Terraria Tricks and Tips

These are some tips and tricks I have discovered for the excellent building game Terraria. Most stuff in the game is self-explanatory but the following should prove helpful. I will add more to the list when I discover more. Let me know if you find out any of your own.

The list is a bit disorganised:

Update 28/05/11: Added a lot more information and tidied up some of the layout.

Farming

Seeds that can be collected.

• Acorn = Used to create a tree.
• Corrupt Seeds = Used to create Corruption.
• Grass Seeds = Used to grow grass.
• Jungle Grass Seeds = Used to grow an Underground Jungle.
• Mushroom Grass Seeds = Used to grow Glowing Mushrooms.

Each seed requires certain conditions to grow.

• Trees grow on grass as long as there is enough room around them and they are naturally lit (no torches).
• Mushrooms will grow randomly on grass.
• Mushrooms Grass Seeds grow on mud when below 0 feet. Glowing Mushrooms will grow on blue grass.
• Jungle Grass Seeds will grow on mud when below 0 feet. Jungle Roses will appear. 
• Vile Mushrooms grow on corrupted grass.

NPCs

The more NPCs you have at your home the less monsters spawn nearby.

To encourage a NPC to move in you need to have a room with walls, back walls, a table, a chair and a light source such as a candle.

• Guide = At start of world.
• Merchant = Have 50 silver coins.
• Nurse = When you have found and used a crystal heart.
• Demolitionist = When you have found an explosive.
• Arms Dealer = When you have a gun in your inventory.
• Dryad = When you have beaten a boss.
• Old Man = Located at the entrance of the dungeon.

Bosses

When fighting all three bosses you should make a level platform from wood or another material, above the ground. This will allow you to dodge, watch and avoid the bosses attacks.

When fighting a boss you should move from one side of the platform to the other while continually attacking the boss. By doing this no boss should prove any real problem.

All bosses can be easily killed without team mates.

Eye Of Cthulu

10 lenses from demon eyes when used at a demon altar create an eye which can be used to summon the Eye Of Cthulu anytime you want. Only works at night time.

Shurikens are useful when fighting the Eye Of Cthulu. This is because shurikens can go through several enemies at once. If you throw them directly at the middle of the eye, it will stop the smaller demon eyes from spawning and damage the boss at the same time.

Using a bow is an easy way to defeat this boss.

The Eater of Worlds

Summoned in The Corruption by using Worm Food, which is made from 30 Vile Powder and 15 Rotten Chunk at a demon altar. It can also be summoned by breaking three Shadow Orbs.

Using the Ball ‘O Hurt is good way to do good damage.

Skeletron

Guards a world’s dungeon. You must talk to the Old Man at the dungeon entrance at night to summon the boss.

This is the last boss and the hardest you will face.

When fighting the boss use a bow preferably the Molten Fury and Unholy Arrows and keep moving.

Only aim and destroy the head, trying to destroy the arms first is a waste of time.

This boss doesn’t drop any Demonite Ore, Shadow Scales or Shadow Armor.

Other:

• Table and a bottle on top create an alchemy station.
• At the end of your world you will often find a chest down in the ocean.
• Beds can be used to set your spawn point.
• Always bring materials to build platforms such as wood, dirt or stone.
• Every chest you find you should break with a hammer (when empty) and brought back home. This saves you making your own and stops confusion if you see the same chest again later on.
• Dig a single brick under water to light the area with out it going out from getting wet. This allows you to light up underwater tunnels.
• To get mining done without getting attacked just put bricks down around you.
• To avoid enemies below, build a platform over them.
• You can place chest on wooden platforms. This allows you to pack up a lot of chests in a small area.
• If your deep down underground and don’t want to die or want to quickly get to your spawn point. Just save and exit, when you load up your game again you will start at your spawn point.
• When looking for floating islands you can use Meteor Shot, if your shots bounce back then you know land might be above.
• Fighting bosses on bloodmoons is a death waiting to happen.
• The maximum height you can place a block directly above your head is the same as the maximum height you can jump. Useful for digging or building.
• Shooting the Enchanted boomerang will send out light particles which will light up the area.
• When falling to your doom use the grappling hook on the ground to prevent taking damage.
• If you double jump and have the Cloud in a Bottle while falling you will avoid taking damage.
• By carrying around a piggy bank with you, you can carry more inventory items. This is because you can put them in the piggy bank and then carry the piggy bank with you. This is a good way to avoid losing coins when you die.
• Store your coins in a chest this will stop you losing lots of coins when you are slain. This is because the more money you have on you the more you lose when you are killed.
• If you are killed you can return to where you died and pick up your coins again.
• Use your grapple hook to reach ore above you. This saves you having to make a platform up to it.
• Monsters will spawn randomly especially in dark areas.
• Go to The Underworld with a Cobalt Shield, to prevent being knocked into lava.
• You can shoot through Wooden platforms.
• Placing a block on water and lave will remove the water and lava.
• An open door allows you to place sand on top of it which can be used for traps.
• Don’t make your home out of wood. This is because wood is more valuable and harder to get than for example stone.
• You can use your buckets to carry water. This water can then be put over lava or anywhere you want.
• Water and lave combine to create obsidian.
• Create a green house out of glass. this allows you to plant tree acorns into the ground safely. When the trees are grown you can cut them down without danger.
• If your home doesn’t have a back walls monsters can spawn inside your house.