Guide:Wall of Flesh strategies

"The master and core of the world..."

The Wall of Flesh is the final Pre-Hardmode boss. It is composed of two eyes which blast the player with lasers, and a mouth in between. Defeating it permanently initiates Hardmode in the world it was defeated in, displaying the message: "The souls of light and dark have been released".

Summoning
To summon the Wall of Flesh, the must be thrown into lava in The Underworld while the Guide is alive, or in the, have the Guide die in lava in the Underworld.

The Wall of Flesh's sweep direction is determined by its spawn location. Summoning it anywhere left of the center of the world will cause it to move from left to right, while spawning it right of center will cause it to move from right to left, regardless of the direction the doll was thrown into lava from. Maximum fight space can be achieved by spawning it at the extreme right or left of the world, though these areas have fewer natural structures, and may require additional lava survival acessories or construction.

The Fight
The Wall will steadily move toward the player, so a safe distance should always be maintained. If the player moves behind the Wall, they will be pulled back right in front of it, ignoring collisions with blocks. This places the player in a very vulnerable position and is likely to cause significant damage. As such, staying in front of the Wall should be a top priority. On the other hand, moving too far away from the Wall will also result in being pulled back in. This can sometimes fling the player into hazards such as Lava, which can easily result in death if without items that give immunity to lava, e.g. a or an.

At the start of the fight should be focused on, preferably using piercing weapons or explosives. When they get killed however, they detach from the Wall and move toward the player. The Hungry will drop hearts, providing a valuable source of health during the fight.

When the Hungry have mostly been eradicated, the Eyes and Mouth can be focused on. Prioritize damaging the Eyes over the Mouth, as they have no defense (compared to the Mouth's 12 defense).

Close-ranged players may take hits from newly spawned Hungry in Expert/Master Mode and the occasional direct hit from the Wall. The lasers can be easily avoided by jumping up and down when the Eyes are shooting, although this may be insufficient for Expert and Master Mode. The laser damage can be halved by building a bridge out of blocks instead of platforms, blocking the lower eye.

will be spawned during the fight. They are worm enemies, meaning they need solid blocks in order to move around. Be mindful of the terrain (and bridge), and use piercing, splash, or melee weapons against them. They and the Hungry drop helpful heart pickups, providing health.

The movement speed and laser firing rate of the Wall both increase as it gets damaged. When almost destroyed it reaches a top speed of 41 mph, and as such needs to be killed quickly before it overtakes the player.

The Horrified debuff has the effect of instantly killing the player when they use either a, , or a. It does so only after the player returns to spawn, allowing for the instant recovery of money (and items on Mediumcore). This can be used as a last resort to save items or money if death seems inevitable.

Expert Mode
The already hard-to-obtain hearts are now more rare: Leeches now only have a 20% chance of dropping at least one, meaning that you get healed from the boss less often.

The Hungry will respawn over time, making non-penetrating ammo less effective against the Wall.

Not only does the Wall of Flesh have more health, but it's also faster. At low health it'll reach a top speed of 50 mph, while lasers can reach extremely fast firing rates, to the point where the lasers have no usable gap between them. You can minimize the chance of getting caught by making the last stretch more open beforehand.

Master Mode
The Wall of Flesh and The Hungry receive a boost to health and damage.

Instead of flinging forward the player when in contact with the wall, it will instantly kill the player.

Terrain preparation
The Wall of Flesh benefits from having an arena prepared more than other bosses.

The simplest arena is a long bridge of about 750-1000 blocks with some space above it for the player to maneuver. Placing the player out of danger from falling into lava and ensuring that they can keep a steady attacking pace allows the fight to be faster and easier. Players may also wish to place lights and ; alternatively, Obsidian Platforms, stone brick platforms, or Planter Boxes can be used, as they do not break when contacting lava, and the materials to make the former two can be obtained in bulk by demolishing the Ruined Houses, or by collecting stone that you've mined throughout the game.

However, one can skip the whole terrain preparation process by consuming s or wearing instead. In 1.4, the may be preferable. Do note that it is possible to get stuck in places and houses, so it is recommended to mine or bomb problematic areas out while exploring the Underworld before hand. This is not recommended for Melee users however due to the low range of their weapons.

Note that Underworld map generation tends to place Ruined Houses towards the middle third of the map, leaving the eastern and western wings mostly clean.

The Wall of Flesh begins its attack from whichever side of the Underworld's map edge you're closest to. This allows you to control its direction of approach. Fight in the direction you're most comfortable with.

Killing the Wall of Flesh will generate a bricked-in treasure box above your bridge. The bricks can serve as kill-markers, but they may interfere with movement if your next fight runs close to that spot.

Alternatively, you can build the arena with, since you can keep a safe distance with a with decent speed. However, keep in mind that jump mobility is more limited when using Minecarts.

While tedious, risky, and generally not worth it, you could use the Mount to collect all the nearby lava. However, it does require a lot of mining and setting up. And it is generally much easier to just use accessories, potions and other items that provide invulnerability against lava and/or fire.

On the 05162020 seed, due to the large lava lake making up the middle of the Underworld, s,, or the Mount can be used to bypass terrain preparation.

Gearing up
Having 400 health is essentially required at this point, especially since Hardmode will start immediately upon the Wall's defeat.

Armor
has the highest defense and melee damage bonuses. If the fight is done with a Sword or a Spear, with its extra melee speed can prove to be useful as well.

provides a very noticeable boost to life regeneration and a small amount of extra damage. For a defensive build, this is the most efficient option.

The is the best pure set for a Ranger. If a is available, it can be replaced for the Necro Breastplate to get increased damage and movespeed in exchange for its set bonus, which increases ranged critical strike chance by  10% /  15%. On, the set bonus has no significant effect in combat as it only affects ammo consumption.

The Wizard set, consisting of a is the strongest magic set available. Note that the Wizard set only gives 4 defense so and  may work better. In any case, it is recommended to use one of the other magic armors leg pieces with the Wizard Set.

A summoner can choose if they prefer the extra minion slot, or the  if they prefer the whip buffs.

Weapons
For Melee users: Due to Melee's relatively short range, especially in Master Mode as the wall is able to kill the player when in contact with the wall, finishing the fight with a melee player can prove to be extremely difficult, however players can make the fight much easier by simply running away, turning the tussle into a trivial trifle.


 * The has the longest range among pre-Hardmode melee weapons and is the best choice for the fight, especially in Master Mode. It can damage both the Wall Mouth and Eyes as well as the Hungry with its piercing effect, if your arena is low enough from the Underworld ceiling so that its stars don't get stuck. Its max range is enough to hit the Wall if it is just offscreen, allowing you to completely stay out of range of the Hungry, which deal massive damage in higher difficulties. The stars alone have a very high damage per second as well.
 * The pierces with medium range, making it effective at both the Hungry and the Wall, and on, it can prevent the Hungry from touching you at all. However, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the Hungry on higher difficulties, preventing you from escaping the Wall.


 * The has autoswing and doesn't turn the player around in the direction they are facing, making it the most efficient sword for the fight. Since it attacks in an arc,  it can hurt the Wall of Flesh and keep the Hungry away in the same swing, unless they come from below. If playing on   the  is a superior choice as it offers higher damage output while retaining the same qualities as the Falcon Blade.
 * The can be used to maximize bee damage against the Hungry and the Wall of Flesh, as the bees can also damage the Wall of Flesh itself.
 * The has high DPS when compared to other melee weapons of a similar progression point, however it's incredibly inefficient against the Hungry due to their small hitboxes, making it more efficient near the end of the fight.
 * The has much more range than a close range sword, especially with a String. However, due to the nature of Yoyos, it is easy to get overwhelmed by the Hungry if not playing carefully.

For Ranged users:
 * The is the strongest bow available due to its rapid fire and piercing projectiles. Since it only requires Wooden Arrows to shoot its bats, ammunition for it will be pretty easy to obtain.  has similar properties but is overall weaker.
 * The does a very efficient job when used with.
 * The is the best gun available. The Minishark is also still a viable option. Use  for maximum effectiveness.
 * While it's hard to get ammo for it, the is an extremely efficient weapon to use due to its great stats and piercing. It can kill the Wall of Flesh in mere seconds. Journey mode users are able to take full advantage of this weapon by duplicating Fallen Stars.

For Magic users:
 * The is one of the strongest weapons against the Wall, as its projectiles can hit the Wall and the Hungries multiple times per hit.
 * The is a very strong choice, as it has high base damage, and the ability to hit a target three times before disappearing.
 * The is also extremely efficient, being able to hit all 3 body parts in one cast if shot into the ceiling to make it ricochet.
 * The is always an efficient combo when paired with Meteor armor, due to the rapid fire and piercing.
 * The is a great choice because of its ×10 damage attack. Even more so, it is also affected by Meteor armor's set bonus.
 * The performs very well against the Wall, dealing massive damage with the added bonuses of killing the Hungry and not having to aim.

For Summoners:
 * The (or  on ) is the strongest summoning weapon available due to its high attack rate. The Imp Staff is still useful if one is relying on Water Walking Potions and keeping offscreen.
 * Of the sentry weapons sold by the Tavernkeep, the best options are the and the . The Ballista Rod has incredibly high damage and their bolts are capable of piercing, while the Explosive Trap Rod inflicts damage in an area of effect. While the sentries themselves are slow to attack, you can continually re-summon them to make them immediately attack, significantly reducing the cooldown time.
 * The or  can be used to attack any Hungry that gets too close. However, this will cause your summons to switch to attacking the Hungry instead of the Wall of Flesh which is not recommended.

For Throwing users:
 * can be used to kill some of the Hungry. The fire left behind by the Molotov Cocktail will do some extra damage to the Wall. These are recommended if you are not very accurate with your explosive throwing skills(100-150 to kill the WoF).
 * The is arguably the most effective weapon against the Wall of Flesh for any class. They deal consistent and rapid damage to all of the boss's parts, including The Hungry, and can do so from a great distance.
 * Explosives, such as the, may work as well, quickly clearing the Hungry. Even can be used to great effect, although the timing may require some practice. The drawback is that using most explosives this way will cause major environmental damage.
 * Although expensive, is a great option. They deal extreme area of effect damage, capable of quickly killing The Hungry and hitting multiple parts of the Wall itself.

Accessories

 * Variants of the and  will help you maneuver around the lasers shot by the Wall.
 * Using both the and  increases the player's max speed to 41mph. This is the same as the top speed of the Wall of Flesh in classic mode, greatly reducing the risk of being overtaken.
 * or allow you to walk on the surface of the underworld's many lava lakes unharmed, which is necessary without a hell bridge.
 * The only true offensive accessory in Pre-Hardmode is the and its upgrade, the, which increases damage dealt by 2-3 points, and the stinger necklace also releases bees when you're hit. Melee users have , but their help will only be noticeable when using a Sword, Spear or Whip.
 * The Expert exclusive and  help greatly with mobility and survivability respectively. On, the 's dodge ability and increased critical strike chance are a must for worlds that generate with Crimson.
 * An is mandatory if doing the fight with a close ranged melee weapon, as knockback is a great issue when standing close to the Wall.

As always, make sure to have your accessories reforged to Warding, Menacing or Lucky to get the most out of each slot.

Potions

 * , and  do wonders for survivability. If obtained from a  or an Underworld Pot, a  can also be used to great effect.
 * The is invaluable for collecting the hearts dropped by the Hungry and Leeches.
 * The can help deal extra damage to the Hungry and Leeches, both of which are vulnerable to, and will take care of any stray  projectiles
 * An is extremely useful when using a Bow.
 * The or  give significant Melee bonuses with a very insignificant downside.
 * The and the  should always be used when doing the fight with Magic weapons.
 * A or  increase the overall damage against the Wall.
 * The has a use for keeping the Hungries away, especially when Melee weapons are being used.
 * helps a bit with mobility.
 * and are good if you have no full arena preparations or if you meet the end of your arena.
 * Also using and  will help you if you have no full arena preparations.
 * Any food item that grants the / will give you a small buff in most stats.
 * A works well too, as the player will be able to mainly focus on the Wall most of the fight.
 * If you have defeated, using the should work well if you don't have many healing potions.
 * As the Wall of Flesh and The Hungry are no longer immune to Poisoned on the Desktop Version, the Flask of Poison is highly recommended for Melee and Summoner users for extra damage on the boss.

Boulders Head-start
If you can jump, then you should set up a few at the beginning of the run and Wire them to a Pressure plate in the course, so you can step on the pressure plate, and the Wall of Flesh gets hit by a few boulders. However, mistiming your jump can be deadly, as Boulders deal high damage. Explosives (or just thrown Dynamite) can be used in a similar manner for even greater damage.

Mouth-only Tunnel Strategy
One strategy which has worked for some players is to build a 3-7 block high tunnel so that the WoF can not use the laser eye attack since it cannot shoot through blocks. For regeneration purposes, use full Crimson armor and Campfires every 20 blocks to help. A good weapon to use is the Diamond Staff, but if you have multiple people, the Ruby Staff will work as well. If you intend to solo the Wall, use Molten armor or Shadow/Crimson armor.

Autofarm Strategy with Boulder Statues


One more strategy could be to set up a farm that can kill the Wall of Flesh without the player even being in the Underworld. This strategy involves killing the Guide in Lava so that Wall of Flesh spawns, and then killing it with Boulder Statues.

To do this, you must make a house for the Guide in the Underworld at the edge of the world and set up Timers that actuate blocks to make him fall in the lava at least every 20 seconds. Put Lava beneath the blocks that are actuated and make sure that there is always a floor so that the Guide will never spawn somewhere else. Place a Pressure Plate in Lava to detect when the Guide falls in it. You should also put some other kind of trap to be sure that the Guide dies quickly in Lava, as it could take a while if he has a lot of Defense.

After setting up the Guide's house, you just have to set up the Boulder Statues. The Wall of Flesh speeds up when it's damaged, so place Boulder Statues with space between them varying: 10 with a space of 2, 5 with a space of 4 and 10 with a space of 6. This should beat it every time in Classic Mode. The Wall of Flesh will be killed endlessly, and you can let this farm run while continuing to play, gathering the drops as you see fit.

Potions Instead of Bridge
One of the most tedious parts of this fight is building the bridge. However, this can be bypassed entirely by using Water Walking Potion, Obsidian Skin Potion, and Featherfall Potion, allowing the player to simply walk away from the Wall of Flesh on top of the lava, jumping over obstacles using Featherfall potion. Terraspark Boots can be used to similar effect.

When using this method, it's recommended to start at the very edge of the world, and to do a 'trial run' first, without the Wall of Flesh, to see if there are any obstacles in the way that need to be cleared out.

Aftermath
After defeating the boss, the loot will be enclosed suspended in a box, so that lava is not a problem. However, your world will enter Hardmode if it has yet to enter it.

After defeating the Wall of Flesh, you will have access to stronger weapons and emblems, making rematches a lot easier. Furthermore, after killing the Wall of Flesh, you can immediately summon him again, once the Guide respawns. This can be a great source of income or loot.