Crimson Heart

Crimson Hearts are floating, pulsing red hearts found deep in the branches of the Crimson. A world with Crimson features several Crimson Hearts, and destroying some of them is often a crucial step in game advancement. This can be done using any Hammer, or any explosive. Crimson Hearts release a fair amount of their own flickering light, similar to Crimson Altars, which helps players spot them underground.

Crimson Hearts are usually located at the ends of the branches that split from the main circular room of a Crimson area, kept inside small rooms of Crimstone Blocks. In order to reach them the player may use a Nightmare Pickaxe, Deathbringer Pickaxe or better pickaxe, explosives, or Purification Powder.

Crimson Hearts are the Crimson counterpart to the Corruption's Shadow Orbs. Like Shadow Orbs, the third one destroyed will summon a boss, the Brain of Cthulhu.

Consequences of destruction

 * Each Crimson Heart drops items when destroyed.
 * The first Crimson Heart you break on any given map will always drop an Undertaker and 100 Musket Balls. Carrying the Undertaker or Musket Balls will fulfill the criteria for the Arms Dealer to arrive.
 * Having broken a Crimson Heart is also one of the two criteria for a Goblin Army to attack, which has a 1/15 chance of occurring on each subsequent day (you will also need to have at least one player that has 200 or more health in order for the Army to begin invading).
 * Prior to 1.4.0.2, each Crimson Heart destroyed provides a chance for a Meteorite to land. Each Crimson Heart gives a separate 50% chance of immediately causing a Meteorite to fall when destroyed between midnight (12:00 AM) and dawn (4:30 AM). Destroying any number of Crimson Hearts between dawn and midnight will only allow one 50% chance of a Meteorite falling the following midnight. After 1.4.0.2, meteorites will only drop after Brain of Cthulhu has been defeated.
 * The third Crimson Heart destroyed summons the Brain of Cthulhu, which immediately spawns and attacks the player. The Brain of Cthulhu is re-summoned with every third Crimson Heart destroyed.
 * If the Player is outside of the Crimson or Corruption biome when the third Crimson Heart is destroyed, the Brain of Cthulhu will spawn, but will then sink through the map and despawn. This can be accomplished with Purification Powder, the Clentaminator, or careful use of Dynamite.
 * After a Crimson Heart is destroyed, the Traveling Merchant has a chance to sell the Revolver.

Messages
The following status messages appear upon destruction of Crimson Hearts:
 * First Heart: ""
 * Second Heart: ""
 * Third Heart: ""

Trivia

 * Both Crimson Hearts and Shadow Orbs drop a gun, magic weapon, melee weapon, light pet, and an accessory.

History
Purpurherz Cœur carmin