This is an event in Terraria that can only happen once you unlock Hardmode. Every dawn in the game after this, there is a 5% chance a Solar Eclipse will occur.
During this wonderful event, Vampires and Frankensteins, and Movie Monsters Galore will spawn in place of normal monsters and at a higher rate.
The unique monsters that spawn during the Solar Eclipse Event are not weak, they do have a lot of special drops, and they cannot be fought except during this event. Let’s continue with our Solar Eclipse Terraria Guide.
Embark on a boundless adventure in the pixelated sandbox world of Terraria, where you can dig, build, and explore to your heart's content. With endless possibilities for creativity and discovery, join millions of players in crafting your own epic journey.
Is the Solar Eclipse only a random event?
No, you can kill and collect Solar Tablet Fragments from Lizhards that spawn outside the Jungle Temple to make a Solar Tablet that triggers the event.
However, even if you collect/create this item before Hardmode, it is only usable in a world that has entered Hardmode.
Monster Menagerie
Before the Three Mechanical Bosses are Defeated
1. Frankenstein
Though it is Frankenstein’s Monster, not Dr. Frankenstein himself, this is a callback to Mary Shelley’s horror classic.
Damage: 65Â Â Defense: 18Â Â Knockback Resist(KBR): 70%Â Â Max Life: 350
Drops: —  Coins: 6silver(s)  Spawn Rate(SR): Often  Immunities: –
2. Swamp Thing
One of the most powerful DC Comics characters, it also appears in its very own horror film in 1982.
Damage: 70Â Â Defense: 26Â Â KBR: 80%Â Â Max Life: 450
Drops: —  Coins: 10s  SR: Often   Immunities: Poison
3. Creature From the Deep
A fish-like Creature that references The Creature from the Black Lagoon, once called, Gill-Man.
Damage: 60Â Defense: 22Â KBR: 70%Â Â Max Life: 400Â Â Â Special: This one is faster underwater!
Drops: Neptune’s Shell  Coins: 10s  SR: Common(more so near water)  Immunities: Confused
4. Fritz
The assistant of Dr. Frankenstein in the 1931 film was a hunchback named Fritz, this version is a little bit sprier.
Damage: 70Â Â Defense: 14Â Â KBR: 30%Â Â Max Life: 270Â Â Â Special: Extremely Quick
Drops: —   Coins: 6s    SR: Very Often   Immunities: –
5. The Possessed
Most likely pulled right out of The Exorcist, this scary enemy will not be exorcised.
Damage: 68Â Defense: 28Â KBR: 65%Â Max Life: 600Â Â Special: Climbs walls like Spider Enemies, resists KB when climbing.
Drops: Steak   Coins: 13s   SR: Common   Immunities: –
6. Vampire
Perhaps the most famous of the horror movie monsters, inspired by Dracula, your turn to play Van Helsing then.
Damage: 80Â Defense: 24Â KBR: 60%Â Max Life: 750Â Â Special: Causes Bleeding. Can turn into a Vampire Bat
Drops: Broken Bat Wing, Moonstone  Coins: 50s  SR: Common  Immunities: –
6.1. Vampire Bat
When the Vampire morphs into this bat take advantage of that low knockback resist.
Damage: 60Â Defense: 32Â KBR: 30%Â Max Life: 750Â Â Special: Causes Bleeding. Turns back into a Vampire.
Drops: Broken Bat Wing, Moonstone  Coins: 50s  SR: Common  Immunities: –
7. Eyezor
This beguiled monster meets X-Men’s Cyclops is not from a horror movie, but you should fear it.
Damage: 50 or 60 with Eye Laser  Defense: 30  KBR: 70%  Max Life: 1000  Special: Fires more and moves faster as it gets hit.
Drops: Eye Spring   Coins: 50s   SR: Uncommon   Immunities: —
After Defeating the Three Mechanical Bosses
After a patch in 2020, Mothron will only spawn after defeating Plantera on the PC version.
8. Reaper
A reference to the Grim Reaper, they come with tides of death. The weapon they drop is pretty good.
Damage: 80Â Â Defense: 22Â Â KBR: 40%Â Â Max Life: 700Â Â Special: Float, move through walls, are immune to lava, and fast.
Drops: Death Sickle  Coins: 15s  SR: Common   Immunities: All except Whip
9. Mothron
Based on one of the most classic Kaiju of all time, Mothra.
Damage: 80 (100 on a fast charge)Â Defense: 30Â Â KBR: 80%Â Â Max Life: 6000Â Â Special: Lays Eggs. Flies.
Drops: Broken Hero Sword, Eye of Cthulhu, Mothron Wings  Coins: 5gold  SR: Rare  Immunities: Confused
9.1. Mothron Egg
Break it before it hatches if you can.
Damage: 0Â Â Defense: 30Â Â KBR: 30%Â Â Max Life: 300
Drops: —  Coins: —  SR: From Mothron   Immunities: Confused
9.2. Baby Mothron
It was the larvae of Mothra that defeat Godzilla in the film Mothra VS Godzilla, by covering him in silk.
Damage: 50Â Â Defense: 14Â Â KBR: 70%Â Â Max Life: 700Â Â Special: Fly
Drops: —   Coins: —   SR: From Mothron Egg  Immunities: Confused
After Defeating Plantera
Mothra and its spawns are here if you play via PC
10. Dr. Man Fly
Inspired by the horror classic, The Fly. (I suggest the Jeff Goldblum version.)
Damage: 65Â Â Â Defense: 24Â Â KBR: 40%Â Â Â Max Life: 500Â Â Â Special: Throws a Toxic Flask (100 damage)
Drops: Toxic Flask, Dr. Man Fly Vanity Set   Coins: 13s   SR: Common   Immunities: —
11. Butcher
Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the film this monster references. It’s good to use range attacks on this one!
Damage: 70 or 90(chainsaw)Â Â Defense: 30Â Â KBR: 75%Â Â Max Life: 700Â Â Â Special: Can damage through a single tile.
Drops: Butcher’s Chainsaw, Butcher’s Vanity Set   Coins: 10s   SR: Common   Immunities: —
12. Psycho
Halloween comes to every Solar Eclipse with this Michael Myers-themed monster. It can’t open doors for some reason.
Damage: 70 or 122(stealth)Â Defense: 40Â KBR: 50%Â Max Life: 550Â Â Special: It shows up in stealth mode! Keep an eye out!
Drops: Psycho Knife    Coins: 15s    SR: Uncommon    Immunities: —
13. Deadly Sphere
Phantasm-inspired enemy, they live up to their name.
Damage: 100Â Â Defense: 80Â Â KBR: 30%Â Â Max Life: 350Â Â Special: Can move through blocks, but not charge attack through blocks.
Drops: Deadly Sphere Staff  Coins: 9s   SR: Common    Immunities: Fire, Hellfire, Confused, Poison
14. Nailhead
Hellraiser in Terraria. This slow-moving monster should not be approached.
Damage: 100 or 30(nail)Â Â Defense: 34Â Â KBR: 90%Â Â Max Life: 4000Â Â Â Special: Shoots nails.
Drops: Nail Gun, Nails(100-200)  Coins: 30s  SR: Uncommon   Immunities: —
What Else Happens During a Solar Eclipse?
The Cyborg and the Steampunker will sell some unique items.
Cyborg: Rockey IV and Rocket Cluster II
Steampunker: Red Solution (if a Crimson World) Purple Solution (if a Corrupt World)
Truffle Worm 
Solar Eclipse Items
Here is a shortlist of all the items and why you may or may not want to grind to grab some of them up.
- Eye Spring. A funny pet item. (Eyezore)
- Broken Bat Wings. Can be used to craft Bat Wings. (Vampire)
- Moon Stone. Makes all your stats better during the night or the Solar Eclipse. Combine with the Sunstone for a great accessory. (Vampire)
- Neptune’s Shell. Breath and swim underwater when equipped. (Creature from the Deep)
- Death Sickle. An auto-swing weapon that fires a short projectile for NO MANA. It goes through blocks. DAMAGE: 57 Strong KB and Fast. (Reaper)
- Toxic Flask. A Magic weapon that creates a poison cloud that hurts whatever enters it. MANA: 30 DAMAGE: 46 (Dr. Man Fly)
- Deadly Sphere Staff. Summons Deadly Sphere minions for you. MINION DAMAGE: 50 They give off light! (Deadly Sphere)
- Nail Gun. Fires Nails at DAMAGE: 85 these nails stick in a target and then blow up. It’s very fast. (Nailhead)
- Mothron Wings. These are a set of equipable wings. They glow in the dark and have good flight time. (Mothron)
- Psycho Knife. Grants you Stealth. Has one of the fastest auto-attacks in-game. DAMAGE: 85 or340 in Stealth Mode with 30% base critical chance! (Psycho)
- Butcher’s Chainsaw. Axe Power of 150%. Shoots off magic sparks that damage nearby units on striking. DAMAGE: 120 Very Strong KB. Very Fast. (Butcher)
- The Eye of Cthulhu. The Second Strongest yoyo in the game. Can stay in the air indefinitely. DAMAGE: 115
- Broken Hero Sword. This is needed to complete the crafting of the Legendary…Terra Toilet.
That’s true. However…
The Broken Hero Sword is not a weapon but necessary crafting material for the Terra Blade. If you are not playing on PC you will need two of them to craft True Night’s Edge and True Excalibur, which then can be forged into the Terra Blade.
Any Tips?
- My best advice is not to rush into Hardmode without getting good equipment, building a sky bridge, and having a defendable town.
- Farm the Queen Bee pre-Hardmode. Her weapon drops, especially the Bee Keeper because it causes confusion, can help in early Hardmode.
- A lot of the Solar Eclipse enemies can open doors, but the first batch cannot pass through walls.
- Mine Hellstone and make some Molten Armor and maybe an Imp Staff before you start Hardmode.
- You can craft a Night’s Edge in pre-Hardmode if you are having trouble getting the Bee Keeper.
- In early Hardmode spend most of your time underground, mining, before dealing with the Solar Eclipse.
- If you have a weapon that can attack through blocks like Vile Thorn, you can get some safe kills during your first Eclipse.
- The Solar Eclipse is a great event for getting money and good items, don’t avoid it too long.
- Water Candles and Battle Potions will increase the spawn rate of enemies during the Solar Eclipse.
- A Sky Bridge will make the Mothron fight much easier, among many other unrelated Boss Fights.
- Boss’s and other invasions can happen during the Eclipse, dig out a really large area underground pre-Hardmode to avoid being overwhelmed.
FAQ
Question: What are the Mechanical Bosses?
Answer: Three of the first Hardmode bosses. The Destroyer, The Twins, and Skeleton Prime.
Question: Is the Solar Eclipse event hard?
Answer: Yes. You or some of your townspeople will probably die a few times the first encounters, but it becomes a great way to get coins.
Question: What’s the hardest enemy during a Solar Eclipse?
Answer: Mothron and Nailhead stat wise. I think Psycho is more dangerous because when you’re being swarmed you can miss him in stealth mode and take a lot of unexpected damage even when the event becomes easier for you as a whole.
Question: Is the Stake Launcher useful against Vampires?
Answer: It does 1000% increased damage to Vampires. It’s instant kill level useful.
Question: How long does a Solar Eclipse last?
Answer: It lasts for the entirety of the day in Terraria.
Question: Is it hard to get Broken Hero Sword?
Answer: Because a Solar Eclipse lasts the entire day, even the rarest of the Solar enemies will likely spawn more than once during this time. You will get plenty of chances at Mothron for that Broken Sword. It’s much harder to get some of the nice item drops from the other monsters I found.
Question: Is Eyezor a reference to a Horror movie as well?
Answer: It is not. It does resemble the Wall of Flesh in some ways, perhaps playing some meta homage to their evil creation.
Question: What weapon is best for dealing with the Solar Eclipse?
Answer: The Fetid Baghnakhs is considered by many very useful for this event because of its high DPS(damage per second). I find a really good YoYo to be exceptionally useful with a YoYo Bag equipped, it can hit flying enemies and keeps you away from enemies like Butcher and Nailhead.
They also have a good chance of accidentally hitting Psycho even if you didn’t see them. All of the high-tier swords with projectiles do exceptional during an invasion event like the Eclipse, such as the Terra Blade, at which point the event becomes just money gathering and item hunting.
Question: What’s a Sky Bridge?
Answer: It’s when you’ve built a pathway in the sky, below where Harpies spawn but above where you’re town is, from one end of the map to the other. This pathway should be as straight as possible and made out of material that can’t be converted by Crimson and the like. Making it out of hay to start with is easiest.
Question: How do I trigger a Solar Eclipse?
Answer: You can use a Solar Tablet during the day. It is crafted from Solar Tablet Fragments acquired from Lizhards or found in Lizhard chests in the Jungle Temple.
Question: Why can’t I summon a Solar Eclipse?
Answer: You are not in Hardmode, or it is not daytime.
Question: How do I get into Hardmode?
Answer: Defeat the Wall of Flesh.
Question: What do you do during a Solar Eclipse?
Answer: Survive. Run. Fight. Collect lots of coins. Hope for rare item drops. Fight. Repeat.
Overall
The Solar Eclipse Event in Terraria is a fun homage to horror classics and a very useful in-game monster mash. You’ll need them to get money to pay for the green and blue solution and to get those amazing weapons, so charge headfirst into the beautiful horizon. Glasses on, YoYo’s up.
Embark on a boundless adventure in the pixelated sandbox world of Terraria, where you can dig, build, and explore to your heart's content. With endless possibilities for creativity and discovery, join millions of players in crafting your own epic journey.
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