Tallon Overworld[edit]
You just went all the way through the crashed frigate and the only thing you accomplished, aside from collecting a few scans and expansions, was to open a gate. Now it's time to find out just how significant that gate really is. By now you've explored nearly everything there is in Tallon Overworld, Chozo Ruins, Magmoor Caverns, and Phendrana Drifts, but the gate opens up a whole new area. It's more complex and has tougher, more aggressive enemies than the levels you've seen so far.
Great Tree Hall[edit]
Get to the Great Tree Hall. With the gate open there is really no reason to go through the sunken frigate again since it will be faster and easier to go through the Chozo Ruins, even if you're starting from Tallon Overworld. Go through the white door at the surface of the water.
Transport Tunnel E[edit]
There is a bridge over some glowing blue stuff which turns out to Phazon in its raw form. It's highly radioactive and toxic and you will take damage if you fall off the bridge. The Phazon here is easy to avoid but you will grow to hate the stuff more and more.
Transport to Phazon Mines East[edit]
Take the transport.
Phazon Mines[edit]
Transport to Tallon Overworld South[edit]
The transport takes you here. There is only one door so go through.
Quarry Access[edit]
This is a passage over more Phazon ore.
Main Quarry[edit]
This is the top level and center of operations for the Phazon Mines. You get a quick overview when you enter. It's a large valley with Space Pirate buildings on the left and right. You may hear Space Pirates in fact, but they won't notice you right away.
Your main concern to start are the Mega Turrets on the building on the left. These are upgraded versions of Auto Turrets which hit harder and take more firepower to defeat. Hide behind the pillars in the middle and get close enough to do a scan, then take them out the same way as Auto Turrets except it will take more shots.
There is a Spider Ball track leading to a door into the building on the left. Climb up and go through.
Save Station Mines A[edit]
Some debris blocks the passage, but you can scan a panel on the left to open the door to a save station. There is a save station fairly close by in the Chozo Ruins, but it won't hurt to save again.
Main Quarry (cont.)[edit]
Remember that if you restored from a save in the save station here, the turrets will have respawned and will attack as soon as you're in range.
Start scaling the ledges and ramps on the far side on the right. At about the time you go from the Pirate built scaffolding to a rock ledge the Space Pirates in the glass control room above will finally notice you and attack. They have a height advantage but they won't be too difficult if you've made it through the Pirate Base in Phendrana.
When the Pirates are gone, continue up the ramps to a bridge next to the control room. Cross, but watch the ceiling between the two supporting pillars because there is a remaining Pirate who pops out to ambush you.
You should now be able to get to the roof of the building where you'll find the control room and the base of a large crane. Scan the panels in the control room to learn that the crane works but doesn't have power. So switch to Thermal and start looking around for a power conduit; it's right on the base of the crane itself. Power it up the usual way, then go into the control room and scan the panel to operate the crane.
The crane has two positions and the first time you operate it, it swings into its second position, crashing into a wall and revealing a Missile Expansion. In this position there is a Spider Ball track leading up to the crane and over to the wall where you can pick up the expansion.
There is a white door on a high ledge on the right side of the room but it's impossible to reach at the moment. So the only way forward is through the other white door behind the force field. Scan the two panels near the force field to turn it off, then continue through the door.
Security Access A[edit]
This is a short passage guarded by Mega Turrets. If you were going the other direction then you'd be able to deactivate them by scanning a security panel, but as it is you're better off taking them out.
Mine Security Station[edit]
This is basically a winding passage with two levels. The lower level is guarded by Shadow Pirates, so switch to Thermal and knock them down from their hiding places on the ceiling. When you fought these guys in Phendrana you didn't have the Ice Beam, but now you do and it's more effective since it freezes them solid instead of stunning them.
There is a force field here protecting a red door; you can't do anything about it now, even if you could get past the force field, but it does confirm that there's still a fourth type of beam that you don't have yet and its color is red. Continue to the ramp leading to the second level.
This level is guarded by a new type of Pirate, a Wave Trooper. It turns out the Space Pirates have partially reverse engineered your beam weapons and this is one of the results. There are four types of beams (including the red one) so there are four types of Troopers. If you're attacked by more than one and you have the missiles then use the Wavebuster to take them out quickly, otherwise use the Charged Wave Beam. Wave based energy is the only thing that will hurt them.
Security Access B[edit]
Shadow Pirates guard this passage but they're getting a bit smarter in their hiding places. Instead of just clinging to the ceiling they're in holes where you can't see them even with the Thermal Visor. They will drop down to ambush you when you shoot the little barriers blocking your way through the passage.
Elite Research[edit]
This is a large multi-level room. Space Pirates attack when you enter. When these are gone, start scanning the terminals at ground level. There is a Pirate Data entry at one terminal, and scanning another terminal lowers some platforms to the next level. There is also a cryogenic capsule with a very large Pirate inside; this is one of the Elite Pirates and you'll be fighting one of them soon enough but not at the moment.
The next level is guarded by Wave Troopers and it's hard to get a good shot at them from below. So scale the platforms as fast as you can and fight them when you reach the top. Scan the panels at this level to lower platforms leading to the top. (There is another scan telling you that you've landed on Tallon IV.)
The top level is guarded by a Power Trooper, the Power Beam analogue of the Wave Trooper. They are damaged by Power Beam energy so a Super Missile does very well against them.
Now you need to solve a little puzzle to get to the exit. In the center of the ceiling is a beam used for drilling, and the walls are divided into eight sections. It looks like the beam has already done its job on one of the walls because there's a hole carved out in the direction it's pointing. You can repoint the beam using the Spinner next to the control panel here; drop a bomb to get out of the Spinner. You fire the beam by scanning the panel.
So start repointing and firing to see what's behind the walls. There are six more sections of walls you can try; keep yourself out of the beam's path of course. The exit is behind the section to the right of where the beam was pointing at the start, and there is a Missile Expansion behind the section to the left.
Research Access[edit]
Switch to Morph Ball and follow the Spider Ball track down the shaft while timing your way through the gaps in the rotating rings.
Ore Processing[edit]
This is called Ore Processing but it doesn't look like anyone processes any ore here. What it is is another large multi-level room and there is a cylinder in the middle with colored Spider Ball tracks. Power Troopers attack soon after you enter the room.
You now have to solve another puzzle to get to the upper levels. First locate the Morph Ball slot with a hologram next to it. (It's not actually called a Morph Ball slot here but it's close enough.) Scan them both for clues on what you need to do. Now look up to the next level up and notice a section of blue track above it. You need to connect that section of track with the blue track on the central pillar. Jump into the Morph Ball slot and drop bombs until the end of the blue track, as shown on the hologram, points to the left to line up with the other section of track. Now roll up the blue track to the second level.
There is a similar Morph Ball slot and hologram here. This time you need to line up the red track. But the red track at the bottom sections doesn't line up with the red track above it, so you need to drop back down to the first level and turn that section so they do. Roll up the red track but watch out for a Wave Trooper guarding the upper levels.
- Summary
- Second level - one turn at bottom level.
- Third level - two turns at second level, then three turns at bottom level.
Now you're thinking you've got the hang of it and it's just a matter of continuing the process to get to the top level. But there is debris blocking the Morph Ball slot on the third level so it can't be used. So just exit through the door here.
Elevator Access A[edit]
Take out some of the Bombus guarding the Spider Ball track and go down the shaft. Time your way past the Bombu's tendrils if you didn't get them.
Elevator A[edit]
This takes you from Level 1 to Level 2, and yes, there are sublevels within this level. Look out the window at the top to see the Impact Crater; somewhere above this is the Artifact Temple.
There are explosive boxes at the bottom but in a hall that's too small for you to shoot them from a distance. You can still get the potentially useful pickups from them though; switch to Morph Ball, then drop a bomb as you roll past them and around the corner.
Elite Control Access[edit]
There are Space Pirates hiding on the ceiling here, but there's an explosive box in a ventilation hole up there too. Shoot it to start a chain reaction which takes out the Pirates. It also reveals a Missile Expansion. Jump from the ledge near the start to get close, then switch to Morph Ball to collect it.
Elite Control[edit]
The lower level of this room seems to be empty except for another cryogenic canister with an Elite Pirate. You can make things easier on yourself by scanning the canister from a distance to get the Elite Pirate scan. When you approach the Pirate wakes up and breaks out of the canister to attack.
When the Elite Pirate has been defeated it explodes, somehow lowering the force fields that block you from the rest of the room. But it's not time to relax yet since there are Ice Troopers waiting in the wings. These are the Ice Beam entry in the Trooper series and are relatively easy to defeat with a Charged Ice Beam followed by a Missile. There are several of them here and they file down a ramp on one side of the room. Go up the ramp to meet them as they do and by the time you reach the second level the room should be clear.
There are lots of terminals to scan here and you'll fill in most of the remaining Pirate Data slots here. There are three entries to be found on the lower level, and five on the upper level. Scanning one of the terminals here opens a force field. At the end you should only have two Pirate Data scans left.
There is another exit on the lower level, but it's a dead end at the moment, so take the exit on the upper level that was behind the force field.
Ventilation Shaft[edit]
Follow the passage to a large horizontal cylinder. You can do a half-pipe jump back to the entrance if you need to, but it's not a good idea to hang around because the cylinder fills with poison gas as soon as you go in. Exit the cylinder at the bottom of the other end, but stay nearby. You'll see Puffers coming out of some pipes at the top of the cylinder and you can use these to fully restore your energy and missiles.
Stand as close as you can to the cylinder without taking damage from the gas, then start shooting the Puffers and drawing their pickups with the Charge Beam. The Puffers are never ending so you can keep getting their pickups as long as your patience holds out. If you're low on health or missiles at this point then this process will take a while, but this is the easiest way to recoup your resources for the upcoming boss; there is no save point before then.
Omega Research[edit]
This is a research area similar to Elite Control. Wave Troopers attack on the upper level where you start, and Power Troopers are on the lower level. To get to the lower level you can either drop off the balcony or go down the ramp and ledges on the right and scan the security panel to lower the force field. There are several canisters with Elite Pirates in them; one is damaged so there may be trouble here in the future.
There are two exits here, but the one on the upper level isn't reachable yet, so exit via the one on the lower level.
Dynamo Access[edit]
The passage seems to be empty except for a frozen Elite Pirate.
Central Dynamo[edit]
This is a large room with some kind of machine in the middle; if you scan the machine it says it's malfunctioning somehow. Soon after you enter the door locks behind you and you need to clear the room before they open again. Drop down to ground level and a battle begins.
Once the drone is destroyed, the machine in the middle of the room overloads and explodes, probably something to do with the malfunction the scanner told you about. Switch to Morph Ball, find the hole in the floor, and drop into an electric maze. The maze seems to be somewhat random, so there's no point in giving directions through it, but you can make shortcuts by dropping bombs into the puddles.
At the center of the maze, you'll acquire the Power Bomb. This works much like the Morph Ball Bomb except that it's more powerful and it uses its own ammo. From now on you may get Power Bomb refills among pickups along with energy and Missiles. There is also a new type of expansion to increase your Power Bomb capacity which is rather limited at the moment.
Most importantly, the Power Bomb is able to break through the Bendezium barriers that you may have noticed. There are quite a few of these so the Power Bomb opens up many new items to collect and area to explore. For now though, go through the door under the ledge where you entered.
Save Station Mines B[edit]
It's been a while since the last save so it's a good idea to do it now.
After going so long without an upgrade, there are now three that are available. We'll cover the optional one next, then the remaining two in the order recommended by the hint system. But you can do them in any order.