Terraria: How To Summon And Defeat Duke Fishron

The glorious 2D pixel art world of Re-Logic's Terraria is the land of adventure and mystery, as the player's options are limitless, with no end to what they can accomplish. Once players have reached Hardmode, there are over 15 different bosses for them to test their mettle against in combat.

Duke Fishron is a challenging Hardmode boss that is unnecessary for in-game progression. However, it feels gratifying if players want that prestige and experience all that Terraria has to offer. Below players can find all the information they will need on how to summon and defeat Duke Fishron, as well as the rewards they can earn from defeating him.

How To Summon

Duke Fishron is a pig/fish abomination and, indeed, is the catch of the day. He can be summoned by fishing in the Ocean biome using a Truffle Worm as bait. Duke Fishron will spawn once the player reels in their fishing line.

Truffle Worms are a rare critter that can only be caught in an underground Glowing Mushroom biome once the world is in Hardmode. Players must have a Guide To Critter Companionship, which is purchasable from the Zoologist NPC, in their inventory to avoid killing them accidentally. These critters are tough to catch, as they will burrow into the ground and disappear if the player comes too close. It is best to use a Golden Bug Net as they have a faster swing rate, though any net can be used.

Gearing Up: Best Combat Builds

When gearing up for the fight against Duke Fishron, the optimal equipment and weaponry will depend upon which combat class players have decided to delve into. These are some suggestions on the best Hardmode items players should consider equipping and are by no means exhaustive or definitive. However, it is suggested that players defeat Golem before this fight.

It is recommended that players have at least 500 Health from Life Fruits before starting this fight. Wings are also highly recommended to dodge Duke Fishron's attacks. The Frog Leg accessory is an asset that can help players fly vertically, or they can purchase the Jetpack from the Steampunker NPC for 40 gold.

Combat Gear

Melee - The Seedler is an excellent option due to the auto-targeted nature of its seed projectiles and can be obtained from killing Plantera. Vampire Knives are also helpful for life-stealing to heal back up. The Eye of Cthulhu is the best Yoyo for this fight and can be used behind cover. To play on the defensive, melee users can use the Beetle armor for extra protection. They can also mix it up by wearing a Chlorophyte Mask with a Monk's Shirt and Squire's Greaves to maximize their damage.
Magic - Razorpine is an excellent choice for magic users and can easily be obtained from Plantera. Spirit Flame is a strong alternative available at the start of Hardmode if players want to kill Duke Fishron before other bosses. The best offensive set for magic users is the Spectre armor.
Ranged - The Daedalus Stormbow, coupled with Holy Arrows, is the best ranged option for killing Duke Fishron at the start of Hardmode. The Chlorophyte Shotbow with Holy Arrows is also a good pre-Plantera option. As with most bosses at this stage in Terraria, the Megashark remains a viable choice in weaponry. Shroomite armor is the best set available for ranged players.
Summoner - The Desert Tiger Staff is a good option for Summoners. It should be paired with the Firecracker Whip for maximum damage output. The Sanguine Staff is the best option available upon reaching Hardmode and can be paired with the Morning Star whip for tag damage. For armor, summoners should consider the Spooky armor, earned from the Pumpkin Moon event. Summoners should use an Enchanter's Table before this fight to gain an extra minion.

Terrain Preparation

The arena must be located in the Ocean biome, and leaving this biome will cause Duke Fishron to enter an enraged state, making him harder to kill. Players should build an arena of roughly 3-5 platforms, around 50 titles apart due to the height of the Sharknados and Cthulhunados. They should span the width of the Ocean biome to maximize space.

Asphalt blocks can be used to outrun Duke Fishron's attacks, but these should only be used at the bottom of the arena. As with most other boss fights, players should light their arenas with Campfires and Heart Lanterns to provide ample passive health regeneration.

The Actual Fight

Duke Fishron is not for the faint-hearted, and he can pose a severe threat to any new or underprepared players. He has two phases that players will need to know about.

First Phase

In its first stage, Duke Fishron will lunge at the player precisely five times, traveling through any blocks in his way. He will then have two projectile attacks that players need to dodge.

Detonating Bubble: Duke Fishron will blow roughly 1-20 bubbles that will track the player at a moderate speed, exploding upon contact and inflicting the 'Wet' debuff. These bubbles can be destroyed. This will always be Duke Fishron's first attack.
Sharkron: Duke Fishron will trigger this attack by waving his fins and summoning liquid blobs. These blobs then spawn giant water tornados, which are 29 blocks high, that fire out Sharkrons. These can be damaged and killed by the player.

Second Phase

When Duke Fishron falls below half his maximum health, he will become stationary before transforming into his second phase - his skin becomes a darker green and his eyes will glow. Both his damage and his speed will increase significantly, with some slight changes to his attacks.

Duke Fishron will now fly in rapid loops, leaving a trail of bubbles that triggers his Detonating Bubbles attack.
A Cthulhunado will be created directly underneath the player, twice as large as a Sharknado. These spawn double the amount of Sharkrons ands deal double their damage.

After defeating Duke Fishron, the player can reap the rewards of their success!

Rewards

Although beating Duke Fishron is not necessary for actual game progression in Terraria, he still drops several valuable items and weapons. The table below lists all of his guaranteed and possible drops and includes a brief item description.

Only one of the five weapons marked with an asterisk* can be obtained at once. Players who wish to obtain all these weapons will need to fight Duke Fishron multiple times.

Item Name	Item Description	Drop Chance
Greater Healing Potion	Dropped in stacks of 5-15.	100%
Coins	Currency - Always drops 25 gold.	100%
Bubble Gun	Magic weapon - Rapid-fires short-ranged bubble projectiles, with each shot firing three bubbles. Deals 70 damage.	20%*
Razorblade Typhoon	Magic weapon - Fires one large disc-shaped projectile per click that hones on enemies, piercing and ricocheting from enemies. Deals 85 damage.	20%*
Tsunami	Bow - Auto-fires five grouped arrows per shot while only consuming one arrow as ammo. Deals 53 damage.	20%*
Tempest Staff	Summon weapon - Spawns a small sharknado minion that follows the player, attacking enemies with mini Sharkron projectiles. Deals 50 damage.	20%*
Flairon	Melee weapon/flail - Releases honing bubble projectiles while being used. Deals 66 damage.	20%*
Fishron Wings	Wings - Can be used in water and other liquids, negating the movement penalty. Leaves behind a water bubble trail.	6.67%
Duke Fishron Mask	Vanity item.	14.29%
Duke Fishron Trophy	Furtniture item.	10%

Terraria is available to play on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android devices.

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