Metroid Dread: Speed Booster Tricks & How to Shinespark

One of the many upgrades and abilities you’ll acquire in Metroid Dread is the Speed Booster. This lets Samus build up energy to dash at supersonic speed, allowing her to smash through certain walls and enemies. It’s a bit tricky to learn how to use, and there’s a special added ability with it called Shinesparking. If you’re totally confused, we’re here to explain it all. Here are some Speed Booster tricks and how to Shinespark in Metroid Dread.

Getting Shinespark Ability

First of all, you won’t be able to perform these tricks until you’ve acquired the Speed Booster ability. You’ll receive this upgrade after defeating the yellow EMMI in the Dairon area.

Metroid Dread Speed Booster Tips & Tricks

To start a Speed Boost, you’ll need to make sure you have a long, flat runway to get it started. It can be helpful to defeat any nearby enemies before getting it set up so you don’t run into any before the Speed Boost starts, canceling it.

Once you’re at the end of a long surface, start running in one direction while holding down L3. You should see Samus start to glow a faint blue color. Keep running for 2-3 seconds and then you will see a burst of blue around Samus. This means you are Speed Boosting.

Now, you want to keep this momentum going. There are several mandatory puzzles in the game where you must successfully control this Speed Boost to break through walls.

The key is to not stop running. Once you stop or change direction, the boost ends. However, you can keep the momentum going by continuing to hold the direction you want to go on the analog stick and jumping onto nearby platforms. You can also spring off walls to go the opposite way as long as you don’t stop moving.

Don’t worry about any enemies that get in your way; the Speed Booster is so powerful that you will be able to dash right through them without taking any damage, and in most instances, it will even defeat the enemy.

Practice in some areas with lots of walls to keep your Speed Booster momentum going. You’ll find some puzzles with Speed Booster blocks that are far away from a flat surface, so you’ll need to get used to starting the boost from far away and taking it all the way to the block.

If you feel frustrated, don’t give up. It’s a tough mechanic to get used to if you’ve never tried it before in a previous Metroid game. Start small by Speed Boosting across short distances and bouncing off one wall until you get the hang of it.

If you feel like you’re a Speed Booster pro, you’re probably ready to take on Shinesparking.

How to Shinespark

One other cool thing you can do with the Speed Booster ability is to perform a Shinespark. This is done by storing the energy from the boost and releasing it all at once to launch Samus in a certain direction.

The easiest way to Shinespark is to start by performing a Speed Boost dash the way we just described above. While dashing, press down with the left analog stick to put Samus into a crouching position. You should see Samus start to glow purple. Build up this charge and then get to the spot where you want to perform the Shinespark. You only have a few seconds before the charge fades.

Once you’re in position, press B and point the analog stick in the direction you want to launch. If you just press B without tilting the stick, you will launch upwards.

This Shinespark is an extremely powerful supersonic dash that can break through some walls and enemies. This strong dash won’t stop until it hits an unpassable wall. It’s necessary for solving puzzles that lead to important upgrades, so you’ll need to master this technique if you hope to 100% the game.

That’s everything you need to know about learning Speed Booster tricks and how to Shinespark in Metroid Dread. Be sure to check back with us here at Twinfinite for more tips and tricks for the game.