The Destroyer

The Destroyer is a Hardmode mechanical boss which is essentially a more difficult version of the Eater of Worlds. Like the Eater of Worlds, it is a very large worm. Although it appears to be similarly made up of many segments, individual segments cannot die, and The Destroyer will not split apart into multiple entities; its segments share a singular health pool. Like other worms, The Destroyer takes increased damage from attacks that damage multiple segments at once.

The Destroyer can be summoned manually using a Mechanical Worm at night (7:30PM to 4:30AM). It also has a chance to spawn naturally at dusk once a Demon or Crimson Altar has been destroyed, as long as it has not yet been defeated at least once in the current world. If spawning this way, its arrival is announced by the status message "".

Each of The Destroyer's segments contains a red-lit, which is an independent flying enemy that is launched periodically as the boss takes damage. Probes can be killed individually once detached, and never return to The Destroyer. They fire lasers at the player, both while within The Destroyer and when detached. If the red light is missing from a segment, it means the Probe was already launched from that segment.

The Destroyer must be killed before dawn, otherwise it flees and despawns.

Behavior
The Destroyer spawns coiled up, like most worm enemies, and immediately uncoils and moves toward the player. It follows the player from any distance, and will only despawn if the player dies or if dawn comes (4:30AM). It despawns by quickly traveling underground until off-screen.

The Destroyer leaps from the ground and attempts to ram the player. It has limited mobility when fully in the air, requiring blocks or platforms to "burrow" through. It also attempts to surround the player, and if the player is too close to the ground it can succeed.

In addition, The Destroyer performs the following attacks:
 * It fires Death Lasers from its segments which deal 44 / /  damage.
 * It releases flying from its body that fire Pink Lasers which deal 50 /  /  damage.

A segment has a chance to release a Probe when it is damaged. Probes will fly towards the player, attempting to maintain a distance while occasionally moving into melee range. They fire with moderate accuracy, able to reliably hit a stationary player. Probes never return to the main body, and despawn if the player gets too far away or dies, unlike The Destroyer, which follows the player until either one dies. Probes do not die when the boss dies, so they may have to be killed even after The Destroyer has been defeated.

Tips

 * Unlike most bosses, The Destroyer does not despawn if players get too far away; it will simply follow them to their position.
 * This means that one can use any means of teleportation (Magic Mirrors, Teleporters, etc.) to easily avoid it during the fight, as it does not teleport either.
 * Keep in mind that The Destroyer can move freely without blocks when off-screen.
 * Any weapon that can hit enemies multiple times or damage multiple segments at once will have a much higher effectiveness against The Destroyer compared to single-target weapons. Ricocheting weapons can also be very effective in enclosed arenas.
 * A particularly effective weapon is the used with Holy Arrows.
 * Another useful (although somewhat dangerous) strategy is to swing a flail in the correct positioning (specifically when it loops around the player) for heavy damage. Be aware that when circling the player, it slowly closes in, meaning there must be a reliable way to dodge.
 * Weapons relying on debuffs are to be avoided, as The Destroyer is immune to all debuffs, except Stunned from . Note that Heart Arrows only freeze The Destroyer if they hit its head segment.
 * The head of The Destroyer has 0 defense. Although it causes massive damage to the player and it might be very difficult to damage only the head segment, focusing it can speed up the fight tremendously. If minions are used, they should be directed to target the head at all times.
 * Probes should be taken out as soon as possible, since they may greatly interfere with the fight and additionally serve as a steady source of Hearts (50% drop rate).
 * Using the Minimap to see where the Destroyer will surface can greatly help with dodging.
 * Farming the Destroyer is a quick method for making money, as its drops can be used to craft multiple Light Discs, which sell for each.

Trivia

 * With /  damage, The Destroyer's head has the third-highest damage of any boss in  and . It is second only to the  Phantasmal Deathray and the enraged . It can kill players without defense enhancements and Life Fruit health increases in one hit in Master Mode.
 * The Destroyer has the most total health of any boss except the Moon Lord. It still has the largest single health bar, as the Moon Lord's total health is the combination of all its body parts, and the Moon Lord's parts all have lower individual health than The Destroyer.
 * This makes the Destroyer a useful target for testing on higher-tier Hardmode weapons with secondary effects that do not work on Target Dummies, like the.
 * In Classic worlds, the Destroyer has 10 times as much health as the Wall of Flesh.
 * The Destroyer has many small metal devices jutting out of it that can resemble -like legs or wheels, which might explain its ability to move freely within blocks.
 * Despite the status message saying "", it does not spawn when the player is underground. However, it seems to appear from underground.
 * Some teasers for the release included The Destroyer having blue-lit segments instead of red.