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Naturally generated
Naturally generated
The content described on this page is only generated naturally and cannot be crafted or collected.
Shadow Orb
Shadow Orb
Statistics
Type
Max Life4 hits to destroy with a Wooden Hammer
Also destructible with explosives
Drops
This article is about the background object. For the light pet summon item, see Shadow Orb (item).

A Shadow Orb is a floating, purple, spherical background object found deep in the chasms of the Corruption. A world with Corruption features several Shadow Orbs, and destroying at least three of them (in a single world) is usually a crucial step in game advancement. This can be done using any hammer or explosives. Shadow Orbs emit purple, flickering light, similar to Demon Altars. They are the Corruption counterpart to the Crimson's Crimson Hearts.

Shadow Orbs are usually located at the bottom of a chasm, surrounded by Ebonstone Blocks. In order to reach them, the player may use a Nightmare Pickaxe or better pickaxe, explosives, or Purification Powder.

Consequences of destruction[]

  • Each Shadow Orb drops items when destroyed. The first will always drop a Musket and 100 Musket Balls, and carrying the Musket and/or Musket Balls will fulfill the criteria for the Arms Dealer to arrive.
  • Destroying at least one Shadow Orb fulfills one of the two criteria for a Goblin Army to attack (having at least 200 health is the other requirement).
  • The third Shadow Orb destroyed summons the Eater of Worlds, which spawns immediately. The Eater of Worlds is re-summoned with every third Shadow Orb destroyed.
  • Each Shadow Orb destroyed provides a chance for a meteorite to land. Each Shadow Orb 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 Shadow Orbs between dawn and midnight will only allow one 50% chance of a meteorite falling the following midnight.
  • Once a Shadow Orb is destroyed, the Traveling Merchant has a chance to sell the Revolver.

Messages[]

The following status messages appear upon destruction of Shadow Orbs:

  • First orb: "A horrible chill goes down your spine..."
  • Second orb: "Screams echo around you..."
  • Third orb: "Eater of Worlds has awoken!"

Achievements[]

Achievement Smashing, Poppet!
Smashing, Poppet! • Using explosives or your trusty hammer, smash a Shadow Orb or Crimson Heart in the evil parts of your world.
Smash your first Shadow Orb or Crimson Heart.
Category: Explorer Explorer

Trivia[]

  • The Shadow Orb may be a reference to the spherical structure found at the center of a meteorite from the science fiction/horror short story "The Colour Out of Space" by American author H. P. Lovecraft. This may explain why smashing it causes a meteorite to land.
  • Both Shadow Orbs and Crimson Hearts drop a gun, magic weapon, melee weapon, light pet, and an accessory.
  • Shadow Orbs and Crimson Hearts share the same counter for how many have been destroyed in a world, meaning that if both appear in the same world, such as in drunk worlds, destroying three total of either will summon the boss associated with the last one broken.
  • Shadow orbs are corrupt acorns as stated in the official DC comic for Terraria.

History[]

  • Desktop 1.4.0.2: Meteorites now no longer fall until after Eater of Worlds/Brain of Cthulhu have been defeated.
  • Desktop 1.1.2: Fixed a bug that would sometimes cause the Eater of Worlds to not spawn after three Shadow Orbs had been smashed.
  • Desktop 1.0.6.1: Shadow Orbs will no longer be smashed during world generation.
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