A Meteorite biome is a biome created where a Meteorite crash-lands. This event always occurs off-screen, leaving a crater for players to find somewhere in the world (as of the 1.4 update, a meteor can sometimes be seen in the background before crashing). The crater is lined with Meteorite ore, a crafting material. A meteorite event is triggered when a player destroys a Shadow Orb or Crimson Heart. The player must have defeated the Eater of Worlds or Brain of Cthulhu at least once (See full conditions below). Players are alerted of a meteorite crash via a status message: "A meteorite has landed!"
Meteorite biomes have the same theme music as Blood Moons, but only one unique enemy type: Meteor Heads. Meteor Heads fly, follow the player as they move, and can pass through all blocks. The spawning of Meteor Heads cannot be prevented, even with several NPCs in the area.
Once most of the meteorite has been mined away (less than 75 / 50 / 23 blocks of Meteorite remaining; about 10% of an average meteorite site), the area will no longer be considered a meteorite biome.
A meteor falling in the background
As of 1.4.0.1, the background may show an animated falling meteor shortly before the impact site is generated in the world.
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Meteorite(Pre-Hardmode only) -
Meteor Head Banner
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Conditions
A meteorite crash site has a 50% chance of spawning after the Brain of Cthulhu or Eater of Worlds is defeated / after a Shadow Orb or Crimson Heart is smashed. Meteorites can only spawn in a world after the Eater of Worlds or the Brain of Cthulhu is defeated. This generally happens at the next midnight, but can happen immediately if the Shadow Orb or Crimson Heart is broken between midnight and dawn (12:00 AM – 4:30 AM). Additionally, each night has a 2% chance that a meteorite will randomly fall, if at least one Shadow Orb or Crimson Heart has already been smashed in the world. If this random crash was decided to happen (which happens at 7:30 PM), it will definitely land at 12:00 AM (there is a way to prevent it from landing, check below for information).
Once the conditions are met, multiple meteorites will land in a world over time. However, none will fall if there are already a certain number of Meteorite blocks above 0 ft. The limits are:
- Small worlds: 401
- Medium worlds: 610/611
- Large worlds: 801
The above limits mean that leaving one (small worlds) or two meteorite strikes unmined will effectively protect the world from further strikes. Also note that if a random meteor crash was decided to happen at 7:30, the only way to prevent it is to place as many meteorites as needed to prevent the crash according to your world size (numbers given above). If enough amount of blocks are placed before 12:00 AM, the meteorite will not crash. Remember to place the blocks above 0 ft.
There are also constraints on where meteors can strike:
- 16% of the world centered on the spawn point is protected from falling meteors.
- Meteorites will not land within 35 tiles of a NPC or a chest.
- Meteorites will not fall on-screen for any player.
- They cannot fall within 50 blocks of the edge of the world or 50 blocks from the top of the world.
- If the entire world is covered by these conditions (e.g., lots of chests), no meteorite will fall.
In searching for a valid location the game will search a 30×30 block region and look for 600 solid blocks. Sunplate and Cloud Blocks count as -100 solid blocks; thus, Floating Islands are not likely to encounter a meteorite. Liquid decrements the count too, so meteorites are less likely in the Jungle or Ocean. Thin structures such as sky bridges are not dense enough to allow a meteor impact.
Notes
- Meteorite falling events do not stack, so if two Shadow Orbs/Crimson Hearts are broken in the same day and not between 12:00 AM and 4:30 AM, only one meteorite falling the next midnight is the maximum possibility.
- In the Nintendo version, the music track The Underworld will play instead of Eerie while in the Meteorite biome.
Tips
- Use a tool with high mining speed. Reforge the pickaxe for Light prefix for even better speed.
- It is recommended to get an Obsidian Skull to prevent burning damage from the blocks.
- With two players, one player with the Vilethorn can protect the mining player rather easily if they stick together. The Vilethorn will kill a Meteor Head in one direct hit, and it goes through blocks, as the Meteor Heads do. In singleplayer, quickly switch between the Vilethorn and a pickaxe.
- Angled Meteorite blocks can be touched without taking damage. Leaving a brick alone every few rows and angling it with a hammer will allow using it as a platform to dig deeper down. One can also dig underneath the crash site, using other block types to stand on while mining the Meteorite above.
- There are certain areas on the map a player may wish to protect from meteorite crashes, such as player-built structures, the Dungeon
, Ocean, the entrances to the Underground Jungle/Temple, Underground Desert, and chasms, or even perhaps a Living Tree. The easiest way to protect these areas is by placing down a chest near those areas. The chest will protect everything within a 35 tile radius. Alternatively, adding a few Cloud or Sunplate Blocks will also protect an area. - If a meteorite cannot be located on the surface, it might have crashed into a Living Tree, a chasm in The Corruption/Crimson, or a Floating Island.
Trivia
- The music of meteorite biomes is overridden by the theme music of The Corruption, The Crimson, and Space when crashed there.
If you are lucky, you can catch the meteor falling in the background at night. A meteorite will land in your world shortly afterwards when it reaches the bottom of the screen.
History
- Desktop 1.4.0.4: Fixed an issue where if the entire top of your world was covered with platforms, it would prevent meteors from spawning.
- Desktop 1.4.0.1:
- Defeating the Eater of Worlds/Brain of Cthulhu now triggers Meteorites falling rather than the smashing of Shadow Orbs/Crimson Hearts.
- Can now only spawn after the Eater of Worlds/Brain of Cthulhu has been defeated.
- Requires 75 Meteorite instead of 50 to become a biome.
- Added Meteor falling animation in the background at night before a meteor falls.
- Meteors will no longer land on the Dungeon or the Jungle Temple.
- Desktop-Release: Introduced.
- Console-Release: Introduced.
- Switch 1.0.711.6: Introduced.
- Mobile 1.3.0.7: Lava Bats no longer spawn in Meteorite biomes during Hardmode.
- Mobile-Release: Introduced.
- 3DS 1.04: Music changed to new The Underworld music added to Desktop 1.3.0.1.
- 3DS-Release: Introduced.
- Bee Hive
- Granite Cave
- Graveyard()
- Jungle Temple
- Marble Cave
- Meteorite
- Oasis
- Spider Cave
