Terraria Hardmode Guide: What to Do First After Wall of Flesh
November 9, 2026 · 6 min read
On this page
- How to start Hardmode
- What changes when Hardmode starts
- Containing the spread
- Smash altars for Hardmode ores
- Your first Hardmode gear
- Get wings as soon as you can
- Souls and the mechanical bosses
- Early Hardmode checklist
- Frequently asked questions
- How do you get into Hardmode in Terraria?
- What should I do first in Hardmode?
- How many altars should I break in Terraria?
- What pickaxe do I need for Hardmode ores?
- How do you get wings in Terraria?
- Why is the Hallow spreading in my world?
Hardmode starts the moment you defeat the Wall of Flesh. Your world gains the Hallow, the evil biomes spread faster and enemies get much tougher. Your first jobs are to smash Demon or Crimson Altars with the Pwnhammer for new ores, upgrade to Adamantite or Titanium gear, and get wings before you take on the mechanical bosses.
Last checked: November 9, 2026, for Terraria 1.4.5.8.
How to start Hardmode
Defeat the Wall of Flesh in the Underworld. To summon it, kill Voodoo Demons until one drops a Guide Voodoo Doll, then drop the doll into Underworld lava while your Guide is alive. The fight moves sideways across the Underworld, so build a long bridge first, around 1,000 blocks.
Before you fight, it pays to prepare:
- Back up your world and character. On Windows the save files are in Documents\My Games\Terraria, in the Players and Worlds folders. Hardmode changes your world for good, so copy those folders first.
- Max out your health and mana. Life Crystals raise max life by 20 each, up to 400, and community checklists suggest reaching 400 life and 200 mana before the Wall.
- Bring your best pre-Hardmode gear. Molten armor is the usual pick for melee, and potions such as Ironskin help.
The Terraria boss order guide covers the Wall of Flesh fight and every boss before it.
What changes when Hardmode starts
| Change | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| The Hallow appears | A new biome, together with new stripes of Corruption or Crimson, cuts diagonally across your world |
| Faster spreading | The Hallow and your evil biome now spread much more aggressively |
| Tougher enemies | New Hardmode enemies spawn everywhere, and pre-Hardmode gear struggles against them |
| Wraiths | Hostile ghosts that pass through blocks appear at night |
| Biome Mimics | Mimics tied to the Hallow and the evil biome can spawn underground |
| New villagers | More NPCs can move in once Hardmode conditions are met |
Expect to die a few times in the first hours. Hardmode enemies can kill a character in pre-Hardmode gear quickly, so play carefully until you have new armor.
Containing the spread
Spreading biomes can take over your base, the Jungle and other biomes you need later. Find where the new Hallow stripe landed and cut it off with gaps dug down through the world. Many players dig vertical shafts, often called hellevators, on each side. Fill gaps with blocks that cannot be converted. Later, the Steampunker sells the Clentaminator, which converts land back with solutions.
Smash altars for Hardmode ores
The Wall of Flesh drops the Pwnhammer, the first hammer strong enough to break Demon and Crimson Altars. Each altar you break adds Hardmode ore to your world, and a message tells you which ore appeared:
| Altars broken | Ore added (one per world) | Pickaxe needed to mine it |
|---|---|---|
| First | Cobalt or Palladium | Molten Pickaxe |
| Second | Mythril or Orichalcum | Cobalt or Palladium Pickaxe |
| Third | Adamantite or Titanium | Mythril or Orichalcum Pickaxe |
After the third altar, smashing more cycles through the same three tiers and adds more ore. Keep these points in mind:
- Wraiths spawn when you break altars, so be ready to fight as soon as one breaks.
- Leave at least one altar. Altars are still crafting stations for items such as the Slime Crown and the Suspicious Looking Eye.
- Upgrade your anvil. Mythril or Orichalcum Bars make the Mythril or Orichalcum Anvil, which most Hardmode gear needs. You also use it to craft the Adamantite or Titanium Forge.
- New in 1.4.5: freshly generated Mythril, Orichalcum, Adamantite and Titanium patches are now the same size as Cobalt and Palladium patches. Bricks made from Hardmode ore are now immune to bombs.
Spelunker and Mining potions speed up the ore hunt a lot.
Your first Hardmode gear
You do not need every armor set. A common plan is to skip Cobalt, Palladium, Mythril and Orichalcum armor and go straight to Adamantite or Titanium armor once you have the bars. Titanium's set bonus surrounds you with a barrier of shards when you attack, while Adamantite's bonus depends on which helmet you wear.
Strong early Hardmode weapons by class:
| Class | Good early Hardmode picks |
|---|---|
| Melee | Bananarang, Shadowflame Knife, Chain Guillotines |
| Ranged | Daedalus Stormbow, Dart Rifle, Uzi |
| Magic | Orange Zapinator, Spirit Flame, Life Drain |
| Summoner | Spider Staff, Blade Staff, Sanguine Staff |
Summoners should know that their best early Hardmode weapons come from Queen Slime and the Dreadnautilus. For full setups by class and stage, use the Terraria loadout builder and the best class guide.
Get wings as soon as you can
Wings are the biggest mobility upgrade in Hardmode, and they make every boss fight easier.
- Crafted wings need Souls of Flight, about 20 per pair, plus a special ingredient such as feathers for some pairs. They are crafted at a Hardmode anvil.
- Souls of Flight drop from Wyverns, which spawn high up in the sky layer. Wyverns are tough early in Hardmode, so bring your best gear or a farm.
Pair your wings with good boots, such as Spectre Boots or their upgrades, for faster acceleration.
Souls and the mechanical bosses
Two more souls matter early in Hardmode. Souls of Light drop from enemies in the underground Hallow and Souls of Night from enemies in the underground Corruption or Crimson. They go into the Mechanical Worm, Mechanical Eye and Mechanical Skull, which summon The Destroyer, The Twins and Skeletron Prime.
Beating the three mechanical bosses gives you Hallowed Bars for Hallowed armor and opens the way to Plantera. Many players fight The Destroyer first, since weapons that pierce or hit several times deal heavy damage to its long body.
Early Hardmode checklist
| Step | Goal | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Back up your world, then beat the Wall of Flesh | Starts Hardmode and drops the Pwnhammer |
| 2 | Contain the new Hallow and evil stripes | Protects your base and key biomes |
| 3 | Smash altars and mine new ores | Unlocks Hardmode armor, weapons and tools |
| 4 | Craft Adamantite or Titanium armor | Survive Hardmode enemies |
| 5 | Get wings | Mobility for every fight |
| 6 | Farm Souls of Light and Night | Summons for the mechanical bosses |
| 7 | Fight Queen Slime (optional) and the three mechanical bosses | Hallowed Bars, then Plantera |
Frequently asked questions
How do you get into Hardmode in Terraria?
Defeat the Wall of Flesh. Get a Guide Voodoo Doll from a Voodoo Demon in the Underworld, then drop it into lava there while your Guide is alive to start the fight.
What should I do first in Hardmode?
Contain the new Hallow, then smash Demon or Crimson Altars with the Pwnhammer to add Hardmode ores. Upgrade to Adamantite or Titanium armor and get wings before you fight the mechanical bosses.
How many altars should I break in Terraria?
Break at least three to get all three ore tiers: Cobalt or Palladium, Mythril or Orichalcum, then Adamantite or Titanium. More altars add more ore, but always leave at least one standing for crafting.
What pickaxe do I need for Hardmode ores?
A Molten Pickaxe mines Cobalt and Palladium. You then need a Cobalt or Palladium Pickaxe for Mythril and Orichalcum, and a Mythril or Orichalcum Pickaxe for Adamantite and Titanium.
How do you get wings in Terraria?
Craft them at a Hardmode anvil from about 20 Souls of Flight, which drop from Wyverns high in the sky, plus a special ingredient for some pairs such as feathers.
Why is the Hallow spreading in my world?
The Hallow and the Corruption or Crimson spread much faster once Hardmode begins. Dig gaps around areas you want to protect, fill them with blocks that can't be converted, and later use the Clentaminator to convert land back.
