Guide:Eye of Cthulhu strategies

The Eye of Cthulhu is one of the first bosses a player will encounter. The following are some hints, tips, and strategies to help defeat it.

Spawn Condition
Eye of Cthulhu can be spawned by fulfilling one of these conditions:
 * Have at least (200) Health, 10 Defense and at least 3 : it will then have a 33% chance of spawning at the start of the night. Note that this only works when it has yet to be defeated;
 * Use during night.

It must then be defeated before the day arrives.

First Phase
During this phase the Eye will spend most of its time floating above you. It will summon 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 to get rid of them quickly.

A good strategy in this phase is to aim mid-range 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. After spawning 3 or 4 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 as it charges, giving you time to prepare your next dodge. It can be helpful to begin to evade after the 3rd servant is spawned, as this will often allow you to dodge his first charge.

If you manage to dodge it during his charging attack, and he goes underground momentarily, hit it with fire arrows before he disappears in order to set it alight, and you can see it on fire, making it visible. Keep in mind that in versions, bosses have minimap icons to increase their visibility.

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

Eye of Cthulhu has 12 defense during this form, which negates 6 (9 in Expert Mode) 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 no defense. It will not be summoning any more servants, so this time it will simply keep rushing at you. When it does so, do not try to attack it - concentrate on dodging. 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-Platinum/Silver-Tungsten stage, Shurikens are still your best bet.

For this phase, Hermes Boots is an asset. With a wide enough arena, running in a straight line while the Eye of Cthulhu does his quick charge is fast enough to avoid any damage. Later in the fight, the player can use the Grappling Hook in tandem with the Hermes Boots for a quick escape, should he or she become stun-locked. As it is difficult to hit the Eye for the final percentage of his health, Spiky Balls are to be considered in this fight, provided the player has encountered the Goblin Army. Throwing Spiky Balls around the battlefield assures the player a number of hits on the Eye, even as it charges rapidly. are a useful but riskier alternative, due to its collateral damage if it explodes too near to you.

Expert Mode
The Expert variant of the Eye is considerably more challenging. The first Phase of the fight is largely unchanged; however, the Eye's damage is increased, making the margin for error much smaller even for well equipped players. Ranged weapons are an asset to this fight, since the rate at which the Eye summons servants is increased, and heart drops are scarce. It is also recommended that the player expands the width of the arena to maximize evasion.

During the second phase, the Eye of Cthulhu becomes more aggressive the lower its health gets. This is where a larger arena will benefit the player, as the sequence in which the Eye charges is different. At first, it will perform its regular 3 charges. As it's health is getting depleted, it will perform a brief series of extremely quick dashes, usually at a steeper angle. Note that as it uses the quick dash, it's roar is different. As the battle progresses, the Eye will use this ability more freely, until its only action is to dart haphazardly back and forth, making contact with any weapon very rigorous.

Survival
The Eye of Cthulhu will flee if the player dies during the fight. It will also flee if the player fails to defeat it before early dawn (exactly 4:30 am, which you can determine with a Grandfather Clock or Watch). The best way to avoid this is 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.

Terrain preparation
Since this is the first boss you will face (probably), arena possibilities are limited. Simply making long rows of wood platforms should suffice, allowing you to better control your height for dodging, and also letting you hit the boss when it flies beneath you. Make sure the platforms are close enough for you to jump between (or grapple, if you have a grappling hook).

In Expert mode, the arena will usually have to be much longer to avoid the boss's constant dashing attacks.

Armor
The best armor to have at this point would be Gold or Platinum armor, although it can be difficult to obtain. Consider using these sets if you are having trouble beating the boss with weaker armors.

A full set of Silver armor or Tungsten armor is the easiest to get at this point, and it is a good choice for this fight. While it may seem tempting to use pieces of stronger armor (Gold, Platinum), doing so is unwise, as the Silver and Tungsten armor's set bonus provides more defense than mismatched armor. On the, the Boots of Ostara can be paired with Silver armor to complete the set bonus while increasing jump abilities, although using it with Tungsten armor will not grant the set bonus.

In versions, if you have taken out King Slime previously, the Ninja armor will be especially useful. While it provides less defense than Silver or Tungsten, it enhances the combat potential of throwing items, which are extremely effective against the boss.

The weaker Iron or Lead armor sets can be used, but caution must be taken, especially in the second phase, and should only be used if you are a good dodger. Copper, Tin, Cactus, Wood armor, or less do not have enough defense to reliably take the hits of the 2nd phase and should not be used unless you have built a good arena and you're a skillful dodger.

Weapons
In general, long-range piercing weapons are recommended, as they are able to take out Servants and hit the boss. Grenades can also take out the main eye very quickly and are easy to obtain.

For Melee Users:

Melee's options are fairly limited at this point, and mostly serve as a way to take out the low-hp Servants of Cthulhu. Certain melee weapons are able to launch projectiles, but may be difficult to come across.


 * Gold Broadsword.png Swords aren't very helpful against the boss itself, but can make short work of the Servants of Cthulhu without the need to aim. You should aim for a Gold Broadsword or a Platinum Broadsword at this point, but if you've been lucky and found enough /, you can craft a or a, which will perform even better.


 * Enchanted Sword (item).png Using projectile-launching broadswords instead of regular broadswords is highly recommended, as their sword slash can take out nearby servants and their projectile can hit the boss itself. Their only downside is that they can be rather difficult to come across compared to regular broadswords. The three projectile swords available at this point are the Enchanted Sword found rarely throughout the world or in Enchanted Sword Shrines, the Ice Blade found in Ice Chests in the Underground Snow, and the Starfury found on Floating Islands.


 * Trident.png Spears can be helpful, hitting both the boss itself and the servants with the same hit. The only spears available at this point are lacking in range, so consider using a more ranged weapon when the boss is in motion. The recommended spear at this point is a Trident found in Water Chests, but a regular Spear found in surface chests should suffice.


 * Enchanted Boomerang.png Boomerangs can be of great use due to their long range, but missing with a boomerang can leave the player open for a moment. An Enchanted Boomerang would be preferred, as a normal Wooden Boomerang doesn't deal enough damage to be reliable.


 * are another pseudo-melee weapon, and excells against the boss. A Rally should be good enough, though a or  are preferred if you have the materials to make them.

For Ranged Users:

Ranged weapons are a great choice for dealing damage to the boss itself, unlike melee's more supportive role of taking out the Servants of Cthulhu.


 * Gold Bow.png Bows are the main choice of ranged weapon available at this point. You should aim for a Gold Bow or a Platinum Bow at this point, but if you've been lucky and found Demonite/Crimtane Ore, you can craft a Demon Bow or a Tendon Bow, which will perform even better. Standard arrows will work well, but they leave some to be desired in terms of combat potential.
 * or are a better choice for hitting the boss itself, as their lingering fire effects can harm the boss even while it's out of your range.
 * are ideal for taking out the servants. Additionally, if they hit correctly, they can hit the boss twice with a single shot. Combined with their higher base damage, this allows them to outperform Flaming/Frostburn Arrows if used correctly. On the downside, they are harder to obtain, requiring to craft.


 * , found in Ice Chests in the Underground Snow is a good alternative to bows. While its base damage is low, it makes up for this with the ability to rapidly auto-fire and use easily-obtained as ammunition.


 * Flintlock Pistol.png Guns can also be used to great effect against the boss, although this requires venturing into the Corruption/Crimson to smash Shadow Orbs/Demon Hearts. Nearly any gun will outperform bows available at this point, so if you can get your hands on one, use it.

For Magic Users:

Magic weapons are mainly good for beating on the boss itself, but can also be used to attack servants in a pinch. All magic weapons at this point are able to pierce through multiple enemies.


 * are the main Magic weapon of choice against the eye, with their long ranged piercing shots being a perfect fit for the boss battle. You should aim for a, , or at this point. The  and  tend to be lacking in damage output. If you manage to get the materials for the , using it is a must.


 * , normally found on shelves of the Dungeon, can rarely be found in the accessible areas, making it possible to obtain before beating Skeletron. If you're lucky enough for this to happen, using it in place of Gem staves would be a good idea. If you re-adjust your arena to contain solid-block walls surrounding it, you can make use of the Water Bolt's ricocheting projectiles.


 * can be of great use to more ambitious players. While it's somewhat lacking in range, the lingering thorn can hit the boss and servants many times, and can even pass through walls to hit it, if you lack a platform arena. It's found in Corruption-only Shadow Orbs, so you need to be cautious when obtaining it.


 * is similarly useful. Clouds can be defensively set up to avoid having to deal with the servants, while also dealing steady damage to the boss. It's found in Crimson-only Demon Hearts, so be careful while trying to obtain it.


 * , with its fast velocity and piercing properties makes it ideal for defeating the boss. However it heavily consumes mana, especially at a point in the game where the player might not have maximum mana, but in combination with the Meteor armor's set bonus of removing the mana cost of the Space Gun, it can be one of the easiest ways to take down the boss. It is crafted with.

For Summoners:

A Summoner's options are extremely limited at this point of the game. Because there are only three summoner-class weapons available pre-hardmode, summoners have a very tight selection available, made worse because all of these weapons are extremely difficult to obtain at the point you have to fight the Eye. For first-time or unskilled players, it's better to completely avoid focusing on the Summoner class until later in the game. For those who still want to try, get ready for a much harder challenge.


 * Slime_Staff.png Baby_Slime_(minion)_(animated).gif Out of the three weapons available, the Slime Staff is the only that does not require you to fight a much stronger boss, or travel to a very dangerous place. Unfortunately, it is locked behind a 0.01% / drop chance for all Slimes and Slimed Zombies with the minor exceptions of Pinky and the Sand Slime. Even if you somehow managed to get it, you haven't obtained a fantastic weapon for such a painstaking grind session (or stroke of luck). The Baby Slime deals very little damage and cannot fly. Even if it manages to attack the Eye, its piercing attacks will activate invincibility frames for the boss, preventing you from damaging it. It's best to skip this weapon altogether.


 * Hornet_Staff.png Hornet_(minion).gif Boasting a fast and flying minion that attacks lightning quick and packs a whallop of a devastating poison against your enemies, the Hornet Staff would have been a fantastic choice for this fight... if it weren't locked behind a challenging boss you're not supposed to fight until significantly later in the game. To obtain the Hornet Staff, you must craft it in an anvil with 14 Bee Wax, which is dropped exclusively by the Queen Bee. Because the Queen Bee sports much more health, damage and defense than the Eye and is capable of inflicting the dangerous Poisoned debuff, and is fought in the equally dangerous Underground Jungle, it's better to skip this weapon as well.


 * Imp_Staff.png Flying_Imp.gif The Imp Staff is the most powerful summoner weapon available pre-hardmode, as the flying imps deal 21 damage and inflict the On Fire! debuff against enemies, at the cost of being completely ineffective underwater - a flaw that does not come into play when fighting the Eye of Cthulhu. To get this weapon, you need to craft it on an anvil with 17 Hellstone Bars, the most powerful ore before hardmode only found in The Underworld, the last location you visit before fighting the Wall of Flesh and activating hardmode. Ironically, out of all the three summoner weapons, this is the easiest to acquire - but is by no means truly easy. Assuming you can fish up a Reaver Shark, it is only a matter of playing with water and lava to produce and mine Obsidian, and carefully mining Hellstone. Caution is necessary, as the enemies in the Underworld are very dangerous and can easily kill you. For more information, see Guide:Mining_techniques.

For Throwing Users:

Thrown weapons are at their best at this stage of the game, with a wide selection of effective weapons to use against this boss. Most of them are also cheap or easy to obtain, allowing the player to rack up stacks of thrown weapons.


 * 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. 500 or so are more than enough to defeat this boss with relative ease.
 * 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.


 * cause high damage and hurt everything in their blast, but may pose as much danger to the player as they do 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 . 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.


 * avoid the danger of self-injury and work very well, especially in the second stage when Eye of Cthulhu will charge at you through the flaming puddles the Molotovs leave behind.


 * are very helpful in its second phase if you scatter them all over the floor of your arena.

Accessories

 * A Cloud in a Bottle or equivalents can aid in avoiding the rams, although this is less necessary with a good arena.
 * A Grappling Hook is also very useful if you can grapple onto platforms above you quickly.
 * Hermes Boots or equivalents help by making it easier a chance to dodge the second phase's rams. In Expert Mode, these are almost required, as the Eye of Cthulhu will perform rapid dashing attacks.
 * If you find one, a Band of Regeneration can help speed up life regen, making lasting a longer fight easier.

Any accessory with the Warding modifier will be useful if you come across one, and the extra four defense can be used to make up for lower-tier armor, like Iron or Lead.

Potions
The most 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/Cooked Fish wouldn't hurt as well. They are easy to brew and last a few minutes each, so you will probably only need a couple.

Slime Saddle Strategy
An amazing strategy to beat the Eye is to use the Slimy Saddle and bounce on the eye while at the same time attacking it with a ranged weapon. The eye will move toward you and you will bounce on top of it continuously dealing damage. If you want to try this strategy, make sure you have some forms of preventing fall damage i.e Lucky Horseshoe, Grappling Hook, or Cloud in a Bottle.

Magic Mirror Strategy
During the Second Phase, if you have your spawn point nearby, you can run one way and attack, and just when you think that the Eye is going to charge, use a Magic Mirror or Recall Potion to teleport to spawn, now running the other way, evading the attack and being left to open fire.

Railway Strategy
Another great strategy is to build a long railway at least 400 blocks long, with each end hammered into a bumper. When the Eye spawns, start moving and continue to move whilst shooting at it. It may take longer than other methods, but it requires little mobility and you take minimal damage. Also, this strategy works better if in single player or all players in a multiplayer world are together in the same area.