Boss Order Cheatsheet
The full boss order on one page: how to summon each boss and the key drop or unlock that gates the next tier.
The spine
Terraria is boss-gated. Each major boss drops a material or opens a mechanic that gates the next tier. The pre-Hardmode chain builds to the Wall of Flesh, whose death flips the world into Hardmode permanently. Then it is the three mechanical bosses, Plantera, Golem, the Lunar chain, and the Moon Lord.
Note: a world has either Corruption or Crimson, not both. You fight whichever your world has (Eater of Worlds for Corruption, Brain of Cthulhu for Crimson).
Pre-Hardmode
| Boss | How to summon | Key unlock or drop |
|---|---|---|
| King Slime (optional) | Slime Crown, during Slime Rain, or rare natural spawn | Ninja set pieces, Slime mount items. No major gate |
| Eye of Cthulhu | Suspicious Looking Eye at night, or random night spawn | Demonite/Crimtane ore, evil-boss access. Usually first |
| Eater of Worlds (Corruption) | Worm Food, or break 3 Shadow Orbs | Shadow Scales, large Demonite Ore |
| Brain of Cthulhu (Crimson) | Bloody Spine, or break 3 Crimson Hearts | Tissue Samples, large Crimtane Ore |
| Queen Bee (optional) | Abeemination, or break a Larva in a Bee Hive | Bee armor and weapons, unlocks the Witch Doctor |
| Deerclops (optional) | Deer Thing, or a Blizzard at midnight in the Snow | Don’t Starve crossover loot |
| Skeletron | Talk to the Old Man at the Dungeon at night | Opens the Dungeon, unlocks the Clothier |
| Wall of Flesh | Throw the Guide Voodoo Doll into Underworld lava | Pwnhammer (breaks Altars). Enables Hardmode |
The Wall of Flesh is the pre-Hardmode finale. See the Wall of Flesh deep guide for the fight and what Hardmode changes.
Hardmode
| Boss | How to summon | Key unlock or drop |
|---|---|---|
| Queen Slime (optional) | Gelatin Crystal in the Underground Hallow | Early-Hardmode gap boss, Crystal Assassin pieces |
| The Twins (mechanical) | Mechanical Eye at night | Hallowed Bars, Souls of Sight |
| The Destroyer (mechanical) | Mechanical Worm at night | Hallowed Bars, Souls of Might |
| Skeletron Prime (mechanical) | Mechanical Skull at night | Hallowed Bars, Souls of Fright |
| Plantera | Break a Plantera Bulb in the Underground Jungle after all 3 mechs | Temple Key, stronger Dungeon loot, halves biome spread |
| Golem | Lihzahrd Power Cell at the Lihzahrd Altar (needs Temple Key) | Picksaw, Golem loot. Gates the Cultists |
| Duke Fishron (optional) | Fish in the Ocean with a Truffle Worm as bait | Fishron gear, Tsunami, Flairon, Fishron Wings |
| Empress of Light (optional) | Kill a Prismatic Lacewing (Hallow, post-Plantera, at night) | Terraprisma, Empress weapons. Very hard for its tier |
| Lunatic Cultist | Kill the 4 cultists at the Dungeon entrance (after Golem) | Begins the Lunar Events |
| Celestial Pillars | Spawn after the Lunatic Cultist falls | Lunar Fragments. All four down summon the Moon Lord |
Endgame
| Boss | How to summon | Key unlock or drop |
|---|---|---|
| Moon Lord | All four Pillars defeated, or a Celestial Sigil | Final boss. Luminite ore and most endgame weapons |
| Mechdusa (secret seed only) | Ocram’s Razor, only in a “Get fixed boi” world | Combined mechanical-boss fight |
The Moon Lord is the final boss. See the Moon Lord deep guide for the fight and endgame gear.
Rules that apply the whole run
- Raise HP with Life Crystals (to 400), then Life Fruits (to 500), before hard fights.
- Beat all three mechanical bosses before farming Chlorophyte or Plantera. Bulbs only appear once all three are dead.
- Build an arena before each boss: platforms, Campfires, Heart Lanterns, Honey.
- The Hardmode flip is permanent. Be geared before you kill the Wall of Flesh.
Want per-class gear by stage? See the melee, ranged, mage, and summoner loadouts.