The Destroyer

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"You feel vibrations from deep below..."

The Destroyer is a Hardmode Boss (one of the three Mechanical Bosses) that is essentially a harder, robotic version of the Eater of Worlds. Like the Eater of Worlds, The Destroyer is a very large Worm. Though it appears to be similarly made up of many segments, individual segments cannot die, and The Destroyer will not split apart into multiple enemies. The entire body has a single shared Health, and will remain at full size until it is killed.

The Destroyer is summoned using a Mechanical Worm at Night. Night time is the only condition required for summoning. In the PC version, it can also spawn randomly on any given night once Hardmode begins, if you haven't defeated it yet in the current world. Its arrival is announced by one of two messages: "You feel a quaking from deep underground..." or "You feel vibrations from deep below...." It must be killed before dawn, otherwise it despawns. If the player logs out when the message appears, The Destroyer will not spawn. Note that this applies to any boss that can spawn itself in this manner.

Each of The Destroyer's segments contains a red-lit Probe, which are independent flying enemies that are launched periodically as The Destroyer takes damage. They fire lasers at the player, both while within The Destroyer and when detached. Probes can be killed individually once detached. If the red light is missing from a segment, it means the Probe was already launched from that segment.

In the PC version, the Destroyer's body is immune to all debuffs, though launched Probes are not.

Tips

 * The Destroyer is the only one of the three mechanical bosses whose movement can be somewhat confined, when on screen. Due to being a worm-type, it needs blocks in order to maneuver. When the Destroyer is off screen it can move around freely, as if it was moving through blocks even through the air, as well as appearing to move much faster than when on screen.
 * Penetrating weapons along with a set of Orichalcum armor can strike multiple sections of the Destroyer, making them especially effective. Similarly, explosive weapons can catch multiple sections in their blast radius, dealing already high damage several times over.
 * Using a gun like the Shotgun in combination with exploding bullets is also very effective because the bullets will hit multiple parts of the destroyer dealing extra damage, although the Megashark can only be obtained after it has been already defeated.
 * The Fetid Baghnakhs is also very effective against The Destroyer because of its high speed and it is obtainable before killing any mechanical bosses.
 * The Destroyer spawns offscreen bunched up in a coil. If the player is quick enough, he/she can reach the Destroyer in that state and end the fight in a matter of seconds, using a piercing weapon such as a Repeater with Jester's Arrows.
 * In the, firing Heart Arrows at its head will immobilize it entirely.
 * Making a fully enclosed room and using Water Bolt is effective as the water ball will bounce of the walls of the room and attack the Destroyer repeatedly. However, practice is needed when fighting with Water Bolt as it does lesser damage than hardmode weapons.
 * The Daedalus Stormbow with holy arrows and the Magic Quiver obliterate The Destroyer in a matter of seconds, and is obtainable right after defeating the Wall of Flesh.
 * Using the Slimy Saddle to summon the slime mount while fighting the boss will help you by not taking damage while falling on The Destroyer's body trying to dodge its attacks or just by jumping on it, Instead of taking damage he will take some extra damage.
 * The Cannon is extremely useful in this fight, if the Pirate Invasion has already been defeated. Making a small platform around 40 blocks above the ground and placing the cannon on it facing upwards will take the Destroyer out quickly. A Cobalt Shield or other shield to cancel knockback is highly recommended for this method, as you can keep firing the cannon in rapid succession.
 * The Nimbus Rod alone can kill the destroyer under 3 minutes when the clouds are placed correctly and is obtainable before killing any mechanical bosses.

Trivia

 * The Destroyer had the most health of any Boss before the Moon Lord was added.
 * The Destroyer appears to sometimes despawn at 11 pm, causing you to have to re-fight it.

History

 * Drops now appear at the location of the segment that was closest to the player on defeat, instead of from the head.

Le Destructeur