Metroid Dread – Ravenbeak boss strategy: How to defeat Ravenbeak explained

Metroid Dread’s Ravenbeak boss battle is the subject of this guide, in which we’ll help you defeat the final boss, complete the game and unlock Hard Mode.

After travelling to the Itorash flying fortress from Hanubia, you’ll eventually reach an elevator that will transport Samus to Ravenbeak’s boss room.

It’s here that the boss battle will begin. We recommend that you gather as many missile expansions and energy tanks as possible before taking on Ravenbeak as he’s undoubtedly the toughest boss in Metroid Dread.

Ravenbeak boss battle in Metroid Dread explained

The battle against Ravenbeak in Metroid Dread is split into three main phases:

Phase One

During this phase Ravenbeak will battle Samus on the ground mostly using melee attacks. So the best strategy is to keep as much distance as possible and constantly hit him with missiles.

Ravenbeak will occasionally emit a laser field, which will force you to get right up close to him to avoid taking damage. As soon as he stops emitting this field he will usually dash forwards, so make sure you immediately flash shift to the other side of the room when it stops and then jump up to avoid his attacks.

The boss will also regularly release large, purple orbs which will damage Samus if touched. Immediately shoot them with missiles and you’ll receive a welcome batch of health and missile pickups.

The first of Ravenbeak’s most important moves to look out for at this stage is his charge move. He’ll indicate that he’s going to charge with a short animation with a red burst of energy. If you time it right, you’ll be able to melee counter him mid-charge with X, dealing both big damage and receiving more pickups.

The second of Ravenbeak’s important attacks to watch out for is when he emits red shockwaves directly in front of him. If you duck during this sequence, you’ll initiate a short cut-scene where you’ll again be able to melee counter him for big damage.

Eventually, once you’ve inflicted enough damage, Ravenbeak’s shield will turn yellow, which indicates that he’s now invulnerable to your standard projectile attacks.

During this section, he’ll occasionally laugh and beckon Samus to approach: walking towards him at this stage will initiate a counter opportunity where you can damage him.

Once you’ve inflicted enough damage via melee counters, phase 2 of the boss battle will begin.

Phase 2

This is probably the toughest phase of the final boss battle with Ravenbeak, when he gains the ability to fly and also to shoot projectiles at Samus using his beam weapon.

However, once you memorise Ravenbeak’s patterns of attack, you should be able to avoid taking nearly any damage whilst slowly chipping away at his health.

Because of how fast-paced this section of the battle is, we recommend either attacking Ravenbeak using your standard beam, or by locking onto him with your storm missiles by holding R.

Ravenbeak’s main attack during this phase is shooting his beam weapon. You’ll know he’s about to do this when he remains static and turns on his laser sight. To avoid this attack, simply run circles around him using your space jump and flash shift.

His second main attack during this section is charging towards Samus. You can avoid this either by jumping above the point in which he stops and ‘locks on’, or similarly by ducking below it. A successful dodge gives you the opportunity to get some shots off on him here.

Occasionally, Ravenbeak will also slam down from above. A simple flash shift will avoid this, giving you another opportunity to get some shots off.

Finally, Ravenbeak will also occasionally fire a large beam attack diagonally downards, which you can anticipate by him aiming diagonally towards the floor. You can avoid this by remaining underneath Ravenbeak.

Phase 3

Once you’ve inflicted enough damage, Ravenbeak will shed his wings and again return to the ground.

This section is thankfully the easiest of the three, as long as you remember to keep your distance and how to avoid his various melee attacks.

The crucial trick for success during Phase 3 is knowing how to deal with the large, orange orbs he omits during the fight. As soon as you see him charging an orb, activate your morph ball and charge up a power bomb.

The power bomb blast will destroy the orange orb and crucially, leave valuable health and missile pick-ups to use during the rest of the fight. If you don’t destroy the orb, you’ll have to deal with both Ravenbeak and the projectiles the sun-like ball fires at you.

The only other significant attack to be aware of during Phase 3 is Ravenbeak’s charge beam. You’ll know he’s about fire when he stops and aims his weapon.

This works the same way it does in phase 2, except he can aim in all directions. Once he stops and ‘locks on’, you’ll need to duck or space jump until he stops.

Fire enough missiles at Ravenbeak and eventually, you will defeat him. Congratulations! You’ve now completed Metroid Dread.

Defeating Ravenbeak and finishing the story will unlock hard mode for Metroid Dread. Good luck!