will take you to another Dark Portal. : =ING HIVE= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Determine source of sonic emissions. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Take the nearby Spider Ball Track to reach another Light Portal. *sigh* Go through it to get back to Sanctuary Fortress. : =SANCTUARY FORTRESS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Determine source of sonic emissions. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Power Bomb Expansion (x2) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: Twilight, S-Jrs's Testament | | 4. Scans: *Dark Samus 2* | |________________________________________________________________________| Good Lord. Take the next Spider Ball Track up and across the ceiling to drop into another section of the Transit Station. This time, you can claim a [POWER BOMB EXPANSION (03/10)] and be done with this irritating section. Leave Transit Station to return to the top of Main Reactor. Drop down from this area to the bottom and head back for the Sanctuary Entrance. Before you get very far, the doors will lock and you'll fight two Ingsmashers, though fortunately, only one at a time. Destroy them both and head out to Sanctuary Entrance. Go down and to the right to find a rocky area. Destroy it with a Power Bomb, then scan and ride the elevator up to the next level. Scan the panel here, then ride back down and use the now-activated Kinetic Orb Cannon to fire you off to a platform in the distance. Use the Spider Ball and the Bombs to navigate to the top where you'll find a turret that you can jump into. Turn to the left and fire at the wall on the right-hand side to break it, then turn the cannon to the side that Temple Grounds is on and fire again to break another section of the wall. Exit out of the turret and use the Spider Ball Track to reach another Kinetic Orb Cannon that will fire you back to your starting point. Now go to the right-hand section (left from the door into Sanctuary Fortress) to examine the newly- revealed area. Jump up the ledges to reach a Cobalt Hologram - scan it for the [LUMINOTH LORE: "TWILIGHT" (25/41)] entry, then you'll reach another Spider Ball Track. Follow this one up to reach another dead Luminoth - scan it for the [LUMINOTH LORE: "S-JRS'S TESTAMENT" (26/41)], and look nearby for another Kinetic Orb Cannon. Use it to fire yourself across the entire gap through the second wall you destroyed, where you'll find another [POWER BOMB EXPANSION (04/10)]. Now drop down and use the Spider Ball Tracks and the Boost Ball to return to the Sanctuary Fortress side. Enter the door again and make your way towards the Main Gyro Chamber. As you make your way back through these areas, some Ingsmashers may come to life and attack. Unless the doors lock, you won't be required to fight with them, so for now just evade and continue on your path. Once you get to the Hall of Combat Mastery, use the Spider Ball Tracks on the walls to reach the second level of the area, which you can take to reach the Main Gyro Chamber. Take the elevator down to the lowest level so you can scan the Luminoth Hologram for the [LUMINOTH LORE: "SHATTERED HOPE" (27/41] entry, then head to the top and go through the white door to reach a glassed-in area away from spinning rings of concentric circles. Detonate a Power Bomb to take out some pillars on the floor and raise a Bomb Slot. Activate this to initiate another colored circle puzzle. Like before, shoot the circles to make them rotate, and get each group the same color. When this happens, a second Bomb Slot will rise; activate this one to cause the inner ring of the Gyro to stop moving. It's at something of an angle, but you can still use it to cross. Head into the Gyro itself and use the Spider Ball Tracks along the ring to reach the other side. Your path is blocked by glass, but it's cracked slightly. Charge the Boost Ball and rocket off from the ring to break through and you'll be able to reach the next yellow door. Open it with a Power Bomb and proceed into Checkpoint Station. As soon as you enter, you'll witness Dark Samus wasting a group of Pirate Troopers. Head to the right to enter a small hallway stacked with crates and use them to refill any health or ammo you need. Go through the gate to reach where Dark Samus was, but she'll be gone by this point. Follow her through the next passage into Aerie Transport Station, and approach the center of the room to start the next battle. Dark Samus will lock you in and the elevator will start to rise - for now, at least, you have to battle her inside the elevator shaft. BOSS BATTLE: DARK SAMUS (SECOND FIGHT) -------------------------------------- Seems Dark Samus is itching for a rematch, and this time she's not as easy to beat. She has all her attacks from the last round, plus a number of new ones. Read below for Normal and Hard Mode strategies for eliminat- ing this second version. [NORMAL MODE] Remember that this is a new scan entry, so get [*"DARK SAMUS 2"*] for the Log Book and immediately lock onto her. This part of the battle is in extremely cramped quarters as you rise up the elevator shaft. She mostly defends herself with a Phazon Shield, and she is pretty much invulnerable to attack if she has it up. Once she drops it, though, let loose with regular Light Beam shots or Super Missiles. Her new attacks that she uses are a large sweeping beam attack that you can dodge by Space Jumping over it, or a charged attack that will temporarily freeze you. Escape this one by rapidly pressing B, because she'll follow up with a dash attack. Your goal right now should be to hold her off, because soon you'll be in a new area with more room to maneuver. Once the elevator stops and reaches the Aerie, she'll add two extra moves to her repertoire - she'll copy your Boost Ball or cloak herself, a move that forces you to track her with the Dark Visor. For being a technical "dark creature", Dark Samus is incredibly weak to the Dark Beam. The charged version will bind her with dark energy and slow her down a great deal, though regular shots can be effective too. Keep this beam armed while you try to hide behind the columns to keep her retaliatory attacks from hitting you, and keep whittling away at her until she engages her cloak. Track her with the Dark Visor and use a Super Missile to force her back into the visible spectrum. Switch back to the Dark Beam and keep on pummeling her to end up victorious. [HARD MODE] Dark Samus is quite a pain this time around, because the ratio of damage is so unbalanced. Keep moving around, using the Boost Ball to get away from most of her attacks and fire the Dark Beam whenever you have the chance to get up in her face or the Light Beam if you have to attack from a distance. Space Jump around to dodge her own Boost Ball attack and keep your beam charged. Try to get in close a couple of times to pound her with charged Dark Beam Entanglers if you can to slow her down enough for you to keep the advantage. Defeating her again causes her to fall backwards through the glass, though it's impossible to determine if she too sustains Terminal Falls only to re- spawn elsewhere. But now that she's out of your hair for the moment, follow the path outside of the Aerie to reach a narrrow walkway. Go along this path and you'll reach a Dark Portal. : =ING HIVE= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Determine source of sonic emissions. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Use the nearby safe zone to recharge energy if you need it, then take the exact reverse path to reach the dark world version of the Aerie. This one has a Spider Ball Track that goes over the wall; take this to reach a Spin- ner in the middle of the room. Rotate the Spinner until the two rings line up in position, then use the Spider Ball Track to go up again. Ride it until you can Boost off to a ledge that holds a Light Portal. Boost to it and return to Light Aether to see what all this work did. : =SANCTUARY FORTRESS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Determine source of sonic emissions. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: Echo Visor | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Arriving back in the Aerie, you'll see that the Spinning and Boosting has lowered a platform to the center of the room. Space Jump to it to claim the [ECHO VISOR], an upgrade that lets you "see" sound much like sonar - you send out sonic pulses and see them as they return to create a real-time imaging system. Activate your Visor in here and you'll notice three icons that resemble padlocks - these are sonic locks that must be disabled by firing at the sonic emitters. Look around to see three more icons that have waves emanating from them - fire at these to deactivate the sonic locks and you can proceed out of the Aerie back to Checkpoint Station. This area also has a sonic lock, so find it and unlock the door to get out of this area and back to the Main Gyro Chamber. THE SCREW ATTACK ================ This subsection will cover the rest of your exploration of Sanctuary Fort- ress as you reach the outer areas to find the powerful Screw Attack. : =SANCTUARY FORTRESS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Find advanced Luminoth/Chozo technology. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Use the nearby Save Station, then take the upper white door to reach Temple Access. In here is a gate that requires you to use the Dark Visor and the Seeker Missiles. Trigger the locks on the game to activate a Kinetic Orb Cannon. Use the Cannon and activate the Echo Visor to find a sonic emitter. Activate this one, then drop and utilize the Kinetic Orb Cannon a second time to be shot to an area with a [MISSILE EXPANSION (155/255)]. Use the Spinner to get out of this area and return to Temple Access. Exit back to the Main Gyro Chamber and take the black door this time to go back to Dyn- amo Works and take the portal to reach the Ing Hive. : =ING HIVE= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Find advanced Luminoth/Chozo technology. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: Hive Temple Key #2 | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Head to Hive Dynamo Access. You'll have to use the Echo Visor here to find a group of sonic locks. Disable them to open the gate, and proceed into Hive Gyro Chamber. This version has a large magnetic sphere that is surr- ounded by moving platforms. Jump onto the ledges and use the Spider Ball to attach to the central sphere. There are Darkling Tentacles that will emerge from the sphere and knock you off, so either use Bombs or Power Bombs to get ride of them. At the top of the sphere is a Spider Ball Track that will lead to a concentric ring. Attach to this ring, and then use the Boost Ball to fly across to the other side, collecting the [HIVE TEMPLE KEY (2/2)] in the process. Now, the top door in this room leads to the Hive Temple; if you're skipping the keys, remember that after getting the Screw Attack, you can head directly here and bypass the gate to reach the Hive Temple. None of the other doors here lead to anything useful (except the red door; it goes to a Save Station) unless you're up for a bit of random exploration. For now, simply return to Hive Dynamo Works and use the portal to get back to Light Aether. : =SANCTUARY FORTRESS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Find advanced Luminoth/Chozo technology. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: *Caretaker Class Drone* | |________________________________________________________________________| You'll now proceed through the rest of Sanctuary Fortress towards where the Screw Attack is located. Return to Main Research, take out the Quads and use the Spider Ball Tracks on the wall. Dodge the robots and other hazards along the path to reach a [MISSILE EXPANSION (160/255)], then head to the central structure. There will be a large machine in the middle of the room now; scan it for the [*"CARETAKER CLASS DRONE"*] Log Book entry, then look for a green gate. This locks you from further access into the area because of sonic interference, so use the Echo Visor to disable the sonic emitters and reveal a Dark Portal. : =ING HIVE= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Find advanced Luminoth/Chozo technology. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| This takes you to Staging Area, where almost immediately you'll be besieged by two Hunter Ing. You can try to ignore them as you proceed across the area to reach another gate with sonic emitters, but the expansive reach of their tentacles can make this pretty difficult. You can also wait until they're close to you and energize a nearby light beacon to make them leave you alone. Disable the sonic emitters to reveal a control panel; scan this to open up a section of the floor by the central shaft, and go down to find a portal that will return you to Sanctuary Fortress. : =SANCTUARY FORTRESS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Find advanced Luminoth/Chozo technology. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: Energy Tank (x1) | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x1), Beam Ammo Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: Sanctuary Falls | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| This deposits you in the central cylinder of Main Research. Roll up the nearby Spider Ball tracks and prepare to fight another mini-boss in Morph Ball form. MINI-BOSS BATTLE: CARETAKER CLASS DRONE --------------------------------------- Hopefully you scanned this the first time you saw it, because you're out of chances now. The Caretaker Class Drone is a bit of a nuisance because it requires a number of steps apart from just inflicting damage to be defeated. Read below for Normal and Hard Mode strategies for eliminating this mini-boss. [NORMAL MODE] You have to force the Caretaker Class Drone to three different levels and repeat a certain sequence of steps each time in order to defeat it. The Drone starts off spinning its robotic arms around the shaft trying to knock you off. Avoid these and watch for a red pole to extend from the bottom of the Drone. You need to rocket across the shaft with the Boost Ball and collide with this pole in order to effect damage. Be wary of the spinning arms - you'll take damage if you get knocked off, but you'll fall into a pit of crackling electricity that you have to Bomb Jump out of. Do your best to avoid this while waiting for the red pole to appear. After striking it three times, a larger red cylinder will extend from the middle of this drone. Boost into this to destroy it, and the Drone will ascend to the second level. Repeat the same process as before, except now you need to watch where you Boost to; the ring isn't complete this time and is now broken into segments. Line up your Boosting so you don't fall below, and hit the red pole three times and the red cylinder once to move the Drone to the third level. This level is a little bit harder because the ring is now broken into four segments. Again, line up your Boosts effectively and repeat the entire process again to destroy the Drone. [HARD MODE] Nothing changes in this fight except for the amount of damage you take from being struck by the Caretaker Class Drone's attacks. Defeating the Drone causes it to crash to the floor below, but opens up the upper path out of Main Research. Take the Morph Ball Tunnel nearby to get to a ledge high above you, and take it to Central Area Transport West. This tall shaft has a number of Kinetic Orb Cannons that you will use to reach the top. First, though, you have to disable a set of sonic emitters that are blocking the entrance. Switch to the Echo Visor and disable the emitt- ers, then roll into the first cannon; it will fire you to a second one, which will then fire you to a third, which will fire you to a fourth until you finally reach the top. Before proceeding, though, drop back down the tunnel to reach a small maze. Roll left at first, then right at each fork in the path to reach a [MISSILE EXPANSION (165/255)], then fall to the bottom. Use the Kinetic Orb Cannons again to reach the top, then go through the door into Watch Station. This room is guarded by two Rezbits. Before eliminating them, decide how you are going to proceed through the room. The normal method uses Spider Ball Tracks that start near the white door lead- ing to Watch Station Access. Before navigating the Spider Ball Track, scan the Cobalt Hologram for another [LUMINOTH LORE: "SANCTUARY FALLS" (28/41)], then enter Watch Station Access and grab the nearby [ENERGY TANK (10/14)] just down and to your left in a small alcove. Return to Watch Station and ride the Spider Ball Track up to the top and use a Bomb Jump to reach the next section of Track. Take this to reach a Kinetic Orb Cannon that you can use to reach yet another section of Track. Follow this while navigating the rotating gears, using Bomb Jumps to move between the two after passing the red poles. Bomb Jump from the second gear to reach another section of Spid- er Ball Track that you can freely navigate across. First, roll towards the bottom-left corner to see another Spider Ball Track below you. Drop onto it and you'll reach two more turning gears that you have to navigate. Once you get past them, you'll see a Morph Ball Tunnel leading off to the right. Follow this path to reach another Tunnel, and you'll reach a small chamber containing a [BEAM AMMO EXPANSION (3/4)]. Now exit out, cross Watch Station back to the white door and repeat the process all the way to the section of Spider Ball Track after the first two gears. Move to the bottom-right cor- ner this time to drop into a Bomb Slot. Activate it to remove the gate over the Dark Portal below you. The faster method is a lot trickier, but circumvents the Spider Ball Tracks in favor of using a Rezbit. This also skips the path to the Beam Ammo Ex- pansion, so if you're going for 100%, this path is pretty useless to you since you have to use the Tracks at some point to collect this Expansion. Anyway, start off leaving one of the Rezbits alive, and lure it over to the area near the gate covering the Dark Portal. Wait for it to activate its shield, then pop it with the charged Dark Beam before it releases its virus attack. Space Jump on top of the shields, then Space Jump up to the nearest Spider Ball Track - you can stand on the lowest corner of the track. Jump up to the higher portion on the right, then face the room (with your back to the Bomb Slot). Now Space Jump backwards and execute a mid-air-morph at the last second to get the Bomb Slot to "grab" you. Activate the Bomb Slot and drop down to enter the now-revealed Dark Portal. : =ING HIVE= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Find advanced Luminoth/Chozo technology. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| The portal takes you to Aerial Training Site, the dark world's counterpart of Watch Station. Almost immediately, you will be able to see the third Hive Temple Key on a high platform. Right now, defeat the Dark Pirate Comm- andos, then take the blue door on the far side to reach Judgment Drop. This area is full of Dark Preeds. Shooting them works best for a safe crossing, but it is possible to swing across with the Grapple Beam if you do it fast enough. Cross the gap, then Space Jump off the platform, using your second jump to curve back to the ledge below you, and take the portal back to Light Aether. : =SANCTUARY FORTRESS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Find advanced Luminoth/Chozo technology. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Back in Grand Abyss, you can utilize the platforms to your left and right to reach the top level and use the blue door to reach the Vault. This area is wide open like the last two areas, but has an item locked in a cage in the center. To get the item, you will be doing a lot of back and forth be- tween the two portals in this room. Start off by activating the nearby Bomb Slot to make lasers fire from the four turrets. Go to the lower level to find a control panel that you can scan to lower a bridge. Take the bridge to reach the Dark Portal. : =ING HIVE= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Find advanced Luminoth/Chozo technology. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: Dark War Wasp | |________________________________________________________________________| In Vault Attack Portal, no such bridge exists like in Sanctuary Fortress. Instead, use the Grapple Beam to cross the gap quickly. When you land, turn and scan a ["DARK WAR WASP"] for the Log Book. Get this now, because this is the only room in which they appear. They'll attack ruthlessly, too, so you want to Grapple and scan one quickly. After getting the scan, use the machine to activate another portal going back to Sanctuary Fortress. : =SANCTUARY FORTRESS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Find advanced Luminoth/Chozo technology. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| This portal takes you to the opposite side of the Vault. Now there are some platforms that you can use to reach the laser turrets, but be wary of the Rezbits. Quickly L-Lock Spring Space Jump to each platform and activate a Spinner before the Rezbits attack in order to rotate the turrets so that they point towards the cage in the center. To unlock it, you need to fire the lasers again, which requires you to go to the Bomb Slot at the start. *sigh* Go back through the portal you exited a moment ago. : =ING HIVE= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Find advanced Luminoth/Chozo technology. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Grapple across the gap in Vault Attack Portal to reach the first portal you took. Take it to go back to Light Aether. : =SANCTUARY FORTRESS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Collect advanced Luminoth/Chozo technology. | | 2. Find final Hive Temple Key | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: Screw Attack | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Activate the Bomb Slot a second time to cause the turrets to fire lasers at receptor crystals atop the central cage. This lifts the cage from the center platform. Finally, you can Space Jump to the platform and collect the [SCREW ATTACK] upgrade! With this item in hand, your jumping prowess is enhanced with not only a third jump, but you can add up to four extra hor- izontal jumps while spinning with charged energy. Immediately use the Screw Attack to exit the vault by crossing the gap to the door leading back into Grand Abyss. Again utilize the Screw Attack to cross the large gap here and return to Watch Station. This time, you'll fight a couple of Pirate Aero- troopers - for a fun time, Screw Attack into them. Otherwise, eliminate them how you see fit. THE ANNIHILATOR BEAM ==================== This subsection will cover the tasks you need to finish up in Sanctuary Fortress and the Ing Hive as you prepare to fight the dark guardian, Quad- raxis. : =SANCTUARY FORTRESS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Collect final Hive Temple Key. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Now you need to recover the final Hive Temple Key. Since you've already seen where it is, you can simply use the portal here in Watch Station to return to the Ing Hive. : =ING HIVE= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Collect final Hive Temple Key. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: Hive Temple Key #3 | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: Wall Jump Surface | |________________________________________________________________________| In Aerial Training Site, jump to the platform in the middle of the area. You should be able to see another ledge on the wall that leads towards a door. Enter the door to find a long vertical shaft. Scan the black and gold walls here to learn that this is a ["WALL JUMP SURFACE"] that can interact with your new Screw Attack. Wall Jump up this shaft by backing up a bit, then Space Jump and activate the Screw Attack. Connecting with this sur- face will cause you to stick much like the Spider Ball, except now you have to reverse your jump and press B to continue Screw Attacking. Keep doing this until you have reached the top and you'll find the final [HIVE TEMPLE KEY (3/3)] right in your path. There is also a control panel here that you can scan that will lower the remaining walls in Aerial Training Site. Use the Screw Attack to cross the long gap to reach where the portal is, and you'll find another Wall Jump Surface; use this one to reach the [MISSILE EXPANSION (170/255)] at the top. Drop back down and use the Light Portal to return to Sanctuary Fortress. : =SANCTUARY FORTRESS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Return Temple Keys to Hive Temple. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Back in Watch Station, head across to the white door and enter Watch Stat- ion Access. If you haven't already grabbed the Energy Tank, do so now. You can either scan the nearby console to lower a set of Grapple Points that will let you cross, but since you have the Screw Attack, simply use that to cross the large gap. Take the door back to Main Gyro Chamber and return through Dynamo Access, into Dynamo Works, then take the portal back to the Ing Hive. : =ING HIVE= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Return Temple Keys to Hive Temple and defeat Quadraxis. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: Annihilator Beam | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: *Quadraxis*, *Damaged Quadraxis*, *Shielded Head Mod- | | ule*, *Stunned Head Module*, *Final Head Module*, Ing-| | storm, Super Crystal, Super Beacon | |________________________________________________________________________| From Hive Dynamo Works, head to the Hive Gyro Chamber and enter the far blue door to restock Ammo at the Hive Ammo Station, then use the nearby Save Station. Go back to Hive Gyro Chamber and take the uppermost door to reach the Hive Temple Access. Step into the swirling red light (or use a Bomb Space Jump and Screw Attack over the gate if you skipped collecting the keys) here to return the Hive Temple Keys to their places to unlock the path leading into the Hive Temple. Enter the next door and take the elevat- or down, where a cutscene will introduce the guardian of the Ing Hive. BOSS BATTLE: QUADRAXIS ---------------------- Quadraxis is simply a gigantic Quad. Like the battle against the Boost Guardian, there are no safe zones in the battle arena; instead you'll rely on refills that it spews out from time to time to refill your health meter. Read below for Normal and Hard Mode strategies for taking this boss down. [NORMAL MODE] Like previous fights, this battle takes place in multiple phases, and the gigantic Quadraxis has different scan entries for each phase. Start the battle off by scanning the large mechanoid for the [*"QUADRAXIS"*] entry, then set to work on defeating it. Below is a list of the phases you'll go through and what to do during each one. 1. PHASE 1: MOBILE QUADRAXIS Quadraxis begins the fight as a gigantic four-legged mechanoid. Your biggest concern in this phase should be the ranged attacks Quadraxis can generate as opposed to being stomped on. Each of its four append- ages terminate in small claws; from time to time these claws will generate a red orb that you can Boost into to gain health and ammo re- fills. During this phase, Quadraxis has a number of attacks. The first is a powerful laser that knocks out your targeting and firing capabil- ities for about five seconds. Quadraxis will also lock onto you for a powerful direct missile attack; if you see red lasers lock in on your location, wait a second and Boost out of the way to avoid getting hit with this. The third attack is a vortex move where Quadraxis rapidly spins around and sucks you in - you can avoid this by repeatedly using the Boost Ball to stay away. Its final attack is to directly fire matter/anti-matter streams at you. To defeat this form, look at its knee joints. One of them will glow blue, and you can lock-on to this and fire charged Light Beam shots to damage it. Once you disable a knee, it will spew out health and ammo refills; collect them and lock onto the next glowing knee. Once you have disabled all four knees, this battle will move to the next phase. 2. PHASE 2: STUNNED AND SHIELDED HEAD MODULE This phase contributes three Log Book entries - start off scanning the collapsed main body for the [*"DAMAGED QUADRAXIS"*] entry, then scan the floating head module for the [*"SHIELDED HEAD MODULE"*] entry. In this phase, you have to disable sonic emitters that are sending real-time data from the body to the head. The easiest method of doing this is to use the Echo Visor to target the antennae on top of the main body. The fastest method, however, involves you Space Jumping on top of a disabled knee joint, using the Echo Visor to plot your path, then using the Screw Attack to pass just over the antennae array. This unconventional approach does disable all of the antennae in a single hit, which then renders the Head Module vulnerable. Once you have eliminated the antennae, scan the head module again for the [*"STUNNED HEAD MODULE"*] entry and switch to the Echo Visor to use either Super Missiles or the charged Light Beam to directly attack the array on top of the head module. Quadraxis will summon Dark Quads to protect it during this phase, but by staying atop a knee joint as much as possi- ble, you can avoid their attacks. Eventually the shield will recover and you'll have to repeat the sequence again. Getting proficient at using the Screw Attack method greatly simplifies this phase. Once you have reduced Quadraxis down to about 30% health, the final phase will begin after the entire shielding is destroyed. 3. PHASE 3: FINAL HEAD MODULE After the shield has been demolished, your final scan, [*"FINAL HEAD MODULE"*], reveals that the head itself is now vulnerable to direct attack. After the scan is complete, switch to the Power Beam so you can use Super Missiles. Quadraxis' final form will relentlessly use matter/anti-matter and missile attacks that are difficult to avoid. Keep your distance and fire two Super Missiles to stun it - this will cause it to start floating in place. Locate the nearest leg to the head and use the Spider Ball Tracks to roll up to the knee. Boost off from the leg while holding R to attach to the head module, and roll to the front where there are two Bomb Slots. Detonate a Bomb in one of them to cause significant damage and restart this phase. Repeat the same sequence of steps to deal the deathblow to Quadraxis. [HARD MODE] This version of Quadraxis doesn't bring much of anything new to the bat- tle. Like all major boss fights, all that changes here is the speed and frequency of Quadraxis' attacks and the amount of damage it inflicts on you and what you have to do to damage it. Quadraxis takes much more of a pounding, so consider using the Screw Attack during Phase 2 to disable it much faster. Phase 3 changes nothing about the battle, as you must still only deal two Morph Ball Bombs' worth of damage to finish it off. Quadraxis' destruction rewards you with the powerful [ANNIHILATOR BEAM], a weapon that uses a combination of light and dark energy. Because of its nature, this weapon will work on both dark and light creatures, although it consumes 1 unit of each type of Ammo. This weapon is also capable of triggering certain Key Emitters that radiate sonar waves. Lastly, you don't need to lock on with this weapon; shots will automatically travel to the nearest enemy. Now that you have the most powerful beam weapon in the game, it's time to put it to use. A large platform rises from the center of the Hive Temple. Use the Spider Ball Track to roll up it, then Screw Attack to the gray door on the other side. The Annihilator Beam will open gray doors, so head inside to reach the Hive Energy Controller. It should be noted for the record that while it was possible to bypass collecting the energy from Dark Torvus Bog and Dark Agon Wastes, it is not possible to do so here. You could return all the way to U-Mos and he'd simply stare at you. Returning Sanctuary's energy is the trigger point for the Light Suit, so you sort of need to collect this one. Anyway, activate the Bomb Slot to take you to the actual Energy Con- troller, then approach the large ball of red energy. A cutscene will take over whereby you absorb the energy from the Ing Hive into your Energy Tran- sfer Module. Now that you have stolen the energy from the three Dark Sub- Controllers, the Ing will be hotter on your trail. Exit back to the Hive Temple and use the Screw Attack to reach the central platform, then turn left to and Screw Attack again to reach another gray door. This leads into Aerial Training Access, where a new enemy crops up. Scan this as an ["ING- STORM"] and Screw Attack through it, otherwise you'll take a lot of damage passing through the cloud. A gate closes on you, preventing you from taking this path back to the Hive Temple, but that shouldn't matter since you're on your way out. Exit to Aerial Training Site and use your new Beam to easily eliminate the Dark Pirate Commandos. While in here, find some light crystals and light beacons and hit them with your new Annihilator Beam to transform them into new scannable entries - the ["SUPER CRYSTAL"] and the ["SUPER BEACON"], respectively. Doing this draws the Ing to the powerful energy (and their subsequent demise), which means you should make a habit of using these as your primary weapons for the rest of the time you're in Dark Aether. Use the Light Portal in this area to return to Light Aether. : =SANCTUARY FORTRESS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Return Hive Energy to Sanctuary Fortress. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x1), Power Bomb Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Now that you're back in Main Research, take the nearby Spider Ball Track to reach the blue door that leads to Sentinel's Path. There are a few Mek- enobites lurking on the ceiling; target them with the Seeker Missiles to eliminate them before it becomes a drawn out battle. Now, remember the door that closed on you in Aerial Training Access as you were leaving the Hive Temple? There is a similar door here that must be disabled by firing at sonically-charged Key Emitters. Switch to the Echo Visor to find an orange colored icon that depicts sound waves. Fire at this with the Annihilator Beam and you'll hear a series of tones. You must now replicate this sound pattern by firing at the Key Emitters in the proper sequence. If you mess up, just start over until you unlock the gate, which in turn reveals a [MISSILE EXPANSION (175/255)]. Continue on down the path to reach the Sanc- tuary Temple, then Screw Attack across the gap to reach the path leading to the Energy Controller. Transfer the energy to this Controller and the Lum- inoth Sentinel will thank you for your efforts. Now it's time to leave this place and return to U-Mos. Start off heading back through the Main Gyro Chamber. Drop to the bottom and use the Echo Visor and Annihilator Beam to complete another sonic Key Emitter puzzle. After you key in the correct combination, pass through the gate and use the Kinetic Orb Cannon to rocket yourself into a glowing sphere in the center of the room. This allows you to collect another [POWER BOMB EXPANSION (05/10)]. From here, backtrack through the rest of Sanctuary Fortress to Sanctuary Entrance. Screw Attack across the gap and return to the Temple Grounds. 8E. PATH TO THE SKY TEMPLE -------------------------- This section details the fifth part of this walkthrough as you make your way back towards U-Mos for the final mission. You will backtrack through all of Aether's regions now to find the Sky Temple Keys so you can access the final Ing stronghold. THE SUNBURST & THE LIGHT SUIT ============================= This subsection will go over the steps needed to acquire the Sunburst and the Light Suit while doing some some assorted hunting and gathering. : =TEMPLE GROUNDS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Return to the Great Temple. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Upon arriving back in the Temple Grounds area, proceed back through to reach the GFMC Compound. Ascend the ledges and find the yellow door. Set a Power Bomb to break the shield and reach the Grand Windchamber. This very large room consists of four platforms with a large caged structure in the center. Your goal is to reach the Dark Portal in here, but first, take out the two Pirate Aerotroopers. Afterwards, Screw Attack over to the platform with the Dark Portal. : =SKY TEMPLE GROUNDS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. None. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| The Ing Windchamber area is quite similar to its Light Aether counterpart, except for the fact that each of the four platforms have Spinners and Kin- etic Orb Cannons. Move to each Spinner and move the central rings so that they all match a single color (Amber or Cobalt), then use the Screw Attack to reach the central platform. Use the Seeker Missiles to hit the four tar- gets simultaneously to extend two platforms across the room. Now repeat this entire sequence again, this time arranging the central rings so that they are the opposite of whatever color you did the first time. Use the Seeker Missiles to hit a new set of targets to move two new ledges into place. Now return to the portal and go back to Light Aether. : =TEMPLE GROUNDS =: __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Return to the Great Temple. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: Sunburst, Light Suit | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x1), Power Bomb Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: D-Isl's Testament | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| All of your work in Dark Aether has extended a series of platforms here in the Grand Windchamber. Return to the platform with the Kinetic Orb Cannon and have it shoot you to the central structure, where you can collect the [SUNBURST CHARGE COMBO] upgrade. This amplifies the Light Beam by generat- ing a huge burst of light energy, although it uses 5 Missiles plus 30 units of light Beam Ammo. After this, some more Dark Pirate Commandos will show up, so defeat them and then return via the Windchamber Gateway to the GFMC Compound. At this point, if you haven't already gotten the Missile Expansion atop the GFS Tyr, get it now since you have the Screw Attack. With this in hand, head into the Commun- ication Area. Ignore the War Wasps and find the pillar that you can Space Jump to. Follow it around to reach a blue door leading to Storage Cavern A. Morph and boost down the incline to reach another dead Luminoth. Scan the body to add the [LUMINOTH LORE: "D-ISL'S TESTAMENT" (29/41)] entry to your Log Book, then head back to the Communication Area. One level below you, search for a glass dome covering some rock. Destroy it with a Bomb to get a [MISSILE EXPANSION (180/255)], then take the normal exit out of here to reach Dynamo Chamber. (Note: if you are out of Power Bombs here, you'll have to rely on the Splinters and the War Wasps to give you some refills). Use a Power Bomb on the first grate, then go into the tunnel and find the cracked wall. Detonate a Power Bomb here to clear the path to another [POW- ER BOMB EXPANSION (06/10)], then head into Temple Assembly Site. Make a run for the door that leads to Temple Transport B and take this up into the Great Temple. Head into the Main Energy Controller to speak with U-Mos again. He'll thank you for your valiant efforts, but laments that one Dark Controller still remains in Dark Aether. Makes sense - if there is energy still remaining in the Great Temple and Dark Aether hasn't complete- ly destabilized following your actions in the last three Dark Temples, then the dark version of the Temple must still contain some of Aether's planet- ary energy. U-Mos asks you to take on this final task, which of course, you basically have no choice in. To aid you in your task, he presents to you the ultimate in Luminoth style - the [LIGHT SUIT]. This upgrade renders you invulnerable to the caustic effects of Dark Aether's atmosphere, allows you to explore the poisonous Dark Water, and gives you the ability to travel along thos yellow beams of light you've seen before to reach different areas around Aether. In order to unlock the Sky Temple, he says, nine keys must be found throughout the dark regions. Bid adieu to U-Mos and begin your final quest by hopping into the Light Warp. When prompted, select Agon Wastes as your destination. THE DARKBURST & THE SONIC BOOM ============================== This subsection will go over your collection of the last two Charge Combo attacks, the Darkburst and the Sonic Boom, along with the first group of Sky Temple Keys. : =AGON WASTES= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Recover the Sky Temple Keys from Dark Agon Wastes. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: The Stellar Object | | 4. Scans: Kralee | |________________________________________________________________________| Your warp point will set you down in the Agon Energy Controller. Head back to Agon Temple and take the black door to reach the Mineshaft again. You should have collected the Energy Tank in here earlier, but if you didn't, grab it now and drop to the bottom of the room. Open the purple door with the Seeker Missiles and head into Mining Station B, where a gigantic blade hangs in the center of the room. Take this opportunity to scan a ["KRALEE"] for the Log Book - this is the only room you can find them in, although they never disappear. Find the Bomb Slot and activate it to make the blade begin to spin. A timer will start, so quickly go through the nearby passage to find a half-pipe and a control panel. Scan it to activate a Kinetic Orb Cannon. Quickly shoot yourself to a high ledge where you can find a second Bomb Slot; activate this to raise the blade, so that it destroys an entire section of the rock and reveals a Dark Portal. Scan the nearby Luminoth Hologram for the [LUMINOTH LORE: "THE STELLAR OBJECT" (30/41)], then use the half-pipe to reach the top of the blade, from which you can Space Jump to reach the Dark Portal. : =DARK AGON WASTES= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Recover the Sky Temple Keys from Dark Agon Wastes. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: None | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| This portal takes you to Trial Grounds. Drop down and go through a cracked part of the wall to reach the main area, then use the Space Jump to reach a series of ledges that leads to a Morph Ball Tunnel that leads to Dark Transit Station. Navigate through this tunnel while Boosting to avoid the Nightbarbs and you'll find a Light Portal on the Duelling Range side behind a gate. : =AGON WASTES= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Recover the Sky Temple Keys from Dark Agon Wastes. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: Darkburst | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: Energy Tank (x1) | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x6), Power Bomb Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: B-Stl's Testament | | 4. Scans: Metroid Coccon, Infant Tallon Metroid | |________________________________________________________________________| You'll end up in a new area of the Mining Plaza, although you can't really go anywhere but back through Transit Station to return to Mining Station B. Once you do, however, you'll emerge right in front of the [DARKBURST CHARGE COMBO] upgrade. This amplifies the Dark Beam by generating a huge cloud of slow-moving dark energy that acts like a black hole, although it uses 5 Missiles plus 30 units of Dark Beam ammo. Right after you grab this item, you'll take on two Pirate Aerotroopers that have been apparently sent to stop you. Eliminate them, then use the Scan Visor to spot another weakened section of the wall. Head over here and use a Power Bomb on the wall to destroy it, then enter the white door to reach Storage A, which contains another [MISSILE EXPANSION (185/255)]. You're finished with this side of the map now, so return via the Mineshaft back to Agon Temple and backtrack to Mining Plaza near the start. In this room you need to now use your Echo Visor to locate three sonic emitters in the room. These aren't like the last few you found that required you to harmonize a sound frequency, you can just shoot these to disable them. Once you disable all three, a group of lenses will move into position (like in Portal Terminal) and focus a ray of sunlight towards a gate. The gate will open for you, but it's high up on the mountain. Climb up the walls in this area until you reach where you found one of the Amber Lore Holograms, and Screw Attack over to the newly revealed opening to claim the [ENERGY TANK (11/14)]. Drop down and head through the next passage into Mining Station A. Eliminate any enemies that show up here, and scan for the wall made of Denzium. Use a Power Bomb to break through and reveal a Kinetic Orb Cannon. Hold R while using the cannon, then navigate the Spider Ball Tracks to reach another [MISSILE EX- PANSION (190/255)]. Now navigate your way to Central Mining Station, where you originally found J-Stl. Remember this area, as it is the location of your first Sky Temple Key in Dark Aether. For that matter, every area where you have found a deceased Luminoth that you scanned for the Log Book will have an accompanying key in that area of the dark world. For now, instead of heading to Command Chamber, head into Bioenergy Production, where you got an Energy Tank earlier in the game. There is another item to grab here now that you have the Boost Ball and Spider Ball upgrades. Eliminate the Tallon Metroids flying about in here before moving on. There is a lengthy Spider Ball and Boost Ball puzzle in here, but you can circum- vent it by leaping up the platforms (they should be in the same position from earlier). Space Jump to the topmost one and use the Map to align a trajectory towards the green door. Space Jump out so that you clear the rock face, then crank the Control Stick to steer your Screw Attack towards the ledge. Land on it, open the green door with a Super Missile, and head inside to claim another [MISSILE EXPANSION (195/255)]. Now exit here and go forward (or backward) about two rooms to reset Bioenergy Production. Go back and you should have cocoons on the walls now. Scan one for the ["MET- ROID COCOON"] Log Book entry, then approach one so it ruptures and little infant Metroids come out. Scan one of these as an ["INFANT TALLON METROID"] and then leave the room and return to Main Reactor (where you fought Dark Samus the first time). This time, use the Spider Ball Track to reach a small nook leading to a dead Luminoth. Scan the body for the [LUMINOTH LORE: "B-STL'S TESTAMENT" (31/41)], then look around the corner for another Spider Ball Track and roll up to a series of moving magnetic platforms. The trick to this is you need to boost from track to track in the split moment that the platform across from you and the one you're on line up. Complete this bit of trick- ery and Boost through to a small catwalk with a glass dome. Bomb the dome to uncover another [MISSILE EXPANSION (200/255)], then drop down and take the main elevator back to the upper floor. Take the blue door at the far end to reach Sand Processing. Eliminate the turrets, then use the half-pipe to boost up to a Morph Ball Tunnel. Roll through and scan the console to activate the nearby Bomb Slot, then use it to drain the sand. Drop back down and claim the [MISSILE EXPANSION (205/255)], then return to the Main Reactor and go back up to B-Stl's body and take the nearby door out into the wide-open Sandcanyon. Ignore the Kinetic Orb Cannon and instead Screw Attack out to the large platform in the center. Detonate a Power Bomb near its base to collapse it, then grab the [POWER BOMB EXPANSION (07/10)] from the newly-revealed opening. Before leaving, head to the other side of the Sandcanyon and enter the door to reach Ventilation Area A. In here, use a series of Double Bomb Jumps past the Pillbugs to reach another [MISSILE EX- PANSION (210/255)]. Now go back to the Command Center and activate the dark portal to return to Dark Agon Wastes. : =DARK AGON WASTES= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Recover the Sky Temple Keys from Dark Agon Wastes. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: Sonic Boom | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x2), Power Bomb Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: Sky Temple Key #1, #2 | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: Flying Ing Cache**, Dormant Ingclaw | |________________________________________________________________________| Returning to Doomed Entry, take the white door into Feeding Pit Access and drop into the Dark Water in the Feeding Pit to find another [POWER BOMB EXPANSION (08/10)] tucked away in a small nook. Exit from the water and go to the Watering Hole, and from there into Phazon Site. Multiple Dark Tall- on Metroids occupy this area, so try using the Screw Attack to take them out quickly. Now, remember the platform-hopping episode you went through earlier to scan a console? Repeat that process again, except this time use the Screw Attack to reach the ledge with the gray door. Open it with the Annihilator Beam and head inside to claim the powerful [SONIC BOOM CHARGE COMBO], your final upgrade of the game! This is the most powerful Charge Combo Enhancement because it combines light and dark energy into a sonic- charged burst. However, it is pretty costly - it uses 5 Missiles and 30 units of EACH type of Beam Ammo. When you're done celebrating your latest find, exit and take the blue door after the elevator to reach Bitter Well. Head into the Save Station and save if you want, then go into the Hall of Stairs and make your way into Dark Oasis. Detonate a Power Bomb on the wall across from the blue door and eliminate the lurking Hunter Ing. Once its gone, drop into the Dark Water and enable your Scan Visor. You'll see a strange floating red object here. Shoot it with the Power Beam; the resulting interference will overload your Visor. Switch back to the Combat Visor and you'll see a whitish sort of floating sac. Scan this to find it is a ["FLYING ING CACHE"**], then blast it into oblivion with a single charged Power Beam. Its destruction reveals [SKY TEMPLE KEY #2 (1/9)]. Grab it and exit the Dark Water, then return to Doomed Entry and take the other door to reach Battleground. From the ent- rance, look to the left and right and scan one of the creatures on the wall for the ["DORMANT INGCLAW"] entry, then supercharge a Light Crystal so if any Warrior Ing find you, they can die. Space Jump on top of the Ingclaw to your right, then use the Screw Attack to reach the ledge that had two Warr- ior Ing on it when you entered. Kill them if they for some reason didn't move, then Screw Attack again over to the final ledge where you'll find a second Flying Ing Cache. Bag this one and grab [SKY TEMPLE KEY #1 (2/9)], then make a few last detours. Take the door you didn't earlier to reach Warrior's Walk. Drop Bombs on the metallic grating and drop into the pit of Phazon. Quickly roll to another [MISSILE EXPANSION (215/255)] at the far end of the grate, then Bomb Jump back out to safety. Finally, go back to Judgment Pit and ignore (or massacre) the Warrior Ing on your way to Junction Site. This room has a strange looking stone structure with a Morph Ball Tunnel inside. Enter the structure and use the Spider Ball Track to reach a Bomb Slot. Activate the Bomb Slot to reveal another [MISSILE EXPAN- SION (220/255)]. Now drop down and continue on your way back to Portal Site so you can return to Light Aether. : =AGON WASTES= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Return to Torvus Bog. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Exit out of Portal Terminal and return to Mining Station A. From here, head back to Agon Temple and visit the Agon Energy Controller. Take the Light Warp and when prompted, select Torvus Bog. : =TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Search for the Sky Temple Keys. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: Energy Tank (x2) | | 4. Ammunition: Power Bomb Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| You'll emerge in Torvus Temple. Head out of here and make your way back to Great Bridge. Once again, the doors will lock and *sigh* Dark Pirate Comm- andos will appear. After you've defeated them, go to the end of the bridge to find some Denzium. Use a Power Bomb to blow it apart, and head into the Morph Ball Tunnel to find a [POWER BOMB EXPANSION (09/10)]. Continue taking the Tunnel to reach Forgotten Bridge. Before exploring Dark Torvus Bog in search of the keys, though, make your way to Torvus Plaza by way of the en- closed walkway on the right. Take the Morph Ball Tunnel to reach the Plaza and prepare to navigate a lengthy and frustrating maze. Of course, you could trigger the Floaty Glitch during the Chykka fight and get this item before leaving Torvus the first time, but assuming you didn't, you have to take the regular path to reach the Energy Tank at the end. Fortunately, there is a slight shortcut to get this, but it requires a bit of trickery with the Boost Ball. Use the Boost Ball in the half-pipe at the bottom to rocket to the Spider Ball Tracks on the side of the room. Roll along them until you reach a section that you have to Bomb Jump to. Bomb Jump to the track above you and hold as far back as you can so that it looks like you are barely latched onto the Track. This next move is referred to as the "Stickyboost"; as you're barely holding to the track, charge a quick Boost to throw yourself just slightly up - hold up on the Control Stick to help this along. Hit X as soon as you go up to unmorph, and you should land on top of the Spider Ball Track. Now rotate a full 180 degrees and simply Screw Attack to the platform while spacing out your jumps to get the [ENER- GY TANK (12/14)]. The regular method of getting this is much more frustrat- ing since it involves multiple Spider Ball Tracks, multiple Bomb Jumps, and multiple Sporbs. Navigate to the end successfully and you'll reach a Kinet- ic Orb Cannon that launches you to the Tank. However you get it is up to you; once you have it, leave Torvus Plaza and return to Forgotten Bridge. Take the other door that leads into Torvus Grove. As soon as you enter this room, the doors will lock and you'll have to fight some Dark Pirate Comman- dos. Eliminate them and head to the central tree, then use a Power Bomb to break the roots so that it crashes through a wall and reveals a hidden [MISSILE EXPANSION (225/255)]. Now go through the next door to reach the Meditation Vista. This large expanse has a platform floating off way in the distance. Wait until you see the platform off to your left, then make a long Screw Attack out as you try to land on it. This may take you a couple of tries (and a few Terminal Falls), but once you land on the platform, let it carry you to the [ENERGY TANK (13/14)]. Once you have it, Screw Attack back to where the portal generator is, then scan it and head to Dark Torvus Bog. : =DARK TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Search for the Sky Temple Keys. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Power Bomb Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: Sky Temple Key #3 | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: Dark Phlogus | |________________________________________________________________________| In Gloom Vista, take the nearby door to reach Polluted Mire, then backtrack to Dark Forgotten Bridge. Some more Dark Pirate Commandos will attack you here, but you can ignore them and instead head for the yellow door. Open it with a Power Bomb and head into Putrid Alcove. In here you'll find what appears to be the only ["DARK PHLOGUS"] in the entire game. Scan it for the Log Book, then shoot it to make it flip over. Before it turns back, find a weakened area of the wall and shatter it with a Power Bomb to reveal the final [POWER BOMB EXPANSION (10/10).] of the game. Continue into Poisoned Bog and super-charge the Light Crystals to easily do away with the Hunter Ing, then drop into the Dark Water below and turn on the Dark Visor to spot the Flying Ing Cache. Follow it into its alcove, then shoot it and switch back to the Combat Visor to destroy it and claim [SKY TEMPLE KEY #3 (3/9)]. Now return to Dark Forgotten Bridge and activate the portal to return to Light Aether. : =TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Search for the Sky Temple Keys. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Return the way you initially came to Torvus Temple and use the elevator in the middle to go down. Take the door that leads to Hydrodynamo Station and take the same path into the Hydrodynamo Shaft that leads to the Dark Portal going to the Undertemple. : =DARK TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Search for the Sky Temple Keys. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Hop off the ledge from the portal area and locate the Wall Jump Surfaces nearby. Use them to Screw Attack up to a high ledge to claim the hidden [MISSILE EXPANSION (230/255)], then use the portal again to go back. : =TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Search for the Sky Temple Keys. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Go back to Hydrodynamo Station and take the black door to reach Catacombs. There is a portal here that you can use to easily transport to Dark Aether for your next key. : =DARK TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Search for the Sky Temple Keys. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: Sky Temple Key #4 | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: Watchdrone | |________________________________________________________________________| This portal drops you off in Dungeon, Dark Aether's version of Catacombs. You have to break through the metal grating and take out two Dark Grench- lers (ignoring them isn't recommended since they will follow you). Once they're gone, drop into the Dark Water and look around. There are Light Beacons above the water along with some grates. Shoot through the grates to trigger the Light Beacons as you navigate the underwater hallways. At the end you will find a strange black metallic object. Scan this to add the ["WATCHDRONE"] entry to your Log Book. These indestructible drones only move in the presence of bright light, so it's a good thing you triggered those safe zones. Move past them to reach a smaller cave where you can turn on the Dark Visor to find the Flying Ing Cache. Expose it, then destroy it to claim [SKY TEMPLE KEY #4 (4/9)]. Move the Watchdrones again as you exit, then jump out of the water and use the portal to return to Light Aether. : =TORVUS BOG= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Search for the Sky Temple Keys. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Back in Catacombs, you can gather the last of the Expansions in Torvus Bog before leaving the area for good. Take the gray door out of this room to reach Transit Tunnel South. Navigate the underwater Morph Ball Tunnel and activate the Bomb Slot to make water flow through the chamber. Use under- water Double Bomb Jumps by varying your timing to reach two additional Bomb Slots. Activate these to force water into all chambers, then use the water currents to reach one last [MISSILE EXPANSION (235/255)]. Now return the way you came and return to Torvus Temple. Go to the Energy Controller and use the Light Warp to go back to Sanctuary Fortress. : =SANCTUARY FORTRESS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Search for the Sky Temple Keys. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| From the Sanctuary Temple, Screw Attack directly across back to the Temple Access. From here, return to the Main Gyrochamber and access Dynamo Works, then take Central Area Transport East through the Hall of Combat Mastery to the Reactor Core. In here, head into the Sanctuary Map Station to find a Light Warp. Use it to travel to a new chamber where you'll find a [MISSILE EXPANSION (240/255)]. Exit the Light Warp and return to the Hall of Combat Mastery and use the Dark Portal here to travel to the Ing Hive. : =ING HIVE= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Search for the Sky Temple Keys. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: Sky Temple Key #5 | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| You'll warp to the Culling Chamber after exiting the Dark Portal. Take the path across Unseen Way to reach the Hive Reactor, where you'll probably be engaged by another Dark Ingsmasher. Ignore it and head for the yellow door and open it with a Power Bomb to reach Hive Reactor Access. There are multiple Nightbarbs in this area along with a Nullified Crystal; energize or super-charge it to kill most of them, then proceed across the center platform to the other side. There's another Ing Larva Swarm here, so try to Screw Attack through them to avoid taking a lot of damage. Hive Entrance is on the other side, which is where you'll find your next Sky Temple Key for this area. Cruelly, the Sky Temple Key is located above you, but first you have to reach it. Look across the large gap to see a Light Warp, then Screw Attack across the large gap. This is a tricky expanse that requires you to stretch out your jumps as much as possible. Reach the platform on the other side and take the Light Warp to reach a platform above you. Now use the Screw Attack again to cross back to where you came from, and you'll reach the high ledge where the Flying Ing Cache awaits. Expose and destroy it to grab [SKY TEMPLE KEY #5 (5/9)], then prepare yourself for a bit of a tricky return. The ledge you're on extends farther out than the one below you, making jumping down an impossibility. But you can face backwards, jump out and fall, using your Space Jump to carry you forward, and then finally use your Screw Attack to carry you the rest of the way that you need to go. This takes a bit of practice, but it saves time Screw Attacking back and forth again. Now that you have this Sky Temple Key, go back the way you came to Culling Chamber and use the portal to go back. : =SANCTUARY FORTRESS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Search for the Sky Temple Keys. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| From the Hall of Combat Mastery, take Central Transport Area East to return to Dynamo Works. You need to reach the tunnels that the Spider Guardian was in, but you can't do so from this side. Proceed back into the Main Gyro- chamber, and take the path to Sanctuary Temple, then go through Worker's Path to reach Dynamo Works and enter the Morph Ball Tunnels. Go through the maze until you reach Dynamo Storage (where you got the Spider Ball). Use a Power Bomb to open the yellow door and reveal another Dark Portal. : =ING HIVE= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Search for the Sky Temple Keys. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: Sky Temple Key #6 | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| This brings you to Hive Cache 2. Go through the Morph Ball Tunnel that's in front of you to reach a short ledge with a large pit. The Flying Ing Cache is far on the other side, and Screw Attacking from your present location is impossible. Go to your left and use the red Spider Ball Tracks to reach a moving magnetic sphere. Boost to it and navigate across to the red dot, then watch for the second magnetic sphere. When it lines up with the first one, Boost off to attach to the second one and go to another red dot. Boost off of this one to reach another Spider Ball Track, which will take you up and around to the ledge where the Flying Ing Cache is. Expose and destroy it to claim [SKY TEMPLE KEY #6 (6/9)], then simply Screw Attack across the gap to reach where you came from. Go through the tunnel and use the portal to return to Light Aether. : =SANCTUARY FORTRESS =: __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Search for the Sky Temple Keys. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| You've now collected the Sky Temple Keys from all of the three major areas of Aether, so your only remaining task is to explore the Sky Temple Grounds for the remaining ones. Exit out of Dynamo Storage and go back through Worker's Path to Sanctuary Temple. Go to the Energy Controller and use it to transport back to the Main Energy Controller in the Great Temple. : =GREAT TEMPLE= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Search for the Sky Temple Keys. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Your final Sky Temple Keys are located in the Temple Grounds. From the Main Energy Controller, take Temple Transport A to reach the Temple Grounds. : =TEMPLE GROUNDS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Search for the Sky Temple Keys. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: Energy Tank (x1) | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| The Transport deposits you in Sacred Path once more. Follow it back to the GFMC Compound and head back towards the entrance to Sanctuary Fortress. At the end of the hallway in Fortress Transport Access, you'll find a Light Warp. Take it to go to another room with the final [ENERGY TANK (14/14)]. Grab it, then backtrack into the GFMC Compound. Now return to Sacred Path and use the Dark Portal to reach Sky Temple Grounds. : =SKY TEMPLE GROUNDS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Search for the Sky Temple Keys. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x1), Beam Ammo Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: Sky Temple Key #7 | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| This portal drops you off in the aptly-named Profane Path. You will have a group of Dark Pirate Commandos in here, so finish them off and switch to the Echo Visor to find a group of Key Emitters near where the transport to the Great Temple would be in the Light World - it's a hole covered with Ingworms here if you need a reference. Shoot it with the Annihilator Beam, then replicate the Key sequence to unlock the gate and reveal your final [BEAM AMMO EXPANSION (4/4)], which brings your ammo count up to 250. Your next task is to take the dark path through to where Storage Cavern A would be in Light Aether. Start off heading to Phazon Pit and take out the Dark Tallon Metroid before grappling across the pit. Head into Phazon Grounds, where you will encounter a great number of Dark Tallon Metroids. There are invisible platforms in here that lead across the gap, but you can also use the Screw Attack to get across and probably wipe out multiple Dark Tallon Metroids in the process. Get across to the cliff, where you will find a [MISSILE EXPANSION (245/255)] hidden in an alcove. Drop down to the lower level and exit out into Reliquary Access. There are more Ingstorms in here, but not much maneuvering room so just Boost through them. Take the white door into Reliquary Grounds, where a pack of Warrior Ing will attack. There are no beacons or crystals here, but you can either Screw Attack through them or vaporize them with the Annihilator Beam. Head through the next door to finally reach the Ing Reliquary, where the Flying Ing Cache awaits over where D-Isl's body would be in Storage Cavern A. Expose and destroy it to claim [SKY TEMPLE KEY #7 (7/9)]. Now, ready for the good news? Did you see any portals on your way here? No? Of course not, so backtrack all the way back to Profane Path and use the portal there to return to Light Aether. : =TEMPLE GROUNDS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Search for the Sky Temple Keys. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Now that you're back in Sacred Path, you have to find a way to get to the Dark Aether version of the Landing Site. Head back into the elevator to reach the Great Temple. : =GREAT TEMPLE= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Search for the Sky Temple Keys. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Take Temple Transport C to return to the other side of Temple Grounds. : =TEMPLE GROUNDS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Search for the Sky Temple Keys. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Temple Transport C drops you off in Meeting Grounds. Eliminate any Dark Pirate Commandos in your path and head into Hall of Eyes. Navigate through the path here to reach a Dark Portal to go to Sky Temple Grounds. : =SKY TEMPLE GROUNDS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Search for the Sky Temple Keys. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: None | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: Sky Temple Key #8 | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| This portal takes you to Base Access. Navigate back through it to reach War Ritual Grounds. There is a purple door in here that you need to open at the end, so switch on the Dark Visor to find the five points around the door, then blast them with the Seeker Missiles to open it up and grab the [MISS- ILE EXPANSION (250/255)], then head down the small hallway to reach a blue door leading to Shrine Access. This area is filled with Corrupted Sentreyes that you either need to shoot at or boost through. At the end of the hall- way, there are two doors - the purple one leads to the Sky Temple Gateway, but you're not ready to go there yet. Head the other way to the green door that leads to the Defiled Shrine. Open the door with a Super Missile and scan for the Flying Ing Cache. Once its in sight, expose and destroy it to find [SKY TEMPLE KEY #8 (8/9)]. This area, too, is a dead end, so backtrack to the portal in Base Access and return to Light Aether. : =TEMPLE GROUNDS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Search for the Sky Temple Keys. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| Returning to Hall of Eyes, you need to get over to the third side of the map. Once more, head to the Great Temple. : =GREAT TEMPLE= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Search for the Sky Temple Keys. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: | | 4. Ammunition: None | | 5. Temple Keys: None | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| This time, use Temple Transport B to go down to the Temple Assembly Site. Head for the door that you used the very first time you came to this area and you'll find a section of rock with a purple crystal on it. Fire at the crystal with the Light Beam to engage it and make it move from your path. This exposes a Dark Portal that leads to this side of Sky Temple Grounds. : =SKY TEMPLE GROUNDS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Search for the Sky Temple Keys. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: | | 4. Ammunition: Missile Expansion (x1) | | 5. Temple Keys: Sky Temple Key #9 | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| This portal takes you to the Plain of Dark Worship. Far across the area from you is an Ingworm tower. Run up to it and you'll find the final [MISS- ILE EXPANSION (255/255)] of the game simply sitting in an alcove. With this item in hand, you should now receive the in-game notification that you have collected 100% of the Item Pickups. You should now have 14 Energy Tanks, 255 Missiles, 10 Power Bombs, and 250 units of Beam Ammo, in addition to all of your Translator Modules and Suit Upgrades. Hightail it out of this wide-open area back to where the portal is. Instead of taking it, however, continue down the hall to reach a purple door. Open it with the Seeker Missiles and head into Lake Access. There's a lot of Venom Weed in here, so shoot it to make it retract, then Boost across the floor to the blue door leading to Accursed Lake. In here, use the Annihilator Beam to super-charge the light beacon so you don't have to deal with the Hunter Ing, then use the Dark Visor to spot platforms leading to the final Flying Ing Cache. There's a catch with this one, though - after you destroy it, the Key will float to the middle of the lake. Head to the ledge where you activated the Light Beacon and Screw Attack out to the middle of the lake to collect [SKY TEMPLE KEY #9 (9/9)], the final Key of the game. Now it's time for a quick breather, so head back to the Plain of Dark Worship and use the portal to return to Light Aether. : =TEMPLE GROUNDS= : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Search for the Sky Temple Keys. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: | | 4. Ammunition: | | 5. Temple Keys: | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| It's time to head back to your Gunship, so head up Temple Transport B to reach the Great Temple... : =GREAT TEMPLE = : __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Search for the Sky Temple Keys. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: | | 4. Ammunition: | | 5. Temple Keys: | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| ... and immediately take Temple Transport C back down to Temple Grounds. : =TEMPLE GROUNDS: = __________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Search for the Sky Temple Keys. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: | | 4. Ammunition: | | 5. Temple Keys: | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |________________________________________________________________________| In Meeting Grounds, take the small tunnel through Service Access to easily reach the a door leading to the upper area of the Landing Site again. 8F. THE ING STRONGHOLD ---------------------- This section details the sixth and final part of this walkthrough. Now that you have all of the upgrades and the nine Sky Temple Keys, it is time to assault the Sky Temple. : =TEMPLE GROUNDS= : ___________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Return the Sky Temple Keys. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: | | 4. Ammunition: | | 5. Temple Keys: | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: None | | 4. Scans: None | |_________________________________________________________________________| From your Gunship, return via Service Access to the Meeting Grounds. Avoid the Dark Pirate Commandos here and run for the door at the end of the tunnel to reach the Hall of Eyes. Take the portal here to reach Dark Aether for the last time. : =SKY TEMPLE GROUNDS= : ___________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Return the Sky Temple Keys. | | 2. Explore the Sky Temple and seize the final Energy Controller. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: | | 4. Ammunition: | | 5. Temple Keys: | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: A-Kul's Testament, B-Stl's Key, J-Stl's Key, J-Fme's | | Key, M-Dhe's Key, D-Isl's Key, C-Rch's Key, S-Jrs's | | Key, G-Sch's Key, S-Dly's Key | | 4. Scans: None | |_________________________________________________________________________| Returning to Base Access, make your way back through War Ritual Grounds to the Shrine Access. The first time in here, you used the green door to access the dark version of Landing Site. This time, head the opposite direction and use the Seeker Missiles on the purple door to enter the Gateway Access. Take this short tunnel to reach the Sky Temple Gateway, where you'll find a beam of swirling red ligh near the center of area. Don't enter this light yet, because you'll lose the chance for the final Luminoth Lore scans. Start off scanning the dead Luminoth for the [LUMINOTH LORE: "A-KUL'S TESTAMENT" (32/ 41)], then move to each of the nine pillars in the room and scan each one for the following Log Book scans: [LUMINOTH LORE: "B-STL'S KEY" (33/41)], [LUM- INOTH LORE: "J-STL'S KEY" (34/41)], [LUMINOTH LORE: "J-FME'S KEY" (35/41)], [LUMINOTH LORE: "M-DHE'S KEY" (36/41)], [LUMINOTH LORE: "D-ISL'S KEY" (37/ 41)], [LUMINOTH LORE: "C-RCH'S KEY" (38/41)], [LUMINOTH LORE: "S-JRS'S KEY" (39/41)], [LUMINOTH LORE: "G-SCH'S KEY" (40/41)], and the final entry, [LUM- INOTH LORE: "S-DLY'S KEY" (41/41)]. Now that your Luminoth Lore database is complete, all that is left to complete the Log Book are the final creature entries. Now step into the red light to return the nine Sky Temple Keys to their positions. This will in turn open up a Light Warp that leads to the inner depths of the Sky Temple. Enter the warp and you'll be taken to where the last Energy Controller is. : =SKY TEMPLE= : ___________________________________________________________________________ | =MISSION OUTLOOK= | | OBJECTIVES | | ---------- | | 1. Defeat the leader of the Ing and recover the Sky Temple's energy. | | 2. Defeat Dark Samus and return the energy to the Great Temple. | | | | ITEMS | | ----- | | 1. Upgrades: | | 2. Modules: | | 3. Supplies: | | 4. Ammunition: | | 5. Temple Keys: | | | | SCANS | | ----- | | 1. T. Logs: | | 2. P. Data: | | 3. L. Lore: | | 4. Scans: *Emperor Ing Head*, *Emperor Ing Body*, *Emperor Ing | | Eye*, *Emperor Ing Chrysalis*, *Mutated Emperor Ing*, | | *Dark Samus 3*, *Dark Samus 4* | |_________________________________________________________________________| As you arrive in the Sky Temple Energy Controller, you'll find yourself in a mockery of the Great Temple - the room itself is reversed and upside-down! You'll see the final energy controller directly in front of you, but before you can claim it, large dark tentacles come through the ceiling, envelop the energy, and take it away. Make your way along the platforms in the walls to reach a Save Station. but do note that if you plan on using this save file for any further exploration of planet Aether, do NOT use this since you will be unable to return to Light Aether now that you're in the Sky Temple. Don't worry about the final bosses - if you die after defeating the first one, you will restart as if you had just beaten it. Once you're done saving or not saving, use the Screw Attack to cross the large gap and reach a blue door. In here, use the Wall Jump Surfaces and the Screw Attack to ascend the vertical tunnel and you'll reach the path to the Sanctum. Hop over the small lip in front of the door and head inside. This final room is covered in Phazon and you will see the energy controller sitting below you. Drop down to recover it, but of course, the master of the Ing Horde will challenge you for it. BOSS BATTLE: EMPEROR ING ------------------------ The Emperor Ing looks rough and tough, but there is an easy way to take the boss out. This boss has four distinct phases which can be a bit stressful, but within each phase are certain weaknesses you can take advantage of. Remember that there are five separate scans for this boss as well. Read be- low for Normal and Hard Mode strategies for handling this boss. [NORMAL MODE] Before beginning, note that this strategy is written with the speediest possible victory in mind. With that said, some of this requires some advan- ced moves that you wouldn't normall use when fighting this boss. Your met- hod of attack will vary during each of the four separate phases. 1. PHASE 1: EMPEROR ING HEAD AND BODY This first form is relatively simple. At this point, it alternates be- tween Phase 1 and 2 depending on how you're damaging it. The first form is that of a gigantic trunk with a rotating head and a collection of large black tentacles. Scan the first two forms for Log Book entries: [*"EMPEROR ING HEAD"*] and [*"EMPEROR ING BODY"*], then use the Power Beam and Missiles to start taking out the tentacles. These can slap you, come through dimensional rifts for melee strikes, create a large Dark- burst attack, spin around the room, forcing you to Space Jump over them, or slam the ground. Bide your time during this phase and attack them as needed until you see them rise into the air. Morph and when they slam the ground, detonate a Power Bomb to take out multiple tentacles at a single time. Eliminate any that are left over to force the Emperor Ing into its second phase. 2. PHASE 2: EMPEROR ING EYE When all tentacles have been eliminated, the shielding over the head retracts, giving you a target and a new Log Book entry. Scan it quickly for the [*"EMPEROR ING EYE"*] entry, then manually aim at the small slit between the two core halves. You cannot lock onto this part, so it has to be done manually. From a distance, fire Super Missiles at the exposed core, or try to get up close and use a Sonic Boom if you have Beam Ammo you can spare. This form will take four Super Missiles or four Sonic Booms to defeat, but you'll probably have to go a few rounds. Watch out for its powerful laser attack - this cancels out any attack you're using and forces you backwards into the Phazon lining the area. After a while, the Eye will close up and you'll go back to Phase 1 of this form. When this happens, set a Power Bomb almost immediately as the Emperor's first attack is almost always a ground-pounding move. Force it back into its exposed eye phase and deplete its health meter to move the fight to Phase 3. 3. PHASE 3: EMPEROR ING CHRYSALIS During this phase, the Emperor Ing seals itself inside a regenerative shell which you cannot attack directly. On top of that, the room begins to fill with poison gas, so quickly scan this for your fourth Log Book entry, [*"EMPEROR ING CHRYSALIS"*], then morph and use the Spider Ball to attach to its magnetically-charged surface. There are eleven weak spots on this shell's armor that you have to set Morph Ball Bombs in (Power Bombs don't work here, sorry). This is somewhat complicated by the fact that Inglets swarm all over the shell and can knock you off in- to the gas, but you can bomb them to get health and ammo refills. Find the yellowish spots on the armored shell and wait if you can. When the purple bubbles start emerging, set three Bombs and move out of the way to keep a tentacle from hitting you. Your Bombs should destroy the ten- tacle and take out the yellowish weak spot with it. Focus on the spots near the bottom of the shell first since the poison gas rises as you inflict more and more damage. After destroying all eleven, the gas will recede, the Chrysalis will crack open, and you'll advance the battle to its final phase against the healed and Phazon-enhanced Emperor Ing. 4. PHASE 4: MUTATED EMPEROR ING The regeneration shell turned the Emperor into a gigantic Warrior Ing, although the little Warriors look cute by comparison. Scan it quickly for the [*"MUTATED EMPEROR ING"*] Log Book entry, then lock onto its mouth. There are two ways to go about this fight - one of them feels almost like you're cheating because it is quite literally a one-hit kill while the other is the more normal method. The Emperor Ing has a number of attacks it will use during this final phase, but what it uses depends on the color of its "heart". When its orange, it uses charging attacks, jumping attacks, and swiping attacks. In its orange phase, it is mostly shielded, and you have to use Super Missiles to break the shield. After it is broken, the heart will turn either white or purple. When it's in the purple phase, it will use a Darkburst attack that freezes you along with its other moves, and can only be harmed with the Light or Annihilat- or Beam. When the heart turns white, it will attack with all of its mel- ee style attacks, but it will also create a super-sized version of the Warrior Ing's dimensional beam attack, and can only be harmed by the Dark or Annihilator Beam. Make it easy and use the Super Missiles to break its orange shield, then pump away with the Annihilator in whatever phase it switches to until the shield is repaired. If you see it scrape its hind legs, get out of the way because it will charge and trample you like Metroid Prime did. There is another weak point in its back that can fire upon if you get directly behind it, too. If you begin to run low on Beam Ammo, the Emperor Ing will help you along by creating a swarm of white Ingstorm creatures that you can rapidly kill for multiple health and ammo refills. Keep this up while switching weapons depending on its colors to take this final form down. The one-hit kill method, though, is much more fun. Stay far enough away from the Emperor Ing so that you bait it into its Space Jump attack (telegraphed by it bouncing up and down on its hind legs). RIGHT as it leaps, Space Jump forward and Screw Attack in such a way that you go under the Emperor Ing, but not so much that you hit it directly. The Screw Attack's hitbox is rather large, and as you know, if you hit a solid object, you usually bounce off. This trick makes you use the Screw Attack so that its hitbox passes right through the Emperor Ing's hitbox without causing you to ricochet off. Like the Boost Ball trick from the first game, this has a quirky effect of causing infinite damage. In this case, you get a one-hit kill. Sometimes it doesn't drain all of the Em- peror's health, but it's significant enough that you can easily end this battle with a few shots from your Annihilator Beam. [HARD MODE] To be quite honest, not a whole lot changes in this battle except for the timing. In its first phase, the eye stays vulnerable for maybe 10 seconds at most. The Chrysalis form is essentially unchanged, but the Mutated Emp- eror Ing will go nuts with charging and melee attacks. You'll probably want to practice and take advantage of the Screw Attack kill method if you want to get rid of its final form very quickly. Play a balanced offense and de- fense in this battle, because the Emperor Ing can inflict a lot of damage in a short amount of time. Delivering the final blow to the Emperor Ing causes it to collapse and die. This will reveal the final sphere of Dark Aether's planetary energy, and a cutscene will take over as Samus claims the energy. This immediately renders Dark Aether completely unstable. Your HUD informs you that the planetary con- dition is now critical and you have exactly eight minutes to hightail it out of there - all of this set to a nice remix of the classic Metroid "Escape!" theme music. Leap up the platforms that are revealed in the room and Screw Attack to the Sanctum's exit. Fall down the Wall Jump tunnel and return via the Light Warp back to the Sky Temple Gateway. Of course, it's not over yet. As you're about to make your way to the portal leading back to Aether, a large wall of Phazon springs up in front of you. Turning, you see Dark Samus once again, itching for one last rematch. She looks quite different now, as either the Phazon absorption or the repeated beatings you've handed out have rendered her armor translucent; her body now little more than a skeleton - it actually looks rather cool. Don't worry about her looks, though - you have only about seven minutes left to finish her off and escape Dark Aether. BOSS BATTLE: DARK SAMUS (FINAL FIGHT) ------------------------------------- This final battle contributes the final two entries to your Log Book. Dark Samus has saved all of her most powerful attacks for this final form, which means you should do the same and dish out your most powerful attacks in order to bring her down quickly. Read below for Normal and Hard Mode strat- egies for finishing her off. [NORMAL MODE] The important thing to remember, Log Book-wise, is that there is no cut- scene to separate her battle phases, so just remember that you can scan her for the [*"DARK SAMUS 3"*] entry now, and get [*"DARK SAMUS 4"*] after she turns bright blue (after about 1/3 of her health is gone - after you so so, you should get the in-game notification that you have completed 100% of the Log Book!). Start this fight off by locking on and pounding away at her with whatever you have left of the Annihilator Beam. Her attacks during this phase pretty much consist of everything she's used before (except for her Boost Ball attack), although now they hurt much more because she uses pure Phazon as her beam attack. If you see her charge up and glow bright blue while remaining stationary, break your lock-on and run directly behind her to avoid her large range Phazon Sweep, then resume your lock-on and keep peppering her. Like before, she'll continue to move and break your lock-on every now and then, but not as often as before. After she finishes the beam attack, she'll likely phase out of normal timespace, and you'll have to track her with the Echo Visor. You can try to circumvent this by having your Power Beam charged and letting her chomp on a Super Missile right as she starts to turn invisible - this will usually force her back into a visible mode. If she does manage to engage her cloak, switch to the Echo Visor and use Super Missiles when she is in range of your fire. One or two of these should force her back into her visible mode. At this point, resume attacking with the Annihilator Beam or Super Missiles. Once she rises into the air and glows bright blue, this signifies the start of her second phase. Scan her now - if you've followed this guide correct- ly, you'll be notified that you've completed the Log Book. Yay. Focus more on defeating Dark Samus right now. At this stage of the battle, Dark Samus has overdosed on Phazon and can no longer be harmed by any of your weapons. She does periodically expel Phazon, which you can absorb and trigger a sort of Hyper Mode like from the first game. Switch to the Dark Beam at this point - surprisingly, the Dark+Phazon combination seems to inflict much more damage than the Power Beam. Watch for her Phazon Shield to burst and expel small Phazon Comets - release your lock on her and freely move your reticle across the screen to absorb these into your Arm Cannon, then lock back onto Dark Samus and fire them back at her to inflict heavy damage. If you get lucky, she'll repeat this twice in a row, otherwise she'll just re- sort to firing normal Phazon spreads that you can't absorb. Switch to the Power Beam and charge it up when her bubble contracts and she drops to the ground. As soon as she rises from her kneeling position, fire a Super Miss- ile at her from close range and this will immediately force her back into her Phazon Shield phase. At this point, go back to the Dark Beam and wait for more Phazon Comets. Repeat this until you've depleted her entire health meter to finish this fight. [HARD MODE] Just like with the Emperor Ing fight, hardly anything changes about this fight except for damage ratios. She inflicts more damage to you and you have to fire a lot more to damage her. Once she moves into her final phase, though, everything seems to be the same as far as how much damage your Dark Phazon bursts inflict on her. Keep moving more to avoid her long range attacks and you shouldn't really have any problems. Once you run out of Beam Ammo (and you will here), resort to wasting your Missiles using Super Missiles and Seeker Missiles - you're not going to need them after this battle, so feel free to go nuts. Defeating Dark Samus for the last time results in a rather spectacular ending cinematic. Dark Samus crashes to the ground, venting Phazon like a sieve, and struggles to claw her way towards Samus, presumably trying to absorb the Light Suit as she did the Phazon Suit when she was Metroid Prime. She fails to make it quite that far and destabilizes completely right before reaching Samus' location. Just then, an earthquake rattles the entire area, and Samus finds herself trapped in the area by a vicious pack of Warrior Ing. As she is about to engage them, the Phazon wall behind her shatters and reveals the portal exit. Samus turns and makes a break for the portal, scanning it as she runs towards it. With the Warrior Ing in hot pursuit, she Space Jumps right into the portal to escape. As the portal begins to collapse, the screams of the Ing can be heard as their world folds in on itself. As this occurs, the skies of Aether stop shifting between light and dark. Samus returns to the Great Temple, where U-Mos has awakened the other Luminoth. She relinquishes the Light Suit back to the Energy Controller, and gives a friendly wave as the Luminoth salute her in gratitude for saving their world. Depending on your item percentage at the end, you'll see one of three epilogue scenes (but this WAS a guide for 100%): 1. ENDING 1 (1% - 74% ITEMS COLLECTED) Samus returns to the Landing Site and boards her Gunship before taking off for her next mission. After the credits, Samus is shown in a victory pose with the "MISSION FINAL" screen. 2. ENDING 2 (75% - 99% ITEMS COLLECTED) Samus returns to the Landing Site and prepares to board her Gunship. Be- fore entering, though, she removes her helmet and clears her mind so that her entire Power Suit vanishes. Clothed only in her bodysuit, she turns to look at the camera before boarding her ship. After the credits, Samus is shown in a victory pose with the "MISSION FINAL" screen. 3. ENDING 3 (100% ITEMS COLLECTED) Samus returns to the Landing Site and prepares to board her Gunship. Be- fore entering, though, she removes her helmet and clears her mind so that her entire Power Suit vanishes. Clothed only in her bodysuit, she turns to look at the camera before boarding her ship. After the credits, Samus is shown in a victory pose with the "MISSION FINAL" screen. After the screen is over, a cutscene plays in outer space, away from Aether. Blue particles begin to coalesce together and Dark Samus revives, although she is now a much brighter blue than before. This foreshadows her inevitable return, of course, in METROID PRIME 3: CORRUPTION. After all of these endings are completed, I like to believe Samus takes a relaxing ride in her Gunship as its on autopilot, and heads into the back to make a hot pot of coffee. But that's just me. ===================== == 9. ITEM LOCATIONS: ===================== The walkthrough itself covers the location of each individual item in the game, but a section is provided here in case you are missing particular Expansions, Energy Tanks, or other items. It is broken down by Item Category, then further subdivided into the regions of Aether. But first, here is a quick explanation of how items are recorded in your completion total. 49x MISSILE EXPANSIONS + 14x ENERGY TANKS + 8x POWER BOMB EXPANSIONS + 7x BEAM ENHANCEMENTS + 4x MORPH BALL ENHANCEMENTS + 4x MOVEMENT SYSTEM ENHANCEMENTS + 4x BEAM AMMO EXPANSIONS + 4x TRANSLATOR MODULES + 2x MISSILE LAUNCHERS + 2x VISOR ENHANCEMENTS + 2x ARMOR ENHANCEMENTS --------------------- 100 ITEMS TOTAL Item totals include 255 Missiles (49 expansions + 2 Launcher Upgrades), 10 Pow- er Bombs (2 initial + 8 expansions), 250 units of Beam Ammo (50 to start with plus 4 expansions for 250 units), and 14 Energy Tanks. The Translator Modules also count, but are given to you through the course of the game. The remaining Power Suit upgrades are split across different categories and round out the total. Unlike the first METROID PRIME, the Temple Keys don't count towards the item percentage, because 18 extra keys would throw you over 100 items. Read below for a comprehensive listing of each item in the game, broken down by type and then by planetary region. ENERGY TANKS (14) ================= You have a maximum total of 14 Energy Tanks. Each Tank you acquire adds 100 units of energy to your meter (and of course, another percentage point to your item totals). TEMPLE GROUNDS -------------- 01. STORAGE CAVERN B You'll find this one after acquiring the Missile Launcher. Find the nearby red door and blast the lock off of it to grab the Tank. 02. WINDCHAMBER GATEWAY First, move the motivator unit out of the way that covers a green door in Path of Eyes. Open it and launch yourself across the giant chasm with the Kinetic Orb Cannon, then use the Grapple Beam to swing to the far platform holding the Tank. 03. FORTRESS TRANSPORT ACCESS You will need the Light Suit for this one. After you've acquired the Suit, return here and travel along the Light Warp to reach a room with the Tank. AGON WASTES ----------- 04. MINING STATION ACCESS Roll into this room and detonate a Morph Ball Bomb on the center block. Drop into the hole and use the Kinetic Orb Cannon to rocket you up through the rest of the shaft and directly into this Tank. 05. BIOENERGY PRODUCTION Use the controls to raise and lower platforms in the room, and scan the panels to lower one on the left, two in the middle, and all three on the right-hand side. Then run to the platforms and simply Space Jump to the Tank. 06. MINE SHAFT Technically you need the Boost Ball, but the blocks crumble slow enough for you to make it past without needing the extra speed. Start near a block that you can Bomb Jump to that leads into a small passage. Quick- ly roll left over the collapsing blocks, and stop when you reach the vertical stack. Fall through and hold left to roll into a hidden pass- age, then do two Bomb Jumps up through the holes to reach the Tank. 07. MINING PLAZA You need the Echo Visor in order to pinpoint three sonic devices. Once they have been activated, the solar panels will focus an energy beam into part of the cliff. Screw Attack to the now open area for the Tank. TORVUS BOG ---------- 08. TEMPLE ACCESS After heading through the dark door leading to Torvus Temple, set a Morph Ball Bomb over the first circular grate on the ground. Drop into the hole to claim the Tank. 09. TRANSIT TUNNEL EAST Find the Bomb Slot at the left-hand end of this area and activate it. Now roll to the right past two tubes and use an Underwater DBJ to reach another Bomb Slot. Activate it, and roll two tubes over to the left and use another Underwater DBJ to reach the Tank. 10. MEDITATION VISTA Look out into the distance and find the moving platform. Time a Screw Attack so you land on the platform, and just ride it to the Tank. 11. TORVUS PLAZA This one normally requires an intricate Spider Ball/Boost Ball puzzle, but it can be gotten a bit easier. Go up the halfpipe and attach to the track, then go to the end and hold B just enough to register a Boost. Let go of B and R and you should attach to the end of the second part of track. If you're careful, you can boost along the ground to reach the third part of track. Go up the third part, go the end, and charge about half of a Boost to reach the area where the large flower is. From here you can try and Space Jump or Screw Attack to the Tank. If this is too hard, you can always use the track puzzle like normal. Of course, there's also the third method which utilizes the "Floaty Jump" move if you glitched yourself during the Chykka fight. Whichever method is best for you. DARK TORVUS BOG --------------- 12. CACHE B This one's very easy. Before entering the teleport to reach the boss battle with Chykka, roll through the red tunnel and blast the door with a Super Missile to reach the Tank. SANCTUARY FORTRESS ------------------ 13. REACTOR CORE Starting from the ground, use the Kinetic Orb Cannon to fly to a round Spider Ball module. Roll up and jump to a second orb above you (watch out for the electricity), and then boost to another orb. Now work your way around from orb to orb, launching from the red dots on each before you get crackled with electricity to reach the Tank at the end. 14. WATCH STATION ACCESS Another very easy one, you can just head through the door in Watch Station Access and drop down on the ledge below to snag the Tank, then scan a panel to lower some Grapple Points so you can easily traverse between here and Main Gyro. If you're skilled with dashes, you can also use a Roll Jump or the slightly-harder WSA Dash technique to get this before the Grapple Beam (and also get the Screw Attack early). MISSILE EXPANSIONS (49) ======================= You have a maximum total of 49 Missile Expansions in addition to two Launcher upgrades (the main one plus the Seekers), resulting in a net total of 255 Missiles. Each additional Expansion is another 5 Missiles (and of course, another percentage point to your item totals). TEMPLE GROUNDS -------------- 01. TRANSPORT TO AGON WASTES Shoot a path through the green Luminoth Webbing off to the left of the transport to find the Expansion. 02. TEMPLE ASSEMBLY SITE From the door that leads to the elevator, hop onto a short pillar near the metallic structure, then leap to the cliff. Follow the path around and into the tunnel to claim the Expansion. 03. GFMC COMPOUND From the ledge where the Power Bomb Door is, use a long L-Lock Spring Space Jump to land atop the ship (or Screw Attack over to it). Run along the top and you'll find the Expansion near the back of the ship. 04. HIVE CHAMBER A Starting from the Landing Site, come back the way you came through the Temple Grounds to reach this area. Inside, use a charged Dark Beam and a Missile to put down the Dark Missile Trooper, who will give you the Expansion for your effort. 05. HIVE CHAMBER B Next to the Morph Ball tunnel is a blocked passage. Blow the grate off with a Morph Ball Bomb and roll down the tunnel to find the Expansion. 06. COMMUNICATION AREA Use the Space Jump to reach the highest ledge, then find a small glass dome and use a Morph Ball Bomb to blow away the glass - you'll drop onto the Expansion. SKY TEMPLE GROUNDS ------------------ 07. WAR RITUAL GROUNDS Switch on the Dark Visor and use it along with the Seeker Missiles to find the five blast points around a door. Blast it open and claim the Expansion inside. 08. PLAIN OF DARK WORSHIP From Temple Assembly Site, use the Light Beam to move a Watchdrone out of the way, then enter the Dark Portal. Trek across the vast plain to the Ingworm hive at the end of the area and grab the Expansion just inside an alcove. 09. PHAZON GROUNDS You can either use the Dark Visor to spot invisible platforms and navi- gate that way, or use the Screw Attack to reach the Expansion in the far-away cliff. As an added bonus, the Screw Attack will also help to clear out any pesky Dark Tallon Metroids flying about. GREAT TEMPLE EXPANSIONS ----------------------- 10. TRANSPORT B ACCESS Look at the elevator in the room and face away from it while looking for a Morph Ball passage in the wall. Enter it and use Bomb Jumps to reach the Expansion. 11. TRANSPORT A ACCESS Right inside the entrance, locate a Morph Ball tunnel leading to a Save Station. Bomb the wall behind the Station and roll around down a new path to the Expansion. AGON WASTES EXPANSIONS ---------------------- 12. SAND CACHE Visit the Agon Energy Controller and have your translator updated, then go to the top of Mining Station A and scan the amber-colored Luminoth script. Go through the blue door to find the Expansion. 13. PORTAL ACCESS A Use the Orb Cannons to navigate the small puzzle, then roll behind the last Cannon to reach the Expansion behind the dead Luminoth. 14. TRANSPORT CENTER After you get back from the first run through Dark Aether, go through the door to your left (Portal Terminal) and activate the new Bomb Slot to gain access to the Expansion. 15. COMMAND CENTER Roll through the morph ball maze and hang a right at the fork to find the Expansion around a bend (same location as in the demo). 16. STORAGE B After getting the Dark Beam upgrade, go back to Biostorage Station and kill the Tallon Metroids. Afterwards, go through the dark door near the top. 17. VENTILATION AREA A Roll right to reach a block you can Bomb Jump on top of. Kill the Pill- bug, and jump up two levels to find the Expansion off to the left. 18. MAIN REACTOR Start at the bottom and work your way up the Spider Ball track (the one on the far wall, and carefully use the Boost Ball to leap between the Spider Ball tracks. A good idea is to launch in the instant that both platforms stop moving. When you reach the end, boost through the final opening, then detonate a Bomb on the glass dome for the Expansion. 19. SAND PROCESSING Use the half-pipe to gain access to a small tunnel that leads to a room with machinery controls. Scan them to start a process that drains the sand, then roll back out and collect the now-accessible Expansion. 20. STORAGE C Starting in Bioenergy Production, scan the consoles to raise the three platforms in the middle of the area, then roll to the Spider Ball track behind one of the consoles, and travel up and around. Boost from track to track until you reach the middle, then boost again to get to a track on the middle platform. Roll around to the other side and boost to the ledge with the green door. Use a Super Missile to open it and claim the Expansion inside. 21. MINING STATION A Locate the weak section of the wall and detonate a Power Bomb, then use the Kinetic Orb Cannon to blast yourself to a crane with Spider Ball tracks. Bomb Jump and drop between the segments to reach the Expansion to the left. 22. STORAGE A Journey to Mining Station B and use a Power Bomb on the weakened wall. Use the Light Beam on the door and grab the Expansion from inside. DARK AGON WASTES ---------------- 23. CROSSROADS Use the Boost Ball to reach the top of a half-pipe in Transport Center (Light Aether), then enter the Dark Portal and grab the Expansion since it's directly in front of you. 24. WARRIOR'S WALK Scan the floor to find that it's weak to explosive blasts. Use Bombs to blow it apart, then use the Morph Ball to scoot quickly across the Phazon pit to reach the Expansion at the far end. 25. JUNCTION SITE Use a Bomb Jump to reach the Spider Ball track, then activate the Bomb Slot at the top of the room to rotate the entire area. Afterwards, the Expansion is easy pickings. 26. ING CACHE 4 Starting from Duelling Range, head through the dark door near the bot- tom, then walk forward a bit and turn around to see a Morph Ball tunnel. Roll inside to grab the Expansion. TORVUS BOG ---------- 27. FORGOTTEN BRIDGE Activate the Bomb Slot in Dark Aether's version of the area (Dark Forg- otten Bridge), then return to Light Aether and simply walk to the now- accessible Expansion. 28. UNDERGROUND TUNNEL Enter the room via Torvus Temple, and roll under the grating near the door to grab this Expansion. 29. HYDRODYNAMO STATION After activating the first lock point in the room, use the Kinetic Orb Cannon to reach the top, then use the Map to position yourself directly above the dark door. Fall down, morph, and roll off the edge of the platform while curving your fall to land on the ledge. The Expansion is right above you. 30. ABANDONED WORKSITE Another one you can get one of two ways. Both methods involve entering this area from the side of Great Bridge. You can either wait until you have the Grapple Beam and swing over, or use well-timed Space Jumps off of narrow alcoves in the walls to reach it. 31. PORTAL CHAMBER In Dark Aether, get to Portal Chamber and go to the area near the next room (Poisoned Bog). Double Bomb Jump up to a hole in the rock, then roll through the nearby Morph Ball tunnel. Ride a piston down and use the nearby Light Portal to return to Light Aether to get the Expansion. 32. PATH OF ROOTS Enter from the Great Bridge area and work your way around to the other side behind the Sporb, then use the Grapple Beam to swing across a gap to the visible Expansion. 33. TORVUS LAGOON Once you have the Gravity Boost, jump into the water at the front of this room and turn around so you're facing a small alcove. Use the Gravity Boost to leap over the Venom Weed and float to the Expansion. 34. GATHERING HALL Once you have the Power Bombs, return here and use two of them to drain the water from the room. Then use the half-pipe to boost up to the Spider Ball tracks in the ceiling. Maneuver around while boosting to other sections to activate two Bomb Slots. The second one will extend a platform that you can use once you've grappled to the ledge below it. Once you're done, just Space Jump to the ledge to get the Expansion. 35. TORVUS GROVE Go to the giant weakened tree and detonate a Power Bomb at the base of each trunk part to make the tree crash into a nearby wall. The destroy- ed wall will then reveal the Expansion. 36. PLAZA ACCESS When you reach the red tunnel, you need to use Bomb Jumps to navigate your way to two Bomb Slots. Activate each so you can access a new part of the area, and use another Bomb Jump to reach the tunnel atop the second ledge. Roll down this new area and use the half-pipe to boost to the Expansion. 37. TRANSIT TUNNEL SOUTH In this giant maze, first activate the bottom-most Bomb Slot, then jump up so you're above the yellow orb. Double Bomb Jump up and hang a right to reach another Bomb Slot. Activate it and use Bomb Jumps and the water current to reach the Expansion. 38. TRAINING CHAMBER You have to first kill the Dark Bloggs, then locate the Spider Ball track underwater. Roll along and boost to another track, then roll un- til you reach a collection of tracks. Drop from the very center to land on a ledge, then activate the Bomb Slot to reveal the Expansion. DARK TORVUS BOG --------------- 39. UNDERTRANSIT ONE In this tunnel, it's at the farthest-left-hand point just outside the Light Zone. Use a series of Bomb Jumps to reach it. 40. UNDERTEMPLE From the Main Hydrochamber, take the Dark Portal and travel to Under- temple by way of a near-hidden Spider Ball track. Here, find the wall that you can Wall Jump on, and bounce your way up to the Expansion. SANCTUARY FORTRESS ------------------ 41. DYNAMO WORKS After beating the Spider Guardian, use the Spider Ball to locate a path leading up at the junction between the third and fourth rooms. Spider Ball up and around to find the Expansion. 42. HALL OF COMBAT MASTERY You can get this one of two ways. The first is by navigating the blue Spider Ball track and using the Bomb Slots, Morph Ball passages, and Bomb Jumps to eventually reach the item, or by starting outside the puzzle across from the Expansion. Space Jump on top of the two computer monitors attached to a wall, face the Spider Ball track at the left-hand corner, and look down a bit. Space Jump out so that you go pretty far, but don't hit the ceiling, and just as you begin your second jump, hit X to morph and try to squeeze into the Morph Ball passage. It's a very tricky jump, but it's far quicker. 43. MAIN RESEARCH Use the tricky Spider Ball tracks in the walls while avoiding the clank- ing machinery parts to reach the Expansion in the center of the maze. 44. CENTRAL AREA TRANSPORT WEST From the top of the room, carefully drop down one level and look for three holes in the floor. Fall down the far left-hand tunnel and then take a right at the next fork. Take another right after that to reach the Expansion. 45. SENTINEL'S PATH Equip the Echo Visor and use the Annihilator Beam on the Echo Door. Listen to the sound wave returns, then shoot the Key Emitters in the correct order to gain access to this Expansion. 46. TEMPLE ACCESS Another fun one. Drop to the bottom and use the Dark Visor + Seeker Missiles to locate an activation key for a Kinetic Orb Cannon. Use the cannon, then use the Echo Visor to locate a sonic mechanism. Shoot it, then run back to the Orb Cannon and use it again to reach the Expan- sion. To get out of the room, use the nearby Spinner device. 47. SANCTUARY MAP STATION With the Light Suit equipped, step into the Light Warp to reach a small room containing the Expansion. ING HIVE -------- 48. AERIAL TRAINING SITE Near the Light Portal, look for the Wall Jump surfaces and simply Wall Jump your way to the Expansion. 49. HAZING CLIFF Enter here via Culling Chamber, and take out the Dark Diligence Drones with your charged Light Beam, then Screw Attack over the gap to reach the tunnel with the Expansion. POWER BOMB EXPANSIONS (8) ========================= Once you defeat the Power Bomb Guardian, you will have two Power Bombs with which you can use to collect eight more expansions, leading up to a total of 10 Power Bombs. Retro Studios seems to have learned their lesson from the last game - almost every Expansion requires a Power Bomb to get to it, so there is very little chance of acquiring these early. Each additional Expan- sion is one more Power Bomb (and of course, another percentage point to your item totals). TEMPLE GROUNDS -------------- 01. DYNAMO CHAMBER Use a Power Bomb to shatter the Mark VII security gate, then use anot- her Power Bomb to break a weakened wall that will reveal the Expansion. AGON WASTES ----------- 02. SANDCANYON Enter this area and Screw Attack out to the middle platform. Use a Power Bomb to blow apart a structure near the base of the tower, and the tower will fall into the chasm, revealing an Expansion. DARK AGON WASTES ---------------- 03. FEEDING PIT Once you have the Light Suit, you can drop into the poison water and walk to the back area of the lake to find the Expansion tucked away in- side a small alcove. TORVUS BOG ---------- 04. GREAT BRIDGE Use the Kinetic Orb Cannon to blast you to the other side of the room, and drop a Power Bomb near a collection of Denzium blocking access to a red tunnel. Roll inside to reach the Expansion. DARK TORVUS BOG --------------- 05. PUTRID ALCOVE Enter Dark Aether to reach Dark Forgotten Bridge, then take the path to reach this room. Shoot the Dark Phlogus to make it flip over, then jump into the water to its left and use a Power Bomb to crack the wall hid- ing the Expansion. SANCTUARY FORTRESS ------------------ 06. SANCTUARY ENTRANCE Take a path to the left of the entrance and use a Power Bomb to shatter a glass pane that leads to a hologram. Use it to activate a Kinetic Orb Cannon nearby, then use the Cannon while holding R to latch onto the Spider Ball track on the turret stand. Roll up and enter the turret, then point it first at the wall on the mountain across from you, then at a cracked portion of the Fortress entrance, and finally a spiked outcropping on the right side of the Fortress. Exit the turret and take newly-cleared paths to reach a Spider Ball track that leads to another Kinetic Orb Cannon. Use it to blast across the expanse and land in an alcove with the Expansion. 07. TRANSIT STATION Go through Transit Station in Light Aether and use a Power Bomb to shat- ter a glass pane leading to a Dark Portal. Take it, and kill the Dark Ingsmasher to reach another Light Portal. Enter it, and roll through a tunnel to find another portal to Dark Aether. Next, use a nearby Spider Ball track to find yet another Light Aether portal, then use a final track to reach the Expansion. 08. MAIN GYRO CHAMBER Drop to the bottom of the Gyro Chamber and switch to the Echo Visor. Use the Annihilator Beam to begin a sonic wave sequence, then hit the Key Emitters in the proper pattern (2, 1, 3, 3) to reach the room with the Expansion. BEAM AMMO EXPANSIONS (4) ======================== Upon getting the Dark and Light Beams, you'll have 50 units of each to play around with. There are four Expansions hidden throughout the planet that will eventually bring your total ammo count to 250. Most of these are fairly easy to find. Each additional Expansion is another 50 units (and of course, anot- her percentage point to your item totals). SKY TEMPLE ---------- 01. PROFANE PATH When you reach this area, find the Echo Visor door, and solve the Key Emitter puzzle to reach the Expansion. AGON WASTES ----------- 02. CENTRAL MINING STATION There are two ways to get this Expansion. First, use the white door leading out of Command Center to reach the upper part of this room, then use one of the Vigilance Turrets to blast away the three wind gen- erators, part of the skiff storage, and a gray generator on the right side of the room. Drop down to the skiff, and use it to work your way around to a tunnel leading to the Expansion. The second way is to use Ghetto Jumps up around the slanted walls near the Turrets to work your way up to the uppermost ledge. Doing it this way, you can acquire the Expansion before you even have the Dark Beam. DARK TORVUS BOG --------------- 03. CACHE A Go to Poisoned Bog and use the Seeker Launcher to blast open the purple door. The Expansion awaits you on the other side. SANCTUARY FORTRESS ------------------ 04. WATCH STATION Roll up the Spider Ball track on the side of the room to reach a Kinet- ic Orb Cannon and ue it to blast you to a set of Spider Ball tracks on the other side of the room. Now launch from the moving tracks, setting Bombs when you pass sets of red bars to reach more moving tracks. When you reach a large section of tracks, roll to the far-left and drop to another track, and repeat the moving track bit to reach a tunnel high up. As you roll through, take the avenue that goes away from the camera to reach the Expansion. DARK TEMPLE/SKY TEMPLE KEYS (18) ================================ In order to progress through the game, you must locate a total of 18 Dark Temple Keys - 3 for each Dark Temple and 9 for the Sky Temple. None of these will count towards your Item Percentage, but they must be found nonetheless. The only exception is the Ing Hive, because you can use a Bomb Space Jump and a Screw Attack to clear the Temple Gateway. Below is a quick reference list for the locations for the Dark Temple and Sky Temple Keys. DARK AGON WASTES ---------------- 01. DARK AGON TEMPLE KEY #1 Area: DOOMED ENTRY When entering Doomed Entry, you can use a Space Jump from the middle platform to reach the Key on a high ledge at the back of the room. 02. DARK AGON TEMPLE KEY #2 Area: BATTLEGROUND This key is protected by six Warrior Ing. Upon entering the room, drop to the center arena and battle the Ing to reclaim the Key. Note that this is also the only time you can scan an [*"ING WEBTRAP"*]. 03. DARK AGON TEMPLE KEY #3 Area: TRIAL TUNNEL On your way to Amorbis, hang a left inside the Dark Agon Temple. The Key is in the room behind the blue door on the left-hand side of the Temple. 04. SKY TEMPLE KEY #1 (KEY OF J-STL) Area: BATTLEGROUND This is in the Dark Counterpart of Central Mining Station. Find the Ingclaw to the right of the green door and Space Jump on top of it. From here, find the ledge with the two Warrior Ing, then just Screw Attack over to the ledge, where you can find the Flying Ing Cache. Blast it using the Dark Visor, then destroy its visible form to find the Key. 05. SKY TEMPLE KEY #2 (KEY OF B-STL) Area: DARK OASIS This is in the Dark counterpart of the Main Reactor. From Dark Oasis, use a Power Bomb to blast away part of a wall, then drop into the Dark Water to find the Flying Ing Cache. Blast it using the Dark Visor, then destroy its visible form to find the Key. DARK TORVUS BOG --------------- 01. DARK TORVUS TEMPLE KEY #1 Area: DARK TORVUS ARENA After defeating the Boost Guardian, return to the room right before it and use the half-pipe to rocket up to the Key inside a small alcove. 02. DARK TORVUS TEMPLE KEY #2 Area: UNDERTEMPLE ACCESS After acquiring the Gravity Boost, return to the room right above the Main Hydrochamber and float up to a Dark Portal. Enter and grab the Key as it sits in your path. 03. DARK TORVUS TEMPLE KEY #3 Area: VENOMOUS POND You can reach this key via Grapple Points in the room, or by using some fairly crafty Space Jumping from the Ingclaws. If you're going for a respectable degree of speed, getting it with the Grapple Beam is a bit faster. 04. SKY TEMPLE KEY #3 (KEY OF S-DLY) Area: POISONED BOG This is in the Dark counterpart of Torvus Lagoon. Come here and drop into the Dark Water to easily locate the Flying Ing Cache. Blast it us- ing the Dark Visor, then destroy its visible form to find the Key. 05. SKY TEMPLE KEY #4 (KEY OF G-STH) Area: DUNGEON This is in the Dark counterpart of Catacombs. Drop into the Dark Water and use Power Bombs to break out of Sacrificial Chamber into Undertran- sit Two. Take the new path to the Dungeon, and shoot the beacons above the Watchdrones to force them to move. Take the paths they uncover to reach the Flying Ing Cache. Blast it using the Dark Visor, then destroy its visible form to find the Key. ING HIVE -------- 01. HIVE TEMPLE KEY #1 Area: CULLING CHAMBER With the Spider Ball, use the red track to roll into an enclosed area that holds the Key. You'll have to bomb through some obstructions first before you can get it. 02. HIVE TEMPLE KEY #2 Area: AERIAL TRAINING SITE Once you have the Screw Attack, come here via the Central Hive West Transport to grab the Key, then scan the panel nearby to gain access back to the Light Portal. 03. HIVE TEMPLE KEY #3 Area: HIVE GYRO CHAMBER Use the Spider Ball to navigate your way to the top, then boost up to a second ring-like structure. Position yourself correctly, then use a fully-charged boost to sail across the ring-sphere to claim the Key. 04. SKY TEMPLE KEY #5 (KEY OF S-JRS) Area: HIVE ENTRANCE This is in the Dark counterpart of Sanctuary Entrance. You need to use the Screw Attack to cross a wide gap that leads to a Light Warp. Try to space out your Screw Attack jumps so that you're jumping again right before you start to fall, or else you won't make it. Once you do, take the Light Warp to the top of the area, then Screw Attack back across to find the Flying Ing Cache. Blast it using the Dark Visor, then de- stroy its visible form to find the Key. 05. SKY TEMPLE KEY #6 (KEY OF C-RCH) Area: HIVE DYNAMO WORKS This is in the Dark counterpart of Dynamo Works. Use the Spider and Boost Balls to navigate moving Spider Ball puzzles, then use the red Spider Ball track to reach a ledge on the far side where the Flying Ing Cache awaits. Blast it using the Dark Visor, then destroy its visible form to find the Key. SKY TEMPLE GROUNDS ------------------ 01. SKY TEMPLE KEY #7 (KEY OF D-ISL) Area: ING RELIQUARY This is in the Dark counterpart of Storage Cavern A. From the Reliquary Grounds, head through the blue door at the top, and scan around for the Flying Ing Cache. Blast it using the Dark Visor, then destroy its vis- ible form to claim the Key. 02. SKY TEMPLE KEY #8 (KEY OF M-DHE) Area: DEFILED SHRINE This is in the Dark counterpart of the Landing Site. Make your way here after visiting the Sky Temple Gateway and switch to the Dark Visor to find the Flying Ing Cache. Blast it using the Dark Visor, then destroy its visible form to find the Key. 03. SKY TEMPLE KEY #9 (KEY OF J-FME) Area: ACCURSED LAKE This is in the Dark counterpart of Industrial Site. Once you enter, take out the Hunter Ing with a Super Crystal/Beacon , then check around for the Flying Ing Cache lurking in the far-left corner of the room. Blast it using the Dark Visor, then destroy its visible form to find the Key. BEAM ENHANCEMENTS (7) ===================== You have four Beam Weapons in the game (counting the Charge Beam that you keep at the start), plus an additional four Charge Combo Enhancements for each Beam Weapon. Each of the additional seven weapons adds another percen- tage point to your item totals. 01. DARK BEAM Region: AGON WASTES Area: STORAGE D After defeating Dark Samus 1, head up the elevator and enter the Stor- age room to find this Beam. 02. LIGHT BEAM Region: DARK AGON WASTES Area: ING CACHE 1 Access the Feeding Pit and make your way to the Dark Lift Crystals. Either fire the Dark Beam and use it as a platform, or lock onto the crystal and Space Jump at it while holding L to get yourself a small boost onto the top. Space Jump to the ledge and enter the cache to find this Beam. 03. ANNIHILATOR BEAM Region: ING HIVE Area: HIVE TEMPLE You will get this for defeating Quadraxis. 04. SUPER MISSILE CHARGE COMBO Region: TORVUS BOG Area: TORVUS TEMPLE Enter Torvus Temple and fend off the three waves of Space Pirates. At the end, this upgrade will be revealed. 05. DARKBURST CHARGE COMBO Region: AGON WASTES Area: MINING STATION B Access Mining Station B by way of the Mine Shaft off of Agon Temple. Use a series of Bomb Slots to activate a giant mechanical blade so that it destroys a section of rock. Enter the Dark Portal and go through Dark Transit Tunnel to Duelling Range. Enter the Light Portal and go back through the normal Transit Tunnel to find this upgrade. 06. SUNBURST CHARGE COMBO Region: TEMPLE GROUNDS Area: GRAND WINDCHAMBER Go to the Grand Windchamber and Screw Attack to the Dark Portal. In the Ing Windchamber, use the Spinners to rotate the middle ring and the Kinetic Orb Cannons to get from platform to platform. Use the Seeker Missiles to hit four targets in the center platform, then utilize the Spinners again and move a second set of rings. Fire the Seeker Missiles at the central targets again, then return to Light Aether to claim the upgrade. 07. SONIC BOOM CHARGE COMBO Region: DARK AGON WASTES Area: ING CACHE 2 Go to Dark Aether from Command Center and take the path to Feeding Pit and then to Phazon Site. Use the Dark Visor to spot the hovering plat- forms, then Screw Attack to the ledge with the gray door to reach the room containing this upgrade. MORPH BALL ENHANCEMENTS (4) =========================== You have four enhancements for your Morph Ball mode in the game, each of which gives you increased mobility or offensive capability. Each additional item adds another percentage point to your item totals. 01. MORPH BALL BOMB Region: AGON WASTES Area: AGON TEMPLE You get this for defeating the Bomb Guardian. 03. BOOST BALL Region: DARK TORVUS BOG Area: DARK TORVUS ARENA You get this for defeating the Boost Guardian. 04. SPIDER BALL Region: SANCTUARY FORTESS Area: DYNAMO WORKS You get this for defeating the Spider Guardian. 05. POWER BOMB Region: DARK TORVUS BOG Area: UNDERTEMPLE You get this for defeating the Power Bomb Guardian. MOVEMENT ENHANCEMENTS (4) ========================= You have four additional upgrades that increase the mobility of your Power Suit. Each one adds another percentage point to your item totals. 01. SPACE JUMP BOOTS Region: DARK AGON WASTES Area: JUDGMENT PIT You get this for defeating the Jump Guardian. 02. GRAVITY BOOST Region: TORVUS BOG Area: HYDROCHAMBER STORAGE Scan the three consoles in Hydrodynamo Station to unlock the lower part of the area. Go down to the Main Hydrochamber, then enter Hydrochamber Storage to find this item. 03. GRAPPLE BEAM Region: PHAZON MINES Area: STORAGE DEPOT B You get this for defeating the Grapple Guardian. 04. SCREW ATTACK Region: SANCTUARY FORTRESS Area: VAULT Reach the Vault by way of Watch Station and Grand Abyss. Activate the Bomb Slot to enable turrets, then go back and forth between the Vault and Vault Attack Portal to activate different features in both dimen- sions. Lastly, activate four spinners to move laser beams, then use the Bomb Slot again to remove the cage. Once it's gone, Space Jump to the central platform holding this item. ARMOR ENHANCEMENTS (2) ====================== There are two upgrades to your Power Suit in the game apart from the Varia that you keep from the start. Each one increases your defensive capabilit- ies and allows you to survive longer in Dark Aether. Each additional armor enhancement also adds another percentage point to your item totals. 01. DARK SUIT Region: DARK AGON WASTES Area: DARK AGON TEMPLE You get this for defeating Amorbis. 03. LIGHT SUIT Region: GREAT TEMPLE Area: MAIN ENERGY CONTROLLER You get this from U-Mos before searching for the Sky Temple Keys. While the game implies that you need to take energy from all three of Dark Aether's sub-controllers and return it to Light Aether, the only real trigger is taking the Ing Hive's energy and returning it to Sanctuary Fortress. Once this is done, visit U-Mos at the Great Temple to receive this upgrade. VISOR ENHANCEMENTS (2) ====================== You have two extra Visors besides the Combat and Scan Visors. Each one in- creases what you can see and track (and of course, adds another percentage point to your item totals). 01. DARK VISOR Region: DARK TORVUS BOG Area: DARK TORVUS TEMPLE You get this for defeating the Chykkas. 02. ECHO VISOR Region: SANCTUARY FORTRESS Area: AERIE After defeating Dark Samus 2, solve the puzzle in the Aerie and Hive Summit to collect this Visor upgrade. MISSILE LAUNCHERS (2) ===================== You have two upgrades to your Missile Launcher that increase the types of concussive weapons you can fire. Each additional upgrade adds another per- centage point to your item totals). 01. MISSILE LAUNCHER Region: TEMPLE GROUNDS Area: GFMC COMPOUND Although any Missile Expansion technically activates this, this first one is easily found by just running around the corner of the Compound to trigger the cutscene, then destroying the storage crate. You can use the 101% Glitch to get two of these (and thus 10 Missiles) at the start of the game. 02. SEEKER MISSILE LAUNCHER Region: GREAT TEMPLE Area: HALL OF HONORED DEAD Use the four Spinners in the room in the following order: Purple/Blue/ Yellow/Red to line up a series of concentric tracks. Then reverse the sequence (Red/Yellow/Blue/Purple) to make all floor pieces match. After this is done, this item is revealed. ========================= == 10. LOG BOOK DATABASE: ========================= The Log Book is used for collecting data on creatures of Aether, research it- ems, Space Pirate Logs, Luminoth Lore, and GFMC Trooper data. The Log Book is divided into data network segments, with each section subdivided into multiple smaller categories. As a whole, the Log Book in this game is far more expansive than the first game with nearly double the entries. All creatures are given general room locations where possible, or at the very least a location for the first time you'll see them. The one-time scans are marked with asterisks (*), and the limited scans (meaning you have a limited time to get them) are marked with two asterisks (**). To ensure completion of the Log Book, scan everything the first time you see it just to be safe. NOTE: The entries here are ONLY what you can SCAN for the Log Book - all of the other entries for Dark Temple Keys or your Inventory are not included since you (a) get them automatically and (b) all upgrade information has, I think, been thoroughly covered in the previous section. CREATURE ENTRIES ================ The Creature Data is divided into small data networks by the environment and type of creature. Light Aether is separated from Dark Aether, aquatic creat- ures are separated from land creatures, and so forth. Every creature is list- ed here with information on where they be found along with the transcription from the game database. ---------------------------- AETHER CATEGORY (39 entries) ---------------------------- The Aether category contains the creatures found indigenous to Aether, that is, those normally found in Light Aether. -> AQUATIC (4 entries) ---------------------- The Aquatic subcategory contains the creatures that are found in watery or swampy environments. -> LARGE AQUATIC (2 entries) ---------------------------- These are the larger aquatic creatures. 01. MORPHOLOGY: *Alpha Blogg* (scan from inside its cage) REGIONS: Torvus Bog LOCATIONS: Main Hydrochamber Access DATABASE: The Alpha Blogg is the largest and strongest of its pack. It can fire potent sonic stun blasts in battle. The blasts will disrupt your Visor and weapon systems if they hit you. Its 3 titanic maws are potent weapons. Target the creature's mouth area to inflict damage upon it. 02. MORPHOLOGY: Blogg REGIONS: Torvus Bog LOCATIONS: Hydrodynamo Station, Training Chamber DATABASE: The Blogg uses speed and agility to close in on prey. It will batter foes with a ramming attack, then use its 3 tooth-filled maws to finish the job. Bloggs have a weak spot inside their mouth:the rest of their bodies are covered with a thick damage-resitant hide. -> SMALL AQUATIC (2 entries) ---------------------------- These are the smaller aquatic creatures. 03. MORPHOLOGY: Bloggling REGIONS: Torvus Bog LOCATIONS: Hydrodynamo Station, Training Chamber DATABASE: Young Bloggs are weaker than their parents, but still violent. Their powerful jaws have yet to form, and they lack the defense abilities found in adult Bloggs. They rely on speed and agility for protection if attacked. Without the protection of their elders, they are still vulnerable. 04. MORPHOLOGY: Hydling REGIONS: Torvus Bog LOCATIONS: first seen in Hydrochamber Access DATABASE: Hydlings are small water dwellers. They travel in packs for safety, roaming the water in search of bits of food. Their only defense is a bite, which with their sharp teeth can also pierce metal. -> FLYERS (7 entries) --------------------- The Flyers subcategory contains the creatures on Aether that fly around in the air. -> LARGE FLYERS (3 entries) --------------------------- These are the larger flying creatures. 03. MORPHOLOGY: *Shredder* REGIONS: Torvus Bog LOCATIONS: Torvus Lagoon DATABASE: The Shredder spends most of its life in the earth. When agitated, it will spring from the ground, then begin to fly towards its foe. Should it reach its target, the Shredder will explode with considerable force, releas- ing a cloud of thorns as it does. Shredders are resil- ient, but can be eliminated with concentrated weapon fire. 04. MORPHOLOGY: Shriekbat REGIONS: Agon Wastes, Torvus Bog LOCATIONS: first seen in Temple Access DATABASE: Shriekbats have high internal temperatures, leading them to seek cool climates to dwell in. They prefer caverns, roosting on ceilings while hunting for small prey. Fiercely terratorial, they dive-bomb anything that wanders near. This attack is fatal for the Shriek- bat, as the impact sets off a discharge of thermal en- ergy. 05. MORPHOLOGY: Shrieker** (vanishes after you get Emerald Translator) REGIONS: Torvus Bog LOCATIONS: Great Bridge, Torvus Temple DATABASE: A cousin to the Shredder, the Shrieker waits for prey half-buried in the earth. When it detects a target, it erupts from the ground and takes flight. It releases a sonic blast to stun its target, then sweeps in to feast. Shriekers can generate a stealth field that dis- rupts most Visors, making them difficult to attack. -> SMALL FLYERS (4 entries) --------------------------- These are the smaller flying creatures. 06. MORPHOLOGY: Lightflyer REGIONS: Torvus Bog LOCATIONS: Forgotten Bridge, Transport to Temple Grounds A DATABASE: The Lightflyer is an aggressive flying drone. Once loy- al to the Luminoth, it will now fire a burst of energy at any living thing within range. It generates light at all times, making it somewhat easy to target. 07. MORPHOLOGY: Lumite REGIONS: Agon Wastes, Dark Agon Wastes LOCATIONS: first seen in Plaza Access DATABASE: The Lumite thrives on light, and can render itself in- visible to most predators while within it. When out of the light, the creature is relatively harmless, relying on a crudely spat chunk of biomatter to defend itself. Once in the light, it can channel large amounts of solar energy into a deadly blast. 08. MORPHOLOGY: Sandbat REGIONS: Agon Wastes LOCATIONS: scannable only in Mining Plaza & Mining Station A DATABASE: Sandbats are small flyers. They travel in packs for safety, though they are predators in nature. Failing to find food as a group, Sandbats will often enter a feed- ing frenzy and attack one another in search of suste- nance. 09. MORPHOLOGY: War Wasp REGIONS: Temple Grounds LOCATIONS: first seen in Sacred Bridge DATABASE: The War Wasp rarely strays away from its hive while it is pursuing an immediate threat. It attacks with no regard for its own survival, dive bombing into its en- emy with stinger extended. Fast working toxins from the stinger can incapcitate most small organisms. If it battles foes at range, it will fire blasts of potent energy. -> GROUND (14 entries) ---------------------- The Ground subcategory contains the ground-based creatures of Aether. -> PREDATORS (6 entries) ------------------------ These are the larger, predatory creatures. 10. MORPHOLOGY: *Alpha Sandigger* (scan QUICKLY before it transforms) REGIONS: Agon Wastes LOCATIONS: Agon Temple DATABASE: This appears to be a Sandigger pack leader, larger and stronger than the normal members of its kind. Target both of its heads to damage it. 11. MORPHOLOGY: *Alpha Splinter* (scan before it transforms) REGIONS: Great Temple LOCATIONS: Temple Sanctuary DATABASE: Splinter war packs are dominated by the largest male. Alpha Splinters use their tremendous strength, size, and speed to subdue and kill prey, paving the way for their smaller broodlings. 12. MORPHOLOGY: Grenchler REGIONS: Torvus Bog LOCATIONS: first seen in Forgotten Bridge DATABASE: The amiphibious Grenchler lurks in marsh areas in search of prey. Fearless, it will spring from hiding and attack anything that moves. If it is unable to fell its prey with its powerful jaws, it will fire a potent burst of energy at them. Grenchlers have one weak spot - a genetic defect makes the shell on their back sus- ceptable to explosive blasts. Remove the shell to ex- pose a vulnerable nerve center, then target it to eliminate the creature. 13. MORPHOLOGY: Sandigger REGIONS: Agon Wastes LOCATIONS: first seen in Mining Plaza DATABASE: Scans indicate that the Sandigger has a dual-brain ner- vous system. Both of its heads are capable of attack- ing, disabling, and digesting prey. It fires globs of acidic digestive fluid at prey to cripple them and begin the digestive process. Its hide is very durable and resistant to weapon fire: only its exposed eyes can be damaged. 14. MORPHOLOGY: Splinter REGIONS: Temple Grounds LOCATIONS: first seen in Temple Assembly Site DATABASE: When it isn't hunting, a Splinter will secrete a pro- tective cocoon around itself and enter a state of hib- ernation. Localized seismc disturbances will awaken the Splinter, triggering a state of blood frenzy in the process. While in this state, a Splinter emits phere- mones that triggers a frenzy in all nearby Splinters. Disturbing a pack of sleeping Splinters is not advis- able. 15. MORPHOLOGY: Sporb REGIONS: Torvus Bog LOCATIONS: first seen in Torvus Plaza, also in Underground Tunnel DATABASE: The hanging Sporb sits patiently until a potential meal is detected. A burst of poisoned needles is the Sporb's primary means of attack. It can also extend its body over short distances, gripping small targets with its powerful jaws. Sporbs wither when exposed to dark en- ergy, making them vulnerable to other weapon systems. -> SURFACE PROWLERS (6 entries) ------------------------------- These are the smaller scavengers that live on the surface. 16. MORPHOLOGY: Brizgee REGIONS: Agon Wastes LOCATIONS: only found in Mining Station A DATABASE: The Brizgee's tail ends in a venomous barb, which it conceals underneath a hard-packed layer of fused sand. A series of sharpened ridges along its body discourages most predators:those foolish enough to harass the Brizgee are quickly introduced to its deadly stinger. 17. MORPHOLOGY: Green Kralee REGIONS: Temple Grounds LOCATIONS: first seen in Transport to Agon Wastes Access DATABASE: A cousin to the dimensional shifting Kralee, the Green Kralee spends most of its days roaming in search of food. A generic defect prevents its back crystal from harnessing energy and opening warp portals. It is doubtful the Green Kralee misses this ability. 18. MORPHOLOGY: Kralee REGIONS: Agon Wastes LOCATIONS: only found in Mining Station B DATABASE: The Kralee phases between dimensions as a defense mech- anism. A crystal in its carapace gathers energy to fuel the creation of a warp portal. The process is uncont- rollable, keeping the Kralee in constant dimensional flux. 19. MORPHOLOGY: Krocuss REGIONS: Torvus Bog LOCATIONS: first seen in Grove Access DATABASE: The Krocuss thrives on toxins it extracts from its sur- roundings. It secretes an acidic trail in its wake as it roams in search of nourishment. The durable mollusk can be damaged when it exposes its toxic-absorbing gills: few weapons can penetrate the creature's shell. 20. MORPHOLOGY: Lightbringer REGIONS: Dark Agon Wastes LOCATIONS: only found in Duelling Range DATABASE: Lightbringers were created by the Luminoth for use in their war with the Ing. The crystalline creature gener- ates a field of life-giving energy at all times, and they can be energized like a Safe Zone Crystal. They are immune to most weapon fire: only a burst of matter- antimatter can destroy them. 21. MORPHOLOGY: Seedburster REGIONS: Torvus Bog LOCATIONS: first seen in Training Chamber Access DATABASE: Seedbursters are moving plants, capable of traveling great distances in search of fertile soil to deposit their seeds in. When provoked by predators, the Seed- burster will explode, turning the precious seed inside into a dangerous projectile. These seeds do not live to fruition, but help protect the Seedburster pack from attacks. -> TUNNEL PROWLERS (2 entries) ------------------------------ These are the smaller scavengers that live below the surface or in small tunnels. 22. MORPHOLOGY: Pillbug** (vanishes after you have the Light Suit) REGIONS: Agon Wastes, Sanctuary Fortress LOCATIONS: only found in Portal Terminal or Dynamo Access DATABASE: Pillbugs prefer to dwell in dark caverns, though they can exist in lit areas. Navigating with a series of sensitive antennae, they roam through caves in search of moss and fungus. Pillbugs can move rapidly, and will ram unwary targets to clear their paths as they search for food. A Pillbug can be jarred loose from a surface with a concussive blast: doing so reveals its vulner- able belly. 23. MORPHOLOGY: Worker Splinter REGIONS: Temple Grounds LOCATIONS: Hive Tunnel, Command Chamber, Hive Chamber C DATABASE: The Worker Splinter is bred for service, not for com- bat. It spends its time collecting foodstuffs and raw material for the Hive. A layer of mucus helps to pro- tect the creature from the toxins and chemicals it works with. They can generate a sturdy pliable webbing useful in travel throughout the Hive. -> MECHANOIDS (16 entries) -------------------------- The Mechanoids subcategory contains the mechanical entities, either of Fed- eration design or Luminoth design, to be found on Aether. -> LARGE MECHANOIDS (5 entries) ------------------------------- These are the larger, more mobile mechanical entities. 24. MORPHOLOGY: Ingsmasher** (vanishes forever once destroyed) REGIONS: Sanctuary Fortress LOCATIONS: first seen in Hall of Combat Mastery DATABASE: Designed to fight alongside the Luminoth, the Ingsmash- er seeks to destroy them. In close combat, it smashes its energized fists into the earth to send out powerful shockwaves, then pulverizes immobile prey. It will fire salves of missiles at long-distance quarry. It uses an energy shield in battle that can be adjusted to pro- tect against a variety of beam weapons. The shield can be overloaded by opposite-polarity beams, however, dam- aging the Ingsmasher in the process. 25. MORPHOLOGY: Mekenobite REGIONS: Sanctuary Fortress LOCATIONS: first seen in Sanctuary Temple DATABASE: The Luminoth created the Mekenobites to help patrol the corridors and shafts of the Sanctuary Fortress. It uses magnetism to keep itself attached to the walls and ceilings. In combat, it will fire projectiles towards its target with a magnetism accelerator. It can only be dislodged by simultaneous explosive blasts. Mekenobites self-destruct once they are heavily damaged. 26. MORPHOLOGY: Quad CM** (vanishes after you get the Annihilator Beam) REGIONS: Sanctuary Fortress LOCATIONS: first seen in Main Research DATABASE: A Quad is formed of two components:the quadruped Main Body and the flying Command Module. The units can func- ction independently or linked together, as the need arises. The Command Module relies on ranged beams weap- on attacks. It can generate a powerful beam shield to protect itself. Opposite-polarity beams can pentrate this field, however. 27. MORPHOLOGY: Quad MB** (vanishes after you get the Annihilator Beam) REGIONS: Sanctuary Fortress LOCATIONS: first seen in Main Research DATABASE: A Quad is formed of two components:the quadruped Main Body and the flying Command Module. The units can func- tion independently or linked together, as the need arises. The Main Body uses melee attacks in battle. Though durable, it needs to vent excess heat from its body. When this happens, it exposes a venting system vulnerable to concussive blasts. 28. MORPHOLOGY: Watchdrone REGIONS: Dark Torvus Bog LOCATIONS: Dungeon (in the Dark Water) DATABASE: Watchdrones were built by the Luminoth to guard key areas and hinder Ing armies. Most of these units have betrayed their masters, and now serve the Ing. Watch- drones are indestructible, and reluctant to move, but can be forced into quitting their posts by exposing them to bright, pure light. Once the light fades, the mechanoid will return to its orginal resting site. -> SMALL MECHANOIDS (6 entries) ------------------------------- These are the smaller mobile mechanical entities. 29. MORPHOLOGY: Diligence Class Drone REGIONS: Sanctuary Fortress LOCATIONS: first seen in Dynamo Access DATABASE: The Diligence drones were the first cleaning units de- signed by the Luminoth. They were modified for combat duty once the war began, but were outshined by the newer Harmony class units. A Diligence drone uses fo- cused energy beams to perform its duty. Their energy construct nature makes them invulnerable to most att- acks, but dark energy can disrupt them. 30. MORPHOLOGY: Harmony Class Drone REGIONS: Great Temple LOCATIONS: Transport Access C (only appears in this room) DATABASE: The Luminoth designed the Harmony units to be free- roaming, independent cleaning units. They use focused energy beams and kinetic pulses to perform their dut- ies. Unfortunately, they now consider all living things filth that must be cleansed from the world. 31. MORPHOLOGY: Mechlops REGIONS: Sanctuary Fortress LOCATIONS: Dynamo Access (under the floor) DATABASE: The Luminoth tried to domesticate and train a number of Triclops for use in the war, but failed. Undaunted, they created mechanical versions of the hardy creatures to use in battle. The few Mechlops that remain now serve the mechanoids, turning their potent jaws and earthmoving power against their former masters. 32. MORPHOLOGY: Octopede REGIONS: Sanctuary Fortress LOCATIONS: first seen in Transport to Torvus Bog Access DATABASE: The Octopede was created to deliver messages to Lumin- oth citizens. They now follow their routes in the ser- vice of other rogue mechanoids. The units were designed to self-destruct if attacked, and will explode with enough force to cause damage. 33. MORPHOLOGY: Rezbit REGIONS: Sanctuary Fortress LOCATIONS: first seen in Reactor Core, also in Watch Station DATABASE: The Rezbit, through small, is a tough opponent. Its weapon system is potent, capable of firing bursts or beams at targets. A barrier shield blocks oncoming att- acks. It can even shift into an energy state to evade enemies: while in this state it can transmit a powerful virus into mechanoids and armor systems. The virus can cripple your systems for a time, leaving you vulnerable. 34. MORPHOLOGY: Serenity Class Drone REGIONS: Sanctuary Fortress LOCATIONS: first seen in Fortress Entrance Hall DATABASE: The Serenity drones have not gone rogue. The units are defenseless, have no weapons, and cannot be eaten. These qualities make them useless to the Ing. The small drones are assigned simple maintenance tasks upon cre- ation and perform them without hesitation until reass- igned or destroyed. -> STATIONARY MECHANOIDS (5 entries) ------------------------------------ These are the mechanical entities which are fixed in place. 35. MORPHOLOGY: *Caretaker Class Drone* (scan before the battle) REGIONS: Sanctuary Fortress LOCATIONS: Main Research DATABASE: The Caretaker drone was designed to protect and main- tain an experimental energy chamber. It uses electric- ally charged limbs to perform its duties. The drone requires sensor updates to fight:a vulnerable detection unit will extend periodically to search for targets. Destroying this unit would weaken its combat ability. 36. MORPHOLOGY: *Growler Class Turret* (never reappears once destroyed) REGIONS: Temple Grounds LOCATIONS: Trooper Security Station DATABASE: The GM-42 "Growler" Class Turret is a dated design, though still quite effective as a point-defense system. It is lightly armored. Several copies of the system exist, including the Space Pirate "Humility" Class automated turret. 37. MORPHOLOGY: Humility Class Turret REGIONS: Agon Wastes LOCATIONS: first seen in NEED ROOM NAME LOLABOL DATABASE: The Space Pirates captured Federation "Growler" turr- ets, but found the cannon unit inadequate. They re- placed the Growler's weapon with a powerful galvanic accelerator cannon. The "Humility" turret packs a strong punch, but retains the Growler system's weak- nesses. Fast targets can evade the crude targeting system, and the armor can't take much punishment. 38. MORPHOLOGY: Luminoth Turret REGIONS: Agon Wastes LOCATIONS: first seen in Sand Processing DATABASE: As the number of Luminoth dwindled, they turned to machines to protect key areas. Automated gun turrets were often the first line of defense against Ing att- acks. Though powerful, they weren't nimble enough to deal with agile enemy targets. 39. MORPHOLOGY: *Vigilance Class Turret* (never reappears if destroyed) REGIONS: Agon Wastes LOCATIONS: Central Mining Station DATABASE: The "Vigilance" Class Turret is found in many Space Pirate bases. Built to support the "Humility" Class Turret, it is as accurate as the gunner operating it. Many young Space Pirates begin their careers as sent- ries: a tour as a Vigilance gunner is considered a mark of distinction. --------------------------------- DARK AETHER CATEGORY (47 entries) --------------------------------- The Dark Aether category contains the creatures found indigenous to Dark Aether, including the Ing, Guardians, and other dark creatures. -> DARKLING AQUATIC (2 entries) ------------------------------- The Darkling Aquatic subcategory contains the watery creatures that the Ing have possessed on Dark Aether. 01. MORPHOLOGY: Dark Blogg** (vanish after you have Cobalt Translator) REGIONS: Torvus Bog LOCATIONS: first seen in Training Chamber DATABASE: Dark Bloggs somehow lose their sonic blast ability: something about their minds make them difficult dark- lings to fully control. They rely solely on their dead- ly maws for attack: in most cases they are more than adequate. Target the weak spot inside its mouth to defeat the Dark Blogg with ease. 02. MORPHOLOGY: Dark Phlogus REGIONS: Dark Torvus Bog, Sky Temple Grounds LOCATIONS: only found in Putrid Alcove or Abandoned Base DATABASE: The Phlogus waits patiently as it floats in murky wat- ers, searching for a meal. When its seismic sensors in its epidermis are triggered, it springs open rapidly to attack. Phlogus's can fire a spray of venom to immob- ilize their prey. A central nervous system is exposed when it opens its mouth to attack: damage this to stun the Phlogus for a time. -> DARKLING FLYERS (3 entries) ------------------------------ The Darkling Flyers subcategory contains the airborne creatures that are found on Dark Aether. 03. MORPHOLOGY: *Dark Shredder* (only appears during the Chykka battle) REGIONS: Dark Torvus Bog LOCATIONS: Dark Torvus Temple DATABASE: The hardy Shredder is a favorite possession target for Ing that dwell near Dark Waters. Dark Shredders can lurk in the venomous waters indefinitely, patitently waiting for prey. They are very resilient, but can be eliminated by concentrated weapon fire. 04. MORPHOLOGY: Dark War Wasp REGIONS: Ing Hive LOCATIONS: first seen in Vault Attack Portal DATABASE: Vicious and swift, the War Wasp is a prime target for young Ing eager to join the war effort. They appreciate the flying speed and numerous attacks the insect poss- esses. If they prove their mettle in the War Wasp, these Ing often graduate to the control of larger, deadlier creatures. 05. MORPHOLOGY: Nightbarb REGIONS: Dark Agon Wastes LOCATIONS: first seen in Abandoned Base DATABASE: Nightbarbs are small airborne darklings. Smaller and weaker than a Hunter Ing, a Nightbarb will travel with a large pack to increase its odds of survival. This is wise, since their primary predators are Hunter Ing. -> DARKLING GROUND (3 entries) ------------------------------ The Darkling Ground subcategory contains the ground-based creatures that the Ing have possessed on Dark Aether. 06. MORPHOLOGY: *Dark Alpha Splinter* REGIONS: Great Temple LOCATIONS: Temple Sanctuary DATABASE: Splinter alpha males are the first to be targeted for darkling possession. Dark Alpha Splinters grow in strength and durability, making them an even greater threat than normal. 07. MORPHOLOGY: Dark Grenchler REGIONS: Dark Torvus Bog LOCATIONS: first seen in Dungeon DATABASE: Darklings are drawn to possess vicious predators, mak- ing the Grenchler a prime candidate. Despite the added toughness gained from possession, the Dark Grenchler retains its one weakness. remove its back shell with explosive blasts to expose its pain center, then attack the pain center to quickly dispatch the creature. 08. MORPHOLOGY: Dark Splinter REGIONS: Temple Grounds, Great Temple LOCATIONS: first seen in GFMC Compound DATABASE: Target is host to a parasitic bioform. The presence of the parasite increases the target's overall threat combat level. Concentrated weapons fire will damage the creature. -> DARKLING MECHANOIDS (5 entries) ---------------------------------- The Darkling Mechanoids subcategory contains the mechanical entities that the Ing have possessed and taken to Dark Aether. 09. MORPHOLOGY: Corrupted Sentreye REGIONS: Sky Temple Grounds LOCATIONS: DATABASE: The Sentreyes were designed by the Luminoth to protect their camps on Dark Aether. The Ing learned how to possess them and turned them against their former mas- ters. Many still remain throughout Dark Aether, now serving the Ing as they served the Luminoth before them. Most weapon types will stun the Sentreyes, char- ged light energy will destroy them. 10. MORPHOLOGY: Dark Diligence Drone REGIONS: Ing Hive LOCATIONS: Hazing Cliff DATABASE: Some Diligence drones have been taken over by the Ing for possessive duties. Their small size and durability makes them excellent scouts, able to go where most other cannot. A Dark Diligence still relies on focused energy beams for defense. Their energy construct nature makes them invulnerable to most attacks. A high-powered burst of light energy can disrupt a Dark Diligence unit. 11. MORPHOLOGY: Dark Ingsmasher REGIONS: Ing Hive LOCATIONS: Main Reactor DATABASE: Once the Ing discovered they could possess intelligent machines, the mighty Ingsmashers were top priority tar- gets for the Horde. The drones retain all of their attacks - shock waves, fists, and missile launchers. It uses an energy shield in battle that can be adjusted to protect against a variety of beam weapons. The shield can be overloaded by opposite-polarity beams. 12. MORPHOLOGY: Dark Quad CM** (vanishes if you have Cobalt Translator) REGIONS: Sanctuary Fortress, Ing Hive LOCATIONS: Sanctuary Temple, Hive Temple DATABASE: The Ing discovered they could possess and control art- ificially intelligent machines as well as normal beings. They soon turned the loyal Quad against the Luminoth, finding the machines to be quite useful additions to the Horde. A dominant darkling assumes control of the Command Module, forcing the lesser Ing into its body to do its bidding. 13. MORPHOLOGY: Dark Quad MB** (vanishes if you have Cobalt Translator) REGIONS: Sanctuary Fortress, Ing Hive LOCATIONS: Sanctuary Temple, Hive Temple DATABASE: The Ing discovered they could possess and control art- ificially intelligent machines as well as normal beings. They soon turned the loyal Quad against the Luminoth, finding the machines to be quite useful additions to the Horde. -> DARKLING OFFWORLD (6 entries) -------------------------------- The Darkling Offworld subcategory contains the creatures that are not in- digenous to Aether that the Ing have possessed. 14. MORPHOLOGY: *Dark Missile Trooper* REGIONS: Temple Grounds LOCATIONS: Hive Chamber C DATABASE: Bioscans indicate terminated lifesings in this missile trooper, and the presence of an unknown biomass with parasitic tendencies. Though the missile trooper's ar- mor has been compromised, the bulk of it remains in- tact. Missile weapon systems remain online as well. Full parasitic fusion has yet to be obtained, resulting in low agility and response time. 15. MORPHOLOGY: Dark Pirate Commando REGIONS: Torvus Bog LOCATIONS: first seen in Great Bridge, also in Forgotten Bridge DATABASE: The Ing prize the few Pirate Commandos they manage to take alive. Only Hunter Ing are allowed to possess the Commandos, and the competition for that right is fierce among them. The Hunter Ing ability to phase out of loc- al timespace carries over to the Dark Pirate Commando. They will fire bursts of dark matter at enemies, along with experimental EMP grenades stolen from the Space Pirates. 16. MORPHOLOGY: Dark Pirate Trooper REGIONS: Dark Agon Wastes, Dark Torvus Bog, Ing Hive LOCATIONS: first seen in Portal Terminal DATABASE: Pirate Troopers, already trained to follow orders with- out question, were perfect candidates for Ing possess- ion. Darklings moved to take every trooper they could, expanding the army of the Horde considerably. Space Pirate technology struck a chord with the Ing, who now hunt actively for gadgets of any kind - especially weapon systems. 17. MORPHOLOGY: Dark Preed REGIONS: Dark Agon Wastes, Dark Torvus Bog, Ing Hive LOCATIONS: first seen in Doomed Entry DATABASE: Pirate Troopers, already trained to follow orders with- out question, were perfect candidates for Ing possess- ion. Darklings moved to take every trooper they could, expanding the army of the Horde considerably. Space Pirate technology struck a chord with the Ing, who now hunt actively for gadgets of any kind - especially weapon systems. 18. MORPHOLOGY: Dark Tallon Metroid REGIONS: Ing Hive, Dark Torvus Bog LOCATIONS: first seen in Hive Entrance DATABASE: The aggressive Preeds are often possessed by darklings for aerial hunting missions. The presence of the dark creature makes the small cyborg more durable. The toxic gas carried by a Preed is enhanced by exposure to dark energy, making it considerably more dangerous. 19. MORPHOLOGY: Dark Trooper REGIONS: Temple Grounds LOCATIONS: first seen in Hive Tunnel, also in Hive Chamber B DATABASE: Bioscans indicate terminated lifesings in this attack trooper, and the presence of an unknown biomass with parasitic tendencies. Though the missile trooper's ar- mor has been compromised, the bulk of it remains in- tact. Missile weapon systems remain online as well. Full parasitic fusion has yet to be obtained, resulting in low agility and response time. -> EMPEROR ING (5 entries) -------------------------- The Emperor Ing subcategory contains the scans of the various forms of the eldest and most powerful of the Ing Horde. 20. MORPHOLOGY: *Emperor Ing Body* (scan the trunk) REGIONS: Sky Temple LOCATIONS: Sanctum DATABASE: Bioscans indicate that this is the strongest, eldest Ing in the Horde: the Alpha, and the Omega. It has ab- sorbed enormous amounts of Phazon energy into its body, mutating itself in the process. Apparently, this power is not enough for the creature, as it is now siphoning energy from the final Energy Controller. 21. MORPHOLOGY: *Emperor Ing Head* (scan the ball atop the trunk) REGIONS: Sky Temple LOCATIONS: Sanctum DATABASE: Like its brethron, the Emperor Ing is a metamorph. It has molded itself around the precious Energy Controll- er, and will defend it to the death, using its own body as a shield and weapon. Destroy the tentacles it gener- ates to weaken the creature and its defenses. 22. MORPHOLOGY: *Emperor Ing Eye* (scan when the head transforms) REGIONS: Sky Temple LOCATIONS: Sanctum DATABASE: The Emperor Ing has exposed its main eye, from which it can fire powerful energy beams. It is protected by an energy shield, although not completely. The eye can be locked onto, but only direct shots will get past the shield. 23. MORPHOLOGY: *Emperor Ing Chrysalis* (scan its regenerative ball) REGIONS: Sky Temple LOCATIONS: Sanctum DATABASE: The heavily damaged Emperor Ing has entered a regener- ative state inside a durable healing shell. Tactical scans have detected eleven weak spots on the magnetic- ally charged shell:Spider Ball travel is possible on the shell's surface. Damage the weak spots with explos- ives to crack the shell and expose the enemy within. 24. MORPHOLOGY: *Mutated Emperor Ing* (scan the six-legged form) REGIONS: Sky Temple LOCATIONS: Sanctum DATABASE: Further exposure to Phazon has mutated the Emperor Ing. It is now capable of shielding its vulnerable areas with energy barriers. Beams of opposite polarity can damage these barriers, however. Heavy damage to these barriers will cause them to drop, exposing the creat- ure's weak spots. Target the weak spots to immobilize and damage the enemy. -> GUARDIANS (11 entries) ------------------------- The Guardians subcategory contains the scans of the various forms of the Dark Temple Guardians. -> AMORBIS (2 entries) ---------------------- These scans are of the Guardian of the Dark Agon Temple, Amorbis. 25. MORPHOLOGY: *Amorbis 1* (scan the leaping worms) REGIONS: Dark Agon Wastes LOCATIONS: Dark Agon Temple DATABASE: The enormous Amorbis can move through solid rock and earth with ease, and can sense the location of surface level prey deep within the ground. They will attempt to ram any target the can find in their domain. They are vulnerable to all forms of weapon firem but are incred- ibly strong and resistant to pain. 26. MORPHOLOGY: *Amorbis 2* (scan when its attached to its ball) REGIONS: Dark Agon Wastes LOCATIONS: Dark Agon Temple DATABASE: The Amorbis can attach themselves to the Dark Sphere, drawing potent energy from within. They can fire dark energy at light crystals, nullifying Safe Zones for a short time. They can also channel the energy into a powerful beam attacks. Bioscans indicate a weak spot inside the creature's mouth. Concentrate your fire at this area to damage the Amorbis. -> CHYKKA (4 entries) --------------------- These scans are of the Guardian of the Dark Torvus Temple, Chykka. 27. MORPHOLOGY: *Chykka Larva* (scan the swimming creature) REGIONS: Dark Torvus Bog LOCATIONS: Dark Torvus Temple DATABASE: Scans indicate this bioform is an infant, but aging rapidly. The creature can ensnare targets with its tongue, drawing them into its mouth. It then covers its prey with acidic globs of biomatter to break it down for digestion. This is an exceptional bioform with both dark and light natures. 28. MORPHOLOGY: *Chykka Adult* (scan the white flying version) REGIONS: Dark Torvus Bog LOCATIONS: Dark Torvus Temple DATABASE: The Chykka has rapidly aged to its adult form. It will attack by firing high-powered bursts of Dark Water at rapid speed. If frustrated, it will try to attempt to dive and ram you. Most of the Chykka's body is vulner- able to weapon fire, but scans indicate that such fire will only stun it. When stunned, however, four weak spots will appear. These spots are vulnerable to att- ack: target them to damage the enemy. 29. MORPHOLOGY: *Chyklings* (scan the flyers that it generates) REGIONS: Dark Torvus Bog LOCATIONS: Dark Torvus Temple DATABASE: Interaction with dark energy has mutated the Chykka. Its offspring are now born as flyers, skipping the lar- val stage completly. These infants are highly protect- ive of their parent, and will streak to attack on sight. They lack their parent's durability, however, making them easy targets. 30. MORPHOLOGY: *Dark Chykka* (scan the black flying version) REGIONS: Dark Torvus Bog LOCATIONS: Dark Torvus Temple DATABASE: The Chykka has recovered, and energized its body in dark energy. This energy has rendered most of the creature invulnerable to attack, including its wings. Tactical scans indicate that its eggsac is vulnerable, however. Target it to damage to creature. -> QUADRAXIS (5 entries) ------------------------ These scans are of the Guardian of the Ing Hive Temple, Quadraxis. 31. MORPHOLOGY: *Quadraxis* (scan its first mobile form) REGIONS: Ing Hive LOCATIONS: Hive Temple DATABASE: The Quadraxis unit went rogue and entered the service of the Ing. Its primary weapon system fires destructive matter-antimatter blasts. It uses a powerful missile system battery for long distance attacks. The Quadraxis is incredibly durable and well armed, but its leg and foot joints are vulnerable. Damaging these joints will eventually render it immobile. 32. MORPHOLOGY: *Damaged Quadraxis* (scan the disabled main body) REGIONS: Ing Hive LOCATIONS: Hive Temple DATABASE: Though the main body is disabled, the tactical control unit within it is still active. It will guide the Head Module in battle via high-sonic transmissions. Disab- ling this module will impair the Head Module's ability to fight. 33. MORPHOLOGY: *Shielded Head Module* (scan the floating head) REGIONS: Ing Hive LOCATIONS: Hive Temple DATABASE: The Head Module of the Quadraxis is highly mobile and well armed. It is shielded by an impervious force field. Tactical commands are sent to this module from the crippled main body:server the link to impair the Head Module's combat ability. 34. MORPHOLOGY: *Stunned Head Module* (scan after antennae are gone) REGIONS: Ing Hive LOCATIONS: Hive Temple DATABASE: Head Module is unable to receive tactical data. Force field offline. Unit is generating drones to defend it- self while it attempts to restore tactical link to main body. Destroy sonic receptors on unit to prevent this. 35. MORPHOLOGY: *Final Head Module* (scan head after disabling uplink) REGIONS: Ing Hive LOCATIONS: Hive Temple DATABASE: Module has lost its tactical link to the main body. Two points of structural weakness have been detected on its hull: Morph Ball Bombs can cause damage to these areas. Scans indicate that the Spider Ball can attach to the Module's outer hull. -> SUB-GUARDIANS (6 entries) ---------------------------- The Sub-Guardians subcategory contains the scans of the various Ing that stole your Power Suit upgrades at the start of the game. 36. MORPHOLOGY: *Bomb Guardian* REGIONS: Agon Wastes LOCATIONS: Agon Temple DATABASE: This darkling Sandigger has absorbed the ability to generate Morph Ball Bombs. It can throw Bombs with con- siderable accuracy, and frequently lays a spread of Bombs in its wake. Its head and tail are the only vul- nerable spots on its body. Target them when they are vulnerable to neutralize and terminate this target. 37. MORPHOLOGY: *Jump Guardian* (scan when its in Warrior Ing form) REGIONS: Dark Agon Wastes LOCATIONS: Judgment Pit DATABASE: This Warrior Ing has absorbed the power of the Space Jump Boots. It can leap incredible distances and heights, and uses this ability to great effect in batt- le. Target can generate powerful shockwaves of dark energy and will sheath itself in a potent force field to protect itself. It cannot maintain this shield in- definitely: concentrate weapon fire when shield is down. 38. MORPHOLOGY: *Boost Guardian* (scan when its in Warrior Ing form) REGIONS: Dark Torvus Bog LOCATIONS: Dark Torvus Arena DATABASE: This Warrior Ing has absorbed the power of the Boost Ball. It can boost-blast towards its enemies, using its body as a potent weapon. When its not in solid form, engaging it in Morph Ball Mode may provide better att- ack opportunities. 39. MORPHOLOGY: *Grapple Guardian* REGIONS: Dark Torvus Bog LOCATIONS: Sacrificial Chamber DATABASE: This darkling Grenchler has absorbed the power of the Grapple Beam. It will fire the beam to snare potential meals and pull them into its waiting jaws. The beam is powerful, and can attach to most surfaces, including your armor. Its eye region is sensitive: damage in the area can induce a state of anger in the target. A weak spot under the back shell is a prime target as well. When angered, it will use a special attack. 40. MORPHOLOGY: *Spider Guardian* (can only be scanned BEFORE battle!) REGIONS: Sanctuary Fortress LOCATIONS: Dynamo Works DATABASE: This darkling Pillbug has absorbed the power of the Spider Ball. It can travel across magnetically charged surfaces at will. The creature seems to have a connec- tion to the local energy systems. Aggravating it may cause disruption to the system. 41. MORPHOLOGY: *Power Bomb Guardian* REGIONS: Dark Torvus Bog LOCATIONS: Undertemple DATABASE: This darkling Sporb has absorbed the ability to gener- ate Power Bombs. It can fire these dangerous weapons instead of the venomous needles it usually shoots. The energies of the Power Bomb weapon have made it all but invulnerable. Tremendous kinetic energy damage will override its protective field, however. -> ING (6 entries) ------------------ The Ing subcategory contains the various members of the Ing Horde that in- habit Dark Aether. 42. MORPHOLOGY: Darkling Tentacle REGIONS: Dark Agon Wastes, Dark Torvus Bog, Sky Temple Grounds LOCATIONS: Multiple locations (first seen in Battleground) DATABASE: Some darklings can open dimensional portals at will. They will use this ability to hunt for unwary prey, reaching out to snatch them with their tentacles. Once ensnared, the prey is dragged to its doom. The tentac- les are resilient:pure light energy can disrupt them. Nothing can destroy them. 43. MORPHOLOGY: Hunter Ing REGIONS: Dark Torvus Bog, Ing Hive, Sky Temple Grounds LOCATIONS: first seen in Polluted Mire DATABASE: The Hunter Ing patrol the lands of Dark Aether in search of the Horde's enemies. They can render their bodies intangible, allowing them to ambush targets with ease. Hunter Ing can generate long, deadly tentacles, which they use with great effect in battle. Cunning and unrelenting, the Hunter Ing will seize their prey or die. 44. MORPHOLOGY: Ing Larva Swarm** (only appears in one place) REGIONS: Ing Hive LOCATIONS: Entrance Defense Hall DATABASE: Ing larvae travel in swarms for protection. They are weak with no real defenses or attacks. The few that make it to adulthood are quite cunning and vicious. 45. MORPHOLOGY: Inglet REGIONS: Dark Agon Wastes, Dark Torvus Bog, Sky Temple Grounds LOCATIONS: First seen near Portal Site DATABASE: Inglets perform the menial labor of the Horde, but can be pressed into a combat role if there is need. They are amorphous blobs, capable of clinging to nearly any surface. Inglets can fire bursts of dark matter in self-defense, though they prefer to avoid battle. They seldom travel alone, and can be dangerous in large num- bers. As with all Ing, they dislike bright light, and will avoid it if possible. 46. MORPHOLOGY: Ingstorm REGIONS: Ing Hive, Sky Temple Grounds LOCATIONS: first seen in Aerial Training Access DATABASE: The Ingstorm is a collective swarm of tiny Ing. When banded together, they can emit destructive energy that, over time, can break down even the most durable of alloys. 47. MORPHOLOGY: Warrior Ing REGIONS: Dark Agon Wastes, Ing Hive, Sky Temple Grounds LOCATIONS: first seen in Duelling Range DATABASE: Warrior Ing are challenging foes. They can render them- selves into amorphous puddles and move over most terr- ain, including walls. Warrior Ing can turn their bodies into dangerous projectiles sheathed in dark energy. The tips of their legs are razor sharp, making them formid- able in melee. Finally, Warrior Ing are capable of channeling transdimensional energy and firing it at their enemies. Their only real weakness is bright, pure light, which they hate and fear. ------------------------------ OFFWORLD CATEGORY (11 entries) ------------------------------ The Offworld category contains the creatures that are not indigenous to Aether or Dark Aether. -> DARK SAMUS (4 entries) ------------------------- The Dark Samus subcategory contains the scans of the various forms of your twin, the revived Metroid Prime, who now goes by the moniker, Dark Samus. 01. MORPHOLOGY: *Dark Samus 1* REGIONS: Agon Wastes LOCATIONS: Main Reactor DATABASE: Scans indicate the presence of Phazon and your genetic material within this entity. She wears a version of the Varia Suit, altered and augmented by the Phazon within her. Primary weapons include the Missile Launcher and a scattershot variant of the Power Beam. Boost and Jump abilities are superior to yours. The ability to gener- ate Phazon energy shields is also present. 02. MORPHOLOGY: *Dark Samus 2* REGIONS: Sanctuary Fortress LOCATIONS: Aerie DATABASE: Tactical scans have identified several new battle sys- tems in the armor of Dark Samus. She now wields a pot- ent variant of your Charge Beam. Her Boost attack has been augmented, and the ability to render herself in- visible is present as well. Bioscans suggest that Dark Samus can reform her body short of atomic disruption. Extreme caution recommended. 03. MORPHOLOGY: *Dark Samus 3* (scan at the start of the battle) REGIONS: Sky Temple LOCATIONS: Sky Temple Gateway DATABASE: Scans indicate Dark Samus has absorbed tremendous lev- els of Phazon into her body: too much, perhaps. She can vent Phazon energy in the form of destructive blasts and protective shields:doing so will help her maintain stability. Exposure to Phazon has rendered her invis- ible to your Dark Visor. These new abilities, combined with her already formidable arsenal, place Dark Samus at the highest threat level. 04. MORPHOLOGY: *Dark Samus 4* (scan when she turns bright blue) REGIONS: Sky Temple LOCATIONS: Sky Temple Gateway DATABASE: Dark Samus has temporarily become a being of pure yet unstable Phazon energy. She can generate a shield that is invulnerable to all attacks save one - blasts of Phazon energy itself. Use your Charge Beam to collect Phazon energy that she expels, then fire it back at her. Direct hits will overload and disrupt her essence. -> METROIDS (2 entries) ----------------------- The Metroids subcategory contains the information on the Metroids that the Space Pirates brought from Tallon IV. 05. MORPHOLOGY: Infant Tallon Metroid REGIONS: Agon Wastes LOCATIONS: only found in Biostorage Access DATABASE: The Space Pirates use Infant Tallon Metroids as a por- table energy source. Small in size, they are easy to transport in large quantities. They are docile, effic- ient organic batteries...until they are exposed to Phazon. At that point, they grow rapidly and acquire their full array of powers. 06. MORPHOLOGY: Tallon Metroid REGIONS: Agon Wastes LOCATIONS: first seen in Bioresearch Area DATABASE: Space Pirates harvest and enslave Metroids for use in their operations. The Tallon Metroid will latch onto prey with powerful pincers, then proceed to drain its life energy. This causes the creature to grow in size and mass. The creatures are vulnerable to the chilling effect of dark energy, and can be detached by entering Morph Ball mode and deploying a Bomb. -> PIRATES (5 entries) ---------------------- The Pirates subcategory contains information on the new kinds of Space Pirates that have come to Aether. 02. MORPHOLOGY: Pirate Aerotrooper REGIONS: Agon Wastes, Torvus Bog, Sanctuary Fortress LOCATIONS: first seen in Bioenergy Production DATABASE: Pirate Aerotroopers are known for their cold precision and utter cruelty. Armed with both beam and missile systems, the Aerotrooper can be a difficult for to en- gage, especially at range. Their jet packs can be over- loaded with heat-based attacks, however. These units prefer death before dishonor: an injured Aerotrooper will make a suicide attempt strike before allowing him- self to be captured. 02. MORPHOLOGY: Pirate Commando REGIONS: Agon Wastes, Torvus Bog LOCATIONS: first seen in Torvus Grove DATABASE: Dedicated to "hunting the Hunter," Space Pirate Comm- ando units have been equipped with the latest weapons, including a variable pulse cannon, e-grenade launcher, and energy scythe. Powerful thrusters carry them at high speeds over any terrain. A portable barrier shield repels most attacks, but can only be deployed for lim- ited periods. 02. MORPHOLOGY: Pirate Grenadier REGIONS: Agon Wastes LOCATIONS: first seen in Command Center DATABASE: The Space Pirates have begun to use an experimental energy grenade launcher in the field. The weapon is viewed as a mixed blessing to the Grenadier units: while the grenade launchers are powerful weapons, Gren- adiers must leave their rifles behind to carry them. Fast-moving targets can close range on Grenadiers, rendering their main weapon somewhat ineffective. 02. MORPHOLOGY: Pirate Trooper REGIONS: Agon Wastes LOCATIONS: first seen in Mining Station A DATABASE: The Space Pirates suffered a serious defeat at Tallon IV, yet they remain a powerful force for crime and dis- order in the galaxy. Their technology continues to advance: even the lowly trooper has received numerous upgrades to his arsenal. A photanic power scythe and quantum assault cannon are now standard-issue weapons for all troopers. 02. MORPHOLOGY: Preed REGIONS: Torvus Bog LOCATIONS: Hydrodynamo Station DATABASE: The cybernetic Preeds are aggressive hunters used as patrol animals by the Space Pirates. They carry lethal Nohadin gas for use as a defense mechanism. If the Preed is ruptured, the gas within it is violently re- leased. This toxic cloud is often proven fatal to the Preed's killer. LORE ENTRIES ============ Lore is compiled into one large Databank in this game. The Luminoth Lore, the Trooper Logs, and the Pirate Data is all filed under this one section. Each Lore entry is separated by category, then subcategorized further into time periods. Each entry is listed with information on where to find it along with the transcription from the game database. ------------------------------ SPACE PIRATE LOGS (10 entries) ------------------------------ The Space Pirate Logs contain the personal recordings of the Space Pirates and detail their operations on the planet Aether. -> CYCLE 4 (2 entries) ---------------------- Cycle 4's entries detail the immediate aftermath of the Pirates' defeat on Tallon IV and their discovery of Aether. 01. PIRATE DATA: "Phazon Operations" LOCATION: Agon Wastes: Command Center ENTRY: Log 4.468.1: Science Teams detected the presence of Phazon in the Dasha system four cycles ago. High Comm- and authorized the deployment of our team shortly there after. Our orders are to establish a base on planet Aether and evaluate local Phazon resources. Because this world lies on the periphery of Galactic Federation territory, we are following stealth protocols at the highest levels. A cadre of elite Commandos has been dispatched to provide security for our force as well. This operation is now underway. 02. PIRATE DATA: "Local Conflict" LOCATION: Agon Wastes: Command Center ENTRY: Log 4.885.3: Intelligence reports on the indigenous population of Aether are in error. This planet is not at peace, nor are the inhabitants docile. Evidence of a class four conflict is present here, though hostilities are at a minimal level now. Our territory has suffered several raids by a strange type of shadowy creature. These raids have caused considerable damage, and we have requested more combat troopers in response. -> CYCLE 5 (2 entries) ---------------------- Cycle 5's entries detail the strange happenings on Aether and the Pirates' discovery of the "Dark Portals". 03. PIRATE DATA: "Great Discoveries" LOCATION: Agon Wastes: Command Center ENTRY: Log 5.008.6: A spatial anomaly has been found within our base. We believe this rift in the time-space leads to a parallel dimension of some type, but have been unable to interact with it thus far. A strange artifact was found near the anomaly as well. It may be a weapon or generator of some kind: perhaps it is the key to accessing the anomaly. High Command is eager for re- ports on the relic. A new weapon for our arsenal is always welcome. 04. PIRATE DATA: "Rift Portal" LOCATION: Agon Wastes: Command Center ENTRY: Log 5.442.1: The Rift Portal has been opened. The art- ifact weapon, dubbed the "Dark Beam" by Science Team, provides the energy needed to open the portal, although for a limited time. We've sent expeditions thorough the portal, and they have returned with incredible news. The portal leads to a parallel dimension of Aether. This "Dark Aether" has suffered global calamity, turn- ing it into a toxic wasteland. It is the homeworld of the shadowy creatures who have been raiding our base for the last cycle. Most importantly, it is the prime location of Phazon in this sector. Extraction plans are being prepared. We will not be denied! -> CYCLE 6 (4 entries) ---------------------- Cycle 6's entries detail more of the Space Pirates' operations, the sudden arrival of the "Dark Hunter" and the escalation of the Ing and Luminoth war. 05. PIRATE DATA: "Phazon Raids" LOCATION: Agon Wastes: Command Center ENTRY: Log 6.221.7: Phazon extraction raids are underway on Dark Aether. The toxicity of the atmosphere has taken a toll on our work force, as have the hostile natives of that world. Science Team is preparing survival gear to protect our work teams, and we have increased security presence in extraction areas. Fortunately, High Command is sending more troops and supplies. Our troops and resources are spread dangerously thin, and this mission cannot fail. 06. PIRATE DATA: "The Hunter" LOCATION: Agon Wastes: Biostorage Station ENTRY: Log 6.362.2: Samus Aran, the accursed Hunter, has arr- ived. The sudden arrival of the Hunter is strange enough, but her actions are stranger still. She does not seek our destruction, but our Phazon. With each raid, she steals Phazon ore, only killing those who attempt to deny her. What she needs it for we do not know - though Science Team sugests she requires it to power her new armorsuit. Dark in color, it is equipped with strange new weapons. The troops now call her the "Dark Hunter." It is a fitting title. 07. PIRATE DATA: "Security Breach" LOCATION: Agon Wastes: Save Station C ENTRY: Log 6.713.5: The Dark Hunter teleports into our base at will. Our security has proven next to useless against her. Her latest raid was disastrous. Not only did we lose more Phazon to her, but she also crippled the stealth field generator with her strange new weapons. We are exposed. Until the replacement generator arrives, we will be vulnerable to scans and detection. Our pres- ence here is still minimal:should the Federation find us we will be unable to defend our position. Fortunate- ly, Aether is on the edge of Federation space. With luck, we will have a stealth field back in effect be- fore being detected. 08. PIRATE DATA: "Shadow War" LOCATION: Agon Wastes: Main Reactor ENTRY: Log 6.989.8: The local war has escalated in intensity. The shadowlings from Dark Aether have launched an off- ensive. The assault seems focused on a central network of buildings atop a mountain: a base, perhaps. Strange- ly, this attack coincides with a rise in planetary instability. Perhaps these new shadowy creatures are using a new weapons system. The shadowlings must be- lieve us to be foes for they have hit our base numerous times as well. We are holding, but attrition is taking its toll on our troops and resources. Reinforcements are en route. We can only wait and defend what is ours. -> CYCLE 7 (2 entries) ---------------------- Cycle 7's entries detail the arrival of the GFMC Marines and the Space Pirates' confusion when the real Samus Aran arrives. 09. PIRATE DATA: "Federation Attack" LOCATION: Agon Wastes: Security Station B ENTRY: Log 7.013.6: Another disaster. The transport bringing our reinforcements and supplies has been shot down. It was engaged in orbit by a Federation vessel, which has landed near the alien temple. It's only a matter of time before the Marines attack. Survivors from our ship have made their way to our base. Here we shall make our stand. Another enemy. First the shadowlings, then the Dark Hunter, then the Galactic Federation Marine Corps. Perhaps fate will smile upon us, before the world it- self opens its maw and swallows us. 10. PIRATE DATA: "Two Hunters" LOCATION: Agon Wastes: Central Mining Station ENTRY: Log 7.159.9: Another Hunter, this wearing the tradit- ional colors of Samus Aran, made planetfall today. Horrific as it may sound, there are two of them now. We are bracing for a new assault. This dire turn of events may have some good will. One of our scouts in Dark Aether saw a curious encounter. The Dark Hunter attack- ed the one clad as Samus near a Phazon site. Perhaps they are not allies...but foes. Perhaps we can forge and alliance with the Dark Hunter - an exchange of Pha- zon for the head of our common enemy. ------------------------------ GFMC TROOPER LOGS (12 entries) ------------------------------ The GFMC Trooper Logs contain the personal recordings of the Federation Marines after they land on Aether and their experiences up until their deaths at the hands of the Ing Horde. -> FORCE 1 (6 entries) ---------------------- Force 1's logs contain the recordings from those that stayed with or near the GFS Tyr. 01. TROOPER LOG: "CAPT. A. Exeter" LOCATION: Temple Grounds: GFMC Compound ENTRY: I'm beginning to think it was a real bad idea going down there. Reevs is right, that hive is just one of many. Its stupid to stir a hornet's nest, especially if you plan on sleeping on it. 02. TROOPER LOG: "PFC S. Milligan" LOCATION: Temple Grounds: GFMC Compound ENTRY: Brouda lost the bet, so he switched watch duty with me tonight. I figure this section is nice and safe and boring, which suits me fine. Let those other pugs guard that hot zone! I...hold on...hey! Halt...No! Hel-- (Transmission Ends) 03. TROOPER LOG: "SPC F. Triplette" LOCATION: Temple Grounds: GFMC Compound ENTRY: The sarge says these "Splinters" remind him of some killer bug he saw on another planet once. All I know is the things are fast and take a lot to drop. Pretty soon we'll have to goto bayonets. Everyone's low on ammo... even Brode, and he's the stingiest grunt I know. 04. TROOPER LOG: "LCPL J. Brode" LOCATION: Temple Grounds: GFMC Compound ENTRY: Man, I only hope this is the breeding grounds for these things. If there's more, were in big trouble. We had a hard enough time taking that one out of commission: I almost ran out of ammo. I never run out of ammo! 05. TROOPER LOG: "PFC G. Haley" LOCATION: Temple Grounds: GFMC Compound ENTRY: I hear. Them. Everywhere. They're coming. Can't sleep. Ever. They'll eat me. Eat. 06. TROOPER LOG: "PFC I. Crany" LOCATION: Temple Grounds: GFMC Compound ENTRY: Last night at chow, Angseth starts talking about some bounty hunter and how she blew up a planet full of Space Pirates. I told her I don't believe in fairy tales like that, and she took it personal. I just find it hard to believe that one person took out an entire Space Pirate base, that's all. But if she wants to be- lieve in this Samus, or Bigfoot, or Santa Claus she can. -> FORCE 2 (6 entries) ---------------------- Force 2's logs contain the recordings from those that ventured away from the ship and went down into the Hive area. 01. TROOPER LOG: "PFC E. Denys" LOCATION: Temple Grounds: Sacred Bridge ENTRY: I'm the only one left. Managed to get out of the hive, but when I got to the ship everyone was gone...dead. I'm heading for the alien building we saw earlier. May- be someone can help me there...Wait, something's moving down there. Hello...? 02. TROOPER LOG: "PFC L. Brouda" LOCATION: Temple Grounds: Communication Area ENTRY: We'll be making our stand here. The engineer tells me there's no way we'll get the ship's engines online, and atmospheric interference is scrambling our distress beacon. If anyone reads this, know that we did our duty and fought well. 03. TROOPER LOG: "SPC B. Reevs" LOCATION: Temple Grounds: Command Chamber ENTRY: I don't like this plan. This hive is a small portion of a large network. There may be dozens of hive systems like this across the planet, and they may all be link- ed. Destroying this one may buy us time, but it may also provoke the other hives into attacking. 04. TROOPER LOG: "GSGT C. Benet" LOCATION: Temple Grounds: Command Chamber ENTRY: There's something wrong with the lock systems in this section. They've failed us twice, locking us out until someone came along to let us in. If it happens again while we're playing "bait" for those things... well, at least we'll go out fighting, instead of hiding in the control area. 05. TROOPER LOG: "PFC M. Veroni" LOCATION: Temple Grounds: Collapsed Tunnel ENTRY: I think Haley's losing it. He talks to himself all the time, and he won't sleep. He almost shot me on watch the other night. I think he thought I was one of those things. I talked to the doc about him being off the line, and he told me we need all the help we can get. That's true, but if he goes beserk and kills a bunch of us, that won't be very helpful. 06. TROOPER LOG: "SPC M. Angseth" LOCATION: Temple Grounds: Trooper Security Station ENTRY: This is ridiculous. I can outshoot half the men here, and I'm stuck on monitor duty. I didn't join up to stare at a holoscreen! This wouldn't happen to Samus Aran...She'd be out there taking care of business, not pushing buttons and sending reports. -------------------------- LUMINOTH LORE (41 entries) -------------------------- The Luminoth Lore, like the Chozo Lore from the first game, details the experiences of the native Luminoth from the time they wandered the stars to the time they settled on Aether, and includes their records of the war with the Ing Horde. -> HISTORY (10 entries) ----------------------- The History subcategory details the history of the Luminoth race - how they came to Aether and what they encountered after living there for some time. -> GOLDEN AGE (6 entries) ------------------------- These entries detail the Luminoth's history prior to the meteor impact. 01. LORE ENTRY: "Origins" LOCATION: Great Temple: Main Energy Controller DATABASE: It is told that the Luminoth were not born of Aether but of the Stars. In the early days, we roamed the greatness of the void, bathing in the light of a thou- sand stars. We met a vast number of enlightened minds... the N' Kren, the Vlla, and the Chozo amoung them. Each of them we found had claimed a homeworld and formed a deep bond with it. In time, we decided to do the same. 02. LORE ENTRY: "Our Heritage" LOCATION: Temple Grounds: Transport to Agon Wastes DATABASE: Our search for a home took us through the cosmos. For many a great cycle we roamed yet a place to calll our own eluded us. In time, we began to despair, feeling the search was in vain. We considered remaining among the stars until a scout returned with news of a world unlike any other. When we beheld Aether for the first time, so great was her beauty that we forsook the stars forever to live upon her surface. From that day forth, the Luminoth were of Aether, our blessed paradise. 03. LORE ENTRY: "Paradise" LOCATION: Agon Wastes: Main Plaza DATABASE: Aether was a fertile, aged world with bountiful fields and oceans. The natural creatures were gentle compared to other worlds we had encountered. We settled in a mountain region at first, in cliffside dwellings. In time, we established settlements in the green forest of Torvus and the fertile plains of Agon. A Great Temple was built between our three domains, a place of peace and a monument of our accomplishments. It was a time of harmony for our people. 04. LORE ENTRY: "Saving Aether" LOCATION: Agon Wastes: Agon Energy Controller DATABASE: Aether's planetary energy supply reached a critical stage. If left unchecked, the energy would expire, bringing an end to this world. Our greatest minds de- vised a way to preserve and regulate the remaining planetary energy - the Energy Controllers. 05. LORE ENTRY: "Light of Aether" LOCATION: Agon Wastes: Portal Terminal DATABASE: The Main Energy Controller was built in the Great Tem- ple: three sub-controllers were built in the Temples of Agon. Torvus, and Sanctuary. They collected the energy of Aether, then radiated it over the world to those who needed it. In time, we came to call this precious ener- gy the "Light of Aether." It brought an age of peace and properity to the Luminoth. 06. LORE ENTRY: "Stellar Object" LOCATION: Agon Wastes: Mining Station B DATABASE: By the time we detected the stellar object as it streaked toward our world, it was too late to stop it. We fired numerous weapons at it in a vain attempt to alter its trajectory. Nothing worked. Our efforts put a great strain on the Energy Controllers, and weakened Aether. All we could do as the object grew closer was take shelter and wait. We gathered stores of food and water, reinforced the shielding on our dwellings, and spent the last few hours in peace. -> DARK AGE (4 entries) ----------------------- These entries detail the Luminoth's history after the meteor impact and the rise of the Ing. 07. LORE ENTRY: "Cataclysm" LOCATION: Agon Wastes: Mining Station A DATABASE: The starborne terror burnt through the heavens and struck Aether with untold might. We all expected the world to shatter... but Aether held. There was great devastation, however. The green plains of Agon were scorched forever, and the forest of Torvus was engulfed and wracked by the sea. The skies burned for days, casting darkness over the land. 08. LORE ENTRY: "Age of Anxiety" LOCATION: Temple Grounds: Meeting Grounds DATABASE: In time, the roar of a wounded planet subsided. The air, though fouled, was breathable. Light made its way through the dark veil over our world. Slowly, we ven- tured out from the shelters of our homes to see what remained of our paradise. What little comfort we gained by surviving was soon shattered, for when we looked outward, all we saw was devastation. Half of the plan- et's energy had vanished from the Energy Controllers. Aether became violently unstable as a result. Of the stellar object which struck our home, there was no sign. 09. LORE ENTRY: "The World Warped" LOCATION: Temple Grounds: Path of Eyes DATABASE: Amidst the turmoil, we discovered many disturbing anom- alies. Spatial disturbances appeared across the land. Objects went into a state of dimensional flux, their atoms divided between Aether and....somewhere else. There was little time to ponder these strange happen- ings, for we had to deal with the devastation of our lands. 10. LORE ENTRY: "The Ing Attack" LOCATION: Torvus Bog: Path of Roots DATABASE: The day came when space was torn asunder, revealing dimensional rifts to a dark place. Horrible dark swarms stretched forth from these rifts, engulfing nearby creatures and transforming them into what we would call darklings. The dark creatures became our enemies, and peace came to an end on Aether. -> CONFLICT (12 entries) ----------------------- The Conflict subcategory details the Luminoth's war against the Ing. -> FIRST PHASE (5 entries) -------------------------- These entries detail the first phase of the Ing War. 11. LORE ENTRY: "Dark Aether" LOCATION: Torvus Bog: Torvus Energy Controller DATABASE: In time, we created machines to open rifts to our enem- ies world. Volunteer scouts went through the rifts and found a twisted world, harsh and poisonous....a Dark Aether. They discovered that this world held the miss- ing half of our planet's energy. They also saw the true face of the enemy, a race we came to call the "ing" meaning terror. Our scouts could not survive long enough on the surface of Dark Aether, so venomous was its air. Still, we vowed to return. We prepared for war. 12. LORE ENTRY: "Our War Begins" LOCATION: Torvus Bog: Underground Tunnel DATABASE: We developed Crystals that brought the Light of Aether to the dark world. Using the Crystals allowed our warr- iors to explore the enemy lands to bring war to the Ing. Sadly, the Crystals weren't enough. We needed stronger weapons, better armor. We withdrew from Dark Aether while our greatest minds developed new engines of war. 13. LORE ENTRY: "New Weapons" LOCATION: Torvus Bog: Gathering Hall DATABASE: Our studies of the Ing revealed the source of their attacks as dark energy. We built weapons to use this energy, thinking it could overload the enemy targets and eliminate them. We soon learned our error, as the Dark Beam was not of great effect on the Ing. We then began to develop a weapon that used light energy. This weapon would dispatch the Ing with terrible efficiency. 14. LORE ENTRY: "Recovering Energy" LOCATION: Torvus Bog: Training Chamber DATABASE: We were not prepared to fight a long war. The forces of our enemy outnumbered ours vastly. We sought a way to end the war quickly, without extended combat. We decid- ed to build a device to recover our lost planetary energy from Dark Aether. Without this energy, the dark world would cease to be, and our world would be restor- ed to stability. 15. LORE ENTRY: "The New Terror" LOCATION: Torvus Bog: Catacombs DATABASE: In time, the Ing began to possess the Luminoth as well as creatures. Friends and family members became the enemy, spilling Luminoth blood across the land. Des- perate, we devised shielding to prevent Ing possession. It was effective, but not perfect. Should the shielding fall, all Luminoth were prepared to self-terminate rather than become a weapon for the Ing. -> SECOND PHASE (5 entries) --------------------------- These entries detail the second phase of the Ing War. 16. LORE ENTRY: "The Sky Temple" LOCATION: Sanctuary Fortress: Fortress Transport Access DATABASE: We learned the ruler of the Ing dwelled in a place dubbed "The Sky Temple" by our forces. This place held the planetary energy of Dark Aether as well. It was heavily guarded, and entry was barred by a great gate requiring ten keys to unlock. These keys were hidden throughout Dark Aether by the Ing. A mission was plan- ned, one that would find the hidden keys and recover our missing energy from the Sky Temple. 17. LORE ENTRY: "The Final Crusade" LOCATION: Sanctuary Fortress: Hall of Combat Mastery DATABASE: While our forces on Dark Aether fought desprate battles against superior numbers, our best minds completed their work. The Energy Transfer Module, a device de- signed to recover our planetary energy that was lost, was ready at last. A force of our greatest warriors was assembled, each equipped with the best armor and weap- onry available. We sent this brave cadre of fighters to invade the Sky Temple and seize the missing energy within. 18. LORE ENTRY: "Shattered Hope" LOCATION: Sanctuary Fortress: Main Gyrochamber DATABASE: None of our warriors sent to the Sky Temple ever came back alive. Our search teams searched all over Dark Aether for them in vain. Of the Energy Transfer Module, there was no sign. Though saddened, we set out to pre- pare another mission, to build another module to try once more to save our dying world. 19. LORE ENTRY: "Agon Falls" LOCATION: Sanctuary Fortress: Sanctuary Energy Controller DATABASE: A massive Ing attack came to the land of Agon. Soon, the Temple of Agon was surrounded by the Horde, with no hope of salvation. Our gallant warrior there were slain, and Agon fell to the enemy. Our blood chilled when we learned that the energy within the Temple was drained. The Ing had found the Energy Transfer Module, and they were using our weapon against us. 20. LORE ENTRY: "Torvus Falls" LOCATION: Sanctuary Fortress: Main Research DATABASE: The Ing turned their focus on the Torvus Bog, sending a vast force to lay siege to the temple there. Thous- ands upon thousands of Ing were destroyed by our warr- iors, yet they kept coming until there were no Luminoth alive to offer resistance in Torvus. On that day, the energy of Torvus was taken to Dark Aether, and our hopes for survival grew dim. -> FINAL PHASE (2 entries) -------------------------- These entries detail the final phase of the Ing War up until Samus Aran's arrival on Aether. 21. LORE ENTRY: "Sanctuary Falls" LOCATION: Sanctuary Fortress: Watch Station DATABASE: Our battered forces gathered in Sanctuary Fortress to prepare for the inevitable siege there. They didn't wait long. Wave after wave of Ing assaulted the great- est of our fortresses, with a goal in mind:to siege the enemy there. The Ing turned the machines of Sanctuary against our warriors, and soon all was lost. The energy of Sanctuary was taken by the Ing. Only one Energy Controller remained on Aether. 22. LORE ENTRY: "Twilight" LOCATION: Sanctuary Fortress: Sanctuary Entrance DATABASE: What few remained gathered in the Great Temple. There, all but U-Mos, the last Sentinal of Aether, entered into a state of life-preserving stasis. There they would remain, to be released once the Ing were defeat- ed... or to sleep forever. His people safe, U-Mos pre- pared for the last, terrible assault. In the silence of the Great Temple, he prayed for salvation, for deliv- erance from the terror of the Ing. -> KEYBEARER LORE (10 entries) ------------------------------ The Keybearer Lore subcategory contains the final recordings of the Lum- inoth Sentinels sent to find the keys to access the Sky Temple before they died at the hands of the Ing. -> CADRE 1 (5 entries) ---------------------- These entries contain the recordings of the first cadre of Sentinels. 23. LORE ENTRY: "J-Stl's Testament" LOCATION: Agon Wastes: Central Mining Station DATABASE: My journey comes to an end. The thrice-cursed Ing prepared an ambush of singular cunning in the mining station. They cought me in it like a neophyte fresh from the training halls. I have sent five score of their numbers to whatever foul pit they call afterlife, but in vain. My life is extinguished. 24. LORE ENTRY: "B-Stl's Testament" LOCATION: Agon Wastes: Main Reactor DATABASE: I can go no further. Here in this reactor, I go to join my fallen mate, J-Stl, in final rest. Though I die with honor, a shame falls on my house until the key I seek reaches its destination. May my brothers find my bur- den, that the way to the Sky Temple will be opened at last. 25. LORE ENTRY: "A-Kul's Testament" LOCATION: Sky Temple: Sky Temple Gateway DATABASE: Soon I shall pass to final rest. My key is in place. Through my spiritual link to the others, I know where their bodies lie. I shall leave this knowledge, that their locations in the Dark World can be known. May this knowledge lead our warriors to the SKy Temple Keys. The time draws near. Hear the word of A-Kul, she they call Champion of Aether. Know that my warriors fought and died with uncommon valor. Do not look un- kindly upon their failure, for they died to save us all. 26. LORE ENTRY: "S-Dly's Testament" LOCATION: Torvus Bog: Torvus Lagoon DATABASE: They came to the lagoon in the night, delivering true deathblows before I could detect them. As my life fad- ed, I sent a call to the cadre to warn of this surprise attack. May they find my key, and dispatch the Ing who killed me. Only then will my final rest be peaceful. 27. LORE ENTRY: "G-Sch's Testament" LOCATION: Torvus Bog: Catacombs DATABASE: What craven savages are the Ing! Trapped in the cata- combs with no chance of rescue, I fought to the last. I watched them feed upon their dead. I heard them press- ing the lesser of their number into the front ranks that my blasts would take them. At least their leader stood against me in battle. He was a foe worthy of a Luminoth warrior. -> CADRE 2 (5 entries) ---------------------- These entries contain the recordings of the second cadre of Sentinels. 28. LORE ENTRY: "M-Dhe's Testament" LOCATION: Temple Grounds: Landing Site DATABASE: That last hit breached my armor. The poison spreads. Though I have found the key, it is too late for me. Soon my light will fail. They know I am here. They will come to this site to plunder the key. My last stand shall be at the enge of the temple grounds. I only hope I have the strength to fight when they arrive. 29. LORE ENTRY: "J-Fme's Testament" LOCATION: Temple Grounds: Industrial Site DATABASE: Final entry, Warrior J-Fme. Their army swells. Beasts and machines join the ranks of the horde, all eager to bring death to the Luminoth. The Ing sent their new additions to the industrial site to do battle with me, while they watched from safety. Cowardly mongrels! My only regret in death is that I did not live to see the day of their defeat. May it come soon! 30. LORE ENTRY: "S-Jrs's Testament" LOCATION: Sanctuary Fortress: Sanctuary Entrance DATABASE: A-Kul tried to send me back to Aether, that I might get reinforcements. Both cadre's have been attacked, devas- tated. The Ing followed me. They came wearing the skin of beasts. I gave them a good fight, yet, I have fail- ed. May I redeem my honor in the next life. Here, at the fortress entrance, I breathe my last. 31. LORE ENTRY: "D-Isi's Testament" LOCATION: Agon Wastes: Storage Cavern A DATABASE: It is inside me. I feel it spreading. clawing at my will, tearing away at my thoughts. It moves me against my will, to this cavern. Here it will not end. I do not wish this, do not want my body to become a weapon for the Ing within me. It hates. It demands obidence. I will fight to the end. I shall self-terminate before I will be a filthy pawn of the Ing. 32. LORE ENTRY: "C-Rch's Testament" LOCATION: Sanctuary Fortress: Dynamo Access DATABASE: Let this be the final testament of warrior C-Rch. I have no more shells for my weapons. For the enemy, I have naught but the blade and fist. Let them come. They wait in the works, hissing and slithering like beasts. Let them. When my war cry comes, there will be a dread, final reckoning. Come forth, hated enemy! Let there be an end! -> A-KUL'S CLUES (9 entries) ---------------------------- The A-Kul's Clues subcategory contains clues left by the warrior A-Kul as to the locations of the Sky Temple Keys, so that whoever finds her can search for them. -> CADRE 1 (4 entries) ---------------------- These entries contain the recordings of the first cadre of Sentinels. 33. LORE ENTRY: "J-Stl's Key" LOCATION: Sky Temple: Sky Temple Gateway DATABASE: Noble J-Stl. Lost his soul before a fortress of dry land. 34. LORE ENTRY: "B-Stl's Key" LOCATION: Sky Temple: Sky Temple Gateway DATABASE: Gallant B-Stl. She lies deep in the fortress of a high land. 35. LORE ENTRY: "S-Dly's Key" LOCATION: Sky Temple: Sky Temple Gateway DATABASE: Brave S-Dly. Beside the marsh of a raining land she laid her body forever. 36. LORE ENTRY: "G-Sch's Key" LOCATION: Sky Temple: Sky Temple Gateway DATABASE: Gentle G-Sch. With a Bearerpod he sleeps in a flooded temple. -> CADRE 2 (5 entries) ---------------------- These entries contain the recordings of the second cadre of Sentinels. 37. LORE ENTRY: "M-Dhe's Key" LOCATION: Sky Temple: Sky Temple Gateway DATABASE: Fearless M-Dhe. The one who shall move the pillar of holy ground will see your souless body. 38. LORE ENTRY: "J-Fme's Key" LOCATION: Sky Temple: Sky Temple Gateway DATABASE: Mighty J-Fme. In the last what did you see? Was it one of our gates closing, sealing the scorched land from our holy ground? 39. LORE ENTRY: "S-Jrs's Key" LOCATION: Sky Temple: Sky Temple Gateway DATABASE: Loyal S-Jrs. He no longer breathes, looking down at the great bridge of a holy fortress. 40. LORE ENTRY: "D-Isi's Key" LOCATION: Sky Temple: Sky Temple Gateway DATABASE: Steadfast D-Isi. Who shall disturb you amoung the trees of holy ground? 41. LORE ENTRY: "C-Rch's Key" LOCATION: Sky Temple: Sky Temple Gateway DATABASE: Judicious C-Rch. In a small corridor within the depths of a high fortress, he lies silently. RESEARCH ENTRIES ================ The Research Data is much more expansive than it was in the first game where it essentially consisted of special terrain features and energy/ammo refills. This time, it is divided into smaller data networks based on biology, items native to Aether and Dark Aether, technology and mechanical objects. Every research item is listed here along with locations if applicable. One-time or limited time scans are also marked with the appropriate asterisks, and the transcriptions from the game database are also given. ----------------------------------- AETHER STUDIES CATEGORY (7 entries) ----------------------------------- The Aether Studies category contains information on terrain features or dimensional anomalies found on the planet. -> AETHER (4 entries) ----------------------- The Aether subcategory details those features on Light Aether. 01. SCAN ITEM: U-Mos LOCATION: Great Temple: Main Energy Controller ENTRY: Subject is U-Mos, a Sentinel of the Luminoth. Scans indicate numerous beneficial abilities, including heightened reflexes, durability, psionics, and flight. Ability to generate and manipulate energy on par with that of the Chozo. Dating scans indicate an age of 2.15 centicycles. Only known active member of the species: remaining Luminoth locked in protective stasis until crisis is resolved. 02. SCAN ITEM: Aether LOCATION: Agon Wastes: Command Center ENTRY: Planet is unstable due to transdimensional flux. War- fare has devastated a good portion of the world's pop- ulation. Finally, extreme climate shifts have left most of Aether unhospitable. 03. SCAN ITEM: Dark Portal LOCATION: Light Aether: first seen in Command Center ENTRY: Dark Portals allow living beings to travel to Dark Aether without being disrupted and scattered throughout the interdimensional void. They are unstable, however, and only remain viable for limited periods of time. Some can be reactivated, while others vanish forever once they are used. 04. SCAN ITEM: Energy Controller LOCATION: Great Temple: Main Energy Controller ENTRY: Energy Controllers were built by the Luminoth to regul- ate Aether's planetary energy. Several wonders are pow- ered by the Energy Controllers, including a weather control grid and a teleportation system. When Dark Aether was born, it too had Energy Controllers, all linked to the world's planetary energy. -> DARK AETHER (3 entries) -------------------------- The Aether subcategory details those features on Dark Aether. 05. SCAN ITEM: Phazon LOCATION: Agon Wastes: Main Reactor ENTRY: Origin point of Phazon unknown. First detection of ele- ment on planet Tallon IV. Used by Space Pirates to pro- duce vast levels of energy. Bioforms exposed to Phazon without proper shielding will eventually undergo radi- cal mutation. 06. SCAN ITEM: Light Portal LOCATION: Dark Aether: first seen in Portal Site ENTRY: Light Portals allow living beings to travel to Light Aether without being disrupted and scattered throughout the interdimensional void. They are unstable, however, and only remain viable for limited periods of time. Some can be reactivated, while others vanish forever once they are used. 07. SCAN ITEM: Dark Aether LOCATION: Agon Wastes: Command Center ENTRY: Can't determine origin of Aether's "dark twin". Con- tains high levels of Phazon ore. Native bioforms attack on sight. ----------------------------- BIOLOGY CATEGORY (17 entries) ----------------------------- The Biology category contains scan information on various plant life or living items on Aether that don't fit into the Creatures Database. -> PLANTFORMS (6 entries) ------------------------- The Plantforms subcategory details plantlife and fauna found on Aether. 08. SCAN ITEM: Sandgrass LOCATION: Agon Wastes: first seen in Plaza Access ENTRY: Sandgrass scans indicate that the plant requires no moisture to survive. It relies exclusively on solar en- ergy for sustenance, making it well adapted for life in the desert enviroment. Evidence of extensive mutation present, suggesting radical bio-adjustments within the last centicycle. Mutation source is not natural: plant strain was genetically engineered, possibly by the Lum- inoth. 09. SCAN ITEM: Bloatsac LOCATION: Torvus Bog: first seen in Forgotten Bridge ENTRY: The humble Bloatsac contributes to its ecology by pro- ducing large amounts of benevolent gases. It thrives in damp enviroments, though it can survive in most cli- mates and terrains. The Bloatsac secretes a venomous sap over its body. Very few creatures can ingest the sap and survive, making it a useful defensive mechanism for the plant. 10. SCAN ITEM: Torvus Hanging Pod LOCATION: Torvus Bog: first seen in Temple Transport Access ENTRY: The Luminoth placed these pods throughout the bog for use by their soldiers during the war. Though many have been raided since then, some still contain useful items left over from the war. 11. SCAN ITEM: Agon Bearerpod LOCATION: Agon Wastes: first seen in Plaza Access ENTRY: The Agon Bearerpod is a hardy desert plantform used by the Luminoth to store useful items and supplies. Its tough epidermis can be destroyed by weapons. It gathers trace amounts of moisture from the air and stores it in a number of chambers throughout its body. It can hold and process this moisture for weeks if neccessary. 12. SCAN ITEM: Torvus Bearerpod LOCATION: Torvus Bog: first seen in Transport to Temple Grounds ENTRY: The Torvus Bearerpod grows around useful items. The hard outer shell can be destroyed by weapon fire. The Luminoth use the hardy plants to store supplies for operations in the Torvus Bog. They are resistant to the harsh chemicals and diseases that run rampant in the swamp, and emit a deadly cloud when destroyed. This has discouraged their consumption by local animals. 13. SCAN ITEM: Blueroot Tree LOCATION: only found in Agon Wastes: Save Station A (upper level) ENTRY: The Blueroot tree is common on world's with desert reg- ions. While an elegant, attractive plant, the tree's leaves are highly toxic. Few species can ingest the species and live: many of them (such as Space Pirates) consider the deadly Blueroot leaf a delicacy. -> ING STORAGE (4 entries) -------------------------- The Ing Storage subcategory details the items used by the Ing for storing valuable items. 14. SCAN ITEM: Ingsphere Cache LOCATION: Dark Torvus Bog: first seen in Dark Forgotten Bridge ENTRY: The Ingsphere keeps useful items in a dimensional pock- et. Normally, the Ingsphere will only release the item to its Ing masters. The pocket can be breached by de- stroying the Ingsphere, however. This sometimes dest- roys the item, but it is worth the risk. 15. SCAN ITEM: Flying Ing Cache** (scan before destroying one) LOCATION: first seen in Sky Temple Grounds: Defiled Shrine ENTRY: The Flying Cache was bred and trained to be a living storage unit. It employs a limited stealth field that renders it unseen to most enemies. The fact that the creature must be killed to obtain the object it stores is of little consequence to the Ing. 16. SCAN ITEM: Ingworm Cache LOCATION: Ing Hive: first seen in Culling Chamber ENTRY: Ingworms wrap their bodies around useful items to pro- tect them. They are defenseless. They are not terribly durable and have no form of attack, hence their assign- ments as storage containment units to the Ing. 17. SCAN ITEM: Bladepod LOCATION: first seen in Dark Agon Wastes: Portal Site ENTRY: These Ing morph their bodies around useful items to protect them. They rely on larger Ing for protection, as they have no way of fending off enemies. Damage from all weapons will harm them, but light-based weapons are superior. -> DARKLINGS (4 entries) ------------------------ The Darklings subcategory details the Dark Aether plantlife or organic barriers used by the Ing. 18. SCAN ITEM: Ingclaw LOCATION: Dark Agon Wastes: Watering Hole ENTRY: The Ingclaw secretes an incredibly durable shell over itself shortly after birth. From that moment on, it re- mains rooted in place. The creature feeds on the flot- sam floating in Dark Aether's atmosphere, and produces waste in the form of a toxic dark vapor. 19. SCAN ITEM: *Ing Webtrap* (only appears in battle with Warrior Ing) LOCATION: Dark Agon Wastes: Battleground ENTRY: These creatures respond from commands from the Ing, forming over areas as ordered. They are virtually inde- structible, and can only be undone by killing the Ing that commands them. 20. SCAN ITEM: *Webling* (vanishes forever after being destroyed) LOCATION: Dark Agon Wastes: Feeding Pit Access ENTRY: Weblings spin a network of energized snare lines, then sit in the middle and wait for the prey to get caught in it, much like a a spider. A Webling is incredibly durable, though it has the darkling weakness to light. 21. SCAN ITEM: Dormant Ingclaw LOCATION: first seen in Dark Agon Wastes: Battleground ENTRY: Ingclaws occasionally enter a strange torpor, brought on by constant exposure to the atmosphere of Dark Ae- ther. While in this dream state, the creature does not feed or expel it deadly vapor. Fortunately, its indes- tructible shell protects it from predators. -> COCOONS (3 entries) ---------------------- The Cocoons subcategory details the organic structures used as cocoons by various creatures on Aether. 22. SCAN ITEM: Metroid Cocoon LOCATION: only found in Agon Wastes: Biostorage Access ENTRY: The Space Pirates transport young Tallon Metroids in an organic "cocoon" designed to sustain the small creat- ures. Each cocoon can support numerous infants for sev- eral cycles. The creatures are normally content to re- main in the cocoon, but will emerge when they detect the presence of Phazon. 23. SCAN ITEM: Splinter Cocoon LOCATION: Temple Grounds: first seen in Industrial Site ENTRY: Splinters will enter their protective cocoons when tired or sated. The cocoon is durable, but can be de- stroyed by weapons fire. Destroying a cocoon will kill the Splinter inside: when this occurs, the dying Splin- ter will let out a shriek that will alert all nearby Splinters in hibernation. This will drive them into a battle frenzy as a defense mechanism. 24. SCAN ITEM: War Wasp Hive LOCATION: Temple Grounds: first seen in Sacred Path ENTRY: War Wasps require considerable amounts of sleep after a long hunt. They weave a protective hive from organic fluids they secrete to themselves, then crawl inside to rest. Though safe from most predators, the hive can be damaged by exposive weapons. ---------------------------------------- LUMINOTH TECHNOLOGY CATEGORY (9 entries) ---------------------------------------- The Aether Studies category contains information on terrain features or dimensional anomalies found on the planet. -> LIGHT CRYSTALS (4 entries) ----------------------------- The Light Crystals subcategory details the various crystals designed by the Luminoth that were placed on Dark Aether for safety purposes. 25. SCAN ITEM: Light Crystal LOCATION: Dark Aether: first seen in Portal Site ENTRY: Light Crystals provide protection from Dark Aether's atmosphere. They can be nullified by dark energy, or super charged by light energy. They were created by the Luminoth during the war with the Ing, and many still remain in use. Dark creatures despise the Crystals: some are injured or killed by the field they create. 26. SCAN ITEM: Energized Crystal LOCATION: Dark Aether (shoot Light Crystal with Light Beam) ENTRY: Energized Crystals provide better protection from Dark Aether's denizens. Dark creatures are damaged or killed by the energized field. Some are killed on contact. The extra protection is not unlimited, and must be recharg- ed by the Light Beam to remain in effect. 27. SCAN ITEM: Nullified Crystal LOCATION: Dark Aether (shoot Light Crystal with Dark Beam) ENTRY: Light Crystals, when covered with dark energy, cease to function for a short time. Light energy can clear the Crystal of the dark energy. Some dark creatures will fire dark energy at Light Crystals to hinder or damage their opponents. 28. SCAN ITEM: Super Crystal LOCATION: Dark Aether (shoot Light Crystal with Annihilator Beam) ENTRY: When charged with light an dark energy at once, the Crystal becomes a beacon to the Ing. They are compelled to approach it, despite the deadly field of energy it emits. -> UTILITY CRYSTALS (2 entries) ------------------------------- The Utility Crystals subcategory details the various crystals designed by the Luminoth that were placed on Dark Aether for monitoring purposes. 29. SCAN ITEM: Sentinel Crystal LOCATION: first seen in Torvus Bog: Great Bridge ENTRY: During the war, the Luminoth used Sentinel Crystals to monitor key areas and installations. They are incredib- ly durable, resisting all but the most powerful of Ing attacks. U-Mos still uses the reamining Sentinel Crys- tals to keep a watch for Ing activity. 30. SCAN ITEM: Dark Sentinel Crystal LOCATION: first seen in Dark Torvus Bog: Dark Forgotten Bridge ENTRY: The orginal Sentinel Crystals were durable, but they had their limits. The toxic nature of Dark Aether, com- bined with constant attack from the Ing, destroyed many of them. The Luminoth responed with the Dark Sentinel Crystal. Sheathed in dark energy, it is more resistant to the atmosphere of the Ing homeworld - and the att- acks of its denizens. -> LIFT CRYSTALS (3 entries) ---------------------------- The Lift Crystals subcategory details the various crystals designed or used by the Luminoth for movement purposes. 31. SCAN ITEM: Light Lift Crystal LOCATION: first seen in Dark Agon Wastes: Doomed Entry ENTRY: Luminoth lift platform will lower when Crystal is ener- gized by dark weaponry. Used by the Luminoth forces during their war. Most still function, despite periodic abuse by the Ing. 32. SCAN ITEM: Dark Lift Crystal LOCATION: first seen in Dark Agon Wastes: Hall of Stairs ENTRY: Luminoth lift platform will lower when Crystal is ener- gized by light weaponry. Used by the Luminoth forces during their war. Most still function, despite periodic abuse by the Ing. 33. SCAN ITEM: Liftvine Crystal LOCATION: first seen in Dark Torvus Bog: Brooding Ground ENTRY: Darkling plantform will grow in height when Crystal is energized by light-based weaponry. The Luminoth used these to navigate their campaigns on Dark Aether. The Ing ingnore the simple plant, as is is not a source of nourishment or a weapon. -> LIGHT BEACONS (3 entries) ---------------------------- The Light Beacons subcategory details the various beacons designed by the Luminoth that were placed on Dark Aether for use as temporary safe areas. 34. SCAN ITEM: Light Beacon LOCATION: first seen in Dark Agon Wastes: Portal Site ENTRY: Light Beacons must be energized by Beam weapons fire to function, and they remain charged for a limited time. The Beacons were created when the Luminoth ran short of Light Crystals during the war. While simple to make, the Beacons were also unstable. They had to be energiz- ed periodically, and could run out of energy at crit- ical moments. Still, any protection was better than none for Luminoth warriors. 35. SCAN ITEM: Energized Beacon LOCATION: Dark Aether (shoot Light Beacon with Light Beam) ENTRY: Energized Beacons provide better protection from Dark Aether's denizens. Dark creatures are damaged or killed by the energized field. Some are killed on contact. The extra protection is not unlimited, and must be recharg- ed by the Light Beam to remain in effect. 36. SCAN ITEM: Nullified Beacon LOCATION: Dark Aether (shoot Light Beacon with Dark Beam) ENTRY: Light Beacons, when covered with dark energy, cease to function for a brief time. Light energy can clear the Beacon of the dark energy. Some dark creatures will fire dark energy at Light Beacons to hinder or damage their opponents. 37. SCAN ITEM: Super Beacon LOCATION: Dark Aether (shoot Light Beacon with Annihilator Beam) ENTRY: When charged with light an dark energy at once, the Beacon becomes a symbol to the Ing. They are compelled to approach it, despite the deadly field of energy it emits. ------------------------------- MECHANISMS CATEGORY (9 entries) ------------------------------- The Mechanisms category contains information on the various mechanical sys- tems and structures present on the planet Aether. -> VEHICLES (3 entries) ----------------------- The Vehicles subcategory details the moving vehicles on Aether. 38. SCAN ITEM: G.F.S. Tyr LOCATION: Temple Grounds: GFMC Compound ENTRY: The Anhur class is a state-of-the-art warship, designed to police and defend planetary systems. This ship, the G.F.S. Tyr, has been heavily damaged. It appears that the crew have dismantled parts of the Tyr as well, possibly for use as a makeshift defense systems. 39. SCAN ITEM: Samus's Gunship** (scan is "invalid" after Dark Visor) LOCATION: Temple Grounds: Landing Site ENTRY: Your Hunter class gunship is one of a kind, its distin- ct hull lines marking it to friend and foe alike. Cus- tom built for you by the Federation Shipyards at Alieks III, it contains a mobile energy recharge system, as well as microfactories designed to produce ammunition. A sophisticated onboard computer stores mission data collected in the field for future refrence. 40. SCAN ITEM: Pirate Skiff** (only two chances to scan this) LOCATION: Agon Wastes: Central Mining Station Torvus Bog: Torvus Temple ENTRY: Plans for the Shrike were recently stolen from a GF lab by the Space Pirates. Production began immediately, and the fast-moving skiff is now part of Pirate operations. It is used primarily as a troop transport, taking a fire team of troopers into action. The Shrike is un- armed, relying on the troops it carries for protection against hostile forces. -> GF SECURITY (3 entries) -------------------------- The GF Security subcategory details the various forms of fencing and pro- tection utilized by the Galactic Federation Marine Corps. 41. SCAN ITEM: GF Bridge LOCATION: only found in Temple Grounds: Industrial Site ENTRY: This bridge is durable, but often locks in place, lead- ing the Marines to call for a new design. The MK III should enter service within the next eight cycles. 42. SCAN ITEM: GF Gate MK VI** (vanishes after second trip through) LOCATION: only found in Temple Grounds: Hive Chamber A ENTRY: This gate is used with armor secrity locks, which must be neutralized to operate the gate. Gate is resistant to all but the most potent of explosives. 43. SCAN ITEM: GF Gate MK VII** (never respawns after being destroyed) LOCATION: only found in Temple Grounds: Dynamo Chamber ENTRY: The MK VII Defense Gate is composed of Denzium. Invuln- erable to most weapons, though high-yield explosives are effective. Often used in conjunction with a remote scan access panel. -> SYSTEMS (6 entries) ---------------------- The Systems subcategory details the various forms of tunneling or railing systems that are present on Aether. 44. SCAN ITEM: Bomb Blot LOCATION: first seen in Temple Grounds: Command Chamber ENTRY: Insert the Morph Ball into slot, then detonate a Bomb. This will send energy from the slot to whatever device is connected to it. 45. SCAN ITEM: Grapple Point LOCATION: first seen in Dark Torvus Bog: Sacrificial Chamber ENTRY: To use the Grapple Beam, use "L" when the Grapple icon appears. You can fire your weapons while attached to a Grapple Point. 46. SCAN ITEM: Kinetic Orb Cannon LOCATION: first seen in Temple Grounds: GFMC Compound ENTRY: The purpose of the Kinetic Orb Cannon is unclear. It may have originally been designed for industrial use, then converted to a combat system in later times. 47. SCAN ITEM: Spider Ball Track LOCATION: first seen in Sanctuary Fortress: Hall of Combat Mastery ENTRY: In Morph Ball mode, press and hold "R" when close to this type of surface. Use the Control Stick to move the Ball along the track. Release "R" to disengage from the surface. Using the Boost ability when on a Spider Ball Track will rapidly launch the Spider Ball from the track. Detonating a Morph Ball Bomb will briefly dis- engage the Ball from the track. 48. SCAN ITEM: Spinner LOCATION: first seen in Torvus Bog: Forgotten Bridge ENTRY: Use the Boost ability of the Morph Ball when inside a Spinner to activate the device it powers. 49. SCAN ITEM: Wall Jump Surface LOCATION: first seen in Ing Hive: Central Hive Transport West ENTRY: This surface was designed to be used in conjunction with the Screw Attack System. Perform Screw Attacks while facing and touching wall to Wall Jump. And that completes the entire Log Book as far as scannable items go! Remember that you will also fill it with descriptions of Power Suit upgrades, but these are considered free entries and do not count towards the completion percentage. Just like in the first METROID PRIME, completing portions of the Log Book will unlock bonus art galleries which are then made available to you from the main menu. Below is a list of the Log Book galleries you can obtain: 1. PROMOTIONAL GALLERY: Obtain 40% of Log Book Scans 2. CHARACTER GALLERY: Obtain 60% of Log Book Scans 3. CREATURES GALLERY: Obtain 80% of Log Book Scans 4. BOSS SKETCH GALLERY: Obtain 100% of Log Book Scans The remaining two Image Galleries are rewarded to you for completion of the game itself. No gallery is awarded for 100% item collection, however. Below is a list of the remaining galleries. 5. ROUGH SKETCH GALLERY: Complete the game in Normal Mode 6. STORYBOARD GALLERY: Complete the game in Hard Mode ======================== == 10. SECRETS AND TIPS: ======================== METROID PRIME 2 has a few interesting things here and there besides what's been already covered in the walkthrough. Most of them are just tidbits that are only capable of breaking the game or giving you more to play with, but they are in- teresting nonetheless. 1. SECRET WORLDS If you played the first game, you know that there were multiple areas of the game where you could exit the game's standardized boundaries via small holes in the room layouts. Some of these could be utilized to skip areas or items, or generally just play around. METROID PRIME 2 also suffers from having these - in fact, there are almost 80-something areas that have been discovered. For a comprehensive listing along with information or videos on how to access them or what to do as far as techniques while in one, refer to either Samus.co.uk (http://www.samus.co.uk) or Nate's Metroid2002 (http://www.metroid2002.com). 2. GLITCHES No doubt about it, this game is quite breakable, and not just in terms of getting items early or doing things out of sequence (though I tip my hat to RETRO STUDIOS, they did a marvelous job trying to eliminate sequence breaking from this game). But some things just plain "break" the game or otherwise cause extremely odd things to occur. Below is a brief sampling of some of the more interesting ones. - FLOATY JUMP This "occurs" during at the start of the Chykka fight. When you first encounter the boss, it is suspended on the wall. Knock the first three parts holding it to the wall off, then jump in the Dark Water before destroying the fourth. For some reason, this triggers a moon jump-like effect where your jumps go incredibly high and incredibly far. Stepping into the water again makes you lose it, but you can defeat Chykka if you're skilled enough and continue to use this jump through all of Tor- vus Bog and its Dark Aether equivalent (using a Transport takes it away from you, too, as does saving/reloading. Terminal Falls don't seem to take it away, however). This glitch is funny, but ultimately useless since you can't leave Torvus Bog. You can, however, stand on the balcony leading to the Dark Torvus Energy Controller and take potshots at the Chykka Larva far below. Unfortunately, defeating the Larva resets you to the bottom of the area for the Adult fight. Try making it through the Chykka fight and you can get the Energy Tanks from Torvus Plaza and the Meditation Vista without having the required Spider Ball and Screw Att- ack upgrades. - VANISHING BOSSES If you trigger the Floaty Jump during the Chykka fight, you can actually leap all the way up to the Energy Controller and enter it. Take Dark Torvus' energy and return to the Dark Torvus Temple, and Chykka will be gone. Then again, the Dark Visor won't be there either, so you'll get stuck in the room until you reset from a previous save. You can escape the Alpha Blogg fight with a Bomb Space Jump after you get the Gravity Boost. Go two rooms away to reset it, and the Alpha Blogg will be gone when you go back. This one's pretty spiffy since it has no adverse effect on the game itself. Also, I know many people wish the Boost Guardian would just go away, but there is actually a way to make this happen. If you keep it in its liq- uid form near the edges of the Arena, you can make it "leak" out of the room's boundary (it's off exploring a Secret World?). This isn't as cool as you might think, considering the mini-boss is gone, you don't get the Boost Ball, and you're stuck in a room with absolutely no safe zones. Oh well, at least you'll die quickly. - REMNANTS OF SAMUS This graphical screw-up occurs only in a post-game save file. Go to any portal and enter it (dark or light). As soon as you enter, hit Start to skip the cutscene and when you emerge, turn around to see rather creepy looking remnants of... you... forming as you come out of the portal. It's rather creepy, actually, seeing yourself disembodied. - SONIC SCREW-UPS Once you have the Echo Visor, don't leave any room that has Sonic or Key Emitters until you've destroyed all of them. Doing so triggers a con- dition where the Emitters vanish after leaving the room, so if you had to trigger the Emitters for an item, you permanently lose the chance to get it. - ROOM RESET TRIGGERS Sometimes defeating bosses or doing a certain sequence of steps is req- uired in order for other things to trigger. A prime example of this is the Key Emitters in Agon Wastes: Mining Plaza. These Emitters don't show up unless you (a) have the Dark Suit (not an easy item to skip) and (b) you have returned Dark Agon's energy to Light Agon. It is completely possible to save a ton of time by defeating Amorbis, grabbing the Dark Suit and then nullifying a crystal near the exit in order to get out (the nullified crystal gives you extra room to stand on it) since it is possible to get all the way to Torvus and Sanctuary without taking and returning energy... but then the Emitters don't show up later. Another fun one is breaking into Torvus Grove early - a Pirate Commando fight triggers, but then the rooms never unlock because you haven't acquired the Super Missile yet. Basically doing things out of sequence can really mess up the game if you don't know what you're doing - just know what triggers will affect a 100% game and avoid them. The walkthrough itself doesn't cover anything that will stop you from completing the game with all items. - DEFORMED GFMC COMPOUND/SANCTUARY TRAP This is an interesting one. Remember what I just said about event trigg- ers? The biggest one of all is the cutscene in GFMC Compound that tells the story of the GFMC Marines. Skip this by using the 101% Glitch for the extra set of Missiles, then wander around without triggering the cutscene. For one thing, the Map Station doesn't exist, nor does the Kinetic Orb Cannon. But the biggest change is that the hologram protect- ing the pathway to Sanctuary Fortress doesn't exist! Go through the door and you can explore Sanctuary Fortress for a bit... until you reach the Spinner, anyway. You'll get stuck here since you can't go back out due to the black and white doors, and entering the Spinner gets you even more stuck because you have no Boost Ball to use it, and certainly no Morph Ball Bombs with which to extract yourself. - COMEDIC SPACE PIRATES This one also occurs in GFMC Compound if you use the 101% Glitch, but never trigger the cutscene from CAPT Exeter's console. Come back anytime after you have the Dark Suit so that there are Space Pirates in the room and trigger the cutscene. While Samus is listening and the cutscene plays, the Space Pirates will dance wildly in the background. 3. SCAN PORTALS AND FREE DISTANCE This is similar to entering Phendrana Drifts from the first game. There, if you didn't cancel the cutscene when entering Phendrana, you got a good amount of "free distance" as the cutscene showed Samus walking almost halfway into Phendrana Shorelines. You can do this in this game, too, us- ing Scan-To-Activate Portals. Scan them when you first have the chance from as far away as possible, and the cutscene will place you directly in front of the portal afterwards. Free distance with no time penalty for getting there! ============= == 11. LEGAL: ============= This walkthrough must always be shown in full form, unaltered, and with credit given to the author. You are free to use this for personal use, but if you wish to host it on another website, you must e-mail me first with a request for per- mission. Copyright (C) 2012 Timothy Jones (NeoChozo). Some rights reserved. All rights, including the copyrights of game, scenario, music and program are Copyright (C) Nintendo. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------