Eater of Worlds

"Screams echo around you..."

The Eater of Worlds is a pre-Hardmode giant Corruption-themed worm boss. It is summoned using the Worm Food from within The Corruption, or by destroying 3 Shadow Orbs that spawn in Corruption worlds.

The Eater of Worlds is not a single target, but a string of 50 segments (1 head, 48 body, 1 tail) with individual life counters. When any inner segment is destroyed, it splits into multiple smaller worms, each with their own head and tail. Each section of the Eater must be killed in order to defeat the entire boss.

Defeating the Eater of Worlds is the only way to obtain Shadow Scales, and is one of the ways to obtain usable quantities of Demonite Ore. Individual segments drop some of these when killed, with a larger bonus drop upon defeating the entire entity. The Eater of Worlds is immune to the Poisoned, On Fire!, and Cursed Inferno debuffs, and like all worms, is immune to Lava.

Defeating the Eater of Worlds allows the Tavernkeep NPC to spawn (in corrupt worlds).

The Crimson counterpart is the Brain of Cthulhu. The Hardmode Mechanical Boss equivalent of the Eater of Worlds is The Destroyer.

While the Eater of Worlds is alive, music Boss 1 will play.

Expert Mode changes

 * In Expert mode, the Eater of Worlds periodically shoots Vile Spit projectiles from all body parts. These projectiles have a 5% (1/20) chance to inflict the Weak debuff onto the player for 10 minutes.
 * In Expert mode, the Eater of Worlds takes 80% less damage from most explosives.
 * This damage reduction does not seem to apply to Bouncy Bombs.

Tips

 * Weapons that pierce for multiple hits are effective, due to the Eater's large size and multiple parts.
 * Additionally, weapons with a large area of effect such as Grenades can be used to great effect. Keep in mind grenades seem to deal much less damage against it in Expert mode.
 * Jester's Arrows are exceptionally useful against this boss. Their infinite piercing and decent damage allow them to destroy entire sections after it splits a few times, and they can still deal insane damage before then.
 * The individual worms have a tendency to retreat into the ground when their heads are destroyed.
 * If possible, try to aim for the head or tails of each section, as if they die first, they will not split into more.
 * Farming the Eater of Worlds is one of the most effective ways of making money prior to Hardmode. Mid-game armor and weapons will make the fight easy, and selling its drops will yield 9 to 11 each time, on average.
 * In Hardmode, farming the Eater of Worlds is a great way to get a Corruption Key/Mold and Souls of Night as every segment has a chance of dropping one.
 * Also, in a Corrupt Snow Biome, farming it is an effective way to farm Amaroks as each individual segment has the 1:80 chance to drop it, each yoyo can sell for 5 depending on the modifier.
 * Similarly, the Eater of Worlds can be farmed in corrupt Oceans for Pirate Maps.
 * The Vilethorn (a 20% chance drop from smashing Shadow Orbs) can be effective against the Eater of Worlds as it can pierce through walls and can hit multiple segments of the Eater of Worlds at once.
 * Since the Eater of Worlds will some times surround you, a quick way to get out is to have a bed over the battle area; you can then use a recall potion, magic mirror, ice mirror, or a cell phone to get out.
 * Building a closed box (about 15x15) and using Water Bolt constantly is a great way to fight Eater of Worlds, however, you will need a decent amount of Health and Mana. Similar tactic can be used against Brain of Cthulhu.
 * In Expert mode, the Eater of Worlds will likely take all the money a player drops upon death, as each segment counts as a separate NPC. Therefore it is suggested that players store their money in a Chest, Piggy Bank, or Safe before summoning it.
 * The Slime Mount will bounce and destroy Expert mode Vile Spit if hit from atop, leaving the player undamaged.

History
Weltenfresser 世界吞噬怪