Metroid Prime/Skipping Items
From SDA Knowledge Base
Contents
Thermal Visor
Ruined Courtyard
Skipping Thermal Visor - Ruined Courtyard (Video)
Notes:
- This conduit does not exist until you pick up the Thermal Visor in the Japanese, European, Australian and North American Player's Choice versions of the game.
- To get to Thardus in a 28% game, go through Magmoor (through Twin Fires Tunnel without the Spider Ball) to the elevator beyond Magmoor Workstation that puts you right behind Thardus's Quarantine Cave.
Main Ventilation Shaft Section B
Main Ventilation Shaft Section B (Video)
Reactor Core
Reactor Access
Cargo Freight Lift to Deck Gamma
- Cargo Freight Lift to Deck Gamma (Video 1)
- Cargo Freight Lift to Deck Gamma (Video 2)
- Cargo Freight Lift to Deck Gamma (Video 3)
Biohazard Containment
Biotech Research Area 1
- Biotech Research Area 1 (Video 1)
- Biotech Research Area 1 (Video 2)
- Biotech Research Area 1 (Video 3)
Main Quarry
Grapple Beam
Artifact of Spirit
Discovered by DEVILBIT
Notes:
- If you do not wish to L-Lock Spring Space Jump to the other side of Phendrana's Edge, use the Snowy Ledges shown in the video below.
Artifact of Spirit (Alternate Video)
Fungal Hall A
Discovered by DEVILBIT, Banks
Notes:
- L-Lock Spring Space Jump to the far mushroom.
Fungal Hall B
Discovered by Banks, DEVILBIT
Notes:
- Ghetto Jump off the right wall to the final mushroom.
Geothermal Core
Discovered by Amasawa, kip]
Notes:
- First of all, if you own the North American Player's Choice version of the game, you will not be able to get the Plasma Beam without first collecting the Grapple Beam, due to a lock placed on the door to Plasma Processing by Retro Studios in that version of the game.
- To begin, get near the wall and hop on top of the rock so you balance atop it. Once on the rock, look for a metal box next to the door and space jump to the part that's sticking out. From here, Space Jump to the thin spire of rock next to the box.
- When you are standing on the metal crate, lock your view all the way down. That way, you can see where you land. Use your first jump to aim for the spire, and with your second jump you have more than enough time to align yourself.
- Using an L-Lock Spring Space Jump helps you to reach the first platform.
- Use a Ghetto Jump to bypass the third platform's Spider Ball Track. This jump may look tight at first, but here's a trick to make it easier. When you're on the bump, get your back against the Spider Ball track and hold back on the Control Stick. Jump, just before the peak of your first jump, Space Jump and press forward. With this method, it's a lot easier to make the jump.
- Once you've raised the ceiling, look at the white door. Run or Space Jump off to the door and stay near the wall. You won't make it to the door, but that's not the point of it; you'll end up landing on a thin metal line going around the room. Go over to the last few pieces of the Spider Ball track while staying near the wall. When you get next to the lowest piece (a square with some kind of light sticking out), you'll want to jump on top of it. Stand to the right of the piece and lock your view to your lower-left (so you can see the ledge where you want to land). Use your first jump going right (away from the block, you'll get more height) and at the peak, space jump towards the spider ball track but away from the wall for a split second, then push forward to get on the square. Your second jump should look like a "V". This is also known as a Ghetto Jump.
- Once you land on it, Space Jump to the next highest track piece, then keep doing this until you're on the last piece. Space Jump to the white door that goes to the Plasma Beam.
- Now you can go get the Power Bomb Expansion in Ice Ruins West or Ice Spreader / Flamethrower and use those on Thardus, or fight Thardus with the Plasma Beam (which, incidentally, is the best weapon you could use on him; the designers apparently bothered to make him weak to a weapon you should technically never have in the battle) and Varia Suit instead of Gravity Suit, or you could just skip him entirely if you feel like a Low Percent game. You have plenty of options after getting the Plasma Beam.
- In the Japanese version of the game, the stalagmite used in the above method is missing. Therefore you will probably need to use a Dash Jump off of a Puddle Spore as shown in the video below left to reach the spinners.
- In the Japanese, European and Australian versions of the game, you will need to L-Lock Spring Space Jump all the way out to the metal line immediately to the right of the first Spider Block as shown in the video below right. If you try to land on the metal under the Ice Door you will fall into the lava. Don't despair, though: the Spider Block is much easier to mount in the Japanese, European and Australian versions than in the North American version. Also note the Bendezium in front of the Plasma Processing door; you will need a Power Bomb to break through it.
Magma Pool
Discovered by Banks
Notes:
- What this room entails is swinging across the large lava pool. With quite a bit of experimentation, you can leap into the lava and find a small structure sticking out from the bottom. Fortunately for you, this is quite near the wall you need to bypass. Please note that this works best with the Gravity Suit, but if you don't have it, you'll have to make do with being sluggish in the lava. Get to this piece as quickly as you can, and then morph once atop it. You need to quickly execute a Triple Bomb Jump Morph move to get out of the lava, using the Morph at the end to give yourself some extra height, as well as push you forward onto the ledge. From there, you can just head through the purple door, or if you have a Power Bomb, and are just dying for the one behind it, you can collect it.
- If you have the Gravity Suit, just Space Jump from the piece of debris shown below.
Charge Beam & Super Missiles
Artifact of Elder
Notes:
- The Plasma Beam is required to break the ice on the window. However, only a regular Missile is required to bring down the tower.
Artifact of Nature
Notes:
- Two Missiles on Normal or four Missiles on Hard will break the pillar in Lava Lake. No Super Missile is necessary.
Artifact of Wild
Discovered by Sesshoumaru
Notes:
- This is the best method to get up from the bottom of Sun Tower without the Charge Beam/Super Missiles. To skip the Spider Ball along with those two, see Skipping the Spider Ball: Artifact of Wild.
- Okay, first off, this is tough to do. It takes practice, and you must practice it in steps as I had to. Unless you're more skilled than I, but what are the odds :P Practice each step until you are REALLY good at it, because to do the next thing at all, you have to be really good at the step before it. Here goes.
- Needless to say, explode the war wasp hives first. You don't need them bugging you. Throughout all of this (after step 1) keep holding R as well as UP on the control stick. Don't let go unless you've got this down pat and are trying to tweak it to see if letting go helps with height.
- Bomb 1: Burning out: Okay, going up the runic gate takes 5 bombs all at once. The problem is you only have 3. Ah but aren't you clever, you can turn a 3 into a 5 as easily as an Enron accountant. In the suntower, with the spiderball, latch onto the spiderball track using R. Now push Down. Hold Down. When you're as far down as you can go (you shouldn't even be touching the track, just close to it stuck by magnetics) you are in proper position
- Press A AND HIT UP at the SAME TIME. From this point on do not stop pressing UP on the control stick. You'll lay a bomb and go up the track. I worked it out so this exact location makes you waste enough time to make the bombs refil riiight after you place 2 and 3. So when you get near the top of the track, you place them as I describe below:
- Bombs 2 and 3: Going Up: These two are the first REAL bombs you place. Get good at placing them like so: Going UP the spiderball track, look at your speed. As soon as you slow down from going over the "corner" near the top, place bomb 2. Then place bomb 3 right afterwards. They should not be EXACTLY in the same spot, but pretty darn close. You placed bomb 2 right as you were going up the corner, and bomb 3 as you were just about as high as you could go. Keep holding up. Bomb 2 should propel you horizontally a little ways and bomb 3 should propel you up. I'm not sure why it works this way, but it does. It'll make you go up the runic gate.
- If you did this correctly, you should go up about as high as the lower runic symbols. If you draw a line through the center of the two bottom runic symbols, the center of YOU, should go AS HIGH OR HIGHER than that. If it doesn't go this high, don't go to the next step, you need to get good at doing this one right first. If your timing was good, you not only went as high as I said you should, but you placed them both before your bombs refilled, but not too long before. Your bombs refilled JUST after placing bomb 3. Once you've got it, continue as follows
- Bomb 4: The Jump-Start: The timing for this one is difficult, and I can't really give you many tips. In a double bomb jump, you place your second bomb just before the first explodes. This bomb acts like that one, but don't place it so late, place it way earlier than you think you should. It is placed right at the same spot as bomb number 3 was placed.
- If your timing was right, you will go as high as the bottom runic symbols from bomb 3 propelling you up. When you fall back down, this bomb, bomb 4, should explode and propel you up AGAIN. If it exploded too late or early to propel you up again, adjust your timing and try again. This one is tough to master, so keep at it. If you did it correctly, you go HIGHER for some reason than bomb 3 propelled you. You should go about halfway up the runic gate. HALFWAY. Any less and you need to keep trying. Every inch counts in this. Once you can go that high about 4 out of 5 tries, give the next one a shot. It gets worse, you have been warned.
- Bomb 5: the Booster: This one is worse than bomb 4, believe it or not. After you have placed bomb 4 and after bomb 3 explodes and propels you, you want to place this bomb, bomb 5 about halfway to the peak of your jump. Why only halfway? I'm not sure, but any higher and it will not explode soon enough for it to hit you and make you go up.
- If you placed this correctly, approximately 1/4 of the way up the runic gate, maybe a bit higher, then this is what will happen: Bomb 3 explodes, you go up, place bomb 5 as you are going up halfway to the peak of your jump, you go down, bomb 4 explodes and propels you up into bomb 5 which explodes and propels you even higher. You should be about 2/3 of the way up the runic gate from this bomb. Not quite as high as the top runic symbols, but reasonably close. This one takes lots of practice, if you aren't about 2/3 of the way up, or you feel you could have gone higher, keep trying. You need this one DOWN before placing the last one
- Bomb 6: The Final Stretch: This one isn't so bad, bomb 5 was the worst one. If you have that down, this one should be okay. Place this bomb at the peak of your FIRST ascent after being blown up by bomb 3. In other words, right after bomb 5. This one is placed about half way up the runic gate. Timing is everything. If you placed it right, after bomb 5 propels you up, bomb 6 explodes and propels you higher still.
- How high should you go? You should make red leaves fall off the read leaf vines. If you go can reliably go that high, then you've mastered it. Only one thing remains: The Morph. As with most bomb jump techniques, you morph at or maybe a little before the peak of this jump, and you "pop" up. It gives you the height you need to make it over the gate, and stand on top of it. Yes, you can stand on the gate.
- The Hazard: The last thing to overcome is something which surprised me. As the first person up the gate, I had no idea this was coming. The stretch of spider ball track that is RIGHT ABOVE the gate is not real. You can't magno-latch onto it. But the "cube" of track above is real. You must double bomb jump onto it. After what you've gone through, a dbj should be the easiest thing in the world.
- Don't hit the oculuses or you will fall and be very sad. Double bomb jump up holding R and you latch on. Now make your way up. Congrats, you've skipped the Charge Beam and Super Missles with this little ditty :)
- The Result: Here is a crude drawing to give you an understanding of the process:
-
- ------- runic gate top
- F
- E
- D
- C
- ------- runic gate bottom
- B
- A
- You burned a bomb as mentioned in the first step, when you get between point A and B, place bomb 2 at point B place bomb 3, very quickly after 2. Wait a little bit, place bomb 4 at point B still.
- Still holding UP and R for all of this, Bomb 2 and 3 explode propelling you upward to point D. On your way up to point D, You place bomb 5 at point C and you place bomb 6 right after at point D.
- You fall down into bomb 4 at point B, it explodes and sends you into bomb 5 at point C which explodes and sends you higher. As you rise and pass point D, bomb 6 explodes adding massive upward momentum. The combined upward thrust of bombs 4, 5, and 6, as you went through points B C and D send you up so hard that you pass point F and the top of the gate.
- If you did it correctly you got red leaves to fall off of the red leaf plant because you went so high. If you go that high, morph and stand on the gate. DBJ up to the track "cube" and you're home free. My only piece of advice after making it is don't lose to the chozo ghosts :P
- That's it. Go nuts. And believe me, if you do this, you will go nuts.
-
- Thanks to Kip for inspiring placement of bombs 2 and 3.
- Thanks to Solr_Flare for inspiring placement of bomb 5 and goading me to morph at the peak of my last jump.
- Thanks to me for spending 7 damned hours in one day to perfect this technique.
Gravity Suit
Artifact of Lifegiver
Discovered by Paratroopa1
Notes:
- Use a Ghetto Jump to reach the Artifact without needing the Gravity Suit.
Cargo Freight Lift to Deck Gamma
Discovered by kip
Cargo Freight Lift to Deck Gamma (Video)
Notes:
- Use a Ghetto Jump to reach the top of the lift, then Infinite Bomb Jump to the top.
- Don't forget to activate the Conduits if this is your first time through the Frigate.
Hydro Access Tunnel
Discovered by Amasawa
Notes:
- Try rocking the Analog Stick up and down as you charge a Boost, then release the Boost when you are in between up and down.
- Hold the Analog Stick in whatever direction you were rocking it toward when the first Boost started, then Boost a few more times to make it through.
Skipping the Frigate
Discovered by z0idi, Andrew Mills
Notes:
- Placing the third bomb in the Double Bomb Jump slightly lower than usual will help in achieving enough velocity to clear the bars, as shown above.
- You can also skip the Frigate by getting an early Power Bomb Expansion and then going to the Phazon Mines via the Magmoor elevator (the one blocked by Bendezium just beyond Magmoor Workstation).
- If you have the Boost Ball, holding down the B button and releasing it just as you see yourself become stuck in the bars can drastically increase your chances of making it through (as shown below). Don't forget to keep holding up on the Analog Stick when you release B.
Skipping the Frigate (Additional Video)
Spider Ball
Artifact of Wild
Discovered by Kyuenjin
Notes:
- The Sun Tower is the room right after Flaahgra, the one that has that incredibly huge Spider Ball track. With some fancy Bomb Jumping, you can get the Sunchamber to reset (see the explanation at the bottom), in turn eliminating having to fall down and get the Spider Ball. This trick is required if attempting to complete a 23% or lower run.
- After beating Flaahgra, enter the Sun Tower, go past the Pulse Bombu, and walk to the end of the top ledge, then turn to the wall on your right. Jump in between the wall and the vertical bar next to it, getting as far in as you can. Then quickly morph while still in the air and hold the Control Stick up and to the left; from this point on, keep the Stick held there until I say otherwise.
- You'll fall down part of the shaft rather quickly, and land on one of the four Oculus enemies patrolling the Spider Ball track cubes. Now, the only way for this to work is to get hit by an Oculus, and let it carry you up until it begins to stop and starts moving to the right. Now you'll have to start a Bomb Jump back to the top ledge, before you fall off the Oculus. Only put down one bomb at a time, and each subsequent bomb should be placed just after the previous one explodes (not immediately, but less than 1/4 of a second). The timing here is critical.
- The result is an Infinite Bomb Jump that will get you back to the top ledge. Under normal circumstances, the timing of these bombs would not work, but by touching the Oculus and keeping the Stick held up-left, you can slow Samus' fall rate in ball form enough to keep her ascending with only one bomb. And because your stock will always refill before you can use up all three bombs this way, you can keep going until you reach the top ledge.
- After 10 or so bombs, Samus will be at the exact same height level as the top ledge or a bit higher / lower. Put down one last bomb, then move the stick to up or up-right and morph out right after it explodes. This will make Samus land safely on the top ledge if done correctly. Make sure everything is done quickly after the last bomb explodes, because your fall rate will return to normal as soon as you take the stick off up-left. Note that this does take quite a bit of practice.
- Now that you've gotten back to the top ledge, head back the way you came to reach the Sunchamber again. Upon entering, you'll find that the room has reset, and the Chozo Ghosts now inhabit the room. Defeat the trio to gain the Artifact of Wild.
- Explanation of why this trick works: In order for the gamer to accomplish the objectives in the game, certain things must happen in order for others to occur; these are commonly called "trigger points." The reason this trick works is quite simple , actually - the designers programmed the Sunchamber to reset after (a) Flaahgra was defeated and Samus has the Varia Suit, and (b) Samus has fallen off the ledge, and climbed back to the top. Since Samus indeed does go off the ledge, and gets back up using this trick, the trigger activates just as it would if Samus came back up having used the Super Missiles and Spider Ball.
Furnace
Discovered by Rage, Michael Poelzl, L33ch
Notes:
- Press your face into the left side of the Spider Ball Track to exploit a clipping bug and slide right up the Track. Jumping can sometimes speed up the process.
- This clipping glitch was fixed in the Japanese, European and Australian versions of the game. If you have one of those versions, use a Ghetto Jump to get into the Furnace, as shown below. Make sure to press all the way into the left wall, then Ghetto Jump backwards. At the maximum height of your first jump, Space Jump over to the top of the track as shown.
- The Ghetto Jump can also be performed going forward, as shown below, though this is harder for some people.
Geothermal Core
Discovered by Amasawa, kip
Notes:
- First of all, if you own the North American Player's Choice version of the game, you will not be able to get the Plasma Beam without first collecting the Grapple Beam, due to a lock placed on the door to Plasma Processing by Retro Studios in that version of the game.
- To begin, get near the wall and hop on top of the rock so you balance atop it. Once on the rock, look for a metal box next to the door and space jump to the part that's sticking out. From here, Space Jump to the thin spire of rock next to the box.
- When you are standing on the metal crate, lock your view all the way down. That way, you can see where you land. Use your first jump to aim for the spire, and with your second jump you have more than enough time to align yourself.
- Using an L-Lock Spring Space Jump helps you to reach the first platform.
- Use a Ghetto Jump to bypass the third platform's Spider Ball Track. This jump may look tight at first, but here's a trick to make it easier. When you're on the bump, get your back against the Spider Ball track and hold back on the Control Stick. Jump, just before the peak of your first jump, Space Jump and press forward. With this method, it's a lot easier to make the jump.
- Once you've raised the ceiling, look at the white door. Run or Space Jump off to the door and stay near the wall. You won't make it to the door, but that's not the point of it; you'll end up landing on a thin metal line going around the room. Go over to the last few pieces of the Spider Ball track while staying near the wall. When you get next to the lowest piece (a square with some kind of light sticking out), you'll want to jump on top of it. Stand to the right of the piece and lock your view to your lower-left (so you can see the ledge where you want to land). Use your first jump going right (away from the block, you'll get more height) and at the peak, space jump towards the spider ball track but away from the wall for a split second, then push forward to get on the square. Your second jump should look like a "V". This is also known as a Ghetto Jump.
- Once you land on it, Space Jump to the next highest track piece, then keep doing this until you're on the last piece. Space Jump to the white door that goes to the Plasma Beam.
- Now you can go get the Power Bomb Expansion in Ice Ruins West or Ice Spreader / Flamethrower and use those on Thardus, or fight Thardus with the Plasma Beam (which, incidentally, is the best weapon you could use on him; the designers apparently bothered to make him weak to a weapon you should technically never have in the battle) and Varia Suit instead of Gravity Suit, or you could just skip him entirely if you feel like a Low Percent game. You have plenty of options after getting the Plasma Beam.
- In the Japanese version of the game, the stalagmite used in the above method is missing. Therefore you will probably need to use a Dash Jump off of a Puddle Spore as shown in the video below left to reach the spinners.
- In the Japanese, European and Australian versions of the game, you will need to L-Lock Spring Space Jump all the way out to the metal line immediately to the right of the first Spider Block as shown in the video below right. If you try to land on the metal under the Ice Door you will fall into the lava. Don't despair, though: the Spider Block is much easier to mount in the Japanese, European and Australian versions than in the North American version. Also note the Bendezium in front of the Plasma Processing door; you will need a Power Bomb to break through it.
- Geothermal Core (Additional Video)
- Geothermal Core (Additional Video)
Great Tree Hall
Discovered by kip
Notes:
- The Spider Ball track here is in the upper half where two Bloodflowers reside. After locating them go in the alcove the higher Bloodflower is in, then turn to face the track and make sure your view of the room is like the above picture. Notice how the track is made up of horizontal pieces as well as vertical? The horizontal parts can be landed on. L-lock your view and Space Jump to the horizontal piece in the above picture. There isn't much room for error here because it's easy to go too far and slide off the track, but it shouldn't be hard to land on the piece either.
- The track's next horizontal piece is right above you now; look up so you can see exactly where, then lock the view again and Space Jump on it.
- Next, jump on the round top of this part of the track. This is very important to do because you need to be at the highest point possible before the next step. Once on it, look up to see that you're right below the ground at the top of the room where the ice door going to Life Grove Tunnel is. That's the next place you need to get to somehow, but Samus will just hit her head if you Space Jump straight up. L-lock the view so you can keep track of where the ground is above you, then jump off the track and move away from it. As soon as the ground above isn't blocking your way up anymore and you think nothing would stop your movement, use your second jump and move back in the direction of the track to land on the ground you were just looking up at earlier.
- Now you can go into the Life Grove and pick up the Artifact and X-Ray Visor. After getting the Visor, you can do some interesting things, for instance, you can use it to actually see (and lock on to) the Shadow Drone in Central Dynamo.
Hall of the Elders
Discovered by Banks, kip
Notes:
- You'll have to reach the Bomb Slot at the top of the room without the Spider Ball. This is easy to do, and works the same way in both versions. From the ledge where you came in, turn around so you're facing the rear wall, and look at the nearby Chozo sun reflector. There will be a small post sticking out of it. Space Jump and land on the post from the closest ledge you can find, then Space Jump again to reach the ledge with the Bomb Slot; place a bomb in it to activate the three beam slots above the Chozo Statue in the room. Now use the purple Wave Beam slot to open the path to the Reflecting Pool and let the statue take you there.
Main Quarry
Notes:
- Use an L-Lock Spring Space Jump to reach the Main Quarry Save Station without needing to use the Spider Ball.
Metroid Quarantine A
Discovered by TreborSelbon
Notes:
- The goal here is to bring one of the Metroids with you to the top of the room, where you'll need to freeze it in the right position and quickly use it to Dash Jump to the ice door. A Metroid dies from 5 uncharged shots of the Ice Beam on Normal (after thawing from the 5th freeze), so you have to move quickly.
- Cross the Phazon Pit in the middle of the room. When you reach the other side, kill all but one Metroid if you haven't done so already; freeze the one left, then run to the first Bendezium wall by the Spider Ball tracks. Power Bomb it to destroy it, and the Metroid should thaw from the first shot during the explosion, but be too far away to get caught inside of it and blow up.
- Freeze the Metroid again, this time away from the second Bendezium wall. Power Bomb it and go past it to find a horizontal track acting as a bridge to the next ledge; jump on the thin bars directly above it, then Space Jump to the ledge to get by this track without the Spider Ball.
- By this time the Metroid has thawed from the second shot and will be aggressively following you. If it approaches and is about to attack, freeze it again and ride the invisible platform to the ledge above. Now you're at the top of the room where the missile expansion is. Space Jump to the thick horizontal bar shown in the video.
- After landing on the bar, immediately turn around and face the Metroid, who will fly at you and attack soon; wait for it to do so, then freeze it just before it grabs you. The Metroid should be suspended almost perfectly above the bar if this was done correctly.
- At this point, you should move to about the middle, then face the Metroid again and Dash Jump to the ice door. You won't make it with just the first jump, so use your second jump no longer than a second after the first to help keep the momentum until you land.
- If the jump missed or the Metroid died before you could do it, you can reload the room by going two rooms away and then returning here. Although the Bendezium walls will stay gone, allowing more time to set up the Dash Jump, there's also a drawback to reloading the room. This is in a form of a blackout that occurs, causing the room to be very dark whenever you visit it after the first time (at least to the Combat Visor; the X-Ray Visor is unaffected by it).
- You can also Dash Jump off of the Missile Expansion using the Scan Visor as shown below, but this is actually harder for most people because the Expansion is at such a bad angle. Since this Dash Jump uses the Scan Visor, it is only possible in the original North American version of the game (not in the North American Player's Choice version).
Metroid Quarantine A (Additional Video)
