We made it – the end of the Metroid Dread boss guide. This has been a journey, one I have mixed feelings about. Read the review and you might understand why, at least a little. When it comes to final boss fights, Metroid Dread’s Raven Beak is definitely a doozy. In order to beat this boss you really do need a handle on Dread’s complex controls, if only because there are expectations here you have to meet. It’s a pass/fail situation in a lot of ways.
We’ve seen multiple boss fight phases before, but Raven Beak takes the proverbial space cake. This fight’s whole cadence shifts multiple times, and if you aren’t prepared then you’ll be skipping that cutscene a few times. But hey, once you win it’s pretty much over, save for the obligatory Metroid game escape sequence.
Related: Metroid Dread Review | Footsteps
Your battle with Raven Beak is, technically, a whopping five phases of grueling combat. In practice it’s more like three and a half phases, since the final one is all but handed to you (and it autosaves once you get there). And the first two phases are close enough in function that they barely count as two.
There’s a lot going on with Raven Beak’s general moveset. For the most part, you can Space Jump and Flash Shift away from his moves, but the timing windows are often strict and unforgiving. If he punches at you it’s the first of three long distance strikes, so stay attentive. If he fires a floaty, purple orb at you it needs around four or five super missiles ASAP to stop it. It does drop health and ammo though.
If he raises his arm in the air he’s about to unleash a massive area of effect blast, with the only safe area right in his face. He’ll swipe at you right at the end so get ready to dodge. Once you deal enough damage he’ll wind back as if to punch, but a red haze will fill most of the screen to make you duck. Then Raven Beak will charge, with a counter opportunity.
Phase number two is essentially the same as the first, but Raven Beak becomes completely invulnerable to damage. The boss will repeat the same moves and all you can do is dodge until you get another chance to counter. The counter chances are different, though. When he does the familiar windup punch, his arm will glow but the haze won’t appear. Countering this will stop Raven Beak in his tracks and let you hit him a little. If he follows up any move by zooming to an edge of the arena, at this point he’ll taunt Samus and you have a brief moment to run up and counter him. Once you get two or three counters you’ll transition to the next phase.
Raven Beak will spread his wings to signify it’s time for phase three. Personally, if I was going to choke during this fight, this is where it would most likely happen. Raven Beak moves super quickly, and Samus is barely fast enough to react. The best way to contend with this situation is to make sure you get the tells down.
If Raven Beak flys back a bit, he’s about to sail across the screen horizontally. If you slide fast enough you’ll have time to shoot back. If he flies up to the center, he’s about to strike directly downwards. There are also two ranged attacks here. The first is a super quick, diagonal blast that is frankly hard to react to. It comes out pretty fast, but Raven Beak flashes before he starts shooting. The second is an aimed rapid fire volley, which tracks you for several seconds. All you can do here is use space jump to circle the boss and stay ahead of the bullets.
The next phase activates once you deal enough damage – no counter is needed here. This sees Raven Beak back on the ground, repeating some of the moves from earlier. But you’ll meet one of the new moves right away when the boss fires what looks like a literal sun into the room.
While the sun is up, it’ll fire out waves of thin, long projectiles you have to find space to avoid. At the same time, Raven Beak will be tracking you and shooting big lasers you also have to avoid. Or you could simply use a Power Bomb to take the whole thing out instantly! Another new move is a Flash Shift, which you’ll recognize from a familiar blue glow.
This is where I can finally type “rinse and repeat” in good faith. Stay vigilant and keep sticking to the plan and you’ll enter the end. There’s an additional phase, but it’s more cinematic than everything before it. Have fun with one of the strangest climaxes in Metroid history.
