How to Get All Medals — Expert Mode Unlock

Earning every medal in Star Fox on Nintendo Switch 2 unlocks Expert Mode — the ultimate difficulty where enemy projectiles deal more damage while medal hit thresholds stay unchanged. A full medal sweep requires sixteen stage medals, each demanding a minimum hit count and perfect wingmate survival. This guide prioritizes stages by difficulty, explains hit-farming tactics, and outlines an efficient order for completion using mission select.

Medal Rules (Always Apply)

1. Hit threshold — Meet or exceed the stage minimum shown on the debrief screen.
2. Wingmate survival — Peppy, Falco, and Slippy must not be destroyed at any point during the mission. Respawned wingmates after wing bars are acceptable; permanent destruction before debrief fails the medal.
3. Your kills — On Zoness, wingmate kills do not count toward your score. On other stages, finish shots yourself when possible during medal runs.

Full numbers live in the medal requirements table. Expert Mode details: Expert Mode page.

Hit Thresholds at a Glance

Hits	Stages
100	Solar, Sector Z
150	Corneria, Sector Y, Katina, Sector X, Titania, Macbeth, Bolse, Venom
200	Meteo, Fichina, Aquas, Area 6, Venom II
250	Zoness

Recommended Medal Order

Tier 1 — Learn fundamentals (easy route + mission select)

Start with low-pressure stages on normal difficulty:

• Corneria (150) — Save Falco for routing flexibility; farm ground targets before the carrier.
• Meteo (200) — Charged shots on asteroid clusters; warp rings give bonus hits if routing allows.
• Fichina (200) — Landmaster: intercept enemies before they reach pillars.
• Sector X (150) — Hidden base enemies inside walls add easy hits.
• Titania (150) — Landmaster again; clear waves between objectives.
• Bolse (150) — Destroy shield generators before core targets.
• Venom (150) — Farm Golemech limbs before Andross; see Andross guide.

Tier 2 — Medium path exclusives

Use mission select after a medium-route clear or unlock individual stages:

• Katina (150) — Ground targets and Saucerer weak points.
• Solar (100) — Lowest threshold but heat limits engagement — shoot quickly during cool windows.
• Macbeth (150) — Destructible train props along the track add free hits.

Tier 3 — Hard route and high thresholds

These demand routing setup or advanced tactics:

• Sector Y (150) — All-range; 100+ hits also routes to Aquas on hard path. Prioritize formations over wingmate assists.
• Aquas (200) — Blue-Marine torpedo chains on schools of fish-enemies.
• Zoness (250) — Hardest medal. Stealth routing and self-scored hits conflict — use mission select to retry only for hits after routing is secured. Destroy buoys yourself without wingmate finish steals.
• Sector Z (100) — Missiles give +10 each; do not let Katt steal finishing shots on hard route.
• Area 6 (200) — Bomb clusters; charged shots on frigate bridges.
• Venom II (200) — Star Wolf ships plus Golemech limbs before true Andross.

Stage-Specific Medal Tactics

Zoness (250 hits — priority nightmare)

Even players who nail stealth for the true ending often miss 250 self-scored hits. Disable aggressive wingmate behavior by finishing kills quickly on secondary targets while you chip buoys. Charged shots on platform groups under buoys stack hits without triggering early detection if timed with light sweeps.

Meteo and Fichina (200 each)

Both reward area damage. Meteo: charge into asteroid fields. Fichina: circle pillars hitting interceptors in waves — see vehicle controls for Landmaster boost discipline.

Area 6 and Venom II (200 each)

Fleet battles offer many small targets. Hold bombs for triple-formation spawns. Do not rush boss phases until hit count is secure — Golemech and Star Wolf ships contribute significant totals.

Solar (100 hits — deceptively tricky)

Heat near the sun forces periodic altitude dips. Plan burst damage during safe windows; ignore prolonged dogfights when the heat meter spikes.

Wingmate Survival Tips

• Rescue Falco, Slippy, and Peppy immediately when they call for help — distressed wingmates attract focused fire.
• Share wing bars — do not hoard pickups when a wingmate is down unless hit count is already secure.
• In co-op, Player 2 should prioritize rescues while Player 1 farms hits on co-op campaign medal attempts.

Using Mission Select Efficiently

After any campaign clear:

1. Check the medal gallery in the pause menu for missing stages.
2. Replay lowest missing threshold first for morale (Solar, Sector Z).
3. Save Zoness and Venom II for last when charge-shot timing is muscle memory from controls training.
4. Cross-reference the route planner if you have not yet unlocked hard-route stages in mission select — you must visit them once in campaign before solo replay.

Expert Mode After the Sweep

Once every stage shows a medal icon, Expert Mode unlocks in the difficulty menu. Expert increases enemy damage; hit requirements for any re-medal attempts stay identical. Many players complete the initial medal sweep on normal difficulty, then toggle Expert for Holoviewer prestige or Challenge Mode tied achievements.

Tracking Progress

Maintain a simple checklist against the medal requirements page:

• 16/16 stages medaled
• 0 wingmate deaths on final successful run per stage
• Expert Mode menu option visible

The all-medals pursuit is Star Fox's longest single-player challenge on Switch 2. Route mastery from the full walkthrough and boss consistency from the Andross guide matter as much as raw shooting — plan tier by tier, and save Zoness for when your aim is ready.

Related Guides

• Medal Requirements Table Hit scores and notes for all sixteen stages.
• Expert Mode What changes after the full medal unlock.
• Zoness Walkthrough Stealth plus 250-hit farming strategies.
• Controls Training Charge shots and U-turns for high hit counts.