Guide:Surviving in the Corruption

Surviving in the Corruption can be tricky for new players. It holds powerful enemies, deep chasms, and can spread across the world. You might be thinking "Why would I go there!?" Well, there are things in the Corruption that are needed to advance through the game. One example is the that can be broken to summon the Eater of Worlds, which is needed in order to craft Shadow armor and, most importantly, the Nightmare Pickaxe.

= Pre-Hardmode =

Recommended Gear

 * Have at least 200 health. Magic users should have at least 100 Mana.
 * It is recommended to have at least Silver armor or Tungsten armor. Althrough you can also bring Gold armor or Platinum armor, these are more expensive to craft.

Weapons

 * Gold Broadsword.png Melee users should bring Gold Broadsword or Platinum Broadsword at minimum, or Light's Bane if you already defeated Eye of Cthulhu (which is recommended to defeat it first).
 * An Enchanted Boomerang is also a good weapon to bring with you. They greatly help at keeping Eater of Souls at bay.
 * Silver Bow.png Ranged users should bring a Silver Bow with, if possible, Fire Arrows. Fire Arrows are easy to craft and farm, as Wood can be replanted infinitely, and Slimes are very common and easy to slain.
 * Sapphire Staff.png Magic users should bring at least Sapphire or Emerald Staff at minimum. If you found a lot of Rubies or Diamonds, use these staves instead.
 * Shuriken.png Throwing users can easily bring one stack of Shurikens or Knives, as they're easy to obtain. Grenades can also be used, althrough you may need to be careful to not be caught in it's explosion blast.
 * If you already killed Pinky, you can instead craft Molotov Cocktails, which are very powerful throwing weapon.

Miscellaneous

 * Bring with you at least a half stack (15 out 30) of Lesser Healing Potions. Also bring Lesser Mana Potions if you use Magic.
 * A Grappling Hook is highly recommended. They can help you navigate the chasms.

Dealing With Enemies
The most common enemies in the Corruption are the Eater of Souls: these are flying enemies that will fly out of reach, then charge the player. They can be dispatched with relative ease, but they give you a hard time if they are in a pack.

Another, althrough not as common as Eater of Souls, foe is the Devourer: these worm enemies will pop out of the ground to attack the player. They can be detected by the noise they make while travelling underground. The best way to kill these is to hit them with a Broadsword while they are arcing over to go back into the ground.

Finding Shadow Orbs
are circular, glowing entities that are located in the Corruption's many chasms. Finding these is vital, as they allow the player to summon the Eater of Worlds, which is needed to fight as it drops Demonite Ore and Shadow Scales, which are needed to craft Shadow armor and the Nightmare Pickaxe, the latter being crucial to the player's advancement into the game.

Shadow Orbs let off a faint glow which will allow the player to easily locate them, but can only be reached initially by use of Bombs, or Purification Powder purchased from the Dryad. They can be destroyed by using a Hammer or Bombs.

Destroying the orbs will give you the following messages:


 * When the first Orb is broken, "A horrible chill goes down your spine..." will appear;
 * When the second is broken, "Screams echo around you..." will appear;
 * When the third one is broken, the Eater of Worlds will spawn, with "Eater of Worlds has awoken!" appearing.

It is recommended only to destroy two Orbs, until the player feels like they are ready to battle the Eater of Worlds.

= Hardmode = In Hardmode, you can smash Demon Altars with your newly obtained Pwnhammer. Altars are also crafting stations, so you'll want to find one underground near your base and perhaps place a room around it to remind yourself not to smash it.

Return to the Surface Corruption (where the most Altars can be found), and smash at least 3 Altars. This will cause 3 hardmode ores to generate.

While exploring the Underground, you might find the Underground Corruption, which contains new hazards that you have to deal with.