Blood Moon Guide: Spawn Chance, Drops & Fishing Rewards (1.4.5)

When Blood Moons strike, their 1/9 night chance and 120 HP requirement, the exclusive drops and fishing enemies, and how to trigger one with a Bloody Tear.

10/5/2026 1.4.5.8 Terraria Wiki Team 3 min read

FAQ

How often does a Blood Moon happen in Terraria?

Each night has a 1/9 chance of becoming a Blood Moon once any player in the world has more than 120 HP — as long as the moon isn't new and the Eye of Cthulhu isn't scheduled to spawn that night. In Celebration Mk 10 and Zenith worlds the chance rises to 1/6.

Can you force a Blood Moon?

Yes — use a Bloody Tear at night. It drops from Blood Moon enemies themselves (Dripplers, Blood Zombies, and the fishing-spawned minibosses), so it also lets you chain one Blood Moon into another.

What spawns during a Blood Moon?

Blood Zombies, Dripplers, The Bride and The Groom, Corrupt/Vicious variants, and boosted normal enemies — plus, if you fish, exclusive monsters: Wandering Eye Fish and Zombie Merman in pre-Hardmode, and Hemogoblin Shark, Blood Eel, and the miniboss Dreadnautilus in Hardmode.

What are the best Blood Moon drops?

The Money Trough (portable piggy bank, from the Blood Moon-exclusive enemies), Shark Tooth Necklace, KO Cannon, Chum Caster and Sanguine Staff (Blood Moon fishing), the Blood Rain Bow, and the Bloody Tear for re-summoning. Most drops come from the fishing-spawned enemies, not the walkers.

Does a Blood Moon affect fishing power?

Yes — Fishing Power is multiplied by 1.1 during a Blood Moon. The tradeoff: bites can pull up hostile fish instead of catches, which is exactly how you farm the event's best loot.

What is the Blood Moon?

The Blood Moon is Terraria’s most famous night event: from dusk (7:30 PM) to dawn (4:30 AM) the moon and all water in the world — including rain and underground pools — turn blood-red, spawn rates surge, and regular zombies gain the ability to open doors. It only affects the surface; heading underground skips the event entirely.

The event is announced by the status message “The Blood Moon is rising…” at nightfall, and sleeping in a bed won’t fast-forward it — you either fight through, hide underground, or burn an Enchanted Sundial.

When does it happen?

Natural Blood Moons check at dusk each night:

At least one player must have more than 120 max HP.
The moon cannot be in its new moon phase.
The Eye of Cthulhu can’t already be scheduled to spawn that night.

If eligible, each night rolls a flat 1/9 chance (1/6 in Celebration Mk 10 and Zenith worlds). Every night rolls independently — four Blood Moons in a row is rare but legal, and long dry streaks are normal. To force one, use a Bloody Tear at night — a drop from the event’s own enemies.

What’s worth farming?

The headline drops sit behind fishing, not the walking enemies:

Source	Key drops
Blood Zombies, Dripplers, fishing enemies	Money Trough (portable Piggy Bank), Bloody Tear
Dripplers & Blood Zombies	Shark Tooth Necklace, KO Cannon
Wandering Eye Fish / Zombie Merman (pre-HM fishing)	Chum Caster (25% pole — doubles enemy bites during the event), Blood Rain Bow, Chum Bucket
Hemogoblin Shark / Blood Eel / Dreadnautilus (Hardmode fishing)	Sanguine Staff (top-tier summon), advanced Blood Moon loot, Bloody Tears

Fishing during the event is the intended farm: your Fishing Power gets a flat 1.1× multiplier, but each bite has a 1/6 chance to surface a hostile catch instead — the Chum Caster (itself a 1/8 drop from Wandering Eye Fish and Zombie Mermen) doubles that to 1/3. Dreadnautilus is the real prize — its Sanguine Staff remains one of the best summoner weapons through early Hardmode. See our fishing guide for lake-size rules that still apply during the event.

The other quiet benefit is the Surly Slime — a town pet that can be fished up during a Blood Moon — and miscellaneous drops like the Vampire Frog Staff, Haemorrhaxe, and nocturnal vanity.

Survival tips

Close your doors — literally. Zombies open them during the event, so block doorways with a solid tile or build entry platforms instead of doors.
NPCs fight back — town NPCs gain damage bonuses from defeated bosses; a well-armed town can clear light waves on its own, but enemies still swarm them, so don’t leave the Dryad exposed.
Farm smart — spawn rates stack with Water Candles and Battle Potions; set up over a fishing pool and let bites bring the minibosses to you.
Blood Moons stack with bosses — an Eye of Cthulhu night can’t naturally be a Blood Moon, but nothing stops you from popping a Bloody Tear during a Goblin Army invasion or boss fight. Manage the chaos deliberately.

Screenshot sources: cover — official Steam store screenshot (Re-Logic); gallery — wiki.gg screenshot of Blood Moon rain.