Should You Break More Than 3 Demon Altars in Terraria? A Comprehensive Guide
The question of how many Demon or Crimson Altars to break in Terraria is a common one, often sparking debate among players. The short answer is: yes, you should break more than 3 Demon/Crimson Altars, but with careful consideration of the consequences. Breaking more altars after the first three does provide additional benefits, but also introduces increased risks, particularly regarding biome spread and the diminishing returns on ore generation. Let’s delve deeper into the mechanics and implications to help you make informed decisions for your world.
The Mechanics of Altar Smashing
When you enter Hardmode in Terraria by defeating the Wall of Flesh, new ores spawn in your world. These ores, which include Cobalt/Palladium, Mythril/Orichalcum, and Adamantite/Titanium, are essential for crafting stronger equipment. You trigger their appearance by destroying Demon or Crimson Altars with a Pwnhammer or a stronger hammer. However, the game’s mechanics introduce a twist: each altar you break leads to a different ore-spawning outcome.
The Initial Trio
The first three altars you destroy will each spawn a substantial amount of the new ores. This is the most effective method to get these ores early in Hardmode. However, breaking demon altars also contributes to the spread of corruption/crimson and hallow by randomly converting a single stone block within the Cavern layer, adding a strategic cost to smashing them.
Diminishing Returns and the Cycle
Destroying more altars, while continuing to spawn ores, introduces a concept of diminishing returns. The fourth to sixth altars generate only half as much ore as the first three, and the seventh to ninth altars produce just one-third of the original amount. This pattern continues, with each subsequent cycle (groups of three altars) yielding less and less ore. In essence, the nth cycle of three altars spawns only 1/nth as much ore compared to the very first set.
This mechanic is in place to prevent players from rapidly accumulating vast amounts of the new ores by smashing a large number of altars. The game pushes you towards a strategic approach, balancing the need for ore against the increased spread of biomes.
Balancing Ore and Biome Spread
The core of the debate centers around this balance: maximizing ore spawn while mitigating the uncontrolled spread of corruption, crimson, and hallow. Breaking only three altars can be limiting in terms of ore quantity. However, smashing too many altars leads to excessive biome spread which can be challenging to manage, and the ore spawns become very sparse.
The Recommended Approach: Six Altars
Given the ore scaling and infection risks, destroying six Demon/Crimson Altars is generally considered a good balance. This yields a reasonably large amount of the Hardmode ores while also keeping the biome spread at a manageable level, compared to smashing many more altars. After the sixth altar the ore generation becomes considerably less and it’s arguably not worth smashing more unless you’re really struggling to find ore.
Breaking six allows you to access the new ores in sufficient quantities without drastically increasing the corruption or hallow spread. This approach enables you to gear up properly for subsequent Hardmode challenges without becoming overwhelmed by biome spread issues.
Key Considerations
While six altars is a common recommendation, consider the following factors:
- Your World Size: Larger worlds might benefit from slightly more altar smashing, given their larger area to accommodate biome spread. On the other hand, smaller worlds may become completely infected if you break too many altars.
- Your Biome Control Skills: If you’re confident in your ability to contain the corruption/crimson or utilize biome-cleansing tools like the Clentaminator, you might be more comfortable breaking additional altars.
- Your Ore Needs: If you’re aiming to craft multiple sets of gear or have an aggressive crafting goal, you might consider breaking more altars, even with the diminishing returns.
- Your Playstyle: If you prefer a less chaotic game experience, sticking to the first six may suit you best.
In Conclusion
Breaking more than three altars is a viable strategy to get more ore, but you must proceed with care. Focus on the first six altars for a good balance of ore acquisition and biome control. After that point, it’s essential to gauge your situation, and decide if more breaking is worth it based on your needs and game experience. Always remember that proper biome management through isolation trenches is crucial no matter how many altars you decide to break, and there are solutions to control spread even after smashing many altars.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some frequently asked questions regarding demon and crimson altars in Terraria, designed to clarify any lingering doubts:
1. Do demon altars count towards the corruption/crimson percentage of the world?
No, Demon/Crimson Altars do not count towards the corruption or crimson percentage of your world. They don’t contribute to the spread of corruption, they only contribute to the spread by randomly converting a block when smashed. The percentage is based purely on the number of corrupted or crimson blocks.
2. Does breaking altars spread corruption or crimson in 2023?
Yes, absolutely. Every time you break a Demon/Crimson Altar, there is a 2/3 chance (66.67%) that a single random Stone Block in the Cavern layer will be converted to Ebonstone/Crimstone or Pearlstone. This facilitates the spread of the Underground Hallow or Corruption/Crimson. This is still in effect in the latest 2023 version of Terraria.
3. What happens if you destroy all crimson altars?
You cannot craft any item that requires a Crimson Altar if you destroy all the altars in your world. However, you can always load into another world to craft those items, as characters carry over between worlds.
4. What does Cobalt look like in Terraria?
Cobalt Ore’s inventory sprite is blue and shares the same shape as Adamantite Ore, but with a different colour. It’s important to note that the Cobalt Shield is not made from Cobalt Ore or bars.
5. Can you fight the Brain of Cthulhu in a Corruption world?
Yes, you can. While the Brain of Cthulhu is the Crimson boss, it’s still possible to summon the Brain of Cthulhu in a Corruption world by artificially creating a Crimson biome and using the Bloody Spine within it.
6. Can the Mushroom biome be corrupted?
No, the mushroom biome cannot be corrupted by either corruption, crimson or hallow.
7. Is the Crimson biome harder than Corruption?
The Crimson biome is generally considered more challenging in early game due to the open areas and the aggressive enemies. Corruption biomes are easier to navigate, with more linear tunnels. However, the Crimson loot is generally considered to have more powerful items, like vampire knives and ichor during the Hardmode stage.
8. Can the Hallow overpower Corruption or Crimson?
Yes, Hallow can spread and overwrite Corruption or Crimson on grass blocks. This can be used to your advantage to cleanse your world of evil biomes.
9. Do sunflowers stop corruption/crimson?
Yes, sunflowers prevent the two blocks directly underneath them from being corrupted, crimsoned, or hallowed, and they also reduce the overall corruption rating of an area. This can slow the spread.
10. Does the Brain of Cthulhu Despawn?
Yes, if all players die or leave the Crimson, the Brain of Cthulhu will move downwards and despawn. However, if players return to the crimson quickly, the battle will continue.
11. Should I get rid of all the crimson/corruption?
While it is tempting, keeping a controlled area of corruption/crimson can be beneficial because there are many exclusive items that can be obtained within these biomes. You may want to set up farms later and access these items as needed.
12. Can Crimson take over the Hallow?
No, the Corruption or Crimson is unable to overlap the Hallow. The Hallow can spread to Grass and Flower Walls.
13. What do Crimson Hearts drop?
Both Crimson Hearts and Shadow Orbs drop a gun, magic weapon, melee weapon, light pet, and an accessory.
14. Does breaking demon altars spread hallow?
Yes, breaking demon altars can spread hallow. It has a 66% chance to convert a block to ebonstone/crimstone/ or pearlstone, which causes hallow spread.
15. Do corruption and hallow spread faster?
All variants of evil biomes spread at the same rate, including hallow. There is no one biome that spreads faster than the others, although hallow will overwrite crimson.