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The Plasma Beam (プラズマビーム Purazuma Bīmu?) is a beam which has appeared in all of the Metroid games except for the original Metroid, Metroid Prime Hunters, and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (though Samus gains the Magmaul in Hunters and the Light Beam in Echoes, which have similar properties). In the main series, it is a thin ray capable of piercing multiple enemies; in the Prime series, it appears as a short-range beam of intense heat that can be used to melt ice and weld metals. The Plasma Beam also appears in Metroid: Other M and is authorized for use before the Ridley battle, and Anthony Higgs is equipped with a large Plasma Gun. Samus's Gunship is also stated to be equipped with a "retractable rear-mounted plasma cannon".

In the 2D Metroid series[]

In Metroid: Zero Mission, the Plasma Beam was gained as an Unknown Item and could not be used until the Fully Powered Suit was obtained in Chozodia. The Plasma has the unique capability to pierce through multiple foes, ultimately obliterating them. When combined with the Wave Beam, it becomes virtually unstoppable and extremely destructive as each shot will pass through both hostile enemies and solid material. It is found in the water-filled hole.

It was available at various points in Metroid II: Return of Samus, and like other beams in that game, could not be stacked. It is the most powerful beam in that game, but only the Ice Beam could harm some enemies. The Plasma Beam was first introduced in this game.

In Super Metroid, the Plasma Beam is incompatible with the Spazer Beam. If both are simultaneously selected in combination with a variety of other factors, the game will glitch, creating results such as the Murder Beam, Spacetime Beam, and the Chainsaw Beam.

In Metroid Fusion, Adam speculates the Plasma Beam was the only thing that could pierce the SA-X's armor and damage it. The Federation originally planned to send the Plasma Beam to Samus via Data Room, but decided to have the SA-X captured and withheld the upgrade to prevent Samus from interfering; however she recovered the Plasma Beam on her own from Nettori. Unlike previous games, the Plasma Beam is acquired before the Wave Beam.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Zero Suit Samus has two attacks called the Plasma Whip and "Plasma Wire" that fire from her Paralyzer. Both also act as a tether, similar to the Grapple Beam she can use with her armored Power Suit.

Plasma Beam charge release Ridley Geothermal Power Plant Pyrosphere HD

The charged Plasma Beam shot unleashed on Ridley.

The Plasma Beam returns yet again in Metroid: Other M. It retains its piercing abilities from the 2-D series and remains the strongest beam in the game. It is a green beam with a slight electric effect, like its Super Metroid incarnation. Adam suggests the use of the Beam against the Mystery Creature and get rid of it for good. When it evolved into Ridley and confronted Samus in the Geothermal Power Plant of the Pyrosphere, Adam authorizes the Plasma Beam so Samus can ultimately kill Ridley.

Anthony Higgs has a type of Plasma Gun which has approximately the same damage output as a charged Plasma Beam, though he once complains about how it takes "forever to charge". He used it twice against Ridley in his premature and adult forms. It also has an infra-red laser attached, shown when he aimed it at Samus and accidentally targeted her. This variation of the Plasma Beam fires slightly different-colored shots.

In Metroid: Samus Returns, a remake of Metroid II, the Plasma Beam is found from a Chozo Statue in Area 5 and can stack with other beams except for the Ice Beam and Grapple Beam. This stacking includes the Spazer Beam, which was normally impossible in Super Metroid. The Plasma Beam is also required to destroy the Gryncore parasites, which block doors with a hard shell that is impervious to other weaponry. Samus uses multiple bursts of the Plasma Beam to force Proteus Ridley to release his grip on the baby.

In Metroid Dread, Samus uses the Plasma Beam against Raven Beak in the prologue, but it is among the upgrades he removes from her after she loses their battle. She later reacquires it from a Chozo Statue in Elun. The beam can destroy Plasma Beam Covers and like in Fusion, it is acquired before the Wave Beam. It allows Samus to damage robotic enemies without needing to use the Charge Beam or Missiles.

Although commonly regarded as Samus's most powerful beam, its penetrating capabilities fall short against heavily armored enemies such as most bosses, Metroids and their evolutions, Goliath, and the nearly indestructible E.M.M.I.

In the Metroid Prime series[]

Plasma Beam Upgrade MP1

The Plasma Beam in item form as seen in Metroid Prime

The Plasma Beam is the last standard beam acquired in Metroid Prime, succeeded only by the temporal Phazon Beam. With its firery, magma-like appearance and its use of ultra-hot plasma as ammuniation, the Plasma Beam opens Red Doors and is the most powerful standard beam weapon in the game; again, only beaten by the unprecedented Phazon Beam. Compared to the Power Beam, the Plasma Beam has a slower rate of fire, but it boasts the highest damage-per-second of all four main beams. It also has the lowest range of all the beams, with both the normal and charged shots abruptly ending a short distance ahead of Samus. When charged, the Plasma Beam fires an incredibly fast stream of Plasma in a perfectly straight line, instantly incinerating some normally-resilient enemies along the way, such as Baby Sheegoths and Plated Beetles. Creatures which survive the initial blast are set on fire, suffering additional damage for several seconds. The Plasma Beam is also capable of breaking Frigidite casings and weakened ice formations. The Flamethrower, the Charge Combo for the Plasma Beam, is a continuous Charge Combo that fires a stream of flame with an exceedingly short range. It is primarily useful for killing Plasma Troopers and cold-based enemies such as Sheegoths. The Magmaul in Metroid Prime Hunters takes over some of the Plasma Beam's functions. In Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, the Light Beam fills a similar role to the Plasma Beam, with heat-based effects and the ability to alight enemies. The Light Beam uses the Arm Cannon shape previously seen on the Wave Beam, however, while the Annihilator Beam re-uses the shape of the Plasma Beam.

In Metroid Prime Remastered, the Arm Cannon displays liquid magma within its interior while the Plasma Beam is active. When Samus fires a charge shot, the shot is a long swirling beam of red-orange energy. This design is similar to Plasma Beam shots from Metroid: Other M, but with a red-orange color instead of bright green. It should be noted that in Other M, the Plasma Beam is stacked with the Wave Beam, the latter of which also fires swirling shots.

Plasma Beam Item MP3

The Plasma Beam in item form as seen in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.

In Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, the Plasma Beam is acquired after defeating the bounty hunter Ghor, making it the only known example of Plasma Beam technology that is not Chozo in origin. Since all beams in Corruption are cumulative upgrades to the Arm Cannon, the Plasma Beam retains the Power Beam's range and high rate of fire. While this beam upgrade does increase damage, the Plasma Beam is no longer the final beam upgrade, so per-shot damage is much lower than Prime's slower-firing Plasma Beam. The charge shot is significantly different as well, firing a ball of energy like the Power Beam, instead of the penetrating "plasma railgun" from Prime. It does, however, retain the ignition abilities of its predecessors, and can melt certain types of debris and set enemies on fire. It also features a new welding attachment for repairing damaged circuit boards, which is retained by the later Nova Beam upgrade. The Plasma Beam upgrade enables the Arm Cannon to open Orange Doors, and it uses the Arm Cannon shape previously seen on Prime's Ice Beam and Echoes's Dark Beam.

Official data[]

Metroid II: Return of Samus manual[]

Plasma Beam
"This extremely powerful weapon fires a beam that can even penetrate the solid walls. It is the strongest and most destructive of all of the beam type items."

Metroid II: Return of Samus Virtual Console manual[]

Plasma Beam
"This extremely powerful weapon fires blasts that can penetrate solid walls. It is the strongest and most destructive of all the beams."

Nintendo Power Volume 31[]

PLASMA BEAM
"The Plasma Beam is your most powerful weapon. It can cut through solid walls with a single blast."

Super Metroid manual[]

PLASMA
"The most powerful of all the beams can destroy several targets at once."

Super Metroid Nintendo Player's Guide[]

PLASMA BEAM
"When Samus finally obtains this Item she will have the most powerful beam. That is, it will be until she meets up with Mother Brain before the end of the mission."
PLASMA BEAM
"Located in Maridia. This is the most powerful Power-Up beam you can find. You instantly see that your fire power is exponentially increased when you have the Plasma Beam equipped."

Super Metroid Players' Guide (Beam Power Ups, page 9)[]

"The most powerful gun add-on - clears whole hordes of enemies with one shot. Location: Maridia."

Super Metroid Players' Guide (The Plasma Beam, page 62)
"At last you can get your hands on the most powerful beam weapon in the game! This little beauty will devastate most nasties and give you a considerable advantage in the final confrontation with that enigma of evil, the monstrous Mother Brain."

Official Metroid Prime website[]

Weapon effect: Expels bolts of pure molten energy. Weapon range: 3 – 10 m Weapon potential: Lethal "Chozo Technology. The Plasma Beam is expelled from Samus Aran's Arm Cannon. Capable of firing bolts of pure molten energy, this weapon becomes even more effective when charged. Extremely effective against ice-based targets. It is perhaps the most potent weapon in Samus Aran's arsenal."

Metroid Prime flash[]

"The Plasma Beam's short range is compensated by immense power. Its molten energy can turn certain enemies to ash. Like other Beam weapons, the Plasma Beam can be charged to increase effectiveness."

Metroid Prime manual[]

PLASMA BEAM
"The most powerful beam weapon in Samus's arsenal, the short-range Plasma Beam launches streams of molten energy that can ignite some enemies and melt ice. Like all beam weapons, the Plasma Beam can combine with Missiles for a high-powered combo attack once Samus finds its combo power-up."

Metroid Prime and Metroid Fusion: Prima's Official Strategy Guide[]

Metroid Prime[]

Plasma Beam
"When you need to heat things up, the Plasma Beam is the weapon of choice. Its superheated plasma can set enemies on fire, which may eventually overcome them. When charged up using the Charge Beam, the super blast can actually incinerate enemies. The Plasma Beam is most effective when used against ice enemies. Use it to unlock red doors.
Power up the Plasma Beam by finding the Flamethrower (Plasma Beam Combo), which allows you to fire a stream of superheated plasma. You can train the Flamethrower around a room to fry your enemies to a crisp. This is a continuous blast."

Metroid Fusion[]

Plasma Beam
Location - Sector 2
Acquired By - Defeating Nettori
Controls - Tap [B]
"Just line up the creatures when you have Plasma Beam. This attack goes through an enemy like a hot knife through butter, so be sure to lay on the Plasma Beam when the path ahead is filled with infected creatures."

Metroid Prime: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide[]

PLASMA BEAM
"Capable of firing bolts of pure molten energy, the Plasma Beam is perfect for ice-based enemies and flammable substances. It's perhaps the most powerful weapon in your inventory, but you won't pick it up until late in the game. Use the Plasma Beam to open stubborn red doors. (Note that only the outline of the doors are red. If a door has a red lock in the middle, you must break it with a Missile.)"

Metroid Prime Official Strategy Guide[]

PLASMA BEAM
"The Plasma Beam fires streams of molten energy. This beam ignites flammable objects and enemies. Fire the Plasma Beam to open Red Doors. The Plasma Beam is very effective against cold-based enemies. Charge the Plasma Beam to fire a sphere of plasma. Enemies struck by this blast are engulfed in flames for a few moments.
The Plasma Beam is the 'big daddy' weapon that you can look forward to getting. This weapon is so powerful that a Charge Beam Plasma blast literally disintegrates some enemies!"
Missiles now, Plasma later
"Many creatures that can only be destroyed by Missiles early in the game CAN be destroyed by the Plasma Beam later in the game. Keep this in mind, and save Missiles later in the game."

Metroid Prime Official Perfect Guide[]

PLASMA BEAM
"Press left on the C Stick to activate the Plasma Beam. This fire-based weapon unleashes the most powerful of all Beam attacks. Naturally, the Plasma Beam is the one item that will melt iced-over walls, allowing you access to the riches often visible behind their surfaces. This weapon will open red doors."

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Premiere Edition[]

Plasma Beam
Location: Elysia, SkyTown West
Room: Main Docking Bay
"The Plasma Beam fires super-heated beams of energy. Press [A] to shoot the Plasma Beam. Press and hold [A] to charge the Arm Cannon, then release to fire a charged shot. The Plasma Beam can ignite some enemies and burn them to ash. Certain materials are also susceptible to extreme temperatures and can be melted. In addition to its destructive capabilities, the Plasma Beam can repair damaged devices.
TIP: Charged shots from the Plasma Beam are extremely effective against metal- and alloy-based targets such as Steambots and Tinbots--watch as they melt into a pool of molten metal!"

Metroid Prime acquisition message[]

"Plasma Beam acquired!
Press [C-Stick (Left)] to switch to the Plasma Beam./Press [+] then point right to switch to the Plasma Beam. This weapon will open Red Doors.
Additional data downloaded to Inventory Screen. Press [START]/[2] to access the Inventory Screen."

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption acquisition message[]

"Armorsuit upgrade acquired. Plasma Beam online.
Fire the Plasma Beam with [A]. The Plasma Beam is capable of melting certain metals.
Additional data downloaded to Inventory Screen."

Metroid Prime Trilogy manual[]

Metroid Prime[]

Plasma Beam
"This beam launches streams of molten energy. It can set some enemies on fire, and sometimes it can melt ice, but it has a short range."

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption[]

Plasma Beam
"Once you have obtained the Plasma Beam, you will be able to burn or melt some enemies and obstacles."

Inventory data[]

Plasma Beam

Metroid Prime

Inventory entry

The Plasma Beam fires streams of molten energy. This Beam can ignite flammable objects and enemies.
Press GC C-stick right/Hold Wii + button then point up to select the Plasma Beam as your active weapon.

Samus's Notes

Fire the Plasma Beam to open Red Doors.
The Plasma Beam is very effective against cold-based enemies.
Charge the Plasma Beam to fire a sphere of plasma. Enemies struck by this blast will be engulfed in flames for a few moments.

Note: "Red Doors" is changed to "Plasma Doors" in Metroid Prime Remastered.

PlasmaBeamScan
PlasmaBeamScan

Plasma Beam

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

Inventory entry

The Plasma Beam is able to fire superheated Beams of energy.
Press Wii A button to shoot the Plasma Beam. Press and hold Wii A button to charge the Arm Cannon, then release to fire a charged shot.

Samus's Notes

The Plasma Beam can be used to ignite some enemies and burn them to ash.
Certain materials are also susceptible to extreme temperatures and can be melted.
In addition to its destructive capabilities, the Plasma Beam may also be used to repair damaged devices.

Metroid Fusion manual[]

PLASMA
"This beam passes through enemies, hitting multiple targets."

Official Metroid Fusion website[]

"The Plasma Beam's three lasers can easily cut through enemies, continuing on to take out even more foes."

Metroid Fusion in-game acquisition message[]

"Plasma Beam ability recovered.
Beam now pierces enemies."

Metroid Fusion: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide[]

PLASMA BEAM
"The Plasma Beam's three lasers cut through enemies and keep on going, so you can hit several creatures with a single shot. It is particularly helpful when small armies of X-infected creatures swarm in on the space adventurer. A few Plasma Beam shots in all directions will keep the enemies at bay.
Use the Plasma Beam to clear your way through the space station. Like all beams, it opens flashing hatches.
Location - Sector 2"

Metroid: Zero Mission Samus Screen data[]

"This powerful beam can blast through multiple enemies."

Metroid: Zero Mission: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide[]

Plasma Beam (Unknown Item #1)
"As you advance through the Zebesian underground, you'll acquire three unknown items--upgrades that will not realize their full potential until you step into a new Power Suit. After you collect an unknown item, certain carved Chozo Blocks will flash, signaling that you can destroy them with a beam or bomb blast.
Once you have the new Power Suit, your Plasma Beam will pulse through enemies then continue on its path, allowing you to hit several baddies with a single powerful blast."

Metroid.com[]

"Untold levels of destruction come from a single shot of Plasma, which can even pass through enemies themselves. Precious few foes are immune to the power of this beam."

Metroid: Other M manual[]

Plasma Beam
"Adds the ability to pass through enemies to Samus's beam. This most powerful beam can also be shot as a Charge Beam."

Metroid: Other M Samus Screen data[]

"Effect: Increases damage.
Secondary effect of passing through enemies."

Metroid: Other M on-screen tutorial[]

"PLASMA BEAM
This most powerful beam does more damage and can pass through enemies."

Metroid: Other M Premiere Edition[]

Plasma Beam
"This is your most powerful upgrade. The Plasma Beam is capable of inflicting greater damage on enemies and can even pass through several enemies with one blast. While the Diffusion Beam can take out multiple enemies with one shot, the Plasma Beam can eliminate several layers of enemies with a shot. After you acquire this upgrade, you can destroy most enemies with one simple blast alone."

Official Metroid: Samus Returns website[]

PLASMA BEAM "The ultimate in penetrating firepower."

Metroid: Samus Returns Samus Screen data[]

"The Plasma Beam accumulates and then releases powerful plasma energy. It can pass through multiple enemies."

Metroid: Samus Returns Official Guide[]

THE ARMORY - BEAMS (p. 11)
PLASMA BEAM
"The Plasma Beam is the deadliest beam in the game, and the Spazer and Wave Beams make it even better. It doesn't boast any new features, but it does hit like a truck. It makes the task of defeating most enemies much easier. The only catch is that even this powerhouse of a weapon can't deal damage to a Metroid. That's rough stuff, but there are plenty of alternatives for you to choose from when it comes to the business of Metroid-slaying."
WALKTHROUGH - AREA 5 (p. 144)
THE PLASMA BEAM AND GRYNCORES
"The Plasma Beam doesn't radically change your beam weapons aside from increasing the power. What it does that's of note is allow you to destroy the Green Door parasites known as Gryncores, which is quite handy for reaching new item tanks."

Metroid Dread Samus Screen[]

PLASMA BEAM
Dread PlasmaBeam Demo Fires a powerful stream of plasma that can pierce through multiple enemies and damage robotic enemies without the need to charge.

Press Switch Dread Y button to fire.

It can also destroy Plasma Beam Covers.

Development notes[]

In the New Play Control! and Metroid Prime Trilogy versions of the game, embers no longer float off the Arm Cannon when charging. This may be due to the way this and other visual effects were programmed in the original versions of the game, making it too difficult to reproduce the effects on the Wii. It is also possible this had to be removed due to the free-aim features of the Wii controls. Despite this, similar effects are retained in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes.

The Plasma Beam Arm Cannon model seen in Corruption's cutscenes has an incorrect specular map on its tip. Because of this, large circles appear on the muzzle of the arm cannon.

The Plasma Beam was intended to be one of Samus's unique abilities in Metroid Tactics, a pitched game from Paul Tozour.

Trivia[]

  • The Plasma Beam made its debut in Metroid II: Return of Samus. In this game, it (along with the Spazer Beam) had the ability to penetrate solid walls. This ability was removed in all later appearances, but the beam often retains this ability from the Wave Beam via Stacking.
  • In Super Metroid, due to memory limitations in the SNES cartridge, the Plasma Beam is unable to be combined with the Spazer; despite lacking this limitation when fusing with the nearly identical Wide Beam from Metroid Fusion. The Spazer and Plasma Beams can be combined in Metroid: Samus Returns.
  • In Zero Mission, it is impossible to obtain the Plasma Beam without the Ice Beam. The Plasma Beam alone can only be obtained via hacking. It is a light green color. If the Plasma Beam is obtained in this way, it will cause exceptionally high damage to some bosses such as Ridley, Mua, and the Kiru Giru. Kraid, although vulnerable to charged Ice Beam shots, will take no damage from the Plasma Beam. Narratively speaking, Ridley's high susceptibility to the Plasma Beam makes sense as he is very sensitive to it in Samus Returns, Super Metroid, Other M and Fusion.
  • Near the end of Metroid Fusion, Adam stated that the Federation completed downloadable data for the Plasma Beam, but withheld it to stop Samus from destroying the SA-X, and thus preventing their studies. However, Samus restored the function on her own by destroying Nettori and absorbing its Core-X.
    • Although somewhat ironically, this is incorrect as disabling the Wave Beam via debug shows that the Plasma Beam isn't capable of damaging the SA-X alone even with charged shots.
  • Anthony Higgs's Plasma Gun may be a prototype of the reverse-engineered Plasma Beam, as a single Plasma Gun shot is equivalent to a charged Plasma Beam shot in terms of damage.
  • The Plasma Gun weapon shows just how advanced Chozo technology is when compared to similar technology used by the Galactic Federation. While both weapons have the same power output, the Galactic Federation version takes a significantly longer time to charge a single blast and requires a large power source. Samus's Chozo version is tiny by comparison (being integrated into her Arm Cannon) and can charge a blast in just a few seconds with no ammunition required.
  • The Nova Beam in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption resembles the classic green Plasma Beam.
  • It is possible that the Plasma Beam in Metroid Prime may actually be Space Pirate technology, as it is found in Plasma Processing, near Pirate-created geothermal processing equipment. However, the Plasma Troopers use weaker versions of the technology, which would not make sense if the Plasma Beam found on Tallon IV was created by the Pirates.
  • It is therefore more likely that the Plasma Beam, being on a planet the Chozo once inhabited, was taken by the Pirates and experimented with in the Magmoor Caverns, a fire-based area, which may have led to the development of the Plasma Troopers.
  • Interestingly, the Plasma Beam in Metroid Prime is the only beam that increases in range when charged (albeit only slightly). Additionally, it is the only beam in Prime to fire an actual energy beam rather than the spherical energy balls that the other beams release.
    • The Metroid Prime Demo originally had the charged shots of the Plasma Beam fire a more spherical blast. Interestingly, the Inventory screen still references the final's charge as a "sphere" of plasma, possibly referring to the beta design of the charged Plasma Beam. This entry was never changed or updated in any version of Prime.
  • In Corruption, when Samus tests the Plasma Beam out during the pickup cinematic, the sound it makes is the same as in Prime, although it makes a different sound throughout the rest of Corruption, albeit one that sounds similar to the sound from Prime.
PED-G

Corruption model with improper specular mapping.

  • The Plasma Beam, along with Samus and several of her other abilities, were slated to appear in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, but they were removed due to Nintendo withholding their consent. The Plasma Beam in Ultimate Alliance appears to be based off of Prime's iteration due to its orange color.
  • In the first Metroid Prime, the symbol for the Plasma Beam is a handprint presumably combining the index finger with the middle finger, the ring finger with the pinky, and putting them together, with the thumb turned inward toward the hand. Using the X-Ray Visor reveals that Samus configures her hand this way to activate the beam.
  • The Plasma Beam's Arm Cannon appearance from Prime is the only one that does not return in Corruption.
  • In chapter 4 of Samus & Joey, volume 1, Samus escapes captivity from thousands of Megaroid crystals by using her Plasma Beam and Ice Beam to destroy them, via thermal shock.
  • While the Plasma Beam does not appear in Metroid Prime Hunters, its Official Nintendo Player's Guide erroneously refers to the Power Beam as the Plasma Beam in one instance: "Track Spire with your Plasma Beam as you walk the periphery of the room, moving in lockstep with Spire."
  • The welding ability of the Plasma Beam in Corruption is not enabled until the beam is obtained. Unlocking all beams with a cheat code enables the Nova Beam, but the welding ability is not gained until that point, probably due to the room with them changing properties once the beam is obtained.

Audio[]

Sound Game
Metroid II: Return of Samus
Super Metroid
Metroid Fusion
Metroid Prime
Metroid: Zero Mission
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Metroid: Other M
Metroid: Samus Returns
Metroid Dread

Gallery[]

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