Guide:Desert Scourge strategies

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 Expert and 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 invulnerable to all damage, 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.

During the fight, the Desert Scourge will summon Dried Seekers as it takes damage, so keep this in mind when building your arena. In addition to this, two smaller Desert Scourges will spawn at the start of the fight in Revengeance mode or higher.

Armor

 * Wulfrum armor or Victide armor are generally the preferred choices for almost all classes.
 * Platinum armor is an option for melee players, due to it providing the highest available defense.
 * Desert Prowler armor is another option Ranged players can utilize.
 * Snow Ruffian armor, Obsidian armor, and Gladiator armor can be used as an alternative for Rogue players.
 * Ninja armor is an option for throwing players as neither Wulfrum armor nor Victide armor provide bonuses to throwing damage. However, it can also be used for rogue, as it boosts rogue damage and critical strike chance.
 * The Wizard Hat, Diamond Robe, and Jungle Pants combination is the best option for Mage players, providing high damage and mana bonuses.
 * However, full Jungle armor and Meteor armor provide more defense. Meteor armor should only be used in conjunction with the Space Gun.

Accessories

 * Hermes Boots and any of its upgrades are extremely useful in keeping up with the Desert Scourge's pace.
 * Any double jump, preferably the Sandstorm in a Bottle or Blizzard in a Bottle helps with the vertical movement needed to dodge the worms as they gain speed.
 * The Bundle of Balloons combines three double jumps into one, making it very useful, though it requires more effort to obtain.
 * The Frog Leg is another option that gives a sizable jump boost.
 * The Shiny Red Balloon and its upgrades provide a lesser jump boost, as does the Vital Jelly, but may be easier to obtain
 * Stress Pills or Laudanum are great well-rounded accessories providing some movement, defensive, and offensive boosts.
 * 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 accesory which provides powerful damage boosts for all classes.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * Mana Regeneration Potions can be vital as it allows mana to regenerate quickly even when the player is moving.
 * Summoners can boost their minion damage and durability with the Spirit Glyph.

Weapons
Weapons made of Wulfrum Metal Scraps or Victide Bars should suffice, although there are many other available options found early in the game.

Melee

 * The Ball O' Hurt is an excellent option with its large amount of piercing, which can severely dent the Desert Scourge, especially when powered by Rage or Adrenaline.
 * Using this weapon requires a platform closer to the ground in order for the Desert Scourge to be in range of the weapon and as such, can be risky to use.
 * The Cnidarian is a great choice because of its range and overall excellent damage, as the yoyo's speed allows for many high damaging hits.
 * The Mandible Claws paired with the Fungal Symbiote is a good choice for damage and tanking the fight. Arkhalis is even more effective, but requires immense luck to be obtained.

Ranged

 * The Firestorm Cannon is a good option due to its piercing projectiles and the debuff it inflicts.
 * The Minishark is a powerful option as a gun. Any ammo will suffice, although Meteor Shots can provide extra damage due to their piercing capabilities.
 * Any bow, preferably the Seabow or Wulfrum Bow, can make short work of the Desert Scourge with Jester's Arrows. The infinite piercing lands many strikes against the Desert Scourge, often killing it before it has a chance to attack.

Mage

 * The Coral Spout is extremely powerful as the projectiles will constantly deal damage as the Desert Scourge moves through them.
 * 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.
 * Should the player get lucky with Dungeon generation, the Water Bolt is also an option, providing high base damage and piercing.
 * The Sparkling Empress is extremely powerful, as it has infinite piercing and can destroy the Desert Scourge in a few seconds if you hit a lot of its segments.

Summoner

 * The Slime Staff is the best option for summoners, as it 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.

Rogue

 * Despite lacking piercing, the Crystalline is great for its raw damage when all of the split daggers, and can even provide a headstart to the fight with its stealth strike.
 * Wulfrum Knives are another good option that can pierce a few segments.
 * The Gilded Dagger and Gleaming Dagger have long range and good damage.
 * Urchin Stingers are an alternative that behave similarly and have greater damage, but may be harder to obtain. About 180 of them should suffice for the fight.

Throwing

 * Molotov Cocktails are an excellent weapon that have a large area of effect.
 * Shurikens are a good option, as they pierce up to four segments and deal good damage.
 * Throwing Knives are similar to Shurikens, providing more raw damage in exchange for less piercing.

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 provides a useful all around stat boost.
 * Swiftness Potions and Regeneration Potions can provide useful buffs.

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 additional smaller Desert Scourges spawn and should be prioritized before killing the main worm.

It is important to stay on the platform in order to remain out of the Desert Scourge's reach. The Desert Scourge will periodically release Dried Seekers as it takes damage. These can be largely ignored as they cannot reach the arena platform.

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 sand blasts from its body. These can be easily dodged by moving left and right.

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 become invulnerable.

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 the transparency with and  keys can provide the player with icon 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.