You have a new world, maybe a server with friends, and you want to know which Terraria boss comes next, how to summon it and what beating it gets you. This guide lists every main boss in the order the official Terraria Wiki's Bosses page puts them, checked against its Guide:Game progression and the boss pages. It covers PC version 1.4.5.8, the hotfix of 23 August 2026: Re-Logic's Steam news has no newer patch, and its October State of the Game says 1.4.6 is still in final testing.
Quick answer: The Terraria bosses in order are King Slime, Eye of Cthulhu, Eater of Worlds or Brain of Cthulhu, Queen Bee, Deerclops, Skeletron and the Wall of Flesh before Hardmode, then Queen Slime, The Twins, The Destroyer, Skeletron Prime, Plantera, Golem, Duke Fishron, Empress of Light, the Lunatic Cultist and the Moon Lord. Only a few kills are real gates: Skeletron opens the Dungeon, the Wall of Flesh starts Hardmode, all three mechanical bosses make Plantera's Bulbs grow, Plantera drops the Temple Key to Golem, Golem brings the Cultists, and the Cultist starts the four pillars that lead to the Moon Lord. The Zenith needs drops from Queen Bee, Plantera and the Moon Lord plus three events.
How Many Bosses Terraria Has
The wiki counts 33: "8 pre-Hardmode bosses, 10 Hardmode bosses, 14 event bosses, and 1 special world seed boss." The 18 regular bosses are in the tables below; the Eater of Worlds (Corruption) and the Brain of Cthulhu (Crimson) share a row: each summon item only works in its own biome.
Pre-Hardmode Bosses in Order
"At an altar" means a Demon Altar or Crimson Altar.
| # | Boss | How to summon it | Needed to progress? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | King Slime | Slime Crown (20 Gel and a Gold or Platinum Crown at an altar), anywhere, any time. Also 150 slime kills in a Slime Rain, 75 once he has been beaten | No |
| 2 | Eye of Cthulhu | Suspicious Looking Eye (6 Lens at an altar), at night. Also spawns on its own at night, 1 in 3, once a player has 200 maximum health and 11 defense and four town NPCs live in the world | No |
| 3 | Eater of Worlds or Brain of Cthulhu | Worm Food (30 Vile Powder, 15 Rotten Chunks) in the Corruption, or Bloody Spine (30 Vicious Powder, 15 Vertebrae) in the Crimson, at an altar. Also every third Shadow Orb or Crimson Heart you break | Not a hard gate, but the only source of Shadow Scales or Tissue Samples |
| 4 | Queen Bee | Abeemination (by hand from Honey Blocks, Hives, Stingers and Bottled Honey) in the Jungle, or break a Larva in an Underground Jungle hive | No |
| 5 | Deerclops | Deer Thing (3 Flinx Fur, 5 Demonite or Crimtane Ore, 1 Lens at an altar) in the Snow or Ice biome. Also at midnight in a Blizzard | No |
| 6 | Skeletron | Talk to the Old Man at the Dungeon entrance at night and pick "Curse" | Yes, for the Dungeon and later the Cultists |
| 7 | Wall of Flesh | Throw a Guide Voodoo Doll into Underworld lava while the Guide is alive. Voodoo Demons there always drop the doll | Yes, it starts Hardmode |
What each kill gets you:
- King Slime: a Slime Hook or Slime Gun, Ninja armor pieces and, in Expert Mode, Royal Gel. Since 1.4.5.0 he can also drop the Slime Staff.
- Eye of Cthulhu: 30 to 90 Demonite or Crimtane Ore, and the Dryad can move in. It keeps spawning on its own until you beat it once, and since 1.4.5.0 it drops an altar if your world has none left.
- Eater of Worlds or Brain of Cthulhu: meteorites can now land. The Shadow Scales go into the Nightmare Pickaxe (12 Demonite Bars, 6 Shadow Scales at an Iron or Lead Anvil), which has 65% pickaxe power and mines up to Hellstone; the Deathbringer Pickaxe is its Crimson counterpart.
- Queen Bee: the Witch Doctor can move in, and she drops the Bee Keeper, Bee Gun or The Bee's Knees. Keep the Bee Keeper for the Zenith.
- Deerclops: one of the Pew-matic Horn, Weather Pain, Houndius Shootius or Lucy the Axe. Since 1.4.5.0 Deer Things also turn up in Frozen Chests.
- Skeletron: the whole Dungeon opens; before that, Dungeon Guardians spawn when you go in. The Clothier can move in, and the wiki notes that skipping Skeletron "blocks access to the Mechanic", who is rescued inside. Start early in the night: he enrages at dawn (4:30 AM), and 1.4.5.0 raised his daytime damage from 1000 to 9999.
- Wall of Flesh: Hardmode, for good. Hallow and Corruption or Crimson stripes cut through the world in a V. It always drops the Pwnhammer, which breaks altars to add Cobalt or Palladium, Mythril or Orichalcum and Adamantite or Titanium, plus an emblem and a weapon. In Expert Mode the Demon Heart adds an accessory slot.
For the gear that fits each fight, our Terraria class setups guide follows the same stages per class.
Hardmode Bosses in Order
The three mechanical summons are made at a Mythril or Orichalcum Anvil.
| # | Boss | How to summon it | Needed to progress? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Queen Slime | Gelatin Crystal in the Hallow. Crystal Shards have a 1 in 50 chance to generate as one | No |
| 9 | The Twins | Mechanical Eye (3 Lens, 5 Iron or Lead Bars, 6 Souls of Light), at night | Yes, all three |
| 10 | The Destroyer | Mechanical Worm (6 Rotten Chunks or Vertebrae, 5 Iron or Lead Bars, 6 Souls of Night), at night | Yes |
| 11 | Skeletron Prime | Mechanical Skull (30 Bones, 5 Iron or Lead Bars, 3 Souls of Light, 3 Souls of Night), at night | Yes |
| 12 | Plantera | Break a Plantera's Bulb in the Underground Jungle | Yes |
| 13 | Golem | Lihzahrd Power Cell at the Lihzahrd Altar in the Jungle Temple's last room | Yes |
| 14 | Duke Fishron | Fish in the Ocean with a Truffle Worm as bait | No |
| 15 | Empress of Light | Kill a Prismatic Lacewing in the surface Hallow, dusk to midnight, after Plantera | No |
| 16 | Lunatic Cultist | Kill the four Cultists at the Dungeon entrance, who appear after Skeletron and Golem | Yes |
| 17 | Moon Lord | Destroy all four Celestial Pillars, or use a Celestial Sigil (12 of each Lunar Fragment at the Ancient Manipulator) after Golem | Final boss |
What each kill gets you:
- Queen Slime: Crystal Assassin armor, a chance at the Blade Staff and the Gelatinous Pillion mount.
- The first mechanical boss: the Steampunker moves in, Life Fruit grows in the Underground Jungle and Solar Eclipses begin. Each one drops Hallowed Bars and its soul: Sight, Might or Fright. After your first broken altar, each also has a 1 in 10 chance to spawn at dusk until beaten once.
- All three: "The jungle grows restless..." and Plantera's Bulbs start growing. One soul of each kind and 18 Hallowed Bars make the Pickaxe Axe, or the Drax, which mines Chlorophyte Ore.
- Plantera: she always drops the Temple Key for the Jungle Temple. The Dungeon gets tougher enemies, Dungeon Spirits drop Ectoplasm, Biome Keys open the Biome Chests, the Cyborg can move in and Prismatic Lacewings appear. She enrages if you leave the Underground Jungle.
- Golem: the wiki calls this "the beginning of the 'late game'." Cultists appear at the Dungeon, Martian Probes can start Martian Madness, and the Old One's Army reaches Tier 3. Every Lihzahrd Chest holds a Power Cell, and Lihzahrds and Flying Snakes drop one 1 in 50 times.
- Duke Fishron: fightable from the start of Hardmode, but the wiki compares him to a post-Golem boss. Truffle Worms are rare Hardmode critters in the underground Glowing Mushroom biome. His Fishron Wings, a 1 in 15 drop, are among the best pairs before the Moon Lord in our Terraria wings guide.
- Empress of Light: in daytime she enrages and normally kills in one hit; if all your damage lands in daytime, she drops the Terraprisma.
- Lunatic Cultist: the Lunar Events start, four pillars spawn across the world, and each shield drops after 100 kills of that pillar's enemies. He also drops the Ancient Manipulator.
- Moon Lord: he arrives a minute after the last pillar falls, or 12 seconds after a Sigil. He drops the Portal Gun and 70 to 90 Luminite in Classic, with a 1 in 5 chance each for the Meowmere and the Star Wrath. 1.4.5.7 added warnings to several of his attacks and removed his contact damage.
The Gates You Cannot Skip
Strip the list to what the game requires and seven steps are left: Skeletron (Dungeon), the Wall of Flesh (Hardmode), all three mechanical bosses (Plantera's Bulbs), Plantera (Temple Key), Golem (Cultists), the Lunatic Cultist (pillars) and the four pillars (Moon Lord). The mechanical order is up to you: "It doesn't necessarily matter what order you take them in."
The wiki says fighting King Slime, Queen Bee, Deerclops, Queen Slime, Duke Fishron and the Empress of Light "is not required for game progression", and calls the Eye of Cthulhu "irrelevant to game progression". Skipping them still costs drops, and since 1.4.5.0 town NPCs also get stat bonuses from King Slime, Deerclops and Duke Fishron kills.
Event Bosses Along the Way
The 14 event bosses come with invasions: the Old One's Army, the Pirate Invasion, the Pumpkin Moon, the Frost Moon, Martian Madness and the Lunar Events. Two matter for the Zenith: the Pumpking, in the Pumpkin Moon you start at night after Plantera with a Medallion (30 Pumpkins, 5 Ectoplasm, 10 Hallowed Bars), and the Martian Saucer, in Martian Madness after Golem.
What the Zenith Needs From the Boss List
"Zenith terraria" gets searched about as often as the boss list, because the Zenith is where most players want the list to end. It is a post-Moon Lord melee weapon with 190 damage that the wiki says "is widely considered the strongest weapon in Terraria". You craft it at a Mythril or Orichalcum Anvil from one each of ten swords:
| Sword | Where it comes from |
|---|---|
| Copper Shortsword | New characters start with one outside Journey Mode, or 5 Copper Bars at an Iron or Lead Anvil |
| Enchanted Sword | Enchanted swords in stone, underground and in Enchanted Sword Shrines |
| Starfury | Skyware Chests on Floating Islands (1 in 4), or Sky and Azure Crates |
| Bee Keeper | Queen Bee |
| Seedler | Plantera, 1 in 8 |
| Terra Blade | True Night's Edge, True Excalibur and a Broken Hero Sword from Mothron, who appears in Solar Eclipses after Plantera |
| The Horseman's Blade | Pumpking in the Pumpkin Moon, 2.5 to 12.5% depending on the wave |
| Influx Waver | Martian Saucer in Martian Madness, 1 in 6 |
| Meowmere | Moon Lord, 1 in 5 |
| Star Wrath | Moon Lord, 1 in 5 |
So the Zenith takes the whole boss path plus the Solar Eclipse, the Pumpkin Moon and Martian Madness, and often more than one Moon Lord kill.
Bosses on a Multiplayer Server
The wiki's Multiplayer page says "Playing multiplayer does not increase game difficulty in Classic Mode outside of invasions", and boss loot does not scale there. In Expert and Master Mode, boss health and invasion kill counts scale with the number of players, and every player who damaged the boss gets their own Treasure Bag. Pillar shields need 100 kills in every difficulty.
1.4.5.0 added three things groups notice: /bossdamage in chat shows how much damage each player dealt in the last fight, Pylons work during boss fights and invasions, and Shimmer no longer protects you from bosses. Stable tModLoader is still "based on Terraria v1.4.4 content", so a modded server does not have these yet; our tModLoader 1.4.5 status page tracks that. A Space-Node Terraria server switches between vanilla Terraria and tModLoader from the panel without a reinstall.
If a boss counts as beaten by mistake, TEdit's World Properties can "Toggle which bosses have been defeated". Our map viewer and TEdit guide shows how to get the world off the server and back.
FAQ
What is the first boss in Terraria? Usually the Eye of Cthulhu, which the wiki calls "typically one of the first bosses a player may encounter". King Slime can come earlier if you wander far from spawn or a Slime Rain starts.
What are the Terraria bosses in order for Hardmode? Queen Slime, The Twins, The Destroyer, Skeletron Prime, Plantera, Golem, Duke Fishron, Empress of Light, the Lunatic Cultist and the Moon Lord. Queen Slime, Duke Fishron and the Empress are optional, and the three mechanical bosses can go in any order.
Can you fight the Moon Lord without the pillars? Yes, with a Celestial Sigil in any world where Golem is beaten. It costs 12 of each Lunar Fragment, which come from the pillars, so in practice you clear them at least once first.
What do you need for the Zenith in Terraria? Ten swords at a Mythril or Orichalcum Anvil: Copper Shortsword, Enchanted Sword, Starfury, Bee Keeper, Seedler, Terra Blade, The Horseman's Blade, Influx Waver, Meowmere and Star Wrath. The last two drop from the Moon Lord, so the Zenith always comes after him.
Do Terraria bosses get more health with more players? In Expert and Master Mode, yes, and every player who did damage gets a Treasure Bag. In Classic Mode multiplayer does not make bosses harder, and loot does not scale.
Sources
All opened on 3 November 2026:
- Official Terraria Wiki: Bosses, Guide:Game progression, Multiplayer
- Official Terraria Wiki, bosses: King Slime, Eye of Cthulhu, Eater of Worlds, Brain of Cthulhu, Queen Bee, Deerclops, Skeletron, Wall of Flesh, Queen Slime, Mechanical bosses, Plantera, Golem, Duke Fishron, Empress of Light, Lunatic Cultist, Celestial Pillars, Moon Lord, Mothron
- Official Terraria Wiki, summon items: Slime Crown, Gold Crown, Suspicious Looking Eye, Worm Food, Bloody Spine, Abeemination, Deer Thing, Guide Voodoo Doll, Gelatin Crystal, Lihzahrd Power Cell, Truffle Worm, Celestial Sigil, Pumpkin Moon Medallion
- Official Terraria Wiki, items: Nightmare Pickaxe, Pickaxe Axe, Zenith, Copper Shortsword, Enchanted Sword, Starfury, Seedler, Terra Blade, The Horseman's Blade, Influx Waver, Meowmere, Star Wrath
- Official Terraria Wiki, versions: 1.4.5.0, 1.4.5.7, 1.4.5.8
- Re-Logic on Steam: Terraria news, including the October 2026 State of the Game (29 October 2026)
- tModLoader: tModLoader guide for players
- TEdit: World Properties