Metroid Dread (Switch)

Difficulty Mode Differences: How to Change Difficulty Settings

Metroid Dread Walkthrough Team

Last updated on: April 8, 2022 04:45 AM

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Metroid Dread Difficulty Modes

There are 8 different difficulty modes in Metroid Dread, but only two are available on your first playthrough. Read on to learn more about the difficulty levels and their differences as well as how to change the difficulty settings and how to play Rush Modes!

List of Contents

Difficulty Modes and Differences
How to Change Difficulty Settings
How to Play Rush Modes
Related Guides

Difficulty Modes and Differences

Metroid Dread Difficulty Modes

There are a total of eight different difficulty levels in Metroid Dread. However, there are certain requirements that you need to fulfill in order to unlock two of them, so on your first playthrough of the game, only two difficulty modes are available.

Difficulty Mode	Differences	How to Unlock
Rookie Mode (Easy Difficulty)	• Increased energy and ammo recovery • Bosses do less damage and are easier to beat • Start with 30 missiles instead of 15	• Update to Version 2.0.0 or later • Available from the start
Normal Mode	• Standard level of difficulty • Bosses are challenging but can be beaten with practice	• Available from the start
Hard Mode	• All enemies do more damage • Bosses are much harder to beat than Normal Mode	• Beat the game in Normal Mode
Dread Mode (Ultra Hard Difficulty)	• Samus dies after taking any amount of damage from any enemy • Contains all the other difficulty features of Hard Mode	• Update to Version 2.0.0 or later • Beat the game in Hard Mode
Boss Rush Mode	• Challenge bosses continuously one after another • You do not replenish health between fights, but you do restock ammo	• Update to Version 2.1.0 or later • Beat the game in any difficulty
Survival Rush Mode	• Challenge bosses with a set time limit • You do not replenish health or ammo between fights	• Update to Version 2.1.0 or later • Complete either Boss Rush or Dread Rush Mode
Dread Rush Mode	• Challenge bosses continuously one after another • Samus dies after a single hit from bosses or projectiles	• Update to Version 2.1.0 or later • Beat the game in Dread Mode
Practice Mode	• Challenge each boss in Dread Rush or Boss Rush individually • Practice your skills and improve your time	• Update to Version 2.1.0 or later • Unlock Boss Rush Mode • Individual bosses are unlocked as you play through Rush Modes

Ending Rewards

There are several ending rewards in the game that you can only obtain by playing through a different difficulty level. Each one will also have a minimum time required to finish the game in order to obtain the reward.

Normal Mode Rewards	Hard Mode Rewards
Ending Reward 1 Metroid: Zero Mission	Ending Reward 4 Metroid: Other M
Ending Reward 2 Metroid: Samus Returns	Ending Reward 5 Metroid Fusion
Ending Reward 3 Super Metroid	Ending Reward 6 Metroid Dread

How to Unlock All Ending Rewards and Chozo Archives

How to Change Difficulty Settings

Start Rookie Mode Metroid Dread

You can choose the difficulty settings of your game at the start of your playthrough. After you have selected a empty slot or overwritten a previous save, you will be prompted to select a difficulty.

However, there is no way to change the difficulty settings once you have started the game. To play the the game in a different difficulty level you will need to head to the Main Menu and start a new game.

How to Play Rush Modes

Metroid Dread Boss Rush Modes

The different Rush Modes of the game are separate from your standard difficulty modes since they do not follow the main gameplay of Metroid Dread. After completing the main game for the first time, the first Rush Mode you unlock is Boss Rush.

You can play Boss Rush and other Rush Modes by heading to main menu screen and pressing the R button. Here you can play the Rush Mode independently from your playthroughs.

Metroid Dread Related Guides

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Items and Collectables
All Missile Tank Locations	All Energy Tank Locations
All Power Bomb Tank Locations	All Gallery Images and Chozo Files
100% Unlockables	All Speed Booster and Shinespark Puzzles
Tips and Tricks
What Happens When You Get a Game Over	Ending Explained
What to Do If You Get Stuck	How to Unlock Hard Mode
Post Game Content	How to Speedrun Metroid Dread
How to Counter EMMI	How to Shoot Through Walls
How to Unlock Dread Mode	How to Unlock Rookie Mode
Boss Rush Mode Guide	Difficulty Mode Differences
Survival Rush Mode Guide	Dread Rush Mode Guide
Practice Mode Guide	-
Game Mechanics
All Door Types and Blocks	Game Length
How to Parry	How to Heal
Controls and Best Settings	All Teleportal Locations
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