How to Beat Andross — Normal and True Form

Andross is the final boss of Star Fox on Nintendo Switch 2 in two distinct forms depending on your route. The normal ending on Venom pits you against Golemech and Andross's standard disembodied head and hands. The true ending on Venom II adds a Star Wolf fleet battle and Andross's true brain form with expanded attack patterns. This guide covers every phase, weak point, and dodge timing for both versions.

Route Determines the Fight

Path	Final stage	Boss sequence
Bolse → Venom	Venom	Golemech → Andross (standard)
Area 6 → Venom II	Venom II	Star Wolf → Golemech → Andross (true form)

If you arrive from Bolse after failing Sector Z, you face the normal fight only. The true ending guide explains how to reach Venom II.

Phase 1 — Golemech (Both Endings)

Before the Andross chamber, you traverse Venom's tunnel and battle Golemech — a mechanical guardian with articulated limbs.

Leg phase. Destroy leg joints when they glow. Stay airborne — ground stomps create shockwaves along the tunnel floor. Use charged shots on exposed joints; tap fire cleans up floating mines.

Torso phase. After legs fall, the chest core opens. Focus fire on the glowing reactor. Golemech swipes with arms; barrel roll through predictable arcs. Bombs clear mine swarms but do not skip phases.

Transition. Defeating Golemech opens the final chamber. Wingmates follow but do not damage Andross directly — keep them alive for medal requirements (150 hits on Venom, 200 on Venom II).

Phase 2 — Andross Standard Form (Normal Ending)

The classic fight: a giant head with floating hands and an eye weak point.

Hand swipes. Hands glow before sweeping across the arena. Double-tap stick to barrel roll through contact damage. When both hands sweep simultaneously, boost to the vertical center gap.

Eye shots. Between swipes, the eye opens. Charged shots deal the most damage. Tap fire the pupil when charge time is unsafe.

Projectiles. Andross spits energy balls and finger lasers. Prioritize dodging over greed hits — survival unlocks the next opening. Rings spawn periodically; grab them before aggressive charge phases.

Finish. The eye closes multiple times across health thresholds. Each reopening window shortens slightly. Maintain rhythm: dodge swipe → charge eye → reposition.

Normal Andross does not have a separate true brain phase. Credits roll after the explosion cinematic.

Phase 2A — Star Wolf (True Ending Only)

On Venom II, Star Wolf engages before Golemech in an all-range arena similar to Sector Y and Area 6.

Wolf O'Donnell — aggressive rusher; bait him into asteroid or tunnel wall stuns
Leon Powalski — sniper patterns; barrel roll through his lock-on lasers
Pigma Dengar — heavy ship; bomb when clustered with other wolves
Andrew Oikonny — unpredictable boosts; charge shot when he overshoots turns

Defeat all four or survive the timer depending on phase scripting — the remake uses a fleet-clear objective before the tunnel continues. Review villains and Star Wolf for rival ship silhouettes.

Star Wolf must be cleared without losing all lives — there is no routing fallback inside the boss mission.

Phase 3 — Andross True Form (True Ending)

After Golemech on Venom II, Andross reveals his organic brain form — larger, faster, and multi-layered.

Outer shell. Destroy floating eye orbs that orbit the brain. They respawn until the shell breaks. Use bombs when three or more orbs align.

Brain core. The central brain pulses with weak-point flashes. Charged shots during flash windows deal critical damage. Avoid touching toxic bile Andross spews across the chamber floor — boost upward.

Hand remnants. True form retains partial hand attacks with wider sweep arcs than standard Andross. The same barrel roll timing applies but with less margin for error on Expert Mode.

Final phase. At low health, the chamber darkens and projectile speed increases. Ignore wingmate callouts for style points — finish with charged eye/brain shots when Peppy marks the final weak point.

True form defeat triggers the extended true-ending cinematic not shown on normal Venom.

Loadout and Preparation

Entering Venom from a full campaign run, you typically carry:

• Laser upgrade level from prior stages
• Remaining smart bombs (2–3 if conserved from Bolse or Area 6)
• Shield from last collected ring

Weapons reference: weapons and upgrades
Pickups: rings and bombs

Do not waste bombs on Golemech if you struggle on true Andross — save at least one for orb clusters.

Medal Considerations During Boss Fights

Medal runs require all wingmates alive and minimum hit counts at debrief:

• Venom: 150 hits including Golemech and Andross phases
• Venom II: 200 hits including Star Wolf, Golemech, and true Andross

Farm hits on Star Wolf fighters and Golemech limbs before focusing the boss core. Wingmate kills do not count on some stages but Star Wolf ships count when you land the finishing shot.

See medal requirements and the all medals guide for full-sweep strategy.

Practice Recommendations

1. Learn Golemech on normal Venom first via mission select after any campaign clear.
2. Drill barrel rolls in controls training until swipes feel readable.
3. Run Area 6 for all-range warm-up before Venom II attempts.
4. Enable Expert Mode only after defeating true Andross on normal difficulty — projectile damage spikes sharply.

Andross is the culmination of every routing decision in the Lylat campaign. Whether you arrive from the easy path or the hard route, consistent dodge discipline and charged-shot discipline win both endings.

Related Guides

• Venom Walkthrough Normal ending mission layout and Golemech intro.
• Venom II Walkthrough True ending Star Wolf and Andross sequence.
• True Ending Guide Hard route requirements to reach Venom II.
• Villains & Star Wolf Rival squad abilities before Venom II.