Terrorbeak

Terrorbeak
	400
	50 (37.5 )
	Shadow Aligned
Attack Period	1.5
Attack Range	3
Running Speed	7
Sanity Aura	-100/min (-50/min ) (-75/min ) (-90/min ) (-110/min )
Special Ability	Teleports when attacked Turn to Terrorclaw on ocean. ()
Drops	×1-2
Spawns from	Lunar Grotto Biome () Low
	"terrorbeak" (Standard version) "nightmarebeak" (Ruins version)

The Terrorbeak is a Shadow Creature with an enormous beak and a slim body with several small legs. It isn't as common as the Crawling Horror, but will still attack the player. 

Unlike Crawling Horrors, Terrorbeaks only spawn when the player's Sanity is below 15%. Their Sanity aura will further decrease the player's Sanity by -100/min. Terrorbeaks drop Nightmare Fuel and restore Sanity by 33 points when killed, which is enough to cause Shadow Creatures to become neutral again (even at 0 sanity) for characters with a maximum Sanity of 200 or less. Players can attack them most easily by trapping them on the coast or by hitting them with a Boomerang, or any other ranged weapon.

Nightmarebeaks

Nightmarebeaks are a version of Terrorbeaks encountered in the Ruins (and sometimes in Caves). They are able to attack the player, regardless of Sanity level. They can only spawn from Nightmare Lights/Fissures and do not restore Sanity when killed.

The Terrorbeak moves about as fast as a player with a Walking Cane and cannot be outrun easily. If it is allowed to strike at the player, it will pause for a second to make a threatening animation which can be used to create some distance. If outrun by a great distance, Nightmarebeaks will return to the Nightmare Light or Nightmare Fissure they spawned from. Terrorbeaks, on the other hand, will just materialize closer to the player, as long as their sanity remains low.

Terrorbeaks, like Crawling Horrors, have a "pathfinding" behavior once spawned in. Terrorbeaks keep this behavior going until aggro is drawn.

Terrorbeaks produce a menacing (and sometimes), snarling growl, once aggro is drawn, which is definitely what a player should keep an ear out for. Nightmarebeaks produce the same growl, but with an increased echo and distortion. This audio cue is also used when the Terrorbeak/Nightmarebeak attacks.

Fighting Strategy

Crawling Horrors, Terrorbeaks, and Swimming Horrors can be attacked if they are actively pursuing the player. Despite their intimidating appearance, individually they are very easy to fight: the basic tactic is to kite them, by walking close enough for them to attack, dodging the attack by walking back, then hitting them. Since they teleport away when damaged, the player won't be able to hit them more than once. However, they will occasionally pause to perform a "yelling" animation, during which it is possible to get one extra hit in without them teleporting, for a maximum of two hits. it is possible for them to teleport within melee range, allowing the player to land a second hit simply by holding the attack button (F by default).

While multiple Crawling Horrors are easy to deal with, a player with incredibly low sanity may have to fend off one or more Terrorbeaks alongside them. If this occurs, it is better to simply run and make distance in order to fight Terrorbeaks individually, due to their sheer speed.

Since they are only visible to the player, mobs cannot be recruited to defend against Shadow Creatures. However, there is an exception in Willow's Bernie, which is the only Mob in the game that's able to taunt Shadow Creatures and attack them.

Tornadoes spawned by the Weather Pain can stop a Shadow Creature's teleports due to its fast and continuous attacks. It is very useful for stopping a group of them during the Nightmare Cycle.

Below is the number of hits it takes (with a default damage modifier) to kill Shadow Creatures. The Weather Pain is not included due to the random nature of its projectile.

Weapon
No. of hits for	Immune	95	30	24	15	14	12	10	7-14	6 or 10	8	7	6	4	2
No. of hits for	Immune	71	23	18	12	10	9	8	6-11	5 or 7	6	6	5	3	2

Downloadable Content

In the Hamlet DLC, Crawling Horrors and Terrorbeaks can chase the player through Lily Pond Biomes, attacking along with Swimming Horror. Also, Crawling Nightmares and Nightmarebeaks can spawn when non-Nightmarefuel items are given to the End's Well. Those spawned at End's Well are the same as in the Ruin, restoring no Sanity.

Puzzles

In the trailer for the Progress update, the person gregj08 first discovered the QR code in the trailer at 2:16 seconds, this QR code introduced to the site with a picture with Maxwell (https://web.archive.org/web/20160124221822/http://dontstarvegame.com:80/science/deeper-meaning/shhhh.html) whose mouth is closed with a zipper. Sometimes the phrase “Your eyes deceived you / I’m afraid they’ve lied” may appear briefly in the picture. / What matters most / is on the inside”. This was a clue to what to look for in the html code of the page where the phrase “Forbidden Knowledge doesn't come easy. To unzip these lips you'll need to take a long hard look inside.” The word "unzip" refers to the zip file format. After the players did some minor manipulations with the picture, turning it into a zip file, they got a picture with Wilson in which he was attacked by shadows.

Trivia

In-Game

• Shadow Creatures are one of the only mobs able to freely travel through walls and are the only mobs that can freely travel across the barrier that separates land from ocean. They can only do this while not aggressive. When Sanity drops below 15%, they will manifest into a physical form, unable to perform such feats.
• Attacking a Shadow Creature will cause any other Shadow Creature to become "real" and aggressive, regardless of the Sanity level. The hostility of a Crawling Horror, Terrorbeak or Swimming Horror may end after an attack if the player's sanity is higher than 15%.
• Shadow Creatures are the only creatures that cannot be examined but can be attacked by the players.
• The smoke emitted by the Shadow Thurible and Tragic Torch skin in DST sometimes takes the shape of a Crawling Horror, a Terrorbeak, or a Shadow Hand.

Lore

• Shadow Creatures make several appearances throughout the William Carter Puzzles.
  • The fifth puzzle includes what appears to be a journal page documenting an encounter with a Terrorbeak, presumably by Maxwell conducting rituals with the Codex Umbra.
  • A Terrorbeak, a Crawling Horror, and a Night Hand appear in the source code of the eighth puzzle
• An image of a Terrorbeak eating a small figure can be spotted on a news article in the animated short Next of Kin. The headline reads "Do Evil Shadow Monsters Lurk Among Us?"
• A Terrorbeak torments young Willow in From the Ashes. It is shown to be repelled by Bernie.
• Multiple instances of Shadow Hands and Terrorbeaks appear to be terrorizing Wanda throughout the animated short Animated_Shorts_and_Trailers#Long_Shadows Long Shadows.

Cultural References

• Shadow Creatures are similar to the monsters in Lovecraftian literature; otherworldly beings that are able to move through dimensions and cause humans to suffer insanity. Their names are also allusions to Lovecraftian stories such as The Lurking Fear and The Crawling Chaos.
• Sleep paralysis victims often report seeing deformed shadowy creatures creeping around the room. Sleep paralysis is also commonly associated with lucid dreaming. The description for the Dark Sword is "lucid dreaming damage."

Bugs

• A Shadow Watcher will disappear a few seconds after day breaks.
• A Terrorbeak's body can disappear, with only the beak and legs visible.
• Although shadow creatures generally cannot interact with non-player creatures, the shadow creatures spawned by any creature that strikes the Ancient Pseudoscience Station will become aggressive towards it.
• In the Shipwrecked DLC, Crawling Horrors and Terrorbeaks can teleport to the Ocean when hit, causing them to get stuck on the shore line, unable to get back to land. They can still be attacked next to the border, however.
• Attack Shadow Creatures spawned from rooms of Ancient Pig Ruins, especilly in the room of End's Well may cause them teleport to the oustside of room's boundaries. If player kill them in these areas, their loots will become unpickable unless uses The Lazy Forager.

Gallery

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  Official artwork of a Crawling Horror and Terrorbeak attacking Wilson from puzzle.

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  A glitched Terrorbeak.

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  Shadow Creatures spawning from a Nightmare Light in the Ruins during the Nightmare Phase.

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  A Crawling Horror and Terrorbeak menacing Wilson in the Insanity! promo art.

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  Nightmare Creatures attacking Wilson in the poster for The Stuff of Nightmares update.

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  Mr. Skitts and a Terrorbeak in front of the intermission curtain in the eighth William Carter Puzzle.

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  The first page of the Cyclum Puzzles comic featuring several Shadow Creatures chasing and terrorizing Maxwell.

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  The second page of the Cyclum Puzzles comic featuring a Night Hand putting out Wilson's fire.

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  A news article about Shadow Creatures from the Next of Kin animated short.

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  The Terrorbeak that stalks Willow in From the Ashes.

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  The Terrorbeak fended off by Bernie's presence in From the Ashes.

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  The Terrorbeak cornering Willow in the closet in From the Ashes.

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  Animation for an aggressive Terrorbeak.

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  Terrorbeaks and Night Hands featured in the Hallowed Nights 2019 comic.

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  A Crawling Horror and Terrorbeak as seen in a drawing from Art Stream # 20.

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  A Terrorbeak as seen in a drawing from Art Stream # 52.

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  Shadow Creatures as seen in a drawing from Art Stream # 67.