Metroid Dread: Where to Find the Charge Beam
None of Samus’ recurring weapons and suit upgrades are as well-known as the Charge Beam. Here’s where it can be found in Metroid Dread.
None of Samus’ recurring weapons and suit upgrades are as well-known as the Charge Beam. It’s appeared in almost every Metroid game ever made, and it’s back in Metroid Dread. As the name implies, it allows players to charge up Samus’ regular attacks to deal more damage, making it an invaluable tool against certain enemy types.
Unfortunately, players will not have immediate access to the Charge Beam, though it can be found relatively early in Metroid Dread’s main storey. To do so, they’ll need to travel to Artaria’s lowest level and then west. The upgrade is hidden inside a ball held by a Chozo statue, as is often the case with Metroid games.
How to Find the Charge Beam in Metroid Dread
Players will find themselves in an area with a lot of water not long after destroying their first E.M.M.I. robot. Exiting to the right will take you to another E.M.M.I. zone (the red square on the above map), where you should go one screen to the right and then down to the bottom left-hand corner of the area.
Once there, players will come across a special tile that releases water and raises a nearby platform, allowing them to slide through a narrow passageway to the right. They’ll need to go a little further down from here before exiting the E.M.M.I. zone through the door on their left.
Players should interact with the statue after passing through a small tank of water and then proceed to the left. After clearing the next room of enemies, they should shoot at the organic material beneath the door to reveal a hidden passageway, then slide through it to an area with a door covered by a red dome.
Players should use a rocket to remove the dome before passing through the door and down to the bottom of the next area. They’ll have to slide through a passageway beneath a door once more to get to the room with the Charge Beam. To obtain it, players must first shoot the ball that the statue is holding before having Samus touch the item.
How Does the Charge Beam Work
The Charge Beam functions similarly to previous Metroid games. Holding the Y button for a longer period of time increases the power of the blast, but there is a limit to how powerful it can be. Certain enemies can only be damaged by charged attacks, while others die much faster when the Charge Beam is used.
The Charge Beam’s ability to open orange doors is perhaps its most useful feature. Players will no doubt have noticed a number of these on their way down to collect the Charge Beam, and they will now be able to explore what’s on the other side of them as they return to the surface of planet ZDR.