Does Destroying Demon Altars Spread Corruption? Unraveling the Terraria Mystery
The simple answer to the question, “Does destroying Demon Altars spread Corruption?” is: yes, but not directly and not in the way you might think. It’s not the altar itself that’s spreading the Corruption, but rather the consequence of its destruction. Breaking a Demon Altar or Crimson Altar in Terraria triggers a specific, albeit subtle, chain of events that can contribute to the spread of both Corruption and Hallow, which are closely linked to Crimson depending on the world. Understanding these mechanics is crucial for anyone seeking to master Terraria and maintain a clean, manageable world.
The Mechanics Behind Altar Destruction
When you shatter a Demon Altar with the Pwnhammer or any hammer of similar power obtained in Hardmode, two primary events are set in motion: a single random Stone Block in the Cavern layer has a 66.67% chance of converting into either Ebonstone or Crimstone, depending on whether you have Corruption or Crimson in your world and a new ore will be available. This conversion is the core of how altar destruction affects the biomes.
This is not an immediate, explosive burst of corruption. Instead, it’s a seed of infection, a tiny starting point that can grow if left unchecked. The conversion of a stone block into a Corruptible or Crimson block creates an entry point for the biome to begin spreading through the world. It’s important to note that this is not the only way that corruption spreads, particularly once you enter Hardmode. Additionally, it is worth noting that the breaking of Demon Altars will always cause some Wraiths to spawn as well.
Why Is This Important?
The conversion of a stone block is important because it introduces Corrupted or Crimson blocks into the game. Corruption and Crimson spread. They convert nearby susceptible blocks, such as grass, sand, and stone, into their respective corrupted versions, and with the inclusion of the Hallow after entering Hardmode, the player has to manage three separate biomes in a newly created world. These biomes tend to spread across the land as quickly as they are able to and therefore must be dealt with as soon as possible if the player wishes to manage the infection.
Before entering Hardmode, the spread is relatively slow and mostly restricted to grass and thorny bushes. However, after defeating the Wall of Flesh, the game’s dynamic shifts dramatically. Corruption and Crimson spread much more aggressively and can now convert a much wider variety of blocks, including sand, mud, grass, and stone. This rapid spread is why controlling and managing the initial infection caused by breaking altars is critical in the long run.
The Role of Hardmode
Hardmode marks a critical turning point. The spread of the biomes becomes significantly more rapid, making it essential to take preventative measures. One of the most notable changes is that the spread of Corruption, Crimson, and the Hallow is no longer limited to just grass and thorns. These biomes can corrupt virtually every natural block, including sand, stone, and mud, at an exponential rate.
Destroying the altars before and after entering Hardmode will always contribute to the spread, but the spread does become drastically more noticeable once Hardmode is engaged. Understanding that the spread can still occur after Hardmode is initiated, but still due to breaking demon altars before entering Hardmode, means that if a player is aiming for a clean and biome-free world, demon altars can be one of the most devastating sources of infection.
How Many Altars Should You Break?
The optimal number of Demon Altars to break is generally considered to be six. Smashing six altars will maximize the number of different Hardmode ores that spawn in your world, but will also maximize the amount of infection you create in your world. Breaking any number of altars, however, will introduce at least one instance of infection. Each altar you break reduces the overall amount of ore that can be harvested but also still increases the chance of infection, though in the long run, the ore will be found in far larger quantities.
Breaking three is generally considered a decent minimum to still get some of the Hardmode ores, but also means that the player might struggle to find all of the ore they would need. It all comes down to a question of balancing risk versus reward. Do you want to prioritize a clean world, or would you prefer to maximize ore spawns?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What exactly are Demon Altars and Crimson Altars?
Demon Altars are structures found in the Corruption biome, while Crimson Altars are found in the Crimson biome. Both look like structures of bone and evil flesh. These altars are crucial for crafting specific items and are also necessary for the spawning of Hardmode ores into the game after defeating the Wall of Flesh.
2. Can I destroy Demon/Crimson Altars before Hardmode?
No, you cannot destroy Demon Altars or Crimson Altars with normal hammers. You require a Pwnhammer, or another hammer of equivalent power, dropped by the Wall of Flesh, to break these altars. This means that, until you defeat the Wall of Flesh, you can’t cause this particular source of infection.
3. What is the connection between breaking altars and Hardmode ores?
Breaking Demon and Crimson Altars spawns new hardmode ores into the world. Each time you destroy an altar, the game has a random selection of ores it can choose from, with a 20% chance to be each type of ore. The amount of ore spawned is dependent on the amount of altars broken.
4. How does the spread of Corruption/Crimson work after breaking an altar?
Upon breaking an altar, a single random stone block in the cavern layer has a 66.67% chance of converting into Ebonstone or Crimstone. Once converted, this block acts as a seed for the spread of Corruption or Crimson, infecting nearby susceptible blocks over time.
5. Does the number of altars I break affect the spread?
Yes, the more altars you break, the more seeds of corruption are planted in the cavern layer. Each seed can potentially begin a new area of infection and therefore contribute to a larger infection in the long run.
6. Can I prevent the spread of Corruption/Crimson from broken altars?
Yes, you can create quarantine zones using non-corruptible blocks such as wood or any brick variant. Creating a 3 tile wide trench around your base before and after breaking altars will stop the corruption from reaching the main area of your base. Sunflowers can also prevent corruption from spreading, however they are far less effective than a trench system.
7. What is the difference between Corruption and Crimson spread?
While both function as the primary biomes of evil, Corruption converts tiles into Ebonstone and Ebonsand, whereas Crimson turns tiles into Crimstone and Crimsand. Both spread at equal rates, however the Hallow can actually spread over top of Crimson, meaning that the Crimson is essentially less powerful in Hardmode.
8. What other methods cause Corruption and Crimson to spread?
Corruption and Crimson can spread via grass, vines, sand, and stone. In Hardmode, they can convert many other types of blocks. The other primary method of spread occurs by simply having infected grass or blocks on the surface or in your world.
9. Does Hallow spread as a result of altar breaking?
Yes, similar to Corruption or Crimson, destroying altars also has a chance to spread the Hallow by converting stone blocks in the cavern layer into Pearlstone.
10. How can I slow down the spread of Corruption and Crimson?
Defeating Plantera will slow the overall spread speed by 50%. Building trenches with non-corruptible blocks is also very effective.
11. What blocks cannot be corrupted by the biomes?
Blocks that cannot be corrupted include wood, and any type of brick, such as stone brick, ice brick, mudstone brick, and sandstone brick.
12. Do ores count as corruption?
No, ores do not count as part of the corruption percentage. This means that breaking the altars will not change your percentage, even though it creates an infection.
13. Can Demonite spread corruption?
No, Demonite Ore does not spread corruption whatsoever.
14. Does breaking Shadow Orbs or Crimson Hearts spread corruption?
While destroying Shadow Orbs and Crimson Hearts will cause events to occur such as a meteorite dropping, they do not cause blocks to convert and are therefore not the cause of spread.
15. What happens if I break a Crimson Heart?
Each Crimson Heart has a 50% chance of immediately causing a meteorite to fall when destroyed between midnight and dawn. Destroying them between dawn and midnight will only give you a chance of one meteorite falling the following midnight.
Conclusion
While it might not be immediately obvious, destroying Demon and Crimson Altars in Terraria does contribute to the spread of Corruption, Crimson, and Hallow. The key takeaway is that the altars don’t spread the infection directly, but they create the conditions for it to spread. A random stone block is converted, seeding corruption into the world, which can quickly spread out of control in Hardmode if the player does not take the time to mitigate its spread. Understanding this mechanism is essential for maintaining a balanced and manageable world in Terraria, as understanding how the game works is an essential part of playing. Knowing how each item or element affects the world will always make the game easier in the long run.