Metroid Dread Golzuna boss guide

Golzuna is one of the last bosses you’ll fight in Metroid Dread, but worry not; it’s not as challenging an enemy as Kraid, the E.M.M.I. bots, or even the various Chozo soldiers you’ve fought so far. This boss does have a few surprising tricks up its sleeve, but this guide should ensure you’re not caught too off-guard.

You’ll find Golzuna in Ghavoran, below and to the left of the shuttle leading to Hanubia. When you first access this area, you’ll have to drop into the arena by taking a small route located above the boss, only accessible via Morph Ball.

After dropping in, you’ll be met with a simple Muzby, but all is not as it seems. Blast away at the creature, and it’ll transform into a slightly larger form coated with rock armor courtesy of the X Parasite. It poses more of a threat now, but all you need to do is slide under its legs when it attacks and fire away at its back to take it down. Golzuna will now transform yet again; this is where the real fight starts.

This form of Golzuna looks near-identical to its previous one, except now it’s got electric energy radiating around its hard outer shell. Its attacks are also similar, with the only difference being a ranged attack that can be a little frustrating to deal with at first.

Occasionally, Golzuna will spawn orbs of light that will follow Samus and detonate after a few seconds, leaving behind damage-dealing trails of light that travel in the four cardinal directions. To dodge these, make sure you’re not directly above, below, or next to an orb on either side when it detonates. This gets a bit trickier once Golzuna starts sending out multiple orbs at once, as the resulting explosion covers much of the boss’ arena. But there is a surefire way to avoid damage during this attack: Hop over Golzuna using the Space Jump ability, and you’ll be safe from damage on the other side. 

As long as you can overcome Golzuna’s new attack, this form can be taken down in the same way its previous form was. Just slide under Golzuna’s legs during its melee attacks, and blast its back with a charged shot or rockets. After enough damage, the monster will transform into its Core-X mode. This form is much less of a hassle than the previous one. Just shoot it with a few of your rockets, and eventually, it will die for good this time.

You’ve now defeated Golzuna! Claim your prize — the Cross Bomb ability — and use it to check out some previously unexplorable areas.