Skeletron Prime

"You feel the air getting colder around you..."

Skeletron Prime is a Hardmode Mechanical Boss which is essentially a harder version of Skeletron. It is summoned with the Mechanical Skull at night. Players have until dawn to defeat it. Skeletron Prime can also randomly spawn at dusk in Hardmode if it has not yet been defeated, in this case signaling its approach via the chat message, "You feel the air getting colder around you" or "The air is getting colder around you".

Attacks
Skeletron Prime has four limbs which are all immune to the Poisoned and On Fire! debuffs:


 * Prime Cannon fires bombs that do not destroy blocks, usually up into the air rather than directly at the player. It usually stays above the player.
 * Prime Laser shoots red Death Lasers similar to those of Retinazer and The Destroyer, and is always pointed at a player. It usually stays horizontal to the player.
 * Prime Saw usually remains under the player, then swipes upwards.
 * Prime Vice will swipe around wildly, making occasional lunges at the player. It usually remains diagonal to the player.

Skeletron Prime will occasionally enter into a "Rage Mode," in which its attacks become more aggressive:


 * Skeletron Prime's Head will grow spikes and start spinning towards the player slowly. Damage and defense is doubled.
 * Prime Cannon will aim at the player directly and fire rapidly.
 * Prime Laser will fire more frequently.
 * Prime Saw will begin homing directly towards the player's location.
 * Prime Vice becomes more aggressive and frequently lunges towards the player.

Prime itself is much more mobile than its predecessor, and will regularly move off-screen, which can make it difficult to hit reliably with ranged weapons.

Like Skeletron, if it is not beaten by dawn it begins to continually headspin, dealing enough damage to kill most players in a single hit.

Achievements
Buckets of Bolts is the achievement you earn for defeating Skeletron Prime, The Twins, and The Destroyer for the first time.

Mecha Mayhem is the achievement you earn for defeating the three Mechanical Bosses in one battle together.

Tips

 * Standing on platforms far from blocks can mostly nullify the effects of the Prime Cannon, as its projectiles only detonate on blocks, while passing through platforms harmlessly.
 * Skeletron Prime can be the most profitable boss in the game, as the Souls of Fright can be crafted into Naughty Present to summon the Frost Moon, netting large amounts of money per 5 souls.