Annihilator Beam

The is a secret Luminoth weapon, once wielded by the champion of Aether, A-Kul. The Annihilator Beam is powered by both light and dark energy, firing a "matter-antimatter" shot that homes in on enemy targets.
==Description==
The weapon was taken from Luminoth hands by the Ing at some point during the war, most likely as the spoils of A-Kul's defeat in the Sky Temple Grounds. The Ing installed the weapon on the machine guarding the Ing Hive, Quadraxis, which used it as its signature attack of firing matter-antimatter blasts. When Samus Aran entered the Hive on her mission to recover Aether's planetary energy, she engaged and destroyed Quadraxis and claimed the Annihilator Beam as her prize.
The Annihilator Beam requires both Light and Dark Beam Ammo to function properly, and uses one of each per normal shot. Its strength comes from its super-fast rate of fire, on par with that of the Power Beam, rather than its actual power level. Normal shots have a homing effect: even without a lock-on, the attack will automatically home in on a nearby target. These shots are also capable of flinching many opponents (such as Space Pirates). In the Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Multiplayer, it deals around five units of damage per shot and causes a player to visibly flinch and be slightly pushed. The beam's properties make it extremely useful for taking down large hordes of small enemies, or firing barrages at more powerful foes while being able to dodge their attacks more easily. The beam possesses sound-based properties, allowing it to interface with a number of mechanisms and devices.
Visually, the Annihilator Beam pulsates a black and white outward on the barrel, referencing its combined Light and Dark energies. The beam's use takes up the long extending barrel of the Arm Cannon, and visible markings can be seen at the top of the cannon's base (possibly relating to the Luminoth language). On the left side of the Arm Cannon where the cannon's panel is located is a set of three circles in a triangular shape. This shape is commonly seen elsewhere, such as the eyes of both Amorbis and Quadraxis (who possessed the Annihilator Beam) and the back of the Fusion Suit, which references a Metroid's nuclei. On Aether, this symbol is commonly associated with the letter "F".
==Uses==
The Annihilator Beam can activate either Portal type, and is able to open striped doors scattered around Aether, which are often shortcuts leading to certain expansions, though it cannot open purple or white hatches. When combined with the Echo Visor, the beam can interact with Echo Key Beam systems to open Echo Gates. When fired at a Light Beacon or Light Crystal, the beam temporarily turns it into a Super Beacon or Super Crystal, respectively. These versions of Beacons and Crystals share their energized (powered by a shot from the Light Beam) counterparts' ability to damage Ing and other Dark-based creatures, while drawing them (powered by a shot from the Dark Beam) into the Safe Zone to be instantly vaporized. This capability is useful for making long fights against difficult Ing much shorter.
Though it's an effective weapon against most enemies, it isn't as powerful as the Light and Dark Beams against Dark and Light enemies respectively. The beam is particularly useful in defeating the Emperor Ing, as it damages it in all of its phases. Due to its rapid fire capabilities, Beam Ammo Expansions are recommended to obtain as ammo could potentially drain fast during its usage.
==Disruptor==
Its Charge Beam technique is called the Disruptor, which does not home in on targets, but offers a large blast radius and stuns enemies. It is interesting to note that the charged shot will destroy a War Wasp Hive, but will not dispatch the shell of a Brizgee; under normal circumstances, both are destroyed by the use of a Missile. It is also strange that a charged shot will not activate a Light Portal shielded by a Safe Zone. It curiously is also repelled by both a light or dark polarity shield generated by a Quad Command Module. This should not be confused with the Sonic Boom, the Annihilator's Charge Combo.
==Charge Combo==
The Annihilator Charge Combo is the Sonic Boom, an exceedingly powerful shot that creates a rift in space and damages any enemies near the projectile. When activated, it instantaneously creates a rift at the closest target in the line of fire, making for a very fast and powerful attack. Interestingly enough, even though it is named the "Sonic Boom", it cannot be seen when using the Echo Visor, which allows the user to "see" sound. A likely functional reason may be that an object which creates a Sonic Boom, which by definition travels faster than the speed of sound, could not be detected by a sound-based sensor if the Sonic Boom's direction of travel is oriented away from the sensor, as the initial SONAR pulse, traveling at the speed of sound, would be unable to catch up to the Sonic Boom.
==Multiplayer==
In the multiplayer mode of Echoes, the Annihilator Beam is one of the obtainable weapons acquired from a Pickup Crate. When obtained, it grants a player 50 Light and Dark Ammo but does not allow the Light and Dark Beams respectively to be used unless already in possession. The Annihilator Beam's functions and appearance are near identical to the Singleplayer mode, though the Sonic Boom is normally unusable, as with the other two Luminoth Beam Charge Combos. A single Annihilator Beam shot deals 5 units of damage to an opposing player. Its small homing and pushback abilities coupled with its rapid rate of fire make the Annihilator Beam a deadly weapon to wield against opponents, especially when combined with the Infinite Ammo power-up. A Disruptor shot deals a strong 35 units of damage to an opponent player. The hit player also receives small knockback and a brief flash of light on their visor, slightly "disrupting" their vision.
==Official data==
===Metroid Prime 2: Echoes manual===
;ANNIHILATOR BEAM
:"Fire streams of energy that seek multiple targets and emit sonic waves that can be used on sonic-powered devices. Its shots are effective against light and dark enemies. Charge it to fire a Disruptor shot that stuns enemies."
===Metroid Prime Trilogy manual===
;Annihilator Beam
:"This is a powerful beam that consumes both Light Beam and Dark Beam Ammunition. It is effective against all enemies, and although the speed is slower, it has a homing function."
===Metroid Prime 2: Echoes acquisition message===
"Annihilator Beam acquired!Press [C-Stick (Down)] to switch to the Annihilator Beam./Press [+] then point up to switch to the Annihilator Beam. Charge weapon to fire a normal shot when out of ammo.Additional data downloaded to Inventory Screen. Press [START]/[2] to access the Inventory Screen."
===Inventory data===
===Metroid Prime 2: Echoes: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide===
;Annihilator Beam
:"The Annihilator Beam uses both Light and Dark Ammo, and damages most enemies equally. It's a fairly fast weapon, and its single shots will track enemies around the room. The charged shot is quite powerful, but somewhat slow and difficult to use."
==Development notes==
Data for the Annihilator Beam exists within the Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Bonus Disc, and can be discovered via hacking.
In the Bonus Disc version of the game, the Disruptor was called the Sonic Boom, and the Charge Combo was called Imploder. Hacking of the game's demo also shows that the Disruptor had a different appearance than in the final game. The lag associated with this beta charge shot may have been a contributing factor to the change. An off-screen Morph Ball beam icon is also present once the Annihilator Beam is hacked in-game in the Bonus Disc, displaying two circles; white and purple. This most likely references both the Light Beam and Dark Beam's energies being used for the Annihilator. This icon is believed to be the beam's early development icon, intended for the scrapped Power Bomb combos. This off-screen icon is still present within the final product once Samus obtains the Annihilator Beam and unlike the other beam icons, this off-screen icon has never been seen within any pre-release screenshots.
An inventory entry for the Annihilator Beam is also present within the Bonus Disc. Curiously, its entry states the Beam is selected via C-Stick left, despite it being used on C-down in-game. Notably, the entry mentions that the Sonic Boom (the beam's charged shot) has the power to cause an earthquake that stuns enemies and destroy Crystals. Why the ability to shatter crystals was removed in the final remains unclear. However remnants of this scrapped behavior still exist in the final, seen when using the Annihilator Beam on a Lightbringer. The creature's scan also references this behavior, most likely due to its Logbook entry being unaltered from the Bonus Disc. Ironically in the final, Dark Samus is able to shatter a Light Crystal during the item loss cutscene using her own Phazon Beam.
==Trivia==
*In physics, the word "Annihilation" is used to denote the process that occurs when a subatomic particle collides with its respective anti-particle. Since light and dark can be seen as anti-particles of each other, the weapon's name may come from more than its destructive tendencies alone.
*In New Play Control! Metroid Prime 2: Dark Echoes, when Samus charges the Annihilator Beam and aims up, openings can be seen at both ends of the shock-absorber rings on the Arm Cannon. This also happens with the Plasma Beam in Prime.
*The Annihilator Beam shares similar functions to the Wave Beam in Metroid Prime, while the Arm Cannon takes on the same long shape as the Plasma Beam as well.
*Due to the high rate of fire similar to that of the Power Beam, and being a mixture of light and dark energy, the Annihilator Beam could be seen as a "stacked" beam.
==Gallery==
Annihilator_Beam_rip.png|A render of the Annihilator Beam from Echoes.
Annihilator 2.png|Item form.
Annihilator Beam Symbol.png|Annihilator Beam symbol.
Oreo Beam Icon Ball.png|The Annihilator Beam's icon when in Morph Ball (normally off screen from the player's point of view). 
Annihilator Beam Charge Demo.png|Beta variant of the Annihilator Beam charging.
Beta Disruptor.png|Beta Disruptor shot.
Pirate Commando Stun.png|A Pirate Commando covered in purple energy from the Disruptor.
Quadraxis Head Annihilator Beam.png|Quadraxis's head module using the Annihilator Beam.
Echoes Multiplayer Pipeline Annihilator Beam damage.png|Blue Samus flinches from Annihilator Beam damage in Echoes multiplayer.
Echoes Multiplayer Game Over Disruptor Explosion.png|In multiplayer, an opposing player may explode into pieces by the Disruptor.
ru:Луч Аннигиляции
Category:Ing Hive
Category:Beams
Category:Luminoth Technology
Category:Luminoth