Terraria Walkthrough: Part 4, Lunar Events and the Moon Lord

Part 4 is the end of our Terraria walkthrough. It covers the Lunatic Cultist, the four Celestial Pillars of the Lunar Events and the final boss, the Moon Lord. It starts right after Golem and ends with what to do once the Moon Lord is dead.

Terraria walkthrough: ← Previous part  |  Back to part 1 →

The whole walkthrough

Before the Cultist: gear check

Golem's drops and the post-Plantera events should have you in good shape. Gear most guides suggest at this point:

• Melee: Beetle armor (Turtle armor plus Beetle Husks), the Terra Blade or a strong yoyo.
• Ranged: Shroomite armor (Shroomite Bars come from the Truffle's Autohammer), a Megashark or Golem's Stynger, Chlorophyte Bullets.
• Magic: Spectre armor, the Razorblade Typhoon or Heat Ray.
• Summoner: Spooky armor from the Pumpkin Moon or Tiki armor, plus the Raven Staff, Xeno Staff or Terraprisma.
• Good wings (Fishron Wings, Betsy's Wings or Empress Wings are top picks) and a mount like the Cosmic Car Key UFO from Martian Madness.

Lunatic Cultist

After Golem, a group of hooded Cultists stands chanting at the Dungeon entrance. Attack them and the Lunatic Cultist appears.

1. He casts fireballs, lightning orbs, ice mist and shadow fireballs. Keep moving and use the area outside the Dungeon as your arena.
2. Now and then he splits into several copies. Hit the real one. Hitting a fake can summon extra enemies.
3. He has much less health than Golem or Plantera. A strong single-target weapon ends it fast.

Drops worth using: the Ancient Manipulator, a crafting station for all the endgame gear. Place it at home right away.

The Lunar Events: four pillars

As soon as the Cultist dies, four Celestial Pillars appear on the surface of your world. Each one has a shield and spawns its own enemies near it. Kill enough of those enemies (100 in Classic mode, more in Expert and Master) and the shield drops. Then destroy the pillar itself.

• Solar Pillar: aggressive melee enemies like Crawltipedes and Corites. Hard-hitting and fast.
• Vortex Pillar: Storm Divers and flying aliens that attack from range. Stay mobile and don't stand in the open for long.
• Nebula Pillar: Brain Suckers and Nebula Floaters cause nasty debuffs. Many players find this one hardest.
• Stardust Pillar: Star Cells split into smaller cells, and a Milkyway Weaver worm flies around. Piercing weapons help.

Each pillar drops its own Lunar Fragments. Craft them at the Ancient Manipulator into very strong weapons before the Moon Lord:

• Solar Fragments: Solar Eruption and Daybreak (melee).
• Vortex Fragments: Vortex Beater and Phantasm (ranged).
• Nebula Fragments: Nebula Blaze and Nebula Arcanum (magic).
• Stardust Fragments: Stardust Dragon Staff and Stardust Cell Staff (summoner).

Use your old gear on the pillars, then craft your fragment weapon for the final fight. Pick an order that suits you; many players clear the pillar that counters their class last, once they're stronger.

Moon Lord: summoning and arena

About a minute after the last pillar falls, the game warns you that impending doom approaches, and the Moon Lord arrives. You can also summon him later with a Celestial Sigil, crafted from Lunar Fragments at the Ancient Manipulator.

Since he comes to you, build your arena before you break the last pillar:

• A very long row of platforms in the sky, several layers high. Wider is better.
• A Campfire, Heart Lantern, Star in a Bottle and a small pool of Honey for regen.
• A Nurse house close by, if you can afford her healing.
• Your full buff potion set, plus Greater or Super Healing Potions.

Moon Lord: the fight

1. The Moon Lord has three eyes: one in each hand and one in his forehead. Destroy all three. The hand eyes fire Phantasmal Eyes and bolts. The head fires the Phantasmal Deathray, a huge beam that sweeps across the screen.
2. When you destroy an eye, it turns into a True Eye of Cthulhu that keeps attacking. Don't panic; focus on the remaining eyes.
3. Once all three eyes are gone, his chest opens. Hit the core until he dies.
4. Watch the head eye closely. When it starts to charge the Deathray, get moving early so the sweep doesn't catch you.
5. Stay on the move the whole time. Don't run far away; he follows you and you lose the benefit of your arena.

Ranged and summoner players often find this fight easiest. The Stardust Dragon Staff, Vortex Beater or Phantasm, and Nebula Blaze are all standard choices. Melee players do well with Daybreak or Solar Eruption in Beetle armor.

Moon Lord drops and what comes next

• Luminite: the last ore. Smelt it into bars for the four Lunar armor sets (Solar Flare, Vortex, Nebula, Stardust), Luminite pickaxes, drills and wings.
• The Portal Gun: fun and handy for moving around.
• One weapon: Meowmere, Star Wrath, Terrarian, S.D.M.G., Last Prism, Lunar Flare, Rainbow Crystal Staff, Lunar Portal Staff or Celebration Mk2.
• In Expert or Master mode, the Gravity Globe accessory lets you flip gravity.

The Moon Lord is the final boss, so you've "beaten" Terraria. After that, many players chase the Zenith, a sword crafted from the Terra Blade, Meowmere, Star Wrath and several other swords from across the game. You can also refight bosses on Expert or Master, try a special seed world, or build a big base.

Tips for this part

• Build the Moon Lord arena before you finish the last pillar. He spawns within about a minute.
• Farm extra fragments for both your weapon and a Celestial Sigil, so you can retry or farm the Moon Lord.
• Don't fight a pillar near your town. Its enemies will follow you home.
• Reforge your accessories one more time for "Warding" or "Menacing". It's cheap at this stage.
• If the Deathray keeps killing you, watch the head eye and start moving as soon as it charges, not when the beam fires.

My take

The first time I saw the Moon Lord rise over the horizon, I panicked and forgot my own arena was a mile away. Build first, fight second. Which weapon did you finally beat him with?

FAQ

How do you start the Lunar Events?

Beat Golem, then defeat the Lunatic Cultist at the Dungeon entrance. The four Celestial Pillars appear as soon as he dies.

How do I summon the Moon Lord again?

Craft a Celestial Sigil from Lunar Fragments at the Ancient Manipulator and use it. You can also kill all four pillars again by beating the Cultist a second time.

What is the best class for the Moon Lord?

Any class works with the right gear. Summoner with the Stardust Dragon and ranged with the Vortex Beater or Phantasm are often called the easiest for a first kill.

Is the Moon Lord the final boss?

Yes. He is the last boss in the game. Everything after him is optional, like the Zenith, Master mode and special seeds.

Terraria walkthrough: ← Previous part  |  Back to part 1 →