Skeletron Prime

Skeletron Prime

Map Icon

 Classic

 Expert

 Master

Statistics

Type	Boss
Environment	Surface + Night Space + Night
AI Type	Skeletron Prime Head AI
Damage	47/79/119 94158238 (while spinning)
Max Life	28000/42000/53550
Defense	24 48 (while spinning)
KB Resist	100%
Immune to

Drops

Coins	1230

• Item (Quantity)Rate
• Soul of Fright (25–40)
  100%
• Hallowed Bar (15–30)
  100%
• Horned God Mask
  14.29%
• Greater Healing Potion (5–15)
  100%
• Skeletron Prime Mask
  14.29%
• Skeletron Prime Trophy
  10%
• Treasure Bag(Skeletron Prime)
  100%
• Mechanical Battery Piece
  100%
• Skeletron Prime Mask
  14.29%
• Soul of Fright (25–40)
  100%
• Hallowed Bar (15–30)
  100%
• Gold Coin (12)
  100%
• Robotic Skull
  25%
• Skeletron Prime Relic
  100%

Sounds

Hurt
Killed
Entering spinning phase

• Internal NPC ID: 127

 "The air is getting colder around you..." 

Not to be confused with Skeletron, the pre-Hardmode boss.

Skeletron Prime is a Hardmode mechanical boss which is essentially a more difficult version of Skeletron. It consists of a head and four limbs, but, similar to Skeletron, only the head needs to be defeated to defeat the boss.

Skeletron Prime can be manually summoned using a Mechanical Skull at night. It can also spawn naturally upon dusk with a chance of 10% once a Demon or Crimson Altar has been smashed, as long as it has not yet been defeated in the current world. If spawning naturally, its arrival is announced by the status message: "The air is getting colder around you..." ( alternatively "You feel the air getting colder around you..."). If it is not defeated before dawn, it will behave much like a Dungeon Guardian, not using its limbs at all, and charging at the Player at extremely high speeds.

While Skeletron Prime is alive, the music Boss 1 will play. When Otherworldly music is enabled, the track Boss 2 (Otherworldly) will play instead.

Quick Answers

What does 'the air is getting colder around you' mean regarding Skeletron Prime?

In the game Terraria, the phrase 'the air is getting colder around you' is a significant indicator that the boss Skeletron Prime is about to spawn. This phrase appears as a status message to alert players of the impending challenge. Skeletron Prime, a Hardmode mechanical boss, can also be manually summoned using a Mechanical Skull, but this phrase typically signifies its natural appearance in the game.

Provided by: Fandom

How can you summon Skeletron Prime using a Mechanical Skull?

Skeletron Prime, the weaponized mechanical variation of Skeletron, can be summoned using a Mechanical Skull. This boss-summoning item is used to call upon Skeletron Prime, a Hardmode version of Skeletron. However, it's important to note that the Mechanical Skull can only be used at night. So, if you're planning to summon Skeletron Prime, make sure to wait until the sun goes down and the air is getting colder around you!

Provided by: Fandom

What is the chance of Skeletron Prime spawning naturally at dusk?

Skeletron Prime has a 10% chance to spawn naturally at dusk in the world of Terraria. This event is usually announced with the status message 'The air is getting colder around you...'. Remember, this only happens if Skeletron Prime has not yet been defeated at least once in the current world.

Provided by: Fandom

What are the differences between Skeletron and Skeletron Prime?

Skeletron Prime is essentially a more difficult version of Skeletron, a boss character in Terraria. Unlike Skeletron, Skeletron Prime is a Hardmode mechanical boss with a head and four limbs. The limbs are unique, consisting of a vice, a laser gun, a saw, and a cannon that shoots bombs. While both bosses require only the head to be defeated, Skeletron Prime's head spins, increasing its Defense, unlike Skeletron whose Defense drops to zero when spinning. Additionally, Skeletron Prime is more mobile, often flying off-screen, making targeting more challenging. It's also worth noting that Skeletron Prime can be summoned as many times as you want in a world by crafting and using a Mechanical Skull, but only at night. Remember, when you're about to face this boss, 'the air is getting colder around you'.

Provided by: Fandom

What happens when you defeat only the head of Skeletron Prime?

When you defeat only the head of Skeletron Prime, you've essentially won the battle! Despite Skeletron Prime having four limbs – a vice, laser gun, saw, and cannon – only the head needs to be defeated for a successful victory. This is a unique feature of this boss in Terraria, making the 'air getting colder around you' a thrilling moment for players as they summon Skeletron Prime.

Provided by: Fandom

Arms

Prime Cannon

 Classic

 Expert

 Master

Statistics

Type	Boss Part
Environment	Surface + Night Space + Night
AI Type	Prime Cannon AI
Damage	30/51/76 (melee) 80160240 (grenade)
Max Life	7000/10500/13387
Defense	23
KB Resist	100%
Immune to

Sounds

Hurt
Killed

• Internal NPC ID: 128

Prime Saw

 Classic

 Expert

 Master

Statistics

Type	Boss Part
Environment	Surface + Night Space + Night
AI Type	Prime Saw AI
Damage	56/95/142
Max Life	9000/13500/17212
Defense	38
KB Resist	100%
Immune to

Sounds

Hurt
Killed

• Internal NPC ID: 129

Prime Vice

 Classic

 Expert

 Master

Statistics

Type	Boss Part
Environment	Surface + Night Space + Night
AI Type	Prime Vice AI
Damage	52/88/132
Max Life	9000/13500/17212
Defense	34
KB Resist	100%
Immune to

Sounds

Hurt
Killed

• Internal NPC ID: 130

Prime Laser

 Classic

 Expert

 Master

Statistics

Type	Boss Part
Environment	Surface + Night Space + Night
AI Type	Prime Laser AI
Damage	29/49/73 (melee) 50100150 (death laser)
Max Life	6000/9000/11475
Defense	20
KB Resist	100%
Immune to

Sounds

Hurt
Killed
Attack

• Internal NPC ID: 131

Attacks

Skeletron Prime's four limbs all have unique attacks:

• Prime Cannon fires bombs that do not destroy tiles, usually up into the air rather than directly at the player. It usually stays above the player.
• Prime Saw usually remains under the player, moving up and down.
• Prime Vice will swipe around wildly, making occasional lunges at the player. It usually remains diagonal to the player.
• Prime Laser shoots red death lasers similar to those of Retinazer and The Destroyer, and is always pointed at a player. It usually stays horizontal to the player.

Skeletron Prime will occasionally enter a "rage mode", in which its attacks become more aggressive:

• Skeletron Prime's Head will grow spikes and start spinning towards the player quickly, exactly like how its pre-Hardmode counterpart Skeletron does. Damage and defense are doubled to 94 / 158 / 238 damage and 48 defense. The spinning speed is increased in Expert Mode (to nearly the same speed as that of the Dungeon Guardian).
• Prime Cannon will aim at the player directly and fire rapidly.
• Prime Saw will begin homing directly towards the player's location.
• Prime Vice becomes more aggressive and frequently lunges towards the player.
• Prime Laser will fire lasers more frequently.
• Skeletron Prime lets out a roar every time it enters rage mode.

Skeletron Prime is generally much more mobile than its predecessor Skeletron, and will regularly move off-screen. Like Skeletron, if it is not beaten by dawn, it will behave like a faster Dungeon Guardian, travelling at a speed of 65 instead of 41 MPH, and killing the player instantly if touched: its damage increases to 1000 and its defense raises up to 9999. If defeated this way he will drop items normally.

Notes

Notes

• When spawning naturally, Skeletron Prime spawns exactly 81 seconds after the status message has appeared.
  • Being in a layer lower than the surface at that moment, or, in singleplayer, exiting the world during that timespan, will prevent Skeletron Prime from spawning naturally.
• The bombs fired by the Prime Cannon will only detonate if they hit solid blocks. They will pass through platforms without detonating. This no longer applies as of 1.4.0.1, where the bombs will now explode upon contact with platforms as well.

Achievements

Buckets of Bolts • “Defeat the three nocturnal mechanical menaces: the Twins, the Destroyer, and Skeletron Prime.”

Defeat all three Mechanical Bosses.

Category: Slayer

Mecha Mayhem • “Do battle against the Twins, the Destroyer, and Skeletron Prime simultaneously and emerge victorious.”

Defeat all three Mechanical Bosses simultaneously in a single battle.

Category: Challenger

Bona Fide • “You have defeated Skeletron Prime!”

Defeat Skeletron Prime for the first time.

Tips

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

• Standing on platforms far from blocks can mostly nullify the effects of the Prime Cannon, as its projectiles only detonate on blocks, while passing through platforms harmlessly.
• Unhindered movement is crucial when Skeletron Prime's head starts spinning, as it deals double the regular damage. Wings greatly aid in moving vertically, and flattened terrain or a sky bridge are convenient for horizontal movement.
  • In Master Mode, The Black Spot mount dropped by the Flying Dutchman during a Pirate Invasion is a very useful mount, as it grants infinite flight, allowing the player to easily avoid all of Prime's attacks.
• Although it is a little more time-consuming, focusing on the arms first is very rewarding. Once Skeletron Prime's head is no longer shielded by anything, the fight gets a lot easier. Prioritize damage on the arm which is causing the most damage or disruption, so it can be destroyed and removed from the fight as quick as possible.
• Due to Skeletron Prime's overall high defense, inflicting it with Ichor is effective, as he is not immune to it. Note that most Ichor weapons lack in damage compared to other weapons, so they should only be used periodically for inflicting the debuff.
  • In fact, as the head is Immune to Cursed Inferno, but not Ichor, Crimson world players have a clear advantage over Corruption world players in this sense. It would be good to go for the Prime Laser first, Prime Cannon second, and the Prime Saw third. If you have enough time you can go for the Prime Vice last, although as it is not too strong you can ignore it.

Trivia

• Skeletron Prime will open and shut its mouth for the entire battle. This is a purely cosmetic effect.
• It is the only mechanical boss whose name contains the Pre-Hardmode boss's name. Furthermore, it is the only mechanical boss to share boss music with its Pre-Hardmode variant. Additionally, its name does not begin with the word "The", unlike the other two Mechanical Bosses.
• Unlike Skeletron, Skeletron Prime's defense doubles when its head is spinning.
• Skeletron Prime's head is immune to the Cursed Inferno, Penetrated, Celled, and Daybroken debuffs. Its arms, however, are not.
• Normally, Skeletron Prime’s head has 2,000 less HP than Plantera, but in Expert Mode and Master Mode, they both have the same amount.
• The bombs fired by the cannon resemble the Dirt Bomb, with different coloring on one half.
•  – According to the official game lore, Skeletron Prime was one of the three mechanical recreations of Cthulhu's missing organs. It is a recreation of part of Cthulhu's skeleton.

The Bestiary entry for Skeletron Prime: "Mechanically reconstructed for reviving Cthulhu, this Skeletron has more arms than ever before, and a variety of fierce weapons."

See also

• The Destroyer
• The Twins

History

For changes which affect all the mechanical bosses, see mechanical bosses history.

 PC version

• Desktop 1.4.0.1:
  • Skeletron Prime will now spin faster in Expert Mode.
  • Prime Cannon's Bombs now explode on platforms rather than going through them.

• Desktop 1.3.5: Sprite updated. Old sprite was .

• Desktop 1.3.0.1: Added Expert Mode drop, Mechanical Battery Piece.

• Desktop 1.2.3:
  • Increased health, damage and defense of most parts.
  • Now drops Skeletron Prime Mask.
  • Fixed bug where the player could defeat Skeletron Prime by destroying the Prime Cannon hand and not Skeletron Prime itself.

• Desktop 1.2:
  • Now has a chance to spawn during hardmode with the message: "You feel the air getting colder around you...".
  • Will now drop 20-40 Souls of Fright, instead of 20-30.
  • Now drops Skeletron Prime Trophy.
  • Reduced health, damage and defense of all parts and head.

• Desktop 1.1: Introduced.

 Console version

• Console 1.0.933.1: Added Expert mode drop, Mechanical Battery Piece. ()

• Console 1.0.750.0: Added Expert mode drop, Mechanical Battery Piece. ()

• Console-Release: Introduced.

 Mobile version

• Mobile 1.1.5536: Introduced.

Nintendo 3DS version

• 3DS-Release: Introduced.