Light Beacons are Xenotech found throughout Dark Aether. They were set there by the Luminoth during the war, to protect them from the noxious atmosphere, and their enemies, the Ing, who cannot stand bright light. They restore one unit of Samus's Energy per second. Light Crystals are much more powerful, permanent versions of Light Beacons.
Light Beacons appear as luminescent points floating in the air. They need to be activated with a shot from any beam except the Dark Beam to emit their field, and only remain active for a few moments. They cannot be activated with Missiles or Bombs.
Supercharging[]
Shooting a beacon with a blast from the Light Beam energizes it. When energized, crystals and beacons deal damage to the Ing and Darklings.
A blast from the Annihilator Beam can supercharge crystals and beacons. Like a dangerous, lethal trap, these "Super Beacons" draw the entranced Ing towards them, where they meet an incinerating death. This does not work on most Darklings, however.
Conversely, Ing can fire their blasts at Light Beacons, coating them with dark energy and deactivating them. Samus can do the same with her Dark Beam. She can clear the beacons with either the Light or Annihilator Beam, or alternatively, she can fire a few Power Beam shots or a single charged Power Beam shot at them to clear them. However, she cannot clear beacons that Amorbis has nullified - her shots will simply bounce off. They will eventually relight on their own.
Logbook entries[]
Light Beacon
Xenotech: Luminoth Light Beacon
Generates protective field when energized.
Light Beacons must be energized by Beam weapon fire to function, and remain charged for a limited time.
Light Beacons must be energized by Beam weapons fire to function, and they remain charged for a limited time. The Beacons were created when the Luminoth ran short of Light Crystals during the war. While simple to make, the Beacons were also unstable. They had to be energized periodically, and could run out of energy at critical moments. Still, any protection was better than none for the Luminoth warriors.
Nullified Beacon
Xenotech: Nullified Beacon
Protective field of light energy deactivated.
Light Beacons, when covered with dark energy, cease to function for a brief time. Light energy can clear the Beacon of the dark energy.
Light Beacons, when covered with dark energy, cease to function for a brief time. Light energy can clear the Beacon of the dark energy. Some dark creatures will fire dark energy at Light Beacons to hinder or damage their opponents.
Super Beacon
Xenotech: Super Beacon
Beacon's energy draws Ings into destructive field.
When charged with light and dark energy at once, the Beacon compels Ing to approach it, despite the deadly field of energy it emits.
When charged with light and dark energy at once, the Beacon becomes a symbol to the Ing. They are compelled to approach it, despite the deadly field of energy it emits.
Energized Beacon
Xenotech: Energized Beacon
Generates enhanced field of light energy.
Energized Beacons provide better protection from Dark Aether's denizens. Dark creatures are damaged by the energized field.
Energized Beacons provide better protection from Dark Aether's denizens. Dark creatures are damaged or killed by the energized field. Some are killed on contact. The extra protection is not unlimited, and must be recharged by the Light Beam to remain in effect.
Glitch[]
There is a glitch that sometimes occurs when supercharging a beacon with the Annihilator Beam. If used when a large amount of Warrior Ing are in the area, it is possible for one to approach the field but not enter it, and remain there. If Samus stays or strays out of the field, it will not attack her and will remain docile until the field deactivates or the Ing is killed.
Development notes[]
The hardest part of creating the Light Beacons was (ironically) their lighting. The level geometry for each room had to be "chopped up" to add a Light Beacon, with an invisible circle placed around each one.[1]
References[]
- ^ Kiwi Talkz. "#144 - Jack Mathews Interview - Metroid Prime 20th Anniversary (Crunch, A.I., Fetch Quest, Bosses )". YouTube. November 18, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJkxpG5R9PI (starts at 1:00:51)