Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - Sol Valley - Guide to Missile Expansions, Elemental Shot Expansions, and Energy Tanks

Completing a Samus Aran game at 100% comes with the pack. It's the cherry on top of the experience. Better or worse, fans feel we simply have to do it. Some of the most interesting puzzles and challenges in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond for Nintendo Switch 2 and the original Switch are precisely the secrets it hides in the form of collectibles. Beyond the classic Energy Tanks and the usual explosive-ammo expansions (Missiles and Psychic Power Bombs), the game now also includes Elemental Shot Expansions for the Arm Cannon's special ammo.

And what does this mean? An even greater number of secrets to uncover! In this guide we gather every expansion in Sol Valley, the controversial open-world hub that connects the rest of the biomes. A desert that, at the right coordinates, hides buried treasures and even underground sanctuaries.

• Learn more: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - Guide to all of Samus Aran's upgrades and suits

Sol Valley contains 3 Energy Tanks, 10 Missile Expansions, 8 Elemental Shot Expansions, plus 2 Psychic Power Bomb Expansions and 3 additional Turbo Boost upgrades for the Vi-O-La.

Missile Expansion 1

Right after exiting Volt Forge into the desert for the first time, if you head east you'll find two ramp jumps that let you cross a stone arch. The expansion is inside. You might prefer to return later once you've collected extra turbo upgrades for the Vi-O-La to make the jump more comfortable.

Missile Expansion 2

• See Spring of Origin Sanctuary.

Elemental Shot Expansion 1

Once you have the Fire Shot, you can explore the corridor that circles around the launcher leading to the Memory Temple. Burn away the spiderweb-like barrier and you'll find the Elemental Shot Expansion at the end.

"Material used by weaver beetles to build their nests. Its elasticity absorbs impacts, so it withstands conventional weapon damage. Highly flammable."

Energy Tank 1

• See Stairway of Reflection Sanctuary.

Vi-O-La Turbo Tank 1

With the Ice Shot in hand, activate the portal/altar located on the east wall of the map, just below the ruins of the base in that area and north of the Spring of Origin Sanctuary and Flare Pool.

Elemental Shot Expansion 2

If you already have the Psychic Boost Ball, stand on the hologram at the entrance to Flare Pool, rotate the generator clockwise at full speed, then use the launcher to grab your prize. It's a LARGE Elemental Shot Expansion—and it also unlocks a very revealing Lamorn holographic story.

Vi-O-La Turbo Tank 2

With the Fire Shot, activate the portal/altar located on the far west edge of the map, midway between Volt Forge and Fury Green.

Missile Expansion 3

At this location in the desert you can use your Psychic Beam to pull a large buried Federation container out of the sand. Destroy it for your reward.

Missile Expansion 4

If you return to the entrance of Ice Belt with the Psychic Grapple, you can bypass the collapsed initial corridor and reach a psychic turbo rail outside, which takes you to the elevated platform.

Elemental Shot Expansion 3

• See Suspended Path Sanctuary.

Elemental Shot Expansion 4

• See Falling Labyrinth Sanctuary.

Missile Expansion 5

Northeast, halfway between Chrono Tower and the Great Mines. Use the Psychic Lasso to extract the container, then destroy it.

Missile Expansion 6

Another buried treasure. Roughly at the center of the triangle formed by Volt Forge, the ruins of the west base, and the Suspended Path Sanctuary—though slightly closer to the latter.

Missile Expansion 7

Near where you retrieve the golem's head (the mech you're rebuilding). Among the southern base ruins you'll see an expansion that appears unreachable. Don't try to jump or use the Control Beam. Instead, circle around the building and electrify the gate to enter in Morph Ball mode.

Energy Tank 2

Far southwest of the map, just left of the Volt Forge entrance. You'll see a pointed Lamorn tower that is actually an emergency supply storage unit for Sol Valley. Emergency? And what's more useful than another 100 health points? Electrify the lock to claim it.

Where to find the Sol Valley Scout Bot

These useful scanning and map-update bots are the ultimate tool for completionists in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. If you activate them with a Thunder Shot, they'll mark on the map (with a cross icon) every remaining collectible in the zone. Perfect for that 100% run.

"Mechanoid: Scout Bot. Emits ultrasonic waves from high altitude and displays valuable detected objects on the map. Can be activated with an electrical discharge."

Your Scout Bot awaits at the far southwest of the map, to the right of the Volt Forge entrance. Give it a zap and you'll see the remaining treasures across the desert.

Missile Expansion 8

"Sollan resides beyond the skies." If you endure Tokabi's religious sermon at the point between the recon robot and the west base ruins, he'll increase your maximum missile capacity for free.

Missile Expansion 9

At the west base ruins, if you climb onto the giant containers you'll spot the expansion in the distance. Look toward the crane and activate it with a Control Beam to swing across and reach it.

Elemental Shot Expansion 5

• See Stone Rings Sanctuary.

Missile Expansion 10

In the north base ruins, easy to spot among the containers with your current destructive power.

Elemental Shot Expansion 6

During your third encounter with Tokabi, also in the north base ruins, he tells you he was born on Soletine's fourth moon, far to the north... but you're mostly pretending to listen while actually nodding off inside your visor, warmed by the fire, until he finally hands over what you actually came for.

Elemental Shot Expansion 7

Below the bridge leading to the Great Mines, you can use your Psychic Grapple to swing toward the expansion. It's another LARGE Elemental Shot Expansion.

Elemental Shot Expansion 8

This time on top of the mines' bridge. You'll see the expansion inside the canal ahead. Don't try to grab it directly: go to the far end, climb using the grapple point, and destroy the reinforced lock with a Super Missile. Now you can walk through the inner passage.

Psychic Power Bomb Expansion 1

You surely saw this crate before, but now you can destroy it. It's located in the east base ruins.

Energy Tank 3

• See Thunder Circle Sanctuary

Vi-O-La Turbo Tank 3

With the Thunder Shot, activate the portal/altar southwest of Chrono Tower, just below the only Save Station in all of Sol Valley. This increases your turbo level by one and restores your current one. It's the third and final turbo upgrade you can find.

Psychic Power Bomb Expansion 2

The mysterious point on the Sol Valley map. Maybe the same thing happened to you as to us: we walked past it many times and the harmonica man never showed up. Try returning once you've spotted Tokabi in other places across the open world (look for the smoke plume), or come back after clearing other areas...

Did you spend some time scanning those rocks thinking the treasure was hidden there?