When you reach Area 6 in Metroid: Samus Returns, you will face off against the Diggernaut boss. Some people have had issues dealing with the Metroid: Samus Returns Diggernaut, so we’re here to help. This article covers how to defeat the Diggernaut in Metroid: Samus Returns, the Area 6 boss, so you can move on to later parts of the game and put this encounter behind you.
The Diggernaut in Metroid: Samus Returns doesn’t make its first appearance in Area 6, but this is when you actually get to finally take it down. The most important aspect of this fight is to take your time and have patience. The Diggernaut hits very hard, but most of the attacks are slow and easy to dodge so long as you’re not in a rush.
Weak Points
First and foremost, you need to know how to damage the Diggernaut. Aim for the head as well as the inside of the grinder arms. This is one of the reasons why the fight can be tedious because the head doesn’t appear very often, and you won’t gain access to the grinder arms until the head is damaged. Don’t worry too much about damaging the Diggernaut at first, and just focus on avoiding the attacks until you can get a clear shot at the weak points.
The Battle
When you fight the Diggernaut, there are essentially four phases it goes through, each with a slightly different attack pattern. During the first phase, the Diggernaut will have both arms in the foreground as it drags them across the room. Once the higher arm is near the top of the room, jump between the arms to avoid the attack. You may have to do this several times, so be ready.
If you see the boss place both arms close to its chest while in the background, that’s your sign to start Space Jumping. The attack that follows can only be avoided if you’re above the arms. So long as you Space Jump in time you won’t have anything to worry about.
Once enough time has passed the Diggernaut’s head will move to the foreground and a laser will start to spin. Like we mentioned earlier, this is when you can finally damage the boss. Aim for the head while you avoid the laser to inflict as much damage as you can during this opportunity. Just Space Jump as you follow the laser around the head and continue to shoot as often as you can.
Inflict enough damage and the grinder arms will move to the walls. This is your chance to inflict more damage. Move toward one of the grinder arms and wait for it to rotate so that the up arrows face your direction. At this point it’s time to Spider Ball that section, but be very careful not to touch anything other than the segments here.
Ideally, you want to reach the top of the segment and drop down to the center of the grinder once it’s clear to do so. Place a bomb and be on your way! Once that’s done you’ll begin phase two where you’ll have to repeat this process with the other arm (and there are more lasers to avoid).
Phase two begins once the first grinder has been destroyed. There are quite a few new attacks in this phase, so let’s take a look at what to expect. If the Diggernaut sticks the grinders into the top of the room, fire directly above Samus to avoid the rain of purple acid that follows. While you’re shooting up, the Diggernaut will attempt to target Samus with a laser. Wait until the laser locks on, then move. Timing is key here, but waiting for the lock on will make it much easier to continually fire straight up, while still avoiding the laser. You’ll hear a beep when the laser locks on, which should tell you when to move.
If you see wind start to swirl around the Diggernaut’s chest, a tornado is about to sweep across the room. You can damage the Diggernaut during this attack if you lay out some bombs ahead of the tornado, but this is risky. Unfortunately, you’ll have to use the technique to damage the Diggernaut during phase three. If you just want to avoid the attack until you’re forced to use bombs to damage the Diggernaut, use your Spider Ball to avoid this attack by moving to higher ground. Spider Ball to the wall when you’re bombing the tornado to avoid it there as well. You can also use the Space Jump, but for most, the Spider Ball will be the easiest way to avoid this attack.
Destroy both grinder arms and the third phase of the battle begins. At this point the Diggernaut will no longer move its head into the foreground so you can damage it. Instead you’ll have to rely on bombing the tornado when the Diggernaut uses this attack.
New attacks during phase three include a shockwave that occurs when the Diggernaut slams its grinders on the ground. You need to avoid the grinders coming down and the shockwave created after they slam down. This happens three times with different patterns. One time will have both grinders in the middle of the room, another time the grinders will be separated and the last time the grinders will be by the walls of the room. When the Diggernaut raises the grinders the second and third times, quickly move toward the center of the room where Samus will be safe. Just jump when you see the shockwave.
The second new attack is a laser barrage that moves the lasers around in a set pattern. You just need to time your jump to avoid the lasers. Evade both of the new attacks and use bombs during the tornado attack and eventually the Diggernaut’s head will move into the foreground again. When this happens the head cannot be touched at first so be careful. Once the electricity effect wears off, Spider Ball onto the head and wait for the blue lines to line up. When you see this, set bombs on the purple panels along the outer track. Hit all three panels and the fight comes to an end!
Be sure to check out our Metroid: Samus Returns game hub for more strategies and advice!
