Solar Eclipse

From Terraria Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
BiomeBannerSolarEclipse.png

Like wow, I feel like I belong with the creepy killer things running around right now. So glad I'm not that mindless.

Emote Town Bestiary Girl.gif The Zoologist

Bestiary Eclipse.pngA solar eclipse is happening!Bestiary Eclipse.png

A Solar Eclipse is a Hardmode event that begins to occur rarely after at least one mechanical boss has been defeated. A Solar Eclipse has a 1/20 (5%) chance of occurring upon any particular dawn. On the Desktop version Desktop version, Console version Console version, and Mobile version Mobile version, it is also possible to summon a Solar Eclipse using a Solar Tablet (only legitimately obtainable after defeating Plantera, but can occasionally be obtained prior to that).

During a Solar Eclipse, unique and highly aggressive enemies spawn at very high rates, even near NPCs. The event lasts for one entire day, from sunrise (4:30 AM) to sunset (7:30 PM), regardless of the number of enemies that have been killed. Additionally, the moon appears visible in front of the sun, causing the ambient light level to drop to below-nighttime levels, as well as causing sleeping to not advance time, similar to a Blood Moon.

A Solar Eclipse is announced at the beginning of a day with the status message "A solar eclipse is happening!" The event only affects the surface layer, and can be avoided by moving into the underground layer or below. In a Don't dig up or Get fixed boi world, since there is no sun to be eclipsed, the status message "The horrors have arrived!" will appear instead.

Content

Characters
Anytime:
After defeating all mechanical bosses:
  • ReaperReaper(Only on (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions))
After defeating Plantera:
  • Baby MothronBaby Mothron(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
  • MothronMothron(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
  • ButcherButcher(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
  • Deadly SphereDeadly Sphere(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
  • Dr. Man FlyDr. Man Fly(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
  • NailheadNailhead(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
  • PsychoPsycho(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
Unique Drops
From Eyezor:
From Fritz:
From Reaper:
From Mothron:
From Butcher:
From Nailhead:
  • Nail GunNail Gun(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)(Dropped with 100-200 Nails)
From Psycho:
For Sale
From Cyborg:
Music

Notes

Solar Eclipse (sun).png
The sun as seen during a Solar Eclipse.
  • A Solar Eclipse can happen on any day, regardless of the circumstances, which means multiple Solar Eclipses can happen in a row. It is also possible for a Blood Moon to follow a Solar Eclipse, or vice-versa, because neither event prevents the other.
  • It is possible for boss fights or other events to occur at the same time as a Solar Eclipse, such as a Goblin Invasion or a Pirate Invasion. On the Old-gen console version Old-gen console version and Nintendo 3DSNintendo 3DS version version, these events may also cancel Solar Eclipse enemy spawns.
  • Unlike a Blood Moon, a Solar Eclipse only allows its exclusive enemies to spawn on the surface, except for in Corruption, Crimson, and Ocean areas.
  • A Solar Eclipse also increases the spawn rate of Truffle Worms, since they are internally considered enemies.
  • A Solar Eclipse can be skipped using an Enchanted Sundial.

Achievement

Achievement Kill the Sun.png
Kill the Sun • “Survive a solar eclipse, a day darker than night filled with creatures of horror.”
Survive a Solar Eclipse. (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
Category: Explorer Explorer

Tips

  • Like the Blood Moon, the effects of Water Candles and Battle Potions stack with the event's spawn rate, increasing the opportunities for rare drops.
  • Solar Tablet Fragments, which are used to create the event-summoning Solar Tablet, can be acquired before gaining access to the Jungle Temple by defeating the Lihzahrds that spawn outside the Jungle Temple, who will drop the Solar Tablet Fragments.
    • Note that crafting the Solar Tablet requires a Hardmode Anvil, but even then, the item has a chance to spawn in a Lihzahrd Chest that has been placed close to or in front of the door. Nevertheless, the Solar Tablet cannot be used before Hardmode is initiated.
  • On the Nintendo 3DSNintendo 3DS version version, a Solar Eclipse can be escaped by moving to a Floating Island. The enemies spawning there naturally (Harpies and Wyverns) will still pose a threat, however.
  • Even if underground, a Solar Eclipse can still override the spawning-reducing effects of NPCs.
  • As with any invasion, enemy banners are a good idea to use for their defensive and offensive buffs, as well as for diminishing contact damage dealt by most of the event's enemies.

Trivia

The Solar Eclipse enemies and their references to classic 20th century horror films.
  • Every enemy that spawns during a Solar Eclipse (except the Reaper and Eyezor) share the theme of classic 20th century horror films. (See image on the right and each enemy's individual page for movie references.)
  • In real life, a solar eclipse is a celestial event in which the moon either partially or totally blocks the sun's light from reaching a small portion of the earth for up to several minutes.
    • The type of Solar Eclipse displayed in Terraria is an annular solar eclipse. An annular eclipse occurs when the sun and moon are exactly in line with the earth, but the apparent size of the moon is smaller than that of the sun. Hence the sun appears as a very bright ring, or annulus, surrounding the dark disk of the moon. In real life, such eclipses are extremely rare, happening less than once a year and rarely where people can see them.
    • Real-life solar eclipses only occur on new moons. In Terraria, the event can occur on any phase of the moon.
    • Real-life solar eclipses usually only last for about seven minutes (and about only 2 minutes of total eclipse), while the one in the game can last for an entire 15 in-game hours.
    • In-game eclipses occur at a daily rate of 5%, whereas eclipses on earth occur roughly every six months, which comes out to 0.005% of the time somewhere on the planet. The in-game eclipse therefore occurs about 1000 times as often as real-life eclipses. Since eclipses are only visible from one side of the planet with each occurrence, visible eclipses in-game would be closer to at least 2000 times more frequent.
  • Because a Solar Eclipse can always occur, there could theoretically be infinite Solar Eclipses in a row. But while Solar Eclipses can always occur, Blood Moons cannot occur on a New Moon. So the longest possible chain of Solar Eclipses and Blood Moons would be seven Blood Moons, one for each non-New Moon moon phase, surrounded by eight Solar Eclipses. The chain would last a total of 3 hours and 3 minutes in real life; 2 hours of Solar Eclipses and 1 hour and 3 minutes of Blood Moons.
  • When loading a world with a Solar Eclipse in progress, the sun that rises and sets on the loading screen is also in its eclipsed state. Leaving a world while a Solar Eclipse is happening will have the same effect.
  • During a Solar Eclipse, the moon icon on the Sextant will turn red, like it does with a Blood Moon.
Severed Hand.png
The scrapped Severed Hand enemy.
  • Originally, another enemy was planned for the Solar Eclipse, named the Severed Hand, which resembled a crawling hand with a bone sticking out of the top. The enemy was never added to the game, being deemed too hard to see in an already chaotic event.[1]

History

  • Desktop 1.3.0.4: Chance of a natural Solar Eclipse occurring decreased to 1/20.
  • Desktop 1.2.1.2: No longer requires defeating Plantera to happen, only defeating a mechanical boss.
  • Desktop 1.2.0.3:
    • Slightly increased the chance for a Solar Eclipse to happen, from 1/30 to 1/25, but they will now only happen after killing a mechanical boss.
    • Solar Eclipses are no longer persistent between worlds.

References