Medal Guide
Earn medals on all 15 missions to unlock Expert Mode — the ultimate Star Fox 64 challenge. This guide covers every hit requirement, difficulty rating, and proven strategy.
social_leaderboardAll Medal Requirements
| Mission | Hits Required | Difficulty | Key Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corneria | 150+ | Easy | Target tight enemy formations with charged homing shots for maximum efficiency. |
| Meteo | 200+ | Medium | Use Smart Bombs on asteroid clusters — each bomb can yield 5-10 hits. |
| Sector Y | 150+ | Medium | Focus on destroying Shogun Troopers and Triangle Fighters. |
| Fichina | 50+ | Easy | The lowest medal requirement in the game. |
| Katina | 150+ | Medium | Destroy Invader IIs constantly while waiting for the Saucerer. |
| Aquas | 150+ | Medium | Destroy every Clam and sea creature — many give multiple hits. |
| Sector X | 150+ | Medium | The right path has significantly more enemies than the left warp route. |
| Solar | 100+ | Medium | Stay as high as possible to minimize shield drain from heat. |
| Zoness | 250+ | Hard | The highest medal requirement on any non-final mission. |
| Titania | 150+ | Medium | Destroy every desert creature and Rasco for hits. |
| Macbeth | 150+ | Medium | Focus fire on train cars above all else — each destroyed car counts toward hits. |
| Sector Z | 100+ | Hard | Each Copperhead Missile is worth 11 points — all 6 = 66 points. |
| Bolse | 150+ | Medium | Destroying the six energy spires and their cannons yields many hits. |
| Area 6 | 300+ | Extreme | The highest medal requirement in the game. |
| Venom | 200+ | Hard | The final mission also has a medal requirement of 200 Hits. |
ruleGeneral Medal Rules
- ★Reach the required Hit score for each mission.
- ★All three wingmates (Peppy, Slippy, and Falco) must survive the mission — no retreats allowed.
- ★If a wingmate is tailed and takes too much damage, they will retreat and you will not receive a medal.
- ★Save wingmates immediately when they call for help.
military_techExpert Mode
How to Unlock
Earn a medal on all 15 main game missions. Once unlocked, Expert Mode becomes available from the main menu.
Key Differences
- ▸Enemies take more damage to destroy and fire more aggressively.
- ▸Wingmen take damage more easily and retreat faster.
- ▸Bosses have additional attack patterns and faster reactions.
- ▸Some enemy formations are rearranged for greater difficulty.
- ▸Medal score requirements remain the same as Normal Mode.
Rewards
- ✓Earn all 15 Expert Mode medals to unlock an alternate title screen.
- ✓In the N64 original: unlock Landmaster and Pilot modes for Versus Mode.
- ✓Bragging rights — completing Expert Mode with all medals is the ultimate Star Fox 64 challenge.
Pro Tip: Expert Mode medals are significantly harder to earn. Focus on one mission at a time, and don't hesitate to replay earlier levels to practice advanced techniques.