Plantera

Plantera is a Hardmode boss. After The Destroyer, Skeletron Prime, and The Twins have been defeated, one or more Plantera's Bulbs will appear somewhere in the Underground Jungle and the message "The jungle grows restless" appears. Destroying one of these bulbs, which requires a Pickaxe or a Drill, will summon Plantera.

The fight against Plantera takes place in two parts. In the first part Plantera will chase the player around the jungle, using its hooks to move around. In addition, Plantera will fire thorns at the player, as well as spitting out the occasional bouncy spiky ball.

Once Plantera is brought down to half health it will change form, the pink bud falling away to reveal a thorn-filled mouth. In this second form it retains its previous attacks, but will begin to move around quicker and more erratically, as well as sprouting a number of tentacle mouths which stretch outward on thin strands, similar to the Wall of Flesh's "Hungry" minions, though the tentacles do not detach when damaged, instead simply being destroyed. Plantera's second form will also release floating pink spores that will slowly drift after the player, similar to the spores released by the Giant Fungi Bulb enemy.

If Plantera is taken out of the Jungle or to the surface, the AI will change dramatically. Once "enraged", Plantera gains significantly more damage and movement speed, and tends to sit directly on top of the player, causing constant damage. It does, however, still have to "grapple" walls with its vines, so having a tall enough arena would still allow a player to combat it on the surface.

When Plantera is defeated for the first time it will always drop a Grenade Launcher with Rocket I's for ammo, as well as the Temple Key. The Pygmy Staff and the Seedling also have a chance to drop. From the second time onward the drops become randomized.

Tips

 * It is worth the time to excavate land to make the boss much easier to dodge. Just note that the floor of your land probably will be covered with spiky balls that the boss spawns.
 * Plantera's Bulb can spawn in player made jungle biomes. This could prove as a good way to fight Plantera in a more controlled environment, away from jungle mobs, hazards, etc.
 * Another method, which exploits Plantera's slowness, is to line up 2 teleporters ~50 blocks away from each other in two small separate rooms with a tiny hole. When Plantera is summoned, use a Megashark or Clockwork Assault Rifle to attack Plantera, and when she comes too close, teleport to the other room.
 * You can press M (For the map). Zoom in, then look for a pink/purple rectangle on the map. Put your mouse over the rectangle and it should say Plantera's Bulb.
 * Narrow Passages slow down Plantera as it takes time for Plantera to grip the surrounding terrain after you. Use of the Death Sickle in the narrow passages will result in up to 3000 damage max in a 30-40 tile tunnel. (Tested and Confirmed)
 * If you don't care about dying (i.e. when using a Softcore character) and just want to defeat the boss to progress, use a bed and put it in the area where you fight Plantera. If Plantera kills you, you will spawn right into the fight without Plantera despawning. (Nerfed as of 1.2.3).

Trivia

 * The name "Plantera" is a word play of the American thrash metal band Pantera, which is Redigit's girlfriend's favorite band.
 * Plantera also drops "The Axe", which looks similar to the Washburn and Dean electric guitars often used by the late Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell.
 * Plantera's boss music also consists of heavy usage of electric guitar, the basis of metal music.
 * This boss bears a resemblance to Kalle Demos from The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker

History

 * When killed for the first time the message is now "Screams are echoing from the dungeon..."