I recently did a low items run and took notes on how to beat some of the harder bosses. The basic run was to avoid missile, energy tank, and beam ammo upgrades, but not to use any "tricks" or sequence breaking.
* Get missiles at beginning, then skip all other missile ammo upgrades.
* Seeker Launcher expands missile capacity by 5, resulting in 10 missiles total.
* Skip energy tanks.
* Skip light/dark ammo expansions.
* Get translator keys and suit upgrades.
General
-------
* Light beam fired at crystal charges it up extra, and causes instant death to any dark creatures who enter it.
* When locked on, you can quickly spin around by tapping B. You must be holding left or right, and QUICKLY tap B. If you hold B slightly too long, you'll do a normal slow jump, more upwards.
Amorbis
-------
When Amorbi are roaming, do a double jump if one is coming up or going to burrow in the safe bubble you're in. This is faster than walking outside the bubble, then back in.
When Amorbi attach to sphere, lock on to head and move close, then step back a bit when it lurches at you. Repeat and it will keep doing this same move, skipping the other more annoying ones. As you're stepping back, fire a charged shot at the head.
Alpha Blogg
-----------
BEFORE getting to him, do the LIGHT path first, save, THEN do the dark path, but don't scan the switch board, save, and finally do the dark path AGAIN and fight the boss. This way if you die, it'll be quick and easy to get back to the boss.
Stay locked on during entire battle. Get at far end of arena, fire charged shot to antagonize him, then wait until he's coming to fire second charged shot. After firing, immediately dash left. Then get at far end again, fire charged shot, etc. Antagonizing him avoids his other annoying attack.
Here it's critical that you do the dash jump properly (see General above). If you're not far enough across the room, your second charged shot won't hit him as he won't have opened up yet.
Boost Guardian
--------------
Lots of luck involved here. Have light beam selected BEFORE entering battle. You can get up to half damage before he starts to charge around as a ball. When he does, turn into a ball and stay at the perimeter, moving constantly. You can hide behind pillars, since he stops when he hits them. Bomb the colored puddle to make him come out of it again. When he goes back to black puddle temporarily, shoot the arms coming out of the floor for more life. Expect 20 or more attempts before you beat him.
Grapple Guardian
----------------
YOU MUST SCAN him before his eye starts flashing and becomes vulnerable. Hit eye with three charged shots, then spin around and hit him in the back. Around a quarter life, pillars de-energize. Continue with similar strategy.
Dark Samus on lift
------------------
After some amount of damage, a cutscene shows and the item boxes disappear, so be sure to get item boxes before this.
When Dark Samus turns into a ball, keep locked on and dash jumping in the opposite direction she is going around area. This generally avoids you getting hit.
Quadraxis
---------
Phase 1:
* Shoot charged shots at knee joints. Fire after leg takes step, or shot will veer off as leg lifts.
* Keep energy filled by morphing into ball and boosting into red orb in a foot twice. You can then just start charging, and step back and suck in the energy. Avoid using missiles during phase 1, otherwise feet will often yield missiles rather than energy.
* Avoid triple dark seeking ball shots by dash-jumping left or right just before they would hit you. Don't dash just as Quadraxis fires them, because they are seeking. Doing normal jumps can also work.
* When he does lock-on, change to ball and roll away from cross-hairs. This is a good time to hit a couple of red orbs in his feet while moving around. He will then often start spinning after this and suck you in. Boost tangentially to keep orbiting. Sometimes I've avoided being sucked in by locking on and just standing there unbothered. You can also apparently shoot the center while he's spinning.
* When you blow out a knee, he will throw powerups. Start charging and just walk under him while he recovers.
* When feet shoot waves, do a double jump with the second jump delayed as much as possible. If it's just one foot, you can dash away as a ball.
Phase 2:
* At beginning, collect powerups quickly.
* Switch to acoustic visor, lock on to antenna at center, then shoot 6 charge shots. The signal from the antenna to the mobile unit shows you what direction he is. Stay on the opposite side until you're about to break antenna. You can stay fairly close to the antenna and dash around it through the openings in the rubble, while staying locked on the whole time.
* Once antenna is busted, lock on to one mini-antenna and shoot lots of uncharged shots. He will drop a spider. Avoid it, as there's not enough time/energy to kill it. Be sure to collect powerups he drops after you break one of his three antennas.
* Now, use a super missile on central antenna, then resume with charged shots.
* Use a super missile on one of the two remaining mobile antennas. Finish destroying it. Now he'll drop one or two MORE spiders. Avoid them as before.
* Hopefully he dropped missile powerups. Destroy last antenna. You can use a charged light beam, but don't use more than one as you need them for the next phase.
Phase 3:
* At beginning, collect powerups quickly.
* Shoot a couple of charged light beam shots to knock him out.
* Don't morph to ball until you know what direction he's traveling. There is time to look and be sure.
* Roll to closest path, have boost charging as you spider ball up, shoot over, roll to bomb slot, drop bomb.
* Repeat once more.
Afterwards:
* Collect powerups so you don't die before getting to the door!
* You can go back the way you came. In the next room, you have to screw attack jump to get higher to the blue door (was difficult to do second time I tried this).
Emperor Ing, Final Samus - haven't beat them yet :)
* Get missiles at beginning, then skip all other missile ammo upgrades.
* Seeker Launcher expands missile capacity by 5, resulting in 10 missiles total.
* Skip energy tanks.
* Skip light/dark ammo expansions.
* Get translator keys and suit upgrades.
General
-------
* Light beam fired at crystal charges it up extra, and causes instant death to any dark creatures who enter it.
* When locked on, you can quickly spin around by tapping B. You must be holding left or right, and QUICKLY tap B. If you hold B slightly too long, you'll do a normal slow jump, more upwards.
Amorbis
-------
When Amorbi are roaming, do a double jump if one is coming up or going to burrow in the safe bubble you're in. This is faster than walking outside the bubble, then back in.
When Amorbi attach to sphere, lock on to head and move close, then step back a bit when it lurches at you. Repeat and it will keep doing this same move, skipping the other more annoying ones. As you're stepping back, fire a charged shot at the head.
Alpha Blogg
-----------
BEFORE getting to him, do the LIGHT path first, save, THEN do the dark path, but don't scan the switch board, save, and finally do the dark path AGAIN and fight the boss. This way if you die, it'll be quick and easy to get back to the boss.
Stay locked on during entire battle. Get at far end of arena, fire charged shot to antagonize him, then wait until he's coming to fire second charged shot. After firing, immediately dash left. Then get at far end again, fire charged shot, etc. Antagonizing him avoids his other annoying attack.
Here it's critical that you do the dash jump properly (see General above). If you're not far enough across the room, your second charged shot won't hit him as he won't have opened up yet.
Boost Guardian
--------------
Lots of luck involved here. Have light beam selected BEFORE entering battle. You can get up to half damage before he starts to charge around as a ball. When he does, turn into a ball and stay at the perimeter, moving constantly. You can hide behind pillars, since he stops when he hits them. Bomb the colored puddle to make him come out of it again. When he goes back to black puddle temporarily, shoot the arms coming out of the floor for more life. Expect 20 or more attempts before you beat him.
Grapple Guardian
----------------
YOU MUST SCAN him before his eye starts flashing and becomes vulnerable. Hit eye with three charged shots, then spin around and hit him in the back. Around a quarter life, pillars de-energize. Continue with similar strategy.
Dark Samus on lift
------------------
After some amount of damage, a cutscene shows and the item boxes disappear, so be sure to get item boxes before this.
When Dark Samus turns into a ball, keep locked on and dash jumping in the opposite direction she is going around area. This generally avoids you getting hit.
Quadraxis
---------
Phase 1:
* Shoot charged shots at knee joints. Fire after leg takes step, or shot will veer off as leg lifts.
* Keep energy filled by morphing into ball and boosting into red orb in a foot twice. You can then just start charging, and step back and suck in the energy. Avoid using missiles during phase 1, otherwise feet will often yield missiles rather than energy.
* Avoid triple dark seeking ball shots by dash-jumping left or right just before they would hit you. Don't dash just as Quadraxis fires them, because they are seeking. Doing normal jumps can also work.
* When he does lock-on, change to ball and roll away from cross-hairs. This is a good time to hit a couple of red orbs in his feet while moving around. He will then often start spinning after this and suck you in. Boost tangentially to keep orbiting. Sometimes I've avoided being sucked in by locking on and just standing there unbothered. You can also apparently shoot the center while he's spinning.
* When you blow out a knee, he will throw powerups. Start charging and just walk under him while he recovers.
* When feet shoot waves, do a double jump with the second jump delayed as much as possible. If it's just one foot, you can dash away as a ball.
Phase 2:
* At beginning, collect powerups quickly.
* Switch to acoustic visor, lock on to antenna at center, then shoot 6 charge shots. The signal from the antenna to the mobile unit shows you what direction he is. Stay on the opposite side until you're about to break antenna. You can stay fairly close to the antenna and dash around it through the openings in the rubble, while staying locked on the whole time.
* Once antenna is busted, lock on to one mini-antenna and shoot lots of uncharged shots. He will drop a spider. Avoid it, as there's not enough time/energy to kill it. Be sure to collect powerups he drops after you break one of his three antennas.
* Now, use a super missile on central antenna, then resume with charged shots.
* Use a super missile on one of the two remaining mobile antennas. Finish destroying it. Now he'll drop one or two MORE spiders. Avoid them as before.
* Hopefully he dropped missile powerups. Destroy last antenna. You can use a charged light beam, but don't use more than one as you need them for the next phase.
Phase 3:
* At beginning, collect powerups quickly.
* Shoot a couple of charged light beam shots to knock him out.
* Don't morph to ball until you know what direction he's traveling. There is time to look and be sure.
* Roll to closest path, have boost charging as you spider ball up, shoot over, roll to bomb slot, drop bomb.
* Repeat once more.
Afterwards:
* Collect powerups so you don't die before getting to the door!
* You can go back the way you came. In the next room, you have to screw attack jump to get higher to the blue door (was difficult to do second time I tried this).
Emperor Ing, Final Samus - haven't beat them yet :)
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