The Main Cavern is a room in the Pirate Mines of the Space Pirate Homeworld. It appears in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and is where Samus obtains the Nova Beam.
Description[]
Upper[]
The top part of the room curves round in a "U" shape, in the center is a glass pane which looks down into a lower level. Suspended atop the room is the Mining cannon, which utilizes high-frequency Beams to cut through the layers of raw Phazon beneath the room. The Cannon alternates between phases of cutting and harvesting the Phazon. Phazon ore that has been cut away from the mass below is sucked up into the Cannon itself during the harvesting phase through a hatch in the floor by a tractor beam, and then distributed for production of armor and other items via four cylindrical pipes surrounding the Cannon. These glass tubes also support the platform housing the Nova Beam. At the top of the room, a lift on the far side of the room can be used via a terminal nearby. The X-Ray Visor is required to unlock the lift. This lift takes users to the lower section of the room. To the left of this lift is a door that can only be bypassed by a combination of the X-Ray Visor and the Nova Beam. At the back of the balcony area is a Door leading to Drill Shaft 1, and a Green Door at the far right side of the room leads to Phazon Mine Entry.
Lower[]
In the lower section of the Cavern, there are three hatches around the walls of the room that slide open for Space Pirates. Samus cannot go past these hatches. Several pillars will rise up when the tractor beam is not in use. Conversely, small handrails will deploy during tractor beam phasing, which act as a precaution for any personnel to hold onto who may be in the cavern at this time, so they are not sucked into the Cannon themselves. The majority of the Cavern's floor is transparent, so the process of the Phazon harvesting can be seen below. The Beam may be overloaded for a period if any unusually large objects are drawn into it. If this occurs, a small array will be deployed. If one of the the four nodes on this array is destroyed, it will also shatter one of the glass pipes. If all of them are destroyed, the Cannon will detach from the ceiling. To escape, Samus must shoot through the Phazite wall that blocked the entrance to the lower section, and then use a Combination Lock.
Sequence Breaking[]
If Samus passes through a checkpoint and enters the room through a Secret World, she can position herself on top of the Nova Beam to collect the item without destroying the Mining Cannon. If her health is low enough, she will die immediately to the cannon upon the room loading, and respawn with the beam collected.
Connecting rooms[]
- Drill Shaft 1 (via Blue Door)
- Drill Shaft 2 (via Blue Door)
- Phazon Mine Entry (via Green Door)
Inhabitants[]
Note: All Pirates will respawn continuously.
Items[]
- Nova Beam
- Boss battle - Samus must destroy the pipes surrounding the Cannon by overloading it. This is done by separating Pirates from handrails during the tractor phase so they are drawn in. Samus must then shoot an array which will shatter one of the pipes. She must destroy all four to remove the Cannon from the ceiling and collect the Nova Beam.
Scans[]
- Mining Cannon
- "Mining cannon cycles between beams that cut Phazon deposits and suck up the broken pieces."
- Piston
- "Piston extends while the mining cannon is firing the beam that cuts through Phazon."
- Phazite door
- "Phazite door terminal is offline. Power nodes behind door must be activated to restore terminal power."
- Handrail
- "Handrail extends while the mining cannon is firing the beam that sucks up loose Phazon."
- Phazite door (2)
- "Phazite door terminal is online. Interact with the control terminal to unlock and open the door."
- Phazite door (3)
- "Phazite door is locked shut. Only high-frequency Beams can pass through this material."
- Control terminal (offline)
- "Control terminal is not receiving power. Activate nearby power node to restore power."
- Control Terminal (online)
- "Control terminal online. Interact with this terminal to unlock and open the nearby door."
- Control terminal (used)
- "Control terminal has opened nearby door. Terminal can no longer be used."
Development notes[]
The room's internal name is 10_pirate_novabeam, referencing the Nova Beam power-up located here. The keyword pirate indicates the Pirate Homeworld, and the prefix 10 indicates that this is the tenth of 14 main rooms throughout the planet.
Trivia[]
- If Samus falls into the hatch in the center, she will die instantly. If she is sucked up by the beam when not in Morph Ball form she will be severely damaged.
- There is a checkpoint in this room. Should Samus die during the battle, she will respawn at the top level of this room.