Bloomsand Serpent

The Bloomsand Serpent is a desert boss after the Eye of Cthulhu. Boss Checklist says: Use a Thorned Bloombud in the surface desert after defeating the Eye of Cthulhu.

Summon

Defeat the Eye of Cthulhu. At a Work Bench, craft a Thorned Bloombud from Cactus, Sand Blocks, and Antlion Mandibles. Use it on the desert surface. You cannot use another while a serpent is already up. You do not need an empty house first.

A Thorned Bloombud can also be crafted into a Festered Bloombud, which summons the Festersand Serpent.

The sand shakes first. Two sand pillars rise on your flanks. They do no damage. The serpent bursts out, climbs the sky, then lands and plants all four legs. The entrance itself does no damage.

Phases

The body crawls on the sand. Red flower nodes light first, then throw a few slow needles from the nearest node that is above ground. That is a regular attack during the crawl, not a phase change.

Around 60% life it clears its own shots, anchors the hind legs and tail, rears up, and roars. Sandstorms start dropping. The roar itself does no damage. The next attack is the sand vortex dash; it does not idle for a long interval.

Around 25% life every flower flashes at once and it roars again. The storm fills out. The roar is short and does no damage. After that it moves faster, and the first attack is the loop cascade. Tail sweep and the pillar chain also start showing up.

If the player moves far across the desert, it inserts one breach to close the distance. After that chase, it must complete a cycle of other attacks before using this chase again. If you leave the fight it tucks its legs and burrows out. The death scene lasts about 5 seconds. Life is locked and it does no damage.

If you stay about 27 tiles above the sand, ground slams and spit become sky weaves, orbits, or vortex dashes instead.

Moves

Throughout the fight

Dust-lane dash. It opens a runway, drops low, and pulls back. A dust lane draws on the ground. When the line stops, the heading is locked. It burst-dashes along that lane, then hard-brakes. Phase one does three dashes. After the storm it does four, and slow-arc sand globs kick up along the path. Remaining on the lane after the line stops still takes dash damage. If the player is too close, it backs away before charging.

Breach. It dives into the sand. A dune swells for about 0.4 seconds. The mound is the exit. It will not move after that. Then it burst-leaps out in a straight line and dives again. Moving sideways when the mound rises avoids the exit point. After it leaves the sand it does not turn. Phase one does this twice. After the storm it does three.

Sand spit. The body keeps pressing in. The head tracks you briefly, then locks and inhales. Sand globs fire from the outside of a fan inward. The center lane stays empty. After the lock it does not re-aim. At very close range it will not spit, and the attack ends immediately.

Sand pillars. It rears and stomps. The stomp locks the center. A swell wave sweeps the yard, then giant pillars drill up in that same order: twelve at first, fourteen after the storm, sixteen after about 25% life. The space between pillars is the hall. Damage is only on the drill-out. Pillars linger and feed later vaults and detonations. If you are in the air, the pillars form in the air instead.

Sand geysers. It closes in, rears, and slams the front of its body down. A shock marches from the slam toward you, raising short mounds that burst into sand geysers. Each geyser swells for about 0.3 seconds first. The gaps between geysers are walkable. After the slam it goes back to crawling while the geysers keep walking. After about 25% life the march goes both ways.

Sand-ball rain. It backs to mid range, half-rears, and the claws take turns flinging high-arc sand globs over its head. The landings fan across sideways lanes. The lanes between throws are empty. At very close range it ends the attack early. While it throws, it stands still, and the player can damage the body.

Sky orbit. It climbs and circles you. The ring tightens. After the storm, flower nodes fire needles toward the ring center on a beat. Those needles do not chase you. When the timer ends it lights its flowers, roars, and spears through the center it marked, then lands. The body does not cover a full circle. The gap between head and tail keeps turning. The player can leave the ring through that opening.

Cactus balls. It rears back and slings four cactus rolling balls at once. After about 25% life it slings five. The landings bracket where you were. They do not chase. Each ball bounces, then flashes on a fuse and bursts. The landing is unsafe during the flash. A walkable path remains along the sand.

Sky weave. When you fly high, several ground attacks become this instead. It breaks into the air, snakes above you, and spatters sand globs on a beat. After the storm it also sheds storm petals. The wander point stays off your body. The finish locks a dive. The head lights before the dive. After that lock it does not re-aim.

After the storm (about 60% life)

Sand vortex dash. It first pulls to your high flank and spins hard around its own anchor until a sand vortex is visible. The vortex tightens and the grit goes still. Then it locks and burst-dashes. The vortex stays behind and later explodes into a sand ring. The dash should be avoided first, then the ring landing. While it spins, the body is exposed and can be damaged.

Needle ripple. The front half arches. A tell wave lights the red flowers one node at a time, pauses, then each lit node fires giant needles outward along its body. Only flower nodes fire. Buried nodes do not. Needles do not turn after they leave. After the storm a second wave runs from tail to head.

Pillar detonation. It leans back, rears, and roars. Lingering pillars crack and flash, then burst from nearest to farthest into radial sand-glob rings. If too few pillars are up, it plants emergency pillars on your flanks first. The roar pins it in place. Each pillar flashes for at least about 0.5 seconds before it blows.

Pillar vault. It picks the nearest lingering pillar. If none remain it summons one. It spirals up the shaft, pauses on the crown, then kicks off. The pillar sinks as it jumps. Early in the hang it can still re-aim. Late in the hang the heading locks, then it burst-dashes down.

Sky rite. It climbs to a sky anchor and hangs through three beats: claws open, a circling arc, then a clasp overhead. The clasp comes with a roar and plants storm eye marks around you. Each mark telegraphs for about 1 second and does not move after it drops. When they expire, each mark raises a short sandstorm. Marks stay at least about 16 tiles apart. The body can be damaged throughout the hover.

Petal shake. All four legs plant and the body shivers on them. Flower nodes throw slow-falling storm petals that drift with the storm wind. Petals only leave flower nodes. The lanes between petal paths are standable. The wind is locked when the throw starts. After about 25% life this attack chains straight into needle ripple.

Loop cascade. It breaks into the air and draws a full circle on your high flank. The ring dumps sand on a beat and builds a curtain. After one lap it finds a tangent, aims that cut at you, and dives. The ring center locks when it enters. The area under the ring is safe. The sand does not chase. The head lights before the dive.

After the bloom (about 25% life)

Tail sweep. It first grazes past you, then snaps around and whips the chain. During the turn, flower nodes fling needles outward along their own motion. Those needles are not aimed at you. The turn chains straight into a dust-lane dash. Staying at close range is more dangerous than staying far away.

Pillar chain. A sand-pillar stomp goes straight into pillar detonation. Planting and blowing happen in the same sequence.

Drops

• One guaranteed piece from the bloom set
• One of four older desert guns: Sand Dagger, Wasteland Fang, Beneath the Sand, Dune Stalker
• 1 in 4 chance for Song of the Sand
• Antlion Mandibles, Sturdy Fossils, Sand Blocks, Cactus; Amber at a lower rate