Guide:Deerclops strategies
Type | |
---|---|
Environment | |
AI Type | Deerclops AI |
Damage | 204060 (melee) 265278 (Ice Spike) 3672108 (Debris) 204060 (Shadow Hand) |
Max Life | 7000/11900/15172 |
Defense | 10 |
KB Resist | 100% |
Immune to |
Debuff | Slow |
---|---|
Debuff tooltip | Movement speed is reduced |
Chance | 100% (Roar) |
Duration | 12 24 30 |
Debuff | Frozen |
---|---|
Debuff tooltip | You can't move! |
Chance | 100% (Ice Spike) |
Duration | 0.33 0.67 0.83 |
Coins | 5 GC12 GC50 SC |
---|
- Item (Quantity)Rate
- Eye Bone(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)33%
- Eyebrella(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)33%
- Radio Thing(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)33%
- Dizzy's Rare Gecko Chester(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)7.14%
- Pew-matic Horn(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)25%
- Weather Pain(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)25%
- Houndius Shootius(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)25%
- Lucy the Axe(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)25%
- Healing Potion (5–15)100%
- Deerclops Mask(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)14.29%
- Deerclops Trophy(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)10%
- Treasure Bag(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)(Deerclops)
- Bone Helm(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)100%
- Deerclops Mask(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)14.29%
- Eye Bone(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)33%
- Eyebrella(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)33%
- Radio Thing(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)33%
- Dizzy's Rare Gecko Chester(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)7.14%
- Pew-matic Horn(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)25%
- Weather Pain(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)25%
- Houndius Shootius(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)25%
- Lucy the Axe(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)25%
- 100%
- Deerclops Eyeball(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
- Deerclops Relic(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
- Ice Spike
- Debris
- Shadow Hand (hostile)
Hurt | |
---|---|
Killed | |
Walk | |
Roar | |
Ice Spike | |
Debris |
- Internal NPC ID: 668
- Internal Buff ID: 32, 47
- Internal Projectile ID: 961, 962, 965
Deerclops is a pre-Hardmode boss. It does not need to be killed to progress the game, but it drops several Don't Starve-themed items, including the useful pet item Eye Bone. It also drops significant amounts of money.
Spawning
Deerclops can be spawned using the Deer Thing in the Snow biome, crafted from 3 Flinx Fur, 5 Demonite Ore or Crimtane Ore, and a Lens. It also naturally spawns at exactly midnight during a Blizzard in the Snow biome if one player has either 9 defense or 200 health. Despite being summoned or being naturally spawned in the Snow Biome, it can be fought at any biome after being summoned.
The fight
- Deerclops has four / five attacks:
- If it is close to the player, Deerclops will smash the ground, summoning a wave of Ice Spikes that quickly travels towards the player. Every third consecutive wave does not go as far, instead spreading in both directions. Ice Spikes freeze the player briefly.
- If it is not close enough to its target to use the Ice Spikes attack, Deerclops will "scoop" and then throw numerous chunks of Debris into the air that fall back down. These chunks can pass through blocks.
- Deerclops will occasionally stand in place and roar, inflicting the Slow debuff on all players within 50 tiles[1] for 12 / 24 / 30 seconds, unless they are already affected by the debuff.
- If the player is above Deerclops for enough time, five Shadow Hands will be summoned around the player.
- In Expert Mode, Shadow Hands will be periodically summoned that either move forwards slowly, move forwards quickly and curve, or spin in place. Shadow Hands are summoned more frequently as Deerclops's life gets lower. Shadow Hands predict the player's movements.
- Deerclops cannot pass through solid blocks, but if the player is above it, far enough away, and Deerclops cannot reach them, it will quickly rise through the blocks to reach the player.
- If the player is more than 30 tiles away, Deerclops will turn a dark shade of purple, two reddish, semi-transparent images of Deerclops will begin spinning around it, and it becomes immune to all damage.
- If all players are dead or there are none nearby, Deerclops will wander around instead of immediately despawning. This will happen until a player gets close to the boss, at which point the fight will resume as normal. Once one in-game day (24 real-world minutes) has passed since Deerclops's spawn, it will despawn as soon as no players are near. Leaving and re-entering the world will also cause it to despawn.
- Like all other bosses, Pylons cannot be used while Deerclops is alive in a world.
General strategies
General tips
This content is transcluded from Guide:Practical tips § Combat.
- For nocturnal bosses, starting the battle just after the sun sets (7:30 PM) will provide the maximum amount of time to defeat the boss. In Hardmode, the Moon Charm and/or Moon Stone and their upgrades are also useful at night.
- Boss battles can be won or lost before the battle ever starts. Choose your equipment and have it ready; find and/or make potions and placed buffs; use the highest-tier food you have available; set up an arena appropriate to the boss; learn the strategies for the boss you're facing.
- Prepare your Boss-fighting arena with adequate lighting, Campfires and Heart Lanterns for health regeneration, and Stars in Bottles for mana regeneration if you use magic. Bast Statues will provide a significant defensive boost. Garden Gnomes and (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) (if underground) proper torch placement will reduce damage taken and increase damage dealt due to the luck. The Torch God's Favor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) helps with this. Honey pools can also be used for extra health regeneration.
- (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Sunflowers provide the Happy! buff to nearby players, which grants a +10% movement speed bonus and 17% reduction in enemy spawn rate.
- Always carry around a stack of the highest-tier healing potion available, as relying only on natural Health Regeneration is not a good idea. Depending on the game stage, this can include items such as Lesser Healing Potions or Honeyfins. On the Desktop, Console, and Mobile versions, Restoration Potions are healing potions with a shorter cooldown.
- Likewise carry mana potions, if you use Magic.
- The Strange Brew is also an option, which yields very similar healing abilities to Healing Potion with added chances to trigger periods of invulnerability upon consumption.
- On the Old-gen console version and Nintendo version, Restoration Potions can save a slot, but will likewise trigger both cooldowns.
- It is suggested to build houses for the Dryad and the Nurse NPCs in your arena. The former casts the Dryad's Blessing buff, which increases your defense and provides you with a thorns-like effect, while the latter can heal and remove debuffs instantly, at the cost of some coins.
- Bosses are displayed on the Minimap: Follow the boss's icon to track it when you're struggling to find it. You can identify the boss icons by checking their respective wiki pages.
- Once you have freed the Mechanic in the Dungeon, you can use Wire to enhance your arena with Traps and helpful Heart and Star Statues. The former helps to damage the enemies, though be careful to set them up correctly in order not to hurt yourself during the battle. The latter will spawn heart and star pickups, respectively. Connect these devices to timers to activate them infinitely.
- In Hardmode, the Brand of the Inferno and Sergeant United Shield can be used to parry incoming contact damage.
- It may be useful to summon and kill the Eye of Cthulhu or King Slime before summoning any harder boss in order to spawn an extra one-use pool of Hearts. Note that this will prevent any Heart Statues from spawning new Hearts.
- Remember to use the Sharpening Station, Ammo Box, Crystal Ball, Bewitching Table, War Table, and Slice of Cake before you go to explore or battle bosses/invasions. These will give boosts that are useful to have, with the first five being class-specific. They give Sharpened, Ammo Box, Clairvoyance, Bewitched, Strategist, and Sugar Rush, respectively.
Terrain preparation
It is recommended to clear a large flat area in the Snow biome.
One or two layers of platforms is enough since Deerclops follows the player if they are 30 blocks away, passing through blocks and being immune to attacks.
Gearing up
It's recommended to have at least 300 health before you attempt to fight Deerclops. If using magic weapons, having the max amount of mana is recommended.
Armor
- A full set of at least Gold armor or Platinum armor should be acquired, but better armor is always an option. Other armor sets with set bonuses can be effective as well.
- Fossil armor or Necro armor are the only armor sets available for rangers, with Necro armor obtainable in the Dungeon.
- Crimson armor is excellent due to the high defense values and increased damage. Shadow armor is good too and suits a melee playstyle.
- The Wizard set, with magic-boosting or defense-boosting leg armor, provides the most damage for magic users. If defense is preferred, Jungle armor or Meteor armor can be used.
- Meteor armor's set bonus can make Space Gun and Gray Zapinator much more effective against Deerclops since it reduces Space Gun's and Gray Zapinator's mana usage to 0.
- Obsidian armor is the best summoner armor set at this point in the game which focuses on whip bonuses.
- Bee armor is an alternative set if Queen Bee has been defeated and focuses on minion bonuses.
- Molten armor is the best pre-hardmode armor set for melee classes, although it requires a visit to the Underworld and a pickaxe that can mine Hellstone.
Weapons
For melee users:
- For swords, a solid choice would be the Blade of Grass.
- The Volcano and Night's Edge are better, but they are harder to acquire.
- The Terragrim performs excellently if acquired.
- The Starfury does high damage at a range with its falling stars. Its stars do not pass through platforms, however.
- Thorn Chakram or Flamarang are good at killing Deerclops, due to their long range.
- Flails are a solid choice, due to their range.
- The Sunfury is the best pre-hardmode flail, but requires both killing Skeletron and looting the Underworld.
- The Blue Moon is a decent flail that can be obtained from the dungeon.
- The Storm Spear and The Rotted Fork are spears with good range. The Dark Lance is even stronger, but requires both defeating Skeletron and exploring the Underworld.
- For yoyos, the Amazon and the Code 1 are a good option.
- The Valor is slightly better than these, but it requires defeating Skeletron and finding one in the dungeon.
- The Cascade is better than the Valor and is possible to obtain before defeating Deerclops but requires defeating Skeletron and getting one to drop from an enemy in hell.
- The Hive-Five can be obtained by defeating Queen Bee and releases bees when it hits an enemy, making it arguably the best pre-hardmode yoyo.
For ranged users:
- Bow users should use a Demon Bow, Tendon Bow, or Molten Fury if they've got it.
- Blood Rain Bow is an effective choice but requires a big arena to be used properly. It works best with Unholy Arrows or Hellfire Arrows if obtained.
- Hellwing Bow has fast use time and infinite piercing, making it effective against Deerclops, however, it performs better at close-range, due to its inacuracy and arrow speed.
- A Musket or The Undertaker are decent and the Minishark can also be used. The Boomstick is also a very powerful choice. Players that have already defeated Skeletron can get the Quad-Barrel Shotgun. However, it is very inaccurate, so staying close to the boss is mandatory if using this.
- The Star Cannon's infinite piercing and high DPS makes this a viable choice, however, its ammo requires the user to take ammo conservation measures.
- Silver Bullets/ Tungsten Bullets are the preferred bullets to use with the guns mentioned above. Meteor Shots work better with the former two, since they don't have problems with the invincibility frames caused by piercing attacks.
For magic users:
- Crimson worlds will benefit from having the Crimson Rod, as you can fire it once and then switch to another weapon, increasing damage output.
- The Space Gun is a good weapon, especially when combined with Meteor armor.
- The Gray Zapinator is also an excellent weapon, thanks to its high damage output, especially with Meteor Armor.
- The Ruby Staff or Diamond Staff are both decent choices due to their low mana cost and decent piercing damage. The Thunder Zapper does similar damage at a higher mana cost, and the Emerald Staff also pierces but has lower damage.
- The Water Bolt is a decent choice, though the open space makes it unwieldy.
- The Vilethorn is a solid choice, especially due to Deerclops's low defense.
- Magic Missile and its upgrade, Flamelash can be used to quickly and repeatedly strike it with great accuracy.
- The Flower of Fire is the one of the strongest magic weapons in pre-hardmode, but has a high mana cost.
- The Demon Scythe is a very strong option, however the Underworld must be visited to obtain it.
- The Book of Skulls is a decent option due to its homing and piercing capabilities.
For summon users:
- The Imp Staff and the Vampire Frog Staff are the strongest summoning weapons available.
- The Hornet Staff is a viable alternative if the Underworld hasn't been explored yet.
- Out of the sentry weapons sold by the Tavernkeep, the best options are the Ballista Rod and the Explosive Trap Rod. The Ballista Rod has incredibly high damage and their bolts are capable of piercing, while the Explosive Trap Rod inflicts damage in an area of effect. While the sentries themselves are slow to attack, you can continually re-summon them to make them attack more rapidly, reducing the cooldown time.
- The Snapthorn combined with the Spinal Tap can deal tremendous amounts of damage, otherwise, the Snapthorn itself can be used.
Accessories
- Anything that increases your vertical mobility is a godsend. The Cloud in a Bottle is good, but better choices would be the Blizzard in a Bottle, the Fart in a Jar, or the Sandstorm in a Bottle and its upgrades, especially Bundle of Balloons. You can also use the Rocket Boots and its upgrades or Fledgling Wings for flight, and if Rocket Boots are upgraded, speed.
- Combining both Rocket Boots and its upgrades and Fledgling Wings is viable, as it increases flight time, and if Rocket Boots have been upgraded, speed.
- The Shark Tooth Necklace is a very good increase to DPS.
- If Queen Bee has been defeated, the Stinger Necklace is an upgrade to the Shark Tooth Necklace, increasing both on survivability and damage.
- If going melee, the Magma Stone and Feral Claws are useful, increasing DPS and enabling autoswing respectively.
- The Feral Claws works for whips too, enabling autoswing for whips.
- Anything that reduces damage is very helpful, including Expert Mode-exclusive Worm Scarf, Obsidian Shield, which also provides knockback immunity, and defensive reforges on accessories.
- The Expert Mode-exclusive Brain of Confusion increases critical strike chance for 3 seconds and chance to dodge on being attacked makes it a useful accessory against Deerclops.
- If the Hand Warmer has been obtained, use it, since Deerclops inflicts the Chilled and Frozen Debuff. Being immune to these effects makes manuevering around considerably easier.
- In Expert Mode, Shield of Cthulhu's dash is essential and makes the fight considerably easier.
Potions
- Lifeforce Potions are extremely effective for survivability, assuming that a Shadow Chest has been opened.
- Ironskin Potions, Endurance Potions, Warmth Potions, and Regeneration Potions will help tremendously with survivability.
- Warmth Potions will reduce Deerclop's damage by 30%, using one will greatly increase survivability.
- A food item that provides Well Fed, Plenty Satisfied, or Exquisitely Stuffed is very useful.
- Swiftness Potions will aid in dodging.
- Ammo Reservation Potions and Archery Potions are good for rangers, and Archery Potions specifically for bow users.
- Magic Power Potions and Mana Regeneration Potions are a must have for mages.
- If you already have a minion, a Summoning Potion lets you bring an extra to the fight.
- Rage Potions or Wrath Potions are useful for almost all classes.
- Honeyfins heal more than the average Healing Potion and can prove valuable.
Specific Strategies
Respawn Strategy
Set up a spawn point with a Bed in the arena where you will fight Deerclops. Because Deerclops won't despawn as long as a player was near within a certain period of time, the player will be able to die an infinite amount of times during the fight. This method may take a long time with lower-tier gear, but eventually defeating Deerclops is nearly guaranteed, as long as the player can deal some damage each time they respawn.
Short Skybridge
Build a skybridge 20-30 blocks off the ground and spanning 100 or so blocks long, with a flat area underneath. Deerclops will stand beneath the platforms and follow the player's motion, but will not use his Ice Spikes attack. Instead, he will only summon Shadow Hands (if the player is above him) or throw debris if the player is off to one side. He can be easily handled by slowly walking just ahead of him until he begins to throw debris, then jumping in the opposite direction to avoid the ice chunks. Keep walking the other way until he throws debris again.
The main risk is the Expert Mode shadow hand that can knock the player the wrong direction, knocking them into debris or causing Deerclops to summon many shadow hands. This can be avoided by jumping over the hand or using the Cobalt Shield or Gladiator Armor to avoid knockback.