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METROID PRIME 2 ECHOES
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##/--/## A. TEMPLE GROUNDS [III.A]
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/==============================================================================
1. Mission File 02546 [III.A.1]
\==============================================================================
|[Story] |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
You are Samus Aran, the renowned bounty hunter who offers her services to the
Galactic Federation in their fight against the Space Pirates, a race of cruel
yet intelligent creatures bent on conquest and destruction. To aid and protect
her in her journeys, Samus wears a Power Suit made by the Chozo, the
highly-evolved race that raised Samus. In her last mission, Samus disrupted the
Space Pirates' operations on the planet Tallon IV, where they had been
experimenting with a dangerous substance known as Phazon that seriously harmed
the planet when it landed in a meteorite. At the end of her mission, Samus
entered the Impact Crater and defeated Metroid Prime, a highly evolved Metroid
that was the source of the Phazon.
Now Samus has been hired on a new mission. A squad of Federation troopers that
was investigating Space Pirate activity in a remote sector of the galaxy has
gone missing. Their last known whereabouts are a planet called Aether. Your job
is to discover what has happened to the troopers and give them any assistance
necessary.
As Samus approaches Aether in her gunship, you can see that the planet seems to
be unstable. Swirling purple bands or fields surround the planet, and there are
strong storms in the atmosphere. As Samus descends, she passes through one of
these storms, and is struck by a strong bolt of lightning. This causes damage
to her ship, and Samus is barely able to land it safely, crashing through the
ground to land in a rocky cavern. Having thus landed, um, gracefully, Samus
will emerge from her damaged ship and you will take control.
/==============================================================================
2. Go Out Fighting [III.A.2]
\==============================================================================
|[Temple Grounds South] |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The cavern you've landed in has several ruined pillars made of blocks scattered
around, as well as what look like tracks in the floor. There's a door across
from your ship, and also a ledge to the left. Unlike other Metroid games, you
actually begin the game fairly well equipped: you start off with the Space Jump
Boots, Charge Beam, 5 Missiles, Morph Ball, Bombs, and Boost Ball. After you've
gotten familiar with your equipment, switch to the Scan Visor (left on the
Control Pad). The Scan Visor has been upgraded since the last Metroid Prime,
and now scannable objects are shaded blue (normal), red (important or Logbook
entry), or green (already scanned). Scan the pillars to learn that they are
not functional but were apparently part of some sort of projection system;
obviously there is civilization on this planet. One pillar to the left appears
to be functional and has a purple crystal on front of it, but you can't get it
to operate with your current weaponry.
Before leaving, make sure to scan your ship, SAMUS'S GUNSHIP, which will allow
you to see that your ship is repairing itself, but it's going to be a while
before you'll be able to leave. This will be the first entry downloaded to your
Logbook, and you can see how the Scan Visor shows you which categories the
entry is being placed in, along with the percentage showing how close those
categories are to being full. After reading the information displayed in the
HUD, you can press Start to pause the game and read the entry in the Logbook;
this will usually, but not always, provide additional details. It's important
you scan your ship now if you want to completely fill your Logbook, because
later on the message will change and it will no longer count as a Logbook
entry. Once you've seen how to use the Scan Visor and downloaded your first
Logbook entry, switch back to the Combat Visor and approach the spiderweb-like
substance at the other end of the room. Shoot the object in the center to
destroy the spiderweb; after shooting several of them you'll reach a blue door.
Shoot the door to open it.
The door leads into a tunnel filled with strange plants with tentacles that
move around, and it will soon fork into two branches. To the left is a large
metal wall or gate with a purple grid-like symbol projected in front of it;
scan the gate to learn that you cannot get past it right now. That leaves you
only one way to go. The other branch of the path is dark and hazy, and leads to
a dark pit. There's nowhere else for you to go, so jump down the pit. You'll
land in a chamber with several small fires burning and cubical containers of
various sizes scattered about. By scanning you'll discover that the boxes are
Federation-issue crates; that means you're on the right track to find out what
happened to the missing troopers! If you want, you can break open the small
crates with a few shots from the Power Beam, but it will take a charged shot
(hold down A) or a Missile (Y) to destroy the large ones. If you needed any,
the crates would sometimes provide you with energy or ammo, but you should be
full right now.
There is also some larger equipment in the chamber: scans reveal that it is
part of a ventilation system converted into a pesticide dispenser; the corpse
of a large insect-like creature called a Splinter nearby was apparently killed
by the pesticide. At the back of the chamber is a metal gate blocking access to
a tunnel. Scan the GF GATE MK VI for another Logbook entry, then scan the
control panel to the left of the gate to remove the armor in front of the two
locks above the gate. Lock-on to the locks and fire at them to open the gate.
In the tunnel are more dead Splinters, and the exit is blocked by a different
type of gate. Look into an alcove to the right to find another control panel;
scan it to open the gate. As you can see, scanning is important for progressing
through the game, for understanding the story, and for learning details about
the various creatures and devices you will encounter.
Through the gate you'll reach another chamber filled with several computer
terminals. The information on the computers was written by the troopers, and
they state that they are under attack from "hostiles," presumably the dead
Splinters you've seen. The platform with a hologram of a map on it is a Map
Station, and you can step onto it to download a map of the area. The door out
of the room is blocked by another web, but as soon as you go through it you'll
get a shock: the bodies of several troopers are hanging from the ceiling, and
small insect-like creatures are crawling all over them! Make sure to scan one
of the creatures, or WORKER SPLINTERS, for a Logbook entry before you shoot
them all; you can also scan the troopers to learn how they died. It looks like
something very bad has happened to the troopers.
In the next room, the Command Chamber, you'll find more computer displays, but
this room is also littered with dead troopers and Splinters. In fact, there's
one trooper, GSGT C. BENET, near the entrance who died trying to reach for a
control panel. Switch to the Scan Visor and you'll see that this trooper is
colored red; that means you can scan him to download an entry from his journal
to your Logbook. The control panel he was reaching for, however, is unpowered.
Switch to the Morph Ball to roll underneath the metal bars blocking your path
to the other side of the room, where you'll find another trooper with a Logbook
entry. SPC B. REEVS will say what you may have already been realizing: that
these tunnels are not manmade, they are part of a hive. The troopers apparently
found themselves in the middle of a hive of Splinters, and have been fighting
for their lives. You'll see a few Worker Splinters scurry through a hole in the
wall; it's just large enough for the Morph Ball.
At the end of the tunnel you'll reach a small circular chamber with a
Federation device in the center, along with more dead troopers and Splinters.
Around the back you'll find a brown circular object. Scan it for a Logbook
entry and to learn that it is a BOMB SLOT, commonly used to power and activate
devices. To use the Bomb Slot, switch to Morph Ball form and lay a bomb in
front of the slot. Let the bomb detonate underneath you so that it bounces you
up into the slot. Once you're inside, lay another bomb. Once it goes off, the
power device will activate and will turn on the panel near the entrance.
But that's not all. All of a sudden, blobs of inky black material will appear
and will cover the corpses of some of the troopers! Once the substance is
inside the bodies, they will stand up and start walking towards you! The black
substance has somehow turned the dead troopers into zombies, and what's worse,
they'll start shooting at you! Quickly try to scan one so that the DARK
TROOPERS will be recorded in your Logbook, then lock-on to one and start
returning fire. You can jump and strafe to make it harder for them to hit you,
and one charged shot is all that's needed to stop them. Once you've killed them
all... again, I guess... roll back through the tunnel into the main part of the
room, where more of the black stuff will promptly appear, bringing more of the
troopers back to life. Take them out as fast as you can, grab any energy they
leave behind, then head back to where you entered the room and scan the
now-activated control panel. It will cause a gate to open, and what else would
be behind it then a few more Dark Troopers! Since they're in a tunnel, you can
let these come at you one at a time, and once you've gotten rid of them you're
done fighting zombified troopers for now. The next room contains nothing but a
bunch of crates where you can recover your health, and once you're refilled
continue on to the next room.
Whatever you were expecting when you entered Hive Chamber B, it probably wasn't
what you'll actually see. Inside, you'll see... you! Someone (or something) is
wearing a Power Suit that looks very similar to yours except that it is almost
completely black. After looking at you for a moment, the "Dark Samus" will
create a large spherical cloud of pulsating blackness and disappear into it!
First you see what looks like an evil copy of yourself, then it creates what
your Scan Visor describes as some sort of "dimensional rift" and disappears
into it! Well, there's nothing for it: you've got to find out who or what your
clone is, so follow it into the black cloud.
You'll emerge on the floor of a bare, rocky area surrounded by high, dark
cliffs, with a terrible-looking purple sky above. The spot you landed in is
next to a bright crystal on top of a pole, which casts a circle of white light
around it. Looking through the sphere of light, you can see the Dark Samus
standing in front of the cliffs. The cliff wall is covered in a bright blue
material that looks strangely familiar, and Dark Samus is somehow absorbing it
into her/his/itself. After a few moments, Dark Samus will notice you and fire
a shot at you. The shot will miss you, but it will shatter the light-giving
crystal. Dark Samus will then run away, but you'll be too busy realizing that
without the light of the crystal protecting you, the atmosphere itself is
damaging your Power Suit. At the same time, a number of hideous black creatures
with long, insect-like legs and faces consisting of a blotch of yellow and red
dots will appear along the edge of the cliff, looking down at you. Then, they
will leap down on you, and you will be unable to resist as they attack you.
Once the creatures are done with you, you will be thrown back out of the black
cloud, which will then disappear. Bruised and battered, your Power Suit will
notify you that several important components have been stolen by the creatures.
Your missiles, Space Jump Boots, bombs, along with other components you haven't
even had a chance to use yet on Aether are all gone. It seems that, in classic
Metroid style, you're going to have to set out to recover your stolen items
from the disgusting black creatures. What's more, you need to find out more
about Dark Samus. It was clear, though, that the material it was absorbing in
the parallel universe or wherever you were was Phazon, the radioactive
substance that caused the downfall of Tallon IV. On top of all that, Dark
Samus's black Power Suit closely resembles the Phazon Suit you wore at the end
of your mission on Tallon IV, and which Metroid Prime pulled off of you in its
death throes. At least, you thought they were its death throes... the Phazon,
the suit, it all seems to indicate that your evil twin is none other than
Metroid Prime! What started out as a simple search-and-rescue mission is
quickly becoming more and more complicated, and you haven't even reached the
first Save Station yet!
You almost have, though. Behind where the cloud was is a tunnel, but it is
blocked by another gate. There is a Morph Ball-sized pipe nearby, but it is
covered with a piece of Talloric Alloy that, since you no longer have bombs,
you cannot break. If you shoot the pods next to the pipe, though, you'll
uncover another pipe, this one uncovered. Roll through it to emerge on the
other side of the gate, although also in the middle of more Dark Troopers. Once
you kill them all, take a look around. The map says there are two doors out of
this room, but only one is visible. Head to where the map says the other one
should be and you'll find a stack of crates against the wall. Shoot them all
(you'll need the Charge Beam to destroy the large ones) to uncover a door
behind them. Through it is a Save Station; step into it to save your game and
refill your energy.
/==============================================================================
3. Make Our Stand [III.A.3]
\==============================================================================
|[Temple Grounds East] |
|o Missile Launcher |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
After you save, exit out of the other door to reach an elevator platform. Scan
the panel, then step into the hologram to activate it. At the top, you'll see
that you're on the other side of the large door with the purple hologram you
saw before you fell into the hive. At the other end of the tunnel is a door,
and it leads out of the Splinter hive.
As soon as you enter the Industrial Site, you'll have to scan and shoot the
locks on another gate, but once it opens you can step out into the open air.
You'll notice while you're outside that the sky will alternate between clear,
sunny skies and threatening purple clouds, similar to the ones you saw while
in the place where your gear was stolen. It seems that something about Aether
is out of the ordinary.
The area is littered with Federation crates, and there is also a large crate
attached to a crane sitting on the ground. In fact, the crate blocks access to
the other side of the room, but scan the control panel to the left and the
crane will lift the crate, transporting it out of the room. Once you walk past
it, three creatures will pop out of the ground and start trying to attack you!
These are SPLINTERS, although they seem smaller than the dead ones you saw in
the hive. Make sure to scan one, then fire a few shots at each of them to kill
them. There's another door with the same purple hologram in this room, but you
can jump onto a ledge to the right that wraps around the edge of the room;
there's a harmless GREEN KRALEE on the path that you can scan and kill if you
want. (By this point you should be getting in the habit of scanning any time
you see a new creature, and I'm going to stop reminding you.) The path ends
across from a GF BRIDGE. Scan it for a Logbook entry, then, like with the
gates, scan the panel and shoot the locks on top to lower the bridge. There's a
door out of the room across the bridge.
The door leads into a tunnel where you'll find the body of a trooper crushed in
rubble. Scan PFC M. VERONI for his log entry (he thinks one of the other
troopers is going crazy), then roll through the Morph Ball tunnel to reach the
other side. When you enter the next room, Temple Assembly Site, you'll see the
crate you lifted in the Industrial Site will arrive and will attach to another
crane. There are more crates and equipment in this room, as well as a platform
in front of another hologram door. More Splinters will appear when you approach
the platform, and once they're gone you can scan the control panel behind one
of the short columns surrounding the platform. The panel will cause the crane
to start to lower the crate, but the winch will malfunction, leaving the crate
hanging in the air. You'll also see a weak spot in the cable; lock-on and fire
at it to snap the cable and drop the crate. Now you can use the crate as a
bridge to reach another ledge with a door.
Inside the tunnel, you'll have to scan a computer terminal to open another
gate, but this is a GF GATE MK VII, so make sure to scan it. Also, when the
gate in front of you opens another one behind you will close, and this can't be
undone, so backtracking is not an option for you right now. Behind the gate is
the Communication Area, where you can see a Federation communications dish
built high above, along with a white tower that must have been built by
whatever race inhabits this planet, although you haven't seen any of them yet.
Follow the path around the high ledges to the left, then around the fence,
where you'll find PFC L. BROUDA on the ground in front of a control panel. Scan
the panel to activate the dish, but it will be useless since the atmosphere is
blocking the distress signal. Continue around the other side of the fence, and
in a small chamber in front of the door you'll meet three more Dark Troopers.
It's harder to avoid damage here since it's so cramped, but try to take them
out as fast as you can.
Inside is the Trooper Security Station, which contains not only some Splinters
but also a ceiling-mounted automated gun, called a GROWLER CLASS TURRET. Strafe
and move around to avoid its shots, and respond with charged shots to destroy
it. The way out is blocked by a gate, but the control panel for it behind a
fence. Roll through a Morph Ball tunnel to the right of the fence to reach the
panel as well as SPC M. ANGSETH. Reading the trooper's log, you'll realize that
you are something of a hero for her! While still reveling in your celebrity,
roll back to the gate. The gate is malfunctioning, causing it to keep going up
and down, so roll through in the Morph Ball to avoid being crushed.
As soon as you enter the next room, you'll see a large spaceship ahead, and
when you approach and see the dead troopers strewn about, you'll realize that
this was the Federation ship. There's a terminal in front of the ship; when you
interface with it you'll see the captain's final log entry describing what
happened. He'll describe how they chased a Space Pirate frigate that was
heading for Aether, but the ship was damaged (like yours) while landing, and so
they started to repair the ship and set up a base. Then, creatures that look
like Splinters except that they are black started appearing in swarms, and they
completely overwhelmed the troopers. It's a sad story, but now you're realizing
that the situation on this planet is getting pretty complex: apparently there
are Space Pirates on Aether, not to mention Dark Samus, as well as the dark
creatures that seem to be attacking from some sort of alternate universe. After
you finish watching the log, turn around and you'll see a large yellow crate
behind the terminal. Destroy it with the Charge Beam and you'll find the
MISSILE LAUNCHER inside! That's one item recovered, but you only have five
missiles right now, so you need to conserve them. As soon as you get the
Missile Launcher, four creatures will emerge from purple circles that appear
out of nowhere and start attacking! These are DARK SPLINTERS, Splinters that
have been possessed by another lifeform similar to the Dark Troopers, and
these are the same creatures that killed the troopers. They are basically the
same as regular Splinters except that they are stronger: it will take about two
charged shots to bring one down.
Once all the Dark Splinters are gone and you have grabbed any energy or missile
ammo left behind, you can begin scanning all the troopers around the ship. You
can get all but one entry of the Force 1 category of the Trooper Logs on the
ground around the ship, a total of five scans. The troopers are: CAPT A.
EXETER, SPC F. TRIPLETTE, PFC G. HALEY, PFC J. BRODE, and PFC S. MILLIGAN. You
can also scan the ship, the GFS TYR, for another Logbook entry. Enter the ship,
and you can see the empty seats that each represent a lost life. Behind the
door in the ship is another Map Station that will provide you with a map of the
rest of the Temple Grounds. To leave the room, jump from an opening on the left
side of the ship, near a small fire, to a higher ledge. At the end of the ledge
you can see the final Force 1 entry above you: you can't reach it, but you can
scan it; apparently PFC I. CRANY is more sceptical of your existence. Next,
scan the metal circle on the ground for a Logbook entry; you only have a
limited number of chances for this one, so go ahead and get it now. Now scan
the panel to activate the KINETIC ORB CANNON and roll into it in Morph Ball
form to get shot to a ledge across the room. From here you can jump down to
another ledge below you with a door on it. The door is protected by a red Blast
Shield, which means it can only be opened with a missile. There's also a Morph
Ball tunnel next to the door, but it just leads to a yellow door (which you
can't open).
In the next room you'll find PFC E. DENYS, who should be the last Trooper Log
entry. Roll through the tunnel to the right to drop down to a lower level
containing WAR WASPS. These can be really annoying, so lock-on to them and try
to kill them as fast as possible. To get out of this room, look up and find a
control panel on a ledge above you. Scan it to activate a cannon that will
shoot you up to the door.
As soon as you enter the next room, Sacred Path, you'll be attacked by more War
Wasps; once you take them out destroy their WAR WASP HIVE with a missile, but
not before you scan it for a Logbook entry. There are several more hives in
this room, and if you don't destroy them they'll continually send War Wasps
after you. To the left of the door you entered by is a large tower with a weak
section of wall. Fire a missile at it to partially damage it, then use the
cannon across the room (the control panel is against the wall next to it; it
can be easy to miss) to blast through the remains. Roll through a gap in the
tower wall to roll along a track that will lead you onto the high ledge at the
other side of the room. Next to the door into a giant tube-like structure is a
dead alien. You don't recognize this species, but it appears intelligent.
Inside the door is a tiny room containing nothing but a control panel and a
circular platform. Scan the panel to activate the elevator, step into the
hologram in the center to travel high up above the Temple Grounds.
/==============================================================================
4. Light of Aether [III.A.4]
\==============================================================================
|[Great Temple, Temple Grounds East] |
|o Energy Transfer Module |
|o Energy Tank 01 |
|o Missile Expansion 03 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
At the top of the elevator, you'll see more dead aliens on the partially ruined
steps, and it appears they died in battle. In the following passage, you'll see
cables leading through a crack in the wall to the left; roll through the hole
to find a Save Station. Once you've saved and refilled your energy, go through
the door at the end of the hallway.
The door leads to a large, beautiful room made mostly of glass, and with a
circle of pillars surrounding the center of the room. Once you step inside the
pillars, a force field will appear behind them and Splinters will start to drop
down from a hive in the ceiling above you. Before they begin to attack, though,
another cloud of black matter will emerge from the hive and infect the
Splinters, turning them all into Dark Splinters. The best way to fight the Dark
Splinters is to lock-on to one and continually fire at it while at the same
time constantly moving. If you just keep firing at one Dark Splinter while
walking around the room, you shouldn't get hit very often. You can also use
your radar to help you see if there any Splinters behind you that you need to
avoid. Be careful while fighting the Dark Splinters, though; you want to
conserve as much damage as possible.
Once all the Dark Splinters are gone, a much larger Splinter will drop from the
hive: this is an ALPHA SPLINTER, the leader of the hive. It also attacks by
jumping at you, but its jumps are much faster and more powerful. When you see
it rear back, it's just about to jump. Dash to the side (press B while pushing
the Control Stick left or right) to avoid the attack. After jumping at you, the
Alpha Splinter will jump back to the other side of the arena. It may take a few
tries to get the timing down to avoid the jump attack, but if you can't dodge
it, it will be difficult to survive the fight. Throughout the fight, keep
firing charged blasts at the Alpha Splinter.
After about a minute of this, though, another black cloud will appear and start
moving towards the Alpha Splinter. Fire as many shots as you can at the Alpha
Splinter before the cloud gets there, because once it does the Alpha Splinter
will become the DARK ALPHA SPLINTER. The Dark Alpha Splinter will keep doing
the jump attack, but it will also fire bursts of purple energy at you. The shot
is fairly easy to avoid by moving around and jumping, and keep dashing the jump
attack. Keep a steady stream of charged shots aimed at the Dark Alpha Splinter
and you can watch its energy meter gradually drain. If your energy starts to
get low, don't forget that you can use your missiles, too. They do about as
much damage as a charged shot, but they're faster, so they are good to use if
both you and the Dark Splinter are close to death.
Once you succeed in killing the Dark Splinter, a glowing blue ball will emerge
from its dead body. When you approach it, it will fly around the room before
flying right into your chest! Electricity will spark all over your Power Suit,
but the unidentified item will not hurt you. Hopefully you can find out what it
is soon. After the force field lowers you'll see that there are doors in each
side of the room, but three of them (including the one you came in by) are
the large metal hologram doors. Scan the walls to learn that behind them are a
number of hibernetic stasis chambers - that's interesting. Go through the only
door available to you to reach an elevator platform.
At the top is a room open to the sky and with a large piece of metal equipment
in the center of the room. Above it is a huge container full of bright, yellow
light. As you take all this in, you'll see one of the aliens standing to the
side, but this one's not dead. It will greet you and tell you its name: U-MOS,
Sentinel of the Luminoth. He will tell you some of the story of what has
happened on Aether. It began when a meteor crashed on the planet, with an
impact so powerful it caused a rift that created two separate versions of
Aether, each existing in its own dimension. The first, inhabited by the
Luminoth, was full of light and peace. But the new Aether was dark and hostile,
inhabited by evil creatures that cared only for destruction. The Luminoth
called these new creatures the Ing, and so began a war that lasted for decades.
(You will recognize the Ing as the creatures that stole your equipment.)
Now the Luminoth have been almost defeated. When Dark Aether was created, the
planetary energy of Aether was divided between the light and dark worlds. If
one world loses its energy, it will be destroyed. The Ing stole a device
designed by the Luminoth to transfer energy, and with it have almost destroyed
Light Aether. But you have just recovered that device, the Energy Transfer
Module, the blue ball that appeared after you killed the Dark Alpha Splinter.
Now only you can save the Luminoth, by transferring the planetary energy from
temples on Dark Aether back to Light Aether. If you do not, then after the Ing
conquer Light Aether they will move on to other worlds, putting numerous
planets, perhaps even your own, at risk. U-Mos will then update your Translator
Module so that you can access devices and doors with Violet holograms. He will
warn you that since the Ing know you have the Energy Transfer Module, they will
do all they can to stop you. Finally, he will conclude his monologue with a
blessing, "May the Light of Aether shine upon you!"
All you originally came here for was to find the troopers, but your mission has
now grown much larger. Now, in order to both avenge the troopers and save the
Luminoth, it looks like you must go after the Ing. And don't forget about Dark
Samus or the Space Pirates, either. When you finish listening to U-Mos, he will
refill your energy, restoring the energy lost from the battle with the
Splinters. Scan both U-Mos and the Energy Controller behind him for Logbook
entries, then turn to leave. There is a violet hologram next to the door, and
since U-Mos upgraded your translator module you can now scan it for a Logbook
entry. This is a piece of Luminoth Lore, entitled ORIGINS, describing how the
Luminoth originally wandered among the stars, meeting many races (including the
Chozo) but having no homeworld. They finally decided that, like other races,
they should find a planet to call their own.
Return to the Temple Sanctuary, and find the translator door with the violet
hologram. Scan it to open it and learn that it is the "Pathway to Agon." In the
hallway behind the door are several LIGHTFLYERS, blobs of yellow light that
fire streams of light energy at you. Just don't get close and fire a couple
charged shots at them to destroy them. At the end of the hall is another
elevator chamber leading back down to the Temple Grounds. You'll have to open
another translator door when you reach the bottom, and it leads into the Temple
Assembly Site, a room you already passed through. You'll have to fight a group
of Splinters here, although a cloud will appear that will soon turn them into
Dark Splinters. Try to kill as many as possible before they transform. Once
they're all dead, look for a door with a red blast shield. You can destroy it
with a Missile, and behind it you'll find an ENERGY TANK! This will give you an
additional 100 units of energy, meaning you now have 199 units of energy.
Head back through Collapsed Tunnel to the Industrial Site, where you'll find
another translator door that you can now open. Just behind the door you'll see
a dead Luminoth, and make sure to scan it. Its final journal entry will be
downloaded to your Logbook as J-FME'S TESTAMENT in a section called "Keybearer
Lore". The door leads to a glass walkway over a cliff, and at the end you'll
find the elevator to Agon Wastes. Don't step onto the elevator just yet,
though. The elevator is located next to a cliff; if you walk to the edge of the
cliff and look to the right, you'll see another Luminoth Lore entry, OUR
HERITAGE (this one describes how the Luminoth finally find Aether and make it
their homeworld). Also, across from the elevator is one of the spiderwebs
created by the Splinters. Shoot the sac in the center of it, and behind it
you'll find a MISSILE EXPANSION. This will allow you to carry 5 more Missiles,
and is the first of 49 hidden all over Aether. Now, scan the control panel and
ride the elevator to Agon Wastes.
##/#
##/### >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
##/--/## B. AGON WASTES [III.B]
###/## >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
#/##
/==============================================================================
1. Fertile Plains [III.B.1]
\==============================================================================
|[Agon Wastes West] |
|o Morph Ball Bombs |
|o Missile Expansion 11 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
It won't take you long after you step off the elevator to realize that this is
a desert environment. In the first couple of rooms, make sure to get the scans
for the AGON BEARERPOD, LUMITE, and SANDGRASS. When you reach the end of the
straight passage, you'll enter the Mining Plaza, a large room with a large
central pillar or tower in the center, ledges and doors around the sides. At
the top of the central rock is a sculpture, and there is some industrial
equipment in the room. As soon as you step on the lower ground in front of the
door, a SANDIGGER, a large worm-like creature, will spring up out of the sand
and start slithering rather quickly towards you. Jump out of the way, and fire
at whichever end has a bright light showing while you avoid the bursts of acid
it will fire at you. Once you destroy both of its heads, it will die in a
rather messy explosion.
Head around the room to the right and you'll see a ledge with a missile door.
Open the door to find a Save Station inside, so make sure to use it. Continuing
to the right around Mining Plaza, you'll run into a second Sandigger, and past
it a translator door, except the hologram on this one is yellow, so you can't
open it. Where the second Sandigger was, there's a ledge that leads up to a
ramp up to a cracked Brinstone pillar. Shoot the pillar with a missile and it
will fall over, creating a bridge to a ledge partway up the central pillar.
You'll see a yellow Lore hologram on the ledge, but since it's yellow it's
inaccessible to you. At the end of the ledge is another Brinstone pillar, and
once you knock it down a swarm of SANDBATS will start flying in a circle around
the pillar. Get rid of them by manually aiming somewhere in their path and
firing as fast as you can; you need to kill most of them because they'll knock
you off the pillar. The second Brinstone bridge leads up to another ramp where
you can reach the top of the central rock. There's a bridge (with more Sandbats
around it) that leads to a door.
The door leads to a Morph Ball tunnel, and the tunnel goes through an
oval-shaped structure. You can see a cannon underneath a block below you and
you can hear the characteristic hum of an item, but there's no way for you to
destroy that block now, so you'll have to go on. At the other end of the
tunnel you'll enter Mining Station A. After rounding a corner surrounded by
large machinery, you'll see a room containing several artificial columns and
more ledges along the walls. You'll also see Space Pirates! Three PIRATE
TROOPERS will appear and will (of course) begin to attack you. Make sure to
scan one, but keep moving to avoid their fire, and use the columns for cover if
you can. Two charged shots will kill a Pirate Trooper. Don't forget to look up
at the ledges and the tops of the pillars if you're being fired on from above.
The Federation troopers came here in pursuit of Space Pirates, and now you have
found them. Once the Pirate Troopers are dead, head over to the ledge on the
right side of the room (with your back to the door you came in by). There's a
door there, but don't go through it yet. At the end of the ledge is a BRIZGEE,
a mostly harmless creature that just wanders around on ledges. You can kill it
with a missile and a few Power Beam shots. From the ledge, jump to the nearest
column, then use the columns to reach the door on the other side of the room.
This door leads to a decorated, purple-colored hallway. As you walk down the
hallway, several flying creatures will let out a high-pitched shriek and start
flying towards you. These are SHRIEKBATS, and rapidly lock-on and fire a shot
at each of them in turn to kill them all before they slam into you. At the end
of the hallway you'll reach the Agon Temple, a giant circular arena. There are
paths that curve around to the left and right from the door, but go straight
ahead into the center of the arena.
When you do, a door will rise out of the ground behind you, locking you in.
Then a giant Sandigger will appear! This is the ALPHA SANDIGGER, and make sure
to scan it immediately, because this is your only chance and it won't be around
long. Even before it really has much chance to attack, an Ing cloud will
appear and possess the Sandigger, transforming it into the BOMB GUARDIAN. It
still looks like a Sandigger, but it now has the ability to create and throw
bombs. This must be one of the Ing that stole your equipment soon after you
arrived! This Ing stole your Morph Ball Bombs, and now you'll have to defeat it
in order to get them back! As the Bomb Guardian moves around the arena, it
will leave a trail of bombs. It will also pause occasionally and fire a few
bombs straight at you. Most of the bombs can be avoided by constantly moving
and jumping. Lock-on to the guardian's glowing tail and keep a steady stream of
fire at it to do a little bit of damage. This isn't the main way to defeat the
Bomb Guardian, though, since it will only glow yellow, not red, when it gets
hit. What you're waiting for is the Bomb Guardian to stop and for its head to
start glowing blue. When it does, fire a charged shot or missile at its head.
This will do major damage to the Bomb Guardian, taking about 1/4 of its energy
meter. If you don't hit it, though, it will spew a ton of bombs into the air
and they will land all over the arena. It's very hard to avoid taking any
damage when this happens, so make sure to hit the Bomb Guardian before it
unloads the attack. After four of these hits, the Bomb Guardian will die, and
the MORPH BALL BOMBS will be yours!
Use your newly-regained Bombs to destroy the doors trapping you in the arena
(Bombs can destroy material made of Talloric Alloy) and go through the door on
the far side of the Agon Temple. Activate the Bomb Slot in the statue in the
next room and the walls will rotate, allowing to enter a door on the other
side. This door leads to the Agon Energy Controller, and it looks similar to
the Energy Controller in the Great Temple, except that this one does not have
any light shining out of the giant container; it is empty. Behind the ENERGY
CONTROLLER is the body of a dead Luminoth and a yellow projector. Scan the
projector to activate a recorded message from the Agon Sentinel, whose body is
lying next to you. The Sentinel will tell you that there is a portal to Dark
Aether nearby, and that you need to find the temple in Dark Aether, where its
Energy Controller is. He'll also explain that the entrance to the temple is
locked, and that you will need to find three keys in Dark Aether in order to
enter. Next, the Sentinel will warn you that the air of Dark Aether is
dangerous, and that you should use Light Crystals placed by the Luminoth for
protection. Finally, he will upgrade your translator module so that you can
read Amber holograms and refill your energy. Once the message has ended, look
for a passage along the side with a Lore hologram in it. Since you can now
translate yellow holograms, you can scan this entry, SAVING AETHER, describing
how the Luminoth built the Energy Controllers to regulate their supply of
planetary energy.
Now you can return to the Agon Temple, where you'll find that the central arena
is now home to several War Wasp hives. Oh goodie. If you explore the paths
around the circumference of the temple, you'll find that there are two doors on
either side, one white and other black, and that you can't open either of them.
Return to Mining Station A (which has no more Pirates), then go through the
door you passed earlier, on the ledge with the Brizgee. Let the cannon shoot
you up and over the wall, then drop down to the other side. Before heading on,
though, stop and roll behind the metal grating, avoiding the cannon, to get a
MISSILE EXPANSION behind the body of a Luminoth. Now go through the door to
enter a long room called Portal Terminal. Two Pirate Troopers will be there,
and once you kill them two more will appear. These Pirates, however, will be
possessed by Ing, and will become DARK PIRATE TROOPERS. Dark Pirate Troopers
attack like regular Pirate Troopers, but they take twice as much damage to
kill, making them dangerous enemies.
Once all the Pirates are gone, a Bomb Slot at the top of the ramp, next to the
circular structure, will turn on. Collect any energy the Pirates left, then
head down the passage to the left of the ramp to find a Lore entry, LIGHT OF
AETHER. Now go up the ramp and investigate. By scanning one of the red circles
on the circular device, you'll learn that it can generate a portal to
Dark Aether, but it's not powered. This must be the portal that the Sentinel
told you about. To get into the Bomb Slot, lay a Bomb underneath you. When it
goes off, it will pop you up into the air, and you will get into the Bomb Slot;
this is called a bomb jump. When you activate the Bomb Slot, power will start
flowing through cables in the floor, and a conveyor belt in the wall to the
right will start moving. Roll into the opening and the conveyor belt will carry
you up into a Morph Ball tunnel in the wall. Roll along the tunnel, using bomb
jumps as necessary, to reach a block at the end. When you bomb it, it will
cause a platform to move into place in the air. This will also disturb a War
Wasp hive, so roll out of the tunnel, kill the wasps, then use the platform to
jump to the other side, where you'll find another Morph Ball tunnel. Follow
this tunnel to move a second platform into place, leading to a third tunnel.
Before you enter this tunnel, though, scan the black creature you can see
rolling around inside it. This is a PILLBUG, a creature found only in Morph
Ball tunnels, so this is one of the few places where you can scan it. Inside
the tunnel, you can stun the Pillbug with a bomb, and kill it with a couple
more.
Once you move the third platform into place, sunlight will stream through the
lenses in the platforms and focus on the portal, powering it fully. Now return
to the portal and scan the red circle next to it. The portal will activate,
creating a cloud of pulsating dark purple matter. When you step into the
portal, you'll make the interdimensional journey from Light to Dark Aether.
/==============================================================================
2. Dimensional Rifts [III.B.2]
\==============================================================================
|[Dark Agon Wastes West] |
|o Space Jump Boots |
|o Dark Agon Temple Key 1 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
When you complete the journey to Dark Aether, you will find yourself standing
in a room that looks very similar to Portal Terminal, and yet different. The
basic layout of the room is practically identical to what it was on Light
Aether, but the room is much darker now and is dotted with several spheres of
bright light, one of which you are standing in. If you step out of the sphere
of light you will begin taking damage at a very fast rate. As you had been
warned, the very air of Dark Aether is damaging to you, and the only areas of
protection are the glowing Safe Zones, which will not only protect you from the
atmosphere, they will slowly refill your energy as long as you stand in them.
Outside the portal generator you'll see several black, blade-shaped lifeforms.
These are BLADEPODS, and they function just like crates in Dark Aether. Step
out of the Safe Zone and quickly run to the next one at the bottom of the ramp,
which is generated by a LIGHT CRYSTAL. There are no other Safe Zones nearby,
but there is a small sparkling ball in the air. This is a LIGHT BEACON, and
when you shoot it it will create a temporary Safe Zone. You'll know the Safe
Zone is about to disappear when it begins to flash. From there you can reach
another Light Crystal (don't forget to scan them for Logbook entries), and then
another next to a Bomb Slot on the left side of the room. You may have noticed
a half-visible Bomb Slot in this location on Light Aether, but it didn't work
because half of it is in both worlds. However, when it is activated here it
will also be activated in Light Aether. Do so, and a gate next to it will
lower. Keep in mind that the same has probably happened in Light Aether, so be
sure to investigate it when you return.
Run through the gate, and you'll find a Light Beacon waiting for you just
inside the door. Continue to a Light Crystal in the center of the room, where
several black puddles are moving around on the floors and walls, occasionally
solidifying into stubby creatures that will fire a shot of black matter at you.
These are INGLETS, and this is the first time you have encountered Ing in their
natural form, not like in Light Aether where they possess other creatures.
There's not a whole lot you can do to avoid their shots other than jump around
a lot and try to kill them as fast as possible. Note that you can damage them
while they are in "puddle" form, although you can't lock-on to them then. Once
they're all dead, you can just stand in the Safe Zone for a little bit if you
want to recover some energy. In the next room you'll find more Inglets, but
past them a Save Station as well as a swarm of NIGHTBARBS, which are very
similar to Sandbats.
Past the Save Station is a door leading to Duelling Range, the Dark Aether
equivalent of Mining Plaza. When you enter the Safe Zone there, a large Ing
with long, angular legs, an insect-like body, and a face made up of a blotch of
orange and yellow dots will appear and attack. This is a WARRIOR ING, the same
type of Ing that stole your equipment in your first, brief visit to Dark
Aether. Warrior Ing are very common across all of Dark Aether, so you'd better
get good at fighting them, because they are strong opponents. First off, make
sure to stay in your Safe Zone; otherwise the atmosphere will kill you faster
than the Ing. At close range, the Warrior Ing will attempt to slash you with
its legs. When it tries to do this, jump back. Its other attack is to fire
several beams of white energy at you. This attack is easier to avoid by jumping
and strafing if you see it coming, but if you're not prepared for it you will
probably get hurt. And like all Ing, the Warrior Ing can dissolve into a puddle
and move over floors and walls. To fight back, just keep pounding at it with
charged Power Beam shots or missiles. There are more effective weapons to use
against the Ing, but right now these are all you've got. Just attack as hard
and as fast as you can while dodging its attacks, and you'll eventually kill
it.
Once the Warrior Ing is dead, you need to get out of the room. You can easily
reach a Safe Zone to the left of the one you fought the Ing from, but once you
reach it there appear to be no more nearby, making it deadly to continue
without the protection of a Safe Zone. There is, however, a small creature
walking back and forth along the path ahead. This creature has several crystals
on its back that give out a light similar to that created by Light Crystals.
This is a LIGHTBRINGER, and you should scan it now, since it only appears a few
times. A Lightbringer is basically a moving Safe Zone. Simply wait for it to
approach you, then follow it as it walks up the path until you can reach the
next Safe Zone. At the top of the path, you'll see a circle of light greenish
light behind bars. You'll need to use another Lightbringer to cross the bridge
just before you reach the door out of the room. After rolling through the Morph
Ball tunnel in the next room, in which you'll have to pass another Missile
Expansion, you'll enter Judgment Pit.
When you enter Judgment Pit, you'll meet another Warrior Ing, but this one is
special. This is the Ing who stole your Space Jump Boots, making him the JUMP
GUARDIAN. Basically, the Jump Guardian has all the abilities of a normal
Warrior Ing, but he can also jump extremely high and far, and when he lands he
will create damaging shock waves. The strategies for fighting the Jump Guardian
are mostly similar to the Warrior Ing, with a few additions due to his jumping
ability. First, make sure to jump over the shock waves, since they can
definitely hurt you. Next, the Jump Guardian cannot be damaged just before he
jumps, while he is in the air, and just after he lands. Other than those times,
though, keep firing charged shots or missiles at the Jump Guardian to steadily
whittle down his energy meter. When he is near death, the Jump Guardian will
start jumping a whole lot more, making him harder to hit. Once this happens,
just fire single shots as fast as you can to hit him whenever you get a chance
and drain off the rest of his energy. Once you succeed, the SPACE JUMP BOOTS
will be yours! Now you can perform a double jump by pressing B again while in
the air.
You'll need your new Space Jump Boots to jump up the ledges around Judgment
Pit. You should head for the red door, which leads to the Dark Agon Temple. You
can see that it mostly resembles the temple on Light Agon with its large
circular arena, but access to the central arena is blocked by a gate with three
oval indentations in it. This is the gate that the three keys will unlock, and
you will need to find those three keys before returning here. Before leaving,
though, follow the path around to the left, where there are Safe Zones. You'll
reach a door, and inside is a tiny chamber containing a red oval inside several
black rings. This is a DARK AGON TEMPLE KEY, one of the three keys needed to
unlock the gate into the center of Dark Agon Temple, and it will be displayed
in the lower-right corner of the map screen to show that you have collected it.
Your first sojourn in Dark Aether is almost over now, and all that remains is
to return to Portal Site. Start by returning to Dark Judgment, and this time
go through the door on the lower level. This leads to Portal Access, and you
may be scared when you see that there are no Light Crystals or Light Beacons in
this room. There is, however, a Lightflyer. Kill it as fast as you can, and
when it dies it will create a temporary Safe Zone. Double jump up to the top of
the ledge, stand in the Safe Zone to recover some energy, then head on through
the door on the other side to reach Portal Site. Quickly head for the large
Safe Zone to regain some energy, then head back to the portal generator and use
it to generate a LIGHT PORTAL. You can scan it for a Research entry, then step
into it to return to Light Aether.
/==============================================================================
3. Stealth Protocols [III.B.3]
\==============================================================================
|[Agon Wastes East] |
|o Dark Beam |
|o Energy Tanks 5,7 |
|o Missile Expansions 10,13,15,16 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
As soon as you return to Light Aether, three Space Pirates will appear in
Portal Terminal, so be ready to fight them. After they're dead and you've
collected the energy they leave behind, head to the far left side of the room,
where the transparent Bomb Slot is. Since you activated the Bomb Slot in Dark
Aether, the gate has been lowered, so go through the door behind it. This leads
to Transport Center, a room with smooth, curved walls on either side. To get
past the room, activate the Bomb Slot in the room to lower the gate; this will
also allow you to pick up a MISSILE EXPANSION. (This has got to be the easiest
expansion in the game.) Past Transport Center, scan the BLUEROOT TREE for a
Research entry, then roll through the fast-moving sand tunnel to reach the Save
Station off of Mining Plaza. Once you save and return to Mining Plaza, you can
open the translator door in the room now. After the door has been opened, lay a
bomb next to the weak spot in the wall to reveal a tunnel that leads to a Map
Station, allowing you to download a complete map of Agon Wastes. You can also
scan the lore hologram on the central pillar entitled PARADISE, which describes
the ideal conditions on Aether prior to the meteor and the Ing.
Cross the bridge and enter the Morph Ball tunnel you passed through earlier.
Lay a Bomb on the block in the center of the oval to destroy it, causing you to
fall into the cannon underneath it. The cannon will shoot you up into a small
chamber containing an ENERGY TANK! In the next room, Mining Station A, you can
open another translator door on one of the upper ledges to reveal a door to
Sand Cache, where you'll find another MISSILE EXPANSION. In order to proceed
further in Agon Wastes, you need to reach the areas beyond Mining Station A. To
do that, jump onto the orange statue in the middle of the sand stream in front
of the gate, then jump onto the ledge on the other side. This ledge will lead
you up to an elevated walkway in front of the gate. Here you'll find another
Lore entry and a control panel that will open the gate.
Beyond the gate is a tunnel, and ahead you'll see several Pirate Troopers
standing next to some cylindrical containers full of a bright blue material
that looks suspiciously like Phazon. To test your suspicions and take out the
Pirates at once, fire a charged shot at one of the canisters (from a distance).
They will explode violently, killing the Pirates. At the end of the tunnel,
you'll enter another open area with several structures and ledges built on it;
this is Central Mining Station. The area has obviously already sustained
damage; a large hole has been blown through a wall across the room, with
flaming debris still scattered around. This is obviously a major part of the
Space Pirates' operations here, and three Pirate Troopers will arrive on a
skiff as soon as you arrive (don't forget to scan the PIRATE SKIFF). Use the
walls, crates, and windmills for cover as you battle the Pirates, but don't let
your guard down. As soon as you kill the first three Pirates, two more will
appear to continue the fight. And once those are gone, two Pirates will appear
on an upper ledge in order to man two large cannons that will fire powerful
green blasts at you. Make sure to scan these VIGILANCE CLASS TURRETS. These
turrets fire very strong blasts, so it's important to keep moving and stay
under as much cover as you can. It will take three missiles or charged shots to
destroy each turret. Once both turrets are destroyed, the battle will finally
be over and the lasers blocking a door on the ground level will turn off.
Through the door is an empty hallway. Although you can't open the door at the
end of the hallway, there are several weak spots in the floor. Bomb one of the
weak spots, then drop down in Morph Ball form to roll through a tunnel that
appears to be made of organic matter. Roll underneath the door to reach a large
room with numerous computer terminals and displays, along with a Dark Portal
generator! While you roll through the twisting tunnels underneath the floor,
avoiding the electricity that arcs across your path in some spots, the portal
will be opened and a group of Space Pirates will go through into Dark Aether!
Pay attention when you're in the center of the room near where the Pirates were
standing, because there's another tunnel off to the right. Follow this tunnel
to reach a MISSILE EXPANSION. Return to the main tunnel, and at the end you'll
reach a small alcove in a corner of the room. Once you exit Morph Ball form,
you'll see that there are a few Space Pirates left in the room, and one will
jump behind a large solid gate that will close in front of him.
Kill the two Pirate Troopers in the room, then take a look around. Across from
the inactive portal is the door you couldn't open and had to roll underneath,
and in front of this door are four computer terminals. Scan these terminals to
download Space Pirate Logs to your Logbook, similar to the Trooper Logs you
found when you first arrived. There are similar clusters of computers on the
left and right sides of the rooms underneath the holographic displays of AETHER
and DARK AETHER. All in all, you can download LOG 44681, LOG 48853, LOG 50086,
LOG 54421, and LOG 62217 to your Logbook. After reading all this information,
you will have a pretty good picture of the Space Pirates' activities on Aether.
Apparently they arrived on Aether after detecting Phazon on the planet. They
established a base, but came under attack by the Ing. After discovering a
portal in their base and opening it using a "Dark Beam" weapon they found, they
saw that the Phazon they were looking for was on Dark Aether. They have been
attempting to mine the Phazon from Dark Aether, but the atmosphere, the Ing,
and the "Dark Hunter" (Dark Samus) have all been hampering their efforts. Some
of the displays also make it clear that the Space Pirates have Metroids with
them.
After you finish absorbing all this, use the elevator to the right of the
portal to reach an upper-level walkway. Another trooper will appear on the
walkway, and just before you reach the door yet another trooper will fire at
you through the broken windows of a detached upper-level chamber. After killing
both troopers, go through the door. Inside the tunnel that follows, you'll see
Dark Samus appear! She will materialize inside a circular chamber, and a gate
will spring up as soon as she appears. After you stare each other in the eyes
for a moment, Dark Samus will rapidly float back down the tunnel, leaving you
stunned... and nervous. There's no way for you to open the gate, but there is
another tunnel to the right. This tunnel leads to the upper-level chamber above
Command Center, where one of the computer terminals will open the large gate in
this room. You'll have to go back through the tunnel to get back to the main
part of Command Center, then go through the door behind the gate. In the
hallway you'll encounter two ceiling-mounted turrets, HUMILITY CLASS TURRETS to
be specific, that are very similar to the turrets you encountered in the
Splinter Hive. Destroy them with a charged shot or missile, then use the Morph
Ball to roll past the moving lasers (roll through when they are moving away
from you).
In the next room, you'll see two Pirates in the room, but they will escape on a
skiff as soon as you enter. Look around, and you'll see that there are several
Metroids being held in tanks! Ride the elevator to an upper level walkway where
you'll encounter a few more Pirates, and at the end of the walkway is a large
tank containing several Metroids and a barely-alive Space Pirate who probably
wishes he were dead. You'll have to walk around the tank, right past several
smaller tanks containing Metroids that will probably ram the walls of their
tanks as you go past. It's creepy, but don't worry; they won't break out. On
the other side of the large tank is LOG 63622. This one says that "The Hunter",
their name for Samus, has arrived, but that she has only been interested in
Phazon, and the Pirates have started calling her the "Dark Hunter." Obviously,
the Space Pirates are not talking about you, but about Dark Samus.
As soon as you go through the next door, a turret will be pointed at your face,
so be ready to take it out as soon as you enter. Use the Bomb Slot to rotate
the metal bars and allow access to the next room; it's obvious the Space
Pirates are taking security very seriously. In the next room, Bioenergy
Production, you'll encounter a new threat: PIRATE AEROTROOPERS. These are Space
Pirates equipped with jetpacks, and they are dangerous. They can fire regular
laser blasts and powerful missiles, and they are faster and more agile than
regular Pirates. They're also tougher: it takes three charged shots or missiles
to bring one down, and when they do that they will make a suicide dive towards
you. Jump around as much as possible to avoid their lasers and missiles, and
respond in kind. Don't forget to get out of the way once you kill one. Once
both Pirate Aerotroopers are dead, a control panel on a bank of terminals will
turn on. Scan this, and three stacks of platforms will raise from the floor.
On the other side of the room are three more sets of computer terminals, and
there are controls on each terminal for moving the platforms in each stack up
or down. You need to manipulate the platforms so that you can climp up them to
the upper level, where the door is. At each terminal you will find a vertical
display showing the positions of the platforms in that stack. The platforms are
marked with a drawing of a Metroid; from what you've learned, the Space Pirates
are using the Metroids to generate power somehow. The platforms are empty now,
but apparently they are supposed to contain Metroids. At each set of terminals,
there are also two small panels sticking out from the sides of the left and
right displays. By scanning these panels, you can move the platforms in that
stack up or down. The left panel moves whichever platform can move down down,
and the right panel moves whichever platfrom can move up up. After a little
practice, you should be able to move the platforms into any arrangement you
want. There are actually two goals to accomplish with these platforms: at one
end of the upper level of the room is a door, and on the other end is an ENERGY
TANK. The following diagrams will show the positions needed to reach both. In
the diagrams, a # means that a platform should be in that position, while a _
means that spot should be empty. Each stack is labelled A, G, or D, which stand
for alpha, gamma, and delta. These are the names of each stack, and you can
learn which is which by scanning the controls for each stack. Here are the
diagrams:
Energy Tank Door
# # _ _ # #
# _ # # _ #
_ # # # # _
# # # # # #
G D A G D A
Obviously, once you have the platforms in the correct alignment, you need to
jump up the platforms. The jumps are long, but they are possible. Make sure to
wait until you are at the very edge before jumping, and wait until you are as
high and far as possible with your first jump before starting your second jump.
Once you have the platforms in the correct position to reach the door, you'll
hear the sound that plays when you complete a puzzle.
Through the door you'll have to enter a Morph Ball maze guarded by a number of
lasers. Make your way through slowly and carefully; the way to take damage in
these areas is to rush. Pay attention to the patterns and stay in safe spots
until you're sure where to go next. When you reach the end, you will have
destroyed the lasers blocking the straight-forward lower path, which will make
any future journeys through this room quick and easy. At the end of the Morph
Ball tunnel is a Save Station, which you will most likely be very ready for.
Don't forget to scan LOG 67135 in front of the Save Station before going on to
the next room. Sand Processing consists of a semicircular pit full of sand,
with ledges and rooms visible, but inaccessible, above. There are two turrets
guarding this room, so destroy both of them, then fire a missile at the
far-left section of the sloping wall to expose a narrow pathway. This leads to
the Reactor Core, and when you enter you'll start to hear some very ominous
music. Look down through the window you can see that there are several tanks of
Phazon on the floor below. Follow the hallway to the left, then drop down to
the floor.
You'll see that Dark Samus is standing next to the central Phazon tank and is
drawing Phazon out of it. When you land, Dark Samus will see you and stop
draining Phazon from the tank. After a few tense moments in which you stare at
each other, attempting to see what is behind that dark visor. Finally, Dark
Samus will suddenly spring into action and begin her attack; the battle has
begun. By scanning DARK SAMUS 1, you'll see that she/it possesses many weapons
similar or superior to yours, including a missile launcher, a scattershot Power
Beam, and a Phazon shield. Dark Samus moves not by running but by gliding with
her feet just off the ground, but she can also jump and dash sideways very
fast; this will break a lock-on. When Dark Samus raises her arm cannon up in
the air, she is about to fire a wide swath of small blasts; if she points it
straight ahead, she is about to fire a powerful missile. Dash to the side just
before she fires either attack to avoid them. An important thing to remember is
that Dark Samus's attacks can destroy the Phazon tanks in the room: when this
they will leave flames burning at that spot for the remainder of the battle.
Until they are destroyed they can be used for cover, but they probably won't
last. Only the large central tank cannot be destroyed. At first, attack Dark
Samus with charged Power Beam shots and missiles. Remember that when she dashes,
it will break your lock-on, so find her and lock-on again. Also, it's important
to keep moving and to stay a safe distance away from her, since she is very
fast.
Once you have knocked off somewhere from 1/3 to 1/2 of Dark Samus's energy,
you'll see a brief cutscene and Dark Samus will start using more powerful
attacks. She'll begin firing a large red beam that will likely destroy several
of the Phazon tanks. For her other new attack, Dark Samus will leap into the
air, a sphere of Phazon will condense around her, and she will fly straight at
you into the ground at amazing speed. This is a powerful attack, and to avoid
it you need to dash just before she charges at you. During this part of the
battle, Dark Samus will block your missiles, and possibly charged shots, with
her Phazon shield (which appears as a sphere of Phazon around her), so a
constant stream of single Power Beam shots is your best attack for this part of
the battle. When Dark Samus has about 1/4 energy remaining, she will start
using both her old and new attacks. It can be difficult to keep up with Dark
Samus during this final stretch, but charged shots and missiles should be
effective again, so fire at her with whatever you've got.
If you survive the battle, Dark Samus will let out a terrible scream while a
rush of Phazon energy passes out of her, shattering all the Phazon tanks around
the walls of the room. She will then collapse and dematerialize into a
collection of blue dots that will be dispersed throughout the room. Finally, an
elevator in one corner of the room will lower. You may have won this round, but
it doesn't look like this is the last time you'll see Dark Samus. Scan the
PHAZON in the shattered tanks for a Research entry, then take the elevator up
to reach the upper hallway. Here you'll find a door leading to a small storage
room, and inside is the DARK BEAM. This is the Luminoth-designed weapon the
Space Pirates found, and it fires blasts of dark energy. The Dark Beam is more
powerful than the Power Beam (especially in Light Aether), but it has a much
slower rate of fire. Also, each time you fire a shot of the Dark Beam, one of
your 50 shots of ammo will be depleted (a charged shot costs 5 ammo). There's
also a Space Pirate Log entry next to the Dark Beam, LOG 69898, which relates
an escalation in intensity in the war between the Ing and the Luminoth, in
which the Space Pirates have found themselves caught in the middle.
Use the Dark Beam to open the door back to Reactor Core, then follow the
hallway to reach a gate with a white crystal, similar to the one you saw in the
security station off of Command Center. A Dark Beam shot will cause the crystal
to turn purple and the gate will open. Go through the black door just past the
gate to enter Security Station B from the other side. There are two more gates
to open, and one of the computer terminals contains LOG 70136, which describes
the arrival of the Federation troopers, much to the Pirates' dismay. Once
you've opened both gates you can return to Command Center, where a new breed of
Pirates will be waiting for you. There are now two PIRATE GRENADIERS in the
room, and they can fire powerful grenades from their arm-mounted cannons. One
will hide on the upper level near the elevator, and the other one is on the
lower level near where you exited the Morph Ball tunnels. Their grenades are
powerful, but they can't fire them if you're too close, so walk right up to the
Pirates and blow them away (use the Power Beam; you need to save your Dark Beam
ammo).
Now you can return to Biostorage Station, although now the TALLON METROIDS will
break out of their tanks. To destroy them, fire a charged Dark Beam shot to
freeze them in a chunk of purple matter so you can destroy them with a missile.
Dash to the side when one charges at you; if it latches on, switch to Morph
Ball mode and lay a bomb to knock it loose. Once both Metroids are dead, go
through the black door on the upper level to find a MISSILE EXPANSION. Now
return to Command Center, where the inactive DARK PORTAL still is, waiting to
be opened. To do so, fire a Dark Beam shot into it. This will cause the portal
to open; walk into it to return to Dark Agon Wastes.
/==============================================================================
4. Wounded Planet [III.B.4]
\==============================================================================
|[Dark Agon Wastes East] |
|o Light Beam |
|o Dark Agon Temple Keys 2,3 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The dark version of Command Center is called Doomed Entry, and it contains
several doors, stone platforms, Dark Splinters, and floating gas-spewing
spheres called DARK PREEDS. There are also several Space Pirate bodies lying
dead around the room near pools of Phazon. Go to the Light Beacon across the
room and look over at the crystal to the right. It looks like a Light Crystal,
but the crystal is covered in dark material and it is not emitting a Safe Zone.
This is a NULLIFIED CRYSTAL, and you can restore it to normal by firing a few
Power Beam shots at it. Now head over to the crystal and look at the Luminoth
statue on the base of the ledge nearby. Destroy the statue with a missile to
reveal a white crystal. This is a LIGHT LIFT CRYSTAL (Research entry), and when
you fire a Dark Beam shot at it the crystal will turn purple and the entire
ledge will lower (it's now a DARK LIFT CRYSTAL). Now you can jump on top of the
ledge and use it to reach a higher ledge in the center of the room. From here,
you can jump to the DARK AGON TEMPLE KEY, the second of three. There's a black
door behind the key, but it leads to a dead end so follow the ledges to another
black door.
The next room is a short passage containing another dead Pirate and a Warrior
Ing. Kill the Ing as quickly as possible with missiles and charged Power Beam
shots, then continue to another tunnel called Dark Oasis. To the left, the
tunnel leads to a white door which you can't open, but to the right is a normal
door next to a closed Light Portal. You can't open the portal, so go through
the door. In the next room, Dark Aether's equivalent of Sand Processing, the
door is on a high ledge. On the back of the central pillar is another lift
crystal; lower it with a Dark Beam shot and use the pillar to reach the door.
There's a Save Station in the next room along with more dead Pirates; it looks
like the Pirates' Phazon mining operation in Dark Aether had a heavy cost. The
next room is a Morph Ball tunnel with a pool of Phazon in the middle. Take the
upper path, and do a bomb jump to leap over the gap and avoid falling in the
Phazon.
The tunnel leads to Phazon Site, where Phazon covers a large expanse of the
floor and moving platforms float overhead. Drop down onto the side of the
ground without Phazon and look around. There's a door out of the room on the
ground level, but it is locked and you must scan three control panels in the
room to unlock it. For the first, head onto the raised ledge along the side
wall of the room. For the second, jump from the side ledge onto the moving
platforms. Use the moving platforms to reach an alcove set high in the wall,
where you'll find the second panel. To reach the third and final panel, drop
down from the ledge onto a "dry" area where several crates are piled against
the wall. Destroy the crates and you'll find the final panel behind them,
which will unlock the door.
In Watering Hole, the next room, you'll find a pool of toxic water with several
platforms in them. There are also large creatures on the walls called INGCLAWS;
they can't be killed, but they release toxic gas into the air, so you'll take
damage if you stand near to it. There are also a large number of Lumites in the
room which will be a major pain in the butt. They will stand on the edge of the
Safe Zone and fire their blasts at you from all directions. All you can do is
find them and kill them as fast as you can. Use the platforms to reach the
other side, where a door leads to Feeding Pit, another room with several
pillars. This time there are only Nightbarbs in the room, which aren't as
annoying as Lumites. You need to find lift crystals on the sides of the
pillars. They're located near the top of the pillars, so fire at both of them
to lower the platforms. Now you can jump on top of the pillars to reach a door
high up in the wall. The door leads to a tiny room containing the LIGHT BEAM,
with a dead Luminoth by it. The counterpart to the Dark Beam, the Light Beam
also requires ammo, but it fires a stream of pure light energy that is very
potent on dark creatures. Also, now that you have the Dark and Light Beams you
can recover ammo for both of them: when you destroy crates or enemies with the
Dark Beam they will give you Light Ammo, and when you use the Light Beam you
will get Dark Ammo.
When you return to Feeding Pit, you'll see that it is now filled with Lumites.
But don't fear! With the Light Beam, you can soon make short work of them.
Here's how: activate a Safe Zone with the Power Beam, then once some Lumites
are on it fire a Light Beam shot at the crystal or beacon. The Safe Zone will
become extra-bright, and any Lumites on it will be instantly killed. When you
fire a Light Beam shot at a Light Crystal/Beacon, it becomes an ENERGIZED
CRYSTAL/BEACON, and any creatures that touch it will be killed as soon as it
touches the Safe Zone. Make sure to scan these for Research entries, as well as
the NULLIFIED CRYSTALS/BEACONS that you can create by firing a Dark Beam shot
at them.
In the next room the passage will be blocked by several black spiderweb-like
creatures with a large eye in the center. You can destroy these WEBLINGS easily
by shooting the eye with the Light Beam, but make sure to scan one first, since
this is the only time they appear. The passage will return you to Doomed Entry,
and now you should go through the door behind where the Dark Temple Key was.
This leads to a straight passage containing several Dark Splinters, but at the
end it leads to a ledge over a large room called Battleground. The final Dark
Temple Key is in the center of the room, but when you drop down to claim it
five Warrior Ing will appear and will swallow up the key. You must now defeat
all five Warrior Ing in order to earn the key. At some point during the fight,
make sure to scan the ING WEBTRAP blocking the door; this is another one-time
scan. Five Warrior Ing may seem intimidating, but the fight can be much easier
if you use the Light Beam. A single charged Light Beam shot will kill a Warrior
Ing, so this fight can actually go rather quickly. If you get low on Light
Ammo, switch to the Dark Beam and shoot the Bladepods in the room to get more.
Once all the Ing are dead, the DARK AGON TEMPLE KEY will reappear and you can
collect it.
Exit through the lower door, which leads to a passage full of DARKLING
TENTACLES, sharp tentacles that swipe back and forth across the passage. Shoot
them with the Power Beam to cause them to temporarily retract into the wall
long enough for you to get past. Now you're back in Doomed Entry, and you're
ready to leave Dark Aether, but there's no Light Portal where you entered.
You'll need to find a different portal in order to leave. To do so, go through
the black door at the top of the platforms to reach Dark Oasis. Now, go through
the white door to the left to find an Ammo Station, where you can refill your
missiles, dark ammo, and light ammo. Once you're refilled, head to the other
end of the room. There you'll find an unopened Light Portal, but you can open
it with a shot from the Light Beam. Go through the portal to return to Light
Aether, in the Reactor Core. Once you're back, head through the nearby door to
reach the Save Station.
/==============================================================================
5. Thrice-Cursed Ing [III.B.5]
\==============================================================================
|[Agon Wastes West, Dark Agon Wastes West] |
|o Energy Tank 06 |
|o Beam Ammo Expansion 2 |
|o Missile Expansions 20,21 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
You have now recovered all three Dark Temple Keys and have explored almost all
of the Agon Wastes, so all you need to do is pick up a few items hidden here
and there and then enter the Dark Agon Temple.
Return to the Command Center and leave via the white door on the upper level,
not the black door you rolled under the first time you entered the room. The
white door, like the lower door, leads to Central Mining Station, but this time
you'll enter it on the balcony containing the turrets. The first time you came
through here, Space Pirates manned the turrets and used them to fire powerful
laser blasts at you. But now you can use the turrets, so go ahead and step into
one of the holograms to activate the turret. Now, the only question is what
should you fire at? If you use the Scan Visor before you enter the turrets,
you'll see that there are a couple of large crates in the room. These are Space
Pirate generators, and they can only be destroyed by heavy weapons fire. In the
left turret, fire at the crate on the ground next to the wall to blow it up,
causing one of the Pirate Skiffs stored on the wall to be knocked loose. Also,
there's a generator just to the left of the rectangular shield across the room.
Go ahead and fire at it to save yourself a little time later. Now go to the
right turret and fire at the generator sitting on a ledge in front of you. This
will destroy the rock wall behind it, revealing a small Space Pirate station.
There are actually two Pirates inside, and they will attack you. Hit them with
fire from the turret before their shots do enough damage to destroy the turret.
Now that you've used the turrets to destroy all the generators, it's time to
see what your reward is for all your destruction. Jump down and climb on top of
the skiff you knocked off the wall. By making a long double jump from the edge
of it, you can reach the top of the small pillar nearby. From there, you can
easily reach the ledge where the Pirates were and enter the small room, which
contains two computer terminals. One of them contains the final Space Pirate
Log, LOG 71599, which describes your arrival on Aether. From it, you can sense
the Pirates' dread that they now have two Samuses to deal with, plus the Ing,
but they also hope to be able to use your antagonism to their own advantage.
Out of the room is another tunnel, which leads to a walkway in front of the
large rectangular shield; behind it you can see an item. The shield itself is
indestructible, but if you already destroyed the generator next to it there
will be a Morph Ball tunnel in the wall that leads to the area behind the
shield. (If you didn't destroy this generator, you need to return to the
balcony to do so. The only way to reach the balcony is by going back to the
Command Center and exiting through the white door.) Roll through the tunnel to
claim the item, which is a BEAM AMMO EXPANSION. These rare items increase the
maximum capacity of both your dark and light ammo by 50, so you can now hold up
to 100 dark and light ammo. Also in the area with the expansion is a dead
Luminoth; scan him for J-STL'S TESTAMENT, another Logbook entry that goes in
the Keybearer Lore section.
Once you've gotten the Beam Ammo Expansion, backtrack to Mining Station A. Two
Pirate Aerotroopers will be waiting for you when you enter, but after disposing
of them take the door that leads to the Agon Temple. (This has nothing to do
with the three keys you've collected; you need to return them to the Dark Agon
Temple). Head to the left and go through the black door. This leads to Mine
Shaft, a Morph Ball tunnel filled with Pillbugs that spirals down the edge of a
cylindrical tube. This room is actually a dead end; you can't open the door at
the bottom, but there is an Energy Tank here that you can get. You'll see it
above and to the right of you when you first enter the shaft.
To get it, roll down the tunnel, making sure to roll past the block that will
disappear as soon as you touch it. Past it is an area with a Pillbug rolling
around a central block. There's an opening in the "ceiling" above the Pillbug's
ledge, and to reach it you need to do a double bomb jump. For instructions on
how to do this, see section V.A.5.b.i., the Morph Ball Bomb entry in the
Inventory section. When you do a successful double bomb jump and reach the
upper level, you'll need to let yourself fall through a series of breakable
blocks, but make sure to stay as high as possible. When you reach a second set
of breakable blocks you have to fall through, hold the Control Stick to the
left as you fall, because you need to enter a passage behind the wall that's
next to the next-to-last block. Once in the hidden passage, you can tell your
position by the blue glow of the Morph Ball through the slits in the rock.
These slits also show the path that the tunnel follows, so bomb jump up to
follow the secret passage and reach the ENERGY TANK.
Now you can exit the Mine Shaft and return to the Agon Temple, and travel to
the opposite side of the room, where you'll find a white door. Through this
door is a vast chasm, but you can use the cannon and let it fire you across.
On the other side is another Morph Ball tunnel, and here you can find another
Missile Expansion. Roll to the platform with the second Pillbug, just past the
tunnel leading away from you. Kill the Pillbug, then do a double bomb jump to
reach the top of the platform. Now do another double bomb jump up the tunnel,
and at the top you'll find the MISSILE EXPANSION. Both exits out of this area
lead to dead ends (although if you go straight, to the Main Reactor, you can
find B-STL'S TESTAMENT, another Keybearer Lore scan), so head back the way you
came and return to the Agon Temple.
Now you've explored Agon Wastes as thoroughly as you can, so return to the
Portal and travel to Dark Agon. Although you could head straight for the
temple, you can get one more Missile Expansion by going to Duelling Range, the
Dark Agon equivalent of Mining Station A. From there, look for a black door and
go through it. It leads to a dead-end passage, but underneath the ledge you
enter on is a MISSILE EXPANSION. Jump down into the Safe Zone and turn around
to see it.
You have now collected all three Dark Agon Temple Keys, as well as all possible
items and expansions so far, so it's time to enter the Dark Agon Temple. Make
sure to stop by the Save Station located off of Judgment Pit, then go to the
temple.
/==============================================================================
6. Potent Energy [III.B.6]
\==============================================================================
|[BOSS: Amorbis] |
|o Dark Suit |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
There will be a swirling red light in front of the gate into the interior of
Dark Agon Temple, and when you step into it the three Dark Temple Keys will fit
into depressions on the front of the gate, and it will open. Jump down into the
circular arena and you'll see a large solid black sphere in the center, with
three monstrous worm-like creatures attached to it. The giant black worms will
then leap off of the sphere into the air and dive into the ground (one of them
right in front of you). With that, the battle against Amorbis will begin.
While you wait for Amorbis to reappear, scan the sphere. You'll learn that it
contains dark energy, and while Amorbis is attached to it, it can draw dark
energy from it. Shortly, one of the three worms that make up Amorbis will burst
out of the ground and dive through the air again before crashing underground
again. Scan Amorbis while it's in the air for the first half of its Logbook
entry (AMORBIS 1). Amorbis can't attack at this point, beyond crashing into
you, but you can use your weapons to destroy its armor.
To see where Amorbis is about to reappear, look for a rumbling and shaking on
the ground. Also, you will be able to lock-on to Amobris a second or two before
it emerges. When it's locked-onto and in range, fire with the Light Beam to
damage its black armor plating. If Amorbis is about to emerge or land in your
Safe Zone, move out of it for a few seconds until it's gone. And of course,
make sure to stay in the Safe Zone the rest of the time so that you don't
continually take damage from Dark Aether's atmosphere.
As you hit Amorbis, you'll knock off pieces of its black armor, revealing a
white body underneath. When all the armor is gone, Amorbis will reattach itself
to the dark sphere, which will cause all its armor to regenerate and allow it
to launch new attacks at you. Scan Amorbis while it's attached to the sphere to
complete the Logbook entries for this boss (AMOBRIS 2). Amorbis will be able to
fire dark energy at you, which can hurt you in two ways: the attack can simply
hit you, or it can hit the Light Crystal, which will nullify it. You can't
un-nullify the crystal with your Light or Power Beams, so use the Morph Ball to
quickly roll to another Safe Zone. Watch out while doing this, however, since
Amorbis can snap at you while you're rolling. To attack Amorbis, lock-on to its
head and fire missiles or the Light Beam at it. After being hit by five
missiles, the head will be blown off, leaving a circular opening in its body
from which Amorbis will start sucking like a vacuum. This may seem
counterintuitive, but now is your chance to damage Amorbis. Switch to the Morph
Ball and allow yourself to be sucked up by Amorbis. While inside, lay a bomb.
When the bomb detonates, a series of explosions will course through Amorbis,
and Amorbis will writhe uncontrollably, causing it to lift the sphere and slam
it into the ground. This will cause the sphere to begin to crack, and will take
off 1/6 of Arorbis's energy.
Now the worm will detach itself from the sphere again, but this time two worms
will begin diving through the air. Pick up any needed energy and ammo left by
the first worm, then start attacking the two worms with the Light Beam just
like the last one. The only difference from before is that now you have to
watch out for two worms that could crash into you instead of just one. Once the
armor has been destroyed on one worm, it will stay underground until all the
armor is destroyed on the second as well. After you destroy the armor from both
worms, they will both attach to the sphere and the second phase of the battle
will repeat. Both worms can fire dark energy at you, and they can also combine
to fire two laser beams that will rotate in a circle around the arena. When one
of the beams approaches you, jump back to avoid it. It's best to attack each
head separately here in order to lower the number of attacks being fired at
you. Focus on destroying whichever head is closer to you, then don't forget to
enter the hole and lay a bomb, since that's what's actually does damage.
Once both worms have been destroyed, you guessed it, three worms will start
diving around the arena. This final phase of the fight will proceed just like
the other two, except that there will be three worms to avoid, not just one or
two. Once they're attached to the sphere, you may have to move between Safe
Zones fairly often, at least until you destroy a worm. The final worm will be
especially vicious, and will try to hit you while you move between Safe Zones.
As soon as you lay the bomb in the belly of the final worm, you will be
rewarded with the sight of Amorbis writhing on the ground one last time,
slamming the sphere for the third time. Amorbis will then crumble into dust,
and the sphere will explode, leaving behind an icon shaped like the Metroid
logo. Step into the logo, and your traditional yellow Varia Suit will be
replaced with the brown and antique-looking DARK SUIT. This suit was designed
by the Luminoth, and it significantly reduces the effects of Dark Aether's
atmosphere. You will still take damage in Dark Aether, but only at the rate of
about one unit per second, the same rate that you regain energy while in a Safe
Zone. This means that you do not need to worry nearly as much about venturing
outside of Safe Zones.
Now that you have defeated the guardian of Dark Agon Wastes and received the
Dark Suit, enter the door at the opposite end of the temple to reach the Dark
Agon Energy Controller. Its collector is currently full of a bright red light,
but step up to the interface design in front, and you will insert your Arm
Cannon into it, using the Energy Transfer Module to transfer all the energy
into yourself. Now you need to return the energy to its rightful home, Light
Aether. Unfortuneately, the Ing won't make it easy for you. When you return to
the temple, you'll find three Warrior Ing waiting for you. Use the Light Beam
to fight them if you can, otherwise just run past them. Also, when you make it
back to the portal room, it will contain three Dark Pirate Troopers. However
you can, activate the portal and travel to Light Aether. Once there, head for
the Agon Temple and return to the Energy Controller. Approach its interface,
and this time the energy will flow out of you and into the Agon Energy
Controller, causing it to fill with a pure yellow light. When the energy
transfer is complete, a beam of energy will be directed to the Great Temple,
where U-Mos will see it arrive. Also, the hologram of the Agon guardian will
appear once more to thank you for restoring the energy to Agon. Now that you've
returned the energy to Agon Wastes, it's time to return to U-Mos in the Great
Temple.
##/#
##/### >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
##/--/## C. TORVUS BOG [III.C]
###/## >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
#/##
/==============================================================================
1. Path to Torvus [III.C.1]
\==============================================================================
|[Temple Grounds West, Sky Temple Grounds West] |
|o Missile Expansions 1,2,4,49 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Take the elevator back up to the Temple Grounds, and follow the path back to
Industrial Site. Before you head towards the elevator to the Great Temple in
Temple Assembly Site, though, you can find several Missile Expansions by making
a quick detour.
Take the door that leads back towards the Landing Site instead. Pass the
elevator that leads up from the end of the Splinter Hive, and by opening
several translator doors you will reach the tentacle plant-filled tunnel just
off of the Landing Site. At one end of this tunnel is a pit that leads down to
the Splinter Hive. Jump down it again, and you'll find a dead trooper on the
floor. When you approach it, though, it will be possessed by an Ing, becoming
the DARK MISSILE TROOPER. This is the only time it appears, so make sure to
scan it. It moves slowly and jerkily, just like the regular troopers, but this
one can fire missiles instead of the usual energy shots. The missiles are not
hard to dodge, however, so you should be able to avoid them easily while firing
back with your own missiles or whatever weapon you choose. When the Dark
Missile Trooper is dead, it will leave behind a MISSILE EXPANSION.
The only way to get out of the hive is to continue all the way through it again
until you reach the elevator. This shouldn't be much of a problem, though,
since most of the rooms will be empty. A few will still have one or two Dark
Troopers inside, though, so watch out. In Hive Chamber B, the room where you
first encountered Dark Samus and the Dark Portal, the room appears to dead-end
at an immovable gate. Next to the gate, however, are two Morph Ball tunnels.
One is open and leads around the gate, but the other one is covered with a seal
of Talloric Alloy. Use a bomb to destroy the seal and roll through the tunnel
to find another MISSILE EXPANSION.
Now run through the rest of the Splinter Hive, return to the surface, and make
your way to Temple Assembly Site. Here, you can find another Missile Expansion
before taking the elevator up to the Great Temple. Near the elevator door (to
the left as you face the door) is a large block near the wall. You can double
jump on top of this block, then use it to reach a nearby ledge with two crates
on it. This ledge leads along the edge of the room, and by following it you can
reach a Morph Ball tunnel. Roll through this tunnel for yet another MISSILE
EXPANSION.
Now that you have added 15 missiles to your collection, take the elevator up to
the Great Temple. However, there are still more upgrades to be found! First of
all, you can kill the Lightflyers in the hallway with a single shot from the
Dark Beam. Now, look at the left wall in the hallway (Transport B Access), as
you face the Temple Sanctuary. You'll see Morph Ball-sized ledges in the side
of the wall. Bomb jump up the ledges to reach a tunnel that leads to, you
guessed it, another MISSILE EXPANSION.
OK, there will be no more Missile Expansions in this section. Enter the
sanctuary and take the elevator up to U-Mos in the Main Energy Controller room.
He'll thank you for returning the energy to Agon, then warn you that the Ing
will be seeking revenge and guarding their remaining energy more closely. He'll
tell you that there is increased Ing activity in the Torvus sector, meaning
that it should be your next destination. Now that you know where to go, return
to the Temple Sanctuary. Of the four doors leading out of the sanctuary, one
leads back towards Agon Wastes, and one you just came out of. Of the remaining
two, one is sealed with a green translator door, which you can't open, while
the other one is yellow. You can open that door, and when you do it will tell
you that it leads to Torvus. In the hallway behind the door you'll encounter a
new, yet familiar, creature: HARMONY CLASS DRONES. If you played the first
Metroid Prime, you remember these as Pulse Bombus, but on Aether they have a
different name. They act exactly the same, however, so fire a charged Power
Beam shot at them to destroy them.
When you take the elevator back down, you will find yourself in a part of the
Temple Grounds you've never been before. In front of you is a large half-pipe
with a path behind it, as well as a ton of War Wasps. There's another door
through a narrow tunnel off to the left, but it is blocked by a green blast
shield, which you can't open right now. Fend off the War Wasps, then follow the
path past the half-pipe to reach Hall of Eyes. Here you'll discover that the
only door out is blocked by another green blast shield, but there is a Dark
Portal in the room. Since that appears to be your only option, activate the
portal and enter it.
Now that you are in Sky Temple Grounds, the Dark Aether version of Temple
Grounds, the rooms have the same basic shape but different doors and enemies.
Get rid of the Inglets in the room, then go through the normal blue door in
front of you (which in Light Aether was the locked green door). The next room,
Abandoned Base, has the shape of a large U, with several circular nodes at
points along the way. There are no Safe Zones along the way, but with your new
Dark Suit you should have plenty of time to make it to the end before you start
to be in serious trouble. You will not encounter many enemies along the way,
except that at one node, your path will be blocked by several laser beams
sweeping back and forth. These lasers are created by CORRUPTED SENTREYES on the
wall, and by shooting them you can turn them off for a few seconds, allowing
you to pass.
When you reach the end of the room, you'll find a platform hanging in the
center of a final circular node and locked in place by four metal arms grasping
it from the edges of the node. There is a Safe Zone on the platform, so you can
stand there and recover as much energy as you need. Past this node is a dead
end, but by scanning the platform you'll learn that you can activate it by
activating four Bomb Slots, which will disengage the locks. To reach the Bomb
Slots, use the pistons on either side of the ledge at the end of the node. They
lead up to a circular track on which the Bomb Slots are evenly spaced. The only
problem is that once you activate a Bomb Slot, a wall will slide into place on
one side of the slot, which can make it impossible to reach all the other
unactivated Bomb Slots. There are multiple ways to solve this puzzle, but here
is one simple solution: Go up the right piston (with your back to the platform)
and go past the first Bomb Slot. Activate the second one, then continue around
the track activating each slot as you come to it. Now take the piston down,
then cross to the other piston, ride it back up, and finally activate the last
remaining Bomb Slot, the one you passed originally.
Once all the locks have been disengaged, jump onto the platform and it will
start moving back through the room. Don't get distracted during the trip,
though, because several swarms of Nightbarbs will fly at you, so be ready with
the Power Beam to fend off as many as you can. When the platform comes to a
stop, jump from it to a ledge containing a Light Portal, and go through the
portal.
You are now in the Light Aether room corresponding to Abandoned Base, and it is
much simpler, though not without its challenges. You will soon encounter two
Dark Pirate Troopers, and after them you'll fight a Pirate Grenadier. This room
also has the U shape and the circular "nodes" and you'll need to fire a Light
Beam shot at the dark crystals on the blocks in the nodes to move them into
position so you can progress. When you reach the last node, which has a shallow
pool of water in it, you'll need to jump onto the platform in the middle of the
pool from dry land in order to reach it. The door leads to a path along the
side of a cliff with several War Wasp Hives nearby. Take out the wasps and
continue to the door at the end, which contains an elevator.
/==============================================================================
2. Harsh and Poisonous [III.C.2]
\==============================================================================
|[Upper Torvus Bog, Upper Dark Torvus Bog] |
|o Super Missile |
|o Energy Tank 8 |
|o Missile Expansions 29,32 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
At the bottom you'll land in a room that seems to be the exact opposite of Agon
Wastes: instead of dry sand, here you have wet, green plants everywhere. Behind
the elevator when you reach the bottom is a large air purification system; why
would the Luminoth have needed that? In the passage beyond the door you'll see
several orange sacs hanging from tree branches; these are TORVUS HANGING PODS,
and they can contain items. At the end of the passage you'll reach the shore of
a small lake, with a variety of plants and creatures on the ground, in the air,
and under the water. Not all the creatures are alive, though: there's another
dead Luminoth lying to your left, and you can scan him for S-DLY'S TESTAMENT.
This room, Torvus Lagoon, is not completely natural, however. There is a metal
walkway above the water on the far side of the lake connecting two tunnels,
both gated. Before moving on, you're probably ready to use the Save Station
through the door on a ledge to the left.
When you return to Torvus Lagoon, start examining the several creatures to be
found here. The green and red plants are TORVUS BEARERPODS: they contain items,
but they release a poisonous cloud when they're destroyed. Several large
insect-like creatures with helicopter wings will leap out of the water and
start flying towards you; these are SHREDDERS, and you can shoot them to knock
them back and prevent them from crashing into you. Since you can't reach the
metal platform, the only way to go seems to be into the lake. While underwater,
your movement is slowed, jump height is reduced, and visibility is impaired.
However, you will be able to maneuver around the branches and reach the black
door underwater. You'll encounter a group of shrimp-like creatures called
HYDLINGS in the water; they can be easily dispatched with rapid-fire Power Beam
shots and shouldn't pose any danger to you.
In the next room, walk through the circular structure in the middle of the
path, then jump out of the water to reach the door. If you turn around you'll
see a green Luminoth lore projector on the wall, but you don't have the ability
to translate it yet. Through the door is Great Bridge, and you can see the
bridge leading into a large building; there's another door into the building
on ground level. There is also a new creature in this room: SHRIEKERS. These
are related to Shredders in that they wait just beneath the surface of the
water until you approach, but they are much more difficult because they will
fire a sonic blast at you (a whirling gust of air that's difficult to see),
then disappear only to reappear somewhere else a few seconds later. Shriekers
are also remarkably tough, and it will take many hits to kill them all. You
have to kill them all, too, because the doors will be locked until you do. Once
they're gone, you can scan the red eyes, called SENTINEL CRYSTALS, on the
walls, then go through the lower door into the building. It leads to a Morph
Ball tunnel, and you can see an Energy Tank in an alcove above you, but you
can't reach it. You'll be frustrated again when you reach the end, because the
door is locked with a green blast shield, which you can't open. Return to Great
Bridge, and there is another way you can go: there's a red door to your left
(with your back to the building), so go through it.
This leads to another Morph Ball tunnel that goes right past a Dark Portal and
a Missile Expansion, but both are on the other side of a wall. At the end of it
you'll reach Torvus Lagoon, but you'll be behind the gate. Scan the panel to
lower the gates and extend the walkway to connect both doorways. You may want
to save again, then go through the door at the other end of the walkway.
This door goes to Forgotten Bridge, and as soon as you enter you'll encounter
two very dangerous animals that look like crosses between a lizard, a wolf, and
a frog: GRENCHLERS. Grenchlers are fast and agile, and they can attack from up
close with their teeth or from a distance by firing a bolt of electricity. The
only way to defeat one is to destroy the armored shell on its back, then fire
at the exposed flesh beneath it. The best strategy is to lock-on to one of the
Grenchlers, then jump and strafe to both avoid its attacks and try to get
behind it. Once you get a shot, fire as many missiles as you can. It will take
five missiles to destroy the shell, but you haven't killed it yet. You still
need to get behind it again to fire a few more shots at the exposed flesh to
kill it. One thing to avoid while fighting the Grenchlers is getting pushed
against the wall. You'll have more success if you can stay in the open, so
you're free to run and jump in any direction. Once you survive the fight and
kill both Grenchlers, use the ledges against the wall to jump onto the large
bridge that spans the room. You can see a Missile Expansion in front of a door
on a ledge, but there's no way to reach it now. Follow the bridge to reach a
Dark Portal, although there's a transparent Bomb Slot nearby; that means you
need to find the corresponding slot in the dark world.
Go through the portal to make your first (brief) visit to Dark Torvus Bog. You
can find two Research scans here: DARK SENTINEL CRYSTAL (the blue eyes) and
INGSPHERE CACHE (the dark blue blobs that contain items), but the main thing
to do here is to activate the Bomb Slot. This will cause the bridge to rotate
so that it connects to a different doorway, and you know that the bridge has
also rotated in Light Aether. You can't go through any of the doors out of this
room, so follow the bridge until you can jump off and reach the Light Portal
(Make sure not to fall into the water: it's toxic.) As soon as you're back in
Torvus Bog, though, several Space Pirates will materialize in the room out of
nowhere! It won't take long for you to realize that these are no ordinary Space
Pirates, either. These are DARK PIRATE COMMANDOS, the deadliest version of
Pirates that you will face. Dark Pirate Commandos have the ability to turn
invisible, meaning that they will appear, fire a shot at you, then disappear
and move somewhere else. They can fire two different weapons at you: standard
shots of dark energy, and new EMP grenades that will not only do damage if they
hit you, but will short out your visor for several seconds if they land
anywhere near you. All you can do against these enemies is to find one when it
appears, lock-on and fire as fast as you can at it until it disappears, all the
while watching out for incoming attacks from the others. While you may want to
use Missiles and light ammo on the commandos, it's best to just stick to the
Power Beam. That's because the Pirates will automatically disappear after a few
minutes, so all you have to do is survive against them for that long.
Once they're gone, climb back onto the bridge, which has been rotated, and
follow it to the door you saw earlier and collect the MISSILE EXPANSION which
is just waiting for you. The door leads to Abandoned Worksite, which you need
to navigate with the Morph Ball. Before rolling through the tunnel in the wall,
though, you need to kill the plant that lives on the opposite wall. This is a
SPORB, and it will fire a grappling hook at the Morph Ball if you go near it.
Otherwise, it will "spit" toxic acid at you. The Light Beam is especially
effective against the Sporb. Now roll through the tunnel (be careful not to
fall out). When you reach the other side of the room, jump down and go through
the door at the end. This will take you to an upper ledge of Great Bridge. Scan
the panel there to open a Kinetic Orb Cannon on a ledge across the room from
you, in front of a green translator gate. Jump down, then jump up to the cannon
and let it fire you onto the bridge. Cross the bridge (watch out for
Shriekbats) and go through the door to reach the upper level of the Morph Ball
tunnel you rolled through earlier. There are three circles on the narrow path,
and the first one is cracked. Bomb it, and you'll fall through it to grab the
ENERGY TANK you saw earlier.
Return to the top level and cross it to the door to enter Torvus Temple. You're
at the bottom of a bowl-shaped room with high, sloping walls, but what will
draw your attention is that a skiff will appear, dropping off a number of
Pirate Troopers, along with two Pirate Aerotroopers. You should be able to
handle these fairly easily with missiles, Dark Beam, and Light Beam. Just focus
on one Pirate at a time, and take out the Aerotroopers as soon as you can. Use
the crates around the room for ammo and energy as necessary. Once all the
Pirates are dead, the lasers blocking an object that looks like a Missile
Expansion on a platform against the wall will disappear. When you get the item,
you'll discover that it is actually the SUPER MISSILE, the Charge Combo for the
Power Beam and the weapon that can destroy green blast shields. The platform it
was on is also an elevator, and it will carry you up to a door which,
coincidentally, is green. Use your new weapon to destroy the blast shield and
go through to reach the Torvus Energy Controller, which is very similar to its
counterpart in Agon Wastes.
Step up to the green holographic device to activate a message from the guardian
of Torvus Temple. He will tell you that most of the temple is flooded, and you
will need to explore the flooded regions to find all the Dark Temple Keys. He
will also warn you that the water in Dark Torvus Bog is toxic. Finally, he will
give you the ability to translate Emerald (green) holograms, and refill your
energy. There is a Lore to be found in the Energy Controller room, titled DARK
AETHER; it tells how the Luminoth designed machines to generate Dark Portals
and began to prepare for war with the Ing to reclaim their energy. Return to
the temple and you'll find that it is now swarming with Shriekers. You can kill
them if you want, or you can scan the green hologram on the circular platform
in the center of the room. This will cause the platform to lower a few feet,
revealing a chamber with several doorways leading in different directions.
/==============================================================================
3. Engines of War [III.C.3]
\==============================================================================
|[Upper Torvus Bog, Upper Dark Torvus Bog] |
|o Boost Ball |
|o Dark Torvus Temple Key 1 |
|o Missile Expansion 30 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
There are four doors out of the lower chamber of Torvus Temple: a purple door
that you can't open yet, a green door that leads back to Great Bridge, a
translator door that leads to an unexplored area, and a regular blue door at
the end of a Morph Ball tunnel that also leads to new areas. If you recall,
there was a translator door behind the cannon in Great Bridge, so go through
the green door and return there briefly to see what's behind it. There is now
a Grenchler patrolling Great Bridge, but you don't have to fight it if you
don't want to. Simply jump to the ledge with the cannon, scan the translator
door, and go through it to find the Torvus Map Station. With the map, you can
see that you have explored most of the surface of Torvus Bog, but that there is
a whole lower level that you have yet to enter. Return to the Torvus Temple,
and you'll see that the translator door leads to a room that appears to
connect with Forgotten Bridge, while the door beyond the tunnel leads to the
lower levels. You might as well explore all of the surface before entering the
lower section, so open the translator door and go through.
The next room is a watery tunnel, and a Grenchler will charge down the tunnel
at you. This can be a difficult fight since there's not much room to
maneuver, but you'll do a little better if you can fight the Grenchler in the
entrance area next to the door rather than in the middle of the tunnel, but it
will be difficult in any case. Just try to kill it as fast as possible (try the
Dark Beam). When it's dead, you can collect an easy Missile Expansion by
rolling underneath the ledge that the
##/### >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
##/--/## A. TEMPLE GROUNDS [III.A]
###/## >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
#/##
/==============================================================================
1. Mission File 02546 [III.A.1]
\==============================================================================
|[Story] |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
You are Samus Aran, the renowned bounty hunter who offers her services to the
Galactic Federation in their fight against the Space Pirates, a race of cruel
yet intelligent creatures bent on conquest and destruction. To aid and protect
her in her journeys, Samus wears a Power Suit made by the Chozo, the
highly-evolved race that raised Samus. In her last mission, Samus disrupted the
Space Pirates' operations on the planet Tallon IV, where they had been
experimenting with a dangerous substance known as Phazon that seriously harmed
the planet when it landed in a meteorite. At the end of her mission, Samus
entered the Impact Crater and defeated Metroid Prime, a highly evolved Metroid
that was the source of the Phazon.
Now Samus has been hired on a new mission. A squad of Federation troopers that
was investigating Space Pirate activity in a remote sector of the galaxy has
gone missing. Their last known whereabouts are a planet called Aether. Your job
is to discover what has happened to the troopers and give them any assistance
necessary.
As Samus approaches Aether in her gunship, you can see that the planet seems to
be unstable. Swirling purple bands or fields surround the planet, and there are
strong storms in the atmosphere. As Samus descends, she passes through one of
these storms, and is struck by a strong bolt of lightning. This causes damage
to her ship, and Samus is barely able to land it safely, crashing through the
ground to land in a rocky cavern. Having thus landed, um, gracefully, Samus
will emerge from her damaged ship and you will take control.
/==============================================================================
2. Go Out Fighting [III.A.2]
\==============================================================================
|[Temple Grounds South] |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The cavern you've landed in has several ruined pillars made of blocks scattered
around, as well as what look like tracks in the floor. There's a door across
from your ship, and also a ledge to the left. Unlike other Metroid games, you
actually begin the game fairly well equipped: you start off with the Space Jump
Boots, Charge Beam, 5 Missiles, Morph Ball, Bombs, and Boost Ball. After you've
gotten familiar with your equipment, switch to the Scan Visor (left on the
Control Pad). The Scan Visor has been upgraded since the last Metroid Prime,
and now scannable objects are shaded blue (normal), red (important or Logbook
entry), or green (already scanned). Scan the pillars to learn that they are
not functional but were apparently part of some sort of projection system;
obviously there is civilization on this planet. One pillar to the left appears
to be functional and has a purple crystal on front of it, but you can't get it
to operate with your current weaponry.
Before leaving, make sure to scan your ship, SAMUS'S GUNSHIP, which will allow
you to see that your ship is repairing itself, but it's going to be a while
before you'll be able to leave. This will be the first entry downloaded to your
Logbook, and you can see how the Scan Visor shows you which categories the
entry is being placed in, along with the percentage showing how close those
categories are to being full. After reading the information displayed in the
HUD, you can press Start to pause the game and read the entry in the Logbook;
this will usually, but not always, provide additional details. It's important
you scan your ship now if you want to completely fill your Logbook, because
later on the message will change and it will no longer count as a Logbook
entry. Once you've seen how to use the Scan Visor and downloaded your first
Logbook entry, switch back to the Combat Visor and approach the spiderweb-like
substance at the other end of the room. Shoot the object in the center to
destroy the spiderweb; after shooting several of them you'll reach a blue door.
Shoot the door to open it.
The door leads into a tunnel filled with strange plants with tentacles that
move around, and it will soon fork into two branches. To the left is a large
metal wall or gate with a purple grid-like symbol projected in front of it;
scan the gate to learn that you cannot get past it right now. That leaves you
only one way to go. The other branch of the path is dark and hazy, and leads to
a dark pit. There's nowhere else for you to go, so jump down the pit. You'll
land in a chamber with several small fires burning and cubical containers of
various sizes scattered about. By scanning you'll discover that the boxes are
Federation-issue crates; that means you're on the right track to find out what
happened to the missing troopers! If you want, you can break open the small
crates with a few shots from the Power Beam, but it will take a charged shot
(hold down A) or a Missile (Y) to destroy the large ones. If you needed any,
the crates would sometimes provide you with energy or ammo, but you should be
full right now.
There is also some larger equipment in the chamber: scans reveal that it is
part of a ventilation system converted into a pesticide dispenser; the corpse
of a large insect-like creature called a Splinter nearby was apparently killed
by the pesticide. At the back of the chamber is a metal gate blocking access to
a tunnel. Scan the GF GATE MK VI for another Logbook entry, then scan the
control panel to the left of the gate to remove the armor in front of the two
locks above the gate. Lock-on to the locks and fire at them to open the gate.
In the tunnel are more dead Splinters, and the exit is blocked by a different
type of gate. Look into an alcove to the right to find another control panel;
scan it to open the gate. As you can see, scanning is important for progressing
through the game, for understanding the story, and for learning details about
the various creatures and devices you will encounter.
Through the gate you'll reach another chamber filled with several computer
terminals. The information on the computers was written by the troopers, and
they state that they are under attack from "hostiles," presumably the dead
Splinters you've seen. The platform with a hologram of a map on it is a Map
Station, and you can step onto it to download a map of the area. The door out
of the room is blocked by another web, but as soon as you go through it you'll
get a shock: the bodies of several troopers are hanging from the ceiling, and
small insect-like creatures are crawling all over them! Make sure to scan one
of the creatures, or WORKER SPLINTERS, for a Logbook entry before you shoot
them all; you can also scan the troopers to learn how they died. It looks like
something very bad has happened to the troopers.
In the next room, the Command Chamber, you'll find more computer displays, but
this room is also littered with dead troopers and Splinters. In fact, there's
one trooper, GSGT C. BENET, near the entrance who died trying to reach for a
control panel. Switch to the Scan Visor and you'll see that this trooper is
colored red; that means you can scan him to download an entry from his journal
to your Logbook. The control panel he was reaching for, however, is unpowered.
Switch to the Morph Ball to roll underneath the metal bars blocking your path
to the other side of the room, where you'll find another trooper with a Logbook
entry. SPC B. REEVS will say what you may have already been realizing: that
these tunnels are not manmade, they are part of a hive. The troopers apparently
found themselves in the middle of a hive of Splinters, and have been fighting
for their lives. You'll see a few Worker Splinters scurry through a hole in the
wall; it's just large enough for the Morph Ball.
At the end of the tunnel you'll reach a small circular chamber with a
Federation device in the center, along with more dead troopers and Splinters.
Around the back you'll find a brown circular object. Scan it for a Logbook
entry and to learn that it is a BOMB SLOT, commonly used to power and activate
devices. To use the Bomb Slot, switch to Morph Ball form and lay a bomb in
front of the slot. Let the bomb detonate underneath you so that it bounces you
up into the slot. Once you're inside, lay another bomb. Once it goes off, the
power device will activate and will turn on the panel near the entrance.
But that's not all. All of a sudden, blobs of inky black material will appear
and will cover the corpses of some of the troopers! Once the substance is
inside the bodies, they will stand up and start walking towards you! The black
substance has somehow turned the dead troopers into zombies, and what's worse,
they'll start shooting at you! Quickly try to scan one so that the DARK
TROOPERS will be recorded in your Logbook, then lock-on to one and start
returning fire. You can jump and strafe to make it harder for them to hit you,
and one charged shot is all that's needed to stop them. Once you've killed them
all... again, I guess... roll back through the tunnel into the main part of the
room, where more of the black stuff will promptly appear, bringing more of the
troopers back to life. Take them out as fast as you can, grab any energy they
leave behind, then head back to where you entered the room and scan the
now-activated control panel. It will cause a gate to open, and what else would
be behind it then a few more Dark Troopers! Since they're in a tunnel, you can
let these come at you one at a time, and once you've gotten rid of them you're
done fighting zombified troopers for now. The next room contains nothing but a
bunch of crates where you can recover your health, and once you're refilled
continue on to the next room.
Whatever you were expecting when you entered Hive Chamber B, it probably wasn't
what you'll actually see. Inside, you'll see... you! Someone (or something) is
wearing a Power Suit that looks very similar to yours except that it is almost
completely black. After looking at you for a moment, the "Dark Samus" will
create a large spherical cloud of pulsating blackness and disappear into it!
First you see what looks like an evil copy of yourself, then it creates what
your Scan Visor describes as some sort of "dimensional rift" and disappears
into it! Well, there's nothing for it: you've got to find out who or what your
clone is, so follow it into the black cloud.
You'll emerge on the floor of a bare, rocky area surrounded by high, dark
cliffs, with a terrible-looking purple sky above. The spot you landed in is
next to a bright crystal on top of a pole, which casts a circle of white light
around it. Looking through the sphere of light, you can see the Dark Samus
standing in front of the cliffs. The cliff wall is covered in a bright blue
material that looks strangely familiar, and Dark Samus is somehow absorbing it
into her/his/itself. After a few moments, Dark Samus will notice you and fire
a shot at you. The shot will miss you, but it will shatter the light-giving
crystal. Dark Samus will then run away, but you'll be too busy realizing that
without the light of the crystal protecting you, the atmosphere itself is
damaging your Power Suit. At the same time, a number of hideous black creatures
with long, insect-like legs and faces consisting of a blotch of yellow and red
dots will appear along the edge of the cliff, looking down at you. Then, they
will leap down on you, and you will be unable to resist as they attack you.
Once the creatures are done with you, you will be thrown back out of the black
cloud, which will then disappear. Bruised and battered, your Power Suit will
notify you that several important components have been stolen by the creatures.
Your missiles, Space Jump Boots, bombs, along with other components you haven't
even had a chance to use yet on Aether are all gone. It seems that, in classic
Metroid style, you're going to have to set out to recover your stolen items
from the disgusting black creatures. What's more, you need to find out more
about Dark Samus. It was clear, though, that the material it was absorbing in
the parallel universe or wherever you were was Phazon, the radioactive
substance that caused the downfall of Tallon IV. On top of all that, Dark
Samus's black Power Suit closely resembles the Phazon Suit you wore at the end
of your mission on Tallon IV, and which Metroid Prime pulled off of you in its
death throes. At least, you thought they were its death throes... the Phazon,
the suit, it all seems to indicate that your evil twin is none other than
Metroid Prime! What started out as a simple search-and-rescue mission is
quickly becoming more and more complicated, and you haven't even reached the
first Save Station yet!
You almost have, though. Behind where the cloud was is a tunnel, but it is
blocked by another gate. There is a Morph Ball-sized pipe nearby, but it is
covered with a piece of Talloric Alloy that, since you no longer have bombs,
you cannot break. If you shoot the pods next to the pipe, though, you'll
uncover another pipe, this one uncovered. Roll through it to emerge on the
other side of the gate, although also in the middle of more Dark Troopers. Once
you kill them all, take a look around. The map says there are two doors out of
this room, but only one is visible. Head to where the map says the other one
should be and you'll find a stack of crates against the wall. Shoot them all
(you'll need the Charge Beam to destroy the large ones) to uncover a door
behind them. Through it is a Save Station; step into it to save your game and
refill your energy.
/==============================================================================
3. Make Our Stand [III.A.3]
\==============================================================================
|[Temple Grounds East] |
|o Missile Launcher |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
After you save, exit out of the other door to reach an elevator platform. Scan
the panel, then step into the hologram to activate it. At the top, you'll see
that you're on the other side of the large door with the purple hologram you
saw before you fell into the hive. At the other end of the tunnel is a door,
and it leads out of the Splinter hive.
As soon as you enter the Industrial Site, you'll have to scan and shoot the
locks on another gate, but once it opens you can step out into the open air.
You'll notice while you're outside that the sky will alternate between clear,
sunny skies and threatening purple clouds, similar to the ones you saw while
in the place where your gear was stolen. It seems that something about Aether
is out of the ordinary.
The area is littered with Federation crates, and there is also a large crate
attached to a crane sitting on the ground. In fact, the crate blocks access to
the other side of the room, but scan the control panel to the left and the
crane will lift the crate, transporting it out of the room. Once you walk past
it, three creatures will pop out of the ground and start trying to attack you!
These are SPLINTERS, although they seem smaller than the dead ones you saw in
the hive. Make sure to scan one, then fire a few shots at each of them to kill
them. There's another door with the same purple hologram in this room, but you
can jump onto a ledge to the right that wraps around the edge of the room;
there's a harmless GREEN KRALEE on the path that you can scan and kill if you
want. (By this point you should be getting in the habit of scanning any time
you see a new creature, and I'm going to stop reminding you.) The path ends
across from a GF BRIDGE. Scan it for a Logbook entry, then, like with the
gates, scan the panel and shoot the locks on top to lower the bridge. There's a
door out of the room across the bridge.
The door leads into a tunnel where you'll find the body of a trooper crushed in
rubble. Scan PFC M. VERONI for his log entry (he thinks one of the other
troopers is going crazy), then roll through the Morph Ball tunnel to reach the
other side. When you enter the next room, Temple Assembly Site, you'll see the
crate you lifted in the Industrial Site will arrive and will attach to another
crane. There are more crates and equipment in this room, as well as a platform
in front of another hologram door. More Splinters will appear when you approach
the platform, and once they're gone you can scan the control panel behind one
of the short columns surrounding the platform. The panel will cause the crane
to start to lower the crate, but the winch will malfunction, leaving the crate
hanging in the air. You'll also see a weak spot in the cable; lock-on and fire
at it to snap the cable and drop the crate. Now you can use the crate as a
bridge to reach another ledge with a door.
Inside the tunnel, you'll have to scan a computer terminal to open another
gate, but this is a GF GATE MK VII, so make sure to scan it. Also, when the
gate in front of you opens another one behind you will close, and this can't be
undone, so backtracking is not an option for you right now. Behind the gate is
the Communication Area, where you can see a Federation communications dish
built high above, along with a white tower that must have been built by
whatever race inhabits this planet, although you haven't seen any of them yet.
Follow the path around the high ledges to the left, then around the fence,
where you'll find PFC L. BROUDA on the ground in front of a control panel. Scan
the panel to activate the dish, but it will be useless since the atmosphere is
blocking the distress signal. Continue around the other side of the fence, and
in a small chamber in front of the door you'll meet three more Dark Troopers.
It's harder to avoid damage here since it's so cramped, but try to take them
out as fast as you can.
Inside is the Trooper Security Station, which contains not only some Splinters
but also a ceiling-mounted automated gun, called a GROWLER CLASS TURRET. Strafe
and move around to avoid its shots, and respond with charged shots to destroy
it. The way out is blocked by a gate, but the control panel for it behind a
fence. Roll through a Morph Ball tunnel to the right of the fence to reach the
panel as well as SPC M. ANGSETH. Reading the trooper's log, you'll realize that
you are something of a hero for her! While still reveling in your celebrity,
roll back to the gate. The gate is malfunctioning, causing it to keep going up
and down, so roll through in the Morph Ball to avoid being crushed.
As soon as you enter the next room, you'll see a large spaceship ahead, and
when you approach and see the dead troopers strewn about, you'll realize that
this was the Federation ship. There's a terminal in front of the ship; when you
interface with it you'll see the captain's final log entry describing what
happened. He'll describe how they chased a Space Pirate frigate that was
heading for Aether, but the ship was damaged (like yours) while landing, and so
they started to repair the ship and set up a base. Then, creatures that look
like Splinters except that they are black started appearing in swarms, and they
completely overwhelmed the troopers. It's a sad story, but now you're realizing
that the situation on this planet is getting pretty complex: apparently there
are Space Pirates on Aether, not to mention Dark Samus, as well as the dark
creatures that seem to be attacking from some sort of alternate universe. After
you finish watching the log, turn around and you'll see a large yellow crate
behind the terminal. Destroy it with the Charge Beam and you'll find the
MISSILE LAUNCHER inside! That's one item recovered, but you only have five
missiles right now, so you need to conserve them. As soon as you get the
Missile Launcher, four creatures will emerge from purple circles that appear
out of nowhere and start attacking! These are DARK SPLINTERS, Splinters that
have been possessed by another lifeform similar to the Dark Troopers, and
these are the same creatures that killed the troopers. They are basically the
same as regular Splinters except that they are stronger: it will take about two
charged shots to bring one down.
Once all the Dark Splinters are gone and you have grabbed any energy or missile
ammo left behind, you can begin scanning all the troopers around the ship. You
can get all but one entry of the Force 1 category of the Trooper Logs on the
ground around the ship, a total of five scans. The troopers are: CAPT A.
EXETER, SPC F. TRIPLETTE, PFC G. HALEY, PFC J. BRODE, and PFC S. MILLIGAN. You
can also scan the ship, the GFS TYR, for another Logbook entry. Enter the ship,
and you can see the empty seats that each represent a lost life. Behind the
door in the ship is another Map Station that will provide you with a map of the
rest of the Temple Grounds. To leave the room, jump from an opening on the left
side of the ship, near a small fire, to a higher ledge. At the end of the ledge
you can see the final Force 1 entry above you: you can't reach it, but you can
scan it; apparently PFC I. CRANY is more sceptical of your existence. Next,
scan the metal circle on the ground for a Logbook entry; you only have a
limited number of chances for this one, so go ahead and get it now. Now scan
the panel to activate the KINETIC ORB CANNON and roll into it in Morph Ball
form to get shot to a ledge across the room. From here you can jump down to
another ledge below you with a door on it. The door is protected by a red Blast
Shield, which means it can only be opened with a missile. There's also a Morph
Ball tunnel next to the door, but it just leads to a yellow door (which you
can't open).
In the next room you'll find PFC E. DENYS, who should be the last Trooper Log
entry. Roll through the tunnel to the right to drop down to a lower level
containing WAR WASPS. These can be really annoying, so lock-on to them and try
to kill them as fast as possible. To get out of this room, look up and find a
control panel on a ledge above you. Scan it to activate a cannon that will
shoot you up to the door.
As soon as you enter the next room, Sacred Path, you'll be attacked by more War
Wasps; once you take them out destroy their WAR WASP HIVE with a missile, but
not before you scan it for a Logbook entry. There are several more hives in
this room, and if you don't destroy them they'll continually send War Wasps
after you. To the left of the door you entered by is a large tower with a weak
section of wall. Fire a missile at it to partially damage it, then use the
cannon across the room (the control panel is against the wall next to it; it
can be easy to miss) to blast through the remains. Roll through a gap in the
tower wall to roll along a track that will lead you onto the high ledge at the
other side of the room. Next to the door into a giant tube-like structure is a
dead alien. You don't recognize this species, but it appears intelligent.
Inside the door is a tiny room containing nothing but a control panel and a
circular platform. Scan the panel to activate the elevator, step into the
hologram in the center to travel high up above the Temple Grounds.
/==============================================================================
4. Light of Aether [III.A.4]
\==============================================================================
|[Great Temple, Temple Grounds East] |
|o Energy Transfer Module |
|o Energy Tank 01 |
|o Missile Expansion 03 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
At the top of the elevator, you'll see more dead aliens on the partially ruined
steps, and it appears they died in battle. In the following passage, you'll see
cables leading through a crack in the wall to the left; roll through the hole
to find a Save Station. Once you've saved and refilled your energy, go through
the door at the end of the hallway.
The door leads to a large, beautiful room made mostly of glass, and with a
circle of pillars surrounding the center of the room. Once you step inside the
pillars, a force field will appear behind them and Splinters will start to drop
down from a hive in the ceiling above you. Before they begin to attack, though,
another cloud of black matter will emerge from the hive and infect the
Splinters, turning them all into Dark Splinters. The best way to fight the Dark
Splinters is to lock-on to one and continually fire at it while at the same
time constantly moving. If you just keep firing at one Dark Splinter while
walking around the room, you shouldn't get hit very often. You can also use
your radar to help you see if there any Splinters behind you that you need to
avoid. Be careful while fighting the Dark Splinters, though; you want to
conserve as much damage as possible.
Once all the Dark Splinters are gone, a much larger Splinter will drop from the
hive: this is an ALPHA SPLINTER, the leader of the hive. It also attacks by
jumping at you, but its jumps are much faster and more powerful. When you see
it rear back, it's just about to jump. Dash to the side (press B while pushing
the Control Stick left or right) to avoid the attack. After jumping at you, the
Alpha Splinter will jump back to the other side of the arena. It may take a few
tries to get the timing down to avoid the jump attack, but if you can't dodge
it, it will be difficult to survive the fight. Throughout the fight, keep
firing charged blasts at the Alpha Splinter.
After about a minute of this, though, another black cloud will appear and start
moving towards the Alpha Splinter. Fire as many shots as you can at the Alpha
Splinter before the cloud gets there, because once it does the Alpha Splinter
will become the DARK ALPHA SPLINTER. The Dark Alpha Splinter will keep doing
the jump attack, but it will also fire bursts of purple energy at you. The shot
is fairly easy to avoid by moving around and jumping, and keep dashing the jump
attack. Keep a steady stream of charged shots aimed at the Dark Alpha Splinter
and you can watch its energy meter gradually drain. If your energy starts to
get low, don't forget that you can use your missiles, too. They do about as
much damage as a charged shot, but they're faster, so they are good to use if
both you and the Dark Splinter are close to death.
Once you succeed in killing the Dark Splinter, a glowing blue ball will emerge
from its dead body. When you approach it, it will fly around the room before
flying right into your chest! Electricity will spark all over your Power Suit,
but the unidentified item will not hurt you. Hopefully you can find out what it
is soon. After the force field lowers you'll see that there are doors in each
side of the room, but three of them (including the one you came in by) are
the large metal hologram doors. Scan the walls to learn that behind them are a
number of hibernetic stasis chambers - that's interesting. Go through the only
door available to you to reach an elevator platform.
At the top is a room open to the sky and with a large piece of metal equipment
in the center of the room. Above it is a huge container full of bright, yellow
light. As you take all this in, you'll see one of the aliens standing to the
side, but this one's not dead. It will greet you and tell you its name: U-MOS,
Sentinel of the Luminoth. He will tell you some of the story of what has
happened on Aether. It began when a meteor crashed on the planet, with an
impact so powerful it caused a rift that created two separate versions of
Aether, each existing in its own dimension. The first, inhabited by the
Luminoth, was full of light and peace. But the new Aether was dark and hostile,
inhabited by evil creatures that cared only for destruction. The Luminoth
called these new creatures the Ing, and so began a war that lasted for decades.
(You will recognize the Ing as the creatures that stole your equipment.)
Now the Luminoth have been almost defeated. When Dark Aether was created, the
planetary energy of Aether was divided between the light and dark worlds. If
one world loses its energy, it will be destroyed. The Ing stole a device
designed by the Luminoth to transfer energy, and with it have almost destroyed
Light Aether. But you have just recovered that device, the Energy Transfer
Module, the blue ball that appeared after you killed the Dark Alpha Splinter.
Now only you can save the Luminoth, by transferring the planetary energy from
temples on Dark Aether back to Light Aether. If you do not, then after the Ing
conquer Light Aether they will move on to other worlds, putting numerous
planets, perhaps even your own, at risk. U-Mos will then update your Translator
Module so that you can access devices and doors with Violet holograms. He will
warn you that since the Ing know you have the Energy Transfer Module, they will
do all they can to stop you. Finally, he will conclude his monologue with a
blessing, "May the Light of Aether shine upon you!"
All you originally came here for was to find the troopers, but your mission has
now grown much larger. Now, in order to both avenge the troopers and save the
Luminoth, it looks like you must go after the Ing. And don't forget about Dark
Samus or the Space Pirates, either. When you finish listening to U-Mos, he will
refill your energy, restoring the energy lost from the battle with the
Splinters. Scan both U-Mos and the Energy Controller behind him for Logbook
entries, then turn to leave. There is a violet hologram next to the door, and
since U-Mos upgraded your translator module you can now scan it for a Logbook
entry. This is a piece of Luminoth Lore, entitled ORIGINS, describing how the
Luminoth originally wandered among the stars, meeting many races (including the
Chozo) but having no homeworld. They finally decided that, like other races,
they should find a planet to call their own.
Return to the Temple Sanctuary, and find the translator door with the violet
hologram. Scan it to open it and learn that it is the "Pathway to Agon." In the
hallway behind the door are several LIGHTFLYERS, blobs of yellow light that
fire streams of light energy at you. Just don't get close and fire a couple
charged shots at them to destroy them. At the end of the hall is another
elevator chamber leading back down to the Temple Grounds. You'll have to open
another translator door when you reach the bottom, and it leads into the Temple
Assembly Site, a room you already passed through. You'll have to fight a group
of Splinters here, although a cloud will appear that will soon turn them into
Dark Splinters. Try to kill as many as possible before they transform. Once
they're all dead, look for a door with a red blast shield. You can destroy it
with a Missile, and behind it you'll find an ENERGY TANK! This will give you an
additional 100 units of energy, meaning you now have 199 units of energy.
Head back through Collapsed Tunnel to the Industrial Site, where you'll find
another translator door that you can now open. Just behind the door you'll see
a dead Luminoth, and make sure to scan it. Its final journal entry will be
downloaded to your Logbook as J-FME'S TESTAMENT in a section called "Keybearer
Lore". The door leads to a glass walkway over a cliff, and at the end you'll
find the elevator to Agon Wastes. Don't step onto the elevator just yet,
though. The elevator is located next to a cliff; if you walk to the edge of the
cliff and look to the right, you'll see another Luminoth Lore entry, OUR
HERITAGE (this one describes how the Luminoth finally find Aether and make it
their homeworld). Also, across from the elevator is one of the spiderwebs
created by the Splinters. Shoot the sac in the center of it, and behind it
you'll find a MISSILE EXPANSION. This will allow you to carry 5 more Missiles,
and is the first of 49 hidden all over Aether. Now, scan the control panel and
ride the elevator to Agon Wastes.
##/#
##/### >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
##/--/## B. AGON WASTES [III.B]
###/## >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
#/##
/==============================================================================
1. Fertile Plains [III.B.1]
\==============================================================================
|[Agon Wastes West] |
|o Morph Ball Bombs |
|o Missile Expansion 11 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
It won't take you long after you step off the elevator to realize that this is
a desert environment. In the first couple of rooms, make sure to get the scans
for the AGON BEARERPOD, LUMITE, and SANDGRASS. When you reach the end of the
straight passage, you'll enter the Mining Plaza, a large room with a large
central pillar or tower in the center, ledges and doors around the sides. At
the top of the central rock is a sculpture, and there is some industrial
equipment in the room. As soon as you step on the lower ground in front of the
door, a SANDIGGER, a large worm-like creature, will spring up out of the sand
and start slithering rather quickly towards you. Jump out of the way, and fire
at whichever end has a bright light showing while you avoid the bursts of acid
it will fire at you. Once you destroy both of its heads, it will die in a
rather messy explosion.
Head around the room to the right and you'll see a ledge with a missile door.
Open the door to find a Save Station inside, so make sure to use it. Continuing
to the right around Mining Plaza, you'll run into a second Sandigger, and past
it a translator door, except the hologram on this one is yellow, so you can't
open it. Where the second Sandigger was, there's a ledge that leads up to a
ramp up to a cracked Brinstone pillar. Shoot the pillar with a missile and it
will fall over, creating a bridge to a ledge partway up the central pillar.
You'll see a yellow Lore hologram on the ledge, but since it's yellow it's
inaccessible to you. At the end of the ledge is another Brinstone pillar, and
once you knock it down a swarm of SANDBATS will start flying in a circle around
the pillar. Get rid of them by manually aiming somewhere in their path and
firing as fast as you can; you need to kill most of them because they'll knock
you off the pillar. The second Brinstone bridge leads up to another ramp where
you can reach the top of the central rock. There's a bridge (with more Sandbats
around it) that leads to a door.
The door leads to a Morph Ball tunnel, and the tunnel goes through an
oval-shaped structure. You can see a cannon underneath a block below you and
you can hear the characteristic hum of an item, but there's no way for you to
destroy that block now, so you'll have to go on. At the other end of the
tunnel you'll enter Mining Station A. After rounding a corner surrounded by
large machinery, you'll see a room containing several artificial columns and
more ledges along the walls. You'll also see Space Pirates! Three PIRATE
TROOPERS will appear and will (of course) begin to attack you. Make sure to
scan one, but keep moving to avoid their fire, and use the columns for cover if
you can. Two charged shots will kill a Pirate Trooper. Don't forget to look up
at the ledges and the tops of the pillars if you're being fired on from above.
The Federation troopers came here in pursuit of Space Pirates, and now you have
found them. Once the Pirate Troopers are dead, head over to the ledge on the
right side of the room (with your back to the door you came in by). There's a
door there, but don't go through it yet. At the end of the ledge is a BRIZGEE,
a mostly harmless creature that just wanders around on ledges. You can kill it
with a missile and a few Power Beam shots. From the ledge, jump to the nearest
column, then use the columns to reach the door on the other side of the room.
This door leads to a decorated, purple-colored hallway. As you walk down the
hallway, several flying creatures will let out a high-pitched shriek and start
flying towards you. These are SHRIEKBATS, and rapidly lock-on and fire a shot
at each of them in turn to kill them all before they slam into you. At the end
of the hallway you'll reach the Agon Temple, a giant circular arena. There are
paths that curve around to the left and right from the door, but go straight
ahead into the center of the arena.
When you do, a door will rise out of the ground behind you, locking you in.
Then a giant Sandigger will appear! This is the ALPHA SANDIGGER, and make sure
to scan it immediately, because this is your only chance and it won't be around
long. Even before it really has much chance to attack, an Ing cloud will
appear and possess the Sandigger, transforming it into the BOMB GUARDIAN. It
still looks like a Sandigger, but it now has the ability to create and throw
bombs. This must be one of the Ing that stole your equipment soon after you
arrived! This Ing stole your Morph Ball Bombs, and now you'll have to defeat it
in order to get them back! As the Bomb Guardian moves around the arena, it
will leave a trail of bombs. It will also pause occasionally and fire a few
bombs straight at you. Most of the bombs can be avoided by constantly moving
and jumping. Lock-on to the guardian's glowing tail and keep a steady stream of
fire at it to do a little bit of damage. This isn't the main way to defeat the
Bomb Guardian, though, since it will only glow yellow, not red, when it gets
hit. What you're waiting for is the Bomb Guardian to stop and for its head to
start glowing blue. When it does, fire a charged shot or missile at its head.
This will do major damage to the Bomb Guardian, taking about 1/4 of its energy
meter. If you don't hit it, though, it will spew a ton of bombs into the air
and they will land all over the arena. It's very hard to avoid taking any
damage when this happens, so make sure to hit the Bomb Guardian before it
unloads the attack. After four of these hits, the Bomb Guardian will die, and
the MORPH BALL BOMBS will be yours!
Use your newly-regained Bombs to destroy the doors trapping you in the arena
(Bombs can destroy material made of Talloric Alloy) and go through the door on
the far side of the Agon Temple. Activate the Bomb Slot in the statue in the
next room and the walls will rotate, allowing to enter a door on the other
side. This door leads to the Agon Energy Controller, and it looks similar to
the Energy Controller in the Great Temple, except that this one does not have
any light shining out of the giant container; it is empty. Behind the ENERGY
CONTROLLER is the body of a dead Luminoth and a yellow projector. Scan the
projector to activate a recorded message from the Agon Sentinel, whose body is
lying next to you. The Sentinel will tell you that there is a portal to Dark
Aether nearby, and that you need to find the temple in Dark Aether, where its
Energy Controller is. He'll also explain that the entrance to the temple is
locked, and that you will need to find three keys in Dark Aether in order to
enter. Next, the Sentinel will warn you that the air of Dark Aether is
dangerous, and that you should use Light Crystals placed by the Luminoth for
protection. Finally, he will upgrade your translator module so that you can
read Amber holograms and refill your energy. Once the message has ended, look
for a passage along the side with a Lore hologram in it. Since you can now
translate yellow holograms, you can scan this entry, SAVING AETHER, describing
how the Luminoth built the Energy Controllers to regulate their supply of
planetary energy.
Now you can return to the Agon Temple, where you'll find that the central arena
is now home to several War Wasp hives. Oh goodie. If you explore the paths
around the circumference of the temple, you'll find that there are two doors on
either side, one white and other black, and that you can't open either of them.
Return to Mining Station A (which has no more Pirates), then go through the
door you passed earlier, on the ledge with the Brizgee. Let the cannon shoot
you up and over the wall, then drop down to the other side. Before heading on,
though, stop and roll behind the metal grating, avoiding the cannon, to get a
MISSILE EXPANSION behind the body of a Luminoth. Now go through the door to
enter a long room called Portal Terminal. Two Pirate Troopers will be there,
and once you kill them two more will appear. These Pirates, however, will be
possessed by Ing, and will become DARK PIRATE TROOPERS. Dark Pirate Troopers
attack like regular Pirate Troopers, but they take twice as much damage to
kill, making them dangerous enemies.
Once all the Pirates are gone, a Bomb Slot at the top of the ramp, next to the
circular structure, will turn on. Collect any energy the Pirates left, then
head down the passage to the left of the ramp to find a Lore entry, LIGHT OF
AETHER. Now go up the ramp and investigate. By scanning one of the red circles
on the circular device, you'll learn that it can generate a portal to
Dark Aether, but it's not powered. This must be the portal that the Sentinel
told you about. To get into the Bomb Slot, lay a Bomb underneath you. When it
goes off, it will pop you up into the air, and you will get into the Bomb Slot;
this is called a bomb jump. When you activate the Bomb Slot, power will start
flowing through cables in the floor, and a conveyor belt in the wall to the
right will start moving. Roll into the opening and the conveyor belt will carry
you up into a Morph Ball tunnel in the wall. Roll along the tunnel, using bomb
jumps as necessary, to reach a block at the end. When you bomb it, it will
cause a platform to move into place in the air. This will also disturb a War
Wasp hive, so roll out of the tunnel, kill the wasps, then use the platform to
jump to the other side, where you'll find another Morph Ball tunnel. Follow
this tunnel to move a second platform into place, leading to a third tunnel.
Before you enter this tunnel, though, scan the black creature you can see
rolling around inside it. This is a PILLBUG, a creature found only in Morph
Ball tunnels, so this is one of the few places where you can scan it. Inside
the tunnel, you can stun the Pillbug with a bomb, and kill it with a couple
more.
Once you move the third platform into place, sunlight will stream through the
lenses in the platforms and focus on the portal, powering it fully. Now return
to the portal and scan the red circle next to it. The portal will activate,
creating a cloud of pulsating dark purple matter. When you step into the
portal, you'll make the interdimensional journey from Light to Dark Aether.
/==============================================================================
2. Dimensional Rifts [III.B.2]
\==============================================================================
|[Dark Agon Wastes West] |
|o Space Jump Boots |
|o Dark Agon Temple Key 1 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
When you complete the journey to Dark Aether, you will find yourself standing
in a room that looks very similar to Portal Terminal, and yet different. The
basic layout of the room is practically identical to what it was on Light
Aether, but the room is much darker now and is dotted with several spheres of
bright light, one of which you are standing in. If you step out of the sphere
of light you will begin taking damage at a very fast rate. As you had been
warned, the very air of Dark Aether is damaging to you, and the only areas of
protection are the glowing Safe Zones, which will not only protect you from the
atmosphere, they will slowly refill your energy as long as you stand in them.
Outside the portal generator you'll see several black, blade-shaped lifeforms.
These are BLADEPODS, and they function just like crates in Dark Aether. Step
out of the Safe Zone and quickly run to the next one at the bottom of the ramp,
which is generated by a LIGHT CRYSTAL. There are no other Safe Zones nearby,
but there is a small sparkling ball in the air. This is a LIGHT BEACON, and
when you shoot it it will create a temporary Safe Zone. You'll know the Safe
Zone is about to disappear when it begins to flash. From there you can reach
another Light Crystal (don't forget to scan them for Logbook entries), and then
another next to a Bomb Slot on the left side of the room. You may have noticed
a half-visible Bomb Slot in this location on Light Aether, but it didn't work
because half of it is in both worlds. However, when it is activated here it
will also be activated in Light Aether. Do so, and a gate next to it will
lower. Keep in mind that the same has probably happened in Light Aether, so be
sure to investigate it when you return.
Run through the gate, and you'll find a Light Beacon waiting for you just
inside the door. Continue to a Light Crystal in the center of the room, where
several black puddles are moving around on the floors and walls, occasionally
solidifying into stubby creatures that will fire a shot of black matter at you.
These are INGLETS, and this is the first time you have encountered Ing in their
natural form, not like in Light Aether where they possess other creatures.
There's not a whole lot you can do to avoid their shots other than jump around
a lot and try to kill them as fast as possible. Note that you can damage them
while they are in "puddle" form, although you can't lock-on to them then. Once
they're all dead, you can just stand in the Safe Zone for a little bit if you
want to recover some energy. In the next room you'll find more Inglets, but
past them a Save Station as well as a swarm of NIGHTBARBS, which are very
similar to Sandbats.
Past the Save Station is a door leading to Duelling Range, the Dark Aether
equivalent of Mining Plaza. When you enter the Safe Zone there, a large Ing
with long, angular legs, an insect-like body, and a face made up of a blotch of
orange and yellow dots will appear and attack. This is a WARRIOR ING, the same
type of Ing that stole your equipment in your first, brief visit to Dark
Aether. Warrior Ing are very common across all of Dark Aether, so you'd better
get good at fighting them, because they are strong opponents. First off, make
sure to stay in your Safe Zone; otherwise the atmosphere will kill you faster
than the Ing. At close range, the Warrior Ing will attempt to slash you with
its legs. When it tries to do this, jump back. Its other attack is to fire
several beams of white energy at you. This attack is easier to avoid by jumping
and strafing if you see it coming, but if you're not prepared for it you will
probably get hurt. And like all Ing, the Warrior Ing can dissolve into a puddle
and move over floors and walls. To fight back, just keep pounding at it with
charged Power Beam shots or missiles. There are more effective weapons to use
against the Ing, but right now these are all you've got. Just attack as hard
and as fast as you can while dodging its attacks, and you'll eventually kill
it.
Once the Warrior Ing is dead, you need to get out of the room. You can easily
reach a Safe Zone to the left of the one you fought the Ing from, but once you
reach it there appear to be no more nearby, making it deadly to continue
without the protection of a Safe Zone. There is, however, a small creature
walking back and forth along the path ahead. This creature has several crystals
on its back that give out a light similar to that created by Light Crystals.
This is a LIGHTBRINGER, and you should scan it now, since it only appears a few
times. A Lightbringer is basically a moving Safe Zone. Simply wait for it to
approach you, then follow it as it walks up the path until you can reach the
next Safe Zone. At the top of the path, you'll see a circle of light greenish
light behind bars. You'll need to use another Lightbringer to cross the bridge
just before you reach the door out of the room. After rolling through the Morph
Ball tunnel in the next room, in which you'll have to pass another Missile
Expansion, you'll enter Judgment Pit.
When you enter Judgment Pit, you'll meet another Warrior Ing, but this one is
special. This is the Ing who stole your Space Jump Boots, making him the JUMP
GUARDIAN. Basically, the Jump Guardian has all the abilities of a normal
Warrior Ing, but he can also jump extremely high and far, and when he lands he
will create damaging shock waves. The strategies for fighting the Jump Guardian
are mostly similar to the Warrior Ing, with a few additions due to his jumping
ability. First, make sure to jump over the shock waves, since they can
definitely hurt you. Next, the Jump Guardian cannot be damaged just before he
jumps, while he is in the air, and just after he lands. Other than those times,
though, keep firing charged shots or missiles at the Jump Guardian to steadily
whittle down his energy meter. When he is near death, the Jump Guardian will
start jumping a whole lot more, making him harder to hit. Once this happens,
just fire single shots as fast as you can to hit him whenever you get a chance
and drain off the rest of his energy. Once you succeed, the SPACE JUMP BOOTS
will be yours! Now you can perform a double jump by pressing B again while in
the air.
You'll need your new Space Jump Boots to jump up the ledges around Judgment
Pit. You should head for the red door, which leads to the Dark Agon Temple. You
can see that it mostly resembles the temple on Light Agon with its large
circular arena, but access to the central arena is blocked by a gate with three
oval indentations in it. This is the gate that the three keys will unlock, and
you will need to find those three keys before returning here. Before leaving,
though, follow the path around to the left, where there are Safe Zones. You'll
reach a door, and inside is a tiny chamber containing a red oval inside several
black rings. This is a DARK AGON TEMPLE KEY, one of the three keys needed to
unlock the gate into the center of Dark Agon Temple, and it will be displayed
in the lower-right corner of the map screen to show that you have collected it.
Your first sojourn in Dark Aether is almost over now, and all that remains is
to return to Portal Site. Start by returning to Dark Judgment, and this time
go through the door on the lower level. This leads to Portal Access, and you
may be scared when you see that there are no Light Crystals or Light Beacons in
this room. There is, however, a Lightflyer. Kill it as fast as you can, and
when it dies it will create a temporary Safe Zone. Double jump up to the top of
the ledge, stand in the Safe Zone to recover some energy, then head on through
the door on the other side to reach Portal Site. Quickly head for the large
Safe Zone to regain some energy, then head back to the portal generator and use
it to generate a LIGHT PORTAL. You can scan it for a Research entry, then step
into it to return to Light Aether.
/==============================================================================
3. Stealth Protocols [III.B.3]
\==============================================================================
|[Agon Wastes East] |
|o Dark Beam |
|o Energy Tanks 5,7 |
|o Missile Expansions 10,13,15,16 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
As soon as you return to Light Aether, three Space Pirates will appear in
Portal Terminal, so be ready to fight them. After they're dead and you've
collected the energy they leave behind, head to the far left side of the room,
where the transparent Bomb Slot is. Since you activated the Bomb Slot in Dark
Aether, the gate has been lowered, so go through the door behind it. This leads
to Transport Center, a room with smooth, curved walls on either side. To get
past the room, activate the Bomb Slot in the room to lower the gate; this will
also allow you to pick up a MISSILE EXPANSION. (This has got to be the easiest
expansion in the game.) Past Transport Center, scan the BLUEROOT TREE for a
Research entry, then roll through the fast-moving sand tunnel to reach the Save
Station off of Mining Plaza. Once you save and return to Mining Plaza, you can
open the translator door in the room now. After the door has been opened, lay a
bomb next to the weak spot in the wall to reveal a tunnel that leads to a Map
Station, allowing you to download a complete map of Agon Wastes. You can also
scan the lore hologram on the central pillar entitled PARADISE, which describes
the ideal conditions on Aether prior to the meteor and the Ing.
Cross the bridge and enter the Morph Ball tunnel you passed through earlier.
Lay a Bomb on the block in the center of the oval to destroy it, causing you to
fall into the cannon underneath it. The cannon will shoot you up into a small
chamber containing an ENERGY TANK! In the next room, Mining Station A, you can
open another translator door on one of the upper ledges to reveal a door to
Sand Cache, where you'll find another MISSILE EXPANSION. In order to proceed
further in Agon Wastes, you need to reach the areas beyond Mining Station A. To
do that, jump onto the orange statue in the middle of the sand stream in front
of the gate, then jump onto the ledge on the other side. This ledge will lead
you up to an elevated walkway in front of the gate. Here you'll find another
Lore entry and a control panel that will open the gate.
Beyond the gate is a tunnel, and ahead you'll see several Pirate Troopers
standing next to some cylindrical containers full of a bright blue material
that looks suspiciously like Phazon. To test your suspicions and take out the
Pirates at once, fire a charged shot at one of the canisters (from a distance).
They will explode violently, killing the Pirates. At the end of the tunnel,
you'll enter another open area with several structures and ledges built on it;
this is Central Mining Station. The area has obviously already sustained
damage; a large hole has been blown through a wall across the room, with
flaming debris still scattered around. This is obviously a major part of the
Space Pirates' operations here, and three Pirate Troopers will arrive on a
skiff as soon as you arrive (don't forget to scan the PIRATE SKIFF). Use the
walls, crates, and windmills for cover as you battle the Pirates, but don't let
your guard down. As soon as you kill the first three Pirates, two more will
appear to continue the fight. And once those are gone, two Pirates will appear
on an upper ledge in order to man two large cannons that will fire powerful
green blasts at you. Make sure to scan these VIGILANCE CLASS TURRETS. These
turrets fire very strong blasts, so it's important to keep moving and stay
under as much cover as you can. It will take three missiles or charged shots to
destroy each turret. Once both turrets are destroyed, the battle will finally
be over and the lasers blocking a door on the ground level will turn off.
Through the door is an empty hallway. Although you can't open the door at the
end of the hallway, there are several weak spots in the floor. Bomb one of the
weak spots, then drop down in Morph Ball form to roll through a tunnel that
appears to be made of organic matter. Roll underneath the door to reach a large
room with numerous computer terminals and displays, along with a Dark Portal
generator! While you roll through the twisting tunnels underneath the floor,
avoiding the electricity that arcs across your path in some spots, the portal
will be opened and a group of Space Pirates will go through into Dark Aether!
Pay attention when you're in the center of the room near where the Pirates were
standing, because there's another tunnel off to the right. Follow this tunnel
to reach a MISSILE EXPANSION. Return to the main tunnel, and at the end you'll
reach a small alcove in a corner of the room. Once you exit Morph Ball form,
you'll see that there are a few Space Pirates left in the room, and one will
jump behind a large solid gate that will close in front of him.
Kill the two Pirate Troopers in the room, then take a look around. Across from
the inactive portal is the door you couldn't open and had to roll underneath,
and in front of this door are four computer terminals. Scan these terminals to
download Space Pirate Logs to your Logbook, similar to the Trooper Logs you
found when you first arrived. There are similar clusters of computers on the
left and right sides of the rooms underneath the holographic displays of AETHER
and DARK AETHER. All in all, you can download LOG 44681, LOG 48853, LOG 50086,
LOG 54421, and LOG 62217 to your Logbook. After reading all this information,
you will have a pretty good picture of the Space Pirates' activities on Aether.
Apparently they arrived on Aether after detecting Phazon on the planet. They
established a base, but came under attack by the Ing. After discovering a
portal in their base and opening it using a "Dark Beam" weapon they found, they
saw that the Phazon they were looking for was on Dark Aether. They have been
attempting to mine the Phazon from Dark Aether, but the atmosphere, the Ing,
and the "Dark Hunter" (Dark Samus) have all been hampering their efforts. Some
of the displays also make it clear that the Space Pirates have Metroids with
them.
After you finish absorbing all this, use the elevator to the right of the
portal to reach an upper-level walkway. Another trooper will appear on the
walkway, and just before you reach the door yet another trooper will fire at
you through the broken windows of a detached upper-level chamber. After killing
both troopers, go through the door. Inside the tunnel that follows, you'll see
Dark Samus appear! She will materialize inside a circular chamber, and a gate
will spring up as soon as she appears. After you stare each other in the eyes
for a moment, Dark Samus will rapidly float back down the tunnel, leaving you
stunned... and nervous. There's no way for you to open the gate, but there is
another tunnel to the right. This tunnel leads to the upper-level chamber above
Command Center, where one of the computer terminals will open the large gate in
this room. You'll have to go back through the tunnel to get back to the main
part of Command Center, then go through the door behind the gate. In the
hallway you'll encounter two ceiling-mounted turrets, HUMILITY CLASS TURRETS to
be specific, that are very similar to the turrets you encountered in the
Splinter Hive. Destroy them with a charged shot or missile, then use the Morph
Ball to roll past the moving lasers (roll through when they are moving away
from you).
In the next room, you'll see two Pirates in the room, but they will escape on a
skiff as soon as you enter. Look around, and you'll see that there are several
Metroids being held in tanks! Ride the elevator to an upper level walkway where
you'll encounter a few more Pirates, and at the end of the walkway is a large
tank containing several Metroids and a barely-alive Space Pirate who probably
wishes he were dead. You'll have to walk around the tank, right past several
smaller tanks containing Metroids that will probably ram the walls of their
tanks as you go past. It's creepy, but don't worry; they won't break out. On
the other side of the large tank is LOG 63622. This one says that "The Hunter",
their name for Samus, has arrived, but that she has only been interested in
Phazon, and the Pirates have started calling her the "Dark Hunter." Obviously,
the Space Pirates are not talking about you, but about Dark Samus.
As soon as you go through the next door, a turret will be pointed at your face,
so be ready to take it out as soon as you enter. Use the Bomb Slot to rotate
the metal bars and allow access to the next room; it's obvious the Space
Pirates are taking security very seriously. In the next room, Bioenergy
Production, you'll encounter a new threat: PIRATE AEROTROOPERS. These are Space
Pirates equipped with jetpacks, and they are dangerous. They can fire regular
laser blasts and powerful missiles, and they are faster and more agile than
regular Pirates. They're also tougher: it takes three charged shots or missiles
to bring one down, and when they do that they will make a suicide dive towards
you. Jump around as much as possible to avoid their lasers and missiles, and
respond in kind. Don't forget to get out of the way once you kill one. Once
both Pirate Aerotroopers are dead, a control panel on a bank of terminals will
turn on. Scan this, and three stacks of platforms will raise from the floor.
On the other side of the room are three more sets of computer terminals, and
there are controls on each terminal for moving the platforms in each stack up
or down. You need to manipulate the platforms so that you can climp up them to
the upper level, where the door is. At each terminal you will find a vertical
display showing the positions of the platforms in that stack. The platforms are
marked with a drawing of a Metroid; from what you've learned, the Space Pirates
are using the Metroids to generate power somehow. The platforms are empty now,
but apparently they are supposed to contain Metroids. At each set of terminals,
there are also two small panels sticking out from the sides of the left and
right displays. By scanning these panels, you can move the platforms in that
stack up or down. The left panel moves whichever platform can move down down,
and the right panel moves whichever platfrom can move up up. After a little
practice, you should be able to move the platforms into any arrangement you
want. There are actually two goals to accomplish with these platforms: at one
end of the upper level of the room is a door, and on the other end is an ENERGY
TANK. The following diagrams will show the positions needed to reach both. In
the diagrams, a # means that a platform should be in that position, while a _
means that spot should be empty. Each stack is labelled A, G, or D, which stand
for alpha, gamma, and delta. These are the names of each stack, and you can
learn which is which by scanning the controls for each stack. Here are the
diagrams:
Energy Tank Door
# # _ _ # #
# _ # # _ #
_ # # # # _
# # # # # #
G D A G D A
Obviously, once you have the platforms in the correct alignment, you need to
jump up the platforms. The jumps are long, but they are possible. Make sure to
wait until you are at the very edge before jumping, and wait until you are as
high and far as possible with your first jump before starting your second jump.
Once you have the platforms in the correct position to reach the door, you'll
hear the sound that plays when you complete a puzzle.
Through the door you'll have to enter a Morph Ball maze guarded by a number of
lasers. Make your way through slowly and carefully; the way to take damage in
these areas is to rush. Pay attention to the patterns and stay in safe spots
until you're sure where to go next. When you reach the end, you will have
destroyed the lasers blocking the straight-forward lower path, which will make
any future journeys through this room quick and easy. At the end of the Morph
Ball tunnel is a Save Station, which you will most likely be very ready for.
Don't forget to scan LOG 67135 in front of the Save Station before going on to
the next room. Sand Processing consists of a semicircular pit full of sand,
with ledges and rooms visible, but inaccessible, above. There are two turrets
guarding this room, so destroy both of them, then fire a missile at the
far-left section of the sloping wall to expose a narrow pathway. This leads to
the Reactor Core, and when you enter you'll start to hear some very ominous
music. Look down through the window you can see that there are several tanks of
Phazon on the floor below. Follow the hallway to the left, then drop down to
the floor.
You'll see that Dark Samus is standing next to the central Phazon tank and is
drawing Phazon out of it. When you land, Dark Samus will see you and stop
draining Phazon from the tank. After a few tense moments in which you stare at
each other, attempting to see what is behind that dark visor. Finally, Dark
Samus will suddenly spring into action and begin her attack; the battle has
begun. By scanning DARK SAMUS 1, you'll see that she/it possesses many weapons
similar or superior to yours, including a missile launcher, a scattershot Power
Beam, and a Phazon shield. Dark Samus moves not by running but by gliding with
her feet just off the ground, but she can also jump and dash sideways very
fast; this will break a lock-on. When Dark Samus raises her arm cannon up in
the air, she is about to fire a wide swath of small blasts; if she points it
straight ahead, she is about to fire a powerful missile. Dash to the side just
before she fires either attack to avoid them. An important thing to remember is
that Dark Samus's attacks can destroy the Phazon tanks in the room: when this
they will leave flames burning at that spot for the remainder of the battle.
Until they are destroyed they can be used for cover, but they probably won't
last. Only the large central tank cannot be destroyed. At first, attack Dark
Samus with charged Power Beam shots and missiles. Remember that when she dashes,
it will break your lock-on, so find her and lock-on again. Also, it's important
to keep moving and to stay a safe distance away from her, since she is very
fast.
Once you have knocked off somewhere from 1/3 to 1/2 of Dark Samus's energy,
you'll see a brief cutscene and Dark Samus will start using more powerful
attacks. She'll begin firing a large red beam that will likely destroy several
of the Phazon tanks. For her other new attack, Dark Samus will leap into the
air, a sphere of Phazon will condense around her, and she will fly straight at
you into the ground at amazing speed. This is a powerful attack, and to avoid
it you need to dash just before she charges at you. During this part of the
battle, Dark Samus will block your missiles, and possibly charged shots, with
her Phazon shield (which appears as a sphere of Phazon around her), so a
constant stream of single Power Beam shots is your best attack for this part of
the battle. When Dark Samus has about 1/4 energy remaining, she will start
using both her old and new attacks. It can be difficult to keep up with Dark
Samus during this final stretch, but charged shots and missiles should be
effective again, so fire at her with whatever you've got.
If you survive the battle, Dark Samus will let out a terrible scream while a
rush of Phazon energy passes out of her, shattering all the Phazon tanks around
the walls of the room. She will then collapse and dematerialize into a
collection of blue dots that will be dispersed throughout the room. Finally, an
elevator in one corner of the room will lower. You may have won this round, but
it doesn't look like this is the last time you'll see Dark Samus. Scan the
PHAZON in the shattered tanks for a Research entry, then take the elevator up
to reach the upper hallway. Here you'll find a door leading to a small storage
room, and inside is the DARK BEAM. This is the Luminoth-designed weapon the
Space Pirates found, and it fires blasts of dark energy. The Dark Beam is more
powerful than the Power Beam (especially in Light Aether), but it has a much
slower rate of fire. Also, each time you fire a shot of the Dark Beam, one of
your 50 shots of ammo will be depleted (a charged shot costs 5 ammo). There's
also a Space Pirate Log entry next to the Dark Beam, LOG 69898, which relates
an escalation in intensity in the war between the Ing and the Luminoth, in
which the Space Pirates have found themselves caught in the middle.
Use the Dark Beam to open the door back to Reactor Core, then follow the
hallway to reach a gate with a white crystal, similar to the one you saw in the
security station off of Command Center. A Dark Beam shot will cause the crystal
to turn purple and the gate will open. Go through the black door just past the
gate to enter Security Station B from the other side. There are two more gates
to open, and one of the computer terminals contains LOG 70136, which describes
the arrival of the Federation troopers, much to the Pirates' dismay. Once
you've opened both gates you can return to Command Center, where a new breed of
Pirates will be waiting for you. There are now two PIRATE GRENADIERS in the
room, and they can fire powerful grenades from their arm-mounted cannons. One
will hide on the upper level near the elevator, and the other one is on the
lower level near where you exited the Morph Ball tunnels. Their grenades are
powerful, but they can't fire them if you're too close, so walk right up to the
Pirates and blow them away (use the Power Beam; you need to save your Dark Beam
ammo).
Now you can return to Biostorage Station, although now the TALLON METROIDS will
break out of their tanks. To destroy them, fire a charged Dark Beam shot to
freeze them in a chunk of purple matter so you can destroy them with a missile.
Dash to the side when one charges at you; if it latches on, switch to Morph
Ball mode and lay a bomb to knock it loose. Once both Metroids are dead, go
through the black door on the upper level to find a MISSILE EXPANSION. Now
return to Command Center, where the inactive DARK PORTAL still is, waiting to
be opened. To do so, fire a Dark Beam shot into it. This will cause the portal
to open; walk into it to return to Dark Agon Wastes.
/==============================================================================
4. Wounded Planet [III.B.4]
\==============================================================================
|[Dark Agon Wastes East] |
|o Light Beam |
|o Dark Agon Temple Keys 2,3 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The dark version of Command Center is called Doomed Entry, and it contains
several doors, stone platforms, Dark Splinters, and floating gas-spewing
spheres called DARK PREEDS. There are also several Space Pirate bodies lying
dead around the room near pools of Phazon. Go to the Light Beacon across the
room and look over at the crystal to the right. It looks like a Light Crystal,
but the crystal is covered in dark material and it is not emitting a Safe Zone.
This is a NULLIFIED CRYSTAL, and you can restore it to normal by firing a few
Power Beam shots at it. Now head over to the crystal and look at the Luminoth
statue on the base of the ledge nearby. Destroy the statue with a missile to
reveal a white crystal. This is a LIGHT LIFT CRYSTAL (Research entry), and when
you fire a Dark Beam shot at it the crystal will turn purple and the entire
ledge will lower (it's now a DARK LIFT CRYSTAL). Now you can jump on top of the
ledge and use it to reach a higher ledge in the center of the room. From here,
you can jump to the DARK AGON TEMPLE KEY, the second of three. There's a black
door behind the key, but it leads to a dead end so follow the ledges to another
black door.
The next room is a short passage containing another dead Pirate and a Warrior
Ing. Kill the Ing as quickly as possible with missiles and charged Power Beam
shots, then continue to another tunnel called Dark Oasis. To the left, the
tunnel leads to a white door which you can't open, but to the right is a normal
door next to a closed Light Portal. You can't open the portal, so go through
the door. In the next room, Dark Aether's equivalent of Sand Processing, the
door is on a high ledge. On the back of the central pillar is another lift
crystal; lower it with a Dark Beam shot and use the pillar to reach the door.
There's a Save Station in the next room along with more dead Pirates; it looks
like the Pirates' Phazon mining operation in Dark Aether had a heavy cost. The
next room is a Morph Ball tunnel with a pool of Phazon in the middle. Take the
upper path, and do a bomb jump to leap over the gap and avoid falling in the
Phazon.
The tunnel leads to Phazon Site, where Phazon covers a large expanse of the
floor and moving platforms float overhead. Drop down onto the side of the
ground without Phazon and look around. There's a door out of the room on the
ground level, but it is locked and you must scan three control panels in the
room to unlock it. For the first, head onto the raised ledge along the side
wall of the room. For the second, jump from the side ledge onto the moving
platforms. Use the moving platforms to reach an alcove set high in the wall,
where you'll find the second panel. To reach the third and final panel, drop
down from the ledge onto a "dry" area where several crates are piled against
the wall. Destroy the crates and you'll find the final panel behind them,
which will unlock the door.
In Watering Hole, the next room, you'll find a pool of toxic water with several
platforms in them. There are also large creatures on the walls called INGCLAWS;
they can't be killed, but they release toxic gas into the air, so you'll take
damage if you stand near to it. There are also a large number of Lumites in the
room which will be a major pain in the butt. They will stand on the edge of the
Safe Zone and fire their blasts at you from all directions. All you can do is
find them and kill them as fast as you can. Use the platforms to reach the
other side, where a door leads to Feeding Pit, another room with several
pillars. This time there are only Nightbarbs in the room, which aren't as
annoying as Lumites. You need to find lift crystals on the sides of the
pillars. They're located near the top of the pillars, so fire at both of them
to lower the platforms. Now you can jump on top of the pillars to reach a door
high up in the wall. The door leads to a tiny room containing the LIGHT BEAM,
with a dead Luminoth by it. The counterpart to the Dark Beam, the Light Beam
also requires ammo, but it fires a stream of pure light energy that is very
potent on dark creatures. Also, now that you have the Dark and Light Beams you
can recover ammo for both of them: when you destroy crates or enemies with the
Dark Beam they will give you Light Ammo, and when you use the Light Beam you
will get Dark Ammo.
When you return to Feeding Pit, you'll see that it is now filled with Lumites.
But don't fear! With the Light Beam, you can soon make short work of them.
Here's how: activate a Safe Zone with the Power Beam, then once some Lumites
are on it fire a Light Beam shot at the crystal or beacon. The Safe Zone will
become extra-bright, and any Lumites on it will be instantly killed. When you
fire a Light Beam shot at a Light Crystal/Beacon, it becomes an ENERGIZED
CRYSTAL/BEACON, and any creatures that touch it will be killed as soon as it
touches the Safe Zone. Make sure to scan these for Research entries, as well as
the NULLIFIED CRYSTALS/BEACONS that you can create by firing a Dark Beam shot
at them.
In the next room the passage will be blocked by several black spiderweb-like
creatures with a large eye in the center. You can destroy these WEBLINGS easily
by shooting the eye with the Light Beam, but make sure to scan one first, since
this is the only time they appear. The passage will return you to Doomed Entry,
and now you should go through the door behind where the Dark Temple Key was.
This leads to a straight passage containing several Dark Splinters, but at the
end it leads to a ledge over a large room called Battleground. The final Dark
Temple Key is in the center of the room, but when you drop down to claim it
five Warrior Ing will appear and will swallow up the key. You must now defeat
all five Warrior Ing in order to earn the key. At some point during the fight,
make sure to scan the ING WEBTRAP blocking the door; this is another one-time
scan. Five Warrior Ing may seem intimidating, but the fight can be much easier
if you use the Light Beam. A single charged Light Beam shot will kill a Warrior
Ing, so this fight can actually go rather quickly. If you get low on Light
Ammo, switch to the Dark Beam and shoot the Bladepods in the room to get more.
Once all the Ing are dead, the DARK AGON TEMPLE KEY will reappear and you can
collect it.
Exit through the lower door, which leads to a passage full of DARKLING
TENTACLES, sharp tentacles that swipe back and forth across the passage. Shoot
them with the Power Beam to cause them to temporarily retract into the wall
long enough for you to get past. Now you're back in Doomed Entry, and you're
ready to leave Dark Aether, but there's no Light Portal where you entered.
You'll need to find a different portal in order to leave. To do so, go through
the black door at the top of the platforms to reach Dark Oasis. Now, go through
the white door to the left to find an Ammo Station, where you can refill your
missiles, dark ammo, and light ammo. Once you're refilled, head to the other
end of the room. There you'll find an unopened Light Portal, but you can open
it with a shot from the Light Beam. Go through the portal to return to Light
Aether, in the Reactor Core. Once you're back, head through the nearby door to
reach the Save Station.
/==============================================================================
5. Thrice-Cursed Ing [III.B.5]
\==============================================================================
|[Agon Wastes West, Dark Agon Wastes West] |
|o Energy Tank 06 |
|o Beam Ammo Expansion 2 |
|o Missile Expansions 20,21 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
You have now recovered all three Dark Temple Keys and have explored almost all
of the Agon Wastes, so all you need to do is pick up a few items hidden here
and there and then enter the Dark Agon Temple.
Return to the Command Center and leave via the white door on the upper level,
not the black door you rolled under the first time you entered the room. The
white door, like the lower door, leads to Central Mining Station, but this time
you'll enter it on the balcony containing the turrets. The first time you came
through here, Space Pirates manned the turrets and used them to fire powerful
laser blasts at you. But now you can use the turrets, so go ahead and step into
one of the holograms to activate the turret. Now, the only question is what
should you fire at? If you use the Scan Visor before you enter the turrets,
you'll see that there are a couple of large crates in the room. These are Space
Pirate generators, and they can only be destroyed by heavy weapons fire. In the
left turret, fire at the crate on the ground next to the wall to blow it up,
causing one of the Pirate Skiffs stored on the wall to be knocked loose. Also,
there's a generator just to the left of the rectangular shield across the room.
Go ahead and fire at it to save yourself a little time later. Now go to the
right turret and fire at the generator sitting on a ledge in front of you. This
will destroy the rock wall behind it, revealing a small Space Pirate station.
There are actually two Pirates inside, and they will attack you. Hit them with
fire from the turret before their shots do enough damage to destroy the turret.
Now that you've used the turrets to destroy all the generators, it's time to
see what your reward is for all your destruction. Jump down and climb on top of
the skiff you knocked off the wall. By making a long double jump from the edge
of it, you can reach the top of the small pillar nearby. From there, you can
easily reach the ledge where the Pirates were and enter the small room, which
contains two computer terminals. One of them contains the final Space Pirate
Log, LOG 71599, which describes your arrival on Aether. From it, you can sense
the Pirates' dread that they now have two Samuses to deal with, plus the Ing,
but they also hope to be able to use your antagonism to their own advantage.
Out of the room is another tunnel, which leads to a walkway in front of the
large rectangular shield; behind it you can see an item. The shield itself is
indestructible, but if you already destroyed the generator next to it there
will be a Morph Ball tunnel in the wall that leads to the area behind the
shield. (If you didn't destroy this generator, you need to return to the
balcony to do so. The only way to reach the balcony is by going back to the
Command Center and exiting through the white door.) Roll through the tunnel to
claim the item, which is a BEAM AMMO EXPANSION. These rare items increase the
maximum capacity of both your dark and light ammo by 50, so you can now hold up
to 100 dark and light ammo. Also in the area with the expansion is a dead
Luminoth; scan him for J-STL'S TESTAMENT, another Logbook entry that goes in
the Keybearer Lore section.
Once you've gotten the Beam Ammo Expansion, backtrack to Mining Station A. Two
Pirate Aerotroopers will be waiting for you when you enter, but after disposing
of them take the door that leads to the Agon Temple. (This has nothing to do
with the three keys you've collected; you need to return them to the Dark Agon
Temple). Head to the left and go through the black door. This leads to Mine
Shaft, a Morph Ball tunnel filled with Pillbugs that spirals down the edge of a
cylindrical tube. This room is actually a dead end; you can't open the door at
the bottom, but there is an Energy Tank here that you can get. You'll see it
above and to the right of you when you first enter the shaft.
To get it, roll down the tunnel, making sure to roll past the block that will
disappear as soon as you touch it. Past it is an area with a Pillbug rolling
around a central block. There's an opening in the "ceiling" above the Pillbug's
ledge, and to reach it you need to do a double bomb jump. For instructions on
how to do this, see section V.A.5.b.i., the Morph Ball Bomb entry in the
Inventory section. When you do a successful double bomb jump and reach the
upper level, you'll need to let yourself fall through a series of breakable
blocks, but make sure to stay as high as possible. When you reach a second set
of breakable blocks you have to fall through, hold the Control Stick to the
left as you fall, because you need to enter a passage behind the wall that's
next to the next-to-last block. Once in the hidden passage, you can tell your
position by the blue glow of the Morph Ball through the slits in the rock.
These slits also show the path that the tunnel follows, so bomb jump up to
follow the secret passage and reach the ENERGY TANK.
Now you can exit the Mine Shaft and return to the Agon Temple, and travel to
the opposite side of the room, where you'll find a white door. Through this
door is a vast chasm, but you can use the cannon and let it fire you across.
On the other side is another Morph Ball tunnel, and here you can find another
Missile Expansion. Roll to the platform with the second Pillbug, just past the
tunnel leading away from you. Kill the Pillbug, then do a double bomb jump to
reach the top of the platform. Now do another double bomb jump up the tunnel,
and at the top you'll find the MISSILE EXPANSION. Both exits out of this area
lead to dead ends (although if you go straight, to the Main Reactor, you can
find B-STL'S TESTAMENT, another Keybearer Lore scan), so head back the way you
came and return to the Agon Temple.
Now you've explored Agon Wastes as thoroughly as you can, so return to the
Portal and travel to Dark Agon. Although you could head straight for the
temple, you can get one more Missile Expansion by going to Duelling Range, the
Dark Agon equivalent of Mining Station A. From there, look for a black door and
go through it. It leads to a dead-end passage, but underneath the ledge you
enter on is a MISSILE EXPANSION. Jump down into the Safe Zone and turn around
to see it.
You have now collected all three Dark Agon Temple Keys, as well as all possible
items and expansions so far, so it's time to enter the Dark Agon Temple. Make
sure to stop by the Save Station located off of Judgment Pit, then go to the
temple.
/==============================================================================
6. Potent Energy [III.B.6]
\==============================================================================
|[BOSS: Amorbis] |
|o Dark Suit |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
There will be a swirling red light in front of the gate into the interior of
Dark Agon Temple, and when you step into it the three Dark Temple Keys will fit
into depressions on the front of the gate, and it will open. Jump down into the
circular arena and you'll see a large solid black sphere in the center, with
three monstrous worm-like creatures attached to it. The giant black worms will
then leap off of the sphere into the air and dive into the ground (one of them
right in front of you). With that, the battle against Amorbis will begin.
While you wait for Amorbis to reappear, scan the sphere. You'll learn that it
contains dark energy, and while Amorbis is attached to it, it can draw dark
energy from it. Shortly, one of the three worms that make up Amorbis will burst
out of the ground and dive through the air again before crashing underground
again. Scan Amorbis while it's in the air for the first half of its Logbook
entry (AMORBIS 1). Amorbis can't attack at this point, beyond crashing into
you, but you can use your weapons to destroy its armor.
To see where Amorbis is about to reappear, look for a rumbling and shaking on
the ground. Also, you will be able to lock-on to Amobris a second or two before
it emerges. When it's locked-onto and in range, fire with the Light Beam to
damage its black armor plating. If Amorbis is about to emerge or land in your
Safe Zone, move out of it for a few seconds until it's gone. And of course,
make sure to stay in the Safe Zone the rest of the time so that you don't
continually take damage from Dark Aether's atmosphere.
As you hit Amorbis, you'll knock off pieces of its black armor, revealing a
white body underneath. When all the armor is gone, Amorbis will reattach itself
to the dark sphere, which will cause all its armor to regenerate and allow it
to launch new attacks at you. Scan Amorbis while it's attached to the sphere to
complete the Logbook entries for this boss (AMOBRIS 2). Amorbis will be able to
fire dark energy at you, which can hurt you in two ways: the attack can simply
hit you, or it can hit the Light Crystal, which will nullify it. You can't
un-nullify the crystal with your Light or Power Beams, so use the Morph Ball to
quickly roll to another Safe Zone. Watch out while doing this, however, since
Amorbis can snap at you while you're rolling. To attack Amorbis, lock-on to its
head and fire missiles or the Light Beam at it. After being hit by five
missiles, the head will be blown off, leaving a circular opening in its body
from which Amorbis will start sucking like a vacuum. This may seem
counterintuitive, but now is your chance to damage Amorbis. Switch to the Morph
Ball and allow yourself to be sucked up by Amorbis. While inside, lay a bomb.
When the bomb detonates, a series of explosions will course through Amorbis,
and Amorbis will writhe uncontrollably, causing it to lift the sphere and slam
it into the ground. This will cause the sphere to begin to crack, and will take
off 1/6 of Arorbis's energy.
Now the worm will detach itself from the sphere again, but this time two worms
will begin diving through the air. Pick up any needed energy and ammo left by
the first worm, then start attacking the two worms with the Light Beam just
like the last one. The only difference from before is that now you have to
watch out for two worms that could crash into you instead of just one. Once the
armor has been destroyed on one worm, it will stay underground until all the
armor is destroyed on the second as well. After you destroy the armor from both
worms, they will both attach to the sphere and the second phase of the battle
will repeat. Both worms can fire dark energy at you, and they can also combine
to fire two laser beams that will rotate in a circle around the arena. When one
of the beams approaches you, jump back to avoid it. It's best to attack each
head separately here in order to lower the number of attacks being fired at
you. Focus on destroying whichever head is closer to you, then don't forget to
enter the hole and lay a bomb, since that's what's actually does damage.
Once both worms have been destroyed, you guessed it, three worms will start
diving around the arena. This final phase of the fight will proceed just like
the other two, except that there will be three worms to avoid, not just one or
two. Once they're attached to the sphere, you may have to move between Safe
Zones fairly often, at least until you destroy a worm. The final worm will be
especially vicious, and will try to hit you while you move between Safe Zones.
As soon as you lay the bomb in the belly of the final worm, you will be
rewarded with the sight of Amorbis writhing on the ground one last time,
slamming the sphere for the third time. Amorbis will then crumble into dust,
and the sphere will explode, leaving behind an icon shaped like the Metroid
logo. Step into the logo, and your traditional yellow Varia Suit will be
replaced with the brown and antique-looking DARK SUIT. This suit was designed
by the Luminoth, and it significantly reduces the effects of Dark Aether's
atmosphere. You will still take damage in Dark Aether, but only at the rate of
about one unit per second, the same rate that you regain energy while in a Safe
Zone. This means that you do not need to worry nearly as much about venturing
outside of Safe Zones.
Now that you have defeated the guardian of Dark Agon Wastes and received the
Dark Suit, enter the door at the opposite end of the temple to reach the Dark
Agon Energy Controller. Its collector is currently full of a bright red light,
but step up to the interface design in front, and you will insert your Arm
Cannon into it, using the Energy Transfer Module to transfer all the energy
into yourself. Now you need to return the energy to its rightful home, Light
Aether. Unfortuneately, the Ing won't make it easy for you. When you return to
the temple, you'll find three Warrior Ing waiting for you. Use the Light Beam
to fight them if you can, otherwise just run past them. Also, when you make it
back to the portal room, it will contain three Dark Pirate Troopers. However
you can, activate the portal and travel to Light Aether. Once there, head for
the Agon Temple and return to the Energy Controller. Approach its interface,
and this time the energy will flow out of you and into the Agon Energy
Controller, causing it to fill with a pure yellow light. When the energy
transfer is complete, a beam of energy will be directed to the Great Temple,
where U-Mos will see it arrive. Also, the hologram of the Agon guardian will
appear once more to thank you for restoring the energy to Agon. Now that you've
returned the energy to Agon Wastes, it's time to return to U-Mos in the Great
Temple.
##/#
##/### >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
##/--/## C. TORVUS BOG [III.C]
###/## >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
#/##
/==============================================================================
1. Path to Torvus [III.C.1]
\==============================================================================
|[Temple Grounds West, Sky Temple Grounds West] |
|o Missile Expansions 1,2,4,49 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Take the elevator back up to the Temple Grounds, and follow the path back to
Industrial Site. Before you head towards the elevator to the Great Temple in
Temple Assembly Site, though, you can find several Missile Expansions by making
a quick detour.
Take the door that leads back towards the Landing Site instead. Pass the
elevator that leads up from the end of the Splinter Hive, and by opening
several translator doors you will reach the tentacle plant-filled tunnel just
off of the Landing Site. At one end of this tunnel is a pit that leads down to
the Splinter Hive. Jump down it again, and you'll find a dead trooper on the
floor. When you approach it, though, it will be possessed by an Ing, becoming
the DARK MISSILE TROOPER. This is the only time it appears, so make sure to
scan it. It moves slowly and jerkily, just like the regular troopers, but this
one can fire missiles instead of the usual energy shots. The missiles are not
hard to dodge, however, so you should be able to avoid them easily while firing
back with your own missiles or whatever weapon you choose. When the Dark
Missile Trooper is dead, it will leave behind a MISSILE EXPANSION.
The only way to get out of the hive is to continue all the way through it again
until you reach the elevator. This shouldn't be much of a problem, though,
since most of the rooms will be empty. A few will still have one or two Dark
Troopers inside, though, so watch out. In Hive Chamber B, the room where you
first encountered Dark Samus and the Dark Portal, the room appears to dead-end
at an immovable gate. Next to the gate, however, are two Morph Ball tunnels.
One is open and leads around the gate, but the other one is covered with a seal
of Talloric Alloy. Use a bomb to destroy the seal and roll through the tunnel
to find another MISSILE EXPANSION.
Now run through the rest of the Splinter Hive, return to the surface, and make
your way to Temple Assembly Site. Here, you can find another Missile Expansion
before taking the elevator up to the Great Temple. Near the elevator door (to
the left as you face the door) is a large block near the wall. You can double
jump on top of this block, then use it to reach a nearby ledge with two crates
on it. This ledge leads along the edge of the room, and by following it you can
reach a Morph Ball tunnel. Roll through this tunnel for yet another MISSILE
EXPANSION.
Now that you have added 15 missiles to your collection, take the elevator up to
the Great Temple. However, there are still more upgrades to be found! First of
all, you can kill the Lightflyers in the hallway with a single shot from the
Dark Beam. Now, look at the left wall in the hallway (Transport B Access), as
you face the Temple Sanctuary. You'll see Morph Ball-sized ledges in the side
of the wall. Bomb jump up the ledges to reach a tunnel that leads to, you
guessed it, another MISSILE EXPANSION.
OK, there will be no more Missile Expansions in this section. Enter the
sanctuary and take the elevator up to U-Mos in the Main Energy Controller room.
He'll thank you for returning the energy to Agon, then warn you that the Ing
will be seeking revenge and guarding their remaining energy more closely. He'll
tell you that there is increased Ing activity in the Torvus sector, meaning
that it should be your next destination. Now that you know where to go, return
to the Temple Sanctuary. Of the four doors leading out of the sanctuary, one
leads back towards Agon Wastes, and one you just came out of. Of the remaining
two, one is sealed with a green translator door, which you can't open, while
the other one is yellow. You can open that door, and when you do it will tell
you that it leads to Torvus. In the hallway behind the door you'll encounter a
new, yet familiar, creature: HARMONY CLASS DRONES. If you played the first
Metroid Prime, you remember these as Pulse Bombus, but on Aether they have a
different name. They act exactly the same, however, so fire a charged Power
Beam shot at them to destroy them.
When you take the elevator back down, you will find yourself in a part of the
Temple Grounds you've never been before. In front of you is a large half-pipe
with a path behind it, as well as a ton of War Wasps. There's another door
through a narrow tunnel off to the left, but it is blocked by a green blast
shield, which you can't open right now. Fend off the War Wasps, then follow the
path past the half-pipe to reach Hall of Eyes. Here you'll discover that the
only door out is blocked by another green blast shield, but there is a Dark
Portal in the room. Since that appears to be your only option, activate the
portal and enter it.
Now that you are in Sky Temple Grounds, the Dark Aether version of Temple
Grounds, the rooms have the same basic shape but different doors and enemies.
Get rid of the Inglets in the room, then go through the normal blue door in
front of you (which in Light Aether was the locked green door). The next room,
Abandoned Base, has the shape of a large U, with several circular nodes at
points along the way. There are no Safe Zones along the way, but with your new
Dark Suit you should have plenty of time to make it to the end before you start
to be in serious trouble. You will not encounter many enemies along the way,
except that at one node, your path will be blocked by several laser beams
sweeping back and forth. These lasers are created by CORRUPTED SENTREYES on the
wall, and by shooting them you can turn them off for a few seconds, allowing
you to pass.
When you reach the end of the room, you'll find a platform hanging in the
center of a final circular node and locked in place by four metal arms grasping
it from the edges of the node. There is a Safe Zone on the platform, so you can
stand there and recover as much energy as you need. Past this node is a dead
end, but by scanning the platform you'll learn that you can activate it by
activating four Bomb Slots, which will disengage the locks. To reach the Bomb
Slots, use the pistons on either side of the ledge at the end of the node. They
lead up to a circular track on which the Bomb Slots are evenly spaced. The only
problem is that once you activate a Bomb Slot, a wall will slide into place on
one side of the slot, which can make it impossible to reach all the other
unactivated Bomb Slots. There are multiple ways to solve this puzzle, but here
is one simple solution: Go up the right piston (with your back to the platform)
and go past the first Bomb Slot. Activate the second one, then continue around
the track activating each slot as you come to it. Now take the piston down,
then cross to the other piston, ride it back up, and finally activate the last
remaining Bomb Slot, the one you passed originally.
Once all the locks have been disengaged, jump onto the platform and it will
start moving back through the room. Don't get distracted during the trip,
though, because several swarms of Nightbarbs will fly at you, so be ready with
the Power Beam to fend off as many as you can. When the platform comes to a
stop, jump from it to a ledge containing a Light Portal, and go through the
portal.
You are now in the Light Aether room corresponding to Abandoned Base, and it is
much simpler, though not without its challenges. You will soon encounter two
Dark Pirate Troopers, and after them you'll fight a Pirate Grenadier. This room
also has the U shape and the circular "nodes" and you'll need to fire a Light
Beam shot at the dark crystals on the blocks in the nodes to move them into
position so you can progress. When you reach the last node, which has a shallow
pool of water in it, you'll need to jump onto the platform in the middle of the
pool from dry land in order to reach it. The door leads to a path along the
side of a cliff with several War Wasp Hives nearby. Take out the wasps and
continue to the door at the end, which contains an elevator.
/==============================================================================
2. Harsh and Poisonous [III.C.2]
\==============================================================================
|[Upper Torvus Bog, Upper Dark Torvus Bog] |
|o Super Missile |
|o Energy Tank 8 |
|o Missile Expansions 29,32 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
At the bottom you'll land in a room that seems to be the exact opposite of Agon
Wastes: instead of dry sand, here you have wet, green plants everywhere. Behind
the elevator when you reach the bottom is a large air purification system; why
would the Luminoth have needed that? In the passage beyond the door you'll see
several orange sacs hanging from tree branches; these are TORVUS HANGING PODS,
and they can contain items. At the end of the passage you'll reach the shore of
a small lake, with a variety of plants and creatures on the ground, in the air,
and under the water. Not all the creatures are alive, though: there's another
dead Luminoth lying to your left, and you can scan him for S-DLY'S TESTAMENT.
This room, Torvus Lagoon, is not completely natural, however. There is a metal
walkway above the water on the far side of the lake connecting two tunnels,
both gated. Before moving on, you're probably ready to use the Save Station
through the door on a ledge to the left.
When you return to Torvus Lagoon, start examining the several creatures to be
found here. The green and red plants are TORVUS BEARERPODS: they contain items,
but they release a poisonous cloud when they're destroyed. Several large
insect-like creatures with helicopter wings will leap out of the water and
start flying towards you; these are SHREDDERS, and you can shoot them to knock
them back and prevent them from crashing into you. Since you can't reach the
metal platform, the only way to go seems to be into the lake. While underwater,
your movement is slowed, jump height is reduced, and visibility is impaired.
However, you will be able to maneuver around the branches and reach the black
door underwater. You'll encounter a group of shrimp-like creatures called
HYDLINGS in the water; they can be easily dispatched with rapid-fire Power Beam
shots and shouldn't pose any danger to you.
In the next room, walk through the circular structure in the middle of the
path, then jump out of the water to reach the door. If you turn around you'll
see a green Luminoth lore projector on the wall, but you don't have the ability
to translate it yet. Through the door is Great Bridge, and you can see the
bridge leading into a large building; there's another door into the building
on ground level. There is also a new creature in this room: SHRIEKERS. These
are related to Shredders in that they wait just beneath the surface of the
water until you approach, but they are much more difficult because they will
fire a sonic blast at you (a whirling gust of air that's difficult to see),
then disappear only to reappear somewhere else a few seconds later. Shriekers
are also remarkably tough, and it will take many hits to kill them all. You
have to kill them all, too, because the doors will be locked until you do. Once
they're gone, you can scan the red eyes, called SENTINEL CRYSTALS, on the
walls, then go through the lower door into the building. It leads to a Morph
Ball tunnel, and you can see an Energy Tank in an alcove above you, but you
can't reach it. You'll be frustrated again when you reach the end, because the
door is locked with a green blast shield, which you can't open. Return to Great
Bridge, and there is another way you can go: there's a red door to your left
(with your back to the building), so go through it.
This leads to another Morph Ball tunnel that goes right past a Dark Portal and
a Missile Expansion, but both are on the other side of a wall. At the end of it
you'll reach Torvus Lagoon, but you'll be behind the gate. Scan the panel to
lower the gates and extend the walkway to connect both doorways. You may want
to save again, then go through the door at the other end of the walkway.
This door goes to Forgotten Bridge, and as soon as you enter you'll encounter
two very dangerous animals that look like crosses between a lizard, a wolf, and
a frog: GRENCHLERS. Grenchlers are fast and agile, and they can attack from up
close with their teeth or from a distance by firing a bolt of electricity. The
only way to defeat one is to destroy the armored shell on its back, then fire
at the exposed flesh beneath it. The best strategy is to lock-on to one of the
Grenchlers, then jump and strafe to both avoid its attacks and try to get
behind it. Once you get a shot, fire as many missiles as you can. It will take
five missiles to destroy the shell, but you haven't killed it yet. You still
need to get behind it again to fire a few more shots at the exposed flesh to
kill it. One thing to avoid while fighting the Grenchlers is getting pushed
against the wall. You'll have more success if you can stay in the open, so
you're free to run and jump in any direction. Once you survive the fight and
kill both Grenchlers, use the ledges against the wall to jump onto the large
bridge that spans the room. You can see a Missile Expansion in front of a door
on a ledge, but there's no way to reach it now. Follow the bridge to reach a
Dark Portal, although there's a transparent Bomb Slot nearby; that means you
need to find the corresponding slot in the dark world.
Go through the portal to make your first (brief) visit to Dark Torvus Bog. You
can find two Research scans here: DARK SENTINEL CRYSTAL (the blue eyes) and
INGSPHERE CACHE (the dark blue blobs that contain items), but the main thing
to do here is to activate the Bomb Slot. This will cause the bridge to rotate
so that it connects to a different doorway, and you know that the bridge has
also rotated in Light Aether. You can't go through any of the doors out of this
room, so follow the bridge until you can jump off and reach the Light Portal
(Make sure not to fall into the water: it's toxic.) As soon as you're back in
Torvus Bog, though, several Space Pirates will materialize in the room out of
nowhere! It won't take long for you to realize that these are no ordinary Space
Pirates, either. These are DARK PIRATE COMMANDOS, the deadliest version of
Pirates that you will face. Dark Pirate Commandos have the ability to turn
invisible, meaning that they will appear, fire a shot at you, then disappear
and move somewhere else. They can fire two different weapons at you: standard
shots of dark energy, and new EMP grenades that will not only do damage if they
hit you, but will short out your visor for several seconds if they land
anywhere near you. All you can do against these enemies is to find one when it
appears, lock-on and fire as fast as you can at it until it disappears, all the
while watching out for incoming attacks from the others. While you may want to
use Missiles and light ammo on the commandos, it's best to just stick to the
Power Beam. That's because the Pirates will automatically disappear after a few
minutes, so all you have to do is survive against them for that long.
Once they're gone, climb back onto the bridge, which has been rotated, and
follow it to the door you saw earlier and collect the MISSILE EXPANSION which
is just waiting for you. The door leads to Abandoned Worksite, which you need
to navigate with the Morph Ball. Before rolling through the tunnel in the wall,
though, you need to kill the plant that lives on the opposite wall. This is a
SPORB, and it will fire a grappling hook at the Morph Ball if you go near it.
Otherwise, it will "spit" toxic acid at you. The Light Beam is especially
effective against the Sporb. Now roll through the tunnel (be careful not to
fall out). When you reach the other side of the room, jump down and go through
the door at the end. This will take you to an upper ledge of Great Bridge. Scan
the panel there to open a Kinetic Orb Cannon on a ledge across the room from
you, in front of a green translator gate. Jump down, then jump up to the cannon
and let it fire you onto the bridge. Cross the bridge (watch out for
Shriekbats) and go through the door to reach the upper level of the Morph Ball
tunnel you rolled through earlier. There are three circles on the narrow path,
and the first one is cracked. Bomb it, and you'll fall through it to grab the
ENERGY TANK you saw earlier.
Return to the top level and cross it to the door to enter Torvus Temple. You're
at the bottom of a bowl-shaped room with high, sloping walls, but what will
draw your attention is that a skiff will appear, dropping off a number of
Pirate Troopers, along with two Pirate Aerotroopers. You should be able to
handle these fairly easily with missiles, Dark Beam, and Light Beam. Just focus
on one Pirate at a time, and take out the Aerotroopers as soon as you can. Use
the crates around the room for ammo and energy as necessary. Once all the
Pirates are dead, the lasers blocking an object that looks like a Missile
Expansion on a platform against the wall will disappear. When you get the item,
you'll discover that it is actually the SUPER MISSILE, the Charge Combo for the
Power Beam and the weapon that can destroy green blast shields. The platform it
was on is also an elevator, and it will carry you up to a door which,
coincidentally, is green. Use your new weapon to destroy the blast shield and
go through to reach the Torvus Energy Controller, which is very similar to its
counterpart in Agon Wastes.
Step up to the green holographic device to activate a message from the guardian
of Torvus Temple. He will tell you that most of the temple is flooded, and you
will need to explore the flooded regions to find all the Dark Temple Keys. He
will also warn you that the water in Dark Torvus Bog is toxic. Finally, he will
give you the ability to translate Emerald (green) holograms, and refill your
energy. There is a Lore to be found in the Energy Controller room, titled DARK
AETHER; it tells how the Luminoth designed machines to generate Dark Portals
and began to prepare for war with the Ing to reclaim their energy. Return to
the temple and you'll find that it is now swarming with Shriekers. You can kill
them if you want, or you can scan the green hologram on the circular platform
in the center of the room. This will cause the platform to lower a few feet,
revealing a chamber with several doorways leading in different directions.
/==============================================================================
3. Engines of War [III.C.3]
\==============================================================================
|[Upper Torvus Bog, Upper Dark Torvus Bog] |
|o Boost Ball |
|o Dark Torvus Temple Key 1 |
|o Missile Expansion 30 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
There are four doors out of the lower chamber of Torvus Temple: a purple door
that you can't open yet, a green door that leads back to Great Bridge, a
translator door that leads to an unexplored area, and a regular blue door at
the end of a Morph Ball tunnel that also leads to new areas. If you recall,
there was a translator door behind the cannon in Great Bridge, so go through
the green door and return there briefly to see what's behind it. There is now
a Grenchler patrolling Great Bridge, but you don't have to fight it if you
don't want to. Simply jump to the ledge with the cannon, scan the translator
door, and go through it to find the Torvus Map Station. With the map, you can
see that you have explored most of the surface of Torvus Bog, but that there is
a whole lower level that you have yet to enter. Return to the Torvus Temple,
and you'll see that the translator door leads to a room that appears to
connect with Forgotten Bridge, while the door beyond the tunnel leads to the
lower levels. You might as well explore all of the surface before entering the
lower section, so open the translator door and go through.
The next room is a watery tunnel, and a Grenchler will charge down the tunnel
at you. This can be a difficult fight since there's not much room to
maneuver, but you'll do a little better if you can fight the Grenchler in the
entrance area next to the door rather than in the middle of the tunnel, but it
will be difficult in any case. Just try to kill it as fast as possible (try the
Dark Beam). When it's dead, you can collect an easy Missile Expansion by
rolling underneath the ledge that the