As with previous games in the series, Metroid Dread gives players upgrades and powerups to collect that will improve Samus' weapons and equipment. Every new piece of equipment changes the way players can navigate Samus' world. There are 25 of these upgrades to be found in Metroid Dread, some in obvious places and some more hidden throughout the game.
New techniques grant Samus the ability to open hidden areas and access hidden content, including new upgrades in areas players previously explored. But, with 25 total to collect, considering the size of Metroid Dread’s maps, some players may need a bit of help finding them all.
Keeping in line with its predecessors, Metroid Dread has several hidden techniques, routes, and rewards for players who pay enough attention. Of the secrets in Metroid Dread that can be accessed using the collectible upgrades, there are nods to previous games, skippable puzzles, and even secret scenes. Only hardcore completionists are likely to find them all, and players may need a second or third playthrough to experience everything.
Upgrades to Unlock in Metroid Dread
The following is where to find each upgrade and piece of equipment in Metroid Dread, separated by type:
Suit Upgrades
- Varia Suit: Found in Artaria. It is in the northwestern corner of a Chozo statue room. To reach it, players must activate the thermal device and outrun the lava before opening the red missile door.
- Gravity Suit: In a Chozo statue room in southern Burenia. Players must have already found Space Jump to reach it.
Aeion Upgrades
- Phantom Cloak: Acquired in Artaria as a reward for defeating the Corpious Boss.
- Flash Shift: Unlocked after finding a special cube in the center of Burenia. Players will need to destroy a red missile dome to reach the door to the chamber it is held in.
- Pulse Radar: Found in the north of the Ghavoran region. To reach it, players will need to open a Grapple Beam door and roll down a hidden tunnel with the Morph Ball in the left corner of the next room.
Morph Ball Upgrades
- Morph Ball: The upgrade in its original form is a reward for beating E.M.M.I robot in Cataris.
- Bomb: Found in the north region of Dairon. Players will need to use a missile to get past the door to the room. The upgrade is held by a Chozo statue.
- Cross Bomb: Received as a reward for defeating the Golzuna boss in Ghavoran.
- Power Bomb: Acquired after defeating the E.M.M.I robot in Hanubia close to the end of the game.
Beam Upgrades
- Charge Beam: Found in the grip of a Chozo statue in the southwest corner of Artaria. Players will need to step on a tile to drain some water out of the way of the path to the room.
- Wide Beam: Found in the center of Dairon. A generator will need to be activated to give power to the area first, then players must head through a missile-locked door and a Charge Beam door to get to the correct room.
- Diffusion Beam: Found in the southwest corner of Cataris after defeating Kraid. Players should exit the boss room from the right using the blue spider magnet , then go through a missile-locked door to find the Chozo holding the upgrade.
- Grapple Beam: Found north of Artaria. It is held by a Chozo behind another missile-locked door.
- Plasma Beam: Found in Elun after using a Morph Ball launcher. Players must destroy a red missile dome and shoot through the ceiling to access the Chozo room and find the upgrade.
- Wave Beam: Awarded for defeating the E.M.M.I robot in Ferenia, close to the end of the game.
- Hyper Beam: Unlocked during the fourth phase of the Raven Beak boss battle. It can be used in the final phase of that battle as well as in the sequences that follow.
- Omega Cannon: Temporary upgrade gained by absorbing the power from Central Units. It can be unlocked at six different points in the game and must be used to destroy the cores of E.M.M.I robots.
Missile Upgrades
- Super Missile: Found in a Chozo statue room in Ghavoran. It is in the southern region between two elevators and can be accessed with missiles and Morph Ball bombs.
- Ice Missile: Awarded for defeating the E.M.M.I robot in Ghavoran.
- Storm Missile: Awarded for defeating the Escue boss in Ferenia.
Miscellaneous Upgrades
- Spider Magnet: Awarded for beating the E.M.M.I robot in Artaria.
- Speed Booster: Awarded for defeating the E.M.M.I robot in Dairon.
- Spin Boost: Found in a Chozo room to the left of the green teleport room in Ghavoran. To reach it, players must navigate to the right, through the nearby underwater section of the map.
- Space Jump: Found in Ferenia near the train to Ghavoran. Players will need to open a red missile-locked door and pry it from a Chozo statue.
- Screw Attack: Unlocked after the player has defeated Expiriment No. Z-57 in Cataris and unfrozen Artaria. After returning to Artaria via the blue teleporter, players should remove the right Grapple Beam block and go through the Plasma Beam door beneath to drop into a tunnel with the upgrade.
Metroid Dread is a great new installment in the series that includes much of what fans of the franchise hold dear, as well as some new enemies and storylines to keep players hooked, including new things to do after beating the game. Unlocking equipment is only one aspect of the game, but it offers new ways to explore Metroid Dread and experience everything there is to see.
Metroid Dread is available for the Nintendo Switch.
