Deerclops

Deerclops is a pre-Hardmode crossover boss from Don’t Starve Together and one of Terraria’s non-event bosses. It is also the first non-event crossover boss, as well as the first pre-Hardmode crossover boss. Unlike most bosses, it does not despawn immediately after killing the player, making it unusually persistent during its encounter.

Deerclops has several distinct attacks that depend on distance and positioning. If it is close enough to the player, it raises its arms and smashes the ground after a brief delay, creating an escalating wave of Ice Spikes that rush toward the player. Every third wave behaves differently: it travels a shorter distance, has a slightly longer delay, and spreads outward from both sides. The Ice Spikes inflict the Frozen debuff for a short time. If the target is too far away for this attack, Deerclops uses a debris attack instead, scooping up and throwing many chunks of debris in large vertical arcs. These chunks can pass through blocks, and their appearance changes depending on the blocks Deerclops is standing on, though the damage does not change.

Deerclops also occasionally roars, inflicting Slow on all nearby players within a wide radius. If the player remains above Deerclops long enough, it pauses briefly and then summons five Shadow Hands around the player. In Expert Mode, Shadow Hands can also appear periodically on their own, moving slowly or quickly, curving toward the player, or spinning in place. They become more frequent as Deerclops loses health, and they are designed to predict player movement.

When the player is more than 30 tiles away, Deerclops cloaks itself in a shadowy aura, emits black smoke, turns dark purple with a magenta eye, and gains two reddish afterimages that orbit it. In this state it is completely immune to damage until the player moves back within 30 tiles, at which point it returns to normal behavior and appearance.

A few encounter rules make this boss unusual. When Deerclops is alive, Blizzard visual effects become less opaque, and sleeping in a bed does not accelerate time. If all players are dead or none are nearby, Deerclops will go to the Snow biome where it spawned, if possible, and wander there instead of despawning right away. After one in-game day has passed since it spawned, it despawns as soon as no players are near, and leaving and re-entering the world also causes it to despawn. Deerclops cannot pass through solid blocks normally, but if a player is above it, far enough away, and unreachable, it will rise through blocks to reach them.

For fighting it, a Warmth Potion is useful because Deerclops is affected by its buff, and a Hand Warmer helps against the Frozen debuff. Since it can inflict Slow over a large range, movement accessories such as the Anklet of the Wind or Magiluminescence, along with Swiftness Potions, make the fight easier. A platform of non-solid blocks about 6 tiles above the ground, with solid staircases on both sides, can keep Deerclops high enough to prevent its debris attack entirely. It is also wise to avoid staying directly above it, because the Shadow Hands are especially dangerous there. The player can safely run between Deerclops’s legs to avoid the first two Ice Spike waves, but should not linger for the third. Its Ice Spike Frozen effect can also interrupt an extending grappling hook, so crossing large gaps carelessly can lead to extra damage.

Deerclops is part of the Don’t Starve Together crossover, and many of that crossover’s items are dropped by it. Its invulnerable purple form in Terraria resembles a similar form from Don’t Starve. It is one of only two bosses made up of a single destructible entity, the other being the Empress of Light. It is also the only non-event boss in Terraria that does not despawn immediately after killing the player. Defeating Deerclops is not required for the Slayer of Worlds achievement.