Venom — Normal Ending

Overview

Venom is the normal ending stage of Star Fox 64, reached from Bolse on the easy route, medium route, or as a fallback from failed hard route attempts. Fox McCloud flies through Venom's defenses into Andross's underground fortress for the final confrontation. The stage features the Golemech tunnel boss followed by Andross in his standard palace form.

Venom delivers a satisfying conclusion to the campaign but is not the true ending — that requires reaching Venom II through the hard route or Macbeth train shortcut. The normal ending features a different Andross fight without the Star Wolf pre-battle.

Route Triggers

Venom is the final stage on the normal ending path with no exits:

• Campaign complete: Defeat Andross to finish the game. No further routing exists — this is the ending.

You reach Venom by completing Bolse on any non-hard-route path, or by failing hard route conditions at Zoness or Sector Z. The ending cinematic and narration vary based on wingmate survival and overall performance.

Boss Strategy

Golemech: A stone golem guarding the tunnel entrance to Andross's lair. Golemech swings its arms and launches energy projectiles in the confined tunnel space. Shoot its head with charged shots — the body is armored. Barrel roll through projectiles in the narrow tunnel where looping is impossible.

Andross (standard form): Andross appears as a giant floating head and hands in his palace chamber. He shoots eye lasers and swats at your Arwing with open palms. Peppy's advice — "Hit the eyes!" — applies here: shoot Andross's eyes when they glow red. When Andross inhales, he draws you toward his mouth — loop away to escape the suction. After enough eye damage, Andross's head explodes and the tunnel collapse sequence begins. Follow Fox's father James McCloud's spirit guide through the collapsing tunnel to escape.

Medal Tips

Venom requires 150 hits for the medal. Venom's surface defense segment before the tunnel provides the bulk of scoring opportunities — destroy turrets, fighters, and structures aggressively before entering the underground section.

Golemech and Andross provide limited hit opportunities compared to earlier stages. Maximize surface hits before the tunnel descent. Andross's hands and eyes each count as separate targets during the boss fight — alternate between them for sustained hit accumulation. Smart bombs during Andross's palm-swipe animation damage both hands simultaneously. See Expert Mode requirements for the full campaign medal context.

Wingmate Advice

Wingmates fly alongside Fox during Venom's surface segment but do not enter the tunnel or Andross's chamber — Fox fights the final bosses alone. Keep wingmates healthy through the surface battle by destroying threats ahead of the formation.

All four wingmates must have survived every prior stage for the best ending narration and Expert Mode credit. Peppy's Andross advice during the boss fight is essential — follow his calls to identify attack windows. Falco's commentary during the surface approach provides morale but no tactical advantage.

Switch 2 Remake Notes

The normal Venom ending features Andross's standard floating head form — simpler than Venom II's brain transformation. Peppy's "Hit the eyes!" advice applies to the standard form; shoot the glowing red eyes during attack cooldowns. The tunnel collapse escape sequence after defeating Andross follows James McCloud's spirit guide — do not shoot during this sequence. Ending narration varies based on how many wingmates survived the full campaign.

Golemech's tunnel is narrow — charged shots ricochet off walls and can still hit the boss. Save at least one smart bomb for Andross's chamber where hand swipes cover the full width of the arena.

Related Missions and Routes

Venom is the normal ending from the easy route and medium route. For the true ending, follow the hard route to Venom II. Read the Andross strategy guide for detailed boss patterns.

Related Guides

• Venom II Mission Guide True ending with Star Wolf and brain Andross
• Bolse Mission Guide Penultimate stage before normal ending
• How to Beat Andross Standard Andross form strategy