Guide:The Destroyer strategies

"You feel vibrations from deep below..."

The Destroyer is an early Hardmode boss. The Destroyer, Skeletron Prime, and The Twins comprise 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 is not 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 damage on contact. 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, with Holy Arrows 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.

When avoiding The Destroyer, go up, not down. If you are on the ground and The Destroyer goes above you, it effectively traps you with its body, leaving little room to dodge the Probes and making it harder to dodge the head. Getting stuck under The Destroyer is extremely dangerous, so be sure to have an arena with platforms or good jump items.

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
Like with the Eater of Worlds, a tall, wide arena with multiple rows of Platforms can make dodging its main body easier.

Alternatively, standing on a rectangular box around 150 blocks into the air will make the Destroyer unable to reach the player while also protecting them from its lasers, leaving only the Probes as a threat.

Additionally, running along a long platform with plenty of campfires and sunflowers is a viable strategy, as all off screen air blocks are treated like solid tiles to the Destroyer. This also allows you to more easily dodge his lasers if they are behind you, and using the mini map can help you see where he may pop up next.

Armor

 * provides the overall greatest increase to all stats, though it lacks a useful set bonus.
 * is a great choice due to its high stats and the buff.
 * is especially powerful as its set bonus can hit many segments.
 * provides lower stat bonuses, but the greatly increases natural regeneration.
 * is a direct upgrade to Adamantite armor that can be used if you have already defeated a Mechanical Boss.
 * is the best choice for summoners. One additional minion can be summoned after swapping the Spider Greaves for Forbidden Treads.
 * provides weak stat bonuses, but comes equipped with a set bonus that can be used against the Destroyer to great effect.
 * does not apply Frostburn against the Destroyer, so wearing the full set is not advised. However, the provides high melee and ranged bonuses, which can be useful on a hybrid set if you don't have access to Titanium, Orichalcum, or Palladium armor.

Weapons
This boss is very large, not at all agile, and consists of many segments. Any weapon that pierces, has an area of effect, or fires multiple projectiles will do well against it. If none of these are available, a fast auto-swing 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 is 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.
 * have great potential. If you have 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.
 * also deals significant damage, while allowing you to maintain some distance from the Probes.
 * The incredibly high damage of the can destroy it in a matter of seconds, provided you have knockback immunity and enough attack speed to maximize its potential.
 * The is a powerful choice due to its ability to bounce off the Destroyer, hitting it and its Probes multiple times.
 * The is very useful for the fight due to its good range and infinite piercing ability.
 * can do significant damage across multiple body parts.


 * 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  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 have already defeated Skeletron Prime, a can be used for this fight.


 * For Magic users:
 * The and  are great weapons for fighting The Destroyer, as they damage 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, whether you are using magic gear or not.
 * is a decent choice because 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 minion available for this fight. A can be used in the likely event that the Pirate Staff has not been obtained.
 * A or  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 deal excellent damage to the Destroyer.


 * Other options
 * As unlikely as it may sound, are a viable option against the Destroyer, dealing significant damage to exposed segments and easily eliminating the Probes. While no individual hit will exceed 10 damage, the bees will deal thousands of hits to the Destroyer over a short time, finishing the battle surprisingly quickly. A Shark Tooth Necklace and Orichalcum armor are recommended for this approach.

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 or its upgrades prevents knockback and it 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 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.
 * Assuming you are willing to farm for it, the is an extremely effective tool to dodge the Destroyer's attacks.
 * Entering the Jungle Temple by using a hoik or by using stairs to invalidate the horizontal collision of the Lihzahrd Door can be very dangerous, but if the traps are harvested, a large, strategically-placed array of them wired to timers can annihilate the Destroyer very quickly.

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 number 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.

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. Additionally, you can put a few Heart Lanterns to increase your regeneration rate.

Daedalus Stormbow Strategy
If you obtained the Daedalus Stormbow from a Hallowed Mimic, then a good alternative is collecting Holy Arrows, and when The Destroyer has spawned, use the Daedalus Stormbow to shower the Holy Arrows onto it. Holy Arrows rain stars once it makes contact with the enemy, and if the Daedalus Stormbow is raining the arrows onto The Destroyer - which is a large target, it will damage from both projectiles, defeating The Destroyer incredibly easily. Note that it will take much longer in Expert Mode, and the lasers make it hard if you have a low tier armor, so it is advised to wear at least Orichalcum, if not Palladium, Armour for this strategy.