Starting your journey in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond can feel overwhelming with its interconnected world and countless collectibles. You'll want to make smart choices early to avoid headaches during your 100% completion run. This guide breaks down the most important strategies that'll transform your playthrough from frustrating to fantastic.
Scan Everything
Absolutely scan every single thing during the opening UTO Research Facility sequence. This isn't just about lore (though that's great too). Three critical scans exist only in this opening area and missing them locks you out of 100% completion forever on that save file.
You need to scan:
- A live Space Pirate (not the wounded ones on the ground)
- A Galactic Federation Soldier
- The tutorial boss Aberax
Metroid Prime 4 Beyond Scanning
After leaving the facility, you'll have more flexibility. Your Logbook tracks what counts toward completion, including enemies, allies, flora, fauna, machines, Lamorn Lore Tablets, and major technology nodes. The Metroid Prime 4 Beyond Preview highlighted how scanning integrates with the story, but missing those opening scans hurts permanently.
Warning
Bosses and minibosses only appear once. Scan them immediately or lose that entry forever.
Control Setups
Most players default to B for jumping. That's fine until combat gets intense and you're trying to aim while dodging. Your thumb can't stay on the right stick and hit B simultaneously.
Switch to bumper jumping using L. This single change dramatically improves your combat effectiveness, especially during boss encounters that demand precision aiming and constant movement. You can adjust this in Settings > Controls.
The difference becomes obvious when fighting aerial enemies or bosses with weak points requiring accurate shots while you're airborne.
Where Are the Early Energy Tanks?
You'll grab two Energy Tanks automatically through story progression. Then they become scarce. Here's how to snag two more before most players even think to look:
Ring of Thunder Shrine Tank
Requirements: Psychic Glove, Vi-O-La Suit
Head southeast of the Chrono Tower in Sol Valley. You'll spot a lone statue marking the Ring of Thunder Shrine. Behind the shrine, use your Psychic Glove on the grabbable spot to tear down a hidden door. The Energy Tank sits inside.
Ring of Thunder Shrine location
Ladder of Thought Shrine Tank
Requirements: Fire Shot, Morph Ball
Travel to the western edge of Sol Valley, north of the Fury Green entrance. Solve the Ladder of Thought Shrine puzzle by lifting pillars with Fire Shot. On the platform with the door, look right for a Morph Ball passage.
Here's the trick: Jump in Morph Ball form (yes, you can do that now), place a bomb mid-air, wait a beat, then jump again right before detonation. The explosion boosts you into the passage. Energy Tank acquired.
Tip
Practice bomb jumping in safe areas first. The timing feels different than older Metroid games.
Collect Green Crystals Immediately
Those glowing green crystals scattered across the desert aren't optional collectibles. They're mandatory for story progression, and you need hundreds of them. Players who ignore crystals early face tedious farming sessions later.
Grab every cluster you see while traveling between objectives. Don't necessarily comb every inch of desert immediately, but when you spot crystals near your route, plow through them. Your future self will thank you.
Green crystal collection
The first reward tier (filling the first progress bar) grants an arm cannon damage upgrade. Rush this upgrade by collecting crystals aggressively in your first few hours. Deposit them at the Altar of Legacy in your home base.
Important
Large ore chunks near crystal patches require late-game abilities to break. Mark these locations, as each chunk provides massive crystal quantities.
What Else Hides in the Desert?
Sol Valley rewards thorough exploration. While you're hunting crystals, watch for:
- Glowing ground spots for grapple-accessible powerups
- Ramps leading to airborne Missile Expansions
- Lamorn Shrines containing elemental shot upgrades
Each elemental shot (Fire, Ice, Thunder) has two shrine upgrades: Charged Shot and Super Charged Shot. These dramatically increase your combat effectiveness. Shrines auto-mark on your map when discovered, so you can return later if you lack required abilities.
Ignore mech part markers initially. They're tied to a late-game mission and you can't interact with them yet.
Scout Bots
Scattered throughout each region, you'll find deactivated Scout Bots. Scan them to learn they need electrical reactivation. These bots reveal every remaining collectible location in their area when powered up.
The catch? You need the Thunder Shot, one of the last core upgrades. Mark every Scout Bot location on your map now. The Sol Valley bot sits north of the Volt Forge entrance on an isolated platform accessible with Psychic Boots.
This becomes crucial for 100% completion runs, as the Metroid Prime 4 Beyond Deep Dive revealed just how many secrets each area contains.
Scout Bot
Tips for Enemy Weaknesses
Elemental shots aren't just for puzzles. They're combat game-changers:
- Ice enemies melt to Fire Shot
- Mechanical foes short-circuit from Thunder Shot
- Flying enemies crash when frozen by Ice Shot, often shattering on impact
Freeze tough enemies, then quick-swap to missiles for devastating combos. This strategy trivializes many encounters that seem overwhelming with standard shots.
How to Fight Effectively on Vi-O-La?
Your bike's lock-on weapon feels weak because it is. The real weapon? Your boost.
Shoot flying enemies to stun them, then double-tap boost and ram straight through for instant kills. Save boost charges for combat, not just travel. Plow through cacti to restore boost energy constantly.
This transforms desert combat from tedious shooting galleries into satisfying vehicular destruction.
Free Aim or Lock-On?
Lock-on keeps you focused on fast targets, but it's not always optimal. During boss fights, lock-on often targets heads while you need to shoot other weak points.
Practice free aiming during lock-on by holding ZL to lock, then using the right stick to adjust your aim within the lock-on range. This hybrid approach lets you maintain target tracking while hitting precise spots.
Certain bosses become significantly easier when you master this technique, especially multi-phase encounters with shifting weak points.
Thanks for reading, and hope this guide make your Metroid Prime 4 Beyond run feel a lot smoother. Take your time exploring, stay curious with your scans, and enjoy the little moments the game hides everywhere. Good luck out there, and have fun showing Viewros what Samus can really do.