This page presents suggestions on battle rod progression and boss order, mostly for the vanilla game bosses.

General tip: If you need to heal or buff yourself during the fight, using the hotkeys will not break the fishing line, and as such you can keep attacking away with your rod.

Early Game

Start by collecting as much cobweb as you can find, as you need it for pretty much every Battle Rod and lures, and for some other accessories. While you do that, collect as many ores and Life Crystals as you can. Find as many hooks as you can, not for a grappling hook, but for Lures and Hook accessories. Try to make a Gold/Platinum Battle Rod as soon as possible. This will be your main weapons for the early game. Alternatively, if you get some bombs (and the Demolitionist), you can go ahead and blow up one shadow orb/heart to try and spawn a meteorite and go for the Meteor Battle Rod instead. Also craft a Wooden Fishing Knife

At night, collect as many stars as possible. You will need at least 8 (and 160 gel) to make a Star Mix Battle Rod.

When you have some bait, go and fish in the ocean for crates and the Reaver Shark. If you have some extra hooks (more than 2), craft Extra Lures and their evolutions at the workbench. It will speed up fishing by a lot. If you are fishing with the Meteor Battle Rod, you will catch some Meteor Crates. Feel free to open one if you are running low on bait, as they have sure drops of Apprentice Bait and a chance at Journeyman Bait. Otherwise, try to keep as many crates as you can to open in hardmode.

King Slime

Your first boss should be the King Slime. Assuming no slime rain appeared before this moment, you will need to craft a Slime Crown to summon it. Slime king is not hard even in expert mode, so with enough life and defense, you can kill it with a Gold/Platinum Battle Rod and gather the gel you need for the Star Mix that way.

To kill the King Slime, just latch the bobber onto it and dodge all the slimes while calmly walking to the left or right. Reel in if you want, but that isn't strictly necessary, even in Expert. Because Bobbers don't fall off from teleports, the only thing you need to worry is dodge that attack when the King Slime uses it.

Eye of Cthulhu

If you're in expert mode, make the Star Mix before fighting the next boss. If not, feel free to continue using Gold/Platinum/Meteor for the next fight. Next boss should be the Eye of Cthulhu.

The main problem with this boss is the Servants it summons, as while you are attached to the main eye you are left defenseless against them. That's when the Wooden Fishing knife comes in. Even in Expert mode, It can kill Servants of Cthulhu in one hit, making them much less of a problem. They are still a problem, just much less so.

You also need to concern yourself with dodging its charge attack, something much more common in expert. Just keep Reeling in when the boss is stopped, and focus on dodging when needed, and you should be fine.

Next up there are two bosses you can beat: The Queen Bee and Skeletron. Queen Bee has the greatest potential, so we go for that one first.

Preparation before the Queen Bee fight

If you feel your armor isn't up for the Queen Bee battle, go to hell and mine some Hellstone with that Reaver Shark you got and make a Hellstone Battle Rod. From there, fish up Obsidian Crates for the Hellstone and Obsidian they contain, and for the chance at a Guide Voodoo Doll for later. If you were still using Gold/Platinum/Meteor and have no plans to get a Star Mix, use the Hellstone rod you made instead.

If you have what it's needed to make a Goblin Invasion (and didn't get one earlier), beat it and then go search for the Goblin Tinkerer. The Tinkerer's Workbench is needed to craft the Omnilure, which forces one Bobber and grants 15% bonus Fishing Damage, which would be very useful for the coming fights.

Queen Bee

The Queen Bee fight is very similar to the Eye of Cthulhu fight: She will spawn servants (bees) and charge at you. It will also launch stingers at you from above. One big difference is that bees don't die in one hit from the Wooden Fishing Knife, meaning they are more likely to hit you.

Just stick your bobber to the Queen Bee and reel in whenever she is in her hover state, while dodging everything she throws at you. This fight is a bit harder than the Eye fight, but you should be able to do it with little trouble (unless you are in Expert mode, where she hits much harder).

When you beat her, check to see if you got a Bee Battle Rod drop. If so, you can use that rod for the remainder of pre-hardmode (and even a bit of hardmode). If not, you can try again with another hive for another chance. This rod is just that good. If you haven't got it after 3 tries, give it up (unless you have easy access to more summon items).

Beating the Queen Bee also unlocks the Witch Doctor. Buy an Imbuing station from him/her and craft 5 flasks of poison, and then at the Tinkerer's Workbench craft a Wormicide. This is very handy against worm enemies, such as the Eater of Worlds or the Destroyer.

Skeletron

Whenever you feel ready, go to the dungeon and summon Skeletron. Use a Star Mix Battle Rod or, if you have it, a Bee Battle Rod.

The biggest problem with the arms is that they get in the way when you are trying to target the Head. The head, however, presents its own set of problems, specially in Expert Mode. Its charge at you can be troublesome if you don't have a way to dodge it, such as a grappling hook or a cloud in a bottle or similar. It is not, however, worth it to make a grappling hook using a hook. Use the Slime Hook from King Slime instead.

The strategy is to target the head and then reel in as much as possible without breaking the line. As skeletron usually goes towards you, you should only stop reeling when you need to dodge for some reason. Targeting the head is easier said than done, however, as the hands tend to move towards you (and your bobber) and get stuck there.

You can also kill the hands first, if you want. Even in Expert mode, the head takes enough damage to die without dragging the fight for too long.

When you finish, you have access to the Dungeon, where you can find a Dungeon Battle Rod, which is good if you do not have a Bee one.

Eater Of Worlds

The biggest problem with most Battle Rods is dealing with many enemies at once. The Corruption/Crimson Bosses are made of many enemies, therefore present a problem. This is why we left them for last.

If you have a Wormicide, now is the time to use it. If you have a Bee Battlerod, use that. Star Mix only does double damage to the head of the Eater of Worlds, so if you are using it, always aim for the head. If that does not appeal to you, use a Dungeon or Hellstone Battle Rod instead.

This boss is hard, with all the enemies flying around once you manage to break one piece. It will also move away from the screen enough that sometimes, the Bobber despawns, making you have to aim again. As all pieces have a different health value, you will have to kill them one by one. That's where the Bee Battle Rod really shines. The bees it shoots almost always hit another part of the Eater of Worlds, meaning it is much faster to kill it.

With the other Battle Rods, aim for any part of the body and keep recasting whenever it breaks. Do not bother reeling in, as that will most likely make you miss the chance for the next hit. Just keep casting and recasting until it's dead. It is easier said than done, however.

If you die to this boss, not all is lost. You can use the demonite from the Eye and the Shadow Scales the pieces you managed to break dropped to make a Corrupt Battle Rod, and fish for Corrupt Crates (from this mod), which contain more Shadow Scales and Demonite, allowing you to build better gear and rods in the future.

Brain of Cthulhu

As mentioned before, these are tough battles. You will have to kill every creeper, usually one by one, in order to defeat the Brain, and they have a tendency to not be as nice as their corruption counterparts.

If you have a Bee Battle Rod, this battle is much easier, as the bees will usually damage the remaining Creepers enough to actually kill them every two-three casts. If you don't have a Bee Battle Rod, then this battle becomes much harder.

You will do some damage whenever a Creeper comes VERY near you thanks to the Wooden Fishing Knife, but they are not very affected by the knockback, so they will most likely hit you. If you cast towards the nearest creeper, you should always hit. Just keep killing them one by one, and the Brain will eventually show itself.

The Expert Mode trick from this boss is completely bypassed thanks to the Battle Rod ability to keep bobbers stuck even when the enemy teleports. So, if you managed to kill all creepers, the Brain should be smooth sailing.

If you die to this boss, not all is lost. You can use the Crimtane ore from the Eye and the Tissue Samples the Creepers you managed to defeat dropped to make a Crimson Battle Rod, and fish for Crimson Crates (from this mod), which contain more Tissue Samples and Crimtane, allowing you to build better gear and rods in the future.

Wall Of Flesh

When you are ready, go to hell and build a long bridge. I know it's a cliché tactic, but it really pays off while using Battle Rods.

Use a Bee or Star Mix Battle Rod for this fight. Dungeon Battle rod is not recommended due to the increased spawn rate.

Just aim for the Big mouth (getting closer to avoid sticking it to the little mouths instead), and walk slightly farther than the Hungry's range. Do not bother reeling, as that would put you dangerously close to the litte mouth army.

Compared to BoC/EoW, this battle is a cake walk. Be sure you're ready for Hardmode before beginning the battle. You should have:

• Bee/ Star Mix / Hellstone Battle Rod
• Molten Armor
• Wooden Fishing Knife
• Omnilure (or material to make one ASAP)
• Wormicide (or materials to make one for the Destroyer)
• Extra Lures or higher (not required, but nice to have; for fishing only)

Hard mode

Just before Hard Mode, or during the first few days of Hard Mode, focus on fishing Crates. Vanilla crates provide hardmode ores (Wooden Crate) or Bars (Iron and Golden Crates), while crates from this mod provide you hardmode ores and with other useful items. I would recommend fishing up Crimson / Corrupt crates, as they provide Tissue Samples/Shadow scales to build the Evil Rods. Crimson is preferred, but if not available, Corrupt will do until it rains.

Get the Hardmode anvil and forge, and then make at least 12 of each tier of hardmode bar. Then, using the tissue samples/ shadow scales, make one of the Evil Rods. Then, aim for making some armor (titanium would be nice).

Next, get some cobalt and starmix to upgrade your Fishing Knife to a Professional one. It has increased range, damage and speed, making it a good investment.

IF you have a Evil Rod of Blood, you're all set for the Mechanical Bosses. If not, when it rains, go to the Snow biome and find an Ice Golem. Kill it to obtain a Frost Core. Make a Frost Battle Rod and use it on the upcoming fights.

Try also to get some wings and, if you haven't, max out your life.

The Twins

This fight will be the easiest of the three, but that does not mean it's easy. It all depends on how well you can dodge the attacks mid-air.

Latch onto Spazmatism, and focus on it for as long as it lives. Reel carefully when its not moving much, but keep your distance from it, specially when he enters its second phase.

After its dead, go all out on the other one. Its most dangerous attack, the laser barrage, only appears on its second phase, so until then, reel away.

Skeletron Prime

This fight may be easy or hard, depending on how prepared you are. Build some platforms high enough in the air that its grenade explosions won't hit you, and keep dodging its attacks while focusing on its head. Just like the original Skeletron, hitting the head is easier said than done, as its arms have a tendency to pick up the bobber/s.

After you hit the head, just keep dodging and healing as necessary, and you should be fine to the end.

Destroyer

Just like any worm boss, equip the Wormicide for maximum damage. In fact, without the wormicide, this battle can stretch out to morning, so make sure you have one before summoning this boss. Using the Omnilure and a Bob Speeding potion will also help with the time constraint.

This boss has a nasty habit of dropping below where your bobber despawns, making it that you have to hit it multiple times and reducing the use of a bob escalation potion. It will also spawn probes every time you damage a part enough, so the less different parts you target, the less probes you have to worry about.

Target one specific part of its body (usually towards the middle, as it despawns bobbers the least), Reel as much as you can and try to keep from being trapped beneath the Destroyer. Using an elevated platform to avoid that will greatly increase bobber despawn rate, so try to fight it in the ground and fly away from danger when it rises.

Preparations for Plantera

Use the souls you got from the mechanical bosses to craft a Pickaxe Axe and a Hallowed Battle Rod. This rod is the best for fighting the next two bosses, as it has a 2x damage vs Bosses property. For general use, it's also a good rod, but if you have the Evil Rod of Blood, use that one instead.

Mine enough Chlorophyte to make a Chlorophyte Battle Rod. You will not be using it for fighting, but for fishing. Fish as many Chlorophyte crates as you can (at least until you have enough for both 16 Shroomite Bars and 16 Spectre Bars). If you want, you can also build a Chlorophyte Armor.

Plantera

Plantera is a simple enough boss. Use your Hallowed Battle Rod to stick to the bulb and then run laps (and fly) around it. The transition to the second phase does not break your line, so just keep on dodging.

Afterwards, you can just go directly to Golem, but because we need stuff from the dungeon and both the Chlorophyte armor and Fishing Knives damage the Cultists as you enter, it is better to go there before they spawn.

You can now get shroomite and ectoplasm. Try to get enough of them and make a Shroomite Battle Rod and a Spectre Battle Rod, and use the Spectre Battle Rod to fish for Soul Crates. You will need enough for at least 8 Energy Amalgamate. Use those Energy Amalgamate to make a Lifeforce Battle Rod and upgrade your Fishing Knife to Blazing, which inflicts Solar Fire Debuff on hit enemies as well as damage then.

Golem

Golem is another easy fight. Hit the head, dodge the fists and lasers, then recast to hit the body when it enters phase 2.

Duke Fishron

WARNING: Trying to summon a Duke Fishron by fishing with multiple Bobbers will spend more than one Truffle Worm if you have it. Use the Omnilure to avoid that.

Duke Fishron fight is a tough one, even if the strategy is the same as before: stick a bobber to him, and dodge its attacks as much as possible. Several of its attacks are very hard to avoid, making it that you have to tank damage to be able to succeed. Luckily, the Lifeforce Battle Rod has life steal, making it much more easier to tank the damage.

Preparation for the Pillars

Build a Beetle Battle Rod for the sticky situations when you are surrounded by enemies, and build either Beetle or Shroomite Armor (if you have other damage increasing stats, choose the appropriate armor to that damage bonus to maximize Fishing Damage).

Lunatic Cultist

The cultist is an easy fight with the Lifeforce Battle Rod. Remember that teleporting does not destroy the bobber, so if you attach it once, it will remain there for the duration. Bobs do not do damage during invincibility periods, so this battle can take a while longer if it decides to use the attack that makes him invincible. On the other hand, you never need to worry about hitting the wrong phantom cultist, as the bobber will always stick to the real deal.

Lunar Pillars

The basic process for all the pillars is the same: target the healthiest enemy, stick a bob to it, kill it, repeat. If you are getting swamped, close yourself in a small space, cast the Beetle Battle Rod and watch as everyone gets damaged. In the end, when the shield is down, target the Pillar with your Lifeforce Battle Rod, and kill it as you recover health.

While the theory is easy, the practice is much harder. Depending on the pillar, all testers suffered one or more deaths due to being swamped. Not to mean Hardcore Battle Rods is not possible, but it is definitely above our skill level.

Moon Lord

The final battle, and one of the hardest. Lifeforce's healing ability is not very useful when it is constantly being taken away by Moon Bite, but it is still the best alternative because some healing is better than no healing.

For this battle, potions are highly recommended, as well as the Urgency Bob Speeder and the Faster Fishing kit.

Target the top eye first. When the moon lord closes the eye, keep the bobber there. It will damage it as soon as it comes out, and if you are using bob escalation, it will accrue bonus damage even when it's not doing any damage.

After the top eye is gone, you will need to manually remove the bob by right-Clicking. Then target one of its hands, and when that one is finished, remove the bob again and target the other. Each time you change targets your bob escalation bonus gets reset, so it will take approximately the same time to kill each of them. Then, finally, target the core. While all that happens, remember that you can quick heal and buff without changing weapons, keeping the bobber out.

Post Moon Lord

This guide will not go into detail into the mod world of Post Moon Lord content.

What we recommend is:

• Craft one Stardust Battle Rod and go fishing for Luminite crates.
  • These crates contain Luminite ore and pillar fragments, as well as a chance for Moon Lord drops.
• Gather enough luminite and fragments to make one of each remaining Lunar rod.
• Fish for some more Soul Crates and Luminite crates in order to get enough materials to make Fractalite Bars.
• Use the Fractalite Bars to make:
  • Vampiric Wire;
  • Fractalite Battle Rod;
  • Fractalite Fishing Knife.

From here on out, it's up to you to fo figure our how to fight the challenges of your modded terraria.