Empress of Light Terraria boss · Hardmode · #16 in the usual order

Empress of Light in Terraria — Empress of Light

A radiant fairy queen who guards the Hallow, wrapped in rainbow light. She can be fought after Plantera but is much harder than most Hardmode bosses. She is optional, and beating her in daylight gives the famous Terraprisma.

Stage: Hardmode
Required?: Optional
Summon: Prismatic Lacewing
Where: The Hallow, night (daytime fights are lethal)
Max life: 70,000 (Classic)
Defense: 50

Biome: The Hallow

Stats by difficulty

Stat	Classic	Expert	Master
Max life	70,000	98,000	124,950
Contact damage	80	110	165

How to summon Empress of Light

Prismatic Lacewing. Kill a Prismatic Lacewing, a rare critter that appears in the surface Hallow at night after Plantera has been beaten. You can catch one with a bug net and release it later.

Attacks and phases

First phase: homing prismatic bolts, rows of Ethereal Lances, rotating Sun Dance rays and Everlasting Rainbow spirals, plus dashes across the screen.
At half health she grows faster and more aggressive, and her lances come in more varied patterns.
During the day she enrages: every attack kills almost instantly. In Expert she always uses her harder patterns, but only the day version one-shots.

Strategy

Build a large flat arena in the surface Hallow and stay in the Hallow.
Fight at night unless you are aiming for the Terraprisma.
Learn her patterns: most attacks have a clear wind-up, and the lances show where they will strike.
Fast wings and a dash are key to escape the Sun Dance and dashes.
Bring every buff potion, a Campfire and a Heart Lantern.

Recommended weapons

Melee

Terra Blade or Influx Waver

Ranged

Tsunami or Chain Gun with Chlorophyte Bullets

Magic

Razorblade Typhoon or Bat Scepter

Summoner

Xeno Staff or Tempest Staff with the Dark Harvest

Armor and gear for each stage.

Drops

Item	Qty	Chance
One of the following will always be dropped
Nightglow	1	25%
Starlight	1	25%
Kaleidoscope	1	25%
Eventide	1	25%
Empress Wings	1	6.67%
Prismatic Dye	3	25%
Stellar Tune	1	2%
Rainbow Cursor	1	5%
Terraprisma	1	100% (daytime kill)
Greater Healing Potion	5–15	100%
Empress of Light Mask	1	14.29%
Empress of Light Trophy	1	10%

Expert and Master Mode extras

Soaring Insignia Expert · 100%

Jewel of Light Master · 25%

Empress of Light Relic Master · 100%

Classic Mode rates. In Expert and Master Mode most loot comes in a treasure bag , which also holds the Expert-only Soaring Insignia.

After you beat Empress of Light

Nothing needed for progress
One of Nightglow, Starlight, Kaleidoscope or Eventide, and a chance of Empress Wings
The Terraprisma if you win during the day, and the Soaring Insignia (Expert)

Did you know? Killing her during the day guarantees the Terraprisma, often called the best minion before Moon Lord.

FAQ

How do you summon Empress of Light in Terraria?

Kill a Prismatic Lacewing, a rare critter that appears in the surface Hallow at night after Plantera has been beaten. You can catch one with a bug net and release it later.

How much health does Empress of Light have?

70,000 in Classic, 98,000 in Expert and 124,950 in Master Mode.

What does Empress of Light drop?

Nightglow, Starlight, Kaleidoscope, Eventide, Empress Wings, Prismatic Dye, plus the Soaring Insignia from the Expert Mode treasure bag.

What should I use against Empress of Light?

Melee: Terra Blade or Influx Waver. Ranged: Tsunami or Chain Gun with Chlorophyte Bullets. Magic: Razorblade Typhoon or Bat Scepter. Summoner: Xeno Staff or Tempest Staff with the Dark Harvest.

Sources & picture credits

Guide text is original retrogameindex writing, checked against the Terraria Wiki. Boss statistics and drop rates are the game values shown in the Terraria Wiki’s infoboxes. Sprites and artwork © Re-Logic; local copies archived from Terraria Wiki file pages (listed on the image gallery).