Guide:Dungeon Guardian strategies

The Dungeon Guardian is statistically the strongest enemy in Terraria (if not counting invincible enemies), and only spawns when you move below 0 depth in the Dungeon before defeating Skeletron. Once Skeletron is defeated, Dungeon Guardians will no longer spawn. The only reason to fight it is for the Bone Key it drops.

Terrain Preparation
You need to be in a world where Skeletron has NOT been defeated. Otherwise, it will not spawn.

As it will instantly kill you when it touches you, the only way to defeat it is to outrun it. Therefore you have four good options for terrain:
 * The first option is simply use the whole map, by using Gravitation Potions to move around. You will fall faster than it and you can move diagonally to go even faster.
 * The second option is a very long Skybridge. You will be equally fast as the Dungeon Guardian when running horizontally and jumping with wings. If you want to outrun it make a diagonal skybridge or build the skybridge out of Asphalt.
 * The third option is to simply use a good pair of Wings or the Cosmic Car Key with a clear, open space.
 * The fourth option requires a rail system that goes in a circle, using a fast Minecart or Booster Tracks. This can be also be automated with Traps, such as Spike Ball or Spear Traps within the rail circle.

To reliably "summon" the Dungeon Guardian, it is recommended to dig a straight shaft down from outside the dungeon. The Depth Meter is recommended for this.

If the player has access to the Mechanic and Steampunker it is possible to build a Teleporter arena (example). This can make the fight dramatically easier, especially if the Teleporters are automated with Timers. As the Mechanic is found in the Dungeon it is required for the player to bring materials from a world where Skeletron has already been defeated.

Armor
Frost armor is a great choice, as the Dungeon Guardian is not immune against the Frostburn debuff, greatly increasing damage dealt. It also provides a good critical strike chance bonus.

If using magic weapons, the Spectre Armor with the Spectre Mask will release projectiles which will deal even more damage to the Guardian.

Another option is to use Beetle armor with the shell along with defensive accessories and an Endurance Potion and Lifeforce Potion to give you a fairly good chance of surviving a hit from the Dungeon Guardian should it happen to hit you. Titanium armor's set bonus allows the player to survive a hit every 30 seconds.

You can also use Tiki Armor or higher if you want to use Minions.

Weapons
Because of its massive Defense, no weapon will deal more than 1 damage (2 with a critical hit), so it is much better to use weapons with a very high rate of fire or multiple projectiles. It's recommended to use any prefix that increases critical hit chance or firing speed.


 * For Melee users:
 * The Flairon releases many bubbles when used, which can deal rapid damage to the Guardian.
 * The Vampire Knives, the Scourge of the Corruptor and Seedler are useful due to their multiple projectiles and fast rate of fire.
 * Solar Eruption has great reach and hits many times when used.


 * For Ranged users:
 * The best guns are the Chain Gun, Gatligator, Megashark, Minishark, S.D.M.G, Vortex Beater or Uzi. Combine them with Crystal Bullets for additional damage from the released fragments.
 * The best bows are the Tsunami or Phantasm. Combine them with Holy Arrows for more damage.
 * The Piranha Gun is very easy to use and deals damage at a fast rate.
 * A bow with Heart Arrows stuns the Dungeon Guardian, making the fight a lot easier.


 * For Magic users:
 * Some of the fastest magic weapons include the Razorpine, Laser Machinegun, Bat Scepter or Blizzard Staff.
 * The Nebula Arcanum can hit a lot of times if used correctly.


 * For Summoners:
 * The Stardust Dragon Staff and Xeno Staff deal damage at a very fast rate.

Accessories
As the Dungeon Guardian will instantly kill you, your Defense is entirely irrelevant. For this reason, it is recommended that you use Mobility accessories rather than defensive ones.


 * The best Wings to use are Fishron, Solar or Stardust Wings. The Hoverboard or Betsy Wings have the ability to hover, which is very good as well. With any type of wings, the Frog Leg is very useful because it provides 50% increased flight speed.
 * Master Ninja Gear gives you the ability to dash, as well as a chance to dodge a hit.
 * The Destroyer Emblem and Eye of the Golem increase critical strike chance.
 * The Pygmy Necklace, Necromantic Scroll and Papyrus Scarab increase the maximum number of minions.
 * If you use a Skybridge, a Cobalt Shield or better will prevent enemies from knocking you into the Dungeon Guardian.

Other

 * The Rod of Discord allows you to teleport away from the Guardian.

Potions

 * Gravitation Potions, in case you use that method.
 * Swiftness Potions and something to give you the Well Fed buff to increase your movement speed.
 * Any Mana Potions if you use magic weapons.
 * Rage Potions increase critical strike chance for all classes. An Ale or Crystal Ball will increase it further for Melee and Magic weapons respectively.
 * Potions that provide light, such as Hunter Potion, Night Owl Potion and Shine Potion allow you to see better at night.
 * A Summoning Potion can be used for an extra minion.
 * An Ammo Reservation Potion is great for saving bullets.

Mechanical Cart Method
If you have killed the three Mechanical Bosses in Expert mode, you will have access to the Mechanical Cart. It is faster than the Dungeon Guardian, but this means that you may end up despawning it. You should control your speed to allow it to keep up.

Therefore, you can make a long, flat minecart track to traverse across with a Mechanical Cart to combat the Dungeon Guardian at a distance.



When you are riding a Minecart on a track that's directly over a Teleporter and it is activated at that moment, it can teleport you and the Minecart you're riding to another rail that's on top of another Teleporter, keeping your momentum in the process. The branching rail on top is set to a passive state (you pass through it on the bottom line without switching on to it). The bottom Teleporter has a Pressure Plate Track over the Teleporter to trigger it, but the top one does not. The top rail has a bumper at the end of the line to make you turn around to the other direction without losing speed.

Lastly, this only works if you are moving slowly enough such that the Dungeon Guardian is lured in between the two Teleporters upon teleporting. Otherwise, you'll simply run straight into him in the same manner of if you just had a bumper at the end of the rail.

Hoik method
With the use of Hoiks, the Dungeon Guardians won't be able to reach you, so the fight will be a lot simpler. The Hoik should be the size of the first room in the Dungeon at minimum, anything bigger is unnecessary. After that, all you need to do is shoot at it or kill it with Minions such as the Stardust Dragon.

Example of the strategy