In Core Keeper, players are dropped into a sunken world beneath the surface where they must eke out a life and survive against impossible odds. Along the way, they’ll need to defeat a series of bosses, many of which feel insurmountable.
Core Keeper is an open-world survival crafting game at heart, but it brings its own twist to keep players on their toes. There’s no need to start the game and immediately hammer through each boss. Players can take their time and build the perfect base. However, it pays to seek out bosses and defeat them because of the rare loot they drop and the element of progression those wins add to the story players craft for themselves.
Related: Can you Respawn and Refight Bosses in Core Keeper?
How to Find & Defeat All Core Keeper Bosses
Below, we’ve outlined how and where players can find every boss in Core Keeper. We’ve also included strategies for how to defeat these bosses since many of them require players to think and attack differently from the last.
Note that while we’ve listed these bosses in the order that most payers will tackle them, some are optional. As players grow in confidence, these optional bosses are a fund distraction from base building and Core Keeper’s minor enemies.
Glurch the Abominous Mass
Glurch the Abominous Mass is the first boss most players will fight in Core Keeper. To find it, players must tunnel away from the core until they hear a dull thudding and see the screen shake ever so slightly. That thudding is Glurch in a chamber somewhere up ahead, so players need to locate it by digging in the right direction until it becomes louder.
Once players find Glurch’s chamber, they’ll be able to rush up to it and initiate a fight. We were massively underprepared for this battle, thinking we could do it with little more than a sword. Glurch is no pushover though, leaving slime that will cause players to slow and spawn smaller slimes that will attack them.
The best way to defeat Glurch the Abominous Mass is by making appropriate preparations and going in with enough weapons to defeat it quickly. Bringing food that will heal players and apply a Glow effect will help them see in the dark arena. A sword is fine, but players should try to bring a ranged weapon such as the slingshot, too.
Attacking Glurch head-on is simple, but the boss will quickly leap and try to crush them, so dodging its attacks is key. Then, at one-third health, the boss will pause and start to grow. This is a great time to get in and deal a ton of damage. Its final phase sees the boss speed up and become near-impossible to attack. Players should deal as much damage as they can in the early stages to prevent this final stage from occurring, but if it does, they need to keep up the offensive and dodge incoming attacks until they’ve slashed Glurch to ribbons.
Ghorm the Devourer
Ghorm the Devourer is our favorite boss in Core Keeper. It’s a giant worm that’s forever tunneling around in a circle in the Clay Caves region. To find it, players need to pick a direction. We chose south and dig. Eventually, after finding tough enemies to fight that force them to upgrade their armor and weapons, players will stumble into a tunnel. This is the structure Ghorm has created by moving around the map for who knows how long.
Players can’t simply attack and defeat Ghorm, though; they must first cause it to stop and take notice of them. Then, it’ll rush around them, trying to kill them while they desperately fight it and hope they don’t get crushed. The best way to do this is to mine out as much Tin Ore as possible. This is used to craft Spike Traps, and players need as many as they can craft and carry.
Once players have a massive stock of Spike Traps, they should head to Ghorm’s tunnel and place them in the boss’s path. This will cause it to suffer a huge amount of damage when it next makes a pass in this area, causing it to skid and slow. At that point, players should rush in and attack with a sword or explosives if they have them.
Once Ghorm regains its composure, it’ll be angry and will rush at the player, moving around in circles trying to kill it. Smaller enemies will also attack, and that makes this fight so much harder. We found that the best way to defeat Ghorm in Core Keeper is to do it quickly. Spike Traps and explosives work a treat, decimating its health before it has a chance to attack. Once it’s dead, players can use their remaining weapons to deal with all the smaller enemies that’ll rush them.
The Hive Mother
The Hive Mother is a deeply disturbing boss that shook us on our first few attempts. It’s very different from what’s come before and marks the point where Core Keeper players need to get serious about crafting.
To find The Hive Mother, players must mine into the Larva Hive biome. This is the region beyond Ghorm’s tunnel, where all sorts of bugs and larvae crawl out to attack players. The only way to approach this area is with the best armor and weapons possible.
Carapace Armor can be built using parts from Ghorm and combined with Iron Pants for a great defense. The Iron Sword is a good offensive choice, but it’s wise also to bring a ranged weapon such as the Flintlock Musket or Iron Bow. This will set players up with an arsenal that can destroy The Hive Mother.
As for the fight itself, The Hive Mother can follow players and spit acid at them. Combined with an endless supply of smaller enemies, this fight can feel impossible. It’s worth either digging up the acid that falls or avoiding it completely. Players can dodge most attacks and get up close for some melee hits, but ranged weapons do best here.
Some players like to dig a tunnel and hide just out of sight so they can attack The Hive Mother without it spitting acid at them, but we’ve not tested this strategy, so it’s unclear how well it works. The tactic we use is always to go in with the best armor and weapons possible at the time. Spike Traps and explosives also always help make short work of anything that’s trying to deal damage.
Haunted Hive Mother (Halloween Event Boss)
As players will likely have guessed already, Haunted Hive Mother is simply a Halloween variant of The Hive Mother boss. The fight with this boss is the same as the boss fight with The Hive Mother in Core Keeper. However, the loot it drops is different, offering players Halloween goodies for their effort.
To find the Haunted Hive Mother, players need to get the Haunted Hive Mother Summoning Idol by killing enemies for a Samhain Goodie Bag or purchasing one from the Caveling Shaman during the game’s Halloween event. Then, once they have the Idol, players need to place it on the Hive Mother’s Rune to spawn the Haunted Hive Mother boss for them to fight.
Azeos the Sky Titan
Azeos, the Sky Titan, is one of the most formidable bosses in Core Keeper. For a long time, it was also the final boss, but now there’s so much more for players to overcome. The challenge with beating Azeos starts with summoning it. First, players must find Azeos’ Wilderness.
This is located beyond the edge of Core Keeper’s map and can only be accessed once players have beaten Glurch, Ghorm, and The Hive Mother, so they can upgrade their character at the Core. It’s obvious when a character has been upgraded because they’ll gain the Souls slot.
With an upgraded character, players can interact with The Great Wall at the map’s edge and enter Azeos’ Wilderness, but Azeos won’t be there. To summon the boss, players must use the Ancient Hologram Pod to craft The Glimmering Object with a colossal amount of resources. Placing The Glimmering Object in Azeos’ Wilderness when its shadow is visible every 30 minutes will summon it to battle. See below for a map reference for Azeos’ Wilderness.
To beat Azeos, players must enter its lair and plug all the holes in the ground with bridges before summoning it because movement is key. We also recommend bringing movement-enhancing food and equipment to help dodge the boss’s lightning attacks that only speed up in its second phase.
Once Azeos is in sight, players must deal as much damage as they can with ranged and melee weapons. The boss will spawn crystals in the arena that must be destroyed quickly with a pickaxe because they can heal Azeos. If players keep up their health and continue to deal damage over time, they’ll eventually destroy Azeos and conquer one of the toughest Core Keeper bosses.
Awakened Azeos (Easter Event Boss)
As with the Haunted Hive Mother boss, the Awakened Azeos boss is a seasonal variant of Azeos the Sky Titan, but for Easter instead of Halloween. The battle is exactly the same as the one with the original boss, but players have a chance to earn exclusive Easer-themed loot by defeating it.
To summon Awakened Azeos, players must get a Large Golden Egg by trading five Brown, Rose, Gray, and Green Easter Eggs to the Seasonal Merchant during the Easter seasonal event. The Large Golden Egg must be placed in Azeos’ arena, and the new boss will then spawn ready to fight.
Omoroth the Sea Titan
Omoroth the Sea Titan was added to Core Keeper with The Sunken Sea expansion, and it’s a very tricky one to defeat. The boss is located out in The Sunken Sea and needs to be reached by boat, which is risky because whirlpools surround it.
We suggest players build a series of platforms around the boss before attacking it because these will provide plenty of space to dodge attacks and deal damage. It’s possible to beat this boss in a boat, but only the Speeder, which is much faster and protects players from quick attacks from Omoroth.
It’s best to bring ranged weapons to this fight because of how awkward it is to score melee attacks. While Omoroth will reach out with tentacles to slap players about, it’s rare that this is a good opportunity for an attack and should really be dodged. Players should settle in for a long fight with this one and may want to opt for a combination of platforms and boats to help them move out of the way of attacks and get in more of their own hits.
Ra-Akar the Sand Titan
Ra-Akar the Sand Titan is a massive scarab beetle in The Desert of Beginnings. Players will need to explore the area to find its lair and then use a Thumper in that location to summon it to a battle. Going in unprepared would be foolish, though, since this is a challenging boss fight.
The strategy we recommend takes a while to set up, but it’ll make short work of the boss. First, players should mine away as much of the area as possible to give themselves space for the fight. Then, they should place around 20 Galaxite Turrets and finally summon Ra-Akar. The turrets will make quick work of the boss and end the battle quickly.
Ra-Akar has some brutal attacks. It can hide its body and shoot out fire, which is when players should heal, and even summon smaller scarabs that will explode and instantly kill a player if they don’t dodge them. It’s targetted earthquake attack is predictable and easy to get away from, but it’s still something that can throw players off if they don’t pay attention.
The power of these attacks makes us prefer the methodical approach to planning a trap for Ra-Akar. It might seem cruel, as if we’re not giving it a chance, but players aren’t given a chance if it fights, so we feel it’s fair to slaughter it with machines.
Malugaz the Corrupted (Optional)
Malugaz the Corrupted is possibly the toughest optional boss fight in Core Keeper. To find it, players must locate the Throne Room in the Forgotten Ruins. This is the first real challenge with the boss, and it doesn’t get easier.
Once the room has been located, players need to lay the Skull of the Corrupted Shaman, crafted with ten Crystal Skull Shards, on the skull symbol in the room. This will spawn the boss, who will immediately begin launching fireballs and teleporting, causing large areas of fire to spawn on the floor. It’s a nightmare to work around, but it’s possible to do so with ranged attacks.
When players get Malugaz down to zero health in this phase, he’ll burst into flames and regain all his health for a second one. During each phase, players can’t leave the room because Malugaz will just start regenerating health. It makes things so much more difficult, but placed weapons such as turrets can keep his attention away long enough to deal some damage.
During its second phase, Malugaz will leap toward players and opt for flaming melee attacks that cause players a great deal of damage. Ranged weapons are useless at this point, so players are better off using a fantastic melee one, such as the Poisonous Sickle.
Ivy the Poisonous Mass (Optional)
Ivy the Poisonous Mass is a complete option boss in Core Keeper, located in Azeos’ Wilderness, but it drops a pretty powerful weapon. Any players hoping to upgrade their arsenal before battling Azeos should find it and beat it because the Poisonous Sickle works wonders on most enemies from this point in the game onward.
To find Ivy, players need to enter Azeos’ Wilderness in the way we’ve already outlined in Azeos’ section in this article. Then, they’ll feel the ground shake and start to see the screen move. As with Glurch, players must follow the sound until it becomes loud enough and they’re close enough to see Ivy the Poisonous Mass in its own little arena.
This boss is a carbon copy of Glurch’s, but it’s a poisonous variant. Ivy will launch poisonous barbs at players, and its slime deals damage over time when touched. This is far from an easy fight, but it’s much more simple than Azeos will be. We recommend tackling Ivy if players are struggling to find Azeos and want a distraction from locating or being beaten by that boss.
Morpha the Aquatic Mass (Optional)
Morpha the Aquatic Mass is located in The Sunken Sea and can be found using a scanner sold by the Spirit Merchant. It’s another copy of the Glurch the Abominous Mass and Ivy the Poisonous Mass boss fights but with a steamy twist.
Between bouts of trying to leap onto players, Morpha will let out streams of bubbles in all directions that will damage the player if they’re too close. It will also spawn slippery slime that sends players flying off in a direction they didn’t sign up for, but it’s not too difficult to put down. It helps that this boss fight comes after at least two very similar ones by the time players are ready for it.
Igneous the Molten Mass (Optional)
Igneous, the Molten Mass is found in the Molten quarry biome in Core Keeper. Players will need to search around in this biome to find a much larger quarry than all the others because that’s where Igneous is lurking. If players use the Ancient Hologram Pod, they can craft a locator to find Igneous, which makes hunting it down far easier.
As should be expected with another Mass-type boss, the battle against Igenous resembles that of Glurch the Abominous Mass. Players must dodge incoming jump attacks and the few fiery enemies the boss spawns. The main difference with this fight is that Igneous shoots out fire instead of bubbles or slime.
It can get quite heated if players are unprepared, so it’s worth bringing along a few turrets and healing foods to ensure players make it to the end of the fight. The main draw of this option boss is the loot it drops. Players can get the Magma Hotn Armor, Burnzooka, and Scorching Aegis, all of which are powerful against any remaining bosses in Core Keeper.
Atlantean Worm (Optional)
The Atlantean Worm boss is located at the bottom of Core Keeper’s Sunken Sea. To locate it, players will need the Atlantean Worm Scanner from The Spirit Merchant. Then, to summon it, they must use the Bait Pillar, purchased from the Brave Merchant, which will get it to surface and fight.
The best strategy for beating this boss is using a Speeder boat and a ranged weapon. When the Atlantean Worm surfaces, it’s angry and will spit and lunge at players, so movement is necessary to avoid taking any damage.
The boss has several weak points that must be hit before a smaller worm emerges. Attacking this will cause even more damage and beat the boss faster. Any player going after the Atlantean Worm needs to be prepared because it’s one of the hardest fights in Core Keeper. It’s a challenge that most might never want to take on, but it’s incredibly rewarding because of all the Atlantean Worm loot it drops.
King Slime (Optional)
King Slime is an optional boss that was added to Core Keeper with its Terraria crossover. To find it, players must place a Crown Summoning Idol on any Slime Summoning Rune. All slime enemies can drop this item, so it’s pretty easy to farm.
To defeat King Slime in Core Keeper, players need to follow the same strategy they used against Glurch the Abominous Mass. It’s a copy of that same boss fight, though King Slime will spawn many more blue slime enemies. Dodging the same jumping attacks is the only way to avoid damage, but if players leave the battle until they’ve defeated two or three bosses, they should find it no trouble at all.
Published: Jan 6, 2024 07:31 am