Metroid Dread: How to Beat Experiment No. Z-57 – Boss Fight Guide

Experiment No. Z-57 isn't a boss to be taken lightly. Here's a full guide on how to beat the Cataris boss level.

Ever feel like Metroid Dread bosses aren’t challenging enough? Well, buckle up because we’ll be introducing a boss that’s no pushover and might just give players the run for their money feeling they’ve been missing from every other boss.

Where to find Experiment No. Z-57

So eventually there will be an issue that will prevent Samus from exploring Artaria which is in a frozen state. ADAM will suggest you to check the power plant in Cataris. Once you find Experiment No. Z-57, you notice that the creature is absorbing the heat from the plant.

Experiment No. Z-57 Attack Patterns

Basic Attacks

  • Single Limb Swipes – this attack will cover the lower half of the screen and it will occupy a bit more than half of it.
Samus dodging Experiment No. Z-57's swipe sttack.
  • Double Limb Swipes – a rare attack wherein Z-57 will use both limbs so the only safe spot is the area around the top center where its head is during the attack animation.
  • Chomp Chomp – an attack that’s triggered by Samus completely dodging Z-57’s sideways laser beams. It will try to bite Samus.

Laser Attacks

  • Downward Laser – Z-57 fires a laser from its mouth, covering most of the floor with damaging pink goo except one spot. There will be a brief window after half the floor has been hit by the laser before it continues with the other half.
  • Sideways Laser – Z-57 will move to one side of the room to fire a laser from its mouth that will hit the other side, Chomp Chomp incoming.
  • Targeted Laser – Z-57’s arms will grab onto the walls or ceiling and will charge up a laser beam for you.
  • Laser Waves – Z-57 will fire a huge laser at turbulence fans that will cover the wall with pink goo while blowing laser waves at you of different sizes.

How to Beat Experiment No. Z-57

When Experiment No. Z-57 does Single Limb Swipes, use Space Jump to go to the top left or top right corner as necessary, and when it does Double Limb Swipes, just jump towards the upper center of the screen to avoid it.

Countering Chomp Chomp will allow players to do a grab sequence that will deal a lot of damage to Z-57 as well as stun him. A successful counter gives Samus Missiles and Energy.

For the Downward Laser, players need to wait for the first shot to end and players can jump to the safe spot before the second shot happens. Players can combine the jump with Flash Shift or double jump depending on the distance of the safe spot.

To avoid the Sideways Laser, players just need to stand close to the head as the beam won’t be able to reach the player if they’re there.

For the Targeted Laser, players will need to keep moving in order to avoid the laser locking on to your position. Use Storm or Ice Missiles to destroy one of its limbs to disrupt Z-57 and then rinse and repeat until all the limbs grabbing the walls or ceiling are destroyed.

The Laser Waves are the toughest ones to evade. There will be laser waves trying to hit the player and they’re stacked with between zero, one, two, and three waves high. Samus needs to jump or not jump properly throughout the sequence all the while running away from the gooey wall.

And that’s it for how to beat Z-57. The fight will be asking a lot from players but it isn’t impossible to beat and I’m sure many will love or hate this particular fight.

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