How to defeat the Desert Scourge (Calamity)

In this guide I will be teaching you how to beat the Desert Scourge from the Calamity Mod.

What is the Desert Scourge?

The Desert Scourge is the first of many, many worm bosses in the Calamity mod. It is also one of the first bosses you should fight. (King Slime is really the only other boss you can beat before this.) Like most of the other worm bosses, it will not split into smaller worms. It is also fairly easy, you can probably beat it in the time it will take you to read this guide, if you know what you'e doing. I'll teach you how to prepare for the fight, or straight up cheese the fight.

Player and Arena preparations

For your player, you'll want at least 200 health, and your mana depends from class to class. (Melee, Ranged, and Rogue don't need any mana for this fight, whereas Mages or Summoners will need as much as they can hold.) Wulfrum armor should work unless you're playing Rev+. Desert Prowler armor is cheap enough to get before this boss, so Rangers may choose to use this armor. In the same vein, Snow Ruffian armor is also cheap to get, so Rogue players can use this one.

In terms of accessories, you really don't need anything too severe. Something like Hermes boots and a cloud in a bottle should be everything you need. If you need potions, you're either playing Malice or you suck at the game, but Swiftness potions and Ironskin potions should be all you need. Mana Regeneration Potions also help if you're a mage. (edit: i forgor that mages exist💀.)

For the Arena, you'll need 80 platforms of any kind, and 2 campfires. (You can also use heart lanterns or sunflowers. Or better yet, all three. This is a minimal arena.) Make a flat area (in the desert) that is 40 blocks long. Go up by five blocks and repeat your 40 block long strip. Go up by five blocks and repeat. Place your campfires in spots where you don't have the campfire buff. You have finished your arena. (This is by far the cheapest and most effective arena for pre-hardmode. It won't work on the wall.)

The arena template is probably too small for most people, so feel free to expand it.

Weapons

Melee:

Melee has by far the most customization at this point. However, most of the weapons in this list require some adventuring.
1. The Ball O' Hurt is a flail that pierces, so you can do a lot of damage if you hit it. (Being a flail requires you to be close, so this may cause grievous bodily injury in higher difficulties.)
2. Mandible Claws and the Fungal Symbiote can destroy worms anything at this point in the game. You'll need to have decent defense or a good tank strategy to survive this, (Rev+) but it works incredibly well.
3. If you know where Moray Eels spawn (i dont), you can get the Depth Crusher, and you can utilize blunt force trauma on a worm to kill it. The debuff is applied to every section of a worm it hits, so this can quickly break Desert Scourge.

Ranged:

The most forgiving class in the game has less options than Melee.
1. The Minishark is expensive, but it's also the only effective gun against Desert Scourge
2. Any bow can work if you use jester's arrows, but the Wulfrum bow has good stats for the cost.

Mage:

Magic Weapons are hard to get at this point in the game, but most are high damage or piercing.
1. Frost Bolt: The simple recipe and frostfire ability combined make this weapon a necessary piece of any Mage's arsenal.
2. Ruby / Diamond Staff: Hard to get but the small bit of piercing will assist you against worms big and small.

Summoner:

You're in for a rough time as all of your weapons are low damage, but you can do this!
1. Slime Staff: The one you need the most, it can just sit there and do lots of damage.
2. Stormjaw Staff: If you have an extra minion slot, use this guy. The sparks will prove helpful in many ways.

Rogue:

Another class where the Wulfrum model will save you.
1. The Ashen Stalactite is hard to get, but it apparently works wonders.
2. Wulfrum Daggers are consumable, but they're cheap to mass produce.

The Fight

Boss: Desert Scourge
Fight Time: 5-10 minutes
Potions: Health (Lesser or Normal), Ironskin, Swiftness, Regeneration, Mana. (If your class has that)

Starting the Fight: Use a Desert Medallion in the desert at any time. (Desert Medallions are crafted with: 10 cactus, 15 sand, 3 Antlion Mandibles, and 1 Stormlion Mandible.) I recommend the day, as you won't be swarmed by eyes. Once it appears, just start wailing on it.

What not to do:
Leave the Desert. Never do this, it can enrage.
Stop Moving. It will destroy you if you stop moving.

Important Stuff

The arena image is mine. The Desert Scourge image however, belongs to NotLagias on DeviantArt.

In Revengeance, Death, or the Boss Rush, Desert Scourge spawns with 2 smaller Desert Scourges. Deal with them first.

This guide will not help with the Boss Rush. I'm making a Boss Rush guide though, so sit tight.

Thanks For Reading!!

Now go end that worm! :)

[Popslyme]

this could have been shortened to just "hit worm and don't get hit by it" and people would still unironically find it helpful

[rxnd0m.p3rsxn]

bro gave a guide on desert scourge

[appsforalex]

@balloony gaming yes that is good

[YourAverageFortniteHater]

@GouopyGuy
firestorm cannon is now post-DS
:(

[ScrubLord]

another way to kill it, DON'T BE A COWARD, ITS SO EASY TO KILL

[gameysalt]

i thought it was say dodge to beat him.

[GouopyGuy]

for ranged you should use the firestorm cannon it absolutely decimates

[TheFShow16]

woah a real guide lmao

[Cream of Cheese]

Stop talking about it being outdated I fixed

[TheApproachingStorm]

instructions unclear, accidentaly turned the worm into a devouer of gods