Skeletron Prime in Terraria is one of the trio of mechanical bosses in Hardmode. It is the motorized version of Skeletron from pre-hardmode.
Skeletron Prime has multiple limbs and demands your utmost attention. The boss can be manually spawned using a Mechanical Skull item at nighttime only. You have to defeat the boss before the dawn emerges otherwise, the boss becomes enraged and much harder.
This detailed guide will brief you on the best strategy and class builds to use when fighting the Skeletron Prime boss in Terraria.
How to Spawn Skeletron Prime?
You can manually summon Skeletron Prime in Terraria by using a Mechanical Skull at night, specifically between 7:30 PM and 4:30 AM. Additionally, if a Demon or Crimson Altar has been destroyed and Skeletron Prime has not been defeated in the current world, there is a 10% chance for it to automatically spawn at dusk.
If Skeletron Prime has not been defeated in a Hardmode world, the Mechanical Skull item has a 0.04% chance of being dropped by all enemies, except for statue-spawned enemies, Meteor Heads, and Old One’s Army enemies.
Besides, the item can also be crafted manually using 30 Bones, 5 Any Iron Bar, 3 Soul of Light, and 3 Soul of Night. It needs to be crafted on a Mythril or Orichalcum Anvil crafting station.
If the player does not defeat Skeletron Prime by dawn, it will exhibit behavior similar to that of a Dungeon Guardian. It will stop using its limbs and instead rapidly charge at the player, inflicting typically fatal damage upon contact.
How to Defeat Skeletron Prime?
Defeating Skeletron Prime in Terraria boils down to the class you are using. Some classes will find it harder to beat this boss while for others it will be a breeze. We will go over which weapons best suit the class when fighting the boss.
Melee Class Strategy
The Yoyo Bag with the Hel-Fire, Amarok, or Yelets is a great choice. The Shadowflame Knife is another excellent option due to its bouncing properties, allowing it to strike multiple parts of the boss’s body simultaneously.
For multiple hits on Skeletron Prime, the Ice Sickle launches spinning scythe projectiles. A well-aimed Dao of Pow inflicts heavy damage to the boss or its arms. After defeating a Mechanical Boss, the Death Sickle can also be utilized.
Upon defeating The Destroyer, the long-range Light Discs become highly beneficial. Additionally, if you obtain Bananarangs, their high damage and speed make them an effective weapon. If you’ve already defeated a Corrupt Mimic, the Chain Guillotines can prove useful.
Using Flasks is an incredibly useful option, especially if you have defeated the Queen Bee and have the Witch Doctor NPC. Crafting Flasks is easy, and upon consumption, they provide melee attacks with the respective debuff (Ichor, Midas, Cursed Inferno, On Fire!, Confused, Poison, or Acid Venom) for 15-20 minutes, depending on the specific flask. Note that flask effects do not stack.
Palladium armor may offer lower stat bonuses, but its Rapid Healing buff significantly enhances natural regeneration. As an alternative to Hardmode ore sets, Crystal Assassin armor provides decent defense, stat boosts, and a dash ability, making it a viable choice.
Ranged Class Strategy
You can easily obtain the Adamantite Repeater, Titanium Repeater, or Hallowed Repeater if you have defeated another mechanical boss. Combining them with Holy or Ichor Arrows will result in high damage output.
The Onyx Blaster and Clockwork Assault Rifle are powerful guns that become even stronger when used with Crystal Bullets. If you have defeated The Destroyer, the Megashark is an exceptionally potent option due to its incredible speed and respectable damage. The Uzi, though less powerful, can be obtained earlier, albeit rarely.
The Daedalus Stormbow is an extremely powerful weapon, especially when paired with Holy Arrows. If you have defeated one mechanical boss, the Phantom Phoenix with Holy Arrows offers slightly lower damage but improved accuracy.
Both the Dart Rifle and Dart Pistol are formidable choices when equipped with Crystal or Ichor Darts. The Super Star Shooter is highly effective but expensive to use, as it requires Fallen Stars.
It is advisable to use a secondary weapon with Ichor ammo, as the debuff significantly increases Skeletron Prime’s vulnerability to damage.
Hallowed armor becomes an excellent choice if you have already defeated a Mechanical Boss, as it provides the Holy Protection buff. Alternatively, Orichalcum armor offers a substantial critical strike chance and its set bonus allows for striking multiple parts simultaneously.
Mage Class Strategy.
You have the option to use the Crystal Serpent, which functions similarly to Crystal Bullets and deals high damage. The Sky Fracture is equally strong. Crafting the Meteor Staff is simple and powerful, provided you have some leftover Meteorite Bars from Pre-Hardmode.
The Golden Shower may deal little damage, but it inflicts the Ichor debuff, enabling your other weapons to deal even greater damage. The Flower of Frost is a decent weapon that inflicts Frostburn, a debuff that Skeletron Prime is not immune to.
If you have defeated another Mechanical Boss, the Unholy Trident and the left-click attack of the Tome of Infinite Wisdom are among the most powerful weapons at your disposal. If you have previously defeated The Twins, the Rainbow Rod becomes available. Its homing and piercing projectiles guarantee hitting three sections of the boss with each cast, allowing you to focus on evasion.
Defeating a Hardmode Goblin Army can grant you access to the Shadowflame Hex Doll, dropped by the Goblin Warlock. Its scattering attack can strike multiple limbs and the head rapidly, dealing significant damage in a short amount of time.
For high stats and additional benefits, Titanium armor is an excellent choice. It also provides the Titanium Barrier / Shadow Dodge buff. Adamantite armor, on the other hand, offers the most substantial overall increase to all stats.
Summoner Class Strategy
The Sanguine Staff stands out as an incredibly potent summon weapon, boasting perfect tracking and dealing high damage. Similarly, the Blade Staff proves to be a highly viable option with its swift tracking and astonishingly rapid attack speed.
Leveraging the vulnerability of Skeletron Prime to Ichor, the use of Ichor Flasks significantly enhances the effectiveness of the Blades, as they collectively bypass 40 defenses. Further amplification of their damage can be achieved through the use of whips.
If you have already defeated The Twins, you can employ the Optic Staff to summon miniature versions of them, aiding you in battle. To effectively deal with the laser and cannon, which have limited mobility, the Spider Staff proves to be immensely useful, as the spiders can cling to them for extended periods.
If you tend to remain in a fixed area throughout the battle, the Queen Spider Staff becomes an excellent choice.
Whips, particularly the Cool Whip with its snowflake projectile that bypasses armor, excel at dealing damage to multiple body parts simultaneously or strengthening your summoned minions. The Durendal is the preferred weapon if you have previously defeated at least one mechanical boss, as it provides Summon Tag damage.
The armor sets offered by the Tavernkeep combine summoning abilities with those of another class. However, this option is only available if you have already defeated one Mechanical Boss. For Summoners, Spider armor is the most practical choice. Alternatively, for Blade Staff users, Obsidian Armor remains highly viable well into Hardmode due to its set bonuses applying to whips.
Other Strategies
Gelatinous Pillion Strategy:
To effectively evade the boss’s spinning head attack, utilize a Gelatinous Pillion and mount it to jump on top of the boss’s head. This technique not only helps you avoid the attack but also provides an opportunity to land additional hits by utilizing the bouncing effect.
Arena Preparation:
Constructing an arena using Wood Platforms or Minecart Tracks significantly enhances your mobility and renders the Prime Cannon ineffective. It is recommended to create multiple rows of Platforms, each spanning approximately 50 blocks in length.
To prevent the Prime Cannon’s grenades from detonating in close proximity, suspend the platforms above the ground. It is advisable to avoid a solid ceiling, as Skeletron Prime tends to retreat to a distance when not executing its spinning attack.
Utilizing frozen slime blocks is advantageous as they preserve the mobility benefits of any speed enhancements.
What are the Difficulty Differences?
The boss has different stats depending on the difficulty and the phase it is in. These differences are as follows:
Classic Mode
In Classic Mode the Skeletron Prime in Terraria has the following stats:
| Stats | Skeletron Prime Head | Prime Cannon | Prime Saw | Prime Vice | Prime Laser |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damage | 47-94 | 30-80 | 56 | 52 | 29-50 |
| HP | 28000 | 7000 | 9000 | 9000 | 6000 |
| Defense | 24-48 | 23 | 38 | 34 | 20 |
| Knockback Resistance | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Immunity | Poisoned Confused Penetrated Tentacle Spike Blood Butchered | Poisoned Confused | Poisoned Confused | Poisoned Confused | Poisoned Confused |
Similar to Skeletron, defeating Skeletron Prime only requires defeating its head, despite it consisting of a head and four limbs.
The head of Skeletron Prime constantly maintains a position between 31.5 and 12.5 tiles above the player and within 6.25 tiles on either side of the player. It can infinitely accelerate to reposition itself within this range. Notably, the head does not actively attempt to make direct contact with the player.
Each of Skeletron Prime’s four limbs possesses unique attacks:
- The Prime Cannon periodically launches bombs every 2.33 seconds, mostly into the air rather than directly at the player. It tends to stay positioned above the player.
- The Prime Saw typically swipes up and down beneath the player.
- The Prime Vice wildly swipes around and occasionally lunges at the player, often maintaining a diagonal position in relation to the player.
- The Prime Laser shoots red Death Lasers every 3.33 seconds and constantly aims at the player, usually maintaining a horizontal position.
Every 10 seconds, Skeletron Prime enters a spinning phase that lasts for 6.67 seconds, during which its attacks become more aggressive:
- The head of Skeletron Prime sprouts spikes and accelerates towards the player at a speed of 10 mph. Additionally, its damage and defense are doubled during this attack.
- The Prime Cannon targets the player directly, reducing its firing cooldown to 0.67 seconds.
- The Prime Saw homes in on the player’s location.
- The Prime Vice becomes more aggressive, frequently lunging toward the player.
- The Prime Laser intensifies its attacks, firing lasers every 1.33 seconds.
At dawn, Skeletron Prime enters an enraged state, permanently adopting the behavior of a faster Dungeon Guardian. Its velocity increases, and if the player comes into contact with it, they are usually instantly killed due to its heightened damage of 1000 and defense raised to 9999. This state persists until Skeletron Prime is defeated, even if it becomes nighttime again. When defeated, it drops items normally.
Expert Mode
In Expert Mode the Skeletron Prime in Terraria has the following stats:
| Stats | Skeletron Prime Head | Prime Cannon | Prime Saw | Prime Vice | Prime Laser |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damage | 79-158 | 51-160 | 95 | 88 | 49-100 |
| HP | 42000 | 10500 | 13500 | 13500 | 9000 |
| Defense | 24-48 | 23 | 38 | 34 | 20 |
| Knockback Resistance | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Immunity | Poisoned Confused Penetrated Tentacle Spike Blood Butchered | Poisoned Confused | Poisoned Confused | Poisoned Confused | Poisoned Confused |
In Expert Mode, the base spinning attack speed of the Head is 31 mph and is increased the further the player is away, up to a maximum of 76 mph at a distance of 37.5 tiles. Everything else stays relatively the same as in Classic Mode. The only exception is the boosted HP and damage.
Master Mode
In Master Mode the Skeletron Prime in Terraria has the following stats:
| Stats | Skeletron Prime Head | Prime Cannon | Prime Saw | Prime Vice | Prime Laser |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damage | 119-238 | 76-240 | 142 | 132 | 73-150 |
| HP | 53550 | 13387 | 17212 | 17212 | 11475 |
| Defense | 24-48 | 23 | 38 | 34 | 20 |
| Knockback Resistance | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Immunity | Poisoned Confused Penetrated Tentacle Spike Blood Butchered | Poisoned Confused | Poisoned Confused | Poisoned Confused | Poisoned Confused |
Master Mode Skeletron Prime behaves the same as in Expert Mode. However, the base damage and HP is significantly higher adding to the overall challenge.
Is Skeletron Prime Harder Solo or With Friends?
Facing Skeletron Prime solo can be challenging due to the boss’s problematic attacks and high health pool. You have full control over your character and strategy, but you must manage multiple tasks simultaneously, such as dodging attacks, dealing damage, and staying alive. Solo battles require careful preparation, powerful equipment, and precise execution of tactics.
Fighting Skeletron Prime with friends can provide certain advantages. Having multiple players can distribute the boss’s attention and damage output, allowing for easier dodging and survival. Cooperation and coordination among team members can lead to more efficient strategies and increased damage output.
Additionally, players can specialize in different roles, such as damage dealers, healers, or support, which can enhance the overall effectiveness of the group.
Ultimately, the difficulty of facing Skeletron Prime can vary depending on individual player skill, gear progression, and coordination within the group. Some players may find it easier to tackle the boss with friends, while others may prefer the challenge and control of facing it solo.
It’s essential to consider your own strengths, playstyle, and available resources when deciding which approach suits you best.
What are the Rewards for Defeating Skeletron Prime?
The rewards for defeating Skeletron Prime in Terraria differ according to the difficulty. The majority of rewards are the same for all difficulties except a few, and sometimes the drop rates increase at higher difficulties. We will highlight all these rewards and changes below:
Classic Mode Rewards
| Reward | Quantity | Drop Rate % |
|---|---|---|
| Gold Coins | 12 | 100% |
| Soul of Fright | 25-40 | 100% |
| Hallowed Bar | 15-30 | 100% |
| Horned God Mask | 1 | 14.29% |
| Greater Healing Potion | 5-15 | 100% |
| Skeletron Prime Mask | 1 | 14.29% |
| Skeletron Prime Trophy | 1 | 10% |
Expert Mode Rewards
| Reward | Quantity | Drop Rate % |
|---|---|---|
| Gold Coins | 30 | 100% |
| Treasure Bag | 1 | 100% |
| Mechanical Battery Piece | 1 | 100% |
| Hallowed Bar | 20-35 | 100% |
| Extra Gold Coin | 12 | 100% |
Master Mode Rewards
| Reward | Quantity | Drop Rate % |
|---|---|---|
| Robotic Skull | 1 | 25% |
| Skeletron Prime Relic | 1 | 100% |
Here is the ultimate guide to defeating Skeletron Prime in Terraria. This boss is the mechanical and significantly more challenging version of Skeletron encountered in pre-hardmode.
However, it is crucial to conclude the battle before dawn, as the fight becomes exceptionally difficult at that point. To maximize your chances of success, prioritize targeting the limbs before focusing on the head.