The Pirate Mines or Mining Site is a facility on the southwestern Pirate Homeworld in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption designed to extract Phazon from under the crust of the planet, thus serving a similar role to the Phazon Mines on Tallon IV. The Leviathan's impact has caused the planet to begin transforming into an entirely Phazon-composed planet. This is useful for the Space Pirates, as they are able to use the Phazon to fuel their weapons and spaceships, and forge armor out of it. Any unusual strains of Phazon or anomalies found while boring into the planet are reported to the Pirate Research sector for examination.
The Pirate Mines are a product of the greed the Pirates have for Phazon, and the lengths they will go to obtain more. The Nova Beam was developed for use here, as seen by the many high-frequency green beams used to cut through Phazite for harvesting. Samus steals this technology later on in her infiltration on the planet.
Features[]
A large Mining Drill in the Quarry.
The Pirate Mines are a small complex, consisting of only ten rooms – likely due to the Leviathan only recently impacting the planet. They are mostly underground, and the deeper rooms contain large deposits of raw Phazon to be extracted. There are five main rooms and five connecting corridors. Much of the facility is crude and makeshift, as the mining operations advance too quickly to build permanent and stable structures. Assault Pirate Troopers are the most common variety, and patrol the larger rooms. Phazon seems to be in abundance deeper in the complex, and several new varieties have been discovered, including Phazite and a new ore infused with Phazon.
Room list[]
- Transit Station 4-B (Leads to Command Center)
- Phazon Quarry
- Mine Lift
- Phazon Harvesting
- Drill Shaft 1
- Main Cavern
- Drill Shaft 2
- Phazon Mine Entry
- Landing Site Charlie
Inhabitants[]
Bosses[]
Space Pirates[]
Other natives[]
Metroids[]
Items[]
Optional[]
- Missile Expansion x 2
- Energy Cell x 1
Mandatory[]
Samus's arrival[]
Samus enters Drill Shaft 1.
Samus travels to the Pirate Mines sector by tram to investigate Pirate operations. She enters the Phazon Quarry and is quickly detected by Assault Pirate Troopers. Samus uses three large Phazon crates as cover and disposes of the Pirates. She uses a nearby terminal to control a large Mining drill, to carve a Half-pipe out of some ore. Samus uses the Half-pipe to proceed further to the Mine Lift, where she uses two Spinners to release the jammed lift, which falls to the bottom of the shaft.
Samus jumps down and continues, and next enters a room called Phazon Harvesting, where she encounters a large Phazon Harvester Drone. Samus stuns the unit and quickly ascends the platforms to the next room. Samus proceeds into Drill Shaft 1 and quickly makes it to the next room. She then enters the Main Cavern. There are no enemies in sight, so Samus overlooks the basement through a window. She spots a power-up trapped in a small container linked up to a large Mining cannon. She activates a Hand Scanner around the corner and descends an elevator.
Samus is greeted by three Pirate Troopers, who set off the Pirate Alarm System. She manages to defeat all but one and then the Mining cannon launches a tractor beam that pulls Samus and the remaining Pirate Trooper into the cannon. Samus fires at the Pirate and it looses its grip on a safety handrail, sending it into the Mining cannon. The Mining cannon appears damaged, so Samus repeats this process. Finally, the cannon is destroyed and the canister falls to the floor, revealing the Nova Beam.
Samus acquires the Nova Beam.
Samus uses her X-Ray Visor and the Nova Beam to escape the basement and back up the lift. Now she has the Nova Beam, Samus opens a new corridor that leads her back to the Phazon Quarry. This time, she has entered on a small enclosed balcony, and she removes an Energy Cell from the wall to her right. Samus returns to the Main Cavern and opens up a new room using her X-Ray Visor and Nova Beam. Samus goes through Drill Shaft 2 and collects a Missile Expansion along the way. She reaches the final room, Landing Site Charlie. Several broken circuit boards and other obstacles block the landing pad, so Samus rids the room of them and calls in her Gunship. Samus flies to the Command Center to open new doors with the Nova Beam.
Gallery[]
| Areas in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption | |
|---|---|
(Base Sector Zero) | |
(Cliffside • Thorn Jungle • Fire • Ice • Seed) | |
(SkyTown • Eastern SkyTown • Seed) | |
(Command • Research • Mines • Seed) | |