Metroid Dread: How to solve every Speed Booster puzzle

Super Metroid first gave Samus Aran the Speed Booster ability, and it’s been a classic ability of hers even since – Dread is no exception. The return of the Speed Booster also means the return of Speed Booster puzzles, which are tricky, sometimes multi-step challenges where you need to find a direct path to Speed Booster Blocks without losing momentum, something that’s pretty easy to mess up. This guide will help you solve every Speed Booster puzzle in Metroid Dread.

How to solve Speed Booster puzzles in Metroid Dread

The Shinespark jump is another critical part of these puzzles, letting you store your energy and rocket off in any direction, blowing through any Speed Booster Blocks in your path. Shinesparking into an incline even keeps your momentum going, allowing Samus to resume sprinting at full speed.

Combining these tactics will help you solve all of Dread’s Speed Booster puzzles. Doing so will reward you with upgrades like Energy Tanks, Missile Expansions, and Power Bomb Tanks. There are quite a few in the game, but we’ve got solutions for them all right here. Note that some can be solved in more than one way, but the strategies below are all guaranteed to work.

Artaria Speed Booster Puzzle #1 | Reward: Missile Tank

Your first Speed Booster puzzle is in the large room in the middle of the EMMI Zone, and we’re kicking things off with one of the niftiest solutions in the game. There’s a set of Beam Blocks high up on the wall, but you’re going to want to start in the long hallway across the gap – there’s a Beam Block at the far right side in here too. Run toward that block and charge up, then when you’re ready to Shinespark, store it, shoot out the block, and tuck into your Morph Ball in the small gap. From here, you can launch yourself straight to the left, through the door, through the Beam Blocks across the big chamber, and around the bend to a Missile Tank.

Artaria Speed Booster Puzzle #2 | Reward: Energy Tank

You’ll find Artaria’s second Speed Booster puzzle in the northwest corner of the map. Once you have the Varia Suit, you can safely move through the heat there. Use Morph Ball Bombs to reach the puzzle area, which is marked by a pressure plate that you can only pass over by using the Flash Shift. Start on the left side of that plate, up against the ledge. Turn right and immediately activate your Speed Booster – don’t worry about closing the pressure plate door as you move through; it’ll be open by the time you turn around. If you time it right, you’ll be able to store a Shinespark just as you hit the right-side wall. Now Flash Shift back across the pressure plate and launch up into the Speed Booster Blocks to grab the Energy Tank they were guarding.

Artaria Speed Booster Puzzle #3 | Reward: Missile+ Tank

This is found just east of the room where you fight the Red Chozo Soldier. Take the right-hand door out, and you’ll find some Speeder Booster Blocks up on a ledge. Run up from the sloping part of the cave to ready a Shinespark, then hop up to the ledge and release it to break through. Note the single, low block at the end – you might need to Shinespark again while in Morph Ball form to pass it. Once you do, you can grab the Missile+ Tank up on the ledge.

Artaria Speed Booster Puzzle #4 | Reward: Missile Tank

There’s another Speed Booster puzzle in the same cave system. This time, run down the sloping cave to the right. You want to Shinespark to the right while in Morph Ball form below the ledge by the exit door. This will send you rocketing through a tunnel to the Missile Tank. Alternatively, you can approach from the other end of the tunnel with a Power Bomb, as shown in the screenshot above.

Cataris Speed Booster Puzzle #1 | Reward: Missile Tank

The first Speed Booster puzzle in Cataris is in the passage near the tram to Dairon. Start from the tram side of the door, sprint through, shoot the low block on the other side, and store your Shinespark. Now you need to very quickly slide through the gap and wrap around to the upward curve on the far right side of the ceiling – the Flash Shift will give you an extra boost along the way. Launch into the ceiling to break through and grab a Missile Tank.

Cataris Speed Booster Puzzle #2 | Reward: Missile Tank

This one might be in lava, but it’s super easy to solve once you have the Gravity Suit. Head to the northwest volcanic area, under the Orange Teleportal. Hop into the lava, then start running from the left side of the room. Shoot the Beam Blocks and slide under the rock as you go, and you’ll zip right through the Speed Booster Blocks into the Tank. It might be hard to see Samus charging up in the redness of the lava, but it’s still an easy get.

Cataris Speed Booster Puzzle #3 | Reward: Energy Part

And now for one that’s very complicated: there’s a multi-step Speed Booster puzzle in the volcanic area under the Purple Teleportal. Step one, head east through the Grapple Beam Door to the tunnel above the hot zone. From there, you can shoot down at the Wave Beam Door to unlock it through the floor; backtrack and use the new passage to enter the volcanic room below. Drop into the lava pool here and yank at the Grapple Beam Block at the bottom – you’ll see your prize on the way down. Now head back to the Purple Teleportal and shoot out the Beam Blocks in the floor to reach a lower section filled with lava. Instead of sliding into the next room, stop and deploy a Power Bomb to blow away more of the rocks. Now we can finally start sprinting. Start from near the step-like section of the room and run to the right. Once you break through the Speed Booster Blocks, store a Shinespark before you fall off the next ledge and lose your momentum. Move to the end of the passage and launch straight up, through some more blocks that were previously sandwiching the Grapple Beam Block, to the cave ceiling above. From here, you can grab the ledge and roll over an Energy Part. Yes, all of that was for a quarter of an Energy Tank.

Cataris Speed Booster Puzzle #4 | Reward: Power Bomb Tank

There’s a lone Power Bomb Block in the Morph Ball tunnels in the center-left of the EMMI Zone. Blow through it to open another path below. While not marked with Speed Booster blocks, this is a puzzle nonetheless. Head back out to the top of the tunnel: you want to start running from the chamber north of here, hit your Shinespark, and quickly slide to the right. Now quickly slide to the left to get back into the tunnels, drop down onto the Beam Block, and launch over the Pitfall Blocks to reach a Power Bomb Tank.

Dairon Speed Booster Puzzle #1 | Reward: Energy Part

This puzzle is right below the Central Unit, and once you kill the EMMI for its Speed Booster ability, it’s yours for the taking. With that equipped, charge up speed and break through the Speed Booster Blocks by the doorway. Then you can jump up to a cubby holding an Energy Part.

Dairon Speed Booster Puzzle #2 | Reward: Missile Tank

Now head to the center of the zone. There’s a dead-end room here with Speed Booster Blocks on its eastern edge. This one’s easy: just get some speed and dash right through those suckers to find a Missile Tank on the other side.

Dairon Speed Booster Puzzle #3 | Reward: Energy Tank

There’s a small area that connects two parts of the EMMI Zone in the south-central section of Dairon. Move through that to reach a long hallway at the base a tall vertical shaft. Run left to right to charge up a Shinespark, then rocket up to the top of the long shaft. You can grab onto a ledge holding an Energy Tank on your way back down.

Dairon Speed Booster Puzzle #4 | Reward: Missile+ Tank

Now return to that non-EMMI Zone section. Start from below the Ammo Recharge Station and sprint to the right, using a wall jump to keep momentum and pull a U-turn. Slide through the Speed Booster blocks here and do some more wall jumps on the other side. When done correctly, this will lead you right through the blocks above that house a Missile+ Tank.

Dairon Speed Booster Puzzle #5 | Reward: Missile Tank

This is right by the tram from Cataris. Head to the chamber and pick up speed by running left to right. Use a Shinespark jump to launch yourself up through some Speed Booster Blocks, straight to the roof of the cavern. From there, you can drop down and grab the ledge holding a Missile Tank.

Dairon Speed Booster Puzzle #6 | Reward: Missile Tank

There’s another Speed Booster puzzle in the lower part of the cold sector, and it’ll take two separate rounds of running to solve it. First, start from the icy patch and run along the floor to the left, store a Shinespark, jump to the ledge, and shoot yourself into the wall. You’ll need to Screw Attack your way through some blue blocks on the other side. Roll through the Morph Ball tunnel here to drop into a room with a few enemies. Get rid of them, then Speed Boost through the left-hand wall – a Missile Tank will be revealed when you crash through.

Dairon Speed Booster Puzzle #7 | Reward: Energy Part

There’s another Speed Booster puzzle in the same area, and it’s pretty difficult to solve. At the top of the area is a set of Speed Booster blocks, but the tough part is reaching them. Our solution was to start running from the ice in the bottom right corner, storing a Shinespark jump, and hopping to the ledge on the left. From there, you can hammer away with Space Jumps to quickly ascend to the ledge with the blocks, then launch into them as soon as you land on the ledge. If you move quickly enough, you’ll just make it. Go through the next door to find an Energy Part on the other side.

Dairon Speed Booster Puzzle #8 | Reward: Missile Tank

This is in a hidden area in the volcanic section of the map. Go to the lava pool east of the lower Network Station, shoot through the Beam Blocks, and use your Charge Beam to open the door beneath them. In the next room, you can drop into the lava with the Gravity Suit. Use the Speed Booster to run through it into the right-hand wall – you’ll break through and reveal another Missile Tank.

Burenia Speed Booster Puzzle #1 | Reward: Missile Tank

The Gravity Suit protects you from lava, but it also lets you move freely in water. Head to the large, central underwater chamber in Ferenia for a simple Speed Booster puzzle. Charge up a Shinespark by sprinting along the bottom of the chamber, then launch straight up into the middle of the ceiling to break through to a Missile Tank.

Burenia Speed Booster Puzzle #2 | Reward: Missile+ Tank

It takes a lot of work to even find this Speed Booster Puzzle. There’s a hidden path right by the Green Teleportal – drop some Bombs on the floor to its right to find it. Drop through the passage and use your Ice Missile to destroy the Enky mushrooms blocking the way. Go through the first door and you’ll actually find an Energy Part, but there’s another prize in this area. The floor on the left of that door is made of Speed Booster blocks. To destroy them, run from the other side of the door and Shinespark straight down. Now for the real test: the actual Speed Booster puzzle, which requires some serious reflexes. This time, you need to charge up, drop through the new hole, and book it to the right through the next door. Slide through the opening, shoot the Beam Blocks in your path on the way down, and Shinespark in midair straight to the left – hitting the slope will keep your momentum going, while touching the magnetic wall will stop you in your tracks. Run left up the hill and slide under the walls, stopping to store your Shinespark again. Drop down the next passage and launch right, into another hill. Store one last Shinespark at the top, then drop off and launch to the right to finally break through the last set of walls. A very well-earned Missile+ Tank is on the other side.

Burenia Speed Booster Puzzle #3 | Reward: Power Bomb Tank

In the lowest part of Burenia is a small tunnel plugged with a Power Bomb Block. Destroy that and roll through to reach another road bump – this time it’s a group of Speed Booster Blocks. Backtrack to the big chamber and shoot the enemies to give yourself a clear runway, then sprint forward, sliding into the smaller chamber. Hit your Shinespark before you reach the next tunnel (since you’re about to drop), then slide on in. Once you round the corner by the Speed Booster Blocks, launch right into them to reach a Power Bomb Tank.

Ferenia Speed Booster Puzzle #1 | Reward: Missile+ Tank

This one takes a bit of doing as well. Start from the tram to Ghavoran and run inside the structure, then leap onto the ledge and wall jump backwards above the door to maintain momentum. Slide as soon as you land on the ledge to slip past the Pitfall Blocks and roll into your Morph Ball into a compartment on the left – store a Shinespark jump before you come to a stop. Now quickly roll back a few feet, blow away the Bomb Blocks, and release your Shinespark to rocket to the ceiling above. You’ll catch a ledge holding a Missile+ Tank on the way down.

Ferenia Speed Booster Puzzle #2 | Reward: Missile+ Tank

There’s another Speed Booster puzzle in the room to the right of the western Dairon elevator. Charge up from the elevator room, store a Shinespark when you move through the door, wall jump up to the ledge, and quickly slide into your Morph Ball form. From the corner, you can launch diagonally right into the Missile+ Tank. You can also Bomb through the blocks and launch straight to the right in midair for the final step, if you’re fast enough.

Ferenia Speed Booster Puzzle #3 | Reward: Missile Tank

You’ll find a third Speed Booster puzzle in the large cold section by the EMMI Zone. To dash through the Speed Booster blocks in the left-hand wall, you’ll need to charge up from the other side of the nearby door. Once you’ve broken through, make a second sprinting pass. This time, store a Shinespark as you hit the spot you just broke through, shoot through the blocks below, and tuck into your Morph Ball at the bottom. From here, you can launch yourself directly to the side, right through the icy tunnel. A Missile Tank will be above you at the end.

Ferenia Speed Booster Puzzle #4 | Reward: Energy Part

There’s a whole section to the left of the other cold zone, but you’ll need the Wave Beam to go through the door to get there. Weave south, and you’ll find yourself near the western Dairon elevator – you can shoot a cracked wall and the explosive sac beyond to connect the path. Now we can solve the Speed Booster puzzle here. Run right to left in this tunnel to charge up, then run up the ramp using your momentum. Store a Shinespark jump at the top of the ramp, quickly tuck through the Morph Ball tunnel, and Space Jump up the next hill. From there, launch straight up to break through and reach a ledge holding an Energy Part.

Ghavoran Speed Booster Puzzle #1 | Reward: Missile Tank

This fairly easy Speed Booster puzzle is in the room connected to the tram to Elun. Start from the tram, pull the Grapple Beam Door, and give yourself enough runway to sprint through. Do so, then hop up the platforms in the next room to slam into the blocks in the left-hand wall and grab a Missile Tank inside.

Ghavoran Speed Booster Puzzle #2 | Reward: Energy Part

And now for a more involved one. Starting from the flooded chamber next to the Green Teleportal, use your Gravity Suit in conjunction with the Space Jump and Screw Attack to burst through the blue blocks above the water. From there, open the Grapple Beam Door and Speed Boost your way into the neighboring room. In there, ready a Shinespark and rocket yourself straight up the middle – you’ll reveal a tunnel in the ceiling when you break through. Grab the ledge, roll in, and jump your way up to a Missile Tank hiding inside.

Elun Speed Booster Puzzle | Reward: Missile Tank

There’s just one Speed Booster puzzle in Elun, found in the bottom right room of the zone. To solve it, sprint into the fan above to charge up speed, then store a Shinespark jump. Quickly go down the path, sliding through the narrow parts, and launch yourself straight up into the left side of the ceiling to reveal the hidden compartment that holds Tank.

Hanubia Speed Booster Puzzle | Reward: Power Bomb Tank

Hanubia also has just one Speed Booster puzzle – there’s a group of Speed Booster blocks under some Bomb blocks in an upper chamber. Start in the next room to the right, sprint left from the ledge (shooting through the door as you go), and you’ll be able to store a Shinespark just as you hit the edge of the platform. Now quickly drop a Bomb to get through the first set of blocks, then launch straight down to blow open a passage to a Power Bomb Tank.