How to beat the boss Kraid in Metroid Dread

After taking a long hiatus, the classic boss Kraid has made a triumphant return to Metroid.

Long time fans of the series will remember this boss. Kraid was in the first Metroid game ever, also appearing in 1994’s iconic Super Metroid. Kraid is even in the background of Brinstar Depths, a stage in Super Smash Bros Melee. It also seems like, with its return, the same tricks that usually are used to defeat Kraid still work.

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Iconic Metroid boss makes a return in the new game

The Kraid fight in Metroid Dread is very similar to the one from Super Metroid. This boss fight has two stages: in the first stage, Kraid is at eye level to Samus, and at the second, Samus must deal with Kraid at full size.

The first stage is relatively straightforward. Whenever Kraid’s grotesque mouth is open, it’s vulnerable to damage. Players will want to spam beam shots at his mouth anytime they see it open.

If Kraid’s mouth stays closed for a while, Samus can hit its face with a beam, which will cause Kraid to open its mouth back up again. Kraid will also shoot small projectiles at Samus, but she can shoot them down for energy and missiles.

This is a great mechanic to take advantage of if Samus gets low health. Waiting for the projectiles and shooting all of them down is a great way to fill that health bar back up and get some ammo at the same time.

The second (and more complex) phase initiates when Kraid destroys the platform Samus was standing on. Now, she is forced to fight from well below where she was before. To fight Kraid from this position, she has to shoot at the gross hole that’s in Kraid’s abdomen.

There’s no need to use heavy ammo here: spamming the beam button will do enough damage to Kraid. This boss also continues to shoot the projectiles that Samus can shoot for energy and missile drops.

After shooting at Kraid’s belly enough, the enraged boss will fire three-clawed projectiles at Samus simultaneously. Fortunately, Samus’ Morph Ball is so small that it dodges all three. This is also the player’s queue to attack Kraid’s mouth again.

Behind Samus, after the three-clawed projectiles are fired, a blue rail will appear. The player should grab onto this rail and ride it to the top of the wall. From this position, Samus will be on the level of Kraid’s head again, and she can fire at will. This is definitely where players will want to use their missiles and do as much damage as possible. After doing this around 2-3 times, Kraid will eventually fall.