Guide:Eye of Cthulhu strategies

The Eye of Cthulhu is usually the first boss a player will encounter. They can spawn randomly, so preparation is almost vital, especially for newer players. The following are some hints, tips, and strategies to help you defeat it. Note: if you somehow acquire a Suspicious Looking Eye and use it while the screen says, " You feel an evil presence watching you" it is possible to fight two Eyes of Cthulhu at once.

Terrain preparation
As with all bosses, preparation for the fight is generally the biggest factor in your success.

When fighting the Eye of Cthulhu, a strategy that is usually successful is to make an arena composed of a border of dirt or stone with Wood Platforms placed every 2 blocks horizontally and every 6 blocks vertically inside it so that you can evade the Eye by either running, jumping or dropping. Arenas with walls on either side can limit your horizontal movement, but will also provide a backdrop to catch Shuriken and Arrows to be easily recovered for reuse during the fight. Don't forget to place some lighting around the arena since you definitely do not want to be fighting in the dark.

Another way is to make a long skybridge and have something to increase your speed (e.g. Hermes Boots or Swiftness Potion). Then all you need are Shurikens or other ranged projectiles.

Armor
Gold armor or Platinum armor is recommended for this fight, if possible. Even though the boss doesn't hit very hard, it constantly summons Servants of Cthulhu which do a surprising amount of damage and can be difficult for newer players to dodge, though they can be killed relatively easily.

Weapons
Because this boss summons many minions, weapons with a piercing attack are extremely useful. Shuriken are an effective weapon which can be bought from the Merchant. They will hit up to 4 times, allowing a well aimed shot to kill a Servant and hit the Eye twice - even three times, if it falls back through the boss. A stack or two is more than enough to defeat this boss with relative ease.

A Vilethorn is always handy, especially when the Eye is inside of blocks, as it deals constant damage and can be fired through blocks. Other great magic weapons are staffs (preferably a Ruby or Diamond Staff), which cause more damage while using less mana. If your lucky enough to have gotten a Fire Flower of Flamelash it will set the boss on fire while cause a good amount of damage.

Bows with Jester's or Unholy Arrows are good for their high damage. The former can be found in Chests Underground, while the latter can be crafted from Worm Teeth found as drops in The Corruption. Because they are piercing weapons, both arrow types can hit the Eye multiple times. However, one can also use Flaming Arrows, because the Eye of Cthulhu is weak to fire arrows, and takes more damage from them than it does from Jester's Arrows.

Throwing Knives act similarly to Shuriken, but they only hit twice. Even so, their comparable throwing rate and higher damage makes them a good compromise between Shuriken and bows. They can be found in Chests or bought from the Merchant during Blood Moons. If the player is willing to run through the surface of the corruption, they can obtain Vile Mushrooms, to produce Vile Powder, combining the powder with the throwing knives for Poisoned Knives. In the first form, the Eye has a respectable 12 defense, which negates 6 damage from all attacks. This can mean whilst Shuriken are hitting for 4 on average, Poisoned Knives will deal an average of 7. Combined with their damage-over-time poison effect, this makes them more than twice as effective.

The Musket also works, but you need many rounds, about 200.

Grenades cause high damage and hurts everything in its blast, but may pose as much damage to the player as it does to the boss. Since the Eye will be spawning Servants or charging at the player most of the time, it's difficult to keep a safe distance from the explosion. If desired, Grenades can be purchased from the Demolitionist. A good strategy for Grenades is to lay them like a quick trap. As the Eye charges at you, you can predict its movements. Throw a grenade underneath you and run away as the Eye begins to charge. If timed correctly, the grenade will explode on contact with the Eye and you will be unharmed.

Because the boss typically flies out of reach, melee weapons are of limited use. No matter what the weapon of choice, weapons with higher damage per second are preferred. The greater your damage, the shorter the fight and the better your chances of survival.

Potions
Finally, bring a batch of Lesser Healing Potions at the very least, in case you start taking too much damage. (Regular Healing Potions can be used if one has access to a Glowing Mushroom farm.) Three other helpful potions are the Regeneration Potion, the Ironskin Potion, and the Thorns Potion. Swiftness Potion, Hunter Potion, Archery Potion and Bowl of Soup/Cooked Marshmallow/Pumpkin Pie wouldn't hurt as well. They are easy to brew and last a few minutes each, so you will probably only need a couple.

First Phase
During this phase the Eye will spend most of its time floating above you. It will summon Servants of Cthulhu which fly towards you to attack, much like Demon Eyes, but will fly through walls and the ground. The Eye will still hurt you, if you run into it, so do not disregard it while you kill the Servants. If you start to get swarmed by too many Servants, temporarily switch to a fast swinging weapon such as a broadsword to get rid of them quickly.

A good strategy in this phase is to aim ranged weapons at the pupil of the Eye, since that is where it spawns the Servants. That way, you can kill the servants and damage the Eye. If you stand directly below the Eye and aim straight up with a piercing weapon, after a few seconds your projectile will fall back down and hit the Eye again. When it stops spawning Servants, the Eye will charge at you, attempting to ram you 3 times before hovering once more, so be prepared to evade. It turns rather slowly and roars as it charges, giving you time to prepare your next dodge.

Rinse and repeat and the first phase should go down easily.

Eye of Cthulhu has 12 armor during this form, which negates 6 damage from every attack. As such, higher damage, lower speed weapons are more effective during the first form, such as the Musket or a Bow.

Second Phase
For the last half of the fight, the boss sheds its iris to reveal a fanged mouth. Make sure to take advantage of its transformation sequence as much as possible, since it just spins in place for a few moments and you can still damage it. It moves slightly faster and deals more damage when it hits you but it also has less defense. It will not be summoning any more servants, so this time it will simply keep rushing at you. It'll charge you 3 times, and then pause for a few seconds during which you can attack freely. Try to hit it with your strongest weapon. For newer characters who haven't made it to the Gold/Silver stage, Shurikens are still your best bet.

Survival
Like the Eater of Worlds, the Eye of Cthulhu will flee if the player dies during the fight. (It is a good idea to play with a friend, because if you die it won't flee if your friend is still fighting it.) It will also flee if the player fails to defeat it before early dawn (exactly 4:30am, which you can determine with a Grandfather Clock or watch). The best way to avoid this is, like the other methods described above, a matter of preparation. Start the fight early after sunset (7:30pm), take lots of potions with you, and wear the best gear available to you.

Redux
As you upgrade equipment, the Eye of Cthulhu becomes easier and easier to defeat and is a great source of money. Craft stacks of Suspicious Looking Eye and immediately re-summon the Eye after defeating the previous one (keeping in mind that dawn is at 4:30 am). If you manage to dodge him during his charging attack, and he goes under ground momentarily, hit him with with fire arrows before he disappears in order to set him alight, and you can see the On Fire! debuff animation, therefore making him technically visible. If you have a spear or vilethorn, try to hit him while he attempts to hover above you again.