Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Walkthrough – Missable Scans

Here you’ll find a list of every missable scan in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. We’ve broken the missable scans down into different categories which you can easily navigate to below, as well as added analysis on when the scans become unavailable. There are significantly more missable scans in Corruption than other entries in the Metroid Prime trilogy, particularly regarding Space Pirates and Galactic Federation personnel, so please use this guide to make sure you don’t miss out! It’s worth noting that, unlike previous Metroid Prime titles, if you start a new game after competing Corruption (using the same save file), all of your scans will carry over.

Creatures

Galactic Federation Creatures

Omega Analysis: The bulk of these creatures (calling them creatures seems a bit odd since most are humans or otherwise intelligent life, but hey) can only be scanned in the opening act of the game when you are aboard the G.F.S. Olympus, with some exceptions.

Aurora Unit 217

Location: Aurora Chamber, SkyTown

Omega Analysis: You’ll only have the opportunity to scan this Aurora Unit after you return power to 217, but before you drop the Theronian Bomb over SkyTown’s Leviathan Seed. Once you go to drop it, the Aurora Unit will retreat into its pod and you’ll have missed out.

Female Fleet Trooper

Location: G.F.S. Olympus

Omega Analysis: This Trooper must be scanned during Samus’s initial visit to the G.F.S. Olympus.

Fleet Admiral Dane

Location: Flag Bridge, G.F.S. Olympus

Omega Analysis: You’ll only have one small window of opportunity to scan the Admiral! Once Dane gives you and the rest of the Hunters your marching orders, quickly scan him on the Flag Bridge of the G.F.S. Olympus.

Halberd-Class Turret

Location: G.F.S. Olympus

Omega Analysis: Again, this must be scanned during Samus’s initial visit to the G.F.S. Olympus.

Hunter Gandrayda

Location: Tower Elevator, Norion

Omega Analysis: You’ll only have the chance to scan all three Hunters in the prologue of the game on the G.F.S. Olympus.

Hunter Ghor

Location: G.F.S. Olympus

Omega Analysis: You’ll only have the chance to scan all three Hunters in the prologue of the game on the G.F.S. Olympus.

Hunter Rundas

Location: Tower Elevator, Norion

Omega Analysis: You’ll only have the chance to scan all three Hunters in the prologue of the game on the G.F.S. Olympus.

Training Drone

Location: Docking Bay 5, G.F.S. Olympus

Omega Analysis: You’ll want to scan this pretty much as soon as you gain control of Samus once the game starts; like most other GF creatures, you’ll only have the chance to get this on the G.F.S. Olympus.

Bryyo Creatures

Alpha Hopper

Location: Gateway Hall, Bryyo Cliffside

Omega Analysis: You’ll fight a swarm of these creatures once you get power back to the G.F.S. Theseus. Scan them then!

Reptilicus Hunter

Location: Bryyo Cliffside

Omega Analysis: These specialized hunters only appear for certain battles as part of the story, and aren’t regularly found in Bryyo, so scan them first chance you get.

Space Pirate Creatures

Omega Analysis: The vast majority of Space Pirates are missable scans due to the fact that many of these Pirates only show up during battle sequences that are part of the main story versus having designated rooms where they consistently spawn. This is to say that once you get further into the game and these scripted battle sequences are done, you’ll miss your chance to scan most of the Pirates! Once you destroy the Pirate Homeworld Seed in particular, the amount of Pirates drops considerably.

Another thing to keep in mind is that one Pirate might in fact contain several scans! For example, you might see a singular Armored Shield Trooper, scan it, and then destroy the armor, making it a Shield Trooper, which is able to be scanned again. If you pulled away the shield, you’d be left with a standard Pirate Trooper.

Most of the Pirates won’t have individual analysis unless they fall outside of the above listed parameters, so just proceed carefully and (as always) scan everything!

Advanced Aerotrooper

Location: SkyTown, Pirate Homeworld

Advanced Pirate Trooper

Location: Bryyo, Pirate Homeworld

Advanced Shield Trooper

Location: Bryyo, Pirate Homeworld

Aeromine

Location: G.F.S. Olympus, Norion, Bryyo, SkyTown

Aerotrooper

Location: Norion, Bryyo, SkyTown, Pirate Homeworld

Armored Aerotrooper

Location: Bryyo, SkyTown, Pirate Homeworld

Armored Pirate Militia

Location: G.F.S. Olympus, Pirate Homeworld

Armored Pirate Trooper

Location: Bryyo, SkyTown, Pirate Homeworld

Armored Shield Trooper

Location: SkyTown, Pirate Homeworld

Assault Aerotrooper

Location: Pirate Homeworld

Assault Pirate Trooper

Location: Bryyo, Pirate Homeworld

Assault Shield Trooper

Location: Pirate Homeworld

Berserker Knight

Location: Bryyo, Pirate Homeworld

Despair-Class Turret

Location: Pirate Homeworld

Omega Analysis: This is a variation of the Remote-Class Turret that actually did not occupy its own Logbook entry in the original Wii version of Metroid Prime 3 in North America (it was included in the PAL version, though). From Metroid Prime: Trilogy and onward, it’s a missable scan.

Jumpmine

Location: Norion, Bryyo, SkyTown, Pirate Homeworld

Phazon Harvester Drone

Location: Phazon Harvesting, Pirate Homeworld

Omega Analysis: Calling this a missable scan, while true, is a bit misleading. You’ll encounter this giant airship in the Phazon Harvesting room, and you can stun it only. If you come back, you can use your Ship Missiles to destroy the Drone, so it goes without saying, scan this before you do so!

Pirate Commander

Location: Pirate Homeworld

Pirate Hussar

Location: Jousting Field, Bryyo

Omega Analysis: This scan is a part of the Beast Korakk boss battle. The Hussar will ride the Korakk into battle, so scan it immediately, because this Pirate is a total wimp and one charged shot will probably kill it.

Pirate Militia

Location: G.F.S. Olympus, Norion, Bryyo, SkyTown

Pirate Trooper

Location: Norion, Bryyo, SkyTown, Pirate Homeworld

Remorse-Class Turret

Location: Bryyo, SkyTown, Pirate Homeworld

Omega Analysis: There are only so many of these around, so scan one before they’re all scrap.

Shield Pirate Militia

Location: Norion, Bryyo

Shield Pirate Trooper

Location: Norion, Bryyo, SkyTown

Space Pirate Assault Skiff

Location: Spire Dock, SkyTown

Omega Analysis: These ships will only appear while you are defending the Spire that’s about to drop the Theronian Bomb on the SkyTown Seed, so scan them then!

Space Pirate ATC

Location: G.F.S. Olympus, Bryyo, SkyTown

Urtragian Shriekbat

Location: Scrapvault, Pirate Research, Pirate Homeworld

Omega Analysis: These are way more rare than they have any right to be. You only have one opportunity to scan these creatures in the Scrapvault, so do so before you leave the room. These Shriekbats move pretty quickly, so if you miss it, backtrack and try again!

Phazon Creatures

Red Phaazoid

Location: Bryyo, SkyTown, Pirate Homeworld

Omega Analysis: These weird little things only start populating on planets that used to have a Leviathan Seed on them. The Red variant of Phaazoid’s drop Golden Credits, and there’s a finite number of them in the game, so scan one before you take them all out.

Bosses

Omega Analysis: It goes without saying that (with a few exceptions) you’ll need to scan all of the bosses before defeating them to have them show up in your Logbook. Mercifully, Coruption does away with the “each boss has five different forms that all need to be scanned” funny business that Echoes introduced, so a quick scan to start the battle and you’ll be all set. Just a few quick notes: all three hunters have separate scans pre-corruption and post, so just because you scanned them at the beginning of the game does not mean you don’t have to scan them in battle. Additionally, you’ll want to scan the Pirate Hussar that rides the Korakk into battle. Lastly, while most of these bosses are a one-time only scan opportunity, you’ll have two and three chances respectively to get the Berserker Lord and Metroid Hatcher.

Knowing all this, no additional analysis will be provided under the bosses.

Berserker Lord

Location: Docking Bay 5, G.F.S. Olympus; Turbine Chamber, SkyTown

Meta Ridley

Location: Generator Shaft, Norion

Rundas

Location: Temple of Bryyo, Bryyo Fire

Korakk Beast

Location: Jousting Field, Bryyo Thorn Jungle

Mogenar

Location: Bryyo Leviathan Seed

Defense Drone

Location: Ballista Storage, SkyTown

Ghor

Location: Main Docking Bay, SkyTown

Helios

Location: Elysian Leviathan Seed

Gandrayda

Location: Proving Grounds, Pirate Homeworld

Metroid Hatcher

Location: Norion, Pirate Homeworld, G.F.S. Valhalla

Omega Ridley

Location: Pirate Homeworld Leviathan Seed

Dark Samus

Location: Sanctum, Phaaze

Aurora Unit 313

Location: Sanctum, Phaaze

Research

Omega Analysis: Pretty much every single missable Research scan is an instance of “scan before you use/destroy”. Blast Shields, door locks, Spinners, etc… make sure you scan at least one before it’s too late! Speaking of the Spinner, while you can scan stuff like that (Spider Tracks, Wall Jumping Surfaces, etc.) before you get the necessary powerup to use them, they won’t count towards your Logbook. It’s only after acquiring the powerup you need to use them that you can scan them.

Bomb Slot

Location: All Areas