Guide:Brain of Cthulhu strategies

Fighting the Brain of Cthulhu is very similar to fighting the Eye of Cthulhu, with a little tweak on phases. If you have the basics of how to Fight the Eye of Cthulhu, then you will have a better chance fighting the Brain.

Terrain Preparation
You'll want to set up a long platform in The Crimson, because it can only be summoned there. It can be summoned in caverns and above ground. It should be high enough so ground enemies can't jump up to you, but low enough that you don't accidentally go high enough to make it despawn. It is similar to the Eater of Worlds in the way that it can be summoned and fought during day or night. An arena the size of your screen is preferred, since you can see the whole area in the middle, it is safe, and enemies can't go jumping in. It is suggested to place a Campfire in the center of the arena as it will grant a passive regeneration boost which can help you greatly. A Heart Lantern can accompany this if you already have 400 Health.

If you feel confident in the crimson, and don't mind the possibility of other crimson enemies barging in on your fight, you can set up a series of wooden platforms inside the large, circular hollows of the underground crimson. These spaces are usually near 6-10 hearts, giving you a chance to kill 2 or 3 brains in a row using terrain prepared on-the-spot. You can grapple up to wooden platforms, so you can space the platforms up or down more than your normal jumping range if you have a Grappling Hook, already. (Even when holding down, you fall faster with less platforms.)

Alternatively, you can also "box" the arena, by simply putting up a simple wall and ceiling in the big chasm the crimson usually forms, and using materials such as stone or even dirt. You can then set 2-4 wooden platform "floors" which you can then use to maneuver around the arena, and this will prevent other monsters from interfering in your fight. If there are multiple Demon Heart in the chasm, you can also use this arena repeatedly to fight in.

Keep in mind that the boss will spawn WHEN YOU SMASH THE THIRD HEART, setting you immediately into battle, not when you take your time getting to the arena. Have a path to your arena ready, and try to save any hearts close to your arena as the third heart to smash in a series unless you want to build more arenas every time you want to fight a new Brain. Alternatively you may try to destroy the hearts from a distance by using explosives.

If you have already made a Bloody Spine, build a little house on the surface crimson, place a bed there and set your spawn, then summon the brain. If you get killed just outside the house you've built, the brain won't despawn, and when you respawn,you can still attack it. This method works great because you don't even need to gear up: all you need is a bed. Note that this may be a bug, so it could be fixed soon. It can also be used to farm the BoC with low tier gear.

If you have a world that has The Corruption, consider killing the Eater of Worlds for a Nightmare Pickaxe to mine crimstone and make getting to hearts and shaping terrain more easily. If you enjoy fishing, the Reaver Shark is very convenient for the same purpose.

Armor
If you want to stand a chance against the Brain of Cthulhu, you're going to need at least Iron or Lead armor but Lead armor is better as it gives two extra defense than Iron. Lower armor can be used if you manage to get some defensive reforges on Accessories, but of course the better armor you have, the easier the fight will be. If you have access to Platinum armor, be sure to make it, as you benefit from it greatly.

Weapons

 * For melee users, the Blade of Grass is extremely good as it deals 28 damage and also poisons the enemy. This is especially good for taking out creepers. In the second Phase, switch to the Rotted Fork. (Note for hardmode players the deathsickle is a good weapon for speed kills and quick harvesting for money)

(Note the water bolt can be effective if in a enclosed arena)
 * For magic users, use a Water Bolt or Crimson Rod if you have one. Otherwise, use an Emerald Staff or better.
 * For ranged users, use a Tendon or Demon Bow with the Crimtane or Demonite ore you get by defeating the Eye of Cthulhu. Use Flaming arrows as it will set the Brain and Creepers on fire and they are easy to make.

=Ranged= Bows with Jester's or Unholy Arrows are good for their high damage. Because they are piercing weapons, both arrow types can hit multiple eyes. However, one can also use Flaming Arrows if they wish to. Recommended bows are the Platinum Bow/Gold Bow or Tendon Bow from the crimtane given from Eye of Cthulhu.

For guns, you might want to find an Undertaker from Demon Hearts, the equivalent to the Musket in The Corruption. Also make sure to buy plenty of bullets. If you have the extra meteorite or silver, you could craft bullets from them to give you an extra 2 damage per shot.

=Consumables=

In the beginning of the battle, Grenades are highly useful against the clumps of Creepers that form. Only a few are necessary to take many of the Creepers down.

For thrown, get lots of Shurikens or Throwing Knifes. Molotov Cocktails also works great because of the splash damage and the fire that hits multiple times keep the brain away in its second stage. Also, the Harpoon seems to work great under its second stage, because of the great knockback. The harpoon is dropped from the goblins, so that means you will need to fight a goblin army first to get this. Spiky Balls are also incredibly effective as they are capable of stunlocking the creepers and providing additional knockback during the 2nd phase of the fight, However, using them requires you prepare an arena with no gaps for the Spiky Balls to fall through.

Also the holy hand grenade is good if you're a horrible aim. It can kill the creepers instantly and two hits kills the brain.

=Magic=

As for the Magic users, find a Water Bolt, and get at least 100 mana if you don't want to continually run out and hope that one of the orbiting eyes drop another star. If you have already beaten the Queen Bee, the Bee Gun is useful to get rid of the Creepers. If you found a Floating Island, then make use of the equipment you get. If you're lucky, you can get the Starfury and make it an easy fight. If all else fails, you can use a Crimson Rod which is also found in the demon heart and will do constant damage over time, and only needs casting every 30 or so seconds.

Another good option would be to use the Space Gun with the full Meteor Armor set. The Space gun pierces, making the Creepers fall very quickly. Combined with the armor set bonus of making the Space Gun cost 0 mana and the boss is much easier.

If you have access to a world with Corruption, the Vilethorn is tremendously potent against the eyes in the first half of the fight - the Vilethorn can penetrate infinite enemies, and has enough knockback to stun the whole crowd of Creepers, making the enemy evaporate. It's also light on mana if you space your shots out. (With 200 mana, you can regenerate all mana spent on the Vilethorn before the thorn effect, and its knockback, ends, giving you excellent juggling capabilities.)

The second phase of the boss is similar to the Eye of Cthulhu, but the teleportations can sometimes make the boss easier, as it tends to make the boss back off from the player a little.

=Ranged=

It may be best to switch to a weapon with higher one-target damage against the brain - you will likely be shooting at it from fairly close range, and there will only be one target, so your choice of weapon may change. Fire arrows on the strongest bow you can bring, and The Undertaker will be more effective against the single, large target you face in the second half. If at all possible, defeat the Eye of Cthulhu first, then use the crimtane you get to make a Tendon Bow, then make fire arrows and watch in awe as the boss gets wiped out in about 2-3 minutes after it enters it's second stage.

=Melee= For users who use melee, using a spear-type weapon can be effective on both the first and second stages of the battle. The Trident or The Rotted Fork are suggested, since a spear can hit multiple enemies multiple times with each attack. As well, it is highly suggested that, if you can, fight the Eye of Cthulhu first and make the Blood Butcherer from the crimtane dropped, it is likely the best sword you will have the ability to craft at this point, and using its sweeping overhead swing can help take down creepers quickly. If possible, use a Blade of Grass A flail type weapon such as the Ball O' Hurt or Chain Knife will also help in this fight since it let's you you keep a bit of distance, deliver reasonable knockback, and hit several enemies, as do Boomerangs on their return trip. Boomerangs can also deliver a decent amount of single target knock back and damage for the second phase. A Katana is usefull for its knockback and high chance of critical hits.

A Sawtooth Shark has enough knockback to keep the second stage of the BoC at bay, and just utterly chop it up but its low damage will mean that you will have to do this for several minutes. A safe and effective strategy but a slow one.

A Falcon Blade is very effective because of the high damage, melee speed and good knockback making it very good for 2nd phase and makes for a quick easy kill.

Multiplayer
If playing with someone, have one melee player who has a rotted fork or other spear to hit the creepers in the first stage, and have a ranged player off to the side with an undertaker, gold/platinum bow, or a gem staff. In the second stage, the melee player should use the fork/spear to keep the Brain from doing massive damage, and the ranged player should keep shooting it. If you have more than 2 people, have 1 melee and extra ranged players.

Potions
About 6 Lesser Healing Potions, 1 Ironskin Potion, 1 Regeneration Potion, and 1 Archery Potion. In case you use a magic weapon bring along some Lesser Mana Potions as well. Hunter Potions can also be useful if you are fighting the brain underground as you will immediately know where he has teleported.

Accessories
Any prefix that adds defense would be good if you are fighting him for the first few times, otherwise you are going to want movement speed or damage.

Spectre Boots -- Makes the fight far easier and lets you dodge around in both phases of the battle. Rocket Boots are still okay if you don't have the money for a Tinkerer's Workshop. Though fighting the Eye of Cthulhu 3 times should give enough money to purchase it.

Cloud in a Bottle -- Definitely helps with the lunges the Brain makes in phase 2. Combine with the Shiny Red Balloon if at all possible.

Band of Regeneration -- An extra heart every 40 seconds will help out.

Aglet -- Found easily, and provides moderately easier dodging. If possible, replace it with the Anklet of the Wind or Hermes Boots.

Frog Leg -- Found fishing in Ocean biome, a must for dodging Creepers and teleportation attacks.

Phase 1
You want to get to the middle of your platforms and wait until the creepers and brain clump up together, then use any of your multi-target weapon. This can be your blood butcherer, flail, crimson rod, grenades, thrown weapons, or vilethorn. If you manage to get him in the open, this phase should go by very fast. The creepers will drop hearts and tissue. Do not collect these yet, if possible. You will need them in the second phase when the boss becomes more difficult.

Phase 2
By now the brain will split, revealing a heart with an eye on the inside. In this phase, you should switch to your single target weapon and be prepared to dodge his attacks, the best way to do this is to either fall down platforms, or jump up platforms with the cloud in a Bottle. A good way to dodge its attacks is to use some ropes or jump on platforms. Alternatively, you could use a weapon with high knockback, stand in one place, and when the brain teleports to a new location, hit him, and he won't hit you, and will just teleport again. This method will deal with his second stage in less than a minute if you have a spear, like the rotted fork. A crimtane or iron bow with unholy or jesters arrows are good when your health goes down and other ranged weapons like the undertaker or minishark clear out the brain's second form relatively quickly.