For many Metroid and Nintendo fans, Metroid Dread is a faithful homage to the classic 2-D franchise while bringing with it a fresh set of graphics and features that have made the game one of the most highly-rated titles on the Switch.
One thing that Dread has brought back from the older games however is the challenging difficulty which some would argue is even more demanding in this new game, especially when you reach the second and one of the most expansive areas in the game, Cataris.
Here is how you can navigate through the area when you’re a little confused about where to go.
How To Get Through Cataris
Once you’ve grabbed the Phantom Cloak from Artaris and blasted your way to the second area of the game, it can be a little less clear where to go, especially with just how big this area is.
Luckily, once you know where all the secret paths are, it’s not too difficult and can be navigated fairly easily.
Head Left From The Elevator
As soon as you arrive in Cataris, look directly to your left from the elevator and open fire to reveal a hidden pathway that will begin your journey to the shuttle area which takes you to the next area in the game, Dairon.
Before that however, make your way through this hidden pathway and be prepared to take on some light puzzles and platforming sections.
Make Your Way To The Central Of Cataris
While Cataris is a big area, it becomes pretty linear for the next few sections since there will be a lot of locked doors that you won’t be able to open for a little while, so make your way through the sections while redirecting the thermal flow devices and investigating as much of the E.M.M.I zones as you can.
Hang On From The Central Lift
Once you reach the central area of Cataris which looks like a lengthy bridge on the map, the path to continue on will actually be blocked by a magnet lift and while this can originally seem like you might need to come back later to advance, you can actually move the lift with all your current upgrades.
To do this, simply hang from the bottom of the lift to pull it down, and continue to the right where you will find that the left side of the room has now opened up for you to progress.
Grab The Wide Beam
When you move through the left side, be sure to grab the energy tank and proceed upwards and then to the right side where you will be following a linear path that is leading you to the next exciting upgrade, the Wide Beam.
For now, the Wide Beam will allow you to finally reach the shuttle to make your way to Dairon and will enable you to shoot all three beams at once, making you a lot more powerful, however it is also an extremely important tool for when you return to Cataris.
How Many Items Can Be Found In Cataris?
While Cataris essentially works as a bridge between Artaris and Dairon and is mostly centered around upgrading Samus’ weapons so that she can access new areas, just like all other areas of the game, the area is still huge and contains a lot of goodies that you won’t want to miss out on.
Cataris contains a total of 15 Missile Tanks, 3 Energy Tanks and 3 Power Bomb Tanks.
Some of these can be found in your first run-through of the area, however some are located in the red areas which can only be accessed once you return and have picked up the Wide Beam upgrade, so be sure to be on the lookout for them to aid in your survival.
Extra Tips When Navigating Cataris
Always remember that at any time you can open your map and press Y on a door or item to highlight discovered items of that type on every map which can make exploration much easier.
This also enables you to highlight every door of a type that you couldn’t open before, making it a lot easier to know where you have to go next.
Speaking of the map, it is especially useful and important to keep bringing up when making your way through Cataris since the area is so big.
Remember that rooms that are flashing have an unseen or uncollected item, so make use of this to pick up the decent amount of Missile Tanks and Energy Tanks scattered around the map.
Finally, while it might go without saying, be sure to keep Samus’ beam at the ready at all times.
Cataris is littered with Ply which are the small enemies with a delayed attack pattern. You can parry them, however it’s easier to shoot them from a distance.
The ever-annoying magma spitting Vulkran are also all over this map, however they can also be taken down easily with a well-placed shot, so it’s always worth keeping your distance since most enemies in this area won’t require you to melee.
Summary
Cataris can be a little tricky to navigate at first, but once you know how, you will be able to make your way to the exciting area of Dairon in no time at all with a few new upgrades to bring along the way.
My name is Ashley Newby and I want to put integrity back into esports and get the hype surrounding them paramount once more. During my teenage years, I happened to stumble across a Street Fighter tournament online and I was hooked.
From that day, I have kept up with and watched many tournaments including Valorant, Super Smash Bros, and League of Legends. I even got to compete in my first one earlier this year!
