The Destroyer

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"You feel vibrations from deep below..."

The Destroyer is a Hardmode Mechanical Boss that is essentially a harder version of the Eater of Worlds. Like the Eater of Worlds, The Destroyer is a very large Worm. Though it appears to be similarly made up of many segments, individual segments cannot die, and The Destroyer will not split apart into multiple enemies. The entire body has a single shared Health, and will remain at full size until it is killed.

The Destroyer is summoned using a Mechanical Worm at Night. Night time is the only condition required for summoning. It must be killed before dawn, otherwise it despawns. In the PC version, it can also spawn randomly on any given night once Hardmode begins, if you haven't defeated it yet in the current world. Its arrival is announced by one of two messages: "You feel a quaking from deep underground..." or "You feel vibrations from deep below...."

Each of The Destroyer's segments contains a red-lit Probe, which are independent flying enemies that are launched periodically as The Destroyer takes damage. They fire lasers at the player, both while within The Destroyer and when detached. Probes can be killed individually once detached. If the red light is missing from a segment, it means the Probe was already launched from that segment.

In the PC version, the Destroyer's body is immune to all debuffs, though launched Probes are not.

Tips

 * The Destroyer is the only one of the three "mech" bosses whose movement can be somewhat confined. Being a worm-type, it needs blocks in order to maneuver, and will not launch high above-ground as much as it tends to stay low. By standing on a bridge of Wood Platforms high above the ground, The Destroyer will not reach the player as often, and the player can fire down on it through the platforms. With a high enough bridge, the boss may never make contact with the player at all, even though its easier flying Probes will.
 * Penetrating and AoE weapons are most effective against the Destroyer, and using pre-Mech equipment, weapons that can hit multiple segments at once is the only possible way to kill it. The Ice Sickle, Dao of Pow, Poison Staff, Star Cannon, Demon Scythe, Nimbus Rod, Cursed Flames, Golden Shower, Magic Dagger, Frost Staff, and even Traps are useful for this purpose. Ammunition such as Meteor Shots, Explosive Bullets, Hellfire Arrows, Jester's Arrows and Holy Arrows is recommended for use with Ranged weapons. Using a large quantity of Grenades can also be somewhat effective. If Skeletron Prime has been defeated, using the Flamethrower is also a good option, and if The Twins have been defeated, the Magical Harp is perfect for this purpose, and using an Optic Staff is highly recommended.
 * For endgame farming purposes, the use of strong, penetrating and AoE weapons can kill the Destroyer in a matter of seconds, if appropriate modifiers and accessories are used. Endgame weapons which are especially useful useful against the Destroyer include the Stynger, Flower Pow, Death Sickle, Mushroom Spear, Paladin's Hammer, Terra Blade, North Pole, Stake Launcher, Elf Melter, Rocket-firing weapons, Unholy Trident, Venom Staff, Nettle Burst, Shadowbeam Staff, Inferno Fork, and Razorblade Typhoon, as well as any endgame Ranged weapon while using the ammo stated above.
 * An advised armor for the Destroyer is a full set of Chlorophyte Armor because of the leaf crystal, to fight off the probes
 * The Destroyer can go over you, trapping you. When it does this, swing a strong sword, the Cutlass being very useful, and you will be sure to deal large amounts of damage.

History

 * Drops now appear at the location of the segment that was closest to the player on defeat, instead of from the head.
 * Now considered one of the harder mechanical bosses.