If you’ve ever tried to craft the iconic Space Gun or Meteor Armor early in your playthrough, you know meteorite is one of the most valuable pre-Hardmode ores you can get. A lot of new players get stuck wondering how do you get meteorite in Terraria, because it doesn’t spawn naturally in the world when you first generate your map. I’ve run over 20 different playthroughs across classic, expert, and master mode, so I’ve nailed down the fastest, lowest-effort ways to spawn and farm this ore without dying over and over to annoying fall damage or enemy spawns.
How Do You Get Meteorite in Terraria: First Steps to Trigger Spawns
The first thing you need to know is meteorite will never spawn until you beat a specific pre-Hardmode boss. That boss is the Eater of Worlds if you’re playing in a corruption world, or the Brain of Cthulhu if you’re in a crimson world. You don’t have to beat any other bosses first, but I do recommend gearing up with at least gold or platinum armor before you take either on, so you don’t get one-shot.
Once you beat that boss, you’ll get a chat message within a day or two of in-game time that says “A meteorite has landed!” That means a meteorite crash site has spawned somewhere on your map, usually in a relatively flat, open area like the forest, snow, or desert biomes. The site will be full of meteorite ore blocks, plus a bunch of Meteor Heads that spawn non-stop while you’re mining, so you need to come prepared.
You might have heard rumors that you can trigger meteorite spawns by breaking shadow orbs or crimson hearts, but that’s not consistent. The only 100% guaranteed way to trigger a meteorite spawn is to defeat either the Eater of Worlds or Brain of Cthulhu. I’ve tested breaking 10+ shadow orbs in a row without beating the boss before, and I never got a single meteorite spawn, so don’t waste your time on that trick unless you’re just farming for other drops.
Fastest Methods to Farm Meteorite Without Wasting Resources
Once you get the notification that a meteor has landed, your first step should be to grab the right gear before you head to the crash site. The last thing you want is to get halfway through mining and have to run back to your base because you forgot a key item.
- Obsidian Skull: This accessory makes you immune to the burning damage you take from standing on meteorite blocks, which is non-negotiable for smooth mining. You can craft it with 20 obsidian at a workbench.
- Pickaxe with at least 50% pickaxe power: Gold or platinum pickaxes work perfectly, or you can use a nightmare pickaxe or deathbringer pickaxe if you already crafted those from your boss drops. Lower power pickaxes won’t break meteorite blocks at all.
- A decent weapon to clear Meteor Heads: They fly straight at you and only have 26 health, so a fast sword like the Blade of Grass or a bow with jester’s arrows will clear them in one hit.
- Torches and building blocks: Meteorite sites often have big craters, so placing blocks to stand on will stop you from falling into lava if the meteor landed near the underworld, and torches will stop extra enemies from spawning while you mine.
If you want to farm extra meteorite without waiting for random spawns after the first one, you can re-summon the Eater of Worlds or Brain of Cthulhu as many times as you want. Each kill has a 50% chance to trigger a new meteorite spawn, so if you need a lot of ore for multiple crafting projects, this is the fastest way to get it. I usually farm 3 or 4 meteorites per playthrough, so I have enough ore to make a full set of Meteor Armor, a Space Gun, and extra bars for crafting other items later.
One pro trick I use all the time is to clear all flat, open areas near my base before I beat the Eater of Worlds or Brain of Cthulhu. If the only open area on your map is a spot you’ve cleared right next to your base, the meteorite will almost always land there, so you don’t have to spend 10 minutes running across the map to find the crash site. Just make sure you don’t leave any flat areas near your NPC houses, because meteorite crashes will destroy any buildings in the landing zone.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Collecting Meteorite
I’ve made every possible mistake when farming meteorite over the years, so I can save you a lot of frustration by pointing out the most common ones new players make. First, never go to a meteorite site without an Obsidian Skull or another immunity to burning blocks. Even if you have a lot of healing potions, the constant burn damage will drain your health faster than you can heal, especially if Meteor Heads are attacking you at the same time.
Another big mistake is trying to mine meteorite with a pickaxe that’s too weak. A lot of new players grab their iron or lead pickaxe and head to the site, only to find they can’t break the blocks at all. That’s a huge waste of time, so double check your pickaxe power before you leave your base. If you can’t mine hellstone yet, your pickaxe is too weak for meteorite – that’s an easy rule of thumb to remember.
You also don’t want to leave the crash site half-mined if you can avoid it. If you leave meteorite blocks lying around, Meteor Heads will keep spawning in that area indefinitely, even if you’re far away. That can be really annoying if the meteor landed near your base, because you’ll have random flying enemies attacking you every time you go outside. I always mine every last block of meteorite when I go to a site, so I don’t have to deal with extra spawns later.
One last mistake I see all the time is ignoring the area below the meteorite crash site. A lot of the time, meteorites will punch a hole straight down through the ground, so there’s extra ore hidden underground below the visible crater. I usually dig down 20 or 30 blocks below the bottom of the crater to make sure I get every last piece of ore, and I often find 10 or 20 extra blocks that I would have missed otherwise.
Best Uses for Meteorite to Speed Up Your Pre-Hardmode Progression
Once you’ve got a stack of meteorite ore, you’ll need to smelt it into meteorite bars at a furnace, with 3 ore making 1 bar. The most popular use for these bars is crafting the Meteor Armor set and Space Gun combo. If you wear the full Meteor Armor set, the Space Gun uses zero mana, so you can fire it non-stop without having to drink mana potions. This combo is strong enough to beat almost every pre-Hardmode boss, including Skeletron and the Wall of Flesh if you play your cards right.
You can also use meteorite bars to craft the Phaseblade, a fast sword that does 21 damage and emits light when you hold it. It’s a great option if you prefer melee combat over magic, and it’s much stronger than most other swords you can get early in pre-Hardmode. I usually make one of these for exploring the underground jungle, because the light it emits means I don’t have to carry as many torches with me.
Other useful items you can craft with meteorite bars include the Meteor Hamaxe, which works as both a hammer and an axe with very high speed, and the Star Cannon, one of the strongest pre-Hardmode ranged weapons if you have a lot of fallen stars to use as ammo. I only make the Star Cannon if I’m playing on expert or master mode, because the ammo cost is really high for regular playthroughs, but it’s worth it if you’re struggling with tough bosses.
You don’t need to save meteorite bars for Hardmode, either. None of the Hardmode crafting recipes require meteorite, so you can use all of your ore for pre-Hardmode gear without worrying about wasting it. I usually use all of my meteorite bars as soon as I get them, because the gear you can make with it makes the rest of pre-Hardmode so much easier.
At the end of the day, figuring out how do you get meteorite in Terraria is way simpler than a lot of new players make it out to be. All you have to do is beat the Eater of Worlds or Brain of Cthulhu, gear up with the right items, and mine the crash site when it spawns. If you follow the tips I’ve laid out here, you’ll have a full stack of meteorite ore in less than 30 minutes, and you’ll be ready to take on the rest of pre-Hardmode with way stronger gear. Next time you start a new playthrough, you won’t have to waste hours wondering why no meteorites are spawning for you.