The Consequences of Smashing Too Many Altars in Terraria
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Breaking Demon Altars or Crimson Altars in Terraria is a crucial step in progressing to Hardmode, but there’s a limit to how much you can benefit from this action. While smashing altars unlocks new ores and content, doing it excessively can lead to diminishing returns and a significant increase in world corruption. In short, breaking too many altars results in a world with an abundance of Hardmode ores, but the rate at which those ores are generated drops off rapidly after the first few altars, alongside a growing infestation of world-altering biomes. The decision to break more altars is a trade-off between ore availability and the potential for widespread infection.
How Altar Smashing Works
The Basic Mechanics
The primary reason players break altars is to generate Hardmode ores. These ores, which include Cobalt/Palladium, Mythril/Orichalcum, and Adamantite/Titanium, are essential for crafting powerful gear needed to progress further in the game. Each time you break a Demon Altar (in a Corruption world) or a Crimson Altar (in a Crimson world) with a Pwnhammer (obtained after defeating the Wall of Flesh), the game randomly selects one of the three tiers of Hardmode ores to be added to your world.
The first three altars you break are the most impactful. Breaking these first three sets the ore tiers, and what you get from them will repeat in a cycle. This means the fourth altar you break will give you the same tier of ore as the first, the fifth will match the second, and the sixth matches the third, and so on. If your first altar gives you Cobalt, the fourth will also give you Cobalt.
The Diminishing Returns
While each broken altar spawns more of the new ores, the yield becomes less significant with each group of three. The game’s code is set up so that each time an altar is destroyed, one or two Wraiths spawn, regardless of the time of day. Further, after every third altar broken, the ore that spawns becomes less common. This means that while you will see more ores in the world overall, you’ll see comparatively fewer from each subsequent group of three, thus making the extra effort less useful.
The Corruption/Crimson Spread
Another major impact of breaking more than a few altars is the increase in world corruption. Each time you break an altar, a larger area of your world is at risk of being converted to the Corruption or Crimson, depending on which type of evil biome your world is. This is due to an exponential effect, each break increases the spread speed and potency making it harder to cleanse later on. More corruption or crimson makes it harder to move around the map, and can spread right through your base if not taken care of.
Balancing Ore and Infection
The optimal number of altars to break is a point of debate among players. Most find that six altars provides a reasonable balance between ore generation and infection control. Destroying only three altars reduces the spread of corruption and crimson but you may struggle to acquire enough ore for crafting. Smashing more than six altars offers only minor gains in ore with the drawback of rapidly spreading corruption that will need to be cleansed.
What Happens if You Destroy All Altars?
Destroying every single altar in your world isn’t particularly advantageous, but isn’t too detrimental either. While it effectively stops the ore spawning, you will still have access to what has already spawned, and still have full access to your current world. The main drawback is that you won’t be able to craft items at the altars anymore. However, you can overcome that by simply hopping into a new world to do so.
The Upside of Multiple Worlds
As your character is shared between worlds, it’s easy to switch between worlds to get the best of each one. Crafting and summoning in one world and adventuring and building in another can lead to a more optimized experience.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can you break Crimson Altars?
Yes, Crimson Altars can be broken using a Pwnhammer or a hammer of higher power. Like Demon Altars, breaking them will generate Hardmode ores.
2. How do you get the Pwnhammer?
The Pwnhammer is dropped by the Wall of Flesh boss upon its defeat. It’s the only item that can break Demon or Crimson Altars.
3. What do the different Hardmode ores look like?
- Cobalt Ore is blue and the sprite is the same as that of Adamantite ore, but rotated and colored blue.
- Palladium Ore is an orange-colored ore that can replace Cobalt and is more saturated than Copper ore.
- Mythril Ore has a pale teal color.
- Orichalcum Ore has a bright pink color.
- Adamantite Ore has a dark red color.
- Titanium Ore has a light gray color.
4. How does the spread of corruption/crimson work after breaking altars?
Each time an altar is broken, it increases the speed and extent to which the Corruption or Crimson spread through your world. This can convert normal biomes and can be difficult to manage without proper containment measures.
5. What is Hardmode?
Hardmode is a game mode that is activated upon defeating the Wall of Flesh for the first time. It brings significant changes such as new enemies, bosses, biomes, and items, alongside the ability to spawn Hardmode ores.
6. Can you stop the corruption/crimson from spreading?
Yes, you can slow or stop the spread with specific strategies such as creating barriers with non-corruptible materials, using the Clentaminator to purify corrupted areas, and strategically placing Sunflowers.
7. What is the Hallow?
The Hallow is a biome that is introduced during Hardmode, which contrasts the evil biomes. It cannot spread through Jungle biomes but like the evil biomes, it does convert normal areas.
8. What are Wraiths, and why are they spawning?
Wraiths are enemies that spawn when you break Demon or Crimson Altars. The number of spawns increases when you break more altars.
9. What happens when you destroy a Crimson Heart?
Destroying a Crimson Heart can cause a Meteorite to fall (50% chance), but only between midnight and dawn if you’re trying to spawn multiple meteors.
10. Should I destroy Shadow Orbs?
Yes, destroying Shadow Orbs is necessary for game progression in Corruption worlds and will summon the Eater of Worlds boss if you break three of them.
11. Can Hallow spread through the jungle?
No, the Hallow cannot spread through mud, meaning it cannot corrupt your Jungle or Glowing Mushroom biomes.
12. What’s the difference between Demon and Crimson Altars?
Demon Altars spawn in Corruption worlds, while Crimson Altars spawn in Crimson worlds. They both serve the same purpose of generating Hardmode ores but can only be used in their respective worlds.
13. What are chainsaws useful for?
Chainsaws are tools used for cutting down trees but are also viable melee weapons for fast attacks.
14. What is Luminite?
Luminite is a Hardmode ore dropped by the Moon Lord. It is used to craft powerful endgame armor and tools.
15. What is the Brain of Cthulhu, and when should I fight it?
The Brain of Cthulhu is a Crimson boss that is essential for game progression, namely the spawning of the Tavernkeeper and meteorites. You should fight it after the Eye of Cthulhu.
By understanding the mechanics behind breaking altars and the consequences of overdoing it, you can optimize your game strategy and successfully progress through Terraria. Remember, a balance between ore generation and world preservation is key to a successful playthrough.