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Leaderboards for Metroid: Zero Mission Any% can be found here

Routes

The Ridley First route is confirmed to be faster than the Kraid First Route, both in-game and RTA time. This is the standard route used for any% today. The Kraid First route is rarely used, the primary reason being that it includes an extra cutscene, requires horizontal bomb jumping for acid worm skip, difficult kraid fight, and is ultimately slower in both in-game and RTA timing. Thus this guide will go over the details for the Ridley First route.

The general route:

1. Brinstar - Get Morph Ball, Missiles, Bombs, maybe Charge Beam, go to Norfair.
2. Norfair - Go to Crateria.
3. Crateria - Get Unknown Item and Power Grip.
4. Norfair - Get Ice Beam and refill there. Go to Ridley.
5. Ridley - Get two super missile tanks, Unknown Item, and beat Ridley.
6. Norfair - Get Hi Jump on the way back up to Brinstar.
7. Brinstar - Go to Kraid
8. Kraid - Do AWS, get Unknown Item and beat Kraid. Get Speed Boost and leave.
9. Tourian - Clear this area
10. Chozodia - Do suitless section, then clear the game without getting power bombs.

This section will detail strategies for every single room in the Any% Route of Metroid: Zero Mission, following the general route above. Each bullet point is one room (sub-bullet points are additional notes for that current room).

Brinstar

• Run left and immediately get MORPH BALL. Go right.
• Roll under the platform and continue right.
• Keep rolling until you reach the chozo statue. Activate it to watch the map, then go right.
• Climb up this shaft, using jumps and walljumps. When you reach the second door on the right, shoot the ceiling above it to fall through without having to get long beam.
• Go right.
• Fall down this shaft and go through the bottom-right door.
• Grab MISSILE TANK 1. Go left to fight the cave worm. Leave via left.
  • Try to make sure you're at full health, since you will want missile drops for the hive room.
• Climb up this shaft and blow up the red door on the center-right. Make sure you have at least 3 missiles after blowing up the door; otherwise you should either reset or farm for more missiles.
  • While climbing up this shaft, if you're not full on missiles, kill a few geemers to grab some missile drops, as you will need them for the notorious hive room.
• Run through this hall right.
• Go right.
• The hive room. Go into the hidden tunnel at the top-left corner of it and destroy the hive to get MISSILE TANK 2. Go right, and destroy the second and third hives, then go through the door.
  • Each hive has 64 health, meaning they each take 3 missiles and two normal beam shots. You will need a total of 9 missiles to clear this room very quickly, though 8 is ok since using only 2 missiles on the first hive for missile tank 2 isn't a big deal.
  • The easiest method to deal with the second and third hive is to jump into them, fall down, and let all the flies chase you. Run around the room, fire 3 missiles at the corresponding hive (all the bugs are gone now since they're chasing you) and shoot it as you jump towards it.
  • You can also let the flies from the first hive chase you and damage boost you right into the second and third hive, so you can stand by the hive while taking damage and blow it up quickly without having to fall down. This is very difficult and luck-dependent however.
• Go right.
• Go right and shoot the bottom of the big wall, uncovering MISSILE TANK 3. Hop across the pillars and get ENERGY TANK 1. Keep going right.
• Climb up this room and take the first door on the left above you.
• Go to the top-left door.
• Jump over the gap and run left.
• Get BOMBS and exit right.

(WIP)