Guide:Golem strategies

Golem is the Hardmode boss at the end of the Lihzahrd Temple, also called the Jungle Temple. It is summoned by using the Lihzahrd Power Cell at the Lihzard Altar. It can be summoned multiple times consecutively. It has high HP, high defense, and multiple limbs and phases.

Terrain Preparation
If this is your first encounter with Golem, then you will not possess the Picksaw capable of shaping the Lihzahrd Temple's blocks, so your customization is limited, unless you use actuators to disable the blocks under the altar. The arena that the fight occurs in is also varied in width/height. For safety reasons, you can and should use whatever pickaxe that you do have and remove all of the traps as these can be hazardous in the fight. There are a few ways you can customize the default arena to make the fight much easier.


 * For health regeneration, include a Campfire, a Heart Lantern and a pool of Honey to dunk yourself in every 30 seconds.
 * Create a small wall dividing the entrance and the arena, leaving an opening for your weapon/magic/projectiles to get through. This becomes more difficult if your default layout has the entrance in the ceiling.
 * Create a much larger wall that divides the arena on either side of the altar leaving an opening at the top for you to leap through post-spawn and a spot for your weapon/magic/projectiles.
 * Utilizing either of the above strategies, but sealing the weapon hole and using the Chlorophyte Partisan.
 * An assortment of small walls scattered through out the arena.
 * A small pit that you can leap into while Golem stomps and punches. This will allow you to deal heavy damage, but you have to be cautious about his eye lasers and fireballs. A heart statue in the pit with you can be useful in keeping you alive.
 * Teleporters for dodging the attacks and safe travel from side to side.
 * You can also use some of the traps you found, but one can easily get damaged as well, so use these carefully.

The walls need only be one block thick. The importance of these walls are that they will halt Golem's movement/jumps/flight, and destroy the spawned fireballs. They do not block eye lasers.

Spike Ball Strategy

Grab all of the spike ball traps and wire from the temple as you pass through it, then when you get to the chamber at the end follow these instructions. Feel free to build a short wall in the entryway to the Golem's summoning chamber to block off the temple's monster spawns from interrupting your fight. Build a vertical wall halfway through the room with three holes in it big enough for you to pass through (3 blocks high). Then build a horizontal walking path on the half of the room opposite from the half Golem's altar is on (as in, not on that side of the room) (One of your vertical wall holes should be level with your walking path, the other should be where your wall meets the ceiling, and the last should be where your wall meets the floor). Make sure there is one hole in it big enough for you to pass through (2 blocks wide) and also make sure you have a small pool space for honey (1 block high, 2 blocks wide). On the side of the room with the altar, build a ceiling using any block type straight across (make sure that your ceiling only covers the open space and not any nooks or crannies). Below the ceiling install as many spike ball traps as will fit, and then hook them up to a pressure plate which you will locate anywhere on your walkway for your convenience. Place a campfire and a heart lantern anywhere that makes sense, and be sure you've got the best armor you can get your hands on, plus as many speed increasing modifiers and at least the Lightning boots. Summon the Golem, then spend the first few minutes of the fight standing in the lower corner (away from the Golem) slashing/shooting/casting magic at the fist that can cross the room to punch you until it breaks. Then hop/fly onto your walkway and proceed to rain deadly spike balls upon the Golem. Focus on hitting your pressure plate as often as you can, while dodging the Golem's laser eyes (Phase 2) as best as you can by flying around your little corner of the room and dunking yourself in your honey pool as often as you can. When Golem's head detaches (Phase 3) be sure to hop over your ceiling hole to make it follow you there, then when you jump back to your walkway it should just hover overhead (instead of right next to you). Continue dodging, dunking, and stomping on your pressure plate until Golem is nothing more than a big pile of dust and drops. :)

Armor
It's advised to arrive in updated sets for your preferred specialization: Shroomite armor for ranged characters, Turtle armor for melee characters, Spectre Armor for magic characters, or Beetle Armor for melee characters who have defeated Golem already. If you are a magic character who has not attempted the Hardmode Dungeon yet, they should use Chlorophyte Armor. At minimum one would want Chlorophyte armor, Hallowed Armor,Dragon Armor or Frost Armor. Regardless of specialization one may prefer to use Beetle armor for the fight due to its high mitigation which is extremely useful for the Golem fight assuming you do not utilize the wall trick.

NOTE:You need to have already defeated Golem to get Beetle armor.

Melee
Melee is a decent class for fighting Golem, although end-game gear will be required.
 * The Chlorophyte Partisan is extremely useful when using the wall strategy detailed further down. Even range/casters may also consider utilizing the benefit that it offers the fight by means of its platform penetrating spore cloud. Other spears can be used as well.
 * Vampire Knives is also another recommended melee item that is good for the fight as the healing helps quite a bit.
 * The Death Sickle and the Turtle Armor means you can (excluding the Temple Key) kill it using pre-Plantera gear while being safe from Golem's fists.
 * The Scourge of the Corruptor is extremely useful as it does good damage, splits into three and is homing.
 * The Paladin's Hammer's piercing is convenient, as it can hit the fist and the head at the same time and deal massive amounts of damage.
 * Flower Pow will work against Golem if you have some decent dodging skills. Hold the left button with the flail and it will shoot flower petals at Golem.
 * The Eye of Cthulhu can be obtained by the first encounter (obtained during the Solar Eclipse, which can be easily summoned from items in the Jungle Temple), and with a Godly prefix and yoyo bag, can kill the Golem in 60 seconds flat, likely before you even need to heal.
 * Terra Blade is useful with good armor.
 * The Mushroom Spear works well due to its high damage and its long reach and if you are using the wall technique and if you have already obtained the Truffle NPC.
 * The Fetid Baghnakhs can also be a good weapon if used with a Cross Necklace and enough melee speed boost.

Ranged

 * A Megashark or Venus Magnum or even a Clockwork Assault Rifle coupled with Crystal bullets is recommended. Explosive Bullets will also get the job done.
 * The Candy Corn Rifle or the Stake Launcher will also work, though this will be a tough fight, especially with the Stake Launcher due to the lower rate of fire.
 * A Chlorophyte Shotbow with Cursed Arrows, Hellfire Arrows or better arrows make quick work of the Golem.
 * A Flamethrower is extremely effective in the first part of the battle as it's large projectile deals high damage to the whole boss.
 * A Piranha Gun will stop Golem from attacking when shooting his fists, making the fight much easier. After destroying the fists, you may have to redirect the piranha to Golems head while dodging his lasers and fireballs.
 * The Tactical Shotgun's spread combined with Crystal Bullets or Chlorophyte Bullets can be a powerful secondary weapon if used with damage increasing modifiers.
 * The Rocket Launcher with Rocket III with a Demonic prefix will kill Golem very quickly due to its high damage. Just don't let him get close to you and you'll do fine.

Magic

 * The Nimbus Rod will provide constant damage. If you're using it with wings and Hermes/Frostspark/Lightning Boots, then fly in with the wings and put clouds above his head. Keep on repeating, and use the boots to dodge his projectiles and fists.
 * The Magnet Sphere, Bat Scepter, and Rainbow Gun, will allow for great sustain.
 * The Shadowbeam Staff can attack multiple parts at once, though the damage drop-off can make it less damaging than other weapons.
 * Spamming the Inferno Fork on Golem's head is very effective as the explosion radius will damage the hands, stop the hands from attacking you and damage Golem heavily.
 * Lower-tier weapons recommended are Crystal Storm, Cursed Flames, and Rainbow Rod.
 * Leaf Blower for more precise hits.
 * Using Spectre Armor and the Magnet Sphere will bring great results.
 * Using Spectre Armor with the Spectre Hood, along with Magic Cuffs/Celestial Cuffs and Star Veil/Cross Necklace allows for a very easy fight. Stay right underneath the Golem and let him constantly damage you. The cuffs will allow you to restore Mana while the armor heals you as you damage him. This strategy works great with a Laser Machinegun and can be done without using a single Mana or Healing potion.
 * If you haven't obtained the Inferno Fork yet, the Toxic Flask dropped by Dr. Man Fly is a good alternative for the beginning of the fight, as it does a good amount of splash damage, if you have enough potions to support the high mana cost.
 * Using the Toxic Flask with a decent modifier in combination with the (Hood) Spectre Armour and Magic/Celestial Cuffs allows you to outheal the boss. Stand still, let him damage you and throw the flask straight up as fast as possible. This way, it is possible to equal his DPS with your healing.

Summon

 * The Staff of the Frost Hydra is extremely helpful. The Hydra will attack one of the side of Golem, making quick work of his fist.

Accessories
Mobility is important due to the multiple ways damage is being dealt in the fight. Wings are very helpful and can be supported by accessories like Shiny Red Balloon and its equivalents. Wings may be dropped if one can jump multiple times, one would however need to equip more accessories. With equipping wings, players can also omit the Rocket Boots and its advancements, since running would mean hitting Golem and to fly over is a much safer alternative.

Charm of Myths is recommended since there is a lot of damage being passed around without a wall, so multiple potions may be necessary. The natural regeneration will also allow you to take advantage of easier phases of the fights. Alternatively, you can switch to Charm of Myths only when drinking health potions, and use another accessory for the rest of the battle. Star Veil and/or Obsidian Shield may also be useful to negate the chance of being clipped by multiple projectiles.

Avenger Emblem and other damage increasing emblems/accessories are very useful for quickly ending the 'hard' phases of the fight given the longer they last the bigger room for error. Magic Cuffs and Mana Flower can be useful for magic characters.

Potions

 * Greater Healing Potion or Horn of Plenty are useful.
 * Increasing damage with Archery Potion or Magic Power Potion is very helpful.
 * Ironskin Potion, Regeneration Potion, and Mana Regeneration Potion will assist in survivability.
 * Any item that provides Well Fed, such as Pumpkin Pie and Bowl of Soup, are easy to make and can only help.
 * The Clairvoyance buff from a Crystal Ball is also recommended for magic users.
 * Lifeforce Potion, Ammo Reservation Potion, Rage Potion, Wrath Potion etc. are very useful here as well as during any other battles.
 * Gravitation Potion if you don't want to use wings.

The Battle
The Golem fight is divided into four phases. Golem has two forms and there are two phases for each form.

Golem has a total of four attackable targets, but only two are necessary to defeat:
 * Golem Head - This is the main target during the first form. It will frequently spew two fire balls that bounce and fire plantera lasers that increase in frequency when its HP lowers.
 * Golem Body - This is the main target during the second form. Its main attack is a jump attack.
 * Right Arm - This is an optional target. It uses a punch attack with a reach that can extend across the arena.
 * Left Arm - This is an optional target with the exact same moveset as the Right Arm. It uses a punch attack with a reach that can extend across the arena.
 * One strategy is the Small Space strategy. Make a vertical wall, but put a 3 block gap at the bottom and top so you can get in and out. Also build a horizontal line (blocks, not platforms)with a 3 block gap somewhere along it. The horizontal line should stop at the vertical line.When Golem spawns, he should jump up on the horizontal platform, but not go back down. This allows you to hit him continuously (Death Sickle highly approved), without taking too much potions (max 2-3). This also allows you to kill him fast. Also someone on top of the vertical line shooting on Golem is very helpful.

Phase 1
Once summoned, Golem will move around while slowly attacking with its fists. The head will continuously spit two fireballs that will bounce around the arena. The head (15000 HP) and arms are the targets during this phase, with the head being the main target. The arms don't necessarily need to be destroyed, but they can become a nuisance as the fight goes on. Note that Lihzahrd enemies can spawn in the arena.

Phase 2
When Golem's head HP reaches 50%, it will begin using eye lasers. They start out at an average interval, but as the head's HP is reduced, the frequency of the lasers will increase. When the head's hit points reaches zero the second form begins. The lasers signal a dps race and all focus should be concentrated on getting through each laser phase.

Phase 3
Destroying the head stops the laser assault and reveals Golem's true form. The body (8000 HP) is the main target and destroying it will end the fight. The body will jump around and if the arms still exist, they will punch faster compared to phase one. The head will be attacking while flying around (able to pass through blocks).

Phase 4
When the body has 50% health left, the head will begin firing lasers again. Like the first form, the laser frequency will increase as the body's hit points decrease.