Moon Lord strategies (2024)

The Moon Lord is the final boss in Terraria. Because of its high health and its numerous, highly damaging attacks, it is generally considered one of the most difficult bosses in the game.

The following strategies will give players an easier time defeating him.

Moon LordHardmode exclusive

• Regular version

• Chinese versions

Map Icon

 Classic

 Expert

 Master

Statistics

Type	Boss
Environment	Lunar Events
AI Type	Moon Lord AI
Damage	(Varies per attack)
Max Life	145000217500277311 (total)
Defense	(Varies per part)
KB Resist	100%
Immune to

Inflicts debuff

Inflicts debuff

Inflicts debuff

Debuff	Moon Bite
Debuff tooltip	You are unable to absorb healing effects
Duration	14seconds16seconds

Drops

Coins	1250

• Item (Quantity)Rate

• Portal Gun

  100%

• Luminite (70–90)

  100%

• Two / one of the following 9 weapons will always drop ^[1]

• Meowmere

  30.9% / 11.1%

• Terrarian

  30.9% / 11.1%

• Star Wrath

  30.9% / 11.1%

• S.D.M.G.

  30.9% / 11.1%

• Last Prism

  30.9% / 11.1%

• Lunar Flare

  30.9% / 11.1%

• Rainbow Crystal Staff

  30.9% / 11.1%

• Lunar Portal Staff

  See Also

  Moon LordHermes BootsHealth PointsMeowmere Minecart

  30.9% / 11.1%

• Celebration Mk2

  30.9%

• Celebration

  11.1%

• Meowmere Minecart

  10%

• Super Healing Potion (5–15)

  100%

• Greater Healing Potion (5–15)

  100%

• Moon Lord Mask

  14.29%

• Moon Lord Trophy

  10%

• Treasure Bag(Moon Lord)

  100%

• Gravity Globe

  100%

• Suspicious Looking Tentacle

  100%

• Celestial Starboard

  100%

• Moon Lord Mask

  14.29%

• Two / one of the following 9 weapons will always drop

• Meowmere

  30.9% / 11.1%

• Terrarian

  30.9% / 11.1%

• Star Wrath

  30.9% / 11.1%

• S.D.M.G.

  30.9% / 11.1%

• Last Prism

  30.9% / 11.1%

• Lunar Flare

  30.9% / 11.1%

• Rainbow Crystal Staff

  30.9% / 11.1%

• Lunar Portal Staff

  30.9% / 11.1%

• Celebration Mk2

  30.9%

• Celebration

  11.1%

• Portal Gun(when no Portal Gun in inventory)

  100%

• Luminite (90–110)

  100%

• Meowmere Minecart

  See Also

  Molten Pickaxe

  10%

• Piece of Moon Squid

  25%

• Moon Lord Relic

  100%

Sounds

Killed
Hurt
Summoned
Phantasmal Eye
Phantasmal Bolt
Phantasmal Deathray
Idle

The Fight[]

The Moon Lord's main attacks come from the Eyes on its hands and forehead, which are also the only parts that can be damaged.

When the eyes on the hands are exposed, they will alternate between spawning Phantasmal Eyes and shooting Phantasmal Spheres. The eye on its forehead will instead charge up the Phantasmal Deathray, and then fire it based on the player's position.

The eyes can only be damaged on their "active" state and they will always shoot 2 Phantasmal Bolts before closing.

When an eye is defeated, it will detach from the main body and spawn a True Eye of Cthulhu, an unkillable enemy that uses weaker versions of the Moon Lord's attacks. The empty eye sockets will also reveal fangs which do contact damage if touched, but the Moon Lord won't directly attack with them.

Occasionally, a tongue will spawn from its mouth and try to latch on to the player. If it connects, it will inflict the Moon Bite debuff, which prevents healing from the Vampire Knives and the Spectre Hood. The Moon Leech Clots spawned from the tongue will heal one of the Moon Lord's unkilled parts for 1000 HP if they reach its mouth. It will not heal or replace any eyes in its hands or forehead if these have already been defeated.

The Phantasmal Sphere is the boss’s second strongest attack. It is difficult to escape its range, so the directional dodge provided by the Master Ninja Gear is very important.

The Phantasmal Deathray is one of the strongest attacks in the game, and the player must always watch out for it, especially on Expert Mode. It can very easily finish off a player at around half health, so it must be dodged at all costs. It is only fired by the eye on its forehead, so you must be prepared for it when it opens. The safest way to dodge it is by flying over him with Wings, preferably Fishron's. It can also be dodged with a Rod of Discord by teleporting out of its path. Because of this attack it is a bad idea to keep the Moon Lord offscreen, as the player won't be able to see it coming. As of the 1.4 update, it can go through blocks, so it is no longer a good idea to shelter in a simple box against the Moon Lord. It is recommended that you aim to take out the top eye first as this will prevent it using the Phantasmal Deathray (The laser that comes out of it).

The Phantasmal Bolts don't do a lot of damage, but they are hard to dodge as the Moon Lord doesn't shoot directly at the player; it instead tries to predict their position, and does so very accurately. The eyes will look at the player when preparing the attack, so you can predict it as well.

After all 3 eyes are defeated, the Moon Lord's core will be revealed, and what is arguably the hardest part of the fight will begin. The True Eyes of Cthulhu attack very frequently, quickly overwhelming even skilled players. Running away in this case is better, as the True Eyes' Deathrays have much shorter reach compared to the Moon Lord's.

Parts[]

Moon Lord

 Classic

 Expert

 Master

Statistics

Type	Boss Part
Environment	Lunar Events
AI Type	Moon Lord Head AI
Damage	0 (melee) 150 / 300 (Phantasmal Deathray) 60 / 120 (Phantasmal Bolt)
Max Life	45000/67500/86062
Defense	50
KB Resist	100%
Immune to

Sounds

Hurt
Killed

• Internal NPC ID: 396

Moon Lord's Hand

 Classic

 Expert

 Master

Statistics

Type	Boss Part
Environment	Lunar Events
AI Type	Moon Lord Hand AI
Damage	0 (melee) 100 / 200 (Phantasmal Sphere) 60 / 120 (Phantasmal Eye) 60 / 120 (Phantasmal Bolt) 80 (Melee (eye socket))
Max Life	25000/37500/47812
Defense	40
KB Resist	100%
Immune to

Sounds

Hurt
Killed

• Internal NPC ID: 397

Moon Lord's Core

 Classic

 Expert

 Master

Statistics

Type	Boss Part
Environment	Lunar Events
AI Type	Moon Lord Core AI
Damage	0
Max Life	50000/75000/95625
Defense	70
KB Resist	100%
Immune to

Drops

Coins	1250

Sounds

Hurt
Killed

• Internal NPC ID: 398

General Strategies[]

General tips[]

This content is transcluded from Guide:Practical tips §Combat.

• Boss battles can be won or lost before the battle ever starts. Choose your equipment and have it ready; find and/or make potions and placed buffs; use the highest-tier food you have available; set up an arena appropriate to the boss; learn the strategies for the boss you're facing.
• Prepare your Boss-fighting arena with adequate lighting, Campfires and Heart Lanterns for health regeneration, and Stars in Bottles for mana regeneration if you use magic. Bast Statues will provide a significant defensive boost. Garden Gnomes and (if underground) proper torch placement will reduce damage taken and increase damage dealt due to the luck. Note Torch God's Favor helps with this. Honey pools can also be used for extra health regeneration.
• Sunflowers provide the Happy! buff to players within a 50-tile radius, which grants a +10% movement speed bonus and 17% reduction in enemy spawn rate.
• Always carry around a stack of the highest-tier healing potion available, as relying only on natural Health Regeneration is not a good idea. Depending on the game stage, this can include items such as Mushrooms or Honeyfins. On the PC, Console, Mobile, and tModLoader versions, Restoration Potions are healing potions with a shorter cooldown.
  • Likewise carry mana potions, if you use Magic.
  • The Strange Brew is also an option, but its weak healing effect will trigger the Potion Sickness cooldown as well as Mana Sickness. On the Old-gen console version, Windows Phone version, Old Chinese version, Nintendoversion, and tModLoader 1.3-Legacy version, Restoration Potions can save a slot, but will likewise trigger both cooldowns.
• It is suggested to build houses for the Dryad and the Nurse NPCs in your arena. The former casts the Dryad's Blessing buff, which increases your defense and provides you with a thorns-like effect, while the latter can heal and remove debuffs instantly, at the cost of some coins.
• Bosses are displayed on the Minimap: Follow the boss's icon to track it when you're struggling to find it. You can identify the boss icons by checking their respective wiki pages.
• Once you have freed the Mechanic in the Dungeon, you can use Wire to enhance your arena with Traps and helpful Heart and Star Statues. The former helps to damage the enemies, though be careful to set them up correctly in order not to hurt yourself during the battle. The latter will spawn heart and star pickups, respectively. Connect these devices to timers.
• It may be useful to summon and kill the Eye of Cthulhu or King Slime before summoning any harder boss in order to spawn an extra one-use pool of Hearts. Note that this will prevent any Heart Statues from spawning new Hearts.
• Remember to use the Sharpening Station, Ammo Box, Crystal Ball, Bewitching Table, and Slice of Cake before you go to explore or battle bosses/invasions. These will give boosts that are useful to take, with the first four being class-specific. They give Sharpened, Ammo Box, Clairvoyance, Bewitched, and Sugar Rush, respectively.

Terrain preparation[]

If one is having problems fighting the Moon Lord, a skybridge can be built to make the fight significantly easier. Ideally, it should extend quite far from either side of your spawn point (700-1000 platform blocks should suffice). The Moon Lord will not despawn unless all players are dead, meaning you can outrun him and heal for a while if needed. However, straying too far will cause the Moon Lord to teleport on top of you, so careful spacing is required. This is of less concern in multiplayer, as the Moon Lord will only chase one player at a time, giving the others time to retreat and heal up if necessary. A long straight Minecart Track paired with the Mechanical Minecart will help you avoid most of his attacks. Make sure to hammer the ends for bumpers or make a loop to return to the straight track.Asphalt can be used as a sky bridge material to outrun the boss and dodge its tongue if you value the ability to use Vampire Knives. When the Moon Lord teleports with his tongue already chasing you, the tip of the tongue will not teleport with him. This allows you to completely outrun the tongue, avoiding Moon Bite and allowing Vampire Knives/Spectre armor to work normally.

In the Old Chinese version and tModLoader 1.3-Legacy version exclusively, Moon Lord's Phantasmal Deathray will not go through blocks. A simple roof made of solid blocks will be able to block it completely. Thickening the roof will also mitigate the explosions of the Phantasmal Eyes. You can open up holes in the roof to shoot through when the Deathray isn't active, or you can leave the roof without any holes and damage the Moon Lord exclusively with weapons that can phase through walls.

Terrain prep can be skipped by using a form of infinite flight, such as the UFO Mount or a pair of late-hardmode wings coupled with the Soaring Insignia, although it is still wise to build a nearby house for the Nurse.

Gearing up[]

Armor[]

• The Chlorophyte Mask, Valhalla Knight's Breastplate, and Valhalla Knight's Greaves is the best armor combination available to melee users.
  • Beetle armor also exists as a more straightforward option. It is vastly outclassed by the previous set on the Old Chinese version and tModLoader 1.3-Legacy version, however.
  • If higher damage is needed, the Monk's Shirt could be used instead.
• Shroomite armor is the best option for ranged users, although its set bonus is of very little use in this fight.
  • The chest piece can be swapped with the Valhalla Knight's Breastplate if more survivability is needed, or Red Riding Dress to further increase DPS if used alongside minions.
  • The leggings may be substituted with Spooky Leggings for better speed and summon damage if you're also using minions.
  • On the Old Chinese version and tModLoader 1.3-Legacy version, the Forbidden Treads are a better option.
• Spectre armor is the best option for magic users. If you are able to avoid the moon bite, switching between the Spectre Mask and Spectre Hood to alternate between more damage and recovering when at low health will generally prove more effective than leaving the mask on for the entire fight.
  • On the Old Chinese version and tModLoader 1.3-Legacy version, a combination of the Hallowed Headgear, the Dark Artist's Robes, and the Dark Artist's Leggings provides better damage and survivability.
• Spooky armor is the best option for summoners.
  • On the Old Chinese version and tModLoader 1.3-Legacy version, those who wish to maximize minion damage while benefiting from the Valhalla Knight's Breastplate health regeneration bonus should summon as many minions as possible while wearing the Shinobi Infiltrator's Helmet, Valhalla Knight's Breastplate, and Red Riding Leggings for maximum damage bonuses, then swap to the Spooky Helmet to summon one more minion, and finally summon two more minions while wearing the full Spooky armor set before re-equipping the Forbidden Treads and Valhalla Knight's Breastplate, in that order. This does not work on the PC version, Console version, Mobile version, and tModLoader version as summon damage is recalculated when the player's armor changes.

Weapons[]

For Melee users:[]

• If you are playing on version 1.4.4. The Terra Blade is a highly recommended weapon when fighting Moon Lord, it may even be able to beat the Solar Eruption in term of effectiveness.

• The Solar Eruption is the strongest melee weapon available, dealing massive piercing damage to all parts of the boss.
  • The Solar Eruption attacks through blocks. In the Old Chinese version and tModLoader 1.3-Legacy version, where the Phantasmal Deathray does not pierce blocks, this allows you to hit the Moon Lord from under the safety of a ceiling.
• The Daybreak and the Influx Waver sacrifice power for longer range. The Influx Waver also destroys Moon Leech Clots with its sword hitbox.
• The Seedler is the best melee weapon that does not deal piercing damage. This is advantageous on the Old Chinese version and tModLoader 1.3-Legacy versionwhere, due to piercing invincibility frames, piercing attacks interfere with the damage of the Stardust Dragon. This means that the Seedler can safely be used in conjunction with this summon, whereas piercing weapons should be used with Stardust Cells instead.
• If your mobility is high enough, The Starlight and its combination of long reach and rapid attacks can be very useful, especially when paired with the debuffs from Flasks.

For Ranged users:[]

• The Vortex Beater is the strongest gun available. Crystal Bullets provide the highest DPS, while Chlorophyte Bullets are more useful for the second phase, in which you are practically forced to retreat. They also allow you to focus more on dodging the attacks as they home in on targets.
• The Phantasm with Holy Arrows provides the highest DPS of any primary weapon, but the low velocity of Holy Arrows will hurt your accuracy unless using a Magic Quiver or one of its upgrades. If not using a Magic Quiver, Ichor Arrows or Venom Arrows should be used for their high velocity, making them easier to aim.
  • The Aerial Bane is a strong alternative to the Phantasm, dealing bonus damage to airborne enemies and shooting multiple explosive arrows.
• The Electrosphere Launcher is the strongest launcher available. Its electrosphere ability makes it capable of reaching great DPS. The Snowman Cannon can be useful for the second phase due to its homing nature.

For Magic users:[]

• The Nebula Blaze deals decent DPS and is accurate, but has a high mana cost.
• The Razorpine and Blizzard Staff have higher DPS than the Nebula Blaze and lower mana cost, but lack its homing effect.
• The Nebula Arcanum deals extremely high DPS if you can manipulate the Moon Lord into staying in roughly the same position. It also doesn't need to be aimed.
  • On the Old Chinese version and tModLoader 1.3-Legacy version, it interferes with the damage of the Stardust Dragon.
• The Razorblade Typhoon has a fast, mana efficient projectile which can hit all 3 parts with the same shot. However, its single-target DPS is low.
  • On the Old Chinese version and tModLoader 1.3-Legacy version, it also interferes with the damage of the Stardust Dragon.
• Betsy's Wrath inflicts a potent defense-lowering debuff that the Moon Lord is not immune to.

For Summoners:[]

• The Terraprisma is the best summon available at this point, although to some, obtaining it would be more difficult than fighting the Moon Lord without it. It synergizes well with the Kaleidoscope due to its high tag damage.
• In the Old Chinese version and tModLoader 1.3-Legacy version, the Stardust Cell Staff is preferred if the player uses a piercing primary weapon. The damage of the Stardust Dragon is subject to piercing invincibility frames, which will result in lost damage if the boss is receiving piercing damage from two sources at the same time.
• The Stardust Cell Staff will fire additional shots at enemies off-screen if the enemy is struck by another weapon. Combining the Stardust Cell Staff with a gun with chlorophyte bullets allows the player to kite the Moon Lord offscreen more effectively than other summon weapons. This strategy is useful when using a fast mount in the second stage. This staff also has high accuracy and its attack speed synergizes with Betsy's Wrath.
• The Staff of the Frost Hydra is the best sentry available, but it only works if you remain in one area. It is unlikely to contribute significantly to your DPS, but there is no drawback for using it.
• The Kaleidoscope is the best whip available. However, the damage increase from Kaleidoscope is generally not as high as using a secondary weapon from another class and requires dangerous proximity to the Moon Lord. When used with Valhalla Knight armor, it can serve as a primary weapon, taking advantage of the armor's regeneration, high defense and boosts to summon damage.^[2]
• One can use multiple whips for their summon tag damage increases. The Dark Harvest and Durendal are generally preferred for this.

Accessories[]

Due to the high base damage of the Moon Lord's attacks, the defense stat itself is relatively useless with most strategies. The most important attributes to consider are damage/critical bonuses, mobility, regeneration, and percentage-based damage reduction.

• Wings are almost a requirement when dodging the Moon Lord's attacks, unless the player is using a flying mount. The Fishron Wings, Betsy's Wings, and the Empress Wings are the best wings available. The Steampunk Wings are a weaker but more accessible option for those who do not want to farm Duke Fishron, Betsy, or the Empress of Light for the random wings drop.
• The Soaring Insignia is by far the most important movement accessory after any wings in Expert and Master Mode. Unlimited flight time and greatly increased ascent, flight, and ground movement speed will allow a far easier time evading any attacks.
• The Frog Leg, any of its upgrades, or any balloon accessory will make wings ascend significantly faster, which helps a lot when dodging projectiles or racing against the Phantasmal Deathray.
  • On the Old Chinese version and tModLoader 1.3-Legacy version, the Amphibian Boots can be used alongside the Frog Leg or any of its other tinkers for even higher ascent speed.
• The Fire Gauntlet is recommended for Melee users as it provides a variety of useful melee bonuses.
  • In the Old Chinese version and tModLoader 1.3-Legacy version, the Mechanical Glove is a superior option as it provides a higher melee damage bonus at the cost of the low damage offered by the On Fire! debuff.
• The Stalker's Quiver or Recon Scope are recommended for Ranged users, depending on whether they use arrows or bullets, due to their wide array of ranged bonuses.
  • The decrease in aggro is useless in single player, where the Stalker's Quiver can be substituted with the Magic Quiver or Molten Quiver, and the Recon Scope can be substituted with the Sniper Scope.
  • The bonuses of the Recon Scope and the Sniper Scope stack for a total of 20% ranged damage and 20% critical strike chance if both are equipped. For the quivers, only the arrow damage stacks, making the combination less useful.
• Equipping the Mana Flower or one of its tinkers is almost mandatory for Magic users to avoid having to manually consume Mana Potions.
  • The combination of the Mana Cloak and the Celestial Emblem is particularly useful for the variety of magic bonuses they provide together.
• The Papyrus Scarab is recommended for Summoners. It can be equipped with either or both the Hercules Beetle and the Necromantic Scroll as the effect of these accessories stack.
  • In the Old Chinese version and tModLoader 1.3-Legacy version, remember that the already summoned minions' stats do not change when you change your accessories. Using the Hercules Beetle while summoning the first minions, then switching it out for a Necromantic Scroll to summon the last one is a viable strategy.
• The Warrior Emblem, Ranger Emblem, Sorcerer Emblem, and the Summoner Emblem are still viable at this point in the game and can be used to supplement whatever accessories you have equipped for your class if you wish to maximize your damage, however their tinkers are generally better.
• The Master Ninja Gear offers a dash for horizontal dodging and a 10% chance to not take damage from a hit. The wall traversal abilities are less relevant during a boss fight but don't hurt. In Expert Mode, the Shield of Cthulhu dash can be used instead, which also provides a few invincibility frames that could help dodge an attack if properly timed.
• The Celestial Shell is the best general purpose accessory, providing decent combat, defense, and healing boosts, more so during night.
• The Charm of Myths offers increased health regeneration and reduces the duration of Potion Sickness by 25%.
  • The effects of the Charm of Myths and the Philosopher's Stone on Potion Sickness are only applied the instant a Healing item is consumed, so it can be kept in a vanity slot until the player needs to heal, and swapped back into the vanity slot afterwards.
• The Cross Necklace will double the immunity time after taking damage, allowing you to potentially dodge some hits entirely. The Star Veil will also provide additional damage with the stars that fall when you are hit.
• The Frozen Shield provides crucial knockback immunity that will allow you to avoid being thrown around by enemy attacks. It also provides a nice 25% damage reduction when below half health as well as 6 defense.
  • Other shield accessories that also provide knockback immunity, such as the Ankh Shield, can act as very viable replacements. It is worth noting that the Moon Lord does not inflict any debuff that the Ankh shield covers.
• The Worm Scarf(Expert only) provides a 17% damage reduction, which is always useful.
• The Brain of Confusion(Expert only) provides a 1 in 6 chance of not taking damage, which roughly results on average to a 17% damage reduction, however it can be the difference between life and death when the individual attacks are as strong as Moon Lord's are. The 20% critical strike chance boost when the dodge activates increases DPS significantly. Moon Lord is immune to theConfused debuff this dodge applies, however.

Every accessory should have the Lucky or Menacing Modifier. For hybrid summoner builds, Menacing is preferred. Melee users may opt for the Warding modifier to mitigate the lost defense from Ale or Sake.

Potions[]

• Super Healing Potions are absolutely worth the Celestial Fragments required to craft them.
• Regeneration Potion, Endurance Potion, Lifeforce Potion, and to a lesser extent, Ironskin Potion will greatly increase survivability.
• Any food item that provides the Well Fed/ Plenty Satisfied / Exquisitely Stuffed buff will work.
• Mana Regeneration Potion is highly recommended for mages.
• Swiftness Potion will increase mobility.
• Rage Potion, Summoning Potion, and Wrath Potion will improve DPS.
• Magic Power Potion, Archery Potion, and Ale or Sake will further improve damage output for magic, ranged, and melee users respectively. Note that Ale and Sake will also reduce defense.

Others[]

• As mentioned above, the Rod of Discord is another way to avoid the Phantasmal Deathray. There is no need to worry about Chaos State, as the Moon Lord uses the attack on a timed interval, allowing for the teleport debuff to wear off.
• An infinite flying mount can be invaluable for this fight by providing mid-air mobility while freeing accessory slots that would otherwise be occupied by wings and a Soaring Insignia.
  • The Shrimpy Truffle is your best option in Expert Mode as it provides both great speed and a damage boost. It will however require that the boss be fought in a large water arena, or during rain on the PC version, Console version, Mobile version, and tModLoader version.
  • The Witch's Broom is your second best option in Expert Mode, and has the advantage of not requiring water to reach its full speed.
  • The Cosmic Car Key is slower than both the Witch's Broom and the Shrimpy Truffle (when wet), however it is the only infinite flying mount available if you're playing in Classic Mode.

• If you're using an asphalt bridge in Master Mode, the Hexxed Branch is an alternative for extra speed when running from the Moon Lord.
  • However, one should take care not to run too fast in order to prevent the Moon Lord from teleporting onto the player.
• If more agility is preferred, a Slimy Saddle or Gelatinous Pillion can be used to return to the ground quickly and reset your flight time, and also serves as a makeshift downward dodge.

Specific Strategies[]

Regenerative Facetank[]

It is possible to defeat the Moon Lord while making no attempt to dodge its attacks whatsoever. While wearing a Squire's Great Helm, Valhalla Knight's Breastplate, and Cross Necklace while fully buffed, one can heal off all the damage that the Moon Lord deals without ever being in too much danger. The leg slot can be filled with Valhalla Knight's Greaves, Spooky Leggings / Forbidden Treads, or Dark Artist's Leggings to boost melee, summoning, or magic damage output, respectively. (Ranged leggings have no good damage bonuses on specific sets.) In Classic Mode, if you do not have access to the Old One's Army, simply wearing armor pieces that provide the highest available defense will also work, as long as you are buffed with Regeneration, Lifeforce, Endurance, and Ironskin.

Simply stand in a pool of Honey, grapple yourself in place, and chip away at the Moon Lord’s exposed parts. Most weapons will be far easier to aim now that the Moon Lord is no longer moving around.

Since you will be immobile for this fight, you can use accessories specialized entirely towards damage mitigation, regeneration, and damage output, with your priorities roughly in that order. Because of the method being used here, the Warding modifier for accessories can still be of use. If you're playing on Old Chinese version and tModLoader 1.3-Legacy version, it’s also not a bad idea to place a solid platform at least 7 blocks wide in the sky solely to block the Phantasmal Deathray, which will still severely dent your health bar. Doing this will make it more difficult to deal significant damage to the eye in its forehead, though weapons like the Stardust Dragon Staff or Blizzard Staff will still work.

In PC version, Console version, Mobile version, and tModLoader version, the Phantasmal Deathray will pass through blocks, and the life regeneration bonuses of Squire's Great Helm and Valhalla Knight's Breastplate are reduced by half, making this strategy less effective. This strategy is still viable, though it will now require full tanking gears. For the leg slot, Valhalla Knight's Greaves is recommended, since it has the highest defense. All accessory slots should be filled with defensive accessories, all reforged to Warding. In Normal Mode, the Celestial Shell, Star Veil, Frozen Shield, and other two defensive accessories (such as the Flesh Knuckles or Black Belt) with buff potions mentioned above will let you safely kill the Moon Lord while maintaining almost full health.

In Expert Mode, this strategy still works, with additional requirements: The Worm Scarf and/or Brain of Confusion, and an arena consisting of Campfires, Heart Lanterns, Honey, Bast Statues, and Heart Statues (As well as Star Statues as a Magic user). In Master Mode, however, the above settings do not work, because the life regeneration of the armor gets overwhelmed by the massive damage of the boss. The solution is to invest more in damage reduction and dodge chance, rather than defense and regeneration. Since the effect of damage reduction and dodge chance is proportional to the damage of the enemy, it is much more effective in Master Mode. The best armor available for this purpose is Turtle armor. Since the armor set doesn't contain any regeneration, Dryad's Blessing and at least three Heart Statues are advised in addition to Expert Mode requirements. Using the additional accessory slots provided in these higher difficulties, the Shiny Stone is highly recommended.

Shelter strategy[]

This strategy does not directly apply to 1.4, where the Phantasmal Deathray can pass through solid blocks. If you use this in 1.4, make sure to have a Rod of Discord to teleport to the other side of the Deathray, and enough room in your shelter to have time to react and teleport.

This strategy is based on exploiting the fact that a lot of Moon Lord's attacks can't go through walls.

A half screen-width wide, 6-12 tiles high shelter must be built. Make sure to add Heart Statues, Heart Lanterns, and Honey for better regeneration.A weapon with the ability to attack through blocks such as the Solar Eruption must be used to attack him.

While inside the Shelter, only the Phantasmal Spheres will be able to hit the player, making for a very easy fight.

• A smaller shelter is acceptable. Simply build a small 2-story house mid-air with honey on the top floor (and other items mentioned above except for heart statues), and move the nurse downstairs. When you are damaged below 200 health, simply pay the nurse for more health.

• The top-tier armor sets sold by the Tavernkeep can make this strategy especially viable, as they allow the placement of powerful sentries outside of the 'box' and also boost the damage of the Stardust Dragon Staff. With accessories that increase minions and minion damage, they can finish off the Moon Lord in a couple of minutes or less. When using this strategy, it's important to include a row of platforms below the shelter to place sentries once the heart is visible.
• Hoiking the walls (via hammered down platforms) can allow your projectiles to pass through walls. Ensure the nurse cannot simply walk through the walls when using this method. Objectively most of the moon lord's attacks pierce walls and it could be just the same without walls on the sides of your box at all.
• When the talking menu with the nurse is open she can't heal herself, so it is important to close the menu to let her heal.

The Hoik Method[]

This is the easiest, but longest way of fighting/farming the Moon Lord. It doesn't require much in the means of equipment, other than what you would probably have already at this point in the game. It will require patience as the battle will be lengthy, but this is a sure-fire way of winning that only requires clicking the mouse to use.

A full write and example can be found here.

Cavalry Method[]

Similarly to the minecart method, using a fast mount like the Blessed Apple can make the fight easier. By setting up teleporters at the end of a long skybridge while using a weapon with tracking capabilities will allow you to outrun most of his attacks. Asphalt can be used for greater speed, at the cost of speed reset when flying.

Ramming into Eye Sockets (Master Mode Only)[]

In Master Mode, all attacks of the Moon Lord have their damage tripled, except for the contact damage of the eye socket, which deals 80 as in Normal Mode. It means that if your defense is higher or equal to 79, you will only take 1 damage from it while triggering invincibility frames. To utilize this, you will need an Armor and accessories setup with more than 78 defense including at least a Cross Necklace and Shield accessory, and enough mobility to keep up with the movement of eye sockets. You will have to somehow take out one eye to use this strategy, though. After that, you can just follow and touch the empty eye socket while shooting at other parts of the boss. This strategy is much less effective as of 1.4.1.

Nurse strategy []

The Nurse can heal you anytime you take damage, so by utilizing her the player will not have to worry about damage at all. The nurse has a low chance of dying in that all NPCs take reduced damage, and the Nurse herself has additional damage reduction from the Moon Lord's attacks. Furthermore, the Nurse's ability to heal herself makes damage she takes minimal. To use this to the best effect, build a house for the Nurse (for best results, incorporate it into your arena), turn on autopause, and use a powerful minion like the Stardust Dragon. Stay in the Nurse's house, healing whenever you take a lot of damage, and let the minions do all the work. You won't have to worry about dying, and your minions will kill the Moon Lord eventually. As of version 1.4, the cost of healing with the Nurse was re-balanced and is now much much more expensive, up to 30 gold per heal in the worst case scenario. If you consider using this strategy, be sure to prepare with lots of money to spare.

Synchronized release (Old Chinese version and tModLoader 1.3-Legacy version)[]

For those who want to fight the Moon Lord conventionally, it is highly recommended to synchronize the release of the True Eyes of Cthulhu. To do this, the health of the Moon Lord's head and hands must be brought to zero at a very precise moment in the True Eye of Cthulhu's attack pattern. Prepare by bringing all three of the Moon Lord's eyes to a very low amount of health, and release one. After the True Eye of Cthulhu fires a Phantasmal Deathray, another True Eye of Cthulhu must be released during the Phantasmal Sphere attack that immediately follows the Deathray. The timing is indicated by a unique noise. If done correctly, the newly released True Eyes of Cthulhu will attack in the same pattern, making them far simpler to dodge.

Duck Statues (Old Chinese version and tModLoader 1.3-Legacy version)[]

Summoning Moon Lord then maximizing the enemy count via Duck Statues with water underneath them will prevent the True Eyes of Cthulhu from spawning when they are taken out, making the final phase far easier.

Minecart and Teleporters (Old Chinese version and tModLoader 1.3-Legacy version)[]

For this strategy, a very long railway with bumper ends should be made in a straight line. Make sure to build a ceiling above to block Moon Lord's Deathray.

A Minecart's speed makes it very easy to avoid the Phantasmal Spheres and Bolts, and as mentioned previously, the Deathray will be blocked by the Ceiling. When you reach the end of the track, the Bumper end will quickly change your direction while also keeping your momentum. A Teleporter wired from the beginning to end can also serve the same purpose if triggered with a Pressure Plate Track.

If you have a Mechanical Cart(Expert only), make a minecart track across the whole world. Go slowly and attack, but if you are almost dead, go fast until you heal. (If you go at full speed he constantly teleports and cannot attack.)

Wearing Beetle armor with Beetle Shell and having all accessories forged to Warding can be a good method to complement this strategy. A Vortex Beater with Chlorophyte Bullets, Nebula Blaze or other weapons with homing capabilities allows for you to continuously go at max speed while shooting backward. This will allow you to dodge most of the damage and do efficient damage while staying safe.