Basic Survival and Exploration Tips

The Dangers of Terraria

In Terraria, there are many dangers that a player will have to face: enemies, underground traps, bosses, etc. For a player to survive, they need to be properly prepared for the dangers. Survival is especially important for characters in "Hardcore" mode since if they die the character is deleted, and they'll lose all of their items. This page will address some general tips that will make it easier to survive in Terraria.

Offense or Defense?

Different sets of armor give various effects in Terraria, such as increased defense or offense. Depending on the situation, it may be more useful to have one or another. Typically, it may be better to aim for a "tanky", a high defense, approach to Terraria, especially in expert mode, since situations can turn bad quickly. A situation can turn bad quickly since an enemy may knock a player into a "chain" of hits, which can quickly kill them. If a player has a high defense, this can give the player time to get out of this situation. Also, knockback immunity is very important, since this can help prevent getting into a chain of hits.

If a player needs to deal additional damage, they can equip an alternative armor set and accessories in their vanity slots. Then, they can swap between the two very quickly by opening up their inventory and right-clicking on them.

If a player needs additional damage or defense, they can reforge their accessories with the Goblin Tinkerer. The best reforge a player can apply to their accessories for damage is Menacing, and the best reforge they can apply for defense is Warding.

How to Escape

If a player gets into a dangerous situation, it may be necessary for the player to escape. This can easily be done by teleporting back to spawn by using a recall potion or a magic mirror that is equipped to a button that can be quickly pressed. It may be better to use recall potions rather than magic mirrors since recall potions have a shorter use time than magic mirrors. Also, the Wall of Flesh boss fight cannot be escaped by teleporting away: this will immediately kill the player.

A player can occasionally use blocks, rope, and platforms to also escape from dangerous situations; although this may not always be possible depending on the situation.

Caving Traps

There are many traps that can appear underground, such as the dart trap and boulder trap. These traps can lead to very dangerous situations: the boulder trap and explosive trap are especially dangerous since they can often kill the character in 1 hit. Most traps are attached to a pressure plate, which can be very hard to spot. A good way to disable traps is to simply mine out one part of the trap, such as the pressure plate. If a player holds the pressure plate, this will show the wires of traps, and it can be used to spot traps in the future. Another thing a player can do to avoid traps is to drink a "Dangersense Potion" to spot traps.

Lighting up the world

One important thing to do in Terraria is to light up the world with torches. This should be done to make sure the player always knows where enemies are located since dark areas don't allow for the player to see them.