Guide:Empress of Light strategies

The Empress of Light is a Hardmode post-Plantera boss fought in the Hallow.

Spawn conditions
The Empress of Light can be spawned by killing a Prismatic Lacewing, which is a rare critter that spawns in the surface Hallow during the night once Plantera has been defeated in the world. As it is a rare creature, it can be detected by the Lifeform Analyzer. The Prismatic Lacewing can only spawn between 7:30PM and 12:00AM, and only one can have spawned in the world at any given time.

Like most critters, the Prismatic Lacewing can be caught with any bug net, which can then be released, and killed, by the player manually. This can be used to spawn the boss at a more desired place and time. However, the critter will almost instantly despawn if released outside of the Hallow, so it must be killed quickly in order to summon the boss.

Time of day
The Empress of Light, if summoned by a natural spawning Lacewing, will be fought at night. She will enrage if still alive or if summoned during the daytime, causing her attacks to do tens of thousands of damage, instantly killing players who are hit by her attacks. This enraged state is indicated by her attacks turning from rainbow to bright yellow.

She will always drop the Terraprisma if all damage dealt to her was during the day.

Attacks

 * Prismatic Bolts – Summons a cloud of prismatic bolts that home in on the player after a short time. These bolts do not have perfect tracking, and will miss if the player makes a sharp turn as they approach. If enraged, extra bolts are created, and they will spread out more before homing onto the player.
 * Dash Attack – Positions herself to the left or right of the player before charging horizontally in the player’s direction.
 * Sun Dance – Hovers above and slightly to the left of the player and emits 6 rays of light (8 if enraged) that slowly rotate clockwise. 3 sets of rays are created per sun dance, each positioned slightly more clockwise from the last.
 * Everlasting Rainbow – Releases a ring of 13 stars that spiral out clockwise, then spiral back in the same direction. These stars leave behind a trail of light that will damage the player.
 * Ethereal Lance – Summons a swarm of swords that launch in the direction the player was headed when they were summoned, telegraphed by colored beams. These swords are summoned behind where the player was moving, or all around the player if they were stationary. The swords do no damage until launched. If enraged, extra swords are summoned, and they will launch faster.

Attack pattern
The Empress has set attack patterns for both of her phases.

First phase
When spawned, the Empress will hover in place for a few seconds before executing the following attacks in order:


 * 1) Prismatic Bolts
 * 2) Dash Attack
 * 3) Sun Dance
 * 4) Dash Attack
 * 5) Everlasting Rainbow
 * 6) Prismatic Bolts
 * 7) Dash Attack
 * 8) Ethereal Lance
 * 9) Dash Attack
 * 10) Everlasting Rainbow

This sequence of attacks will repeat indefinitely until the second phase starts.

Second phase
When the Empress is below half of her max health, she will disappear for a second, then reappear above the next estimated location of the player before executing a new set of attacks, with slightly shorter attack intervals than before:


 * 1) Ethereal Lance Ver. 2:  Summons four evenly spaced waves of swords that travel across the screen, telegraphed by colored beams. The first wave travels from the left side of the screen to the right, the second from right to left, the third wave from top-left to bottom-right, and the fourth wave from top-right to bottom-left.
 * 2) * If enraged, there will instead be six waves of swords that target specific points around the player instead of traveling from one side of the screen to the other. The first wave travels from the left side of the screen to the right of the player, the second wave from the right side to the left of the player, the third wave from top side to the bottom-right of the player, the fourth wave from top side to bottom-left of the player, the fifth wave from the bottom side to top-right of the player, and the sixth wave from the bottom side to top left of the player.
 * 3) Prismatic Bolts
 * 4) Dash Attack
 * 5) * If enraged, she will cast Ethereal Lance after the dash before resuming her normal pattern (targets where the player is rather than where they will be, or do nothing if the player is stationary)
 * 6) Everlasting Rainbow
 * 7) Prismatic Bolts
 * 8) Sun Dance
 * 9) Ethereal Lance
 * 10) Dash Attack
 * 11) Prismatic Bolts (Cast in a circle around the Empress instead of a cloud directly above her)

This sequence of attacks will repeat indefinitely until she is defeated.

Terrain preparation
Seeing how Empress of Light's moves (namely Everlasting Rainbow, Prismatic Bolts and Sun Dance) can easily trap you; a wide, a large arena is strongly suggested for the fight against her if you don't possess an infinite-flying mount. The arena should span as far as your hallowed biome can be (this doesn't matter on Expert or Master as she will always use her enraged set, so you can span your arena even to space), and you should make it longer if your hallowed biome isn't large enough. At least long rows of 3-5 platforms fairly separated from each other will do.


 * Teleporters are recommended to easily avoid getting clustered by her moves, but be wary of her dash. Her prismatic bolts should also be taken note of due to them homing quite quickly and having a fair range.

Armor

 * Hallowed armor's Holy Protection buff, alongside the 10% dodge chance of Master Ninja Gear and the 1/6 chance of dodge with the Brain of Confusion are great tools which aid with survivability. They are extremely necessary if you're going to fight her in daytime.
 * If you can defeat her quickly enough, survivability won’t be an issue. So as an alternative to dodges, try the Destroyer Emblem, Sniper Scope, Magic Quiver, or the Emblem of your class.
 * The Rod of Discord and the Hook of Dissonance are extremely useful for dodging attacks by teleporting through or away from them.
 * If using Summoner, reforge your Whip to Bulky or Slow. This gives more range at the penalty of DPS.

Weapons
All classes can fare well with the Empress of Light.

For melee users:

 * Terra Blade is a great sword thanks to it's projectile and damage to make the fight fairly straightforward.
 * Influx Waver is another good option if you don't already have the Terra Blade, having a similar projectile and fair damage.
 * Possessed Hatchet is also viable thanks to it's good damage and homing capabilities.
 * The Eye of Cthulhu may also be used for good damage with a fair reach.

For ranged users:

 * Piranha Gun is an excellent option for rangers who don't feel like aiming, providing consistent and strong DPS with homing capabilities.
 * Xenopopper is another good weapon to deal consistent damage.
 * Electrosphere Launcher is great to use against the Empress of Light while she's using her Sun Dance.
 * Tsunami can also be a good option, optimally with Chlorophyte Arrow.

For magic users:

 * Betsy's Wrath is ideal for it's stronger version of the 'Ichor' debuff, also dealing good damage alone.
 * Laser Machinegun is good for steady and strong raw damage.
 * Razorpine can be an alternative for the Laser Machinegun.
 * Razorblade Typhoon may be utilized aswell, having homing capabilities that can provide steady DPS.

For summoners:

 * Xeno Staff is the best summoning weapon that you can use against the Empress of Light due to its constant DPS and perfect accuracy.
 * Raven Staff may be used as a 'weaker alternative', losing the perfect accuracy for some more raw damage.
 * For whips, Morning Star is your best bet for boosting your minions' damage. Dark Harvest may be utilized for you to be able to damage the Empress of Light yourself.

Accessories

 * Wings are a necessity in this fight, so Fishron Wings must be obtained and used.
 * Berserker's Glove may be utilized by melee users and summoners alike.
 * Yoyo Bag MUST be used by melee users who wish to use The Eye of Cthulhu.
 * Rangers should use the Sniper Scope if they're using guns, Molten Quiver if they're using bows.
 * Mage users may use the Celestial Cuffs for increased mana star pickup range and free mana back when hit or Magnet Flower to have increased mana star pickup range and reduced mana usage.
 * Summoners should pick up the Papyrus Scarab along with the Pygmy Necklace if there's enough accessory space for 2 minions in total + increased minion damage and knockback.
 * Master Ninja Gear is a must as it gives you a chance to dodge her attacks while also giving you a good, quick dash move.
 * Lightning Boots or it's higher alternatives may also be used for you to be able to sprint on the ground.
 * Philosopher's Stone may be switched with another accessory on occasions where you have to heal in order to have a decreased potion sickness duration.
 * Ankh Shield or it's shield predecessors may be utilized to prevent knockback from the Empress of Light's attacks, allowing you to be able to get out of tight situations.

Celestial Shell  may be used to gain boosted stats.

Cross Necklace or it's upgrades are recommended to avoid constant damage in cases where you're surrounded by her attacks.


 * The Emblem of your class can be utilized for more raw damage.

Potions

 * The Flask of Ichor, Ale, Archery Potion, Mana Regeneration Potion, and Magic Power Potion are very helpful for their respective classes. Mana Regeneration in particular is by far the most important buff for magic users.
 * Lifeforce Potion, Ironskin Potion, Regeneration Potion, and Endurance Potion will assist in survivability.
 * Any item that provides a Well Fed buff, such as Pumpkin Pie and Bowl of Soup, can be used.

Strategies

 * Most of her attacks can be avoided by suddenly moving perpendicularly to the direction you were previously heading. This includes the Dash attack, Etherial Lance, Prismatic Bolt cloud, and Etherial Lance ver. 2.
 * If you can defeat her quickly enough, survivability won’t be an issue, so as an alternative to dodges, try the Destroyer Emblem, Sniper Scope, Magic Quiver, or the Emblem of your class.
 * The Rod of Discord and the Hook of Dissonance are extremely useful for dodging attacks by teleporting through or away from them.
 * During the day, all of the Empress’s attacks kill you in one hit. Defense and damage reduction don’t matter, so reforge accessories to Lucky or Menacing.
 * If using Summoner, reforge your Whip to Bulky or Slow. This gives more range at the penalty of DPS.
 * Use Potions, along with a food item for Exquisitely Stuffed. These offer powerful stat boosts and class-specific bonuses, and are generally useful for any combat situation.To avoid accidentally summoning the boss, use the Guide to Critter Companionship, which prevents the player from damaging critters, including the Prismatic Lacewing.
 * Most of the Empress' attacks are very hard to dodge, so fighting her will require a lot of mobility and preparation. A Mount with infinite flight is advisable.
 * If attempting to fight the Empress during the day to obtain the Terraprisma, defense and damage resistance should be completely disregarded in favor of damage and mobility, as any damage taken will be beyond lethal regardless.
 * The damage cancelling effect of the Master Ninja Gear, Brain of Confusion and Hallowed armor can allow the player to occasionally take hits without instantly dying.
 * The dash ability from Shield of Cthulhu, Tabi, or Solar Flare armor can help dodge attacks, as can the Rod of Discord, especially since its self-damage debuff is of less concern when facing a boss that kills instantly.
 * Consider using a Bug Net to capture any Prismatic Lacewings when you see them, rather than killing them immediately. This will allow you to easily fight the Empress at a time and place of your choosing once prepared. Note that if the Prismatic Lacewing is released outside of the Hallow or during the day, it will disappear very quickly (though with some difficulty, it can be killed if attacked immediately upon release).
 * Although the Prismatic Lacewing can only spawn at night, the Empress of Light can be spawned at any time of day.
 * The Crystal Assassin armor is useful as it boosts mobility.
 * Ranged weapons that rain down projectiles from above, like the Daedalus Stormbow, can be particularly effective.
 * She is not immune to any practical debuffs. This can be a good extra source of damage, especially with the use of Ichor or Shadowflame.