Editing Samus (section)

===Utilities and other abilities===
In order to progress through otherwise impassable obstacles and terrain, Samus has access to a wide variety of multi-purpose tools that aren't necessarily used strictly to vaporize anything with sharp teeth (that doesn't stop her from using some of these tools to do just that anyways). The recurring ones are as follows:

'''Morph Ball:''' Another iconic ability, and often one of if not the first upgrades acquired (if not already just loaded in by default), this allows Samus to transform into a compact sphere roughly 1 meter in diameter. In addition to allowing her to slip into otherwise tight spaces, it also allows her to activate a good many devices through rather conveniently shaped power conduit sockets. This form has a variety of abilities and weapons exclusive to it as well:
*''Bomb:'' Sometimes included by default, other times a separate upgrade, Samus can use this to lay up to 3 consecutive energy bombs that serve multiple purposes. In addition to being the default manner of attack for the Morph Ball, the bombs are also used to destroy weakened or lightly armored structures, to power on aforementioned power conduits or devices, or to propel Samus into the air in a technique aptly named the "bomb jump". As of Samus Returns, the bomb upgrade now has no limit on the number of bombs it can have on screen at a time as a convenience factor. A rather obscure trick is that in some two dimensional games, if you have a beam charged and enter morph ball mode you'll drop a whole bunch of bombs, not exactly useful as usually the charge shot would do more damage but it is still there all the same.
*''Power Bomb:'' One of the most powerful weapons Samus gets access to, Power Bombs are used to destroy heavily armored structures and terrain while straight up obliterating anything within its rather large blast zone. Unlike the regular bomb, the Power Bomb is reliant on relatively limited ammunition. It has some combos with the beams in Super Metroid but these are obscure tricks the game never tells you about of somewhat questionable utility that have never appeared since Super Metroid. It's also used as fuel for Samus' crystal flash move, another obscure super metroid only manoeuvre that sacrifices Samus' stocks of ammo to restore her shielding to full capacity. 
*''Spider Ball:'' The first strictly non-lethal upgrade to the Morph Ball enables Samus to cling to most surfaces and scale them with ease. This ability is somewhat limited in the Prime franchise, as it can only cling to magnetic rails specifically designed for it so as to not trivialise platforming or open Pandora's box of level geometry abuse.
*''Spring Ball:'' Basically it lets her jump in morph ball mode without having to wait for a bomb to detonate. It's mostly a convenience thing and while not initially present in the first two prime games, it's a default ability in prime 3 and was retroactively added to the other two in the re-release. It notably makes the Spider Ball Guardian, perhaps the most frustrating boss in Metroid Prime 2 due to its reliance on extremely exacting morphball platforming puzzles and very limited opportunities to recover shielding, much easier on any difficulty.
*''Boost Ball:'' Exclusive to the Prime games, this allows Samus to charge up her Morph Ball with energy and launch forward at high speeds. In addition to letting her act as a literal cannonball, it is also used to perform sick tricks in half-pipe structures and burst through things like metal grates. Aside from the Speed Boost, this is Samus' fastest "standard" method of travel.

'''Grapple Beam:''' A coherent beam of energy that allows Samus to tether to points either in the environment or on specific creatures. Environmentally, it allows Samus to swing from point to point, crossing otherwise impassable or treacherous crevices and the like. Not usually an offensive weapon, Samus still does use the Grapple Beam to rip off shields and armor of certain enemies in order to promptly execute them. When charged with Phazon, she can also either use it to either sap all the energy/phazon out of a target, or flood it with so much Phazon that it simply explodes in a shower of gore and blue goo.

'''High Jump Boots:''' Like the name implies, this boosts the height and speed of Samus' base jumps. Effectively outmoded the moment she acquires the Space Jump.

'''Space Jump:''' Another common ability, the Space Jump effectively gives Samus the ability to fly by letting her jump repeatedly through the air. As an efficient and expeditious manner of travel, it is admittedly lacking, but as it normally has an unlimited number of uses, it still allows Samus to bypass almost every environmental obstacle not involving water, lava or destructible terrain. Combined with the screw attack however, it lets Samus be a constantly moving whirling buzzsaw of death that's almost impervious to attack while instantly destroying nearly everything it touches. The Prime series limits the Space Jump into a single mid-air jump, though the reasons for this are strictly for the gameplay.

'''Screw Attack:''' An augment of the Space Jump, the Screw Attack envelops Samus in a sheathe of energy that outright evaporates all lesser creatures that come into contact with it and severely injures everything else. As it is activated by jumping through the air, Samus can remain in this state almost indefinitely and can only be knocked out of it by a similarly powerful attack or projectile (like the SA-X who can also use the Screw Attack). In the Prime games, it functions similarly, however it allows Samus to propel herself forward up to 5 times as well as wall jump up specific surfaces.

'''Speed Boost:''' This upgrade allows Samus to run at ludicrous speeds, enveloping herself in a shroud of lethal energy that not only lets her simply charge through anyone foolish enough to stand in her way, but also straight up ram through a variety of terrain that would otherwise block her way. This energy can be temporarily stored by abruptly crouching mid run, then promptly used to propel Samus in a completely different direction, or simply launch herself through the air until she collides with a solid object in a technique called the "Shinespark".

'''Aeion:''' A unique energy found on SR-388 that was responsible for the Metroid's original evolutions and the power source for a variety of abilities Samus can perform, should she have the Aeion reserves needed.
*''Scan Pulse/Pulse Radar:'' Upon activation, a wave of energy bursts forth from Samus, identifying hidden items, pathways or destructible terrain that may have otherwise escaped Samus' notice.
*''Lightning Armor:'' A protective and damaging shield of green lightning, Lightning Armor allows Samus to enter otherwise hazardous environments and avoid taking damage from attacks, at the cost of Aeion energy for damage absorbed.
*''Beam Burst:'' Exchanging the ability to use her Charge Beam, this turns Samus' arm cannon into a fully automatic, rapid-firing weapon capable of outputting an immense barrage of firepower, while her Aeion reserves allow.
*''Phase Drift:'' Arguably one of the most powerful abilities Samus had access to, this enabled her to perform any action 50% faster than normal. This effectively slowed the flow of time for Samus while active, allowing her to easily outmaneuver enemies and cross unstable terrain before it can collapse underneath her feet.
*''Phantom Cloak:'' This ability functions as a cloaking device, silencing any movements Samus makes while rendering her invisible to most enemies and sensors. Her Aeion gauge depletes much more quickly if she moves or fires any weapons while it's active.
*''Flash Shift:'' Another evasive ability, Flash Shift grants Samus up to three consecutive bursts of speed, enabling her to swiftly dodge enemy attacks or quickly close the distance for a counter attack.

'''Visors:''' Often only playing a role in the Prime series, Samus' visor is surprisingly one of the most useful tools at her disposal. The default mode it is in is simply the Combat Visor, which displays her HUD as well as an advanced targeting system that lets her lock onto opponents or objects should the need arise.
*''Scan Visor:'' Though it wouldn't seem it, the Scan Visor is probably the single most powerful tool Samus has access too. In addition to providing background information on individuals, native flora, fauna, etc., it allows her to quickly translate most alien languages at a glance, identify structural or anatomical weaknesses on a target, hack into computer terminals and remotely activate a great many devices when the need arises. As this is never a function Samus has to acquire from an external source, it's also safe to say it's just a baseline feature of her Power suit.
*''Thermal Visor:'' This gives Samus thermal-based vision. Kind of self explanatory, really. Still relatively useful in low-light or otherwise visually obscured conditions.
*''X-Ray Visor:'' Another relatively straight forward visor, this gives Samus the ability to see through a variety of terrain, structures, enemies, or other miscellaneous objects. In Prime 3, it can be used in conjunction with the Nova Beam to simply snipe the vital organs of a good many foes, killing them with as few as one to two standard shots. This was the first variant visor to appear in the series, as an equivalent called the ''X-Ray Scope'' was an optional power-up hidden in the Brinstar region of Super Metroid.
*''Dark Visor:'' Kind of a hybrid between the Thermal and X-Ray visor, the Dark Visor allows Samus to track cloaked enemies by seeing into other dimensions.
*''Echo Visor:'' This gives Samus the ability to "see" sound, including sounds that are otherwise outside the normal range of hearing. Used in conjunction with the Annihilator beam to interact with sonar-based equipment.
*''Command Visor:'' Essentially a remote control for Samus' ship, this allows her call down bombing runs, use her ship to lift massive objects out of the way, or simply tell it to land in another location. Surprisingly one of the least useful visors Samus uses, as 99% of the time, she's not in a location or position to utilize her ship offensively.