Steamlords are a ruling caste of mechanoids inhabiting SkyTown, on planet Elysia. Steamlords were created to command the weaker Steambots. They have the ability to repair fallen Steambots with a wave of electrical energy and may even use it to damage Samus. Steamlords can also use a cloaking device to become invisible to the normal spectrum; they are vulnerable to weapon fire when visible.
The Steamlords were created by the Chozo, and are possibly some of the remaining self-aware, intelligent Elysians that lived on SkyTown prior to the Leviathan impact of Elysia. Some time after the Leviathan struck, most of the Elysian mechanoids fell under the influence of the Space Pirates and Ghor, the latter of whom had recently succumbed to his Phazon Corruption.
Three Steamlords are fought by Samus Aran in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. A single Steamlord follows Samus as she travels through SkyTown, but disappears before she can engage it. Samus encounters another Steamlord hibernating in a cryo-vessel in the Steambot Barracks, and is forced to destroy it when it commands several Steambots in the room to attack her. When defeated, it drops an Energy Tank. Later on, Samus is attacked by a Steamlord who re-assembles broken Steambot parts on Skybridge Hera, and commands them to attack Samus. Samus can destabilize the bridge they are encountered on, causing them to fall (doing so will earn her a Friend Voucher for a "Stylish Kill", so long as she does not engage the Steambots).
A fourth Steamlord is found in the Ballista Storage room after Samus has destroyed the Seed on Elysia. Samus is equipped with the Plasma Beam at this point, making for a much easier battle as the Plasma melts and warps the commanded Steambots beyond re-assembly. If Samus has also acquired the X-Ray Visor by this point, she is able to circumvent track the Steamlord's invisibility and continue attacking it.
A Steamlord also appears in an unlockable Diorama in the game's Extras menu.
Logbook entry
Steamlord
Mechanoid: Steamlord
Repairs fallen Steambots.
Capable of cloaking itself.
Steamlords command the worker drones of SkyTown. They also repair them when they malfunction or break down. Lightly armored, they rely on their cloaking field to evade their enemies. They can generate localized EMP fields to hinder enemy visor systems.
Trivia
- The Vaporwing is a robotic pet of the Steamlords.Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; invalid names, e.g. too many - The Steamlord's theme, "Steamlord" can be purchased as a bonus feature, allowing the player to listen to the music. The song plays three times: during the first Steamlord battle, during a battle against numerous Tinbots in the Aurora Chamber before Ghor appears, and again during another Steamlord battle in the Ballista Storage area when Samus goes to retrieve the Energy Cell.
- There is a glitch that allows the player to listen to the Steamlord's theme at anytime. After defeating the second Steamlord, the player takes the elevator to exit the room (Ballista Storage), but before leaving the next room, it is possible to take the elevator back to Ballista Storage and listen to the theme again.
- The Steamlord's theme is vaguely similar to the music heard when battling the second form of Mother Brain from Super Metroid.
- This is the Steamlord's theme: [2].
- A fact that suggests that Steamlords are intelligent is that they created the swarming Steamspiders and Vaporwings.
- The first Steamlord encountered doesn't take damage from any weapon if it is shot at before its official battle. If shots are fired at the Steamlord, the projectiles merely pass through, as the Steamlord apparently exhibits no collision detection. This is likely because it is not meant to be shot at that point in the game. This is possible in the Trilogy and original versions of Corruption.
Don Hogan animation
Gallery
!["Half dome opens revealing the steam lord's vessel of hibernation" [1] - from kipcarbone.net](/wiki/File:Steambot_Barracks_Kip_Carbone_render_lower_floor_Steamlord_emerges.png "Steambot Barracks Kip Carbone render lower floor Steamlord emerges.png (197 KB)")
References