Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* GuestFighter: Originates from Don't Starve.
Added DiffLines:
* PlotIrrelevantVillain: Doesn't have anything to do with the overarching plot of the game.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Trope was cut/disambiguated due to cleanup
Deleted line(s) 82 (click to see context) :
* TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers: A case of "The ''first'' of these is not like the others", it's the only piece of Cthulhu without a mechanical counterpart. It's implied that you rescue the Mechanic before she can be forced to build it.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* RedBaron: When the status message says "Impending Doom approaches", it doesn't just mean a sense of it; The Moon Lord bears a literal title of "The Impending Doom".
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* AllYourPowersCombined: He carries many notable traits from bosses that were torn from his body, with Skeletron's general structure of "two hands and a head", the true Eyes of Cthulhu charging around like the original, and the Brain of Cthulhu's orbiting eyes.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* DuelBoss: An update causes it to take up most of the allotted spawn slots for enemies near the player, meaning Deerclops is the only threat you need to really prioritize.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 538 (click to see context) from:
* {{Expy}}: Heavily resembles Cthulhu. His eyeball minions are even called "True Eye Of Cthulhu". WordOfGod has stated that he is Cthulhu's brother. [[https://forums.terraria.org/index.php?threads/terraria-8th-anniversary-lore-event.79764/#post-1763546 8th Anniversary Lore Event]] drops the {{Expy}} part entirely though, referring to him simply as Cthulhu instead of as the Moon Lord.
to:
* {{Expy}}: Heavily resembles Cthulhu. His eyeball minions are even called "True Eye Of Cthulhu". WordOfGod has stated that he is Cthulhu's brother. [[https://forums.terraria.org/index.php?threads/terraria-8th-anniversary-lore-event.79764/#post-1763546 8th Anniversary Lore Event]] drops the {{Expy}} part entirely though, referring to him simply as Cthulhu instead of as the Moon Lord.Lord.
* ExpyCoexistence: The creators joked that he was Cthulhu's brother.
* ExpyCoexistence: The creators joked that he was Cthulhu's brother.
Added DiffLines:
* TomTheDarkLord: When saying he was Cthulhu's brother, the creators joked that his name was Steve.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
* EyesAreUnbreakable: Depleting the health of his eyes will simply cause them to pop out and become invulnerable True Eyes of Cthulhu instead of destroying them.
Deleted line(s) 541 (click to see context) :
* EyesAreUnbreakable: Depleting the health of his eyes will simply cause them to pop out and become invulnerable True Eyes of Cthulhu instead of destroying them.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 44 (click to see context) from:
* GuestFighter: Also appears as a boss in [[VideoGame/DungeonDefenders Dungeon Defenders 2]] as part of its crossover with Terraria. Similarly, it appears in [[VideoGame/DontStarve Don't Starve Together]] under the name "Eye of Terror" alongside the Twins.
to:
* GuestFighter: Also appears as a boss in [[VideoGame/DungeonDefenders ''[[VideoGame/DungeonDefenders Dungeon Defenders 2]] 2]]'' as part of its crossover with Terraria. Similarly, it appears in [[VideoGame/DontStarve ''[[VideoGame/DontStarve Don't Starve Together]] Together]]'' under the name "Eye of Terror" alongside the Twins.
Changed line(s) 295 (click to see context) from:
* EvilIsDeathlyCold: The warning message that appears to indicate that it will spawn on a Hardmode night is "The air is getting colder around you," implying this trope. Downplayed in that it lacks any sort of ice or cold-themed attacks.
to:
* EvilIsDeathlyCold: The warning message that appears to indicate that it will spawn on a Hardmode night is "The air is getting colder around you," you", implying this trope. Downplayed in that it lacks any sort of ice or cold-themed attacks.
Changed line(s) 314 (click to see context) from:
* BaitAndSwitch: [[spoiler:The "Get Fixed Boi" seed features an item called "Ocram's Razor." One would think that the monster has finally returned, but it just summons [[FusionDance Mechdusa.]]]]
to:
* BaitAndSwitch: [[spoiler:The "Get Fixed Boi" seed features an item called "Ocram's Razor." Razor". One would think that the monster has finally returned, but it just summons [[FusionDance Mechdusa.]]]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
The Dungeon Guardian is not the Beef Gate since they make traversinv the
* BeefGate: He can be summoned as early as the first night but if you aren’t able to beat him, then you stand very little chance of surviving the dungeon.
Deleted line(s) 142 (click to see context) :
* BeefGate: It's intended to keep you out of the dungeon until you've earned it by defeating Skeletron. If you descend below 0 depth, it spawns. Unlike most Beef Gates, however, this one will keep spawning if you try to enter the dungeon, no matter how many times you kill it.
Changed line(s) 180 (click to see context) from:
* BeefGate: The Wall of Flesh will easily kill the under-prepared, to prevent them from unleashing hardmode prematurely.
to:
* BeefGate: The Almost literally in this case. Fighting the Wall of Flesh will easily kill requires being able to survive in the under-prepared, most dangerous Pre-Hardmode biome well enough to prevent them from unleashing hardmode prematurely.fight a boss that chases you through it and almost requires the best Pre-Hardmode weapons, armor, and accessories to beat. Given the massive DifficultySpike he guards, it serves to make sure you are capable of surviving early Hardmode.
Changed line(s) 183 (click to see context) from:
* DarkIsNotEvil: Despite being an enormous wall of meat, the Wall of Flesh's purpose is actually to contain the greater part of the Corruption/Crimson and the pretty-but-no-less-dangerous sprites of the Hallow. Slaying it unleashes them; unless you've taken preemptive measures to limit the spread of these biomes, you will quickly learn why they were locked up to begin with.
to:
* DarkIsNotEvil: Despite being an enormous wall of meat, meat that resides in {{Hell}} and is described as being a demon lord, the Wall of Flesh's purpose is actually to contain the greater part of the Corruption/Crimson and the pretty-but-no-less-dangerous sprites of the Hallow. Slaying it unleashes them; unless you've taken preemptive measures to limit the spread of these biomes, you will quickly learn why they were locked up to begin with.
Deleted line(s) 194 (click to see context) :
* NintendoHard: Either you're over-prepared or you die. There is no middle ground.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* FacelessEye: It used to be in Cthulhu's face, but it came flying out once the Dryads killed him, leaving it roaming the night killing whatever it comes upon.
Added DiffLines:
* FacelessEye: Two of them this time, but mechanically enhanced. [[spoiler: Though they are designed to fit back into Cthulhu's sockets in his cybernetically revived form.]]
Added DiffLines:
* CameBackWrong: The Lunatic Cultist's ritual was supposed to bring him back to life in full power, but the player interrupted it, forcing Cthulhu back to life in an incomplete state, lacking anything below his ribcage and having an exposed brain. It's explicitly stated that he's weaker as the Moon Lord than he was before his death.
Added DiffLines:
* InformedFlaw: The 8th Anniversary Lore states that the mechanical bosses were meant to be used in rebuilding and replacing the body parts he lost, but he's completely lacking in cybernetics, has two arms as opposed to Skeletron Prime's four and glowing teal eyes rather than the red and green-irised Twins, though the player destroying those prosthetics and then interrupting his resurrection ritual may have something to do with this. ''Not'' justified by their chaos is the fact that he does have a cyan brain; the Brain of Cthulhu is pink and was never turned into a mechanical boss before the player freed the Mechanic.
Added DiffLines:
* LovecraftLite: The 8th Anniversary Lore downplays this as the Dryads were all but wiped out barring one during the battle, but they did kill and seal him away. Ingame it's played straight as the player can kill him without much trouble using mostly equipment from the planet itself.
Added DiffLines:
* SerialEscalation: First came the Eye of Cthulhu, an eye that attacks you on its own. Then came the Twins, two eyes who attack you in tandem. Then the Moon Lord one-ups them both, spawning three True Eyes of Cthulhu as you whittle down his health.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 38 (click to see context) from:
* EldritchAbomination: Well, at least the eye of one.
to:
* EldritchAbomination: Well, at least the eye of one. Fittingly, it defies nature, [[LovecraftLite although it's weak enough such that it can be slain even by somebody with a meagre bow or staff and a good enough running speed]]; it's a massive, disembodied, floating eye, for one, and it rips its iris open to reveal teeth once its health is lowered enough.
* EyeScream: In its second phase, it tears itself open to reveal a sharp set of teeth.
* EyeScream: In its second phase, it tears itself open to reveal a sharp set of teeth.
Changed line(s) 42 (click to see context) from:
* GuestFighter: Also appears as a boss in [[VideoGame/DungeonDefenders Dungeon Defenders 2]] as part of its crossover with Terraria.
to:
* GuestFighter: Also appears as a boss in [[VideoGame/DungeonDefenders Dungeon Defenders 2]] as part of its crossover with Terraria. Similarly, it appears in [[VideoGame/DontStarve Don't Starve Together]] under the name "Eye of Terror" alongside the Twins.
Added DiffLines:
* OptionalBoss: It doesn't drop anything needed for progression, but you're pointed in the direction of killing it anyway as it will usually be the first boss to spawn, either naturally or by finding and using a Suspicious Looking Eye underground.
Added DiffLines:
* EyeScream: Downplayed. Like the Eye of Cthulhu, they break their irises open upon reaching half health. [[RoboticReveal However, this is where their true, mechanical nature is revealed]], making it less so that they are eyes tearing themselves apart to get a combat advantage and more that they are eye-shaped machines tearing themselves apart to get a combat advantage.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
There should really be a rule requiring this
Added DiffLines:
[[foldercontrol]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
''[-Return to the main characters page [[Characters/{{Terraria}} here]]-]''
The various monstrosities found throughout the world of ''[[VideoGame/{{Terraria}} Terraria]]'', many of which are tied into game progress and the world's lore.
----
!!Pre-Hardmode Bosses
The various monstrosities found throughout the world of ''[[VideoGame/{{Terraria}} Terraria]]'', many of which are tied into game progress and the world's lore.
----
!!Pre-Hardmode Bosses
Added DiffLines:
!!Hardmode Bosses
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
[[folder:King Slime]]
[[quoteright:162:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/king_slime.png]]
[[caption-width-right:162:"The lord of all things slimy."]]
-->''Slimes normally aren't intelligent, but occasionally they merge together to become a powerful force to swallow all things.''
King Slime is a Giant Slime with a crown. It is a side boss that can be fought at any time but doesn't count for progression of the first act of Pre-Hardmode.
----
* AmbiguousSituation: The ninja's significance to King Slime. While it may be a very recent victim, the fact that they don't show signs of being digested, as well as the repeated prominence of the Ninja in the trophy and achievement artwork implies they may be a symbiotic entity.
* AndYourRewardIsClothes: You beat it? Enjoy your random part(s) of the ninja costume and possibly the boss mask. Not so bad since 1.2.4 as it now drops the Slime Hook, the Slime Gun and a Slimy Saddle that you can get a Slime mount. Then 1.3 improves the drops even more by making the Ninja costume into functional armor that improves Throwing weapons.
* AsteroidsMonster: It will eschew normal slimes from itself as it takes damage.
* BlobMonster: It's a giant Slime.
* CoolCrown: Now wears one after the 1.3 update, making it look very similar to King Slime from ''VideoGame/DragonQuest''.
* FlunkyBoss: Spawns blue slimes as it takes damage. On Expert, it can also spawn ''spiked'' blue slimes.
* HarmlessEnemy: In Expert Mode, it drops a Royal Gel that, when equipped, turns almost all slimes into these by making them passive.
* KingMook: Basically a bigger, stronger version of the blue Slime. After the 1.3 update he even has a crown, and also appears as the boss of a Slime Rain.
* OptionalBoss: It isn't required for progression and, prior to 1.3, had fairly out of the way spawning requirements. However 1.3 [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] this by having it more likely to spawn naturally as the end boss of the Slime Rain event and making its summoning item cheaper along with giving it more useful drops, though it’s still not required for progression.
* ShoutOut: To ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' with the ninja floating inside it, being a reference to a boss of the same one you fight.
* ShowsDamage: It gets smaller as its health gets lower. Justified as it starts losing mass as it takes damage, as shown by the blue slimes it releases when taking enough damage.
* SpikeShooter: Not King Slime itself, but the Spiked Blue Slimes it spawns on Expert can fire spikes at the player.
* {{Teleportation}}: Will now dissolve and reform on the player if it happens to get stuck or manages to escape it for a while, so it cannot be trapped or outran anymore.
* TookALevelInBadass: Prior to 1.3 the boss was a joke and was easily cheesed by simply boxing it (or yourself) in [[note]] In fact it was possible to beat it with the [[CherryTapping copper pickaxe]] this way [[/note]]. After 1.3 it gained the ability to teleport, forcing you to face it, and it’s spawn, head on, making the boss a genuine threat early game.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Eye of Cthulhu]]
[[quoteright:110:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eye_of_cthulhu.png]]
[[caption-width-right:110:"You feel an evil presence watching you..."]]
-->''A piece of Cthulhu ripped from his body centuries ago in a bloody war. It wanders the night seeking its host body… and revenge!''
Franchise/{{Cthulhu|Mythos}}'s [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin disembodied eyeball]]. It's very likely to be the first boss fought, unless players set sight on the weaker King Slime first.
----
* TheBerserker: In Expert Mode, when the Eye of Cthulhu is brought to low health, it will supplement its regular charges with an extremely fast zig-zagging charge. The lower its health, the more it does this; when on the verge of death, it will continuously make mad dashes in your general direction.
* EarlyBirdBoss: After the player has satisfied a few relatively easy-to-meet conditions, the Eye of Cthulhu may simply decide to show up one night and start attacking, even if it hasn't been summoned. While it's still within reason to defeat it, it's also just as likely that the player lacks the equipment or skill necessary to fend it off.
* EldritchAbomination: Well, at least the eye of one.
* FinalBossPreview: [[spoiler:For both Ocram, which shares its attack pattern, and the Moon Lord, who spawns True Eyes of Cthulhu.]]
* FlunkyBoss: For the first phase, it shoots weaker and smaller Demon Eyes called Servants of Cthulhu at you.
* GiantEyeOfDoom: The first major Lovecraftian horror most players with find themselves against, and once it loses enough health it ditches its iris for a horrifying and toothy mouth. With its speedy charge, it can easily outmatch an unprepared player.
* GuestFighter: Also appears as a boss in [[VideoGame/DungeonDefenders Dungeon Defenders 2]] as part of its crossover with Terraria.
* KingMook: A bigger, badder version of the common Demon Eye enemy.
* TimeLimitBoss: It will run away if you do not defeat it by dawn.
* TurnsRed: Once at half health, it spins in a circle, releasing a small swarm of Demon Eyes and gaining a giant mouth where its iris was. In this state, it no longer shoots Demon Eyes but charges more aggressively. The 1.3 Big Update adds a new attack to the Eye's arsenal in Expert Mode, granting it a powerful and even faster berserker charge that it uses in proportion to how much damage it's taken.
* WarmUpBoss: Eye of Cthulhu is the first progression-related boss in the game, and has relatively low health and a predictable pattern. As such, it serves to introduce the player to bosses in the game.
* WakeUpCallBoss: For those who faced the King Slime earlier than anticipated.
** It also serves this role in Expert Mode, demonstrating that bosses have become ''much'' stronger than they were in normal mode. Its movement is upgraded to nearly match The Twins' ability to track the player's position, it releases a large swarm of lesser eyes transitioning into its second phase, and the new DesperationAttack it uses makes it extremely difficult for early-game characters to both hit and dodge the Eye of Cthulhu when it's on its last legs.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Eater of Worlds]]
[[quoteright:292:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eater_of_worlds.png]]
[[caption-width-right:292: "Screams echo around you..."]]
-->''Conceived from the bottomless malice of the Corruption, this mighty abyssal worm tunnels wildly to devour all in its path.''
A [[KingMook giant-sized Devourer]]. It typically takes the Brain of Cthulhu's place as the second major boss in worlds afflicted with the Corruption.
----
* AsteroidsMonster: If you destroy a segment that would leave two intact segments ahead or behind it, the detached segments will become a separate worm that must also be destroyed. At a bare minimum, you have to kill at least half of the Eater of Worlds to kill it permanently.
* EldritchAbomination: A gigantic mutant worm with eyes all around it's body that heralds from the Corruption. If lore is any indication, it's entirely possible that the Eater of Worlds isn't a worm so much as ''Cthulhu's intestines''.
* KingMook: To the Eaters of Souls and Devourers in the Corruption.
* OpenEndedBossBattle: It (along with the Brain of Cthulhu) doesn't actually need to be defeated in order to progress the game: in addition to its main reward of Shadow Scales dropped upon death, each of its individual segments also have a chance of dropping a few, more than enough to collect the six required to forge the Nightmare Pickaxe, at which point you can flee the battle or die (on anything other than Hardcore) without having to worry about finishing the job. However on Expert and above, killing it rewards the highly useful Worm Scarf (which grants a flat 17% damage reduction)
* SandWorm: Well, Corruption Worm. Plays this straight if summoned in a Corrupted desert.
* SuperSpit: The Expert Mode version of the Eater of Worlds possesses the ability to shoot Vile Spit like a Corruptor on LSD.
* SegmentedSerpent: Each of its segments is its own entity with its own health bar, and are capable of acting as independent worms so long as two segments are connected.
* SkippableBoss: If you can fish up the Reaver Shark, you can skip the Eater of Worlds. It'll be a bit harder to mine Hellstone with inferior armor, but not insurmountable (unless you farm Eater of Souls instead for the Ancient variety of Shadow Armor).
** Averted as of Journey's End, where the Reaver Shark has been {{nerf}}ed and the Nightmare Pickaxe and its counterpart are now required to mine Hellstone, meaning you will have to face the Eater of Worlds at least once to progress (even if you don't necessarily have to beat it, as seen above).
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Brain of Cthulhu]]
[[quoteright:194:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/brain_of_cthulhu.png]]
[[caption-width-right:194:"A horrible chill goes down your spine..."]]
-->''A piece of Cthulhu torn asunder, this vile mastermind pulses with agony and aids the Crimson to an attempt to avenge its master.''
Franchise/{{Cthulhu|Mythos}}'s [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin brain]]. It typically takes the Eater of World's place as the second major boss in worlds afflicted with the Crimson.
----
* BizarreAlienBiology: It has a ''heart'' inside of it. [[EyesDoNotBelongThere With an eye on it.]]
* BrainMonster: A giant, monstrous brain which attacks you in the Crimson should you smash too many Crimson hearts or use a bloody spine to summon it.
* DoppelgangerSpin: On Expert, during the second half of the fight. Each time it teleports, it produces three translucent, harmless fake images of itself that also converge on you. As its health gets lower, these images become less transparent, making it harder to distinguish the real one.
* EldritchAbomination: Again, at least the brain of one.
* FlunkyBoss: Much like the Eye of Cthulhu, it summons eyeball-like minions to attack you. Unlike the Eye of Cthulhu, these ''must'' be destroyed if you want to hurt the Brain itself.
* TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers: A case of "The ''first'' of these is not like the others", it's the only piece of Cthulhu without a mechanical counterpart. It's implied that you rescue the Mechanic before she can be forced to build it.
* OpenEndedBossBattle: It (along with the Eater of Worlds) doesn't actually need to be defeated in order to progress the game: in addition to its main reward of Tissue Samples dropped upon death, every Creeper it spawns also has a chance of dropping a few, more than enough to collect the six required to forge the Deathbringer Pickaxe, at which point you can flee the battle or die (on anything other than Hardcore) without having to worry about finishing the job. However, like the Eater of Worlds, killing it on Expert or above awards the very useful Brain of Confusion (a 1/6 percent chance to dodge damage, with a buff to critical chance and enemies being confused given upon a dodge).
* SkippableBoss: If you can fish up the Reaver Shark, you can skip the Brain of Cthulhu. It'll be certainly a bit harder to mine Hellstone with inferior armor, but not insurmountable.
** Averted as of Journey's End, where the Reaver Shark has been {{nerf}}ed and the Deathbringer Pickaxe and its counterpart are now required to mine Hellstone, meaning you will have to face the Brain of Cthulhu at least once to progress (even if you don't necessarily have to beat it, as seen above).
* StatusInflictionAttack: On Expert, any CollisionDamage with the eyeballs or the Brain can cause the Confused, Poison, Bleeding, Darkness, Broken Armor, or Weak status effects.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Due to being a floating brain-like enemy that attacks you with eyeball-like minions, the Brain of Cthulhu is possibly the closest thing the PC version has to Ocram.
* TeleportSpam: In the second half of the fight.
* VillainTeamUp: According to its Bestiary description, the Brain is not ''directly'' related to the Crimson, but simply formed an alliance with it; It defends the Crimson's hearts and aids in its spread to avenge its originator's defeat.
* WeaponizedTeleportation: The Brain's main attack is to teleport right on top of the player. To compensate for this, it's also the only boss that is susceptible to knockback.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Queen Bee]]
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/queen_bee_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:200:"The matriarch of jungle hives..."]]
-->''This highly aggressive monstrosity responds violently when her larva is disturbed, the honey-laden hives are her home turf.''
A giant queen bee. Her larvae spawn inside bee hives and can be fought if broken. She's a sideboss and can be fought at any time although again like the King Slime, she doesn't count towards progression of Pre-Hardmode.
----
* BeeAfraid: You stumble into a hive, with not many monsters inside unless you start digging into the walls. Then you attack the larva... and a gigantic bee attacks you furiously in retaliation.
* BeeBeeGun: Can send out smaller bees to attack you. When beaten, all the weapons received from her will spawn homing bees to attack the enemy. The Hive Pack that she drops on Expert Mode will strengthen half of said bees as well.
* BodyHorror: She’s equal parts bee and beehive, judging from the holes in her abdomen and her ability to shoot bees at the player from them.
* BewareMyStingerTail: Like the Hornets, she can fire out venomous stingers that poison the player.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: The largest insectoid enemy in the game[[note]]Destroyer doesn't count as it's a worm[[/note]].
* BerserkButton: Killing the Bee Larva in any of the bee hives will summon her.
* BossArenaRecovery: Due to how the Queen Bee is summoned, you'll probably be fighting her inside a beehive, the bottom of which is lined with honey that you can take a dip in to recover health over time.
* FlunkyBoss: One of her attacks is to release a swarm of tiny bees that follow you relentlessly.
* GlassCannon: The bees she spawns have very little health, but they pack quite a wallop.
* InsectQueen: It's right there in the name.
* KingMook: A ''Queen'' Mook towards the Hornet enemies.
* MamaBear: Kill her larva and she'll awaken and attack you in retaliation.
* RammingAlwaysWorks: One of her attacks. She's able to fire out bees and stingers, but will also charge the player.
* SkippableBoss: Like the King Slime, there's no particular need to fight the Queen Bee unless you want her loot and the Witch Doctor NPC.
* SpamAttack: In Expert, her attacks get faster she nears death. This can lead to her chaining up charge attacks, or releasing swarms of bees followed by machine gun-like stinger barrages.
* StatusInflictionAttack: Can poison you with her stingers.
* TimeLimitBoss: Averted, unlike many other bosses in the game.
* TurnsRed: Only on Expert. Her attack pattern gets faster and more frequent as she loses health. In addition, her defense gradually increases as she takes damage on Expert, culminating in more than double her defense at critical health.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Skeletron]]
[[quoteright:100:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/skeletron_head.png]]
[[caption-width-right:100:"The cursed guardian of the dungeon..."]]
-->''The disembodied bones of a former tyrant pulsed with a hatred so strong, it left behind a mighty curse which guards the dungeon.''
A giant floating skull and arms that is summoned by talking to the old man at the entrance of a dungeon at night.
----
* CognizantLimbs: Both his hands. It's recommended to destroy them first, as they are his main means of attack. It's almost required to kill them first in Expert, because his head will have 100 defense until you do.
* CycleOfHurting: On Expert, his spinning move upgrades once both arms are destroyed, becoming faster so he can stick to your character for continuous, huge CollisionDamage.
* DemBones: It's a floating skull with disembodied skeletal arms.
* DungeonBypass: Very strongly averted. Try to tunnel past Skeletron and you'll be killed by the Dungeon Guardian, a NighInvulnerable BeefGate meant to punish such an attempted bypass. Even if you decide not to enter the dungeon at all, he is still required to be defeated if you want the cultists to appear and trigger the Lunar Events.
* HomingProjectile: In Expert, he fires homing skulls a la the Book of Skulls once you've destroyed one of his hands.
* NameTron: It's named Skeletron, although it's not a robot or machine at all.
* SkippableBoss: {{Subverted|Trope}}. He may seem completely optional, albeit at the cost of losing out on all of the very powerful pre-hardmode and [[spoiler: post-Planter]] loot, along with both the Clothier and Mechanic, but killing him is required to spawn the cultists who initiate the endgame.
* SpectacularSpinning: For the player, anyway. His defense drops when his head is spinning.
* TimeLimitBoss: It will ''kill you'' if you do not defeat it by dawn.
* TurnsRed: At dawn, it transforms into the [[BeefGate Dungeon Guardian]] and will OneHitKill you. In Expert, once his hands are destroyed, he begins firing skulls at the player while also upgrading his spinning attack to perform a CycleOfHurting.
* UndeadAbomination: It's a giant, skeletal monster that, according to the lore, is made of a part of Cthulhu's skeleton itself.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Dungeon Guardian]]
-->''A lethal sentry that stands watch over the Dungeon's gates. Those who are deemed unworthy to enter shall not pass!''
A special version of Skeletron meant to keep you out of the dungeon until you've defeated Skeletron proper, introduced to fix a loophole in which the Skeletron Heads that once held its role in earlier versions could accidentally grant access to the dungeon if killed. Delving too deep (below 0 depth, specifically) will summon this nigh-invincible horror, and thusly, [[OneHitKill your doom]].
----
* BeefGate: It's intended to keep you out of the dungeon until you've earned it by defeating Skeletron. If you descend below 0 depth, it spawns. Unlike most Beef Gates, however, this one will keep spawning if you try to enter the dungeon, no matter how many times you kill it.
* BraggingRightsReward: The [[http://terraria.gamepedia.com/Bone_Key Bone Key]] it drops when killed, which summons a mini-Skeletron pet.
* DemBones: A flying skull.
* DoppelgangerAttack: The game treats it as a normal enemy, not a boss, so it is possible for more than one to spawn. It's not uncommon for two to chase you out of the dungeon. Death is pretty much assured when this happens.
* ImplacableMan: It can phase through structures and the ground so walling it up is a no-go, it will chase you across the map and won't stop coming until either it despawns (which barring an endgame mount fast enough to outpace the creature would require an absolute ''miracle''), it hunts down and kills you, or you manage to kill it. It's immune to knockback and will shrug off everything up to and including the most powerful weapons in the game without slowing down one bit. Your only advantage over it in the end is agility.
* TheJuggernaut: Doesn't stop homing in on you, takes ScratchDamage from everything, {{One Hit Kill}}s you, and is practically invulnerable to {{knockback}}.
* LightningBruiser: It can fly faster than anything short of the best mount in the game, has 9999 HP and takes 1 damage from everything, and can OneHitKill an endgame melee tank build on contact.
* LordBritishPostulate: It originally had 9999 hp, 9999 defense and 9999 damage, aside from being very fast. Yet, many players were able to kill it, using fast shooting weapons (that would deal 1 damage per hit) and reversing gravity in order to be fast enough not to be hit. Thanks to how defense works, and the addition of armor [[HoistByHisOwnPetard dealing melee damage done to the player back to the attacker]], as well as an item allowing a small dodge chance, this was in a few updates relatively easy, until it was patched by decreasing the guardian's attack to 1000.
* MarathonBoss: You have to run away from it dealing ScratchDamage until its health depletes, which can take quite a long time. The absolute fastest you can kill the Guardian is in about five minutes, with the right equipment, and that's on Normal mode.
* NighInvulnerable: It has [[DamageSpongeBoss 9999 HP]] (which is doubled in Expert Mode) and [[MadeOfIron 9999 Defense]] (turning all attacks into ScratchDamage), and is ImmuneToFlinching. It can be killed, but only with a ''lot'' of preparation.
* OneHitKill: Its sole purpose of existence. With an attack that deals 1000 damage, if it catches you, you're dead.
* OnlyTheWorthyMayPass: Its Bestiary entry outright states it will not allow anyone deemed unworthy to pass into the dungeon.
* PermanentlyMissableContent: Vanishes once Skeletron is defeated, so get your Bone Key before you open the dungeon.
* RammingAlwaysWorks: It will crash into you at high speed and make you explode into gibs on impact.
* RasputinianDeath: Pretty much required to kill it. In fact, it's likely that the reason why it blinks out of existence when it finally kicks the bucket is because in the process of killing it you have to ''[[TheresNoKillLikeOverkill grind up the creature until nothing remains]]''.
* SelfImposedChallenge: Killing it is considered a personal achievement by ''Terraria'' veterans. The devs have acknowledged this, and it now drops the aforementioned Bone Key as a reward.
* SpectacularSpinning: Constantly in this state.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Deerclops]]
-->''Hailing from a distant land, this cyclopic monstrosity lurks in cold places, wreaking havoc on those who disturb it.''
A boss added in 1.4.3, which originates from VideoGame/DontStarve.
----
* AdaptationalBadass: The Deerclops was no slouch in its source game, but ''Terraria'' gives it a slew of new attacks besides its icy GroundPunch, such as throwing a barrage of snow projectiles into the air and even summoning the Night Hands from its source game.
* AntiEscapeMechanism: It forces the player into combat range by becoming invulnerable to damage if it's too far, as well as casting a slow debuff onto the player.
* CastingAShadow: Its insanity aura is presented as having Night Hands pop up near it before charging at the player, and it can also turn into an invulnerable shadow of itself if it's too far from the player.
* HitboxDissonance: The collision hitbox that determines if Deerclops does contact damage to you only covers the waist-up. You can run between his legs and make it out the other side unscathed provided he doesn't catch you with a different attack.
* VictorGainsLosersPowers: Combined with DefeatEqualsFriendship with the Expert Mode-exclusive Bone Helm accessory, which passively summons the Night Hands to protect you from any nearby foes when worn.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Wall of Flesh]]
[[quoteright:150:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wall_of_flesh.png]]
[[caption-width-right:150:"The master and core of the world..."]]
-->''Serving as the world's core and guardian, the towering demon lord exists to keep powerful ancient spirits sealed away.''
The final Pre-Hardmode boss, the Wall of Flesh is summoned by tossing a guide voodoo doll into lava in the underworld.
----
* AdvancingBossOfDoom: It will charge at you and pursue you from one end of the world to another, there is no way to get past it, and if it is still alive by the time it is on the other end, it will crush you to death.
* BarrierMaiden: As eldritch and frightening as it is, lore states that the Wall of Flesh is the world's guardian, holding back the spirits of light and darkness. Destroying the Wall releases the spirits to expedite the process of finding a new one, with devastating effects on the land itself.
* BeefGate: The Wall of Flesh will easily kill the under-prepared, to prevent them from unleashing hardmode prematurely.
* BreathWeapon: A particularly disgusting version. When it’s health has been cut down to a certain point it will start vomiting swarms of Leeches at the player.
* BodyHorror: As its name suggests, it's a giant wall of viscera with stringy tentacles, two enormous bulging, veiny eyes, and a gaping, protruding mouth. The fact that it also spews out Leeches, which are noted in the bestiary to be parasitic creatures full of the monster’s healing blood, doesn’t imply anything healthy about the insides of the beast either.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Despite being an enormous wall of meat, the Wall of Flesh's purpose is actually to contain the greater part of the Corruption/Crimson and the pretty-but-no-less-dangerous sprites of the Hallow. Slaying it unleashes them; unless you've taken preemptive measures to limit the spread of these biomes, you will quickly learn why they were locked up to begin with.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: The most powerful pre-hardmode boss you face before you go into hardmode.
* EyeBeams: It fires volleys of purple lasers at you from its eyes, and the time between shots decreases as its health gets lower until it's full-on BeamSpam.
* EldritchAbomination: Moreso than the other pre-hardmode bosses because it can inflict a MindRape on you that forces you to kill it to survive. According to a card, it's the lord of eternal nightmares. And when killed, the world gets drastically and irrevocably changed.
* FlunkyBoss: This game loves these bosses a lot. The Wall of Flesh has a number of flunkies called The Hungry attached to it which reach out to damage you before detaching and flying at you upon death. It can also summon burrowing Leeches.
* {{Gasshole}}: It will periodically burp out leeches as one of its attacks.
* GoForTheEye: While both its mouth and eyes are vulnerable, the eyes have zero defense and thus do not benefit from any DamageReduction, making them the preferred targets.
* ImmuneToFlinching: [[SubvertedTrope Surprisingly, no]], despite being an AdvancingBossOfDoom. Shooting Heart Arrows at its mouth will actually stun it for a brief while.
* LivingStructureMonster: The Wall of Flesh is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin -- a massive, moving wall of meat with eyes and a mouth.
* LoadBearingBoss: Its death infects the world with large swathes of ever-expanding Hallow and Corruption.
* MarathonBoss: Clocks in at 8000 HP in normal mode, which is considerably higher than any other easymode boss. Even top-tier easymode weapons will take a while whittling this guy down.
* NintendoHard: Either you're over-prepared or you die. There is no middle ground.
* ShoutOut: According to Redigit, it was inspired by the Demon Wall bosses in the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' series.
* SupernaturalFearInducer: It's the only enemy in the game that can inflict the "Horrified" debuff on your player, which results in death if you attempt to escape using a teleportation item like the Recall Potion or Magic Mirror. The tooltip for this debuff is "You have seen something [[EldritchAbomination nasty]], there is no escape".
* TimeLimitBoss: You have to defeat it before it reaches the other side of the world and kills you.
* TurnsRed: As you wear down its health, it will start gaining speed, belch up leeches more often and will shoot its EyeBeams more often. On Expert, he gains a '''massive''' burst of speed when at critical health.
* YouWillNotEvadeMe: The wall will use its tongue to reel you in if you run too far from it, get behind it or try to escape the underworld conventionally. Trying to use the magic mirror to escape splatters you when you reach your spawn. This isn't as bad as it sounds for soft-core or even medium-core characters as your money/items drop at the spawn/bed that you warped to. [[{{Permadeath}} Hard-core]] however...[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJjQueAsHO4&app=desktop this happens]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Queen Slime]]
[[quoteright:162:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/queen_slime.png]]
-->''Hallowed slimes consolidated into a haughty, crushing force adorned in dazzling crystals. She is rumored to grow wings.''
A Hardmode counterpart to King Slime, summonable in the Hallow by using a Gelatin Crystal.
----
* BlobMonster: Much like King Slime, Queen Slime is a giant Slime.
* CoolCrown: Just like King Slime, Queen Slime wears a crown on the top of her head.
* DistaffCounterpart: To King Slime, of course. Nearly all of her loot (a set of crystalline ninja armor, a saddle that summons a winged slime mount, a method of coating others in harmless goo, and a unique grappling hook) is some sort of upgrade to King Slime's loot.
* KingMook: She's a Queen Mook to Slime enemies.
* MookMaker: Like her counterpart, Queen Slime summons Slime minions as she takes damage, bringing spiky Crystal Slimes, bubbling Bouncy Slimes, and winged Heavenly Slimes to her side as the fight progresses.
* OptionalBoss: One of three Hardmode bosses that aren't needed to progress the game.
* PinkMeansFeminine: It befits her nature as both a queen and a creature of the Hallow.
* TurnsRed: At 50% health, Queen Slime sprouts feathery wings and takes to the skies, mixing up her tactics as she does so.
* YouWillNotEvadeMe: Like King Slime, she can teleport. Her second phase grows wings and ''flies'' after you.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Twins]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_twins.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"[[TagTeamTwins This is]] [[OhCrap going to be]] [[ThisIsGonnaSuck a terrible night...]]"[[note]]Left: Retinazer, right: Spazmatism[[/note]]]]
-->''Belonging to a pair of mechanically-recreated Eyes of Cthulhu, this one focuses its energy into firing powerful lasers.'' (Retinazer)\\
''Belonging to a pair of mechanically-recreated Eyes of Cthulhu, this one chases at high speeds, exhaling cursed flames.'' (Spazmatism)
A mechanical version of the Eye of Cthulhu, [[DualBoss except there are two of them]], [[EyeBeams Retinazer]] and [[KillItWithFire Spazmatism]].
----
* ArtificialLimbs: The Mechanic was forced to build them so they could serve as Cthulhu's new eyes.
* BreathWeapon: Spazmatism will spew a constant stream of Cursed Flames in its second phase, though at least the range is limited.
* BeamSpam: The lower Retinazer's health is in the second phase, the more it does so. At critical health it can fire as fast as a Megashark.
* DegradedBoss: In a rare beneficial version! Players can craft an staff that lets them summon miniature stage two Twins to aid them in battle and they keep their signature breath and laser attacks. A properly geared player can have a pack of ''22'' of these things trailing behind them.
* DualBoss: Thought the Eye of Cthulhu was fun? Now you get to fight two of them at once, one packing EyeBeams and the other with a BreathWeapon. Have fun!
* EssenceDrop: Drop Souls of Sight when the remaining one is destroyed.
* EyeBeams: Retinazer, Retinazer, Retinazer. It gets worse the lowers its health gets. Spazmatism's fireballs in its first phase also count on a technicality.
* FusionDance: [[spoiler:In the "Get Fixed Boi" seed, the Twins combine with the other Mechanical Bosses to form Mechdusa.]]
* GiantEyeOfDoom: Much like the Eye of Cthulhu, except now there's two of them!
* {{Hellfire}}: Spazmatism uses Cursed Flames as its ranged attacks.
* MechanicalAbomination: The mechanical reincarnation of the Eye Of Cthulhu.
* PunnyName: Both of their {{Portmanteau}} names are eye puns.
** The retina is the part of the eye where light is focused, and a laser is a focused beam of light. Retinazer attacks with focused BeamSpam.
** A 'spaz' is a person who acts chaotically and jerkily, while astigmatism is an eye problem causing blurry vision. Spazmatism jerkily charges all over the place and clouds its own vision with flames.
* RoboticReveal: Unlike the other mechanical bosses, these two appear to be biological at first. Once you get their health down far enough, however, they [[TurnsRed enter their second phase]], shedding their organic tissue and unveiling themselves as completely-robotic recreations of the Eye of Cthulhu.
* ShortRangeGuyLongRangeGuy: Apparent in their second forms--Spazmatism is the Short Range, attempting to stay close to breathe cursed flames and charge the player, while Retinazer is the Long Range, attempting to stay far while firing lasers at the player.
* TechnicolorEyes: Retinazer's iris is red, and Spazmatism's is green, appropriate for the latter since it spews green fire. Both have blue pupils.
* TimeLimitBoss: The two will run away at dawn.
* TurnsRed: Like the Eye of Cthulhu, the Twins will enter a second form when low enough on health.
** Spazmatism's charges become much faster and more frequent, and while it's not charging, it relentlessly pursues the player while breathing a constant stream of Cursed Flames.
** Retinazer switches from blue lasers to more damaging red lasers, and the lower its health gets during its second phase, the faster it fires the laser cannon, until it's essentially BeamSpam.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Destroyer]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_destroyer_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"You feel vibrations from deep below..."]]
-->''A mechanical simulacrum of Cthulhu's spine decorated in laser-armed probes, which detach from its body when damaged.''
A mechanical simulacrum of Cthulhu’ backbone, heavily inspired by the Eater of Worlds.
----
* AchillesHeel:
** The Destroyer's massive, segmented body make it highly vulnerable to piercing weapons.
** Unlike the other mechanical bosses, the Destroyer is stuck to the ground. Standing on a platform high enough in the air will make it hard for the Destroyer to even get to you, barring its lasers and Probes.
* AnimalMecha: A giant metal worm.
* AntiFrustrationFeatures: While most worm-type enemies' drops will spawn from their head segments when they die, the Destroyer's drops will instead spawn at the segment closest to the player on death, as its massive size makes it very easy to lose track of where the head was when you killed it.
* ArtificialLimbs: The Mechanic was forced to build it so it could serve as a replacement backbone for Cthulhu.
* AttackDrone: Sends these out which pepper you with lasers. Thankfully, they drop hearts and mana stars.
* AttackItsWeakPoint: Unlike the rest of its body, the Destroyer's head has 0 defense. As it attacks by lunging at you, you'll have plenty of opportunities to strike it.
* BeamSpam: Both its sections and probes can do this from time to time.
* BossArenaRecovery: Destroying the probes it sends out will get at least one heart and/or a mana star if you've been using magic weapons.
* CollisionDamage: Notably, on Expert and Master, the Destroyer's head making contact with you deals more damage than any other attack save for the Phantasmal Deathray and [[OneHitKill anything from daylight Empress of Light]].
* CompositeCharacter: While it's mostly based on the Eater of Worlds, the eyeball-like Probes it sends out resemble the Brain of Cthulhu's Creeper minions.
* ContractualBossImmunity: Unlike any other enemy in the game, the Destroyer is completely immune to all debuffs.
* DamageSpongeBoss: Has more HP than any other non-composite entity opponent in the entire game at a whopping 80000 (''120000'' in Expert), but since all of its segments are individual targets vulnerable to attack, piercing and melee weapons will rack up massive amounts of damage by striking multiple segments on each pass, balancing out the extra health.
* EnergyWeapon: The aformentioned probes will start letting out a barrage of lasers should they be allowed to survive for a bit.
* EssenceDrop: Drop Souls of Might when destroyed.
* FlunkyBoss: The probes it sends out upon being hurt.
* FusionDance: [[spoiler:In the "Get Fixed Boi" seed, the Destroyer combines with the other Mechanical Bosses to form Mechdusa.]]
* SandWorm: A robot sand worm, at that.
* SegmentedSerpent: The Destroyer possesses 82 separate segments, each of which is as long as your character is tall, making it undisputably ''the'' biggest thing in the game. The player can attack multiple segments at one go, allowing them to deplete its massive HP faster. If someone has already defeated The Twins and has used their souls of sight to build a Magical Harp[[note]]fires slow, infinitely piercing projectiles rapidly as long as your mana meter holds out[[/note]] weapon, the boss fight becomes nearly effortless.
* SuperPersistentPredator: Unlike most bosses, the Destroyer will not despawn if you get too far away from it, and will pursue you across the world if it has to.
* TimeLimitBoss: Runs away at dawn.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Skeletron Prime]]
[[quoteright:171:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/skeletron_prime.png]]
[[caption-width-right:171:"The air is getting colder around you..."]]
-->''Mechanically reconstructed for reviving Cthulhu, this Skeletron has more arms than ever before, and a variety of fierce weapons.''
The mechanical version of Skeletron.
----
* ArtificialLimbs: The Mechanic was forced to build it so it could serve as Cthulhu's new skeleton.
* ArmCannon: One of his arms has a cannon that functions like a GrenadeLauncher, lobbing bombs at the player that explode after a short delay.
* ArmoredButFrail: Downplayed. Of the Mechanical bosses, Skeletron Prime has the most defense, but in terms of health he's only beating out the [[DualBoss Twins]] individually.
* ChainsawGood: The Prime Saw arm.
* CognizantLimbs: Has four destructible limbs, each carrying a deadly weapon of its own.
* CripplingOverspecialization: The Prime Cannon arm fires bombs which explode on contact with solid platforms. This means that a floating arena of wooden platforms makes the arm utterly incapable of causing anything other than CollisionDamage. However, note that this is no longer true as of 1.4.01 onwards, meaning in Expert Mode, he can and will wreck your arena.
* DemBones: Mechanical ones this time.
* EnergyWeapon: The Prime Laser arm.
* EssenceDrop: Drop Souls of Fright when destroyed.
* EvilIsDeathlyCold: The warning message that appears to indicate that it will spawn on a Hardmode night is "The air is getting colder around you," implying this trope. Downplayed in that it lacks any sort of ice or cold-themed attacks.
* FusionDance: [[spoiler:In the "Get Fixed Boi" seed, Skeletron Prime combines with the other Mechanical Bosses to form Mechdusa. Prime is the binding agent between the three; if you kill Skeletron Prime before one of the other components of the boss, they'll resume their usual behaviour.]]
* JetPack: While the head floats, Skeletron Prime's arms seem to move using jets of (harmless) flame.
* MarathonBoss: With its four arms and high HP, Prime can easily drag the fight out [[TimeLimitBoss until morning]] if the player's damage output is too low, and unlike the Destroyer, it isn't made up of hundreds of segments that can all be targeted.
* MechanicalAbomination: The mechanized reincarnation of the Skeletron.
* MultiArmedAndDangerous: Has four arms as compared to Skeletron's two, and each arm has a different weapon to murder you with on the end.
* NameTron: It's named Skeletron Prime. Unlike Skeletron, this one ''is'' mechanical.
* PowerPincers: The Prime Vice arm.
* SkeleBot9000: It's a mechanical skull with four arms.
* SpectacularSpinning: Unlike Skeletron, Prime benefits from spinning as its defense actually ''increases'' instead of decreasing when it does so.
* SpikesOfDoom: The head grows these when spinning.
* ThrowDownTheBomblet: The Prime Cannon arm.
* TimeLimitBoss: Like Skeletron, Prime has a Dungeon Guardian form and will kill you at dawn.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Ocram]]
[[quoteright:264:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ocram.png]]
The true final boss of the old generation console version, Ocram can best be described as a flying ''Film/{{Predator}}'' head.
----
* BaitAndSwitch: [[spoiler:The "Get Fixed Boi" seed features an item called "Ocram's Razor." One would think that the monster has finally returned, but it just summons [[FusionDance Mechdusa.]]]]
* BeamSpam: Its first form loves this. Its second form basically pumps out laser shotgun blasts at the speed of a machinegun.
* BulletHell: During his second phase, he will be spraying countless laser blasts and Demon Scythes at a ridiculous speed. Not only does it do this itself, but this is also the focus of most strategies for fighting him.
* CallBack: Oddly enough, to the Eye of Cthulhu. His strategy is similar, his flunkies are called "Servants of Ocram" like the Eye's "Servants of Cthulhu", and they share a battle theme.
* EldritchAbomination: Quite. His appearance is extremely otherworldly even in comparison to the likes of the Celestial Pillars and the [[spoiler:Moon Lord.]]
* EssenceDrop: Drops Souls of Blight when slain, which are required to craft the end-game armors.
* ExiledFromContinuity: WordOfGod has stated that Ocram will never appear in any version of the game still recieving updates, although mods are fair game. The Labor of Love throws a few name drops his way, though.
* FinalBoss: Confirmed to be as such by the (console version's) [[WordOfGod developers.]] Subverted in the newer console version and the mobile version, as he was removed in the 1.3 update, which added the game's real final boss.
* FlunkyBoss: Sends out Servants of Ocram, though he has plenty of other attacks. They're fairly easy to kill if you use Crystal Bullets. However, don't mistake him for relying solely upon them.
* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: Has no buildup or references, not even in the item used to summon him.
* LightningBruiser: He moves fast and hits HARD.
* NintendoHard: He's pretty much impossible to kill without near-endgame to endgame armor.
* OmnicidalManiac: If you summon it too close to your house/town, it can and will kill your [=NPCs=].
* SdrawkcabName: "Ocram" is "Marco" backward, the name of Ocram's programmer.
* TurnsRed: His second form turns out his eyes, reveals a bigger eye, and also amps up the power of his BeamSpam attack while allowing him to launch Blinding Demon Scythes.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Plantera]]
[[quoteright:268:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/plantera.png]]
[[caption-width-right:268:"The jungle grows restless..."]]
-->''A dormant, yet powerful floral guardian awoken by the fallout of Cthulhu's destroyed machinations. Its reach spans the entire jungle.''
After defeating the three Mechanical Bosses, strange pink bulbs will begin gradually growing throughout the Underground Jungle. Breaking one will awaken the giant plant-like monster, Plantera.
----
* AutobotsRockOut: Unlike every other boss, Plantera's theme is a heavy guitar-laden piece. It also doubles as a BossRemix of the Jungle theme!
* BerserkButton: If you lure it out of the Underground Jungle biome, it will become more aggressive and damaging. She’s also not too amused about anyone breaking her bulbs either, as she’ll immediately awaken and begin hunting any players nearby upon someone doing so.
* BotanicalAbomination: {{Implied|Trope}}. Plantera only awakens after [[MechanicalAbomination the Mechanical Bosses]] are defeated, and it's somehow linked to biome spreading, as defeating it will slow the spreading down.
* CombatTentacles: Its invulnerable grappling hooks can deal damage, and it sprouts a bunch of smaller, destructible ones when it TurnsRed. In Expert Mode, its grappling hooks sprout them too when it TurnsRed!
* FlunkyBoss: The plants that it sprouts when it TurnsRed.
* FoulFlower: Its initial form is a giant, aggressive flower bud. In the second phase, it drops off its flower and becomes a full-fledged ManEatingPlant.
* HomingProjectile: Its second form launches Spores that will seek out and damage the nearest player.
* ImpossibleItemDrop: Plantera is a particularly strange case. Whereas most bosses can also drop some sort of item or weapon, most of them are somehow based on the abilities of the boss itself (e.g. the Book of Skulls fires the same skulls that Skeletron does in Expert Mode)... but what is Plantera doing with an ''electric guitar''?[[note]]Granted, it's likely another nod to the band, Pantera.[[/note]]
* ManEatingPlant: Even more so than the Man Eaters you used to encounter in the jungle.
* {{Pun}}: Of the band ''Music/{{Pantera}}'', especially so because of its unique boss theme.
* RushBoss: Plantera's HP isn't too impressive compared to the mechanical bosses, who all have higher aggregate HP than it. However, what it lacks in durability it makes up for with heavy-hitting, hard-to-dodge attacks, especially since you're going to be fighting it in the cramped Underground Jungle ''[[BerserkButton or else]]''.
* SamusIsAGirl: According to [[WordOfGod Cenx]], Plantera is [[https://imgur.com/ECMM1WU female]].
* SilentAntagonist: Unlike most other bestial bosses, she doesn't make the standard roar you hear upon summoning a boss.
* SpikeBallsOfDoom: Spits these out in its first phase.
* SpikeShooter: First phase uses these. The rate of its fire increases as it loses health.
* TurnsRed: At half health, the flower will drop off and sprout tentacle plants, and it'll become much faster and damaging.
* WakeUpCallBoss: Plantera is ''significantly'' harder than the Mechanical Bosses, and a large amount of preparation is needed to even stand a chance of killing it, especially since its bulb appears at complete random. You can't lure it above-ground without it becoming ''much'' meaner, so if you do build an arena, you have to carve it out of the Underground Jungle while under attack by the monsters there.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Empress of Light]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/empress_of_light.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"A beautiful bullet hell."]]
-->''Beneath the Hallow's cleansing blanket lies a vengeful fae goddess bent on scrubbing the land of any and all impurity.''
A humanoid, fairy-like boss that can be fought by killing a Prismatic Lacewing at night, a post-Plantera critter that lives in the Hallow.
----
* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: Her skin is yellow.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: She believes that killing a specific Hallowed butterfly, even by accident, warrants death, yet she is nowhere to be seen when it comes to infections/invasions of the Corruption, Crimson, the Celestial Pillars, or the Moon Lord. Unless the player summons her near those biomes, events, or while fighting the Moon Lord. But by killing that same butterfly and making her fight the player instead of any of them.
* BulletHell: ''Oh'' yeah. She practically floods the screen with projectiles. Cenx even [[https://imgur.com/a/RTp2Lkn described her fight]] as a "beautiful bullet hell" before the update's release.
* DynamicEntry: Appears in an aurora of rainbow-colored light. If fought at day, the aurora will be yellow instead.
* EverythingsBetterWithRainbows: Well, worse for the player, but all of her attacks glow brightly are colored in every color of the rainbow. She even appears in a rainbow-colored aurora when spawning. However, if she's fought in the day, all of her rainbow-colored attacks will turn bright yellow to signify that the player is now in [[OneHitKill serious trouble]].
* TheFairFolk: She is a fae goddess who, like the rest of the Hallow, is a vicious KnightTemplar with a desire to purge the land of any and all impurity.
* LightEmUp: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin She's the empress of the stuff.]] All of her many attacks are themed around light and rainbows, and she's vastly empowered during the day.
* LightIsNotGood: Just like the rest of the Hallow, she is [[KnightTemplar obsessed with destroying any sort of impurity]]. Granted, to summon her [[GaiasVengeance you have to kill an extremely rare butterfly,]] yet the bestiary entry for said butterfly explicitly describes her as a tyrant...
* LightningBruiser: She has 70,000 HP at minimum which can go up to 124,950 on Master - significantly more than her fellow OptionalBoss Duke Fishron, who has 50,000 to 76,500 HP respectively. She also flies around the air quickly, and hits extremely hard with both projectiles and contact damage.
* MsFanservice: Her armor is revealing and due to her size her sprite is much more detailed than the [=NPCs=] or humanoid monsters.
* NoDamageRun: Obtaining the Terraprisma requires the Empress to be defeated while doing all of the damage during the day. Because every hit is a OneHitKill at day, this is a given.
* NonstandardCharacterDesign: Outside of the Lunatic Cultist, she's the most humanoid non-event boss, resembling the Ice Queen.
* OneHitKill: Fighting her in the day causes all her attacks to deal at least 10,000 damage.
* PhysicalGoddess: Is explicitly described as a goddess in the bestiary, and given just how much of a powerhouse she is even without her daytime boost, there’s not much evidence to dispute that.
* SinisterSchnoz: [[WordOfGod According to Crowno]], the game's artist, the v-shaped line on her face is not her mouth, but her nose. It's a rather pointy nose for a tyrannical ruler of the Hallow.
* {{Superboss}}: Like Duke Fishron, she is completely optional and not required to face the FinalBoss, and you likely have to go out of your way to summon her, although ''unlike'' Duke Fishron she can be accidentally summoned if you're supremely unlucky. And she demands respect, too - despite being able to be summoned right after Plantera, she's so incredibly difficult and unorthodox compared to ''every other boss in the game'' (arguably including the ''FinalBoss'') that gear obtained from the Lunar Events, or gear obtained after Golem or even Duke Fishron is ''heavily'' encouraged to be acquired first. Yet if you do kill her, she can drop some incredibly good gear for your troubles, which will make all of the remaining challenges in the game significantly easier.
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Fighting her in the day causes her attacks to deal at least 10,000 damage to you. You have a maximum of 500-600 HP.
* TimeLimitBoss: Like Skeletron and Skeletron Prime before her, once the sun comes up, the Empress's attacks will kill you instantly. If summoned during the day (likely by a player looking for her BraggingRightsReward), she will run away at dusk if she and the player are (somehow) both still alive by then.
* TurnsRed: Once she gets below half HP, she'll vanish momentarily, before switching her attack pattern for an improved variation and launching attacks even faster than before.
** Like Skeletron Prime, fighting her in the sun makes her attacks nearly impossible to survive, dealing a minimum of 10,000 damage. ''Unlike'' Skeletron Prime, managing to defeat her during the day (no damage can be done at night for this to work) nets you a unique weapon, the Terraprisma.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Golem]]
[[quoteright:216:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/golem_5.png]]
[[caption-width-right:216:"The stone-faced ritualistic idol of the lihzahrdian tribe..."]]
-->''A remarkable display of ingenuity constructed by the Lihzahrd clan. Powered by solar energy cells, it is ready to guard the temple.''
A giant animated statue. Summoned by using a Lihzarhd Power Cell on an altar found inside the jungle temple.
----
* BerserkButton: If you lure him out of the Underground Jungle biome, he will become more aggressive and damaging.
* CognizantLimbs: His arms can be attacked and destroyed separately, though this isn't necessary to beat him.
* DetachmentCombat: When his health gets low, his head separates from his body and attacks separately, although the head cannot be damaged.
* EyeBeams: The first phase uses these when its health gets low. The head in the second phase also uses them.
* {{Fireballs}}: Spits out bouncing ones.
* {{Golem}}: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Duh.]] It's a construct created by the Lihzarhd.
* HyperDestructiveBouncingBall: The fireballs the head shoots out.
* LosingYourHead: When he TurnsRed. Justified because he's a construct. Said head is also invulnerable to damage during the second phase.
* OutsideTheBoxTactic: The Golem used to be one of two bosses unable to pass through solid blocks, allowing a player to trap him inside and attack him from there with a wall-piercing weapon.
* PowerOfTheSun: Many of the Golem's drops are associated with daytime and the sun.
* RocketPunch: His arms. The Golem Fist he drops allows the player to do the same.
* SlowLaser: The EyeBeams it fires are slower than light.
* TookALevelInBadass: Prior to 1.4.4 it was a notoriously easy boss. In said update it received a massive buff to it’s attacks, it’s fists can no longer be deflected ([[DiscardAndDraw though they now need to charge up), and various other tweaks were made that make it a much greater threat.
* TurnsRed: Its head flies into the air and becomes invincible when its health is depleted, forcing you to attack its body directly.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Duke Fishron]]
[[quoteright:194:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dukefishron.png]]
[[caption-width-right:194:"The mutant terror of the sea."]]
-->''An aquatic pigron mutation from the depths of the ocean who surfaces in search of a rare, savory type of worm.''
A giant fish-pig-dragon hybrid summoned by using a Truffle Worm as fish bait in the ocean.
----
* AscendedMeme: Was originally supposed to be the boss of an AprilFoolsDay joke, the Tidal Moon event. While the event isn't real, Duke Fishron is.
* BerserkButton: If you lure him out of the Ocean biome, he will become more aggressive and damaging.
* BubbleGun: Spits homing bubbles at the player.
* BullfightBoss: While he does have other attacks, Duke Fishron's primary form of offense is charging at the player repeatedly. In his Expert Mode third phase, he will only attack by charging.
* ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes: His Expert Mode ability shrouds the entire area in fog while he turns invisible, and his glowing eyes is one way to detect him before he charges.
* DesperationAttack: He gains one when he's at very low health on Expert Mode. It involves him turning the screen dark while he turns invisible before he charges you.
* FlunkyBoss: Summons Sharknadoes and Cthulhunadoes that spew out flying shark projectiles called Sharkrons.
* FlyingSeafoodSpecial: He's a huge flying fish.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: When he TurnsRed.
* HomingProjectile: His bubbles and his Cthulhunado typhoon.
* ImmuneToFlinching: Duke Fishron is one of the very few bosses in the game that cannot be stunned nor slowed by the Heart Arrows, which can otherwise stun even the Destroyer, Wall of Flesh and the Dungeon Guardian!
* ImplacableMan: Got buffed in 1.3--he will ''repeatedly'' charge at you if you exit the ocean, instead of charging five times then attacking.
* TheJuggernaut: It will only stop when it's transforming to its second state, pumping out bubbles or dead. He's also immune to the Stunned debuff.
* KingMook: To both a Mook (Pigron) as well as a particular fishing catch (Fishron).
* LightningBruiser: Extremely fast, extremely painful, and sports at least 50,000 health, more than most of the other bosses.
* MixAndMatchCritters: A fish-pig-dragon mutant creature.
* {{Mutant}}: The official achievement unlocked by beating him outright calls him one.
* NintendoHard: Deals painful damage with his attacks, moves extremely fast, and a lot of health to wear down. Speed-increasing items and Wings are pretty much mandatory if you don't want to be torn to shreds. In 1.3 and above, you're also constrained to fighting him within the ocean, or else he ''[[BerserkButton gets pissed]]''.
* NumberOfTheBeast: The Truffle Worm used to summon him has a 666% Fishing Power. In addition, the Fishron Wings you can get for beating him have a 6.66% drop rate.
* RammingAlwaysWorks: Has a high tendency to ram the player.
* ShoutOut: Has the ability to summon Film/{{Sharknado}}es.
* {{Superboss}}: Like the Empress of Light, he doesn't need to be beaten in order to fight [[spoiler:the Moon Lord]], and you need to go somewhat out of your way in order to summon him. He's also much tougher than most of the other Hardmode bosses despite being able to be potentially summoned before any of them, but his drops will make the rest of the game a lot easier.
* TeleportSpam: In his third phase in Expert Mode, Duke Fishron will frequently teleport around the player before charging.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: He can only be summoned via a Truffle Worm.
* TurnsRed: Gains GlowingEyesOfDoom, charges faster but less often, and changes his bubble spray into a spinning spray that creates more bubbles and his Sharknado into a Cthulhunado which is much larger, homes in on the player before deploying, and summons many more Sharkrons. The Fishron Mount obtained from him in Expert Mode allows the player to do this--when low on health, the player gains an attack and speed buff.
** Expert added a third phase to his fight: at critical health, he will darken the screen, turn invisible, and continuously charge at you while constantly teleporting to approach you from different angles.
* VictorGainsLosersPowers: When the player beats him, they get equipment based on his abilities: Flairon and Bubble Gun are based on his bubble spray, Tsunami is based off his relentless charges, Razorblade Typhoon is based off his Cthulhunado-spawning homing typhoons, the Tempest Staff is a smaller Sharknado, Fishron's Wings give the player the Duke's superior air and water mobility, and the Expert Mode Shrimpy Truffle nets the Duke himself as a mount, allowing ''you'' to [[TurnsRed Turn Red]] when low on health.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lunatic Cultist]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lunatic_cultist_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"The fanatical leader of the Dungeon coven..."]]
-->''A fanatical leader hell-bent on bringing about the apocalypse by reviving the great Cthulhu through behind-the-scenes scheming.''
After Golem is defeated, a group of cultists will gather outside the dungeon praying towards an ominous stone. Killing all of them incites the wrath of the Lunatic Cultist, who absorbs the power of the stone, and attacks you.
----
* AmbiguouslyHuman: Human in appearance, yet his body is completely covered with even his face being masked. He possesses insanely powerful inhuman abilities and his VoiceOfTheLegion implies that he's something entirely different.
* ApocalypseCult: He's the leader of them.
* BeefGate: In order to prove that you have a chance to deal with the Pillars and their wide range of coverage, you have to kill him first. Especially since there's no way to get rid of the Pillars once summoned aside from destroying them.
* BigBad: In the 8th Anniversary Lore, he's the one behind several of the events, including the Old Man and the Dungeon being cursed as well as being responsible for the Mechanical Bosses by having the Mechanic kidnapped and forced to assemble them. Finally, he's the one who summons the Celestial Towers, and by extension the Moon Lord.
* BigNo: He says this upon death.
* DoppelgangerAttack: If you fail to interrupt his DoppelgangerSpin, the copies follow him around in an upside-down 'V' formation and are able to attack you. They can't be damaged or destroyed until his next spin, which will cancel them out if you do it right.
* DoppelgangerSpin: After several magic attacks, he'll create several copies of himself surrounding a runic circle. If you don't hit the original (distinguished by a yellow vertical stripe on his hood, among other minor differences), it becomes a DoppelgangerAttack and he summons a phantasm dragon. Each time you fail this, he gains more copies until you get it right.
* TheDragon: He's the one in charge of the Lunatic Cult and is therefore the greatest servant to the being he worships, [[BigBad the Moon Lord]], also being responsible for the summoning of said Moon Lord.
* DragonInChief: [[GreaterScopeVillain On account of the Moon Lord being sealed away]], he is the one actively responsible for many of the game’s events.
* DuelBoss: Fights you mano-a-mano without the aid of any allies beyond what he can create if you don't interrupt his summoning spell.
* EvilSorceror: Very much so.
* EvilSoundsDeep: His voice sounds inhumanly deep as he prays to the stone in BlackSpeech before absorbing it and turning his attention to you.
* FireIceLightning: Can cast homing fireballs, ice crystals that fire ice spikes, and lightning bolts.
* GetBackHereBoss: He teleports all over the place between attacks and always tries to stay above you, even if you try to chase him down using flight.
* HumanoidAbomination: The Lunatic Cultist may look human, but his exceptional magical strength as well as his voice, which borders on VoiceOfTheLegion, heavily implies that he may have traded his humanity to become something not of this world.
* InstantRunes: He will create a massive runic circle just before creating a doppelgänger and attacking.
* LightningBruiser: Don’t let his SquishyWizard tendencies fool you. He’s fast enough on his feet to FlashStep, can summon powerful spells and monsters very quickly and can take a beating that would tear lesser foes to pieces many times over before finally expiring.
* MagicMissileStorm: Once he takes enough damage, he starts to cast Ancient Light, firing two spreads of painful homing projectiles at you. Thankfully, said projectiles are destructible.
* MeaningfulName: He's lunatic in both senses of the word--crazy, and also moon-related.
* PlayingWithFire: One of his attacks is to hurl homing fireballs at you that explode on impact. In certain circumstances he can combine this with CastingAShadow and start tossing shadowflame fireballs as well.
* PlagueDoctor: He's got the outfit of one, at least. You can get said plague doctor mask as a drop, and it's also the trophy you obtain from him.
* PuzzleBoss: Part of his boss fight involves a SpotTheImposter phase where hitting the wrong Lunatic Cultist will let him summon additional minions--a Phantasm Dragon and Ancient Vision.
* SpreadShot: His Ancient Light attack fires two spreads of homing magic projectiles which hurt a lot, but are thankfully destructible.
* ShockAndAwe: One of his attacks is to summon a giant ball of energy that hurls lightning bolts at the player.
* SquishyWizard: He has extremely low HP when compared to most of the other hardmode bosses, but he can deal out damage very quickly with his wide variety of magic attacks. He mitigates his frailty somewhat by moving around constantly and being hard to hit.
* TurnsRed: He gains a new attack in the form of [[MagicMissileStorm Ancient Light]] when he reaches around half his health.
* UnstableEquilibrium: The fight with him can either be reasonably difficult or downright impossible, depending on your ability to interrupt his DoppelgangerSpin.
* XanatosGambit: Seems to absorb the sealing magic of the Mysterious Tablet in order to gain power AND ensure a victory on some level. Either you kill him and break the seal of the Celestial Pillars, or he kills you and can continue his plans unhindered.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Celestial Towers (Vortex, Nebula, Solar, and Stardust Pillar) ]][[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/celestial_towers.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"Celestial creatures are invading!"[[note]]From left to right: Vortex Pillar, Stardust Pillar, Nebula Pillar, Solar Pillar[[/note]]]]
-->''Representing a deep celestial void/stormy celestial body/flaming celestial event/glittering celestial remnant known as "vortex/nebula/solar flares/stardust", this tower holds the seal locking away the terrifying tyrant.''
Four ominous pillars that appear after the Cultist is beaten. These spawn powerful alien enemies, and must be defeated by killing enough of their minions to break the shield. Each of the pillars and their mooks correspond to a method of offence - Vortex for ranged, Nebula for magic, Stardust for summoner and Solar for melee.
----
* AmazingTechnicolorBattlefield: All of them turn the background to an ominous moon with coloured background when fought. Each of their fragments can be used to craft a Monolith that can display their respective backgrounds at will.
* AntiAir: Go too high off the ground near the Solar Pillar, and you will be attacked by a Crawltipede; as they're massive, heavily damaging, and only take damage if you attack their tail segments, it's generally not something you want to happen. Fortunately, Crawltipedes can ''only'' attack airborne players; if you're standing on something solid, they'll leave you alone.
* AsteroidsMonster:
** The Stardust Pillar's Star Cells will split into multiple small Cells when killed. If left unattended, these small Cells will grow into full-sized Star Cells and start the process over again.
** Alien Queens from the Vortex Pillar will release Larvae upon death that can grow into Alien Hornets, which in turn will become more Alien Queens if not dealt with.
* AttackReflector: Selenians, summoned by the Solar Pillar, can attack with a spinning dive that also [[SpinToDeflectStuff reflects incoming projectiles]].
* BrownNote: It's suggested by the messages that appear after destroying them that they have a pretty bad effect on the player character. It is not clear whether this is the Towers' doing or the Moon Lord's.
-->'''First Tower:''' "Your mind goes numb.."\\
'''Second Tower:''' "You are overwhelmed with pain..."\\
'''Third Tower:''' "Otherworldly voices linger around you..."
* CosmicEntity: They have the markings of this as they both draw power from and seem to embody on a level their respective cosmic forces in the universe.
* DeflectorShields: When first encountered, they have a clear forcefield around them that makes them invulnerable. It's only when you kill off 100 (150 in Expert) of their minions that the shield breaks.
* EldritchAbomination: All four of the pillars are some kind of otherworldly aliens. It's unknown if they're even sentient. Many of the {{Mooks}} they teleport in also fit this, if they aren’t [[HumanoidAbomination humanoid]] or [[AnimalisticAbomination resembling various terrestrial animals]].
* EnergyWeapon: The preferred attack method of the Nebula Pillar's Nebula Floaters and the Vortex Pillar's Alien Queens and Storm Divers. Their lasers are among the more damaging attacks in the Lunar Events.
* FighterMageThief: And Summoner. Each of the towers are based on a method of offense -- Solar for Fighter, Nebula for Mage, Vortex for Ranger, and Stardust for Summoner. The Lunar Fragments they drop are also used to craft equipment corresponding to the respective tower's type.
* FlunkyBoss: The pillars do attack, but mainly rely on spawning minions. It's also required that you beat enough minions first in order to attack the boss itself. Once their shields are down, though, they are practically helpless and only have 20000 HP.
* HeroAntagonist: Their appearance is a last ditch effort to stop the [[EldritchAbomination Moon Lord]] from being released.
* HumanoidAliens: Each pillar summons at least one humanoid enemy: Stargazers for the Stardust Pillar, Predictors for the Nebula Pillar, Drakanians and Selenians for the Solar Pillar, and Vortexians and Storm Divers for the Vortex Pillar.
* IncreasinglyLethalEnemy: Alien Larvae around the Vortex Pillar are nearly harmless. Then they grow into manageable Alien Hornets, which will grow into deadly Alien Queens that drop more Larvae on death.
* LastDitchMove:
** Vortexians will summon a portal that releases a lightning bolt at the player when killed.
** Flow Invaders attack by generating minions that they shoot as projectiles, one at a time. When killed, the Flow Invader will launch all of its remaining minions at once.
* MookMaker: Besides the bosses themselves, the Stardust Pillar's Twinkle Poppers will summon Twinkles, small minions that [[ActionBomb explode on contact]].
* OurWormholesAreDifferent[=/=]SwirlyEnergyThingy: The Vortex Pillar creates these around the player, which spawn Alien Hornets.
* PlayingWithFire[=/=]ThePowerOfTheSun: The Solar Pillar's mooks are rather fiery and sun-like, and the pillar itself will attack with a shower of fireballs, many of which can be seen raining down in its background.
* ShockAndAwe: The portals created by the Vortex Pillar can sometimes shoot a bolt of lightning at you, instead of spawning more {{Mooks}}.
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: Storm Divers wield laser shotguns. It's certainly not better for the player, though, as they deal quite a bit of damage if the Storm Diver can line up a shot.
* ShowsDamage: Every time one of their minions (besides Crawltipedes) die, they generate a bolt of energy that strikes the Tower's shield and causes it to visibly weaken. The shield itself gets more and more transparent until finally bursting.
* StarfishAliens: Most of the minions summoned by these things are pretty weird looking. The Pillars themselves may also count.
* StarPower: Of the Lovecraftian sort. The Stardust Pillar is able to create "stars" around it that spawn Star Cells and Milkyway Weavers.
* StationaryBoss: They don't move at all, and none of them apart from the Solar Pillar are directly capable of attacking you.
* TeleportSpam: Nebula Floaters teleport around frequently while firing lasers in your general direction.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: The Pillars are physical anchors meant to keep the Moon Lord imprisoned, and it can be assumed that the invaders are actually defending them to prevent ''you'' from breaking the seal.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Moon Lord (Cthulhu)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/impending_doom.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"[[OhCrap Impending doom approaches...]]"]]
-->''The mastermind behind all terrors which befall the world, freed from his lunar prison. Practically a god, his power knows no limits.''
The Lunar Event Boss - a large, Cthulhu-like being that is summoned after the four Celestial Towers are destroyed. His arrival is signified by a sense of impending doom, as the screen starts warping and turning black. As of the 1.3 update, he is the final boss of the game. The 8th Anniversary Lore reveals that he ''is'' Cthulhu, albeit most likely in an incomplete physical form.
----
* AncientEvil: The 8th Anniversary Lore states that he arrived to Terraria long ago to rain destruction and to dominate all sentient life, but was heavily wounded and driven away to the moon by the Dryads. The Lunatic Cultist plans to bring him back in the current day.
* AntiRegeneration: When he's leeching energy from you, he applies the Moon Bite debuff which makes that affected player's lifesteal effects useless.
* AttackItsWeakPoint: The giant beating heart in his chest. The problem is that you must destroy all three of his eyes if you want him to expose it.
* BackgroundBoss: Stays in the background all the time. However, touching its eyes (or where they used to be) will deal CollisionDamage.
* BattleThemeMusic: One of six bosses with their own theme music, in his case [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lcnjjeq8ig an appropriately eldritch tune simply titled "Moon Lord"]].
* BeamSpam: The Moon Lord ''excels'' at this, with his entire offensive pattern being pretty much trying to obliterate the player with endless volleys of eldritch-plasma blasts while trying to pick them off with up to ''three'' giant laser blasts in one go.
* BodyHorror: His body from the neck down looks mostly human, but everything below the chest is missing, complete with exposed ribs and spine. His Cthulhu head also has an exposed brain, his heart is exposed through his chest, and his forehead and hands both have eyes set into them that can pop out and leave a gaping maw behind.
* BossVulnerability: Each of the targetable eyes are a Wait Them Out sort, while the heart is Always Vulnerable once it's exposed.
* CognizantLimbs: The eyeballs in his hands and his ThirdEye can attack separately and must be destroyed for him to expose his core.
* DamageSpongeBoss: His component parts have collectively more health than anything in the game. His ThirdEye and heart have more health than every other boss save the Destroyer.
* DarknessEqualsDeath: He turns the background around him black, so if you lose track of him, a good way to find out where he's gone is the background rapidly growing darker as he slowly comes back. He’ll also turn campfire flames ''black'' when he’s summoned.
* EldritchAbomination: An eldritch horror from the depths of space.
* EvilIsBigger: The largest enemy in the game as of 1.4 and the FinalBoss.
* ExtraEyes: He has five eyes on his head (although only one is targetable) and one on each palm.
* {{Expy}}: Heavily resembles Cthulhu. His eyeball minions are even called "True Eye Of Cthulhu". WordOfGod has stated that he is Cthulhu's brother. [[https://forums.terraria.org/index.php?threads/terraria-8th-anniversary-lore-event.79764/#post-1763546 8th Anniversary Lore Event]] drops the {{Expy}} part entirely though, referring to him simply as Cthulhu instead of as the Moon Lord.
* EyeBeams: His forehead eye can fire out a powerful Phantasmal Deathray while the eyes on his palms can fire laser shots. When his eyes are detached and become True Eyes of Cthulhu, they can use a weaker version of the Phantasmal Deathray.
* EyesDoNotBelongThere: Has an eye in each of his hands. He can also fire countless energy eyeballs at you for his attacks.
* EyesAreUnbreakable: Depleting the health of his eyes will simply cause them to pop out and become invulnerable True Eyes of Cthulhu instead of destroying them.
* FinalBoss: Is this for the entire game. Getting him to appear requires defeating almost every other boss. He is fittingly the absolute last thing on the Bestiary.
* FlunkyBoss: When each eye is beaten, they will become an invincible flunky that attacks on its own.
* GoForTheEye: The Moon Lord's eyes are his weak points in his first phase.
* GreaterScopeVillain: The 8th Anniversary Lore has him as the main antagonist that threatened Terraria long ago and his missing body parts are early game bosses but he has long since been sealed away and only appears for one boss fight. The [[BigBad Lunatic Cultist]] is the one who not only causes far more immediate problems (namely the creation of the mechanical bosses) but is the one who allows him to break free from his seal in the first place.
* HandicappedBadass: Is clearly still reeling from his defeat long ago evident by his entire missing lower half, but will give the player the fight of their life.
* HomingProjectile: Can fire Phantasmal Eyes that home in on players and explode.
* ImplacableMan: Do not let his slow movement fool you, this guy will never stop coming unless he kills you or dies trying. He will never despawn unless you die, so he'll chase you quite literally to the ends of the earth and the fact that he teleports to you when you get far enough away from him doesn't help.
* KaizoTrap: Before the Journey's End update, the holes where his weak points used to be will still hurt you during his death animation; if you're low enough on health, you'll get killed and he'll disappear without leaving behind any of his valuable drops or giving you the achievement for killing him.
* LifeDrain: Has an ability where his mouth sends out a sucker that starts draining balls of energy from you. If the balls are not destroyed before they reach his mouth, he regenerates health. During this, he'll inflict the Moon Bite debuff which also prevents you from lifestealing from him for the next fifteen seconds or so.
* MightyGlacier: The most powerful boss, and yet also one of the slowest. Granted, that's only his movement speed, his ''rate of attack'' is a [[LightningBruiser different story entirely]].
* MonsterProgenitor: Most of the pre-Hardmode bosses are implied by lore to be parts of his body that were torn off in his battle against the Dryads.
* MutualKill: Was torn to pieces by the Dryads and forced to retreat, leaving only his scattered body parts behind, but annihilated the Dryad civilization and killed all but one of them in the process.
* NoSell:
** He's immune to lifestealing effects from the Spectre Armor and the Vampire Knives when he's leeching energy from you.
** As of 1.3.0.6, it's impossible to "cheese" him via using MercyInvincibility from other sources of damage--he will still hit you.
* NothingIsScarier: Before he appears, the background music ominously disappears.
* OrganAutonomy: Even his detached organs are essentially {{Eldritch Abomination}}s in their own right.
* PowerFloats: Floats around the area effortlessly.
* {{Retcon}}: Initially, [[WordOfGod Cenx]] stated that the Moon Lord was the brother of Cthulhu. This was later revealed to be a joke. [[WordOfGod Red]] eventually clarified by adding that the Moon Lord ''is'' Cthulhu, albeit nowhere near full power and lacking a complete form.
* RasputinianDeath: His ability to endure mortal injury and keep on going is downright absurd. In the lore the Dryads really did a number on him, with the Moon Lord having been literally bisected, disembowelled and losing his eye along with at least some of his brain and bones before being finally sealed away. When he’s unsealed and does battle with the player, three more of his eyes are gouged out over the course of the lengthy fight and it takes the player pulverising his exposed heart with all they have for him to kick the bucket, with the resulting death knell vaporising all the remaining flesh on his body and reducing him to a skeleton.
* SequentialBoss: His three main eyes must be destroyed first, then his core will open.
* SicklyGreenGlow: Various parts of his body glow blue-green, and while he's alive, the entire screen will be tinted the same color.
* StatusInflictionAttack: Moon Bite is of the Decover type, preventing LifeDrain effects from working on him.
* StrippedToTheBone: When beaten, his skeleton drops to the ground.
* SuperPersistentPredator: Will chase the players across the map. 1.3.0.4 made it such that he just teleports right to you if you get too far from him.
* TacticalSuicideBoss: The Moon Lord's forehead eye is closed and cannot be attacked most of the time. It only opens to fire the Phantasmal Deathray, at which point it becomes vulnerable to damage.
* ThirdEye: While he has four other eyes on his head (and one on each hand), the one on his forehead is the most prominent: it has the most health, is closed for most of the time and is the only one that can fire the Phantasmal Deathray.
* WaveMotionGun: Can fire a Phantasmal Deathray from his ThirdEye. It sweeps around from one side of the screen to the other and does a great amount of damage while penetrating solid blocks. When an eye is detached, it can use a similar but weaker laser.
* WhoNeedsTheirWholeBody: Is capable of being an apocalyptic threat even after having been bisected, disemboweled, de-boned, blinded, and ''lobotomized.'' In fact, the parts that were taken out of him just got up and started their own reigns of terror.
* WorfHadTheFlu: It's implied that he was not at full power when battling the player, as his physical form was incomplete.
* YouWillNotEvadeMe: The 1.3.0.4 update made it such that he teleports right to you if you get too far from him.
[[/folder]]
[[quoteright:162:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/king_slime.png]]
[[caption-width-right:162:"The lord of all things slimy."]]
-->''Slimes normally aren't intelligent, but occasionally they merge together to become a powerful force to swallow all things.''
King Slime is a Giant Slime with a crown. It is a side boss that can be fought at any time but doesn't count for progression of the first act of Pre-Hardmode.
----
* AmbiguousSituation: The ninja's significance to King Slime. While it may be a very recent victim, the fact that they don't show signs of being digested, as well as the repeated prominence of the Ninja in the trophy and achievement artwork implies they may be a symbiotic entity.
* AndYourRewardIsClothes: You beat it? Enjoy your random part(s) of the ninja costume and possibly the boss mask. Not so bad since 1.2.4 as it now drops the Slime Hook, the Slime Gun and a Slimy Saddle that you can get a Slime mount. Then 1.3 improves the drops even more by making the Ninja costume into functional armor that improves Throwing weapons.
* AsteroidsMonster: It will eschew normal slimes from itself as it takes damage.
* BlobMonster: It's a giant Slime.
* CoolCrown: Now wears one after the 1.3 update, making it look very similar to King Slime from ''VideoGame/DragonQuest''.
* FlunkyBoss: Spawns blue slimes as it takes damage. On Expert, it can also spawn ''spiked'' blue slimes.
* HarmlessEnemy: In Expert Mode, it drops a Royal Gel that, when equipped, turns almost all slimes into these by making them passive.
* KingMook: Basically a bigger, stronger version of the blue Slime. After the 1.3 update he even has a crown, and also appears as the boss of a Slime Rain.
* OptionalBoss: It isn't required for progression and, prior to 1.3, had fairly out of the way spawning requirements. However 1.3 [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] this by having it more likely to spawn naturally as the end boss of the Slime Rain event and making its summoning item cheaper along with giving it more useful drops, though it’s still not required for progression.
* ShoutOut: To ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' with the ninja floating inside it, being a reference to a boss of the same one you fight.
* ShowsDamage: It gets smaller as its health gets lower. Justified as it starts losing mass as it takes damage, as shown by the blue slimes it releases when taking enough damage.
* SpikeShooter: Not King Slime itself, but the Spiked Blue Slimes it spawns on Expert can fire spikes at the player.
* {{Teleportation}}: Will now dissolve and reform on the player if it happens to get stuck or manages to escape it for a while, so it cannot be trapped or outran anymore.
* TookALevelInBadass: Prior to 1.3 the boss was a joke and was easily cheesed by simply boxing it (or yourself) in [[note]] In fact it was possible to beat it with the [[CherryTapping copper pickaxe]] this way [[/note]]. After 1.3 it gained the ability to teleport, forcing you to face it, and it’s spawn, head on, making the boss a genuine threat early game.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Eye of Cthulhu]]
[[quoteright:110:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eye_of_cthulhu.png]]
[[caption-width-right:110:"You feel an evil presence watching you..."]]
-->''A piece of Cthulhu ripped from his body centuries ago in a bloody war. It wanders the night seeking its host body… and revenge!''
Franchise/{{Cthulhu|Mythos}}'s [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin disembodied eyeball]]. It's very likely to be the first boss fought, unless players set sight on the weaker King Slime first.
----
* TheBerserker: In Expert Mode, when the Eye of Cthulhu is brought to low health, it will supplement its regular charges with an extremely fast zig-zagging charge. The lower its health, the more it does this; when on the verge of death, it will continuously make mad dashes in your general direction.
* EarlyBirdBoss: After the player has satisfied a few relatively easy-to-meet conditions, the Eye of Cthulhu may simply decide to show up one night and start attacking, even if it hasn't been summoned. While it's still within reason to defeat it, it's also just as likely that the player lacks the equipment or skill necessary to fend it off.
* EldritchAbomination: Well, at least the eye of one.
* FinalBossPreview: [[spoiler:For both Ocram, which shares its attack pattern, and the Moon Lord, who spawns True Eyes of Cthulhu.]]
* FlunkyBoss: For the first phase, it shoots weaker and smaller Demon Eyes called Servants of Cthulhu at you.
* GiantEyeOfDoom: The first major Lovecraftian horror most players with find themselves against, and once it loses enough health it ditches its iris for a horrifying and toothy mouth. With its speedy charge, it can easily outmatch an unprepared player.
* GuestFighter: Also appears as a boss in [[VideoGame/DungeonDefenders Dungeon Defenders 2]] as part of its crossover with Terraria.
* KingMook: A bigger, badder version of the common Demon Eye enemy.
* TimeLimitBoss: It will run away if you do not defeat it by dawn.
* TurnsRed: Once at half health, it spins in a circle, releasing a small swarm of Demon Eyes and gaining a giant mouth where its iris was. In this state, it no longer shoots Demon Eyes but charges more aggressively. The 1.3 Big Update adds a new attack to the Eye's arsenal in Expert Mode, granting it a powerful and even faster berserker charge that it uses in proportion to how much damage it's taken.
* WarmUpBoss: Eye of Cthulhu is the first progression-related boss in the game, and has relatively low health and a predictable pattern. As such, it serves to introduce the player to bosses in the game.
* WakeUpCallBoss: For those who faced the King Slime earlier than anticipated.
** It also serves this role in Expert Mode, demonstrating that bosses have become ''much'' stronger than they were in normal mode. Its movement is upgraded to nearly match The Twins' ability to track the player's position, it releases a large swarm of lesser eyes transitioning into its second phase, and the new DesperationAttack it uses makes it extremely difficult for early-game characters to both hit and dodge the Eye of Cthulhu when it's on its last legs.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Eater of Worlds]]
[[quoteright:292:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eater_of_worlds.png]]
[[caption-width-right:292: "Screams echo around you..."]]
-->''Conceived from the bottomless malice of the Corruption, this mighty abyssal worm tunnels wildly to devour all in its path.''
A [[KingMook giant-sized Devourer]]. It typically takes the Brain of Cthulhu's place as the second major boss in worlds afflicted with the Corruption.
----
* AsteroidsMonster: If you destroy a segment that would leave two intact segments ahead or behind it, the detached segments will become a separate worm that must also be destroyed. At a bare minimum, you have to kill at least half of the Eater of Worlds to kill it permanently.
* EldritchAbomination: A gigantic mutant worm with eyes all around it's body that heralds from the Corruption. If lore is any indication, it's entirely possible that the Eater of Worlds isn't a worm so much as ''Cthulhu's intestines''.
* KingMook: To the Eaters of Souls and Devourers in the Corruption.
* OpenEndedBossBattle: It (along with the Brain of Cthulhu) doesn't actually need to be defeated in order to progress the game: in addition to its main reward of Shadow Scales dropped upon death, each of its individual segments also have a chance of dropping a few, more than enough to collect the six required to forge the Nightmare Pickaxe, at which point you can flee the battle or die (on anything other than Hardcore) without having to worry about finishing the job. However on Expert and above, killing it rewards the highly useful Worm Scarf (which grants a flat 17% damage reduction)
* SandWorm: Well, Corruption Worm. Plays this straight if summoned in a Corrupted desert.
* SuperSpit: The Expert Mode version of the Eater of Worlds possesses the ability to shoot Vile Spit like a Corruptor on LSD.
* SegmentedSerpent: Each of its segments is its own entity with its own health bar, and are capable of acting as independent worms so long as two segments are connected.
* SkippableBoss: If you can fish up the Reaver Shark, you can skip the Eater of Worlds. It'll be a bit harder to mine Hellstone with inferior armor, but not insurmountable (unless you farm Eater of Souls instead for the Ancient variety of Shadow Armor).
** Averted as of Journey's End, where the Reaver Shark has been {{nerf}}ed and the Nightmare Pickaxe and its counterpart are now required to mine Hellstone, meaning you will have to face the Eater of Worlds at least once to progress (even if you don't necessarily have to beat it, as seen above).
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Brain of Cthulhu]]
[[quoteright:194:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/brain_of_cthulhu.png]]
[[caption-width-right:194:"A horrible chill goes down your spine..."]]
-->''A piece of Cthulhu torn asunder, this vile mastermind pulses with agony and aids the Crimson to an attempt to avenge its master.''
Franchise/{{Cthulhu|Mythos}}'s [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin brain]]. It typically takes the Eater of World's place as the second major boss in worlds afflicted with the Crimson.
----
* BizarreAlienBiology: It has a ''heart'' inside of it. [[EyesDoNotBelongThere With an eye on it.]]
* BrainMonster: A giant, monstrous brain which attacks you in the Crimson should you smash too many Crimson hearts or use a bloody spine to summon it.
* DoppelgangerSpin: On Expert, during the second half of the fight. Each time it teleports, it produces three translucent, harmless fake images of itself that also converge on you. As its health gets lower, these images become less transparent, making it harder to distinguish the real one.
* EldritchAbomination: Again, at least the brain of one.
* FlunkyBoss: Much like the Eye of Cthulhu, it summons eyeball-like minions to attack you. Unlike the Eye of Cthulhu, these ''must'' be destroyed if you want to hurt the Brain itself.
* TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers: A case of "The ''first'' of these is not like the others", it's the only piece of Cthulhu without a mechanical counterpart. It's implied that you rescue the Mechanic before she can be forced to build it.
* OpenEndedBossBattle: It (along with the Eater of Worlds) doesn't actually need to be defeated in order to progress the game: in addition to its main reward of Tissue Samples dropped upon death, every Creeper it spawns also has a chance of dropping a few, more than enough to collect the six required to forge the Deathbringer Pickaxe, at which point you can flee the battle or die (on anything other than Hardcore) without having to worry about finishing the job. However, like the Eater of Worlds, killing it on Expert or above awards the very useful Brain of Confusion (a 1/6 percent chance to dodge damage, with a buff to critical chance and enemies being confused given upon a dodge).
* SkippableBoss: If you can fish up the Reaver Shark, you can skip the Brain of Cthulhu. It'll be certainly a bit harder to mine Hellstone with inferior armor, but not insurmountable.
** Averted as of Journey's End, where the Reaver Shark has been {{nerf}}ed and the Deathbringer Pickaxe and its counterpart are now required to mine Hellstone, meaning you will have to face the Brain of Cthulhu at least once to progress (even if you don't necessarily have to beat it, as seen above).
* StatusInflictionAttack: On Expert, any CollisionDamage with the eyeballs or the Brain can cause the Confused, Poison, Bleeding, Darkness, Broken Armor, or Weak status effects.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Due to being a floating brain-like enemy that attacks you with eyeball-like minions, the Brain of Cthulhu is possibly the closest thing the PC version has to Ocram.
* TeleportSpam: In the second half of the fight.
* VillainTeamUp: According to its Bestiary description, the Brain is not ''directly'' related to the Crimson, but simply formed an alliance with it; It defends the Crimson's hearts and aids in its spread to avenge its originator's defeat.
* WeaponizedTeleportation: The Brain's main attack is to teleport right on top of the player. To compensate for this, it's also the only boss that is susceptible to knockback.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Queen Bee]]
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/queen_bee_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:200:"The matriarch of jungle hives..."]]
-->''This highly aggressive monstrosity responds violently when her larva is disturbed, the honey-laden hives are her home turf.''
A giant queen bee. Her larvae spawn inside bee hives and can be fought if broken. She's a sideboss and can be fought at any time although again like the King Slime, she doesn't count towards progression of Pre-Hardmode.
----
* BeeAfraid: You stumble into a hive, with not many monsters inside unless you start digging into the walls. Then you attack the larva... and a gigantic bee attacks you furiously in retaliation.
* BeeBeeGun: Can send out smaller bees to attack you. When beaten, all the weapons received from her will spawn homing bees to attack the enemy. The Hive Pack that she drops on Expert Mode will strengthen half of said bees as well.
* BodyHorror: She’s equal parts bee and beehive, judging from the holes in her abdomen and her ability to shoot bees at the player from them.
* BewareMyStingerTail: Like the Hornets, she can fire out venomous stingers that poison the player.
* BigCreepyCrawlies: The largest insectoid enemy in the game[[note]]Destroyer doesn't count as it's a worm[[/note]].
* BerserkButton: Killing the Bee Larva in any of the bee hives will summon her.
* BossArenaRecovery: Due to how the Queen Bee is summoned, you'll probably be fighting her inside a beehive, the bottom of which is lined with honey that you can take a dip in to recover health over time.
* FlunkyBoss: One of her attacks is to release a swarm of tiny bees that follow you relentlessly.
* GlassCannon: The bees she spawns have very little health, but they pack quite a wallop.
* InsectQueen: It's right there in the name.
* KingMook: A ''Queen'' Mook towards the Hornet enemies.
* MamaBear: Kill her larva and she'll awaken and attack you in retaliation.
* RammingAlwaysWorks: One of her attacks. She's able to fire out bees and stingers, but will also charge the player.
* SkippableBoss: Like the King Slime, there's no particular need to fight the Queen Bee unless you want her loot and the Witch Doctor NPC.
* SpamAttack: In Expert, her attacks get faster she nears death. This can lead to her chaining up charge attacks, or releasing swarms of bees followed by machine gun-like stinger barrages.
* StatusInflictionAttack: Can poison you with her stingers.
* TimeLimitBoss: Averted, unlike many other bosses in the game.
* TurnsRed: Only on Expert. Her attack pattern gets faster and more frequent as she loses health. In addition, her defense gradually increases as she takes damage on Expert, culminating in more than double her defense at critical health.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Skeletron]]
[[quoteright:100:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/skeletron_head.png]]
[[caption-width-right:100:"The cursed guardian of the dungeon..."]]
-->''The disembodied bones of a former tyrant pulsed with a hatred so strong, it left behind a mighty curse which guards the dungeon.''
A giant floating skull and arms that is summoned by talking to the old man at the entrance of a dungeon at night.
----
* CognizantLimbs: Both his hands. It's recommended to destroy them first, as they are his main means of attack. It's almost required to kill them first in Expert, because his head will have 100 defense until you do.
* CycleOfHurting: On Expert, his spinning move upgrades once both arms are destroyed, becoming faster so he can stick to your character for continuous, huge CollisionDamage.
* DemBones: It's a floating skull with disembodied skeletal arms.
* DungeonBypass: Very strongly averted. Try to tunnel past Skeletron and you'll be killed by the Dungeon Guardian, a NighInvulnerable BeefGate meant to punish such an attempted bypass. Even if you decide not to enter the dungeon at all, he is still required to be defeated if you want the cultists to appear and trigger the Lunar Events.
* HomingProjectile: In Expert, he fires homing skulls a la the Book of Skulls once you've destroyed one of his hands.
* NameTron: It's named Skeletron, although it's not a robot or machine at all.
* SkippableBoss: {{Subverted|Trope}}. He may seem completely optional, albeit at the cost of losing out on all of the very powerful pre-hardmode and [[spoiler: post-Planter]] loot, along with both the Clothier and Mechanic, but killing him is required to spawn the cultists who initiate the endgame.
* SpectacularSpinning: For the player, anyway. His defense drops when his head is spinning.
* TimeLimitBoss: It will ''kill you'' if you do not defeat it by dawn.
* TurnsRed: At dawn, it transforms into the [[BeefGate Dungeon Guardian]] and will OneHitKill you. In Expert, once his hands are destroyed, he begins firing skulls at the player while also upgrading his spinning attack to perform a CycleOfHurting.
* UndeadAbomination: It's a giant, skeletal monster that, according to the lore, is made of a part of Cthulhu's skeleton itself.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Dungeon Guardian]]
-->''A lethal sentry that stands watch over the Dungeon's gates. Those who are deemed unworthy to enter shall not pass!''
A special version of Skeletron meant to keep you out of the dungeon until you've defeated Skeletron proper, introduced to fix a loophole in which the Skeletron Heads that once held its role in earlier versions could accidentally grant access to the dungeon if killed. Delving too deep (below 0 depth, specifically) will summon this nigh-invincible horror, and thusly, [[OneHitKill your doom]].
----
* BeefGate: It's intended to keep you out of the dungeon until you've earned it by defeating Skeletron. If you descend below 0 depth, it spawns. Unlike most Beef Gates, however, this one will keep spawning if you try to enter the dungeon, no matter how many times you kill it.
* BraggingRightsReward: The [[http://terraria.gamepedia.com/Bone_Key Bone Key]] it drops when killed, which summons a mini-Skeletron pet.
* DemBones: A flying skull.
* DoppelgangerAttack: The game treats it as a normal enemy, not a boss, so it is possible for more than one to spawn. It's not uncommon for two to chase you out of the dungeon. Death is pretty much assured when this happens.
* ImplacableMan: It can phase through structures and the ground so walling it up is a no-go, it will chase you across the map and won't stop coming until either it despawns (which barring an endgame mount fast enough to outpace the creature would require an absolute ''miracle''), it hunts down and kills you, or you manage to kill it. It's immune to knockback and will shrug off everything up to and including the most powerful weapons in the game without slowing down one bit. Your only advantage over it in the end is agility.
* TheJuggernaut: Doesn't stop homing in on you, takes ScratchDamage from everything, {{One Hit Kill}}s you, and is practically invulnerable to {{knockback}}.
* LightningBruiser: It can fly faster than anything short of the best mount in the game, has 9999 HP and takes 1 damage from everything, and can OneHitKill an endgame melee tank build on contact.
* LordBritishPostulate: It originally had 9999 hp, 9999 defense and 9999 damage, aside from being very fast. Yet, many players were able to kill it, using fast shooting weapons (that would deal 1 damage per hit) and reversing gravity in order to be fast enough not to be hit. Thanks to how defense works, and the addition of armor [[HoistByHisOwnPetard dealing melee damage done to the player back to the attacker]], as well as an item allowing a small dodge chance, this was in a few updates relatively easy, until it was patched by decreasing the guardian's attack to 1000.
* MarathonBoss: You have to run away from it dealing ScratchDamage until its health depletes, which can take quite a long time. The absolute fastest you can kill the Guardian is in about five minutes, with the right equipment, and that's on Normal mode.
* NighInvulnerable: It has [[DamageSpongeBoss 9999 HP]] (which is doubled in Expert Mode) and [[MadeOfIron 9999 Defense]] (turning all attacks into ScratchDamage), and is ImmuneToFlinching. It can be killed, but only with a ''lot'' of preparation.
* OneHitKill: Its sole purpose of existence. With an attack that deals 1000 damage, if it catches you, you're dead.
* OnlyTheWorthyMayPass: Its Bestiary entry outright states it will not allow anyone deemed unworthy to pass into the dungeon.
* PermanentlyMissableContent: Vanishes once Skeletron is defeated, so get your Bone Key before you open the dungeon.
* RammingAlwaysWorks: It will crash into you at high speed and make you explode into gibs on impact.
* RasputinianDeath: Pretty much required to kill it. In fact, it's likely that the reason why it blinks out of existence when it finally kicks the bucket is because in the process of killing it you have to ''[[TheresNoKillLikeOverkill grind up the creature until nothing remains]]''.
* SelfImposedChallenge: Killing it is considered a personal achievement by ''Terraria'' veterans. The devs have acknowledged this, and it now drops the aforementioned Bone Key as a reward.
* SpectacularSpinning: Constantly in this state.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Deerclops]]
-->''Hailing from a distant land, this cyclopic monstrosity lurks in cold places, wreaking havoc on those who disturb it.''
A boss added in 1.4.3, which originates from VideoGame/DontStarve.
----
* AdaptationalBadass: The Deerclops was no slouch in its source game, but ''Terraria'' gives it a slew of new attacks besides its icy GroundPunch, such as throwing a barrage of snow projectiles into the air and even summoning the Night Hands from its source game.
* AntiEscapeMechanism: It forces the player into combat range by becoming invulnerable to damage if it's too far, as well as casting a slow debuff onto the player.
* CastingAShadow: Its insanity aura is presented as having Night Hands pop up near it before charging at the player, and it can also turn into an invulnerable shadow of itself if it's too far from the player.
* HitboxDissonance: The collision hitbox that determines if Deerclops does contact damage to you only covers the waist-up. You can run between his legs and make it out the other side unscathed provided he doesn't catch you with a different attack.
* VictorGainsLosersPowers: Combined with DefeatEqualsFriendship with the Expert Mode-exclusive Bone Helm accessory, which passively summons the Night Hands to protect you from any nearby foes when worn.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Wall of Flesh]]
[[quoteright:150:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wall_of_flesh.png]]
[[caption-width-right:150:"The master and core of the world..."]]
-->''Serving as the world's core and guardian, the towering demon lord exists to keep powerful ancient spirits sealed away.''
The final Pre-Hardmode boss, the Wall of Flesh is summoned by tossing a guide voodoo doll into lava in the underworld.
----
* AdvancingBossOfDoom: It will charge at you and pursue you from one end of the world to another, there is no way to get past it, and if it is still alive by the time it is on the other end, it will crush you to death.
* BarrierMaiden: As eldritch and frightening as it is, lore states that the Wall of Flesh is the world's guardian, holding back the spirits of light and darkness. Destroying the Wall releases the spirits to expedite the process of finding a new one, with devastating effects on the land itself.
* BeefGate: The Wall of Flesh will easily kill the under-prepared, to prevent them from unleashing hardmode prematurely.
* BreathWeapon: A particularly disgusting version. When it’s health has been cut down to a certain point it will start vomiting swarms of Leeches at the player.
* BodyHorror: As its name suggests, it's a giant wall of viscera with stringy tentacles, two enormous bulging, veiny eyes, and a gaping, protruding mouth. The fact that it also spews out Leeches, which are noted in the bestiary to be parasitic creatures full of the monster’s healing blood, doesn’t imply anything healthy about the insides of the beast either.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Despite being an enormous wall of meat, the Wall of Flesh's purpose is actually to contain the greater part of the Corruption/Crimson and the pretty-but-no-less-dangerous sprites of the Hallow. Slaying it unleashes them; unless you've taken preemptive measures to limit the spread of these biomes, you will quickly learn why they were locked up to begin with.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: The most powerful pre-hardmode boss you face before you go into hardmode.
* EyeBeams: It fires volleys of purple lasers at you from its eyes, and the time between shots decreases as its health gets lower until it's full-on BeamSpam.
* EldritchAbomination: Moreso than the other pre-hardmode bosses because it can inflict a MindRape on you that forces you to kill it to survive. According to a card, it's the lord of eternal nightmares. And when killed, the world gets drastically and irrevocably changed.
* FlunkyBoss: This game loves these bosses a lot. The Wall of Flesh has a number of flunkies called The Hungry attached to it which reach out to damage you before detaching and flying at you upon death. It can also summon burrowing Leeches.
* {{Gasshole}}: It will periodically burp out leeches as one of its attacks.
* GoForTheEye: While both its mouth and eyes are vulnerable, the eyes have zero defense and thus do not benefit from any DamageReduction, making them the preferred targets.
* ImmuneToFlinching: [[SubvertedTrope Surprisingly, no]], despite being an AdvancingBossOfDoom. Shooting Heart Arrows at its mouth will actually stun it for a brief while.
* LivingStructureMonster: The Wall of Flesh is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin -- a massive, moving wall of meat with eyes and a mouth.
* LoadBearingBoss: Its death infects the world with large swathes of ever-expanding Hallow and Corruption.
* MarathonBoss: Clocks in at 8000 HP in normal mode, which is considerably higher than any other easymode boss. Even top-tier easymode weapons will take a while whittling this guy down.
* NintendoHard: Either you're over-prepared or you die. There is no middle ground.
* ShoutOut: According to Redigit, it was inspired by the Demon Wall bosses in the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' series.
* SupernaturalFearInducer: It's the only enemy in the game that can inflict the "Horrified" debuff on your player, which results in death if you attempt to escape using a teleportation item like the Recall Potion or Magic Mirror. The tooltip for this debuff is "You have seen something [[EldritchAbomination nasty]], there is no escape".
* TimeLimitBoss: You have to defeat it before it reaches the other side of the world and kills you.
* TurnsRed: As you wear down its health, it will start gaining speed, belch up leeches more often and will shoot its EyeBeams more often. On Expert, he gains a '''massive''' burst of speed when at critical health.
* YouWillNotEvadeMe: The wall will use its tongue to reel you in if you run too far from it, get behind it or try to escape the underworld conventionally. Trying to use the magic mirror to escape splatters you when you reach your spawn. This isn't as bad as it sounds for soft-core or even medium-core characters as your money/items drop at the spawn/bed that you warped to. [[{{Permadeath}} Hard-core]] however...[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJjQueAsHO4&app=desktop this happens]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Queen Slime]]
[[quoteright:162:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/queen_slime.png]]
-->''Hallowed slimes consolidated into a haughty, crushing force adorned in dazzling crystals. She is rumored to grow wings.''
A Hardmode counterpart to King Slime, summonable in the Hallow by using a Gelatin Crystal.
----
* BlobMonster: Much like King Slime, Queen Slime is a giant Slime.
* CoolCrown: Just like King Slime, Queen Slime wears a crown on the top of her head.
* DistaffCounterpart: To King Slime, of course. Nearly all of her loot (a set of crystalline ninja armor, a saddle that summons a winged slime mount, a method of coating others in harmless goo, and a unique grappling hook) is some sort of upgrade to King Slime's loot.
* KingMook: She's a Queen Mook to Slime enemies.
* MookMaker: Like her counterpart, Queen Slime summons Slime minions as she takes damage, bringing spiky Crystal Slimes, bubbling Bouncy Slimes, and winged Heavenly Slimes to her side as the fight progresses.
* OptionalBoss: One of three Hardmode bosses that aren't needed to progress the game.
* PinkMeansFeminine: It befits her nature as both a queen and a creature of the Hallow.
* TurnsRed: At 50% health, Queen Slime sprouts feathery wings and takes to the skies, mixing up her tactics as she does so.
* YouWillNotEvadeMe: Like King Slime, she can teleport. Her second phase grows wings and ''flies'' after you.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Twins]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_twins.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"[[TagTeamTwins This is]] [[OhCrap going to be]] [[ThisIsGonnaSuck a terrible night...]]"[[note]]Left: Retinazer, right: Spazmatism[[/note]]]]
-->''Belonging to a pair of mechanically-recreated Eyes of Cthulhu, this one focuses its energy into firing powerful lasers.'' (Retinazer)\\
''Belonging to a pair of mechanically-recreated Eyes of Cthulhu, this one chases at high speeds, exhaling cursed flames.'' (Spazmatism)
A mechanical version of the Eye of Cthulhu, [[DualBoss except there are two of them]], [[EyeBeams Retinazer]] and [[KillItWithFire Spazmatism]].
----
* ArtificialLimbs: The Mechanic was forced to build them so they could serve as Cthulhu's new eyes.
* BreathWeapon: Spazmatism will spew a constant stream of Cursed Flames in its second phase, though at least the range is limited.
* BeamSpam: The lower Retinazer's health is in the second phase, the more it does so. At critical health it can fire as fast as a Megashark.
* DegradedBoss: In a rare beneficial version! Players can craft an staff that lets them summon miniature stage two Twins to aid them in battle and they keep their signature breath and laser attacks. A properly geared player can have a pack of ''22'' of these things trailing behind them.
* DualBoss: Thought the Eye of Cthulhu was fun? Now you get to fight two of them at once, one packing EyeBeams and the other with a BreathWeapon. Have fun!
* EssenceDrop: Drop Souls of Sight when the remaining one is destroyed.
* EyeBeams: Retinazer, Retinazer, Retinazer. It gets worse the lowers its health gets. Spazmatism's fireballs in its first phase also count on a technicality.
* FusionDance: [[spoiler:In the "Get Fixed Boi" seed, the Twins combine with the other Mechanical Bosses to form Mechdusa.]]
* GiantEyeOfDoom: Much like the Eye of Cthulhu, except now there's two of them!
* {{Hellfire}}: Spazmatism uses Cursed Flames as its ranged attacks.
* MechanicalAbomination: The mechanical reincarnation of the Eye Of Cthulhu.
* PunnyName: Both of their {{Portmanteau}} names are eye puns.
** The retina is the part of the eye where light is focused, and a laser is a focused beam of light. Retinazer attacks with focused BeamSpam.
** A 'spaz' is a person who acts chaotically and jerkily, while astigmatism is an eye problem causing blurry vision. Spazmatism jerkily charges all over the place and clouds its own vision with flames.
* RoboticReveal: Unlike the other mechanical bosses, these two appear to be biological at first. Once you get their health down far enough, however, they [[TurnsRed enter their second phase]], shedding their organic tissue and unveiling themselves as completely-robotic recreations of the Eye of Cthulhu.
* ShortRangeGuyLongRangeGuy: Apparent in their second forms--Spazmatism is the Short Range, attempting to stay close to breathe cursed flames and charge the player, while Retinazer is the Long Range, attempting to stay far while firing lasers at the player.
* TechnicolorEyes: Retinazer's iris is red, and Spazmatism's is green, appropriate for the latter since it spews green fire. Both have blue pupils.
* TimeLimitBoss: The two will run away at dawn.
* TurnsRed: Like the Eye of Cthulhu, the Twins will enter a second form when low enough on health.
** Spazmatism's charges become much faster and more frequent, and while it's not charging, it relentlessly pursues the player while breathing a constant stream of Cursed Flames.
** Retinazer switches from blue lasers to more damaging red lasers, and the lower its health gets during its second phase, the faster it fires the laser cannon, until it's essentially BeamSpam.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Destroyer]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_destroyer_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"You feel vibrations from deep below..."]]
-->''A mechanical simulacrum of Cthulhu's spine decorated in laser-armed probes, which detach from its body when damaged.''
A mechanical simulacrum of Cthulhu’ backbone, heavily inspired by the Eater of Worlds.
----
* AchillesHeel:
** The Destroyer's massive, segmented body make it highly vulnerable to piercing weapons.
** Unlike the other mechanical bosses, the Destroyer is stuck to the ground. Standing on a platform high enough in the air will make it hard for the Destroyer to even get to you, barring its lasers and Probes.
* AnimalMecha: A giant metal worm.
* AntiFrustrationFeatures: While most worm-type enemies' drops will spawn from their head segments when they die, the Destroyer's drops will instead spawn at the segment closest to the player on death, as its massive size makes it very easy to lose track of where the head was when you killed it.
* ArtificialLimbs: The Mechanic was forced to build it so it could serve as a replacement backbone for Cthulhu.
* AttackDrone: Sends these out which pepper you with lasers. Thankfully, they drop hearts and mana stars.
* AttackItsWeakPoint: Unlike the rest of its body, the Destroyer's head has 0 defense. As it attacks by lunging at you, you'll have plenty of opportunities to strike it.
* BeamSpam: Both its sections and probes can do this from time to time.
* BossArenaRecovery: Destroying the probes it sends out will get at least one heart and/or a mana star if you've been using magic weapons.
* CollisionDamage: Notably, on Expert and Master, the Destroyer's head making contact with you deals more damage than any other attack save for the Phantasmal Deathray and [[OneHitKill anything from daylight Empress of Light]].
* CompositeCharacter: While it's mostly based on the Eater of Worlds, the eyeball-like Probes it sends out resemble the Brain of Cthulhu's Creeper minions.
* ContractualBossImmunity: Unlike any other enemy in the game, the Destroyer is completely immune to all debuffs.
* DamageSpongeBoss: Has more HP than any other non-composite entity opponent in the entire game at a whopping 80000 (''120000'' in Expert), but since all of its segments are individual targets vulnerable to attack, piercing and melee weapons will rack up massive amounts of damage by striking multiple segments on each pass, balancing out the extra health.
* EnergyWeapon: The aformentioned probes will start letting out a barrage of lasers should they be allowed to survive for a bit.
* EssenceDrop: Drop Souls of Might when destroyed.
* FlunkyBoss: The probes it sends out upon being hurt.
* FusionDance: [[spoiler:In the "Get Fixed Boi" seed, the Destroyer combines with the other Mechanical Bosses to form Mechdusa.]]
* SandWorm: A robot sand worm, at that.
* SegmentedSerpent: The Destroyer possesses 82 separate segments, each of which is as long as your character is tall, making it undisputably ''the'' biggest thing in the game. The player can attack multiple segments at one go, allowing them to deplete its massive HP faster. If someone has already defeated The Twins and has used their souls of sight to build a Magical Harp[[note]]fires slow, infinitely piercing projectiles rapidly as long as your mana meter holds out[[/note]] weapon, the boss fight becomes nearly effortless.
* SuperPersistentPredator: Unlike most bosses, the Destroyer will not despawn if you get too far away from it, and will pursue you across the world if it has to.
* TimeLimitBoss: Runs away at dawn.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Skeletron Prime]]
[[quoteright:171:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/skeletron_prime.png]]
[[caption-width-right:171:"The air is getting colder around you..."]]
-->''Mechanically reconstructed for reviving Cthulhu, this Skeletron has more arms than ever before, and a variety of fierce weapons.''
The mechanical version of Skeletron.
----
* ArtificialLimbs: The Mechanic was forced to build it so it could serve as Cthulhu's new skeleton.
* ArmCannon: One of his arms has a cannon that functions like a GrenadeLauncher, lobbing bombs at the player that explode after a short delay.
* ArmoredButFrail: Downplayed. Of the Mechanical bosses, Skeletron Prime has the most defense, but in terms of health he's only beating out the [[DualBoss Twins]] individually.
* ChainsawGood: The Prime Saw arm.
* CognizantLimbs: Has four destructible limbs, each carrying a deadly weapon of its own.
* CripplingOverspecialization: The Prime Cannon arm fires bombs which explode on contact with solid platforms. This means that a floating arena of wooden platforms makes the arm utterly incapable of causing anything other than CollisionDamage. However, note that this is no longer true as of 1.4.01 onwards, meaning in Expert Mode, he can and will wreck your arena.
* DemBones: Mechanical ones this time.
* EnergyWeapon: The Prime Laser arm.
* EssenceDrop: Drop Souls of Fright when destroyed.
* EvilIsDeathlyCold: The warning message that appears to indicate that it will spawn on a Hardmode night is "The air is getting colder around you," implying this trope. Downplayed in that it lacks any sort of ice or cold-themed attacks.
* FusionDance: [[spoiler:In the "Get Fixed Boi" seed, Skeletron Prime combines with the other Mechanical Bosses to form Mechdusa. Prime is the binding agent between the three; if you kill Skeletron Prime before one of the other components of the boss, they'll resume their usual behaviour.]]
* JetPack: While the head floats, Skeletron Prime's arms seem to move using jets of (harmless) flame.
* MarathonBoss: With its four arms and high HP, Prime can easily drag the fight out [[TimeLimitBoss until morning]] if the player's damage output is too low, and unlike the Destroyer, it isn't made up of hundreds of segments that can all be targeted.
* MechanicalAbomination: The mechanized reincarnation of the Skeletron.
* MultiArmedAndDangerous: Has four arms as compared to Skeletron's two, and each arm has a different weapon to murder you with on the end.
* NameTron: It's named Skeletron Prime. Unlike Skeletron, this one ''is'' mechanical.
* PowerPincers: The Prime Vice arm.
* SkeleBot9000: It's a mechanical skull with four arms.
* SpectacularSpinning: Unlike Skeletron, Prime benefits from spinning as its defense actually ''increases'' instead of decreasing when it does so.
* SpikesOfDoom: The head grows these when spinning.
* ThrowDownTheBomblet: The Prime Cannon arm.
* TimeLimitBoss: Like Skeletron, Prime has a Dungeon Guardian form and will kill you at dawn.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Ocram]]
[[quoteright:264:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ocram.png]]
The true final boss of the old generation console version, Ocram can best be described as a flying ''Film/{{Predator}}'' head.
----
* BaitAndSwitch: [[spoiler:The "Get Fixed Boi" seed features an item called "Ocram's Razor." One would think that the monster has finally returned, but it just summons [[FusionDance Mechdusa.]]]]
* BeamSpam: Its first form loves this. Its second form basically pumps out laser shotgun blasts at the speed of a machinegun.
* BulletHell: During his second phase, he will be spraying countless laser blasts and Demon Scythes at a ridiculous speed. Not only does it do this itself, but this is also the focus of most strategies for fighting him.
* CallBack: Oddly enough, to the Eye of Cthulhu. His strategy is similar, his flunkies are called "Servants of Ocram" like the Eye's "Servants of Cthulhu", and they share a battle theme.
* EldritchAbomination: Quite. His appearance is extremely otherworldly even in comparison to the likes of the Celestial Pillars and the [[spoiler:Moon Lord.]]
* EssenceDrop: Drops Souls of Blight when slain, which are required to craft the end-game armors.
* ExiledFromContinuity: WordOfGod has stated that Ocram will never appear in any version of the game still recieving updates, although mods are fair game. The Labor of Love throws a few name drops his way, though.
* FinalBoss: Confirmed to be as such by the (console version's) [[WordOfGod developers.]] Subverted in the newer console version and the mobile version, as he was removed in the 1.3 update, which added the game's real final boss.
* FlunkyBoss: Sends out Servants of Ocram, though he has plenty of other attacks. They're fairly easy to kill if you use Crystal Bullets. However, don't mistake him for relying solely upon them.
* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: Has no buildup or references, not even in the item used to summon him.
* LightningBruiser: He moves fast and hits HARD.
* NintendoHard: He's pretty much impossible to kill without near-endgame to endgame armor.
* OmnicidalManiac: If you summon it too close to your house/town, it can and will kill your [=NPCs=].
* SdrawkcabName: "Ocram" is "Marco" backward, the name of Ocram's programmer.
* TurnsRed: His second form turns out his eyes, reveals a bigger eye, and also amps up the power of his BeamSpam attack while allowing him to launch Blinding Demon Scythes.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Plantera]]
[[quoteright:268:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/plantera.png]]
[[caption-width-right:268:"The jungle grows restless..."]]
-->''A dormant, yet powerful floral guardian awoken by the fallout of Cthulhu's destroyed machinations. Its reach spans the entire jungle.''
After defeating the three Mechanical Bosses, strange pink bulbs will begin gradually growing throughout the Underground Jungle. Breaking one will awaken the giant plant-like monster, Plantera.
----
* AutobotsRockOut: Unlike every other boss, Plantera's theme is a heavy guitar-laden piece. It also doubles as a BossRemix of the Jungle theme!
* BerserkButton: If you lure it out of the Underground Jungle biome, it will become more aggressive and damaging. She’s also not too amused about anyone breaking her bulbs either, as she’ll immediately awaken and begin hunting any players nearby upon someone doing so.
* BotanicalAbomination: {{Implied|Trope}}. Plantera only awakens after [[MechanicalAbomination the Mechanical Bosses]] are defeated, and it's somehow linked to biome spreading, as defeating it will slow the spreading down.
* CombatTentacles: Its invulnerable grappling hooks can deal damage, and it sprouts a bunch of smaller, destructible ones when it TurnsRed. In Expert Mode, its grappling hooks sprout them too when it TurnsRed!
* FlunkyBoss: The plants that it sprouts when it TurnsRed.
* FoulFlower: Its initial form is a giant, aggressive flower bud. In the second phase, it drops off its flower and becomes a full-fledged ManEatingPlant.
* HomingProjectile: Its second form launches Spores that will seek out and damage the nearest player.
* ImpossibleItemDrop: Plantera is a particularly strange case. Whereas most bosses can also drop some sort of item or weapon, most of them are somehow based on the abilities of the boss itself (e.g. the Book of Skulls fires the same skulls that Skeletron does in Expert Mode)... but what is Plantera doing with an ''electric guitar''?[[note]]Granted, it's likely another nod to the band, Pantera.[[/note]]
* ManEatingPlant: Even more so than the Man Eaters you used to encounter in the jungle.
* {{Pun}}: Of the band ''Music/{{Pantera}}'', especially so because of its unique boss theme.
* RushBoss: Plantera's HP isn't too impressive compared to the mechanical bosses, who all have higher aggregate HP than it. However, what it lacks in durability it makes up for with heavy-hitting, hard-to-dodge attacks, especially since you're going to be fighting it in the cramped Underground Jungle ''[[BerserkButton or else]]''.
* SamusIsAGirl: According to [[WordOfGod Cenx]], Plantera is [[https://imgur.com/ECMM1WU female]].
* SilentAntagonist: Unlike most other bestial bosses, she doesn't make the standard roar you hear upon summoning a boss.
* SpikeBallsOfDoom: Spits these out in its first phase.
* SpikeShooter: First phase uses these. The rate of its fire increases as it loses health.
* TurnsRed: At half health, the flower will drop off and sprout tentacle plants, and it'll become much faster and damaging.
* WakeUpCallBoss: Plantera is ''significantly'' harder than the Mechanical Bosses, and a large amount of preparation is needed to even stand a chance of killing it, especially since its bulb appears at complete random. You can't lure it above-ground without it becoming ''much'' meaner, so if you do build an arena, you have to carve it out of the Underground Jungle while under attack by the monsters there.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Empress of Light]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/empress_of_light.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"A beautiful bullet hell."]]
-->''Beneath the Hallow's cleansing blanket lies a vengeful fae goddess bent on scrubbing the land of any and all impurity.''
A humanoid, fairy-like boss that can be fought by killing a Prismatic Lacewing at night, a post-Plantera critter that lives in the Hallow.
----
* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: Her skin is yellow.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: She believes that killing a specific Hallowed butterfly, even by accident, warrants death, yet she is nowhere to be seen when it comes to infections/invasions of the Corruption, Crimson, the Celestial Pillars, or the Moon Lord. Unless the player summons her near those biomes, events, or while fighting the Moon Lord. But by killing that same butterfly and making her fight the player instead of any of them.
* BulletHell: ''Oh'' yeah. She practically floods the screen with projectiles. Cenx even [[https://imgur.com/a/RTp2Lkn described her fight]] as a "beautiful bullet hell" before the update's release.
* DynamicEntry: Appears in an aurora of rainbow-colored light. If fought at day, the aurora will be yellow instead.
* EverythingsBetterWithRainbows: Well, worse for the player, but all of her attacks glow brightly are colored in every color of the rainbow. She even appears in a rainbow-colored aurora when spawning. However, if she's fought in the day, all of her rainbow-colored attacks will turn bright yellow to signify that the player is now in [[OneHitKill serious trouble]].
* TheFairFolk: She is a fae goddess who, like the rest of the Hallow, is a vicious KnightTemplar with a desire to purge the land of any and all impurity.
* LightEmUp: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin She's the empress of the stuff.]] All of her many attacks are themed around light and rainbows, and she's vastly empowered during the day.
* LightIsNotGood: Just like the rest of the Hallow, she is [[KnightTemplar obsessed with destroying any sort of impurity]]. Granted, to summon her [[GaiasVengeance you have to kill an extremely rare butterfly,]] yet the bestiary entry for said butterfly explicitly describes her as a tyrant...
* LightningBruiser: She has 70,000 HP at minimum which can go up to 124,950 on Master - significantly more than her fellow OptionalBoss Duke Fishron, who has 50,000 to 76,500 HP respectively. She also flies around the air quickly, and hits extremely hard with both projectiles and contact damage.
* MsFanservice: Her armor is revealing and due to her size her sprite is much more detailed than the [=NPCs=] or humanoid monsters.
* NoDamageRun: Obtaining the Terraprisma requires the Empress to be defeated while doing all of the damage during the day. Because every hit is a OneHitKill at day, this is a given.
* NonstandardCharacterDesign: Outside of the Lunatic Cultist, she's the most humanoid non-event boss, resembling the Ice Queen.
* OneHitKill: Fighting her in the day causes all her attacks to deal at least 10,000 damage.
* PhysicalGoddess: Is explicitly described as a goddess in the bestiary, and given just how much of a powerhouse she is even without her daytime boost, there’s not much evidence to dispute that.
* SinisterSchnoz: [[WordOfGod According to Crowno]], the game's artist, the v-shaped line on her face is not her mouth, but her nose. It's a rather pointy nose for a tyrannical ruler of the Hallow.
* {{Superboss}}: Like Duke Fishron, she is completely optional and not required to face the FinalBoss, and you likely have to go out of your way to summon her, although ''unlike'' Duke Fishron she can be accidentally summoned if you're supremely unlucky. And she demands respect, too - despite being able to be summoned right after Plantera, she's so incredibly difficult and unorthodox compared to ''every other boss in the game'' (arguably including the ''FinalBoss'') that gear obtained from the Lunar Events, or gear obtained after Golem or even Duke Fishron is ''heavily'' encouraged to be acquired first. Yet if you do kill her, she can drop some incredibly good gear for your troubles, which will make all of the remaining challenges in the game significantly easier.
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Fighting her in the day causes her attacks to deal at least 10,000 damage to you. You have a maximum of 500-600 HP.
* TimeLimitBoss: Like Skeletron and Skeletron Prime before her, once the sun comes up, the Empress's attacks will kill you instantly. If summoned during the day (likely by a player looking for her BraggingRightsReward), she will run away at dusk if she and the player are (somehow) both still alive by then.
* TurnsRed: Once she gets below half HP, she'll vanish momentarily, before switching her attack pattern for an improved variation and launching attacks even faster than before.
** Like Skeletron Prime, fighting her in the sun makes her attacks nearly impossible to survive, dealing a minimum of 10,000 damage. ''Unlike'' Skeletron Prime, managing to defeat her during the day (no damage can be done at night for this to work) nets you a unique weapon, the Terraprisma.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Golem]]
[[quoteright:216:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/golem_5.png]]
[[caption-width-right:216:"The stone-faced ritualistic idol of the lihzahrdian tribe..."]]
-->''A remarkable display of ingenuity constructed by the Lihzahrd clan. Powered by solar energy cells, it is ready to guard the temple.''
A giant animated statue. Summoned by using a Lihzarhd Power Cell on an altar found inside the jungle temple.
----
* BerserkButton: If you lure him out of the Underground Jungle biome, he will become more aggressive and damaging.
* CognizantLimbs: His arms can be attacked and destroyed separately, though this isn't necessary to beat him.
* DetachmentCombat: When his health gets low, his head separates from his body and attacks separately, although the head cannot be damaged.
* EyeBeams: The first phase uses these when its health gets low. The head in the second phase also uses them.
* {{Fireballs}}: Spits out bouncing ones.
* {{Golem}}: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Duh.]] It's a construct created by the Lihzarhd.
* HyperDestructiveBouncingBall: The fireballs the head shoots out.
* LosingYourHead: When he TurnsRed. Justified because he's a construct. Said head is also invulnerable to damage during the second phase.
* OutsideTheBoxTactic: The Golem used to be one of two bosses unable to pass through solid blocks, allowing a player to trap him inside and attack him from there with a wall-piercing weapon.
* PowerOfTheSun: Many of the Golem's drops are associated with daytime and the sun.
* RocketPunch: His arms. The Golem Fist he drops allows the player to do the same.
* SlowLaser: The EyeBeams it fires are slower than light.
* TookALevelInBadass: Prior to 1.4.4 it was a notoriously easy boss. In said update it received a massive buff to it’s attacks, it’s fists can no longer be deflected ([[DiscardAndDraw though they now need to charge up), and various other tweaks were made that make it a much greater threat.
* TurnsRed: Its head flies into the air and becomes invincible when its health is depleted, forcing you to attack its body directly.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Duke Fishron]]
[[quoteright:194:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dukefishron.png]]
[[caption-width-right:194:"The mutant terror of the sea."]]
-->''An aquatic pigron mutation from the depths of the ocean who surfaces in search of a rare, savory type of worm.''
A giant fish-pig-dragon hybrid summoned by using a Truffle Worm as fish bait in the ocean.
----
* AscendedMeme: Was originally supposed to be the boss of an AprilFoolsDay joke, the Tidal Moon event. While the event isn't real, Duke Fishron is.
* BerserkButton: If you lure him out of the Ocean biome, he will become more aggressive and damaging.
* BubbleGun: Spits homing bubbles at the player.
* BullfightBoss: While he does have other attacks, Duke Fishron's primary form of offense is charging at the player repeatedly. In his Expert Mode third phase, he will only attack by charging.
* ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes: His Expert Mode ability shrouds the entire area in fog while he turns invisible, and his glowing eyes is one way to detect him before he charges.
* DesperationAttack: He gains one when he's at very low health on Expert Mode. It involves him turning the screen dark while he turns invisible before he charges you.
* FlunkyBoss: Summons Sharknadoes and Cthulhunadoes that spew out flying shark projectiles called Sharkrons.
* FlyingSeafoodSpecial: He's a huge flying fish.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: When he TurnsRed.
* HomingProjectile: His bubbles and his Cthulhunado typhoon.
* ImmuneToFlinching: Duke Fishron is one of the very few bosses in the game that cannot be stunned nor slowed by the Heart Arrows, which can otherwise stun even the Destroyer, Wall of Flesh and the Dungeon Guardian!
* ImplacableMan: Got buffed in 1.3--he will ''repeatedly'' charge at you if you exit the ocean, instead of charging five times then attacking.
* TheJuggernaut: It will only stop when it's transforming to its second state, pumping out bubbles or dead. He's also immune to the Stunned debuff.
* KingMook: To both a Mook (Pigron) as well as a particular fishing catch (Fishron).
* LightningBruiser: Extremely fast, extremely painful, and sports at least 50,000 health, more than most of the other bosses.
* MixAndMatchCritters: A fish-pig-dragon mutant creature.
* {{Mutant}}: The official achievement unlocked by beating him outright calls him one.
* NintendoHard: Deals painful damage with his attacks, moves extremely fast, and a lot of health to wear down. Speed-increasing items and Wings are pretty much mandatory if you don't want to be torn to shreds. In 1.3 and above, you're also constrained to fighting him within the ocean, or else he ''[[BerserkButton gets pissed]]''.
* NumberOfTheBeast: The Truffle Worm used to summon him has a 666% Fishing Power. In addition, the Fishron Wings you can get for beating him have a 6.66% drop rate.
* RammingAlwaysWorks: Has a high tendency to ram the player.
* ShoutOut: Has the ability to summon Film/{{Sharknado}}es.
* {{Superboss}}: Like the Empress of Light, he doesn't need to be beaten in order to fight [[spoiler:the Moon Lord]], and you need to go somewhat out of your way in order to summon him. He's also much tougher than most of the other Hardmode bosses despite being able to be potentially summoned before any of them, but his drops will make the rest of the game a lot easier.
* TeleportSpam: In his third phase in Expert Mode, Duke Fishron will frequently teleport around the player before charging.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: He can only be summoned via a Truffle Worm.
* TurnsRed: Gains GlowingEyesOfDoom, charges faster but less often, and changes his bubble spray into a spinning spray that creates more bubbles and his Sharknado into a Cthulhunado which is much larger, homes in on the player before deploying, and summons many more Sharkrons. The Fishron Mount obtained from him in Expert Mode allows the player to do this--when low on health, the player gains an attack and speed buff.
** Expert added a third phase to his fight: at critical health, he will darken the screen, turn invisible, and continuously charge at you while constantly teleporting to approach you from different angles.
* VictorGainsLosersPowers: When the player beats him, they get equipment based on his abilities: Flairon and Bubble Gun are based on his bubble spray, Tsunami is based off his relentless charges, Razorblade Typhoon is based off his Cthulhunado-spawning homing typhoons, the Tempest Staff is a smaller Sharknado, Fishron's Wings give the player the Duke's superior air and water mobility, and the Expert Mode Shrimpy Truffle nets the Duke himself as a mount, allowing ''you'' to [[TurnsRed Turn Red]] when low on health.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lunatic Cultist]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lunatic_cultist_2.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"The fanatical leader of the Dungeon coven..."]]
-->''A fanatical leader hell-bent on bringing about the apocalypse by reviving the great Cthulhu through behind-the-scenes scheming.''
After Golem is defeated, a group of cultists will gather outside the dungeon praying towards an ominous stone. Killing all of them incites the wrath of the Lunatic Cultist, who absorbs the power of the stone, and attacks you.
----
* AmbiguouslyHuman: Human in appearance, yet his body is completely covered with even his face being masked. He possesses insanely powerful inhuman abilities and his VoiceOfTheLegion implies that he's something entirely different.
* ApocalypseCult: He's the leader of them.
* BeefGate: In order to prove that you have a chance to deal with the Pillars and their wide range of coverage, you have to kill him first. Especially since there's no way to get rid of the Pillars once summoned aside from destroying them.
* BigBad: In the 8th Anniversary Lore, he's the one behind several of the events, including the Old Man and the Dungeon being cursed as well as being responsible for the Mechanical Bosses by having the Mechanic kidnapped and forced to assemble them. Finally, he's the one who summons the Celestial Towers, and by extension the Moon Lord.
* BigNo: He says this upon death.
* DoppelgangerAttack: If you fail to interrupt his DoppelgangerSpin, the copies follow him around in an upside-down 'V' formation and are able to attack you. They can't be damaged or destroyed until his next spin, which will cancel them out if you do it right.
* DoppelgangerSpin: After several magic attacks, he'll create several copies of himself surrounding a runic circle. If you don't hit the original (distinguished by a yellow vertical stripe on his hood, among other minor differences), it becomes a DoppelgangerAttack and he summons a phantasm dragon. Each time you fail this, he gains more copies until you get it right.
* TheDragon: He's the one in charge of the Lunatic Cult and is therefore the greatest servant to the being he worships, [[BigBad the Moon Lord]], also being responsible for the summoning of said Moon Lord.
* DragonInChief: [[GreaterScopeVillain On account of the Moon Lord being sealed away]], he is the one actively responsible for many of the game’s events.
* DuelBoss: Fights you mano-a-mano without the aid of any allies beyond what he can create if you don't interrupt his summoning spell.
* EvilSorceror: Very much so.
* EvilSoundsDeep: His voice sounds inhumanly deep as he prays to the stone in BlackSpeech before absorbing it and turning his attention to you.
* FireIceLightning: Can cast homing fireballs, ice crystals that fire ice spikes, and lightning bolts.
* GetBackHereBoss: He teleports all over the place between attacks and always tries to stay above you, even if you try to chase him down using flight.
* HumanoidAbomination: The Lunatic Cultist may look human, but his exceptional magical strength as well as his voice, which borders on VoiceOfTheLegion, heavily implies that he may have traded his humanity to become something not of this world.
* InstantRunes: He will create a massive runic circle just before creating a doppelgänger and attacking.
* LightningBruiser: Don’t let his SquishyWizard tendencies fool you. He’s fast enough on his feet to FlashStep, can summon powerful spells and monsters very quickly and can take a beating that would tear lesser foes to pieces many times over before finally expiring.
* MagicMissileStorm: Once he takes enough damage, he starts to cast Ancient Light, firing two spreads of painful homing projectiles at you. Thankfully, said projectiles are destructible.
* MeaningfulName: He's lunatic in both senses of the word--crazy, and also moon-related.
* PlayingWithFire: One of his attacks is to hurl homing fireballs at you that explode on impact. In certain circumstances he can combine this with CastingAShadow and start tossing shadowflame fireballs as well.
* PlagueDoctor: He's got the outfit of one, at least. You can get said plague doctor mask as a drop, and it's also the trophy you obtain from him.
* PuzzleBoss: Part of his boss fight involves a SpotTheImposter phase where hitting the wrong Lunatic Cultist will let him summon additional minions--a Phantasm Dragon and Ancient Vision.
* SpreadShot: His Ancient Light attack fires two spreads of homing magic projectiles which hurt a lot, but are thankfully destructible.
* ShockAndAwe: One of his attacks is to summon a giant ball of energy that hurls lightning bolts at the player.
* SquishyWizard: He has extremely low HP when compared to most of the other hardmode bosses, but he can deal out damage very quickly with his wide variety of magic attacks. He mitigates his frailty somewhat by moving around constantly and being hard to hit.
* TurnsRed: He gains a new attack in the form of [[MagicMissileStorm Ancient Light]] when he reaches around half his health.
* UnstableEquilibrium: The fight with him can either be reasonably difficult or downright impossible, depending on your ability to interrupt his DoppelgangerSpin.
* XanatosGambit: Seems to absorb the sealing magic of the Mysterious Tablet in order to gain power AND ensure a victory on some level. Either you kill him and break the seal of the Celestial Pillars, or he kills you and can continue his plans unhindered.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Celestial Towers (Vortex, Nebula, Solar, and Stardust Pillar) ]][[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/celestial_towers.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"Celestial creatures are invading!"[[note]]From left to right: Vortex Pillar, Stardust Pillar, Nebula Pillar, Solar Pillar[[/note]]]]
-->''Representing a deep celestial void/stormy celestial body/flaming celestial event/glittering celestial remnant known as "vortex/nebula/solar flares/stardust", this tower holds the seal locking away the terrifying tyrant.''
Four ominous pillars that appear after the Cultist is beaten. These spawn powerful alien enemies, and must be defeated by killing enough of their minions to break the shield. Each of the pillars and their mooks correspond to a method of offence - Vortex for ranged, Nebula for magic, Stardust for summoner and Solar for melee.
----
* AmazingTechnicolorBattlefield: All of them turn the background to an ominous moon with coloured background when fought. Each of their fragments can be used to craft a Monolith that can display their respective backgrounds at will.
* AntiAir: Go too high off the ground near the Solar Pillar, and you will be attacked by a Crawltipede; as they're massive, heavily damaging, and only take damage if you attack their tail segments, it's generally not something you want to happen. Fortunately, Crawltipedes can ''only'' attack airborne players; if you're standing on something solid, they'll leave you alone.
* AsteroidsMonster:
** The Stardust Pillar's Star Cells will split into multiple small Cells when killed. If left unattended, these small Cells will grow into full-sized Star Cells and start the process over again.
** Alien Queens from the Vortex Pillar will release Larvae upon death that can grow into Alien Hornets, which in turn will become more Alien Queens if not dealt with.
* AttackReflector: Selenians, summoned by the Solar Pillar, can attack with a spinning dive that also [[SpinToDeflectStuff reflects incoming projectiles]].
* BrownNote: It's suggested by the messages that appear after destroying them that they have a pretty bad effect on the player character. It is not clear whether this is the Towers' doing or the Moon Lord's.
-->'''First Tower:''' "Your mind goes numb.."\\
'''Second Tower:''' "You are overwhelmed with pain..."\\
'''Third Tower:''' "Otherworldly voices linger around you..."
* CosmicEntity: They have the markings of this as they both draw power from and seem to embody on a level their respective cosmic forces in the universe.
* DeflectorShields: When first encountered, they have a clear forcefield around them that makes them invulnerable. It's only when you kill off 100 (150 in Expert) of their minions that the shield breaks.
* EldritchAbomination: All four of the pillars are some kind of otherworldly aliens. It's unknown if they're even sentient. Many of the {{Mooks}} they teleport in also fit this, if they aren’t [[HumanoidAbomination humanoid]] or [[AnimalisticAbomination resembling various terrestrial animals]].
* EnergyWeapon: The preferred attack method of the Nebula Pillar's Nebula Floaters and the Vortex Pillar's Alien Queens and Storm Divers. Their lasers are among the more damaging attacks in the Lunar Events.
* FighterMageThief: And Summoner. Each of the towers are based on a method of offense -- Solar for Fighter, Nebula for Mage, Vortex for Ranger, and Stardust for Summoner. The Lunar Fragments they drop are also used to craft equipment corresponding to the respective tower's type.
* FlunkyBoss: The pillars do attack, but mainly rely on spawning minions. It's also required that you beat enough minions first in order to attack the boss itself. Once their shields are down, though, they are practically helpless and only have 20000 HP.
* HeroAntagonist: Their appearance is a last ditch effort to stop the [[EldritchAbomination Moon Lord]] from being released.
* HumanoidAliens: Each pillar summons at least one humanoid enemy: Stargazers for the Stardust Pillar, Predictors for the Nebula Pillar, Drakanians and Selenians for the Solar Pillar, and Vortexians and Storm Divers for the Vortex Pillar.
* IncreasinglyLethalEnemy: Alien Larvae around the Vortex Pillar are nearly harmless. Then they grow into manageable Alien Hornets, which will grow into deadly Alien Queens that drop more Larvae on death.
* LastDitchMove:
** Vortexians will summon a portal that releases a lightning bolt at the player when killed.
** Flow Invaders attack by generating minions that they shoot as projectiles, one at a time. When killed, the Flow Invader will launch all of its remaining minions at once.
* MookMaker: Besides the bosses themselves, the Stardust Pillar's Twinkle Poppers will summon Twinkles, small minions that [[ActionBomb explode on contact]].
* OurWormholesAreDifferent[=/=]SwirlyEnergyThingy: The Vortex Pillar creates these around the player, which spawn Alien Hornets.
* PlayingWithFire[=/=]ThePowerOfTheSun: The Solar Pillar's mooks are rather fiery and sun-like, and the pillar itself will attack with a shower of fireballs, many of which can be seen raining down in its background.
* ShockAndAwe: The portals created by the Vortex Pillar can sometimes shoot a bolt of lightning at you, instead of spawning more {{Mooks}}.
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: Storm Divers wield laser shotguns. It's certainly not better for the player, though, as they deal quite a bit of damage if the Storm Diver can line up a shot.
* ShowsDamage: Every time one of their minions (besides Crawltipedes) die, they generate a bolt of energy that strikes the Tower's shield and causes it to visibly weaken. The shield itself gets more and more transparent until finally bursting.
* StarfishAliens: Most of the minions summoned by these things are pretty weird looking. The Pillars themselves may also count.
* StarPower: Of the Lovecraftian sort. The Stardust Pillar is able to create "stars" around it that spawn Star Cells and Milkyway Weavers.
* StationaryBoss: They don't move at all, and none of them apart from the Solar Pillar are directly capable of attacking you.
* TeleportSpam: Nebula Floaters teleport around frequently while firing lasers in your general direction.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: The Pillars are physical anchors meant to keep the Moon Lord imprisoned, and it can be assumed that the invaders are actually defending them to prevent ''you'' from breaking the seal.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Moon Lord (Cthulhu)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/impending_doom.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"[[OhCrap Impending doom approaches...]]"]]
-->''The mastermind behind all terrors which befall the world, freed from his lunar prison. Practically a god, his power knows no limits.''
The Lunar Event Boss - a large, Cthulhu-like being that is summoned after the four Celestial Towers are destroyed. His arrival is signified by a sense of impending doom, as the screen starts warping and turning black. As of the 1.3 update, he is the final boss of the game. The 8th Anniversary Lore reveals that he ''is'' Cthulhu, albeit most likely in an incomplete physical form.
----
* AncientEvil: The 8th Anniversary Lore states that he arrived to Terraria long ago to rain destruction and to dominate all sentient life, but was heavily wounded and driven away to the moon by the Dryads. The Lunatic Cultist plans to bring him back in the current day.
* AntiRegeneration: When he's leeching energy from you, he applies the Moon Bite debuff which makes that affected player's lifesteal effects useless.
* AttackItsWeakPoint: The giant beating heart in his chest. The problem is that you must destroy all three of his eyes if you want him to expose it.
* BackgroundBoss: Stays in the background all the time. However, touching its eyes (or where they used to be) will deal CollisionDamage.
* BattleThemeMusic: One of six bosses with their own theme music, in his case [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lcnjjeq8ig an appropriately eldritch tune simply titled "Moon Lord"]].
* BeamSpam: The Moon Lord ''excels'' at this, with his entire offensive pattern being pretty much trying to obliterate the player with endless volleys of eldritch-plasma blasts while trying to pick them off with up to ''three'' giant laser blasts in one go.
* BodyHorror: His body from the neck down looks mostly human, but everything below the chest is missing, complete with exposed ribs and spine. His Cthulhu head also has an exposed brain, his heart is exposed through his chest, and his forehead and hands both have eyes set into them that can pop out and leave a gaping maw behind.
* BossVulnerability: Each of the targetable eyes are a Wait Them Out sort, while the heart is Always Vulnerable once it's exposed.
* CognizantLimbs: The eyeballs in his hands and his ThirdEye can attack separately and must be destroyed for him to expose his core.
* DamageSpongeBoss: His component parts have collectively more health than anything in the game. His ThirdEye and heart have more health than every other boss save the Destroyer.
* DarknessEqualsDeath: He turns the background around him black, so if you lose track of him, a good way to find out where he's gone is the background rapidly growing darker as he slowly comes back. He’ll also turn campfire flames ''black'' when he’s summoned.
* EldritchAbomination: An eldritch horror from the depths of space.
* EvilIsBigger: The largest enemy in the game as of 1.4 and the FinalBoss.
* ExtraEyes: He has five eyes on his head (although only one is targetable) and one on each palm.
* {{Expy}}: Heavily resembles Cthulhu. His eyeball minions are even called "True Eye Of Cthulhu". WordOfGod has stated that he is Cthulhu's brother. [[https://forums.terraria.org/index.php?threads/terraria-8th-anniversary-lore-event.79764/#post-1763546 8th Anniversary Lore Event]] drops the {{Expy}} part entirely though, referring to him simply as Cthulhu instead of as the Moon Lord.
* EyeBeams: His forehead eye can fire out a powerful Phantasmal Deathray while the eyes on his palms can fire laser shots. When his eyes are detached and become True Eyes of Cthulhu, they can use a weaker version of the Phantasmal Deathray.
* EyesDoNotBelongThere: Has an eye in each of his hands. He can also fire countless energy eyeballs at you for his attacks.
* EyesAreUnbreakable: Depleting the health of his eyes will simply cause them to pop out and become invulnerable True Eyes of Cthulhu instead of destroying them.
* FinalBoss: Is this for the entire game. Getting him to appear requires defeating almost every other boss. He is fittingly the absolute last thing on the Bestiary.
* FlunkyBoss: When each eye is beaten, they will become an invincible flunky that attacks on its own.
* GoForTheEye: The Moon Lord's eyes are his weak points in his first phase.
* GreaterScopeVillain: The 8th Anniversary Lore has him as the main antagonist that threatened Terraria long ago and his missing body parts are early game bosses but he has long since been sealed away and only appears for one boss fight. The [[BigBad Lunatic Cultist]] is the one who not only causes far more immediate problems (namely the creation of the mechanical bosses) but is the one who allows him to break free from his seal in the first place.
* HandicappedBadass: Is clearly still reeling from his defeat long ago evident by his entire missing lower half, but will give the player the fight of their life.
* HomingProjectile: Can fire Phantasmal Eyes that home in on players and explode.
* ImplacableMan: Do not let his slow movement fool you, this guy will never stop coming unless he kills you or dies trying. He will never despawn unless you die, so he'll chase you quite literally to the ends of the earth and the fact that he teleports to you when you get far enough away from him doesn't help.
* KaizoTrap: Before the Journey's End update, the holes where his weak points used to be will still hurt you during his death animation; if you're low enough on health, you'll get killed and he'll disappear without leaving behind any of his valuable drops or giving you the achievement for killing him.
* LifeDrain: Has an ability where his mouth sends out a sucker that starts draining balls of energy from you. If the balls are not destroyed before they reach his mouth, he regenerates health. During this, he'll inflict the Moon Bite debuff which also prevents you from lifestealing from him for the next fifteen seconds or so.
* MightyGlacier: The most powerful boss, and yet also one of the slowest. Granted, that's only his movement speed, his ''rate of attack'' is a [[LightningBruiser different story entirely]].
* MonsterProgenitor: Most of the pre-Hardmode bosses are implied by lore to be parts of his body that were torn off in his battle against the Dryads.
* MutualKill: Was torn to pieces by the Dryads and forced to retreat, leaving only his scattered body parts behind, but annihilated the Dryad civilization and killed all but one of them in the process.
* NoSell:
** He's immune to lifestealing effects from the Spectre Armor and the Vampire Knives when he's leeching energy from you.
** As of 1.3.0.6, it's impossible to "cheese" him via using MercyInvincibility from other sources of damage--he will still hit you.
* NothingIsScarier: Before he appears, the background music ominously disappears.
* OrganAutonomy: Even his detached organs are essentially {{Eldritch Abomination}}s in their own right.
* PowerFloats: Floats around the area effortlessly.
* {{Retcon}}: Initially, [[WordOfGod Cenx]] stated that the Moon Lord was the brother of Cthulhu. This was later revealed to be a joke. [[WordOfGod Red]] eventually clarified by adding that the Moon Lord ''is'' Cthulhu, albeit nowhere near full power and lacking a complete form.
* RasputinianDeath: His ability to endure mortal injury and keep on going is downright absurd. In the lore the Dryads really did a number on him, with the Moon Lord having been literally bisected, disembowelled and losing his eye along with at least some of his brain and bones before being finally sealed away. When he’s unsealed and does battle with the player, three more of his eyes are gouged out over the course of the lengthy fight and it takes the player pulverising his exposed heart with all they have for him to kick the bucket, with the resulting death knell vaporising all the remaining flesh on his body and reducing him to a skeleton.
* SequentialBoss: His three main eyes must be destroyed first, then his core will open.
* SicklyGreenGlow: Various parts of his body glow blue-green, and while he's alive, the entire screen will be tinted the same color.
* StatusInflictionAttack: Moon Bite is of the Decover type, preventing LifeDrain effects from working on him.
* StrippedToTheBone: When beaten, his skeleton drops to the ground.
* SuperPersistentPredator: Will chase the players across the map. 1.3.0.4 made it such that he just teleports right to you if you get too far from him.
* TacticalSuicideBoss: The Moon Lord's forehead eye is closed and cannot be attacked most of the time. It only opens to fire the Phantasmal Deathray, at which point it becomes vulnerable to damage.
* ThirdEye: While he has four other eyes on his head (and one on each hand), the one on his forehead is the most prominent: it has the most health, is closed for most of the time and is the only one that can fire the Phantasmal Deathray.
* WaveMotionGun: Can fire a Phantasmal Deathray from his ThirdEye. It sweeps around from one side of the screen to the other and does a great amount of damage while penetrating solid blocks. When an eye is detached, it can use a similar but weaker laser.
* WhoNeedsTheirWholeBody: Is capable of being an apocalyptic threat even after having been bisected, disemboweled, de-boned, blinded, and ''lobotomized.'' In fact, the parts that were taken out of him just got up and started their own reigns of terror.
* WorfHadTheFlu: It's implied that he was not at full power when battling the player, as his physical form was incomplete.
* YouWillNotEvadeMe: The 1.3.0.4 update made it such that he teleports right to you if you get too far from him.
[[/folder]]
