Metroid Prime 2: Echoes/Annihilator Beam

From StrategyWiki, the video game walkthrough and strategy guide wiki

Ing Hive[edit]

It's time to face the final boss for Sanctuary Fortress. As you might expect, it will be the toughest in the game so far

Hive Dynamo Works[edit]

Get to the Hive Dynamo Works; you may remember passing through here on the way to the Spider Guardian on your first entry into Sanctuary Fortress, but there's no reason for you to have come back since. There is a White door which we will finally explore.

Hive Dynamo Access[edit]

Defeat the Ing here and switch to the Echo Visor since there is a sonic lock here. Disable the emitters as usual to open the gate and continue to the next area.

Hive Gyro Chamber[edit]

Key
Ing Hive Temple Key 2

There are three exits here in addition to the White door you entered through. But there's not too much need to guess where they lead since the map of the Light side tells will give you a good idea. The Blue door in the room above the White one leads to the Sanctuary Temple on the Light side, so it's a safe bet that it will lead to the boss on the Dark side and so we'll save it for last. The Red door opposite the White one is obviously going to be a Save Station so let's save that for next to last. The only two things left are the key, which the hint system may be pointing to by now, and the door above the Red one. We'll start with the key.

Look through the window to see a large sphere with platforms circling it. It's really a giant Spider Ball Track, so hop to one of the platforms nest to the sphere, switch to Morph Ball, and grab on. The sphere is guarded by Darkling Tentacles though, so either avoid them or drop bombs to make them retract. If you fall, which is likely if you get hit by a tentacle, just climb up the Spider track under the sphere to start over; there's even a small safe zone down there just in case. Climb the small track at the top, then Boost jump to the ring around it, and Boost jump again to collect the final key.

Now start hopping platforms to reach the room above the Red door; if you get disoriented it's the one without the two columns of light.

Hive Gyro Access[edit]

There are more Ing here but otherwise just continue to the next area.

Hive Ammo Station[edit]

Refill your ammo here for the upcoming boss and go back.

Hive Gyro Chamber (cont.)[edit]

Drop to one of the lower platforms and hop into the room with the Red door.

Hive Save Station 2[edit]

It's a good idea to save because, in case we didn't mention it, there's a boss. Go back.

Hive Gyro Chamber (cont.)[edit]

This time jump to the room with the two columns of light and continue to the next area.

Hive Temple Access[edit]

Step forward to automatically place the keys in place. There is a light beacon in case you want to do some last minute healing.

Hive Temple[edit]

Logbook
Quadraxis (Only chance)
Damaged Quadraxis (Only chance)
Final Head Module (Only chance)
Shielded Head Module (Only chance)
Stunned Head Module (Only chance)
Dark Quad CM (Last chance)
Dark Quad MB (Last chance)

Step into the lift and forward for a cut scene where a giant mechanoid is possessed by an Ing, perhaps several, and comes to life. You may recognize it somewhat since the pieces of something similar where scattered around Sanctuary Temple. But here the machine is fully assembled and functioning perfectly.

Quadraxis

This battle is long and complicated, but it's actually doable if you know what you're supposed to do at each stage. If this is your first playthrough then the biggest danger is getting stuck on how to actually hurt the monster, and since there are no safety zones here, you can easily just run out of time while the atmosphere gets you.

In the first stage the robot resembles are huge version of a Quad. It can fire missiles, energy spheres, or a machine gun at you, which you can try to dodge, and it can also produce energy waves from its feet, which you can outrun or jump over. Get the scan, but the first part of the information is a bit misleading about where you should attack. It's true that the robot's feet are vulnerable to Boost and Bomb attacks, but the only thing that happens when you destroy one of the red sensors there is that it drops a health item; perhaps very helpful but not actually the goal. The second part of the scan tells you what you really want to do is attack the robot's knee joints. They're only vulnerable when they're glowing blue, and even then your shot will often be blocked by other parts of the robot, so getting an effective shot in can be tricky. Keep you charge beam charged and ready to fire a Super Missile when opportunity strikes. Every time you destroy a joint, the robot collapses for a bit and drops some health spheres; be sure to collect these if you want to last until the end of the battle. After a bit the robot recovers, perhaps with a temporary replacement knee, and continues fighting.

Meanwhile, after you've gotten some of the robot's knees, it steps up its game with some additional attacks. It does a spinning attack similar to the Quad MB which can draw you in if you're not ready for it. Fire missiles at it or use a Boost attack to get it to stop. It also does a laser attack where three targeting lasers zero in on you followed by a more dangerous beam. In normal view you see a circular red target reticle on the screen when this attack begins. Avoid these by switching to Morph Ball and Boosting clear just as the targeting lasers find you. Once a knee has been destroyed it's no longer a possible target, so keep an eye on which ones glow and try to stay locked on. When you're down to one knee the robot seems to make an effort to keep it away from you, so you'll have to move quickly to get it sight and get a shot in. Each knee is worth on section of the monster's health bar.

When all four knees have been destroyed the monster's head separates from its now damaged body and stage two begins. Start by getting scans of both the body and the head. The key here is to knock out the sonic transmitters the head and body are using to talk to each other. Switch to the Echo Visor and fire at the emitter at the top of the body until it's destroyed. Then get a new scan of the head, switch back to Echo and fire at one of the emitters on the side of the head before the body can recover. In the meantime the Head will drop a Dark Quad or two; get a scan of both halves if you missed it on your first pass through Sanctuary Temple, and dispatch it/them quickly. Repeat this for the other two antennas on the head for three more segments of the health bar. While you're doing this the monster will be attacking, but it's arsenal is pretty much the same as in the first stage.

For the third stage, start by getting a scan of the fifth and final version of the robot. It's battling on its own but it still has most of the weapons it started with. Fire missiles at it until it becomes disoriented and starts to float around aimlessly, you can tell because its engine starts to sound funny. Get to whichever one of the robots legs is closest to the head, Spider to the top and Boost jump off. With a little luck, timing, and good guesswork on which leg to choose, you should land on top of the head which, conveniently, you can grab onto with Spider Ball. Get over to one of the two weak spots there, which happen to resemble Bomb Slots, and drop a bomb. You need to do it all before the head can recover and once it's done you need repeat the performance again. The only difference in the second round is that the head is a bit harder to land on because it moves around more. This takes care of the monster's last two section of health and the robot is destroyed.

The monster leaves the Annihilator Beam behind. (It's very likely that it was using it against you a minute ago.) Pick it up and the robot disintegrates; in its place a platform rises out of the floor. Spider up the sides of the platform to where you'll be in Screw Attack range of the exits. Start by heading south, to the door with the large circular decoration above it. The Annihilator Beam opens Grey doors so use it to open the one in front of you. Remember there still aren't any safe zones here so some alacrity is in order if you're low on health.

The Annihilator Beam as a weapon has somewhat specialized uses rather than being the over powered cannon you might expect. It mixes Dark and Light energy but dilutes both in the process, so it won't be as effective as the Light Beam against Ing and you can't use it to freeze enemies like the Dark Beam. It does seek targets however, and you get both Light and Dark ammo as drops when you use it. It won't open Light or Dark doors, but it will open both Light and Dark portals.

Hive Controller Access[edit]

Use the Bomb Slot to turn the gate.

Hive Energy Controller[edit]

Get the stolen energy as in the previous versions of this room, then head back

Hive Temple (cont.)[edit]

Continue to the opposite door where you originally came in. There is another door here, but we'll come back for it after getting the Light Suit.

Hive Temple Access (cont.)[edit]

Logbook
Super Beacon
Super Crystal

Getting across this room is a bit tricky; stand on the little balcony next to the temple, the Screw Attack up to the ledge to reach the Hive Gyro Chamber. As you go through the next two rooms, use the Annihilator Beam to activate a beacon and crystal respectively to get scans of their Super versions. These are similar to a Light Beacon and Light Crystal except they attract Dark enemies as well as destroy them.

Sanctuary Fortress[edit]

Sanctuary Energy Controller[edit]

Continue to the Hive Dynamo Works, use the portal, then follow the route in reverse order to Sanctuary Energy Controller. Restore the energy as in the other two region. You need to go check in with U-Mos again, so we'll head back to Temple Grounds, but there are a couple of expansions to get on the way.

Expansions (Sanctuary Fortress)[edit]

Sanctuary Temple[edit]

There is a Grey door here which was not usable before, but now it is. You have to use the Screw Attack to reach it.

Sentinel's Path[edit]

Expansion
Missile Expansion #46

Defeat the Mekenobites here; recall that you have to use the Seeker Missile to shoot both their legs at once. About half way down the corridor you'll find a Sonic gate, but this one is special in that you need an Annihilator Beam to learn the combination before you can open it. Switch to Echo Visor and use the Annihilator Beam to shoot the speaker icon in the middle of the gate. It will play a four note melody and the idea is to reproduce that melody by shooting the three panels in front of the gate, each of which plays a note. For those who are musically impaired, shoot the panels in the order Right, Right, Left, Right. When you play the correct combination, the gate opens revealing a Missile Expansion. You now have a shortcut from Sanctuary Temple to Watch Station as well.

Main Gyro Chamber[edit]

Upgrade
Power Bomb Expansion #6
Logbook
Shattered Hope

Return to the Main Gyro Chamber and use the lift next to the Black door to get to the lower level. (You can just drop down there from the gyro room, as you may have already, but it seems more elegant to ride the lift.) Scan the hologram here if you haven't already. There is another Sonic gate here as well, so open it like the other one. In this case the combination is Outside hallway, Near lift, Hallway entrance, Hallway entrance. The gate opens, so use the Orb Cannon that's now available. You smash the dynamo core in the middle of the room and out of it pops a Power Bomb Expansion.

The next step is to go back to see U-Mos.