Shadow Orb



A Shadow Orb is a floating purple sphere, found deep in the Chasms of The Corruption. Destroying at least three of these orbs (in a single world) will usually be a crucial step in game advancement. This can be done using any Hammer, or Bombs/Dynamite. Shadow Orbs emit purple, flickering light, similar to Demon Altars. They are the Corruption counterpart to the Crimson's Crimson Hearts.

Multiple Shadow Orbs are found in the Corruption, each located at the bottom of a Chasm, surrounded by Ebonstone. While mining Ebonstone requires at least a Nightmare Pickaxe, Ebonstone can be converted to normal Stone Blocks with Purification Powder, and mined with a lower-tier Pickaxe. Alternatively, Bombs or Dynamite can be used to destroy Ebonstone.

Consequences of destruction

 * Each destroyed Shadow Orb drops items. The first will always drop a Musket and some Musket Balls, and carrying the Musket and/or Musket Balls will fulfill the criteria for the Arms Dealer to arrive.
 * Destroying at least one Shadow Orb fulfills one of the two criteria for a Goblin Army to attack (having at least 200 health is the other requirement).
 * The third Shadow Orb destroyed summons the Eater of Worlds, which spawns immediately. The Eater of Worlds is re-summoned with every third Shadow Orb destroyed.
 * Each Shadow Orb destroyed provides a chance for a Meteorite to land. Each Shadow Orb gives a separate 50% chance of immediately causing a Meteorite to fall when destroyed between midnight (12:00am) and dawn (4:30am). Destroying any number of Shadow Orbs between dawn and midnight will only allow one 50% chance of a Meteorite falling the following midnight.
 * Once a Shadow Orb is destroyed, the Traveling Merchant has a chance to sell the Revolver.

Messages
The following status messages appear upon destruction of Shadow Orbs:
 * First Orb: "A horrible chill runs down your spine..."
 * Second Orb: "Screams echo around you..."
 * Third Orb: "Eater of Worlds has awoken!"

Trivia

 * The Shadow Orb may be a reference to the spherical structure found at the center of a meteorite from the story "The color from space" by H. P. Lovecraft. This may explain why smashing it causes a meteorite to land.


 * The achievement, “Smashing, Poppet.” is a reference to the Nickelodeon cartoon, The Wild Thornberries, where Nigel Thornberry’s catchphrase is “Smashing” and he usually calls his daughter, “Poppet.”

History
Orbe Sombre