You know the drill by now: Samus Aran arrives on a new world and conveniently forgets all her powers. It’s the Metroid staple, and Dread doesn’t diverge. But just how powerful is Samus when she’s gathered up her gear? In this guide we’ll list all Aeon abilities in Metroid Dread, including details on when you can expect to earn them, and how they work.
Metroid Dread: All Aeion abilities and locations
Aeion abilities are special powers which Samus can activate using her Aeion meter. Each ability drains the power bar at a different rate, so it pays to master them all when taking on powerful foes like the EMMI robots. There are three Aeion abilities in Metroid Dread:
- Phantom Cloak
- Flash Shift
- Pulse Radar
You’ll obtain Phantom Cloak and Flash Shift fairly early in the game, but Pulse Radar can also be grabbed much earlier than you’ll really need it. Here’s what each Aeion ability does and where you can obtain it.
Phantom Cloak
© Nintendo
The first Metroid Dread Aeion ability is Phantom Cloak. By clicking in the right analog stick, this allows Samus to temporarily turn invisible. While active, Phantom Cloak drains the Aeion meter constantly. The rate at which it drains power increases if Samus moves or shoots. If you run out of Aeion meter, Phantom Cloak will drain your Energy instead (stopping at 1 Energy). Samus moves much more slowly while Phantom Cloak is active. Phantom Cloak cannot be reactivated until the Aeion meter is full.
Location: The Phantom Cloak is located in Artaria. You’ll need to beat the game’s first boss, Corpius, to obtain it.
Uses: The Phantom Cloak can be used to pass through Presence Doors and also allows Samus to hide from an EMMI’s scan. While Phantom Cloak is active, Samus will not make any noise while moving.
Flash Shift
© Nintendo
The second Metroid Dread Aeion ability is Flash Shift, which allows Samus to rapidly phase horizontally left or right a set distance. By holding the A button, you can perform up to three rapid shifts left or right. Flash Shift will consume the entire Aeion meter, but it recharges extremely quickly.
Location: Flash Shift is found in Burenia. You’ll be very limited with the areas you an explore the first time you visit this zone, so stick to the paths that aren’t locked off and make use of Spider Magnet to reach it.
Uses: Flash Shift can be used to jump through Sensor Doors that lock and turn red when Samus approaches. Because it can be used in the air, Flash Shift is also extremely useful for crossing large gaps that Samus couldn’t otherwise jump over.
Pulse Radar
© Nintendo
The final Metroid Dread Aeion ability is Pulse Radar. By holding right on the D-Pad, this consumes the entire Aeion meter to scan the surrounding environment for hidden blocks. It’ll reveal any secret blocks in the environment as blue cubes, making it a crucial get for completionists and explorers.
Location: Pulse Radar is found in Ghavoran. The typical way to find it will be by exploring this zone and defeating the EMMI there, but you can actually obtain it far earlier by accessing the Orange Teleportal in Cataris’ top left region.
Uses: The Pulse Radar Aeion ability is useful for finding a path forward or any hidden items. If a room on your map is flashing, activate Pulse Radar while inside to reveal any hidden blocks that could hide a new path forwards or a valuable upgrade.
Those are all the Metroid Dread Aeion abilities. Samus can obtain them all fairly quickly, making her more capable of exploring and outwitting enemies. Head to our hub page for more useful tips and tricks like how to get the Morph Ball so you can search rooms thoroughly.