Does Breaking Altars Spread Corruption in Terraria? A Deep Dive
Yes, breaking Demon Altars or Crimson Altars absolutely contributes to the spread of Corruption, Crimson, and the Hallow in Terraria, though not directly. It’s a crucial mechanic that influences the game’s difficulty and world evolution, particularly in Hardmode. Understanding how this process works is key to controlling your world’s environment and resources effectively. This isn’t a direct spread like corrupted grass overtaking dirt, but rather a world-wide transformation of specific blocks that then fuel the spread.
The act of breaking these altars, primarily using a Pwnhammer or a stronger hammer after defeating the Wall of Flesh, is vital for progressing to Hardmode and generating essential ores. However, this comes at a cost: a chance of your world becoming more aggressively corrupted. It’s a calculated risk-reward that players must strategically manage. Let’s delve deeper into this mechanic to understand the nuances and consequences.
How Altars Influence Corruption Spread
The Key Mechanism: Block Conversion
The crucial part is that every time you break a Demon or Crimson Altar, there is a 2/3 (66.67%) chance that a single random Stone Block within the Cavern Layer of your world is converted into either Ebonstone (Corruption), Crimstone (Crimson), or Pearlstone (Hallow). These newly converted blocks then act as catalysts for spreading their respective biomes.
It’s important to realize that the conversion of these blocks, rather than the breaking of the altar itself, initiates this biome spread. Ebonstone and Crimstone then infect nearby grass, sand, and other susceptible blocks, further expanding the Corruption or Crimson. Pearlstone spreads the Hallow similarly.
The Role of the Pwnhammer
To break these altars, a Pwnhammer or a higher tier hammer is required. This item is a guaranteed drop from the Wall of Flesh, the boss that triggers your world’s transition into Hardmode. Thus, altar breaking is a Hardmode phenomenon and cannot occur before this pivotal point in your playthrough.
Ore Generation and Its Trade-Off
Destroying altars is not solely about corruption spread. It’s also how you generate Hardmode ores in your world. When an altar is broken, it spawns new ores such as Mythril, Cobalt, Adamantite, Palladium, Titanium, and Orichalcum. This is essential for crafting powerful new armor and tools needed to progress in Hardmode. However, this comes at the cost of the aforementioned spread mechanic, adding a layer of strategic planning to your altar destruction approach. Breaking more altars means more ore, but also increases the potential corruption spread. Every 4th altar spawns fewer ores than the previous, emphasizing the need for a measured approach.
Managing the Spread: Strategies and Considerations
The more altars you break, the more potential infection spreads, but also the more ores you get. It’s a balancing act. Players often try to minimize spreading by:
- Breaking Altars strategically: Many players tend to break a specific number of altars, often between six and nine, to strike a balance between ore generation and infection potential.
- Isolating Biomes: Before going into Hardmode, digging horizontal and vertical tunnels around your base and existing biome, usually 3-5 blocks wide and filled with non-corruptable material such as wood or bricks will help to limit spread once it gets started. You can also use sunflowers.
- Using Purification Powder: You can purchase this from the Dryad and use it to purify corrupted blocks, though in Hardmode this is a continual effort.
- Utilizing Clentaminator: This is a tool that uses various colored solutions to purify or corrupt biomes. This is a mid to late-Hardmode item and can be the most useful at combating spreading.
Understanding these mechanics lets you approach altar breaking with strategic foresight. It is not about breaking all of them, but about making informed choices regarding your world progression and how you deal with the biomes that may threaten to overwhelm your build.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Altar Breaking and Corruption
1. How does the Corruption/Crimson spread in pre-Hardmode?
In pre-Hardmode, Corruption and Crimson spread slowly through grass and thorny bushes. This spread is fairly manageable, allowing players to focus on other goals. However, this changes drastically upon entering Hardmode.
2. What is the Pwnhammer, and where do I get it?
The Pwnhammer is a Hardmode hammer dropped by the Wall of Flesh. It is essential for breaking Demon and Crimson Altars and has a bright spark effect when used.
3. Does breaking Shadow Orbs or Crimson Hearts spread Corruption or Crimson?
No, breaking Shadow Orbs or Crimson Hearts does not directly spread Corruption or Crimson. However, destroying three or more of them is crucial for game advancement, and it spawns other events and items. These events don’t lead to spread.
4. How many altars should I break for optimal ore generation?
Most players aim for about six to nine altars to balance ore generation and minimize widespread corruption. Breaking more than this does increase infection but each altar provides diminishing returns for ore.
5. Does defeating Plantera slow down the spread of Corruption/Crimson?
Yes, defeating Plantera slows the overall spread speed by 50%, making the management of Corruption and Crimson easier.
6. Can I destroy Demon or Crimson Altars with any hammer?
No, you cannot destroy them with any hammer until the Wall of Flesh has been defeated and you have received the Pwnhammer. Pre-Hardmode hammers will not work.
7. How do sunflowers help with preventing corruption?
Sunflowers can prevent the two blocks directly underneath them from becoming corrupted, crimsoned, or hallowed, and each reduces the corruption rating by 5 tiles in the area. They can be useful at the beginning of hardmode for setting up an area that is safe from being corrupted by new spawns.
8. What happens when I enter Hardmode?
Upon defeating the Wall of Flesh, your world permanently converts to Hardmode, introducing new challenges, the Hallow, and far more aggressive corruption spread. New ores are also unlocked by breaking altars.
9. What are the Hardmode ores?
The Hardmode ores spawned by altar breaking are Cobalt/Palladium, Mythril/Orichalcum, and Adamantite/Titanium.
10. Can corruption infect Crimson and vice-versa?
Yes, Crimson can still be created in a Corruption world and vice-versa, and they spread normally. Neither will prevent the other from spreading.
11. Is Corruption or Crimson harder to manage?
Neither biome is inherently “harder” to manage. It is down to preference and play style. Crimson has tougher mobs and better loot later, while Corruption has easier mobs early game but weaker loot.
12. What is the ‘Underground Hallow’?
The Underground Hallow is a biome that spawns in Hardmode. It’s a brightly colored counterpart to the Crimson and Corruption, but it can still change tiles and spread, albeit to different blocks.
13. Can you summon the Eater of Worlds without destroying Shadow Orbs?
Yes, the Eater of Worlds can be summoned using Worm Food, bypassing the need to destroy shadow orbs.
14. How is corruption spread accelerated in Hardmode?
In Hardmode, Corruption, Crimson, and Hallow can spread through sand, mud, grass, stone, and virtually all default natural blocks. The speed of spread is greatly increased, and the range of blocks it can infect is also significantly expanded.
15. Should I destroy all the Altars I find in the world?
No, it’s not advisable to destroy all the altars in the world. Since they are used to craft a lot of important Hardmode items, keeping some around is ideal. A number between 6-9 is usually best. Too few will limit the Hardmode ores, while too many will lead to greater spreading of the new biomes.
In conclusion, while breaking altars does not directly spread corruption by itself, it is a key part of a chain of events that ultimately does, making it crucial to manage strategically. Understanding the mechanics and applying the strategies outlined in this article will enable you to navigate the complexities of Hardmode effectively and maintain control of your Terraria world.