The Destroyer

"You feel vibrations from deep below..."

The Destroyer is a Hardmode Mechanical Boss which is essentially a harder 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 bar, and The Destroyer will remain at full size until it is killed.

The Destroyer can spawn randomly on any given night once Hardmode begins, as long as you haven't defeated it in the current world. It can also be summoned using a Mechanical Worm at night. Night time is the only condition required for summoning. 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 will despawn. 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.

On the, The Destroyer's body is immune to all debuffs, though the 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.
 * The Fetid Baghnakhs are 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.
 * On the, firing Heart Arrows at its head will immobilize it entirely.
 * Making a fully enclosed room and using Crystal Storm is effective as crystals will be bounce of the walls of the room and attack the Destroyer repeatedly.
 * On the, Daedalus Stormbow with holy arrows and the Magic Quiver can obliterate The Destroyer in a matter of seconds, and is obtainable right after defeating the Wall of Flesh. This can also be used to attack The Destroyer if you find it in its coiled-up state.
 * 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. Any hook will also work to negate knockback.
 * 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.
 * Another efficient way to obliterate The Destroyer is to use a Flamethrower with good armor, making it possible to kill it in under 17 seconds.
 * In two-player, using the Clinger Staff will not allow its eyes to get to you.
 * Building a long skybridge of Asphalt and having the Bananarang makes it very easy to kill this boss. All you need to do is run along the skybridge, since The Destroyer gets faster while it is off screen he will level with you as long as he is off screen. Now, throw the Bananarangs at the boss and because you will be running very fast, the Bananarangs will try catch up and in the meantime will be hitting The Destroyer along their course. Pair this with some Crystal Bullet and you will be doing easy 4k DPS. This is also extremely effective with the Star Cannon as it will possibly pierce all segments.

Trivia

 * The Destroyer had the most total health of any Boss before the Moon Lord was added. It still has the most health of any single enemy (NPC).
 * Although The Destroyer is the Mechanical version of the Corruption's Boss, Eater of Worlds, there is no Mechanical Version of the Brain of Cthulhu for The Crimson.

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