Conquering Big Chunk

Preface

Big Chunk may seem like a daunting opponent, but when dealt with correctly, they can actually be quite easy to take down. Successfully killing Big Chunk for the first time will reward the player(s) with the achievement David vs Goliath.

When To Attack Big Chunk

Survival or Versus Mode

Due to developer Dani converting the difficulty-time curve from linear to exponential following player complaints regarding the prior difficulty, during these modes, the player(s) should engage Big Chunk as soon as possible once prepared for battle, lest they become incredibly cumbersome, especially during a natural spawn among other enemies.

Creative Mode

Contrary to what you may think from the name, (at least compared to games like Minecraft, which developer Dani notably poked fun at during their devlogs,) players still have health, hunger, and stamina stats as normal. The differences in this mode are that the player takes reduced damage, enemies don't spawn during the night, and days don't pass. This means that the player(s) can take the time to fully prepare with no concern for speed.

Preparation (Armour)

Big Chunk is both an enemy that deals a lot of damage (although rather low in comparison to the other minibosses), and is very weak to Blunt Weapons and Tools, and notably is most weak to Pickaxes, akin to their smaller Stone Golem counterparts. This means that the player(s) should prepare for combat with the best pickaxe(s) and armour they can acquire within their time constraints.

On Easy Difficulty, it's reasonable to prepare for 6 days.

On Normal Difficulty, it's reasonable to prepare for 4 days.

In Gamer Difficulty, you should rush to prepare within the first 3 days.

In Creative Mode, difficulty doesn't increase and days don't pass, so feel free to fully prepare to your heart's content.

Armour Tiers (Worst to Best)

Wolfskin Armour (Not recommended; 19 Total Protection)

Wolfskin Helmet (+3 Protection)

> 5 Wolfskin

> 5 Flax Fibres

Wolfskin Chestplate (+8 Protection)

> 20 Wolfskin

> 20 Flax Fibres

Wolfskin Pants (+6 Protection)

> 15 Wolfskin

> 15 Flax Fibres

Wolfskin Boots (+2 Protection)

> 5 Wolfskin

> 5 Flax Fibres

Wolfskin Armour is the only armour crafted in a Fletching Table rather than an Anvil, and is also the only armour that requires two crafting components. Flax Fibres are crafted in the Fletching Table with Flax, which are blue flowers that spawn in groups of four. A full set of Wolfskin Armour provides a +50% Speed Increase.

Gold Armour (19 Total Protection)

Gold Helmet (+3 Protection)

> 5 Gold Bars

Gold Chestplate (+8 Protection)

> 20 Gold Bars

Gold Pants (+6 Protection)

> 15 Gold Bars

Gold Boots (+2 Protection)

> 5 Gold Bars

Gold Bars are crafted in a Furnace by cooking the yellow Gold Ore, which requires any pickaxe to mine or can be dropped by Goblins.

Steel Armour (25 Total Protection)

Steel Helmet (+4 Protection)

> 5 Steel Bars

Steel Chestplate (+10 Protection)

> 20 Steel Bars

Steel Pants (+8 Protection)

> 15 Steel Bars

Steel Boots (+3 Protection)

> 5 Steel Bars

Steel Bars are crafted in a Furnace by cooking the dark grey Steel Ore, which requires any pickaxe to mine or can be found in loot chests, and post-victory can be dropped by Big Chunk.

Mithril Armour (35 Total Protection)

Mithril Helmet (+6 Protection)

> 5 Mithril Bars

Mithril Chestplate (+14 Protection)

> 20 Mithril Bars

Mithril Pants (+11 Protection)

> 15 Mithril Bars

Mithril Boots (+4 Protection)

> 5 Mithril Bars

Mithril Bars are crafted in a Furnace by cooking the light blue Mithril Ore, which requires a Gold Pickaxe, Steel Pickaxe, or better to mine.

Chunkium Armour (36 Total Protection; probably requires multiple prior defeats of Big Chunk unless an overpowered Chunkium Loot Seed is located.)

Chunkium Helmet (+6 Protection)

> 5 Chunkium Bars

Chunkium Chestplate (+15 Protection)

> 15 Chunkium Bars

Chunkium Pants (+11 Protection)

> 15 Chunkium Bars

Chunkium Boots (+4 Protection)

> 5 Chunkium Bars

Chunkium Bars are crafted in a Furnace by cooking the rusty Chunkium Ore, which can only be found in loot chests or dropped by Big Chunk. A full set of Chunkium Armour provides a +60% Increased Attack Length, i.e. you can attack enemies from further away. This armour and subsequent armours only require 15 base materials (as opposed to 20) for Chestplates.

Adamantite Armour (46 Total Protection; this is likely the highest armour you will be able to reasonably achieve within time constraints outside of Creative Mode.)

Adamantite Helmet (+8 Protection)

> 5 Adamantite Bars

Adamantite Chestplate (+18 Protection)

> 15 Adamantite Bars

Adamantite Pants (+14 Protection)

> 15 Adamantite Bars

Adamantite Boots (+6 Protection)

> 5 Adamantite Bars

Adamantite Bars are crafted in a Furnace by cooking the lime Adamantite Ore, which requires a Mithril Pickaxe or better to mine.

Obamium Armour (51 Total Protection; this is the highest armour tier.)

Obamium Helmet (+9 Protection)

> 5 Obamium Bars

Obamium Chestplate (+20 Protection)

> 15 Obamium Bars

Obamium Pants (+16 Protection)

> 15 Obamium Bars

Obamium Boots (+7 Protection)

> 5 Obamium Bars

Obamium Bars are crafted in a Furnace by cooking the purple Obamium Ore, which requires an Adamantium Pickaxe to mine.

Preparation (Pickaxes)

Pickaxe Tiers (Worst to Best)

Wooden Pickaxe (5-25 Damage)

> 5 Wood

> 5 Bark

Wood is acquired by breaking down standard Trees (100 HP), which require a Rock or any Axe to mine, or may be dropped by Woodsmen (the traders in Trader Camps) or Goblins, or may even be found in loot chests. Bark is made from Wood in a Workbench, or may be found in loot chests.

Gold Pickaxe (10-34 Damage)

> 5 Gold Bars

> 5 Bark

> 5 Wood

Gold Pickaxes swing faster than other pickaxes, and can therefore be useful for quick attacks.

Steel Pickaxe (10-34 Damage)

> 5 Steel Bars

> 5 Bark

> 10 Birch Wood

Birch Wood is acquired by breaking down Birch Trees, which have black and white trunks with orange leaves and require any Axe to mine. Steel Pickaxes share the same damage stats as the Gold Pickaxe.

Mithril Pickaxe (13-56 Damage)

> 5 Mithril Bars

> 5 Bark

> 10 Fir Wood

Fir Wood is acquired by breaking down Fir Trees, which have desaturated trunks with sharp, pine-like triangular leaves, and require a Steel Axe or better to mine.

Adamantite Pickaxe (18-84 Damage)

> 5 Adamantite Bars

> 5 Bark

> 10 Oak Wood

Oak Wood is acquired by breaking down Oak Trees, which have desaturated trunks with red leaves and require a Mithril Axe or better to mine. This is unfortunately the best pickaxe craftable, as an Obamium Pickaxe does not exist.

Preparation (Food)

Unless you're a highly skilled Muck combatant, you're very likely to take damage while battling Big Chunk, and should therefore bring your fair share of food to the battle. I would personally recommend bringing Slurbon Shrooms, a multicoloured mushroom that regenerates health, food, and stamina simultaneously; (you can also craft Weird Soup by cooking them in a Cauldron with a Bowl, which provides 40 points of each, but these aren't stackable and would require navigating inventory space during combat.)

I would also recommend bringing Bread, which provides 25 of each stat and is crafted by cooking Dough (crafted with Wheat in a Workbench) in a Cauldron, and Cooked Meat, which provides 20 HP, 50 Food, and 10 Stamina, and is crafted by cooking Raw Meat (acquired by killing Cows) in a Cauldron.

Optional Preparation (Power-Ups)

The fight against Big Chunk will be made both faster and easier by the accumulation of Power-Ups. While I won't list them all here, here are some notable Power-Ups to look out for:

Note: All Power-Ups are stackable and will linearly increase effects.

Broccoli - Regenerates 1 HP/s

Red Pill - Increases Health +10 HP

Blue Pill - Adds Shields on top of Health +10 Shields

Peanut Butter - Increases Stamina +10 Stamina

Dumbbell - Increases base Strength

Orange Juice - Increases Attack Speed

Spooo Bean - Drains hunger slower

Crimson Dagger - Dealing damage heals your health

and finally, one that I'm unsure works on Big Chunk and may require testing:

Checkered Shirt - Increases damage to resources (I believe this may deal more damage to Big Chunk due to their weakness to Pickaxes implying they may be considered both enemy and mineral.)

The Battle

Clad in the best armour you could forge, a carefully crafted pickaxe wielded in hand, mind sharpened and honed to the war ahead of you, sweat eclipses your brow under the burning sun, only amplified by the heat of metal. With quivering hand and heart, you reach forward, touching trembling fingers to the stone statue of the foe you have sought to challenge: the legendary Big Chunk.

A blitz of light encompasses you, before an explosion reveals a gargantuan stone giant of immense souls-like proportions gathering their bearings as they enter an attack stance. You stand your ground, and with calm breaths you hold your pickaxe firmly as you let your body loosen for combat. You are ready.

Big Chunk should be engaged during daylight hours to prevent swarming from smaller enemies. I would recommend that you lead them, (or better, summon them if possible,) into a forest biome to entrap them and limit their movement outside of decimation. Remember that if you take any damage from Big Chunk in Gamer Difficulty, you will die instantly without buffs.

Big Chunk only has three attacks:

They can jump high into the air, before landing a devastating blow to earth that crackles stone beneath you. This can be easily dodged by jumping just before they land.

They can rapidly slide their club for 180 degrees in front of them, which deals massive amounts of melee damage. When attacking from the front, this can be dodged by jumping backwards.

They can slam their arms down onto the ground, shattering earth towards you. This can also be dodged simply by jumping to the side.

I would personally recommend using the Dark Souls Method to take down Big Chunk - stay very up close to them, and smack them from behind. Big Chunk can very rapidly be taken down with this method, much akin to the Dark Souls Asylum Demon.

Big Chunk has multiple vertical hitboxes, and consequently you can sometimes deal more damage by jumping while attacking, utilizing Muck's mechanic of attacking multiple enemies simultaneously in a forward cone.

Congratulations, Muckinite. You are ready to slay the great golem Big Chunk.

Source: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2911481330					

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