Dungeon Guardian

Dungeon Guardian

 Classic

 Expert

 Master

Statistics

Type	Flying Enemy
Environment	Dungeon
AI Type	Head AI
Damage	1000/2000/3000
Max Life	9999/19998/29997
Defense	9999
KB Resist	100%
Immune to	All debuffs

Drops

• Item (Quantity)Rate
• Bone Key
  100%

Sounds

Hurt
Killed

• Internal NPC ID: 68

For strategies on defeating Dungeon Guardians, see Guide:Dungeon Guardian strategies.

The Dungeon Guardian is an enemy that guards the Dungeon against intruders. If a player enters the Dungeon without killing Skeletron first and travels below zero depth (a horizontal invisible border separating the surface from the underground), one or more Dungeon Guardians quickly fly at the player, dealing 1000 / 2000 damage each, which effectively kills most players instantly. Dungeon Guardians are large, very fast (traveling at around 41 mph in all directions), and travel through all blocks.

Any player who attacks a Dungeon Guardian, regardless of the weapon or other equipment, will deal only 1 damage ( with the exception of Frostburn items, which deal 32 damage per second with the debuff), or 2 for critical hits. This means that the Dungeon Guardian will normally take an average of 1.04 damage.

While killing a Dungeon Guardian is possible (and will award the Bone Key pet summon), it requires careful preparation. See the Tips section for setups. Note that it does not grant access to the Dungeon.

Quick Answers

What is the role of the Dungeon Guardian in Terraria?

The Dungeon Guardian in Terraria serves as a formidable protector of the Dungeon. This enemy, which resembles Skeletron's head, is designed to guard against intruders. If a player enters the Dungeon in a world where Skeletron has not been defeated and travels below zero depth, one or more Dungeon Guardians will quickly fly at the player.

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How much damage does the Dungeon Guardian deal in Terraria?

The Dungeon Guardian in Terraria deals a whopping 1000/2000/3000 damage with each hit. This makes it one of the most formidable foes in the game, capable of instantly killing most players if they are unprepared. So, if you're planning to face this guardian, make sure you're well-equipped and ready for a tough battle!

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What happens if a player enters the Dungeon in a world where Skeletron has not been defeated?

If a player dares to enter the Dungeon in a world where Skeletron has not been defeated, they're in for a nasty surprise! Dungeon Guardians, the formidable guardians of Terraria, will spawn and attack the player. These dungeon guards are practically invincible and can generally kill most players with a single hit. So, it's best to hit da bricks, skeleton, and defeat Skeletron before venturing into the Dungeon!

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Why is the Dungeon Guardian considered a high threat in Terraria?

The Dungeon Guardian in Terraria is considered a high threat due to its formidable attributes. It guards the Dungeon against intruders and quickly flies at any player who enters the Dungeon in a world where Skeletron has not been defeated. The Dungeon Guardian deals a whopping 1000/2000/3000 damage each, which can instantly kill most players if they are unprepared. It's also very fast, traveling at around 41 mph in all directions, and can travel through all blocks. Furthermore, any player who attacks a Dungeon Guardian will deal only 1 damage, or 2 for critical hits, making it a tough enemy to defeat. This is why it's often referred to as one of the '3000 hit guardians'.

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What strategies can be used to defeat the Dungeon Guardian in Terraria?

Defeating the Dungeon Guardian in Terraria requires some strategic planning. One effective method is to lure the Dungeon Guardian into a circular hoik and throw a boomerang, which prevents it from reaching the player while constantly taking damage. Another strategy involves purchasing teleporters from the Steampunker NPC and laying them out apart from each other. The Portal Gun can also be used to keep the player constantly teleporting, making it nearly impossible for the Dungeon Guardian to hit them. Additionally, the Dungeon Guardian is vulnerable to the Frostburn, Stunned, and Bleeding debuffs, which can be used to the player's advantage.

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Notes

• It is possible to survive two successive hits or one hit in Expert mode (without utilizing Shadow Dodge) by having maximum defense and damage reduction.
• Dealing an average of 1.04 damage each hit, it takes an average 9614 hits to defeat the Dungeon Guardian.
• The Dungeon Guardian is vulnerable to the Frostburn, Ichor, Stunned, and Bleeding debuffs.
  • The Frostburn and Bleeding debuffs each deal approximately 32 damage per tick.
• Entering the Dungeon before defeating Skeletron can be survived by quickly using a teleportation device, such as the Cell Phone, Ice Mirror, or Magic Mirror, before taking a hit.
• To be considered in the Dungeon, the player must be in front of a Dungeon Wall. Simply having a large number of Dungeon Bricks on-screen will not count as being in the Dungeon.
  • The Dungeon Guardian will not spawn unless the player is standing in front of a naturally-spawned Dungeon Wall and is completely below zero depth.
• The Dungeon Guardian will override all Dungeon spawns, so the Bound Mechanic and Angry Bones are impossible to come across, even if the player somehow endures the Dungeon Guardian.
• There can only be up to 15 Dungeon Guardians spawned at any given time.
• The Dungeon Guardian can drop Hearts and Stars.
• If a Dungeon Guardian is killed, access to the Dungeon will not be granted, even though it resembles Skeletron.
• The Dungeon Guardian has a map icon.
  • On the map, the Dungeon Guardian is a normal, white enemy dot.
  • On the map, the Dungeon Guardian is a normal, red enemy dot.
• Dungeon Guardians will adhere to the same spawn limits as any other enemy: If there are too many monsters on-screen at once, they will not spawn. Using the Duck Statue glitch and filling up all spawn slots will stop them from spawning, even below zero depth.
• On some older versions of the game, players who mine too close to the Dungeon may cause Dungeon Guardian to spawn despite not being in the dungeon itself.

Tips

For more elaborate strategies on defeating Dungeon Guardian, including weapon and arena recommendations, see Guide:Dungeon Guardian strategies.

• Because of the extreme effort that has to be taken to defeat a Dungeon Guardian, and also because its only drop, the Bone Key, merely causes a visual change, defeating a Dungeon Guardian is often considered pointless.
  • However, on the  Old-gen console version, the Bone Key is required for the "Pet Hoarder" achievement.
• In Expert mode, Dungeon Guardians will have double the health and deal double the damage. Due to this, it is recommended to try and defeat the Dungeon Guardian on a normal world to save time, money (as all enemies take money from the ground), and further troubles.
• Weapons with a high rate of fire or splash damage are preferable, in order to compensate for the reduced damage. Viable options include:
  • Phantasm with Luminite Arrows
  • Life Drain, as it can deal 5 damage per tick
  • Chain Gun, Megashark, or S.D.M.G. with Crystal Bullets
  • Tizona, which, while dangerous to use, additionally inflicts the Bleeding debuff
  • Chlorophyte Shotbow or Tsunami paired with Heart Arrows (additionally inflict the Stunned debuff) wearing a full set of Frost armor
• High critical chance is crucial for fighting the Dungeon Guardian, as critical hits can tremendously speed up the fight.
• Since the Dungeon Guardian moves at 41 mph, having high mobility is essential. The UFO (41 mph) and Unicorn Mounts (61 mph) are suitable, and a Rod of Discord may facilitate turning around at the world's edge.
• A good tactic is to acquire full Titanium armor, allowing to occasionally dodge otherwise lethal hits.
• Another good way to kill the Dungeon Guardian is to lure it into a circular hoik, throwing a boomerang in the middle. The Dungeon Guardian will stay in the middle while taking damage from the boomerang.
• In order to quickly reach the surface after spawning the Dungeon Guardian, it is recommended to dig a shaft into the Dungeon, flying up as soon as reaching zero depth.

Trivia

• Originally, actual Skeletron Heads were used to guard the Dungeon. Killing all Skeletron Heads would count as defeating Skeletron, so the Dungeon Guardian was created to repair this unintentional behavior.
• Despite being initially intended to be unbeatable, it is not invulnerable like Spike Balls, Blazing Wheels, and True Eyes of Cthulhu are.
• It has no corpse on the  PC,  Console,  Old-gen console,  Mobile,  Old Chinese,  tModLoader, and  tModLoader Legacy versions, but on the  Windows Phone and 3DS versions, the remains of Skeletron Hands will appear upon its death.
• Its head spins clockwise when the player is going left and counterclockwise when going right.

History

 PC version

• Desktop 1.3.0.1:
  • The speed of Dungeon Guardians and any other mobiles with the Dungeon Guardian Al (Skeletron and Skeletron Prime during the day) has been buffed to move faster when flying in clear air.
  • If the Dungeon Guardian is going through blocks then its speed slows down.
  • When trying to outrun it with asphalt blocks, the Dungeon Guardian will chase you down and keep a certain distance near the player until you stop or if it goes through blocks.

• Desktop 1.2.3:
  • The AI-reset problem has now been fixed, causing Turtle armor to no longer deal massive damage. The damage is now reduced to 1, like all other attacks.
  • Defense raised from 9000 to 9999.

• Desktop 1.2.0.3: Damage reduced from 9000 to 1000, to prevent Turtle armor from dealing too much damage, however, the exploit still works due to the Dungeon Guardian's AI resetting the damage.

• Desktop 1.2: Now drops a Bone Key upon death.

• Desktop 1.0.5: Introduced, replacing Skeletron Heads as the Dungeon's guards.