Beacon

Beacon (ビーコン Bīkon^?) is a boss in Gradius III and Gradius V.

Attack patterns

Gradius III

The boss of Stage 7, Beacon simply moves up and down the screen and shoots four lasers and bouncing cores. In spite of the large number of cores, Beacon is perhaps the quickest boss to defeat in the entire game. It's only really a threat if the player is underpowered.

Gradius V

In this game, Beacon is the first boss of Stage 7 and has many more attacks, thus being much more difficult. Instead of shooting lasers, Beacon charges up and releases four laser streams. In addition to this, the bouncing cores are replaced by reflecting lasers that semi-aim in your direction. There's also another phase where it will shoot many bullets in a haphazard stream (two streams if only one core remains) while releasing fire bombs up and down, which trail along the ceiling/floor, similar to the Snake weapon from Thunder Force IV. These bombs will restrict your movement to the center. Its fifth and final core can only be hit after the initial frontal four have been destroyed.

Gallery

Trivia

Beacon used to hold the title for most cores on a ship (five).

Gradius III
Ships	Vic Viper
Stages	Desert • Bubble Zone • Volcanic Planet • High Speed Dimension • Moai Zone • Cell Planet • Prominence Planet • Plant Planet • Crystal Zone • Boss Rush • Mechanical Base
SNES exclusive stages	High Speed Zone • Fortress • Cell
Bosses	Goliath • Bubble Eye • Godrei • Big Core MK III • Dogas • Vaif • Twin Vaif (SNES) • Gregol • Wyvern • Vulture Dragon • Choking Weed • Lizard Core • Beacon (SNES) • Tetran • Covered Core • Big Core MK II • Crystal Core • Death MK II • Dellinger Core • Disrupt • Shadow Gear • Shadow Gear MK II (SNES) • Big Core • Golem • Bacterian

Gradius V
Ships	Vic Viper T-301
Stages	Planet Gradius Satellite Orbit • Planet Gradius City Sky A • Planet Gradius Urban Underground Hierarchy • Bacterian Cell Center • Asteroid Front Base • Bacterian Multiplication Plant • Bacterian Fortification Center • Planet Gradius City Sky B
Bosses	Big Core MK-I Rev.2 • Venom (lower) • Death MK III • Tetran • Big Core MK II • Big Core MK IV • Ground Spider • Huge Heart • Blaster Cannon Core • Rolling Core • Circle Core • Big Core MK III • Covered Core MK II • Beacon • Keeper's Core • Elephant Gear • Venom (upper)

Core Warships
Big Cores	Big Core MK I • Big Core Custom • Big Core MK-I Rev.2 • Big Core MK II • Big Core MK II Kai • Big Core MK III • Big Core MK IV
Big Core variants	Beacon • Big Core Duo • Blaster Cannon Core • Boost Core • Bubble Core • Circle Core • Coreship • Crater Core • Crystal Core • Dellinger Core • Desert Core • Heaven's Gate • Juggler Core • Laser Core • Lizard Core • Neo Big Core • Perla Meralda • Planet Core • Rexion Core • Rolling Core • Shining Core • Super Big Core • Terra Core • Vanishing Core • Genocide Core • Odin Core
Core-style bosses	Abaddon Warship • Covered Core • Covered Core MK II • Dead End • Kraken • Mayhem Warship • Metal Slave • Misfit Warship • Queensrÿche • Riot Warship • Plate Core
Pseudo-Cores	Death • Death MK II (DeathDouble) • Death MK III • Beta Core • Nobil • Triple Core • Crash Bam
Tetran variants	Tetran (Zylom) • Covered Tetran • Crystal Core D-X02 • Laser Tetran • Tenny Rop
Parody Cores	Candy Core • Decoration Core • Decoration Core MK II • Viva Core