Phazon Processing Center
| Connecting Rooms | ||
| Processing Center Access Maintenance Tunnel Transport Access |
Phazon Processing Center (PPC) is a room located in the Phazon Mines region of Metroid Prime. It is a very large vertical room with multiple levels. The bottom level is covered with dangerous Phazon, and it has a Plasma Beam door leading to Processing Center Access. Above this is a set of several platforms, which house a couple of Pirates, some crates and a Turret, as well as a couple of additional platforms which are invisible unless the X-Ray Visor is active. Just below the middle portion of the room is a Spider Ball track on one side, and a destructible wall on the other side, which houses a missile expansion. The middle portion of the room consists of a T-shaped platform with a set of crates stacked in the middle, a connection to Maintenance Tunnel, and two pirates. This part of the room also has more Spider Ball tracks, one of which leads to the next portion of the room. This portion of the room consists of another set of platforms, this time square-shaped, with horizontal support beams between them. This leads to the highest portion of the room, housing a Turret, a horizontally moving platform and a door leading to Transport Access.
Due to the size of this room, it presents unique problems in all speedrun categories. This is especially true of Low%, which must be able to climb with room without the Space Jump Boots. The most common way for speedrunners to get to the upper portion of this room involves exploiting the standable collision of the support beams residing next to the large window. Depending on the category, the strategies for doing this are different.
Speed Strats
From Transport Access
Comparison by Draconif
This video compares this strat with another one and find it saves over half a second.
From Processing Center Access
Without Spider Ball
It is possible to traverse Phazon Processing Center from bottom to top without Spider Ball by jumping on some scaffolding.
Lower Half
The lower half of the room can be traversed in several ways, the easiest and least dangerous of which will be described here.
- If you are entering the room from Processing Center Access, kill the Power Trooper, Plasma Trooper, and Mega Turret.
- Use L-jumps and a Double Bomb Jump (DBJ) to get on the platform containing the boxes.
- Use regular jumps to get on top of the boxes, and then use a Bomb Space Jump (BSJ) to get on the floating platform. It is also possible to get on the floating platform using a laddered DBJ.
- L-jump to the side platform and L-jump again to reach a standable spot to the left of the next platform. The second L-jump is somewhat precise so be careful not to jump early.
- If there is a Power Trooper at the top of the room, kill him. This is one of the only places in the room where you can lock on to him but he can't shoot you.
- High Bomb Jump (HBJ) on the wall to reach the main platform. Kill whatever pirates are here.
Upper Half
The upper half of the room can also be traversed in several ways, the easiest and least dangerous of which will be described here.
- If you are entering the room from Maintenance Tunnel, kill the Space Pirates and the lower Mega Turret. The easiest way to kill the Mega Turret is to go to the far right side of the room where it's possible to lock on to it.
- L-jump to reach the scaffolding, and get in position for the DBJ.
- DBJ to the upper section of the scaffolding. A common method of doing this is to place all three bombs normally, then start holding back right when the second bomb hits, then hold forward right when the third bomb hits. Get in position for the dash.
- Dash off either the Mega Turret at the top of the room or the drops from the destroyed boxes on the main platform to reach the platform with the spider ball track. It is also possible to reach this platform with an L-jump.
- Get on top of the spider ball track by L-jumping and releasing L and R.
- Kill the turret at the top of the room.
- Make your way to the platform on the other side of the room, and Uber Bomb Jump (UBJ) to the scaffolding.
- Use an L-jump and a laddered DBJ to reach the next two platforms.
- L-jump to the standable spot just to the left of the next platform; this jump is fairly lenient.
- L-jump to the moving platform. Don't rush this!
- L-jump to the platform with the door.
Without Space Jump
Phazon Processing Center is generally considered to be one of the more difficult rooms to traverse under Low% conditions, mainly due to the fact that failing certain parts can often result in falling to the bottom of the room.