How To Defeat Final Boss Ridley

Just when you thought you had defeated all your opponents and the game was coming to its close, Ridley makes an appearance and challenges you before your adventure come to its end. He wants the Baby Metroid that believes Samus is its mother, and Samus has no choice to battle Ridley in order to stop him from taking the Metroid.

Unlike all the Metroids you fought on SR388, Ridley can be hit in a variety of places; however, only your Plasma Beam will do real damage to it. Missiles work too, but they're not nearly as effective as your Plasma Beam. Much like Diggernaut and the Metroid Queen, this battle will also come in three different phases. This battle is easier to those other ones though, as Ridley's Main Attack of spitting five blue fireballs remains the same throughout. They go in the same direction each and every time, so find a soft spot that sees you avoid them. His other attack is a tail jab, which you know is coming when he tucks it in and then points at you. Simply jump to avoid it.

Luckily, the entire area is free to roam, so you can run or approach depending on how the battle is going. If you're ever pinned against a wall, use your Space Jump to get away. Ridley will follow you no matter where you go, so keep that in mind as you continue your attack. The First Stage will transition to the Second Phase after you free Baby Metroid from Ridley's Claws. Ridley will go down on all fours, now also using a singular fire blast that can easily be jumped. Don't get too close though, as he will swipe at you like previous foes. Always run away from Ridley, and then attack with your weapons.

Eventually, Ridley with being to fly once more. He keeps his same attacks as before, but now he'll also pierce his tail in the ground to send a shockwave throughout. Simply Space Jump to dodge the damage. To get back on the ground, Ridley will try to drop on Samus with full force. You have to run to avoid this, jumping will see you take massive damage. If Ridley starts hovering in place with its tail to the ground, he will try to ram into you. Space Jump above him when he tries to avoid his spear.

After Ridley takes enough damage, the Third and Final Phase will commence. Ridley will become much quicker, but all of his attacks will remain the same. He will even show off a couple of new attacks as well. One of them is his Claw Swipes, which now have a longer range. While flying, Ridley will also send a fireball to the ground that will send waves of fire in both directions. He does this three times in a row when he does, so jump up before the fireball connects to the ground to avoid the flames. After the third fireball, Ridley will charge again. Like usual, Space Jump to avoid him.

In the Final Phase, Baby Metroid will actually help Samus. It will do this by transferring some of Ridley's energy to you. This, along with plenty of Super Missiles and Plasma Beams should get the job done. After Ridley is defeated, Samus' journey final comes to its close.