How to do the Cataris Sequence Break in Metroid Dread

Metroid games are designed to dole out very specific new abilities in very specific areas. This is to encourage you to explore and find alternate paths, and then once you have the abilities you need, you can return and steamroll everything. But certain crafty players are always on the lookout for loopholes that allow them to obtain abilities that they theoretically shouldn’t have by that point in the game. Usually, this is an unintended quirk of the game’s design, but Metroid Dread features one instance of sequence breaking that may have been deliberately engineered. Here’s how to do the Cataris sequence break in Metroid Dread.

In Cataris, right after you get the Varia Suit to withstand high temperatures, you’d normally be expected to make your way downward through the hot zones to fight Kraid. However, it has been discovered that Kraid has a secret instant-kill method that requires Morph Ball Bombs. Normally, you wouldn’t get the Bombs for another hour or two, as they’re located in a part of Dairon that’s blocked off by Grapple Beam blocks and doors. If you know where you’re going, though, you can get them early, plus the Grapple Beam in the bargain.

How to do the Cataris Sequence Break in Metroid Dread

To do the Cataris Sequence Break in Metroid Dread:

1. Return to Dairon after obtaining the Varia Suit
2. Find the secret room obscured by a hidden block
3. Jump through the secret room to get to the Artaria elevator
4. Follow the path to obtain the Grapple Beam, then return to Dairon and use it to open the way to the Bomb upgrade
5. Return to Cataris to fight Kraid, using the Bombs to defeat him much more quickly

Right after you obtain the Varia Suit, instead of following the obvious path downward, retrace your steps until you return to Dairon. There are hot zones in Dairon you can now safely enter, and one in particular holds a secret. 

Bust open the beam block in this location and proceed to the right to find a secret room with a very tricky jumping puzzle. First, you’ll need to slide under the gap, then quickly jump to the left and wall jump up to the Morph Ball path up top. Follow the path until you reach another gap with a vertical shaft you can stand in. You’ll need to slide here while holding right, spinning as you come out, in order to reach the right ledge. Try not to mess this up, as you’ll fall in the lava and probably die if you do.

Once you clear the gap, follow the path past the Charge Beam door to find the elevator to Artaria. Keep following the obvious path, and you’ll stumble upon the Grapple Beam upgrade. Backtrack to Dairon, and you’ll be able to clear out the Grapple Beam blocks and doors in the area to the left of the EMMI Zone. Turn the power on and you’ll get access to the Morph Ball Bomb upgrade.

With the Bomb in hand, return to Cataris and follow the hot zone path downward to find Kraid. Fight him in the normal manner until he knocks you down to the lower level. Use your Bomb to break a block on the bottom of the left wall to reveal a Morph Ball launcher. Get in the launcher and activate it to launch yourself into Kraid’s gross belly hole, then bomb it over and over to instantly end the fight. I guess the devs figured if people were going to sequence break, they might as well reward them for it!

For more related content and guides, check out our website’s Metroid Dread section!