Headless Horseman

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Headless HorsemanHardmode exclusive
Headless Horseman.gifOld-gen console version and Nintendo 3DS version
Classic Mode.png Classic
Expert Mode.png Expert
Master Mode.png Master
Statistics
Type
Enemy
Environment
Pumpkin Moon
AI TypeUnicorn AI
Damage130/195/292 (contact)
80120180 (Pumpkin Head)[1]
Max Life5000 (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) / 10000 (Old-gen console and 3DS versions)65008287
Defense40
KB Resist100%
BannerHeadless Horseman BannerHeadless Horseman Banner(Desktop, Console, Mobile and 3DS versions)
Immune toOn Fire!ConfusedPoisonedHellfire
Drops
Coins1 GC2 GC50 SC
Projectile created
Projectile created
Projectile created
  • Pumpkin Head
    ((Desktop, Console and Mobile versions))
    Pumpkin Head
Sounds
Hurt
Killed

The Headless Horseman is a Hardmode, post-Plantera enemy that begins to spawn during (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) wave 5 / (Old-gen console and 3DS versions) wave 9 of the Pumpkin Moon event. He is an exceptionally dangerous enemy due to his speed, high contact damage, and immunity to knockback. The Headless Horseman attacks by charging forward and doing a low, quick jump to reach the player. Additionally, on the Desktop version Desktop version, Console version Console version, and Mobile version Mobile version, the Headless Horseman can also throw a Pumpkin Head projectile, which moves in a wavelike manner and homes into the player for an extended period of time.

Defeating a Headless Horseman during the Pumpkin Moon event will add (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) 50 / 100 / 125 / (Old-gen console and 3DS versions) 25 points to the final score.[3]

Notes

Tips

  • Due to the Headless Horseman's size, he cannot fit through 4 tile gaps or lower and can be taken out easily with ranged attacks.
  • Due to the Headless Horseman's immunity to knockback, attacking him with close-range weapons is ill-advised since he can easily overwhelm the player. Hitting it with rapid-fire weapons or weapons that do continuous damage (e.g. Vampire Knives or Inferno Fork) can still slow it down, however.
  • Similar to most of the Pumpkin Moon enemies, making an arena where the player has plenty of space to fly around in can make him easier to take down. It is also possible to place some platforms high above the ground to fire down on him without fear of him reaching the player, but a sufficiently long platform may allow more to spawn on it instead.
  • As the Headless Horseman uses the same AI as Unicorns, it can be useful to practice avoiding the attacks of multiple Unicorns beforehand with a Unicorn Statue.

Trivia

  • The Headless Horseman originated from European folklore during the Middle Ages but gained popularity in America with The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a short story written in 1820 by American author Washington Irving, in which the Headless Horseman was prominently featured.
  • (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) The wavelike flight patterns of the Headless Horseman's pumpkin head projectiles greatly resemble the flight patterns of Medusa Heads from the 1986 action-platforming game Castlevania.
  • The BestiaryBestiary entry for the Headless Horseman: "This menacing nightmare rides out into the night to harvest living souls on his seeing-eye horse, for he has no head of his own."

History

  • Desktop 1.4.4:
    • Health reduced from 10000 to 5000.
    • Can now fire a pumpkin projectile at the player.
    • Pumpkin Moon wave progression points increased from 25 to 50.
    • Now has the same health scaling as Pumpking and Mourning Wood in Expert/Master multiplayer.

References

  1. ↑ Information taken from the Desktop version Desktop 1.4.4.9 source code, method AI_026_Unicorns() in Terraria.NPC.cs.
  2. ↑ See Pumpkin Moon § Loot for more details on the loot drop rates.
  3. ↑ Information taken from the Desktop version Desktop 1.4.4.9 source code, method CheckProgressPumpkinMoon() in Terraria.NPC.cs.
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