Guide:Desert Scourge strategies
| This is a Guide page. This means the page will walk you through a specific task, strategy, or enemy/boss fight. This guide was last updated for version 2.0.2.003. |
Map icon
| Type | Boss – Burrowing Enemy |
|---|---|
| Environment | Desert |
| Max Life | 2,500 / 4,000  / 4,800  / 6,000  / 7,200 |
| KB Resist | 100% |
| Immune to |   |
| Cold | Vulnerable |
|---|---|
| Water | Vulnerable |
| Sickness | Vulnerable |
| Electricity | - |
| Heat | - |
| Coins | 5  |
|---|
- Item (Quantity)Rate
- 100%
Pearl Shard (25-30 / 30-40 )100%
Coral (25-30 / 30-40 )100%
Seashell (25-30 / 30-40 )100%
Starfish (25-30 / 30-40 )100%
Sand Block (5-15)100%- At least one of the following 5 weapons will always drop:
- 25% / 33.33%
- 25% / 33.33%
- 25% / 33.33%
- 25% / 33.33%
- 25% / 33.33%
- 100%
- 25% / 33.33%
- 25% / 33.33%
Lesser Healing Potion (5-15)100%- 14.29%
- 10%
- 1%
Desert Scourge (Lore)(Always on first kill)100%
Treasure Bag(Desert Scourge)100%
Desert Scourge Relic(In Master or Revengeance Mode only)100% / 100%
The Desert Scourge is usually the first Calamity boss players will face in their playthrough, typically fought after King Slime. The Desert Scourge is summoned by using a Desert Medallion in the Desert biome at any time.
This guide will mention items exclusive to Revengeance Mode with no special formatting and will follow the intended progression.
Terrain Preparation
Leaving the Desert biome will cause the Desert Scourge to enrage, becoming faster and allowing it to track the player better, so staying in the Desert should be the highest priority.
Build a single set of platforms above the desert and preferably level the ground of the arena. The platforms should be about 20 blocks above the ground. Great vertical and horizontal mobility is a must for this fight, considering the high mobility of the boss itself. Campfires and Heart Lanterns are useful assets to boost health regeneration, so they should be placed throughout the arena.
Gearing Up
Armor
- All pre-Hardmode ore armors are viable with the new stats provided by Calamity, from Copper armor to Platinum armor.
- Desert Prowler armor and Fossil armor are good sets for rangers due to their bonuses to ranged damage.
- The combination of the Wizard Hat, Diamond Robe and Jungle Pants is the best damage set for mages.
- However, full Jungle armor provides more defense and mana reduction.
- Snow Ruffian armor or Gladiator armor is ideal for rogues.
- A full set of Wulfrum armor is the best damage set for summoners.
- A full set of Ancient Shadow armor is one of the best options for melee, however it can be difficult to obtain.
- The Gi is also a powerful melee armor piece that can be added to another set.
Accessories
- Hermes Boots and any of its upgrades are extremely useful in keeping up with the Desert Scourge's pace.
- The Dunerider Boots in particular could be considered for their increased velocity on sand due to this fight taking place entirely in the Desert.
- Any double jump - preferably the Sandstorm in a Bottle or Blizzard in a Bottle, and their upgrades - will help with the vertical movement needed to dodge the worms as they gain speed.
- The Fledgling Wings are a viable alternative to jumps at this stage, having about the same height as a Cloud in a Bottle but with the benefit of gliding, but may still be a bit slow compared to its jump counterparts.
- The Frog Leg is another option that gives a sizable jump speed boost.
- The Shiny Red Balloon and its upgrades provide a lesser jump boost, but if combined into a Horseshoe Jump can help save accessory slots.
- The Vital Jelly has a similar weaker effect, without the upsides of the balloon upgrades, but may be easier to obtain.
- Magiluminescence is a strong movement accessory for horizontal movement, which can help with dodging sand blasts or charges while the player lacks a dash.
- The Stress Pills are a great well-rounded accessory for providing some movement, defensive, and offensive boosts.
- If the player is getting hit a lot, an Adhesive Bandage could be considered to mitigate the Bleeding debuff inflicted by contact damage.
- The Heart of Darkness is very useful as it provides a faster and easier way to regenerate the Rage Meter.
- Luxor's Gift is a great accessory that provides powerful damage boosts for all classes.
- The Abyssal Amulet is a very powerful accessory capable of shredding through the boss's health in seconds.
- The Shark Tooth Necklace provides armor penetration, increasing the damage of your weapons. This is especially helpful for low-damage and fast-firing weapons such as the Minishark.
- The Rover Drive is a great defensive accessory for all classes, granting 10 defense and a barrier that can absorb up to 20 damage.
- Melee players using yoyos should equip a White String and/or a Counterweight to increase the range and effectiveness of the yoyo.
- Magic players can make use of the Magic Cuffs and/or Mana Flower along with Mana Potions to recover their mana during the fight.
- Summoners can boost their minion damage and durability with the Spirit Glyph and Wulfrum Battery.
- The Unstable Granite Core is a great option for all classes at close range.
Weapons
Weapons made of Wulfrum Metal Scraps should suffice, although there are many other available options found early in the game.
Melee
- The Yateveo Bloom used as a flail is an excellent option that can severely dent the Desert Scourge, especially when powered by Rage or Adrenaline.
- The Blade of Grass, Platinum Broadsword, or Terragrim can deal fantastic damage to the Desert Scourge.
- The Depth Crusher is a great weapon, as its debuff takes effect on every segment of the Desert Scourge, allowing the player to deal large amounts of damage from only a few hits.
- The Old Lord Claymore is an excellent weapon that can be slightly harder to obtain.
- The Bladecrest Oathsword is another very strong weapon that can be a little harder to obtain.
- Yoyo users should use the Amazon or Rally, which can deal respectable damage.
Ranged
- The Magna Cannon is an extremely powerful weapon that can be slightly harder to obtain.
- The Minishark is a powerful option as a gun. Any ammo will suffice, although Flash Rounds' area of effect explosion hits multiple segments making it the best option.
- Any bow, preferably a Gold Bow, Platinum Bow or Blood Rain Bow, can make short work of the Desert Scourge with Jester's Arrows or Unholy Arrows.
- The Spark Spreader's piercing flames can get fantastic DPS against the Desert Scourge's many segments.
Mage
- The Frost Bolt is a good option, as its piercing ability plus its capability to inflict Frostburn can deal high damage to the Desert Scourge's summons in a short amount of time.
- Gem Staves, particularly the Ruby Staff or Diamond Staff, are good choices, providing high damage with the higher tier staves providing additional piercing.
- The Amber Staff may be a more preferable option as it fires three bolts that pierce once in one click.
- The Wulfrum Prosthesis can be used as a support tool for quickly regenerating mana without having to worry about the Mana Sickness debuff.
- The Vilethorn or Crimson Rod from the world evils can be decent at piercing the worm's multiple segments.
- However, the Crimson Rod works better as a support tool than as the main source of damage.
Summoner
- The Flinx Staff, or the stronger but harder to obtain Vampire Frog Staff, are strong options for summoners, as both can make short work of the Desert Scourge's many segments.
- The Stormjaw Staff is also extremely good for damage output due to the sparks hitting the Desert Scourge multiple times.
- The Belladonna Spirit Staff can inflict Poisoned, a debuff the Desert Scourge is especially vulnerable to, on several of its segments at once.
- The Wulfrum Controller's right-click function can be used as a good support option, especially when paired with the Rover Drive.
- The Frost Blossom is an effective weapon to use in combination with another summon, as it deals consistent damage.
- The Experimental Wulfrum Fusion Array from the Wulfrum armor's set bonus and whips like Snapthorn are great ways to deal active damage during the fight.
Rogue
- Despite lacking piercing, the Crystalline is great for its raw damage when all of the daggers split, and can even provide a head start to the fight with its stealth strike.
- Nasty Cholla can attach directly to the Desert Scourge and deal extra damage with its cactus needle projectiles, especially with its stealth strike.
- The Gilded Dagger and Gleaming Dagger have high velocity and good damage and can get extra hits with their stealth strikes.
- The Bouncing Eyeball is also a great option if you can last through a Blood Moon.
Miscellaneous
- The Slimy Saddle is a powerful mount that can be used to attack the Desert Scourge while additionally remaining out of harm's way.
- The Well Fed buff and its upgrades provide useful all-around stat boosts for all classes.
- Rage Potions or Wrath Potions provide a considerable increase to damage.
- Swiftness Potions and Regeneration Potions can provide useful buffs.
- Bounding Potions are especially useful in higher difficulties.
- Calcium Potions prevent fall damage without using an accessory slot.
The Fight
The Desert Scourge will spawn off-screen, which means players should be prepared to avoid the Desert Scourge as it approaches them. In Revengeance Mode or higher, two Desert Nuisances spawn and should be prioritized before killing the main worm.
Occasionally the Desert Scourge will burrow underground before lunging at the player and burrowing again. This can be dodged by moving in the opposite direction it is lunging and actually leaves the boss extremely vulnerable to attacks.
In Revengeance mode and higher, the main worm will occasionally fire spreads of sand blasts from its body, typically during jumps. These can be easily dodged by staying away from the head, or jumping over them or between the gaps. During its charge, signified by a roar, it will fire a large spread of gravity-affected sand blasts into the air in an arc, which the player will need to weave through the gaps to avoid. It can be easy to miss the falling blasts if the player is not expecting them.
In Death Mode, the Desert Scourge is larger, has more body segments, burrows more often, and increases its acceleration and velocity as it loses health. The strategy players should use mostly remains the same, however.
The Desert Scourge can use platforms to burrow higher, so be sure to place them high up so it cannot reach them. Be sure to not place them outside of the Desert or it will enrage and become much harder to dodge.
As the Desert Scourge takes more damage, it will get exponentially faster and will eventually be able to gain enough speed to reach the arena platform. It is imperative to avoid the head at all costs as contact with it deals immense damage, especially in Expert mode and higher.
General Tips
- Disabling backgrounds can help players who have trouble focusing on all the different things that are going on during the fight.
- In Revengeance mode and higher, using Adrenaline or Rage can remove a large chunk of the Desert Scourge's health when it is low to swiftly end the fight.
- Using the Overlay Minimap and changing its transparency with Page Up and Page Down keys can provide the player with icons of bosses that are too far to see without the Minimap, making it a useful tactic to aim at bosses.
- The head should be avoided at all costs, as it deals immense damage. If you find yourself cornered, try to get hit by the body instead, and use invincibility frames to escape.
