It’s over. Once the Corruption spreads to your World without a unique biome, you’ll be left with mostly hard-to-destroy enemies (considering you’re on Hardmode). Of course, you can opt to purify everything with the Clentaminator, but what if you don’t have the item?
Corruption, an evil biome, is prevalent among Terraria players because of the Eater of Worlds. Add Demonite Ores and Ebon blocks, and you’re done. However, one of the most intriguing materials in this biome is known as the Shadow Orb. While it summons the Corruption’s ultimate boss, there’s more of it.
In this guide, you’ll know everything about the Shadow Orb. What is it? What happens if you attack it? Will you get anything useful? We’ll answer all those questions down below!
Shadow Orb – Overview
Venturing below Corruption chasms will eventually let you encounter a purple spherical background object called the Shadow Orb. They’re destructible by any hammer or explosives and help you progress further. From the opposite end, the Crimson biome has Crimson Hearts. Same with Altars, where the purple light is flickering.
Reaching the Shadow Orb is the challenging part. Since Ebonstone Blocks are mineable using a Nightmare Pickaxe or better, digging is pretty difficult. However, it’s possible to tear through with explosives or purify corrupted blocks. Once exposed (assuming the Shadow Orb survives the initial contact), you can burst it with a Wooden Hammer.
Item Drops
There are excellent rewards you’ll get every time you pop the purple sphere. These are:
| Item | Purpose | Chance |
| Shadow Orb (accessory) (1) | Light pet item | 20% |
| Vilethorn (1) | Magic weapon that behaves like a Spear | 20% |
| Ball O’ Hurt (1) | A type of Flail for combat | 20% |
| Band of Starpower (1) | Adds 20 more maximum mana to the player. | 20% |
| Musket (1) and Musket Ball (100) | Simple firearm | 20% |
Destruction Process
By default, destroying Shadow Orbs will trigger a unique message about a warning about the Eater of Worlds.
By destroying one for the first time, it’s a guarantee to get Musket (1) and Musket Balls (100). New Terraria players will soon encounter the Arms Dealer since having a gun is a requirement for spawning the NPC. Alongside is completing one of two criteria to enable the Goblin Army Invasion.
It’s also noteworthy that the Traveling Merchant might sell the Revolver in this scenario.
Moving on to the next orb is nothing special. However, the final one spawns the Eater of Worlds. This gigantic segmented worm is the Corruption’s pre-Hardmode boss and is the Brain of Cthulhu’s easier counterpart.
Note: On old-gen versions, popping the purple sphere will result in an instantaneous crash of a Meteorite.
