Bosses | Planetary Guide Starbound Guide
Last update: 11 May 2016
Bosses are the special type of enemies that you can encounter in the game world, or summon with the special items. Each one of them requires an appropriate preparation, a well-thought through strategy and appropriate weaponry and armor.
Apart from the main bosses, in the game, you can also encounter mini-bosses. Just like monsters, these opponents are generated by the game and they can appear on the surface of a planet or in some undergrounds. They usually are much more powerful than the regular monsters but, not s dangerous as the main bosses. Once a mini-boss is defeated, there is a chance that it drops an unique type of weapon.
Dreadwing the Penguin
The first one of the available bosses in the first sector. You can summon him towards the end of the introductory missions.
This boss looks like a typical flying saucer with a penguin in the cockpit. It is quite big and attacks, mainly, with laser rays, capable of destroying blocks and ground slams. He also sends out large numbers of minions in the form of penguins with firearms. And explosives, as well as tanks.
Requirements to summon: Distress Beacon (10x Iron Bar, 2x Silver Bar, 10x Copper Bar, 100x Wood Planks, 150 Pixels)
Reward: Molten Core
Strategy: Since it is the first boss in the game, and also one appearing towards the end of the introductory missions, it can be quite a problem, mainly because the players summon him to complete the mission, without proper preparation. Therefore, before you use the Distress Beacon, craft for yourself, at least, the full set of the Iron Armor and an Iron Hunting Bow. Also, you are going to need a Pulse Jump Tech, to jump over the pesky minions, which the boss sends out. Once you are ready, find a relatively flat and open area and deploy the beacon. After the boss appears, focus all of your attention on him. Keep shooting your bow at him and jump over the minions. Try to stay in motion, for the whole time, to prevent being surrounded by too many minions. The battle is quite long and, as long as you are avoiding the penguins, the boss himself should not be too much of a challenge. If there are too many opponents, try to eliminate some of them at a distance or block them off with a wall of blocks.
Fatal Circuit
The boss in the Beta sector. It looks like a big robot with his brain inside a glass jar. He attacks with regular attacks, when close, and with the flame thrower, at a distance.
Requirements to summon: Inactive Robot (105x Steel Bar, Artificial Brain, 1650 Pixels)
Reward: Processor
Strategy: It is one of the easiest bosses in the game. Before you start the battle, however, arm yourself with the full set of the Steel Armor and a steel weapon of your choice as well as the Steel Hunting Bow or a firearm. Once you find the appropriate spot for the fight, deploy the robot and activate it. The safest method of fighting is to keep at a distance and fire the bow, or the firearm at the opponent. Unfortunately, the boss is quite quick and you can quickly make it within the range of his flames. For that reason, it is a good idea to use the environment. The robot tends to have problems with small holes in the ground and, if he falls into one, he may be incapable of jumping out. Use this to conduct fire at a safe distance, while aiming at his head. You can also defeat the boss with melee weapons but, you need to be prepared to take additional damage from fire.
There also is a smarter and safer method of fighting. You only need to build a small "chimney" off the single blocks of soil, stacked on top of the other on a flat area. Then, put the robot at the bottom, between two walls and activate him. Now, you only need to climb onto the chimney and keep firing at the robot from above. The walls need to be quite tall, so that you stay out of the robot's reach.
Bone Dragon
The Bone Dragon is the boss assigned to the Gamma sector. It is a quite big flying skeleton-dragon, whose main weapon is belching fire. Fire explodes after it comes into contact with the surface and it leaves there flames that are capable of dealing damage to you.
Requirements to summon: Decoy Princess (50x Titanium Bar, 100x Wood Planks, 20x Fabric, 2000 Pixels)
Reward: Dragon Bone
Strategy: With the Bone Dragon, the situation is similar to the other bosses in Starbound, it is best to fight them with a ranged weapon. Just like the first boss, the Bone Dragon floats in the air for the whole time. For that reason, it is quite difficult to fight with the melee weapon, especially without the appropriate Techs that increase your jumping height. The best solution is to arm yourself with a firearm. If you do not have one, or it is too weak, use the Titanium Hunting Bow. Then, find, or form a flat landmass and summon the dragon with the Decoy Princess. The enemy, in general, is using one attack only, which is belching fire. The problem is that its fire explodes once it comes into contact with the ground and inflicts considerable damage and leaves flames afterwards. The trick is that you keep a safe distance from the boss, to be able to dodge. Keep firing at the dragon and, after it belches fire, dodge, run under it and run towards the opposite end. For the whole time, watch out for fire that its attacks leave. You can also build a ceiling, of durable blocks, to ensure yourself with some protection.
Jelly
As of now, it is the last boss available in the game. It is assigned to the Delta sector, and it looks like a pink medusa with eyes, which is capable of jumping over the surface. It attacks by launching goo in all directions, which then sticks to all surfaces and explodes after some time. As if this is not enough, the boss is also accompanied by two jumping-eyeball minions.
Requirements to summon: Peanut Butter Trap (40x Durasteel Bar, 700 Pixels)
Reward: Endomorphic Jelly
Strategy: Jelly can be an irritating opponent, mainly due to its two minions. There are two strategies here: you can focus on the boss only, or eliminate the minions in the first place, to be able than to take to Jelly. Although highly time-consuming, it is a safer option to eliminate the minions - Slime Eyeballs in the first place. Prepare a flat area, best with blocks placed above the surface in several spots, and summon the boss. The hanging blocks should block off the medusa but, the minions will still be able to make it through. Lure one of the eyeballs into one corner of the arena and eliminate it either with the melee weapon or the firearm. Do the same for the other one. After you have cleared the area, you can focus on the boss itself. Keep a safe distance and watch out for the exploding goo, which the boss shoots out in the air. Without its minions, the boss should not pose a threat to you.