Guide:Expert Mode

Summary
"Fortune and Glory, kid" Expert Mode is pretty much a harder mode of the game. It offers harder enemies, slightly increased effects of debuffs, and unique boss loot. It is recommended to play the normal gamemode of the game before playing this gamemode because it is far more difficult.

The Beginning
Possibly you already know the basics (Get wood, break pots, and grab surface chests). It is pretty useful to use a ranged character for the beginning of the game since the enemies are far stronger and does a lot of damage when they touch you. Don't go exploring at night when you still have beginner gear because the zombies will be swarming you and kill you instantly.

Dig a hole straight down next to your base, (and dont forget to make a way up and a way down as well) until you find a large cave. Find minerals until you get stronger armor and weapons. And be sure to grab any chests you find.

Preparing for the Bosses
Bosses are harder in expert mode because they have 2x health and 2x damage, they have a third stage when normally they only have one, so be prepared.

At this point you would've had a few Heart Crystals and have 180 health, if you find another Heart Crystal don't consume it because if you do, it will trigger the 1 in 3 chance of spawning the Eye of Cthulhu while unprepared, so keep that one until you have gear like these:
 * Gold or Platinum Armor
 * Musket or The Undertaker
 * Ice Blade or with some luck, Enchanted sword
 * Cloud in a bottle (Blizzard of Sandstorm if you can)
 * Hermes boots or its counterparts
 * A very well-made arena will give you more chances to win
 * Minecarts are very cheap against EoC, as you can then travel faster than the eye himself

Eater of Worlds
Eater of Worlds is a much harder boss in expert mode than in normal mode, but he also drops a very useful accessory, known as the Worm Scarf. The segments shoot vile spits, he travels/digs at a much steeper rate so it'll be harder to dodge in the underground, and overall boosted damage and health. Here's a few tips:
 * A simple weapon of choice would be at least a Gold/Platinum Bow with Jester's Arrows. This has great pierce.
 * Avoid using yoyos, they're great in general but not against worms like this.
 * Inferno potion would help against the vile spits but assuming you're not in Hardmode, you can only get this from shadow chests, this is completely optional.
 * Waterbolt is a terrific magic weapon.
 * Aqua Scepter is great too.
 * Spiky Balls can be bought from the tinkerer and they're still great in expert mode!

Brain of Cthulu
Brain of Cthulu has a few differences, including chances for debuffs, so make sure you dodge as much as you can. In the first phase, the servants are twice as aggressive. In the second/last phase, he spawns decoys to try and confuse the player, the lower the health, the more transparent the decoys are. Here's a few tips:
 * Spiky Balls exploit the entire nature of this boss, the #1 weapon of choice

Skeletron
Skeletron is one of the hardest bosses you'll ever fight in expert mode, the heads health is nearly doubled, the hands health are nearly tripled, you have to defeat the hands before attacking the head, and once they're removed he shoots skulls that hurt half the damage from his head. What's more, here's a few tips:
 * Shield of Cthulu, obtained after defeating Eye of Cthulu, is a very useful accessory for mobility.
 * Try building an arena that is both good for vertical and horizontal movements. It's easy to make the mistake of making a straight row of platforms, so make sure you have a tall arena as well.
 * If you want to challenge yourself and fight Skeletron before EoC, use a hook with minecart tracks to hook to. With a nice hook, Sapphire or better, the boots aren't even mandatory. However, it his highly suggested that you at least use the accessories as said above for EoC.
 * Spinning head must be avoided, it can leave you trapped and it's game over.
 * In the second phase, if you get used to the tempo of the skulls, you can cut through every few of them at the right time.
 * If fighting him for the first time, try moving around in a circle when he starts shooting the skulls.
 * If you fight the Queen Bee before and obtain the Bee's Knees, it will make killing Skeletron nearly three times as fast. Drink an Archery potion and he will be a piece of cake.

Queen Bee
Queen Bee only has differences when it comes to speed and buffed stats. Still however, it's important you exploit her nature, in different ways.
 * The stingers still can't pass through blocks.
 * She can still only shoot downwards.
 * The lower the health, the faster she shoots the stingers.
 * The lower the health, the faster she dashes.
 * The lower the health, the more bees she'll spawn at a faster rate.
 * Use spiky balls and travel in a circle, posing yourself on the opposite side of her. This will make her try to move above you, and as the bee is below you she'll get caught in the spiky balls.
 * If you don't like moving around in circles, you can build an arena where there's platforms in tall rows, with half the arena covered in solid blocks. Because the stingers can't pass through blocks, this is a probable choice to use.

Wall of Flesh
Wall of Flesh is another boss that will shred you in expert mode if you don't run away soon enough. Not only he has buffed stats, but the hungrys respawn, so a piercing weapon is essential. Also, the lower the health, the faster he gets,which is like normal mode, except he can get fast enough to outrun your Hermes Boots (or counterpart) Here's a few tips:
 * Keep him off-screen, this will make the lasers easier to dodge and stop you from getting hit by the wall.
 * Beenades with a Hive Pack will cause death in a mere minute. No strategy needed, just roll them out.
 * Phoenix Blaster with Meteor Shot is still a nice weapon of choice, due to the rapid damage+pierce.
 * Build a bridge covering at least half of your world for safety measures. It'll really pay off.
 * You can use Water Walking Potions against him and keep him way off screen, so you won't need a bridge.

The Twins
The Twins aren't much of a difference in expert mode, they just move faster and have buffed stats as most bosses have. Still however, here's a few tips to help out dodging:
 * Spazmatism's cursed ball flames give some more damage so it's important to dodge these for a safety measure. Simply move up and down at the right tempo to cut through the flames, and once he starts charging move to the side and fly away. Repeat process until he hits second form.
 * Retinazer is a difficult component because the laser attack is unpredictable. When he starts dashing it's at longer strides at slower rates comparing to Spazmatism, so watch out for the dashes.
 * Spazmatism's second form is simply faster and deadlier than on normal mode, so make sure you don't move in a straight line, shift up and down at opposite sides, reflecting off of the x-axis. In other words, move up when he dashes down, and move down when he dashes up. It will exploit the nature and make the fight 10x easier.
 * Retinazer's second form tends to be the most difficult part for most people on average. But if you move in a circle, you'll most likely be fine.
 * In general, like normal mode, make sure you kill one before getting the other in second form. (Spazmatism and then Retinazer is suggested)

The Destroyer
120,000 Hit-points on this robotic worm sounds like a long road to drive on. But if you follow these tips, you'll pass the test with no problem:
 * Daedalus Stormbow is a very popular bow for a particular reason: It's super cheap. Use it with Holy Arrows and the boss will go down in seconds.
 * If you're still having trouble, ride in a minecart!
 * (These two tips can also be used in normal mode)

Skeletron Prime
Skeletron Prime has the least difference out of the three mechanical bosses in expert mode, but here's a few tips anyways:
 * Destroy the prime laser first, then go for the head.
 * Make an arena with platforms and not solid blocks, else the bombs will explode as you touch the solid ground on impact. The bombs are deadly so this is essential without tank gear.
 * A great weapon of choice is the Megashark or even better, Shadowflame Knife. Shadowflame Knife is the weapon of choice against only this boss, although you can still use it for the Twins. Because the Knives bounce around on impact, you can target the head and as they bounce off, they can still hit the arms. Also apply the Shadowflame Debuff, so with Frost armor and a Fire Gauntlet, the debuffs will make him melt to pieces.

Plantera
For most people, Plantera is the hardest boss to surpass without any cheesing. Here's a few tips:
 * Make a very tall arena with the platforms near the top, this will help the Spiky Balls she shoots out to be easier to dodge as they'll fall towards the bottom.
 * Use Teleporters, one in your arena, the other at the surface, once she reaches second form, teleport to the surface and head towards the ocean. (An arena is suggest for the ocean for safety measures)
 * An even cheaper trick than the one above is the Fetid Baghnakh trick. Enclose in a tight space, use Titanium armor, cross necklace, and a bunch of buffs as well as offensive accessories, and you can kill Plantera in a mere few seconds. You don't even have to move one bit.

Golem
Golem barely has any difference in expert mode, just higher damage and health. Here's a few tips:
 * Destroy the hands first.
 * When the head starts shooting lasers, move back and forth above him in a "rainbow" formation.
 * Build a simple platform near the ground, around 15 blocks above. It'll make the fight just a bit easier.
 * Dart Pistol if you have a crimson world is superior to this boss, using Crystal Darts for the hands and head, then use Ichor Darts for the head.
 * Also, if you have a crimson world, use Vampire Knives if you wanna steamroll him
 * If you have corruption, Scourge of the Corrupter is an absolute choice as well.
 * Above all, Megashark is still considerable, with Chlorophyte Bullets.
 * Suggested armor: Turtle Armor or above.

Duke Fishron
Duke Fishron is a fun boss to fight, especially in expert mode, with a new third stage at the end that will make your adrenaline go nuts. Here's a few tips:
 * Possessed Hatchet is the #1 weapon of choice, especially for melee class characters.
 * For a ranger, use the Tactical Shotgun with Chlorophyte Bullets.
 * For a mage, use the Spectre Staff or the Leaf Blower.
 * Tips for Sharknados, make sure that they spawn on each edge of the ocean, switching left and right. This is very easy in the first stage, but in the second stage, be careful!


 * For Duke Fishron, you can exploit his third form by jumping at a steady tempo, it may take a few tries but if you have a bottle equipped and you just jump up and down, falling/jumping RIGHT as he teleports each time, you'll be off the hook.

General Tips
Expert mode doesn't just make you prepare more, it makes you more cautious with getting hit. You can actually get so good at dodging that a Worm Scarf or Band of Regeneration won't be needed at all. Here's a few tips:
 * Blizzard in a Bottle (or even Sandstorm) instead of Cloud in a Bottle make a tremendous difference in the long run.
 * Sandstorm in a Bottle will give you the opportunity for the Bundle of Balloons without even traveling in another world, an extremely useful accessory. Just get the other two bottles, and then fish up in the sky for the Sky Crates and get two Shiny Red Balloon's, the third can be gotten from a floating island originally in your world.
 * The tips above include bottles because these accessories are essential for dodging, vertically. If you were fighting Duke Fishron, and he dashes towards you, if you were just wearing wings, you'd most likely get hit. But if you had the bundle equipped, he would be a piece of cake.
 * If you don't know what accessories to replace with these bottles, replace the Cobalt/Obsidian Shield or any other type of accessory that neglects knockback. This is a possibility because dodging is much more important, and if you never get hit, you'd never need the shield. Besides, the shield helps getting hit less annoying, while the bottle's and balloon's helps getting hit less often. Easy to say which method is more useful.
 * Yoyos are a great addition to the game, and the name is shouted in expert mode. Amazon and Yelets are some of the cheapest ones to get. Amazon can be crafted for little materials right in the beginning of the game in the jungle. Amarok can be gotten from any enemy by chance in the Ice biome in Hardmode. Yelets can be gotten from any enemy by chance in the Jungle biome after at least one mechanical boss is defeated in Hardmode.