Best Tips for Getting Started with Metroid Prime 4 Beyond

The Metroid Prime series is now just as beloved as the original Metroid games, but it’s been 18 years since a new installment was released. This means many players will be returning after a long break, or experiencing a Metroid Prime game for the very first time with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. This guide is designed for both veteran and new players, offering helpful tips and tricks to get started on their Metroid Prime 4 adventure.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond – Tips & Tricks

Keeping it Simple:

Since Metroid Prime 4 introduces a lot of changes compared to past Metroid Prime games, this guide will focus on the basics to help new players. We won’t go into too much detail about all the different weapons and upgrades you can find.

How to Save in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

Saving the game works much like it did in previous Metroid games. You’ll need to find Save Stations hidden throughout each level, and also look for special underground stations in the expansive Sol Valley desert area.

Save Stations are usually easy to find when you really need them, often located at the entrances to dungeons or right before tough boss fights. They all look alike: a circular platform on the ground with a glowing orange center. Simply walk into the orange light to save your game and completely refill your ammo.

Save your progress frequently, because you’ll return to your last saved point if you die. You can’t load older saves or repeatedly try again from earlier points.

How to Use the Scanner in Metorid Prime 4: Beyond

The scanner, a feature in every previous Metroid Prime game, functions a little differently in Metroid Prime 4. Instead of being combined with other visors, the scanner now has its own dedicated button. Pressing the X button activates the Psychic Visor mode, letting you scan objects and also use many of the game’s new psychic abilities.

When you activate Psychic Visor mode, the colors around you will change. Objects you can scan will glow green. This green glow shows you what can be scanned, but hasn’t been yet. After you scan something, it will just have a white outline.

To scan something, switch to the Psychic Visor. Then, hold down the ZL button – it’s the same one you use to target enemies in battle. A progress bar will appear, and when it fills up, you’ll know the scan is complete. A description of the scanned object will then appear on screen.

When facing enemies or obstacles, you’ll frequently discover clues about their weaknesses or how to overcome them. For instance, if a door is blocked by fire, you’ll learn you need a weapon that deals high heat damage. This suggests that the Fire Shot is the tool you need.

How to Fast-Travel in Metroid Prime 4

Fans of the Metroid Prime series likely won’t be surprised to learn that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond doesn’t have a typical fast-travel system for moving between areas. While you can quickly travel within a single location, like a dungeon or biome, you can’t instantly jump between them. For instance, after completing the first major area, Fury Green, you’ll be sent to the desert via a cargo launcher. Later, you can use that same launcher to quickly return to a specific point within Fury Green, where you’ll find an important character.

The Vi-O-La Motorcycle in Metroid Prime 4 is the closest thing to fast travel the game offers. While you can’t use it inside most dungeons (with Volt Forge being a minor exception), it lets you quickly explore Sol Valley, the game’s large open world. It’s the fastest way to get around we’ve seen in a Metroid game, aside from traditional fast-travel options like teleporters and trams.

How to Heal & Refill Ammo in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

If you’ve played any previous Metroid games, you’ll find the healing and ammo refill system in Beyond works the same way. If you’re new to the series, don’t worry – it’s very easy to learn!

When your energy or missiles get low in Metroid Prime 4, focus on defeating enemies. They often drop healing items and ammo as floating pickups when defeated.

As a player, I’ve learned that when you take damage, you’ll see these colorful orbs appear to show how much health you’re getting back. Purple orbs give you a little, just 10 energy, but the other colors restore more. And when it comes to ammo, it’s pretty visual! Missiles show up as yellow rockets with wings, and if you’re looking for elemental shots, keep an eye out for a blue, three-pronged shape – that’s what they look like!

Keep an eye out for crates as you explore dungeons – they’re everywhere! Breaking them open gives you a chance to get the same rewards you’d get from defeating enemies.

Use the Charge Beam to gather health and ammo refills quickly. It will collect all visible items within a certain range.

How to Increase Max Health & Ammo in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

In Metroid Prime 4, players start with very little health and only a few missiles. A major part of the game involves exploring to increase these resources. Each upgrade is specifically tied to a different system, and here’s what they are:

Energy/Health – Energy Tanks
Missile Launcher – Missile Expansions
Elemental Weapons – Shot Expansions

These collectibles are often hidden and require special weapons or tools to reach. Pay attention to the descriptions of what’s blocking them – they usually hint at what you need to break through. As you play, you’ll quickly learn when an item can help you find the game’s expansion items.

General Exploration Tips – Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

These tips will help you get on your way as you start to explore in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.

Wait until you’ve unlocked some elemental weapons to explore extensively. While there is nothing wrong with exploring within the confines of the early dungeons, don’t try to break outside those boundaries too early. For the most part, you will simply get stuck because you are missing several upgrades.
Scan Everything: For the most part, you’ll want to simply play with your visor in Psychic mode. This will not only give you an amazing insight into the lore of the world around you, there is also no better way to locate the huge amount of secrets hidden in the world. Make sure to read the scan descriptions, as the solutions to almost every puzzle can be found within.
Try Everything You Have: Before you give up on an object, make sure you try every option at your disposal. While this may not help much at the very beginning, once you’ve unlocked the basic Psychic abilities and the Missile Launcher, there are many times when you’ll actually have the tools you’ll need. Remember though, use common sense. If something says you need an icy solution, and you don’t have the Ice Shot, nothing you try is going to work.
Remember the Psychic Options: This is incredibly important for returning players, as they will likely forget there is an entirely new set of tools to work with. Check every puzzle through the Psychic Visor.
Freedom & Choice is a bit of a misnomer: While Metroid Prime 4 appears to have a wide range of choice, in reality, there is a fairly set path you must take to progress. After Fury Green and Volt Forge, you may think you have several choices about what to do next. In reality, you’ll need to go to Flare Pool to get the Fire Shot. We won’t spoil the whole path here, just remember that you’ll need to backtrack several times to gather all the tools you need.
Listen to Myles: This is going to be incredibly unpopular, but if you are stuck, don’t be afraid to listen to Myles’ suggestions. While it’s true that the Metroid franchise was built upon players finding their own solutions, ultimately, that’s up to you. If you call Myles on the radio when you are lost, he’ll send you in the right direction.

Hopefully, these suggestions will help you begin! Since the game is brand new, we’re still figuring things out ourselves. If you get stuck, please check back frequently—we’ll keep adding new strategies and ideas as we play more.

2025-12-06 12:05