Metroid Dread has been out for less than a month, and speedrunners are already doing incredible things with it. Developer-intended sequence breaks make it a joy to replay, but unintended glitches can be exploited to skip big chunks of the game for major time saves. One of the latest and greatest Metroid Dread glitches grants Samus invincibility for long periods of time, which is a total game-changer. And it’s not that hard for an average player to pull off! Among other things, this new exploit allows you to fight Kraid without the Varia Suit, though the aftermath is quite the challenge.
Metroid Dread invincibility glitch
Metroid Dread‘s invincibility glitch is extremely simple, and not terribly difficult to perform. All you need is the Morph Ball and an EMMI zone door. If the EMMI is still alive, it’s a bit easier to tell if you’ve done it right, but a neutralized EMMI zone works too. Put quite simply, the invincibility glitch requires you to roll up to the EMMI door, then un-morph just as you make contact with it. And that’s pretty much it! You can see how it’s done below, along with tips to make it easier.
If you roll too far to the left, the door will suck you into the EMMI zone. If it’s still an active zone, you’ll know you nailed the trick if the door turns red. If it’s an inactive EMMI zone, you can still tell if you’ve nailed it by feel. The HD rumble kicks in just as the door starts to suck you in. So if you feel that rumble, but you un-morph without going in, you’ve triggered the invincibility glitch. Enemies can no longer touch you, but you can still touch them. However, the game will revert to normal if you enter an EMMI zone or trigger a cutscene.
In the meantime, you’re free to enjoy an easier version of Metroid Dread with this invincibility glitch. And it’s not just enemies! Heated rooms, cold rooms, and lava can’t touch you either. This makes it possible for you to sequence break in interesting ways. I used it to fight Kraid with no Varia Suit
Fight Kraid with no Varia Suit
To pull this off, you want to go to the EMMI zone in Cataris that’s just outside the entrance to Kraid’s lair. Trigger the invincibility glitch here, and make your way to the Kraid fight sans Varia Suit. It’s possible that the crumble block leading into the room will kill you, though I’m not entirely sure why. If this happens, you’ll spawn in the previous room, and you’ll have to move fast, because your invincibility is gone. The cutscene that introduces the boss also ends your invincibility, but fortunately, the room isn’t heated.
During the Kraid fight, take special care to farm for health, because this no Varia run is about to get difficult. You want to end the battle with full health, as the invincibility glitch is no longer in effect, and the rooms after Kraid are heated. In the meantime, enjoy seeing Samus in her default suit throughout the Kraid cutscenes.
Escaping Kraid’s lair alive
Beating the Kraid fight with no Varia Suit isn’t that hard, but escaping the heated rooms is another story. As soon as you enter the next room, Samus will start taking damage. you need to get the Diffusion Beam as fast as possible. That means subtle speed tech, like un-morphing and sliding through the tunnel to gain a little speed, and un-morphing quickly on the other side as well. If you reach Diffusion Beam with less than 200 energy, you’ll want to select Load Last Checkpoint and try again. If you collect Diffusion Beam, you’re locked into that moment for your last checkpoint.
After you collect Diffusion Beam, immediately select Load Last Checkpoint. You’ll spawn on the right side of the room, saving you energy. Blast the wall tumor, and (for some reason) you’ll stop taking heat damage. If you spin-jump while charging, you’ll reach a full charge faster.
Use this fast charge technique again in the next room to blast that wall tumor twice as soon as you enter the room, then immediately exit again back to the left. We do this because damage in hot rooms is exponential. The longer you stay in, the more damage per second you take. Exiting the room resets this. Sprint back into the room and make a beeline for the Teleportal in the top-right corner, and you’re home free.
The margin for error is very slim here, so it may take a few tries. Fortunately, if you die, you just reset at Diffusion Beam. With enough practice, you’ll be able to kill Kraid with no Varia and escape in your sleep. And the invincibility glitch is surprisingly one of the easier Metroid Dread exploits to pull off, so any player should be able to pick it up in a few minutes.
More Metroid Dread speedrun guides
If you enjoyed learning about Metroid Dread‘s invincibility glitch and the no Varia Kraid fight, you’ll probably enjoy these other speedrun guides as well:
- Metroid Dread guide: How to Water Bomb Jump and get early Ice Missiles
- Unlock all Metroid Dread Ending Rewards and Chozo Archives on one file
- Metroid Dread: How to get Grapple and Bombs early + Kraid Quick Kill
- Metroid Dread speedrun guide: How to skip the Drogyga Boss Fight
- Metroid Dread speedrun guide: Getting the Phantom Cloak early
- Metroid Dread speedrun tricks: How to skip the first EMMI
- How to Shinespark almost every boss in Metroid Dread
- Metroid Dread guide: How to get early Gravity Suit
