Metroid Dread player discovers disgusting shortcut to killing Kraid

Metroid Dread brings back a classic villain in Kraid, the gigantic Space Pirate that Samus Aran previously battled in the original Metroid (and the Zero Mission remake) and Super Metroid. In Dread, Kraid is more unpleasant than ever, both in terms of demeanor and anatomy. And like many of the bosses in Metroid Dread, Kraid is kind of a pain in the ass! Players have already discovered a quick (and amusing) way to beat Kraid, but it involves a separate challenge to pull off.

Expert Metroid player Glaedrax showed off a trick to beating Kraid over the weekend, one that involves something many players won’t have in their arsenal when they reach this particular battle. Kraid is a relatively early boss battle in the grand scheme of Metroid Dread, and all you really need to defeat him are missiles and the Spider Magnet upgrade.

But Glaedrax, who is “sequence breaking” Metroid Dread — meaning acquiring items and upgrades out of the standard/easy/intended order — found that bombs work very, very well against Kraid. See below.

This technique is not only fast, it has the added benefit of minimal exposure to Kraid’s gross, festering tummy and all-but eliminates the need to avoid his gross tummy spikes. It’s also a fun little reward for Metroid sequence breakers from developers MercurySteam and Nintendo.

If you’re having a tough time with Metroid Dread or any of its boss battles, check out Polygon’s guides for the new Nintendo Switch game. But if you’re still on the fence about whether a new Metroid is right for you, check out Polygon’s Metroid Dread review and primer on everything you need to know about Samus Aran.