Eater of Souls

The Eater of Souls is a flying enemy found prominently in The Corruption (but will follow fleeing players into non-corrupted areas). It spawns from both Ebonstone and corrupted dirt, with large groups coming from Chasms.

There are currently 3 size variants, each with corresponding amounts of health, defense, and damage. They include the Little Eater and Big Eater, with the original Eater of Souls as the medium-sized variant.

The Eater of Souls is the primary reason that newer players will want to avoid The Corruption prior to becoming more familiar with game combat, and acquiring more powerful Weapons and Defenses. Eaters have relatively high defense and health points, cause significant damage on contact, and usually attack in swarms.

Tips

 * Chasms can be sealed off with blocks of any type, except dirt (as dirt can itself become corrupt and spawn Eaters above), which will trap its Eater swarms below and thin out the numbers you need to deal with at once. Note that Eaters may continue to spawn from the surrounding corrupted dirt, though to a lesser degree.
 * As a cheap and early-game solution to Eater of Souls, the entire Corruption area can be gradually covered with blocks, as the player keeps their character sealed in with blocks (again, other than dirt) to prevent Eaters from spawning above ground. Without adequate clearance above the corrupted surface, Eaters will not even be able to spawn, except within the Chasms you hopefully sealed off.
 * An easier alternative is to buy Purification Powder from the Dryad.

History
Mangeur d'âmes Eater of Souls Eater of Souls Поедатель душ