Metroid Prime 4: Beyond: Volt Forge Guide

Hello! Welcome to the next part in our Metroid Prime 4: Beyond walkthrough, in which we'll be diving headfirst into Volt Forge, the electrically-charged fortress housing a boatload of mechs and, more importantly, the motorbike Vi-O-La.

Lots more scans and items to get through again here, so if you're looking to achieve 100% completion, then you've come to the right place.

Let's begin!

Volt Forge Walkthrough

Upon entering Volt Forge via the morph ball slot detailed in our Fury Green guide, you need to walk down a short corridor, then fire a missile at a window to burst it open and jump through.

From here, you'll see another morph ball slot, so head down. Now, walk down the corridor again and you see another morph ball slot to the left. Get down there.

You'll exit at the end of the Tunnel Entrance, at which point you can head into the Facility Approach and enjoy a brief cutscene introducing you to Volt Forge.

Scan Entry: Denzard

Move into the Loading Airlock. Here, you'll see little creatures scurrying around call Denzards. Scan one of them, but don't worry about shooting them; they won't both you.

Now move through into the Showroom.

Scan Entry: Vi-O-La

Straight ahead, you'll see Vi-O-La taking pride a place atop a podium. Scan it to add it to your logbook.

Now scan the terminal at the end of the room by the large window to trigger a cutscene. You'll gain the Area Map in doing so.

Two doors are available to you from here: to the right is the Save Room, and to the left is your critical path. Save if you wish, then head to the left.

Move into Tower 1: Elevator 1 and scan the terminal to activate the elevator. Head down.

As you enter the Irradiation Floor, you'll see a Missile Expansion in the centre; don't worry, we'll come back for it later. Instead, jump on the platforms protruding from the centre. They'll each drop slightly as you land on them.

Scan Entry: Mecha Rat

At the bottom, you'll see a bunch of small rat-like mechs moving across the ground, appropriately called Mecha Rats. Scan one of them.

Shooting a switch on the wall will cause the platforms to rise slightly and allow for access to the upper floor, but they'll almost immediately fall back down. So, head onto the platform right next to the upper floor, then use your Control Beam to guide your shot to the switch. Immediately jump from the platform after it rises up.

Head through to Tower 1: Elevator 2 and scan the terminal. Take the elevator down.

On your left, blow the lock off the door with a missile and move through. Walk around the corridor; you'll see more Mecha Rats if you happened to miss these earlier.

Jump down into the main Assembly Floor and clear out some of the rats to allow access to the door.

Scan the terminal in Tower 1: Elevator 3 and take it down. Watch the floor here; it'll periodically burst with electricity, so just run into the elevator when it's all clear.

Move down into the main chamber of the Manufacturing Floor.

Scan Entry: Lamorn Magnetic Rail

Up above, you'll see what looks like a familiar Spider Rail from the rest of the Metroid series. Scan it!

Now blow the lock off the door with a missile and head into the Collapsed Catwalk.

Scan Entry: Grapple Node

You'll see three lights on the walls; two on the left and one on the right. These are Grapple Nodes, and we'll be coming back later to use these. For now, scan the closest one.

For now, go back into the Manufacturing Floor and drop down into the morph ball hatch on the opposite side.

Move through until you reach Tower 1 Generator. Before you do anything else, head to the left.

Scan Entry: Grapple Point

You can't use them yet, but you'll see Grapple Points dangling from the lightning rods above. Scan one of them.

Now go back and jump into the bomb slots either side of the lightning antenna. Drop bombs to activate them.

Now drop into the morph ball hologram to start making your way up the antenna. At the end, circle around and drop a bomb into the slot. Well done, you've now powered up Tower 1. Move back up the antenna, but slot yourself into the platforms on either side to temporarily avoid the lightning strikes.

Move back into the morph ball slot to start heading back up to the Showroom. Watch the electricity in Maintenance Shaft 1.

In the Manufacturing Floor, touch the central terminal with 'A' to activate the assembly line.

To reach the upper floor, you'll need to drop into morph ball mode and fool one of the machines into thinking you're the wheel of a Vi-O-La. The machine will pick you up and place you onto the upper floor.

Move through the space and avoid the cylinders of electricity. Move into the door on the right and back up the elevator.

Scan Entry: Maintenance Tank

In the Assembly Floor, reawakened Maintenance Tanks will attack you. Scan them, then dispatch them with charged shots and missiles.

There's a bomb slot up high here, so you'll need to drop a bomb, then psychically throw it into the slot. Now morph ball into the central mechanism. The machine will designate you as 'trash' and throw you into the upper floor. Move around the corridor, using the machines on the assembly line as cover from the laser beams.

More Maintenance Tanks will greet you in the next room, so get rid of them. Before moving back into the elevator, touch the panel on the wall with 'A' to release the gate.

Now head back up the elevator.

In the Irradiation floor, use the platforms in the middle to work your way up the room, but watch out, as they'll periodically get electrified.

At the top, touch another panel to release a gate, then go back up the final elevator.

Scan Entry: Scanner Drone

At the top of the elevator, you'll immediately see a Scanner Drone. Scan it back.

Now that you're back in the Showroom, head to the terminal in front of Vi-O-La and touch it with 'A'.

Power Suit Upgrade - Vi-O-La Suit

Boom! You've got the Vi-O-La Suit. Looks cool, huh?

You can now ride the Vi-O-La bike, so hop onto it and use the Vi-O-La Spinner to launch yourself through the door and across the access tunnel. As an aside, if you thought Volt Forge's theme tune was a bit lacking up to this point, this is where the real theme kicks in, and it's a banger.

Scan Entry: Flight Drone

Did you think there was nothing to scan across this tunnel? Think again. You'll see a bunch of Flight Drones zooming through the sky, so break out your scan visor whilst on Vi-O-La and you can scan them.

When you reach the Receiving Lobby, hop off Vi-O-La and scan the terminal by the window to get the next Area Map.

Now head to the back of the room. To the right is another Save Room, so stop by there if you wish.

Scan the terminal and head down the elevator.

Scan Entry: Spinner

Scan the Spinner in the centre of Processing. It's offline for now, but it'll still count toward your logbook.

You'll be stopped from going any further by a few Psy-Bot Soldiers. Once you've defeated two waves of three bots, head through the next door and take the elevator down.

In the Storage room, you'll be stopped again, but this time by a different type of Psy-Bot...

Scan Entry: Psy-Bot Teleporter

Yes, the Psy-Bot Teleporter is a tricky little fiend. You might need to lock on a few times to complete the scan, as it'll teleport away before you finish.

As for defeating this thing, just hit it with a charge shot as soon as it reappears. Missiles are also valid, but they're a little slower, so you might lose the Psy-Bot before you land a hit. Maintenance Tanks will also show up, so get rid of these things first to make life a bit easier.

When you're done, take the next elevator down.

Head through the Morph Ball slot at the end of the Archives room. After a bit of zig-zagging around, you'll emerge in the Tower 2 Generator.

Head left immediately and you'll spot another Scout Bot on the floor. You don't need to scan this if you've already got the one from Fury Green, but take note of its location regardless.

Now use the two bomb slots like you did in Tower 1. You can use the one on the right like normal, but the left slot is inaccessible. Throw a bomb in there using your psychic powers.

Head down the morph ball slot and drop a bomb at the end. Head on back and avoid the lightning strikes by moving into the side platforms. When you get back, you'll be greeted by a new enemy.

Scan Entry: Flight Drone MCU

Scan the Flight Drone MCU. Now get ready to fight. You'll want to use the Control Beam to hit the three nodes surrounding the MCU. Ideally, get rid of a few of the smaller Flight Drones flying about to make this easier.

Once these are gone, the MCU's shield will drop, so shoot it to deal damage. You'll need to repeat this process one more time to beat it.

Head back through Maintenance Shaft 2, being careful to avoid the electricity as you go.

When you emerge back into Archives, you'll be greeted by a familiar face.

You can't scan Sylux at this time, so you'll just need to beat him instead. If you need assistance with this, then check out our guide on How to Beat Sylux (01).

Energy Tank #3

When you beat Sylux, you'll notice that he wasn't quite what he seemed. Oh well, no time to dwell. Let's grab that sweet Energy Tank and press on, shall we?

Head back up the elevator to Storage. This one's a bit iffy, so it won't quite reach the top – just jump out when it stops.

Scan Entry: Psychic Grapple Point

When you get into Storage, look straight up. You'll see a purple haze, but this isn't a Psychic Platform, oh no. Scan it to reveal a Psychic Grapple Point. We'll be coming back here later to use it.

Walk forwards until a cutscene triggers.

Scan Entry: Psy-Bot Shield

Gosh, yet another Psy-Bot enters the fray for a scrap. This one has a fancy shield. Scan it.

The best way to beat this thing right now is to wait until it charges toward you. Dash to the side and quickly shoot at the Psy-Bot while it's facing away. Rinse and repeat. When it's gone, two standard Psy-Bot Soldiers will show up, so just beat these as you normally would.

Head back up the elevator into Processing.

Scan Entry: Lamorn Beam Turret

Another Psy-Bot Soldier will attack, so get rid of it. Toward the back of the room, two Lamorn Beam Turrets attached to the walls will shoot at you. Scan one of them, then destroy them. A single charged shot should do the trick.

Take the elevator back up to the Receiving Lobby. Save your game in the Save Room. When you exit, turn left and touch the terminal with 'A'.

Missile Expansion #3

Touching the terminal opens up the maintenance hatch in the centre of the room. Morph ball into it and follow the short maze around, avoiding the electricity as you go. Reach the middle and you'll nab a Missile Expansion.

Now hop on Vi-O-La and ride over to Tower 3 and into Test Circuit Security.

At the back of the room is another terminal to scan. This gives yet another area map and allows access to the floors below. You'll need Vi-O-La to do this, so ride on down and then hold accelerate to take the elevator down.

You'll now commence three trials with Vi-O-La, which essentially act as tutorials to explain how Vi-O-La's weapons and boost abilities function. You don't need our help with this, so complete the trials until you reach Certification at the bottom of the tower.

There's another Save Room to your left, so go ahead and savey-wavey.

Make your way down Certification, taking out any pesky Maintenance Tanks along the way. Eventually, you'll reach Facility Core and your next boss battle.

Scan Entry: Xelios

Make sure you scan Xelios before you fight it.

If you need help with this one, check out our full guide on How to Beat Xelios. We've got you covered.

Power Suit Upgrade - Psychic Boots

Beating Xelios will grant you the fancy Psychic Boots. Remember those psychic platforms from earlier? Yeah, you can step on them now. Oh, and you've got your double-jump back! Winner.

When you've grabbed the Psychic Boots, use double-jump to hop onto the Sacred Shrine and look into the light. Move forwards to grab the next Master Teleporter Key.

Use the Psychic Platforms to make your way out of the Facility Core. Make your way back up to Test Circuit Security and ride Vi-O-La back around to Tower 1.

You can save your game now, if you wish. We're going to head out of Volt Forge altogether and go for our first proper ride around Sol Valley atop Vi-O-La.

Head back into Facility Approach. Dispatch the Maintenance Tanks, then double-jump up the Transportation Containers and morph ball through the gap on the left-hand wall. Bomb the slot to power up the Vi-O-La Spinner. Hop onto Vi-O-La, power up the Spinner, and get outta here.

Now that we're in Sol Valley, now's as good a time as any to collect as many Green Energy Crystals as you can. If you'd prefer to just explore the area organically at this point, that's fine too, since not all Green Crystal clusters will be available at this point in the game.

For advice on how to obtain all of them along with the rewards for doing so, check out our full guide on How to Get All Green Energy Crystals.

For now, turn left immediately after exiting Volt Forge. You'll see an island separate from the main environment, accessed via Psychic Platforms. Activate these to reach the island and take note of the Scout Bot located here. This one will be especially useful, as it'll reveal all undiscovered items in the entirety of Sol Valley

While we're in Sol Valley, let's box off a few more scans. You'll find the following creatures throughout the environment, so let's take a look at each in turn.

Scan Entry: Gullbat

The Gullbats can be found in groups across Sol Valley and are generally very easy to spot.

Scan Entry: Kyuveria

The Kyuveria are the pod-like plants found on the ground across Sol Valley. Driving into them will grant a very brief burst of speed while replenishing your boost meter.

Scan Entry: Sand Shren

Sand Shrens are generally found at the Galactic Federation Debris Sites, which are very easy to spot from a distance.

Scan Entry: Polaleisoarala

What a name, huh? The Polaleisoarala can be found near the centre of Sol Valley, hovering around Chrono Tower.

Scan Entry: Varmis

These whale-like creatures dive in and out of the sand and can be located toward the southeast segment of the map.

Missile Expansion #4

Whilst we're here, there's an easy Missile Expansion not too far from the exit from Volt Forge. Head east and stick close to the edge of the environment. Eventually, you'll find a large rock with a Missile Expansion in its hole. You can boost up a ramp in Vi-O-La to jump through the hole and grab the Expansion.

Okay, that about does it for now. To progress the story, head toward Flare Pool in the south-east corner of the map.

When you reach the entrance, use the Vi-O-La Spinner to access Flare Pool. We won't be staying here for long.

Scan Entry: Swarm Flyer

Upon entering Flare Pool, you'll see a swarm of flying creatures hovering about. Scan them.

Scan Entry: Heatstrap

Meanwhile, up on the wall is a Heatstrap. Scan that too.

Scan Entry: Vaernan

Crawling on the ground is a Vaernan, and it looks a little similar to the Denzard from Volt Forge. Scan it.

Missile Expansion #5

Next to the Heatstrap on the right, you'll see some Psychic Platforms. Scan to activate, then jump up to locate your next Missile Expansion.

From Volcano Entrance, head straight through to Magma Overflow, then through the next door into Shoreline Access, and again into Lava Lake Bridge.

Move forward and watch as the bridge collapses thanks to a bit of tinkering from what looks to be Sylux. You can't get this way yet. Go back into Shoreline Access and three Psy-Bot Soldiers will exit the door on the left. Get rid of them.

Move through the door into Scrapyard Access. There's a Save Room on the right, so make use of it.

Now go through into the Scrapyard. There's an intriguing glow coming from the machine in front of you. But before you head toward it...

Scan Entry: Pyremite

As you drop to the lower level, Pyremite's will rise from the ground. So scan one of them, but don't get too close. These things will cause huge explosions at close distances.

Okay, now jump on the cylindrical platforms at the back of the room. Now jump forward onto the Demolition Crane. Roll through to the end and drop a bomb.

Walk to the debris and press 'A' to collect the Fire Chip. You'll now need to take this back to Myles in Fury Green to obtain a new weapon upgrade. So let's head over there now.

Upon leaving Flare Pool, a giant wall of fire will rain down the entrance, so you can't come back here for now.

Back in Sol Valley, you'll want to head to the west side of the map to get back to Fury Green (focus on the big tree). Before we get there, however, a new enemy will make itself known.

Scan Entry: Marauder

The Marauders will roll on the ground like giant wheels and attack Samus. Scan one, then just use your basic Vi-O-La projectiles to take any out.

Now head into the entrance to Fury Green. You'll want to use the Cargo Launcher to take you back.

Missile Expansion #6

Remember those Psychic Platforms next to the Cargo Launcher in Fury Green? You can use them now to reach your next Missile Expansion. Yes.

Now head back to Base Camp. Talk to Myles and he'll gift you with the Fire Shot.

Power Suit Upgrade: Fire Shot

The Fire Shot will consume a different type of ammo to your missiles, so we'll be on the lookout for Shot Expansions from here on out.

Whilst we're here, let's explore Fury Green again and mop up a few upgrades. First, drop off any Green Energy Crystals you've collected in Altar of Legacy, then head to Jungle Path.

Shot Expansion #1

In Jungle Path, you can now use your Fire Shot against the webbing on the wall. Get rid of this, then morph ball up to the Shot Expansion.

From Base Camp, head to Cleared Path and use your Fire Shot on the door to the right. Go into Sacred Flame Ceremony.

Shot Expansion #2

Use your psychic powers to move the object in the middle of the room. Line it up with the three torch wicks and shoot with your Fire Shot to light them. This will open up the doors and reveal your next Shot Expansion.

There's nothing else to do here for now, so let's move on.

Shot Expansion #3

Go back to the Isopod Lair, near where you rescued Myles. In the middle is a pillar covered with webbing. Hit this with your Fire Shot, then grab your next Shot Expansion.

From the Isopod Lair, go back to Resin Creek.

Missile Expansion #7

On the left-hand wall, you'll see a pod ripe for bombing. Drop into morph ball mode and bomb it, then jump up to grab the Missile Expansion.

Now work your way back to Cliffside Gate.

Missile Expansion #8

The very first Psychic Platforms are now scalable. Jump up them to grab the Missile Expansion.

Finally, go back to Ravine Overlook.

Shot Expansion #4

Hug the wall to the left until you find some webbing. Use your Fire Shot to clear it and the Shot Expansion will be inside.

You don't need to go all the way back to the Cargo Launcher to exit Fury Green from here. Instead, go back to Quiet Clearing and use the exit there.

When you're back in Sol Valley, feel free to explore some more and grab more Green Energy Crystals.

Vi-O-La Boost Tank #1

From the entrance to Fury Green, go directly south. You'll eventually see a raised platform, which you can access by boosting up a ramp. Here, a small structure will have sparks coming from the centre. Shoot at this with your Fire Shot to reveal your first Boost Tank for Vi-O-La.

Okay, now let's head to the northwest corner of the map to the Ice Belt region.

Scan Entry: Psychic Boost Rail

Ride through a small opening to find yourself in the Ice Belt entrance area.

Over on the right, you'll see some Psychic Platforms needed to reach the upper ledge. On the left, meanwhile, is a Psychic Boost Rail. You can't use it yet, but scan it now to add it to your logbook.

Now jump up the Psychic Platforms and head through the door at the end.

Shoot the next door, go around the corridor and onto the giant elevator in the middle. At the bottom, go through the next door and into the hologram for the Sky Shuttle.

That's where we'll end this meaty section of the walkthrough. Next time, we'll be exploring Ice Belt and grabbing a lot more scans and items as we go. See you there.

Having fun so far? What did you make of Volt Forge? Check out our full Metroid Prime 4: Beyond walkthrough for more hints and tips.