Guide:The Destroyer strategies

"You feel vibrations from deep below..."

The Destroyer is an early Hardmode boss. The Destroyer, Skeletron Prime, and The Twins compose the trio of Mechanical bosses. It is a mechanical version of the Eater of Worlds.

Spawn Conditions
The Destroyer can be spawned by fulfilling any of these conditions:
 * Smash a /. It will then have a 10% chance of appearing when night falls. Note that this condition is shared with the rest of the trio, and thus the result isn't guaranteed if they have yet to be defeated, and will only work if The Destroyer has yet to be defeated;
 * Use a.

It must then be defeated before the night ends.

The Fight
The Destroyer is very similar to the Eater of Worlds, in that it digs underground to strike at players from below. This must be sidestepped (especially in Expert mode), as the head deals the highest amount of damage. Each segment will individually fire Death Lasers at players. These lasers deal less damage than the body segments, but the sheer quantity of projectiles makes it difficult to dodge them all.

The Destroyer also spawns throughout the fight. Probes will spawn periodically as the Destroyer takes damage, and the light on a segment will go out if its Probe has been released. Each Probe has a 33% chance to drop a heart when killed.

The Probes are both a blessing and a curse. They can deal significant damage with their lasers, and ram players to deal contact damage. However, the hearts that they drop can be a source of health. Drop to the ground if you need to gather dropped hearts, but only when doing so will not put you at risk of getting hit by the Destroyer itself.

The Destroyer has an enormous health pool to compensate for its vulnerability to piercing damage and almost-complete lack of evasion. As such, a weapon that pierces or deals area-of-effect damage is practically mandatory for this fight. However, while it may seem like a good idea to front-load a large amount of damage (for example, by summoning a Nimbus Cloud over the spot where he first spawns), because the Destroyer spawns Probes at the same rate it takes damage, you will probably find yourself overwhelmed by the sheer amount of Probes spawning at once. Find a balance between damaging the worm and dealing with Probes to survive the fight.

If engaged on a flat plain, occasionally run across until The Destroyer surfaces. This can cause the worm to spread along the ground, making it an easy target from above. This long target is particularly vulnerable to projectiles. The Daedalus Stormbow, for example, can deal massive damage to this wide target. If you have the horizontal space and speed, make use of it by flying back and forth instead of only staying in a single horizontal level to help spread its body out vertically. The more of the body you can keep exposed above ground, the more opportunities you have to deal damage.

On the other hand, if you want to ground (e.g. to gather hearts), you can fly straight up and hover until The Destroyer flies straight up at you. You can then drop to the ground quickly to gather what you need while The Destroyer slowly turns from its attack attempt. The large worm takes time to loop back around from a high jump, since outside of solid blocks and tiles burrowing enemies have little control of their movement. This gives you the time to take a breather and gather hearts.

Expert Mode
It is very important not to get touched by the head, as it can deal massive damage, bringing players from full health to zero in only two hits. Otherwise, Expert mode does not introduce any special mechanics.

Terrain Preparation
The type of preparation you'll be making depends on your approach:
 * If you are using Melee, the Destroyer is best fought on an arena consisting of tall walls with multiple layers of Wood Platforms. This will allow players to move around the arena freely, and to keep a good watch on where the boss is.
 * If you are using Ranged or Magic, pick a wide, open, flat area, with plenty of clear space for flying and dodging. The Destroyer can clear a lot of vertical space.
 * Summoners can decide to use one of these 2 designs, depending on whenever they use Melee or Ranged weapons.

Armor
Generally you want to use Adamantite or Titanium armor. Orichalcum armor will do massive damage with its set bonus, as it hits multiple segments.

Weapons
This boss is very large, not at all agile, and features many segments. Any weapon that pierces, has an area of effect, ricochets, or fires multiple projectiles will do well against it. If none of these are available, a fast autoswing weapon can be deadly against the main body, as you can dodge its lunge and attack continuously as it passes by. However, you will still need some way to attack at range, to deal with the Probes. As always, it's helpful to reforge your weapon(s) to get a good modifier.


 * For Melee users:
 * are very effective at dealing damage to The Destroyer, especially if it attacks vertically. This takes out a lot of its health and if it keeps attacking you vertically, it will take a short amount of time to defeat it. The, is a very effective choice.
 * have great potential. If you've already defeated a Hardmode boss, the Gungnir is very effective. If it is not available, spears such as the or the  are acceptable alternatives.
 * If you defeated The Twins or Skeletron Prime, you can use a . The point will go through many segments, while the spinning mushrooms deal more damage.
 * Yoyos such as, , , or a (if you killed at least one Mechanical boss) can easily damage multiple coils of The Destroyer quickly and with high accuracy. It does an even better job with a , as it gives a wide attacking area, as well as kill the heart-dropping Probes without having to directly target them.
 * can do significant damage across multiple body parts.
 * would also be able to deal significant damage, while allowing you to maintain some distance from the Probes.
 * The high speed and damage of the can destroy it in a matter of seconds, provided you have enough defense to take head on attacks.
 * The is an excellent choice too because of the rapid speed and its ability to ricochet which is extremely useful when The Destroyer is moving horizontally.
 * The can be very useful for the fight due to its good range and infinite piercing ability.


 * For Ranged users:
 * The is a great weapon dealing large amounts of damage to any of the mechanical bosses killing them quite quickly especially when combined with  or . The ] or  also work well with these arrows.
 * The combined with s or the  combined with  will kill it quite easily even on Expert Mode.
 * or used on any weapon with a fast firing rate will deal very high amounts of damage very quickly.
 * The is the best gun available.
 * The will also work very well if obtained.
 * The with Exploding Bullets is good against the Destroyer, as it is very easy to hit many segments at once even with the Gatligator's inaccuracy, and the Exploding Bullets can cause splash damage, hitting multiple segments.
 * If you already defeated mechanical boss Skeletron Prime, a could be used for this fight.


 * For Magic users:
 * The and  can be great weapons for fighting The Destroyer, as it damages multiple segments at once, and can also strike down the Probes in a wide area.
 * Thanks to its piercing ability, the is extremely effective against the Destroyer, regardless of whether you are geared for magic or not. The  can be used similarly to deal high amounts of constant damage, but must be refreshed constantly.
 * is a decent choice due to the fact that it can pierce multiple segments at once.
 * Various other piercing magic weapons can obliterate this boss in no time. Most notably the, and the  due to their piercing ability.
 * The deals extreme amounts of damage at a high speed, but it burns through Mana extremely quickly.


 * For Summoners :
 * is the best available at this point.
 * A is the only viable Sentry at this stage, and can contribute a small amount of damage at no cost.
 * If you have already beat The Twins, the is a very strong choice.
 * If you defeated Skeletron Prime or The Twins first, you can buy a or, which can deal excellent damage to the Destroyer.

Accessories
There are many great accessories available at this point.


 * The (or any of its upgrades such as the Star Veil) will make the barrage of laser bolts much more survivable.
 * are the best wings available at this stage, but are reasonable substitutes.  or better will provide better ground movement. Those two accessories will allow you to move almost freely through the air and on the ground, making it easier to evade The Destroyer's body.
 * The prevents knockback and is practically mandatory for melee users, but useful for any class.
 * The is a defensive accessory that reduces damage if your health starts getting low. The Expert mode exclusive  is also effective.
 * The enhances survivability by providing regeneration and reducing the duration of Potion Sickness. To reduce the potion cooldown, it only needs to be equipped during the instant a health potion is drunk.
 * An Emblem provides additional damage for your primary damage type; the Summoner Emblem and your best summoner equipment should be worn before summoning minions.
 * Yoyo fighters should definitely use a Yoyo Bag, as it doubles a yoyo's damage output, as well as providing 2 extra counterweights that can do a bit more damage to him and his probes.
 * should be used if using a Daedalus Stormbow or any Repeater with Jester/Unholy arrows.
 * Magic users who wish to rely less on Mana Potions can equip a pair of /}. Probes drop mana stars frequently.
 * Since the fight takes place at nighttime, the will be active if equipped, and is a viable choice for melee users.
 * provides a generic increase to DPS and is a decent filler accessory.

As with most situations in general, it is best to reforge your accessories with damage, critical strike chance or defense increasing modifiers.

Potions

 * ,, , and will greatly increase survivability.
 * Any food item that provides the buff is good.
 * is a must for mages.
 * will increase mobility.
 * and will improve DPS.
 * ,, or  and  will further improve it for Mages, Rangers, Melee, and Summoner users respectively.

Other

 * An interesting weapon is the Cannon: it can deal high damage and pierce through multiple parts, giving great damage potential. However, it may be hard to get a good shot. It is best to position the cannon on platforms high up (above the Destroyer's range), point the cannon straight up, and fire.

Skybridge Strategy
A good idea would be to build either an Asphalt skybridge or a normal high arena with wood and wood platforms, and have Heart Statues with pressure plates on each platform. A good strategy to fighting it would be to be highly mobile, i.e. jumping around from platform to platform and constantly moving. Obviously, avoiding getting hit and having a campfire and Heart lantern at the arena to recover health fast. You could even set your spawn near the Nurse and Magic Mirror to her when you have taken too much damage to recover health instantly, as The Destroyer will not despawn no matter how far you get away from it or if you use a Magic Mirror, or another item that teleports you, it will follow you all the way back to spawn. Kill its Probes, which drop hearts, as often as possible to recover health. If you have a good rhythm going then you only need to worry about the night ending, rather than dying.

Fireworks Strategy
There is another way for people who have a lot of money. Buy a lot of fireworks from the Party Girl. Place them on your bridge and wire them all up to a switch. Wait until The Destroyer is oriented in such a way that he is parallel to the bridge, then flip the switch and launch the rockets. The Destroyer will die quickly, although you will have to farm money for this because you will need a great amount of fireworks and wires. Alternatively, if the player has trouble getting the Destroyer lined up to their exact location, they can create multiple platforms over each other, all filled with fireworks, then make sure that the Destroyer's body covers the firing range, before setting them off.

Cannons Strategy
Another way to defeat The Destroyer is to wait for a Pirate Invasion, buy the cannon and many cannonballs from the pirate once the event is over, then place the cannon on wood platforms aiming the direction you wish and fire the cannon. This is one of the most expensive but effective strategies to defeat The Destroyer as the cannonballs do 300 damage and pierce, resulting in massive damage. You can also use traps to create a semi-afk farm to easily kill The Destroyer. A perk of this is that you can get a Cutlass, resulting in getting even more damage.

Small tanking box Strategy
A tricky alternative way of building an arena is by creating a small box, wire up a few Heart Statues around it and some honey inside it. Combine this with high defense, a Cross Necklace and a Charm of Myths. The Destroyer himself will only deal relatively low damage, less than your healing potential, making the fight very easy.

Nimbus Strategy
Another method of defeating The Destroyer utilizes a Nimbus Rod, ropes, and Platforms. Build a platform up high enough so that the Destroyer can just barely reach the player, but not so high as to despawn the Destroyer when standing atop it, and make a rope up. Since the Destroyer can't fly, you will be able to kill it easily. Piercing weapons will be most effective e.g. Flamethrower or Titanium Repeater. Place Nimbus Clouds, and then use the Mechanical Worm. The clouds will damage the Destroyer while you fight off the Probes. You may need to replace the clouds mid-fight. If you wish to do additional damage, shoot down at him with a Poison Staff, preferably at an angle as to do damage to multiple segments per shot.