Hazard Shield

The Hazard Shield is a suit enhancement that protects Samus Aran from the environmental hazards of Fuel Gel and the Acid Rain of the Pirate Homeworld.

Description
In Metroid Prime 3, the Hazard Shield takes the role of the Phazon Suit and Light Suit from previous games by reducing overall damage and allowing Samus to move through harsh environments that she would normally not be able to travel through. It is Space Pirate technology, and it was designed so that the Pirates may operate safely in their Homeworld's constant acidic rainfall.

The Hazard Shield is found on the Space Pirate Homeworld and provides an orange "force field" effect on Samus' armor and Arm Cannon when she enters hazardous environments that the Hazard Shield will protect her from. Interestingly, when Samus enters a pool of Phazon after obtaining the shield, the orange shield will still activate even though Samus is immune to the negative effects of Phazon thanks to her PED Suit. The Hazard Shield seems to view Phazon as a hazard, and rightly so; Phazon has high radioactive and mutagenic properties which can kill some lifeforms. It is unknown if the shield actually does stop Phazon, though: the PED Suit will absorb it regardless and it does not stop Samus from becoming more corrupted after the Omega Ridley battle and on Phaaze. In the Metroid Prime Trilogy version of Corruption, the Hazard Shield does not activate when Samus steps into pools of Phazon. The reason for this change is unknown, but it could be part of the removal of some graphical effects in the Trilogy collection.

Appearance
The suit's appearance at first is rather unimposing when compared to other, more notable suit upgrades such as the Varia Suit or Gravity Suit. As opposed to changing the overall color, design, or shape of the suit, the Hazard Shield simply adds pulsating purple hexagonal plating to her already existing shoulder pads and adds an extra plate just below the back of Samus' neck. However, when coupled with the blue vein-like stripes that appear on the suit as the game progresses, the addition of the Hazard Shield causes Samus to become more similar in appearance to Dark Samus.

Unlike past suit upgrades, which were remnants of ancient Chozo technology and therefore designed to integrate with Samus' Power Suit, the Hazard Shield is a piece of technology designed by the Space Pirates to enable them to exist on their own planet, and therefore may not integrate as flawlessly with the Power Suit as other upgrades can. It may also be because the Hazard Shield upgrade only enhances the defensive shield on the Power Suit instead of directly adding another layer of armor.

While it turns darker along with the rest of her suit over the course of the game, after Samus defeats Dark Samus and is freed of corruption, the Hazard Shield is shown to be a purple hue similar to the Gravity Suit. This color can also be seen when the Hazard Shield is first obtained.

Trivia

 * It is possible to skip the Hazard Shield altogether by Sequence Breaking.
 * During the events of Corruption, Samus' Power Suit eventually contains the unlikely blending of Galactic Federation, Space Pirate, and Chozo technology, namely the PED, the Hazard Shield, and the Power Suit itself.
 * If Samus reaches the Hazard Shield before defeating Gandrayda (by obtaining the Spider Ball through Sequence Breaking), a Missile Expansion will be in its place. It cannot be picked up and scanning it will identify it as the Hazard Shield. Also, Samus will be unable to leave the area, since the only means of escape is through the windows that are smashed by Assault Aerotroopers during a cutscene that takes place after the Suit is obtained. Therefore, this is a game-ending Sequence Break.
 * Oddly enough, Gandrayda and the Demolition Troopers can be exposed to the Acid Rain, yet they take no damage. This may be because they have a sort of Hazard Shield installed on their armor (or their skin, in Gandrayda's case).
 * Strangely, a rip of the Hazard Shield cannot be seen in the Inventory. Instead, there is a rip of its item form.
 * While the Hazard Shield is in item form, clouds of acid rain can actually be seen in its canister. This may be a reference to its protective capabilities.
 * Strangely, while the diagram of Samus's suit changes in the inventory changes when she obtains the PED Suit, it does not change to include the hexagonal shoulder pads when Samus obtains the Hazard Shield.