Plantera

 is one of the new bosses in the 1.2 update. It is a Hard Mode boss in the Underground Jungle biome. To summon Plantera, you have to defeat another hard mode boss, such as The Twins. After you meet the criteria, you have to destroy a pink plant bulb found in the Jungle, known as Plantera's Bulb. There is no limit to the number of bulbs in a world; after all of them have been destroyed, more will simply spawn. If Plantera is killed and the Pygmy staff is obtained, the Witch Doctor will start selling the Tiki Armor.



1st Stage
Main body is that of a pink flower bulb, much like the summoning bulb. It uses 3 vines to grab onto solid terain to move itself, which can also deal damage. It shoots sharp leaves that do relatively little damage which it fires faster as its HP drops. There is also an intermediate stage at around a quarter of its HP, where it starts shooting pink spiked balls that bounce off walls, making it almost suicidal to fight in tight spaces. The fire rate of the spiked balls also gets faster as it approaches the last stage.

2nd Stage
Plantera loses its petals to reveal a carnivorous plant-like body, a multitude of smaller vines (besides the 3 used for movement) which behave similarly to the Wall of Flesh's The Hungry. It stops shooting projectiles at this stage and increases in speed.

Strategy
As of 1.2.1.2 it is no longer advisable to fight Plantera on the surface, since he enrages and deals the same amount of damage as the dungeon guardian (minus defense) and so do all of his projectiles, killing the player instantly if the player is hit. It may be possible to defeat him using a surface technique, however top tier equipment and weapons might be required.

Also, an easy way to defeat Plantera on the surface is "Orbiting technique" or simply "Orbit Strategy/Method", in this method, you will orbit into the plantera's head, this will prevent you from taking damage and causing you to die easily, and also this will help you to dodge plantera when he is shooting those leaf-like object/thingy..so, iMineShots discovered this strategy...at the video named "Terraria - Killing An Enraged Plantera (With Strategy)"..

An easy but expensive way to beat him is by digging a long horizontal tunnel in the jungle, and attaching two teleporters on both sides. Then, using a megashark with crystal bullets, you can shoot at him while he makes his way to you, and teleport to the other side when he gets too close. Repeat the process until he dies, and that's it. You will need some armor (preferably hallowed or higher) since this method does not guarantee complete safety. Also any extra damage items will speed up the process. Otherwise, nothing else is needed for this method.

Alternatively, you can dig a Hellevator next to the bulb and connect it to your hellbridge (if you have one), or bring Lava Waders. Have at least an Ironskin or Swiftness Potion and a Bowl of Soup or Pumpkin Pie, and you're good to go. In addition, you'll need either Hallowed or Chlorophyte/Turtle Armor.

For endgame-geared players, equipping full Turtle Armor, having Warding on your accessories for extra defense, and throwing Godly Vampire Knives repeatedly while standing in one location is generally the easiest way to conquer Plantera. Use of a Cross Necklace or Star Veil can help significantly with this. Done properly, you shouldn't ever be more than 50 health below max, but it can be beneficial to place a spawn point near the location you are fighting Plantera to ensure that Plantera will not despawn should you die if something goes wrong.

Take care to ensure the location you engage Plantera in isn't at the edge of the underground jungle or above a depth of 0 (use a Depth Meter or GPS to check). Both of these things can trigger an unexpected enraged boss, significantly lowering any chance of survival regardless of strategy.

Trivia

 * It could be named after the band Pantera, or be a portmanteau of plant and Gamera.
 * Redigit stated on Twitter that Plantera's theme is the "most epic thing in game".
 * In Swedish, the term "Plantera" means "Planting", which refers as in planting a plant.

Bugs

 * Plantera appears to be enraged regardless of where you fight it.
 * Nimbus Cloud will prevent vampire knives from healing off of damage dealt to Plantera. (Tested multiple times while using the Turtle Armor and Vampire Knives strategy)