Terraria Wiki

  • Discussions are now available on the Terraria Wiki.
  • Miss the old Hydra Skin? Try out our Hydralize gadget! Visit the preferences page while logged in and turn on the gadget.

READ MORE

Terraria Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Moon Lord
Moon Lord
Classic mode icon Classic
Expert mode icon Expert
Master mode icon Master
Statistics
Type
Environment
AI TypeMoon Lord
Damage0 (melee)
Max Life145,000 / 217,500
Defense50
KB Resist10000%
Inflicts debuff
Inflicts debuff
Inflicts debuff
DebuffMoon BiteMoon Bite
Debuff tooltipYou are unable to absorb any healing effects
Drops

Template:Pc only

"Impending doom approaches..."

The Moon Lord is a Hardmode, post-Golem boss summoned by defeating all four Celestial Towers from the Lunar Events or using a Celestial Sigil. In either case, it will spawn after about one minute. The Moon Lord serves as Terraria's "final boss".

If all players die during the Moon Lord encounter, the Moon Lord despawns. It can be re-summoned by completing the Lunar Events again (initiated by again defeating the Cultists at the Dungeon's entrance, then defeating the Lunatic Cultist again), or by using a Celestial Sigil.

The Moon Lord has two hands and a head that must be killed before its "core" becomes available for attack. Each hand, as well as its head, contain a vulnerable eye-like target area that are each periodically closed off and opened via an eyelid. These may only be damaged during their "open" states. Once these parts and then its core are killed, the boss is defeated.

During the fight, the Moon Lord positions its two hands on either side of the player some distance away. Its mouth periodically attaches a tentacle to the player. Tentacle spawns multiple Moon Leech Clot, essence-like monsters that go to the lord's mouth. If not killed by the time they reach the mouth, one of the Moon Lord's "living" parts is healed for 1000 health for each of them. This tentacle will also inflict the Moon Bite debuff, preventing any healing from weapons/armor like Vampire Knives or Spectre Armor for 14 seconds and 16 seconds in expert mode.

Quick Answers

What is the Moon Lord's role in the game Terraria? toggle section
The Moon Lord plays a significant role in Terraria as the final boss of the game. This formidable adversary is summoned either by using a Celestial Sigil or by defeating the Celestial Pillars. The Moon Lord is known for its challenging combat mechanics, requiring players to defeat its two hands and a head by attacking the eyes that appear on them. Once all three eyes are destroyed, a core opens on its chest that also needs to be defeated. The Moon Lord drops a majority of the endgame items, including the Meowmere, and Luminite, an ore used to craft many endgame armor sets and tools. Therefore, learning how to fight the Moon Lord is crucial for players aiming to reach the endgame content of Terraria.
Provided by: Fandom
How can you summon the Moon Lord in Terraria? toggle section
In Terraria, the Moon Lord can be summoned in two ways. The first method is by defeating all four of the Celestial Pillars, which triggers the Moon Lord's arrival after a short delay. The second method is by using a Celestial Sigil, an item that can manually summon the Moon Lord when used. Both methods will lead to an epic showdown with the lord of the moon, so be prepared for a challenging fight!
Provided by: Fandom
What happens after the status message 'Impending doom approaches...' appears in Terraria? toggle section
In Terraria, after the status message 'Impending doom approaches...' appears, it signifies that the Moon Lord, the final boss of the game, is about to spawn. This happens one minute after the message appears. The Moon Lord can be spawned by destroying the four Celestial Pillars or by using a Celestial Sigil in any world where Golem has been defeated. If you're using the Celestial Sigil, the Moon Lord will spawn in just 12 seconds after the message. So, get ready for a thrilling fight!
Provided by: Fandom
What is the significance of the Golem in relation to the Moon Lord in Terraria? toggle section
In Terraria, the defeat of the Golem is a significant event that sets the stage for the appearance of the Moon Lord. Once the Golem is defeated, Cultists spawn at the Dungeon's entrance. When these Cultists are killed, it summons the Lunatic Cultist and then the Lunar Events, provided certain other conditions are also met. This chain of events eventually leads to the summoning of the Moon Lord, the final boss of Terraria. Alternatively, the Moon Lord can be summoned directly using the Celestial Sigil.
Provided by: Fandom
What is the Celestial Sigil and how is it used in Terraria? toggle section
The Celestial Sigil is a boss-summoning item in Terraria, specifically used to summon the Moon Lord, a post-Hardmode boss. It's crafted from 12 / 20 of each of the Lunar Fragments. Unlike other summoning items, the Moon Lord doesn't appear immediately after the Celestial Sigil is used. Instead, it takes 12 / 60 seconds for the Moon Lord to actually show up. The Celestial Sigil can only be used under certain conditions: the world must be in Hardmode, the Golem must have been defeated, and there should be no ongoing invasions.
Provided by: Fandom

Parts

Moon Lord Head
Classic mode icon Classic
Expert mode icon Expert
Master mode icon Master
Statistics
Type
Boss Part
Environment
AI Type79
Damage0 (melee)
Phantasmal Deathray:
150 / 300
Phantasmal Bolt:
60 / 120
Max Life45000 / 67500
Defense50
KB Resist10000%
Moon Lord Hand
Classic mode icon Classic
Expert mode icon Expert
Master mode icon Master
Statistics
Type
Boss Part
Environment
AI Type78
Damage0 (melee)
Phantasmal Sphere:
100 / 200
Phantasmal Eye:
60 / 120
Phantasmal Bolt:
60 / 120
Melee (eye socket):
80 / 80
Max Life25000 / 37500
Defense40
KB Resist10000%
Moon Lord Core
Classic mode icon Classic
Expert mode icon Expert
Master mode icon Master
Statistics
Type
Boss Part
Environment
AI Type77
Damage0 (melee)
Max Life50000 / 75000
Defense70
KB Resist10000%

Notes

  • Once a hand or the head is killed, a True Eye of Cthulhu spawns, which fire lasers at the player. There will also be an opening (where the eye was) that will deal damage if you stand in front of it or on top of it.
  • While fighting the Moon Lord it is possible that, if a Blood Moon occurs during the fight, cultists will stop spawning. A Solar Eclipse will cause the Eclipse monsters to spawn instead, also negating the Cultist spawns.
  • Once the Moon Lord dies/leaves, the player will have to wait until the next morning before the cultists respawn at the dungeon to summon him again unless the player uses a Celestial Sigil to summon him.
  • The eye on top of his head will shoot "Phantasmal Deathray" a powerful beam for a few seconds.
  • His hands will spawn "Phantasmal Sphere" unkillable eyes which charge at you.
  • His hands can also shoot "Phantasmal Eye" explosive homing projectiles at you.
  • All eyes can shoot "Phantasmal Bolt" high-speed laser bullets.
  • The True Eyes of Cthulhu can still use the Moon Lord's attacks, ex: Eyes generated by the hands can shoot lasers and the eye from the head can shoot ice at players.
  • The Moon Lord can teleport to players if all of them get too far out of range.
  • If the player dies when the Moon Lord is dying, the Moon Lord will despawn and he will not drop anything.
  • The Moon Lord can regenerate his health.

Tips

For more elaborate strategies on defeating Moon Lord, including weapon and arena recommendations, see Guide:Moon Lord strategies.
  • The Moon Bite debuff, which prevents regenerative abilities, is reliant on a tentacle making contact with the player. It is possible to move outside of its maximum range, avoiding the debuff and allowing effects to once again heal the player. One such method is by using asphalt. Another one, if you have beaten all the Mechanical Bosses in expert mode, is to make a huge minecart track with bumper ends and use the Mechanical Cart. The bumper ends makes it easier to turn when the track ends, making it even harder to be reached by his tentacle.
  • It is best to start by damaging the two hands until they are both at very low health. Next, kill the head. As soon as you kill the head, kill the two near-death hands. This will cause the eyes to come out of the hands at the second half of the fight, increasing your survivability during the first half.
  • If all players are killed during the battle, the entire event can be repeated to spawn him again, however a Celestial Sigil can be crafted to summon him without going through the event again.
  • Since the hands will begin to start dealing melee damage after they are defeated, running away on an asphalt sky bridge will become an issue if not properly prepared to dodge the hands.
  • It is possible to avoid the laser beam that the first-stage Moon Lord fires at you using the Cosmic Car Key mount by staying close to where the laser beam is fired from (as opposed to farther away from where the laser is fired from), and flying over the Moon Lord's head.
  • Another strategy to avoiding the Moon Lord's laser is to use the Rod of Discord to teleport behind the laser as it is firing, freeing up a lot of time while it is firing elsewhere to attack the head.
  • The Cosmic Car Key, depending on which direction you are traveling at the same time as Moon Lord, may not gain enough velocity to outrun his own when he starts to rise. Rely upon Solar Wings or Fishron Wings instead, as they gain a massive bonus to upwards speed, especially if the laser is very close behind you.
  • An accessory that allows you to dash, such as the Master Ninja Gear, is very useful for keeping distance from the Moon Lord and avoiding the True Eye of Cthulhu laser.
  • A large portion of the Moon Lord's attacks, including the laser he emits from his head, are incapable of passing through walls. Consider seeking cover to avoid these attacks during the fight.
  • Having the Nurse nearby to constantly restore your health greatly increases your chances of beating the Moon Lord.
  • It is not wise to use Vampire Knives or the Spectre Hood as the Moon Bite debuff occurs very often, which disables life steal from these weapons/items.
  • Consider using an actuator roof with a lever attached to it, as the Phantasmal Deathray cannot travel through blocks. Turn on the roof whenever the Moon Lord is using his Phantasmal Deathray.

Trivia

  • Despite a mid-development comment by Cenx that this would not be the case, the Moon Lord resembles common depictions of Cthulhu, a creature first imagined by H. P. Lovecraft in his story, The Call of Cthulhu. This is partially a nod to broad fan speculation prior to the release of 1.3 that Cthulhu would be the final Terraria boss. This speculation arose in part due to an early concept design floated by the development team. Cenx later stated that the Moon Lord actually represents Cthulhu's brother.[1]
  • The Moon Lord's design may have been inspired partially by Chandrashekara ("Moon-Crowned Lord"), one of the names of Shiva, god of Destruction, in Hindu mythology. Chandrashekara is often depicted as having three eyes, with one vertically on the forehead.
  • Terraria's final boss was originally going to be the Moon itself descending on the world, but Cenx later stated that this idea had been abandoned in favor of a new, unknown concept proposed by Crowno.[2] The new concept was presumably the Lunar Events and the Moon Lord.
  • With a combined health of 145,000 (217,500 in expert mode), the Moon Lord has the most health of any boss in the game. It is also the largest enemy in Terraria; one of very few that deal no melee damage on contact (aside from the hands during the second phase); the only enemy that goes behind background walls; and one of the two enemies with a special animation when they die, the other one being the flying dutchman.
  • When the Moon Lord is present, both the foreground and the background become very dark. Despite this, the Moon Lord is still fully visible.
  • After destroying the fourth pillar, but before the Moon Lord spawns, whatever music is playing starts to fade out, stopping completely a few seconds before he spawns.

References

History

  • 1.3.0.6: Attacks now follow their own immunity cooldown.
  • 1.3.0.4:
    • The Moon Lord will now teleport to the player once they are far enough away.
    • You can no longer escape from the Moon Lord's wrath. (i.e. teleport home to heal and fight the Moon Lord at full health)
    • Body parts now properly show display names.
    • Cultists cannot respawn while Moon Lord is alive or spawning
  • 1.3.0.3: The Moon Lord's leeching effect has been massively buffed, and he applies a debuff that prevents any healing from weapons.
  • 1.3.0.2: The death message now properly displays "Moon Lord has been defeated", instead of "Moon Lord Core has been defeated".

Template:Translation project

Advertisement