Terraria

This is a /v/ related article, which we tolerate because it's relevant and/or popular on /tg/... or we just can't be bothered to delete it.

Terraria is a fantasy video game that is, functionally, a 2-D, side-scrolling Minecraft with better combat, RPG elements, and in-game mechanics. Whereas Minecraft's requirements are deceptively high for old systems (it fucking lags on high end computers despite being a fucking java platform), Terraria's requirements are considerably lower, allowing for more playability. Like Minecraft, it's a sandbox game, however it backs it up with events like Blood Moons, Goblin Sieges, Dungeon exploration, a dedicated versus mode for PVP wars, and forays into Hell, so you can kill monsters and take their stuff. The graphics are sprite-based and 16-bit, reminiscent of older RPGs on the SNES. Whilst it's directly comparable to Minecraft, Terraria is substantially deeper, with more options for players and customization that gives it generally better staying power than its 3-D counterpart, for those who like dungeon crawls with a slice of worldbuilding. On the downside, Terraria is only 2-dimensional compared to Minecraft's 3-dimensional world, which allows players fewer options for fucking around and building shit. Like seriously, if someone takes Terraria as is and remakes it in 3-D with infinite worlds that shit would out sell Minecraft in a heart beat.

The developers, Re-Logic, have a habit of declaring it finished only to come back later and add more to it. Seriously, every major update they do this, and it takes third place behind Minecraft and Dwarf Fortress as longest updated sandbox game. However, 1.4 (fittingly titled Journey's End) seems to be, indeed, the definitive final version, with modding being embraced as the future of its content and 1.4.5 being planned to be the final content update.

In terms of continuations, there was originally plans for a spinoff, but that died due to not living up to developer expectations. There's also the ephemeral Terraria 2, which we know next to nothing about and has apparently only entered serious development after major updates were actually concluded. Time will tell if it actually comes out and what changes.

So how is this relevant to /tg/?

Short answer: It had threads back in the day (some contents of which are described later), and modding (especially with mod support now being official) means a fa/tg/uy with some game coding knowledge can add more /tg/-relevant content.

Long answer: Terraria is very much RPG inspired (and as we all know, a game about jails and lizards was the inspiration for RPGs) and isn't afraid to show its TTRPG influences on its sleeve. While it's still a sandbox block game, the focus is on a more straightforward adventure than Minecraft's open-ended brand of progression. Therefore fa/tg/uys enjoyed (and many still enjoy) the shit out of this game. Back in the day there were also /tg/ mods for it - including 40k content, but due to another 2D block game from an ex-dev of Terraria called Starbound you usually find that stuff over there now.

Also in 2023 they announced it was getting a board game, so there's nothing stopping it from being /tg/ relevant now.

Minecraft vs. Terraria

The contrast is always going to be made, always, even though the users of both games will readily acknowledge that the other game has merit. Of note is that Notch (Minecraft's developer before he sold to Microsoft), and Redigit of Re-Logic (Terraria's developer) are/were (it's unclear where they stand at present, especially given Notch's descent into skub) on friendly terms and openly bounced ideas off one another for both games. Really, there's little more than good-natured ribbing between communities, a-la Space Wolves and Dark Angels bickering and E-Penis flogging, though there's always people willing to try to stoke the disagreements. In general, the breakdown is as follows:

• Enjoy worldbuilding and creating awesome structures? Play Minecraft, or modded Terraria for the former.
• Enjoy exploration and combat with a slice of worldbuilding? Terraria, or modded Minecraft.
• Want a game with both that will make you a fucking man? Play Dwarf Fortress. And then Minecraft and Terraria. And build a Dwarf Fortress in both.

Why It's Awesome

/tg/ likes anything it can get creative with, and this is no exception. /tg/ has already indulged in a number of bits of win involving Terraria in its time-honored tradition of getting shit done, including side-view models of various famous invincible doom-fortresses (one particularly moxious ca/tg/irl created a model of the Imperial Palace, for example), and ongoing battle reports from teams squaring off in Terraria's Team-based PVP mode have resulted in some truly hilarious war stories.

Leveling Up

Terraria has a robust system for leveling up your character. In addition to finding Life Crystals, each of which boosts your Max HP by 20 (to a max of 400), you can also craft Mana Crystals, which boost your Mana reserve each by 20 (and the first of which allows you to use magic). Magic weapons are used like any other weapon or tool and cost MP to use, but are usually quite powerful and/or hilarious. You can even get a Magic Missile to attack the darkness with. Armor can be created from various metal ores once they're smelted and purified, and you can forge new weapons to become stronger offensively. Topping it all off, you can find accessories that give you cool features like a speed run ability or double-jumping. You can even find a grappling hook to grab onto walls and ceilings with.

The game also boasts an equally-robust crafting system. Players can conduct alchemy to create potions, spin silk into cloth, make furniture, or create art and sculpture to decorate their realms with.

Constructing a World

Terraria encourages you to build strongholds to protect yourself. Not only do these strongholds allow you to stay safe from monsters and the like, but in time they can attract useful NPCs - mostly Merchants that sell useful goodies like weapons, armor, items, explosives, and ammunition. Once at your stronghold and correctly secured from enemy attack (monsters can kill them, so you need to keep them safe, though they'll respawn eventually), especially when attacks by boss monsters, Blood Moons, and Goblin Sieges occur.

By day, the most dangerous thing you'll encounter is usually a slime. By night, you'll encounter Zombies and Demon Eyes, which are considerably nastier and more annoying but aren't all that dangerous unless they start gathering up to the point where they make World War 2 look like a kindergarten field trip line.

Terraria has a wide array of different events and landscapes, which will be described below.

Biomes & Structures

Mushroom/Underground Mushroom

Some areas underground are full of blue grass and glowing mushrooms(sometimes giant ones). Special Mushroom-themed(or infested) monsters can be fought there. You can also gather seeds that can be used to make a Mushroom world topside as well.

The Corruption

This is usually the area that claims the lives of hapless adventurers... And damn near everyone at night, for that matter.

Somewhere in each world is the Corruption, a land where nature has gone wrong. Pocketed with borderline-unbreakable Ebonstone, the Corruption is home to all manner of nasty beasts, including Eaters of Souls and Devourers, which are considerably nastier than the normal monsters. The Corruption is also marked by thorn bushes, deep chasms, and catchy music. Venturing to the Corruption can often be profitable - enemies drop lots of good loot there, breakable shadow orbs can be found there (which contain treasure, but breaking too many will summon a Boss monster), and Demon Altars can be found which let you create boss summoning items. Despite the inherent risks, many players build their home in the corruption; Eaters of Souls provide useful distractions (and deadly ones for unprepared newblets) for enemies during PVP, and if constructed properly, Devourers, burrowing, worm-like monsters, won't appear in your base that often.

The Corruption will quickly take over the world if not stopped somehow in Hard Mode.

The Crimson

The Corruption's retarded badass, albit gross, blood-red cousin. Filled with many creepy enemies like the Face Monster, a creature with a face the size of its body (aka: NOPE) and the Blood Creepers, spiders with small, lanky legs and big, blood-filled bodies (aka: ALLOFMYNOPE). Instead of Shadow Orbs, the Crimson have Demon Hearts located in big, heartlike caverns in teh center of each Crimson, which arguably give up better stuff (Staff that makes small clouds who rain blood? ALLOFMYYES). It has a more organic concept, what with blood, flesh and teeth everywhere, and the heart-like constructions making up their underground - Where the Corruption is a deep-seated rot coming from the Shadow Orbs, the Crimson is more like a demonic version of the world slowly converting everything into one mega-organism. Its NOPE factor is balanced in terms that it is easier to navigate, find Crimson Hearts, cut down Vicious Mushrooms (for Vicious Powder, because in 1.3 they decided to make it easier to farm the boss of the area than in the Corruption was unbalanced), and farm Vertebrae (Needed to make Brain of Cthulu summoning item, if you don't fancy it coming to check up on you every time you poke to a few of the Hearts) in. The Crimson is generally a bit less popular than the Corruption, which is most likely because the Corruption have been there for longer, and isn't fucking disgusting.

The Jungle

A somewhat rare entrance to Hell in a Jungle area.

Wet and full of plants and bugs, the Jungle is nature gone hilarious, with wild, untamed lands and dangerous creatures - and rich rewards for those willing to penetrate the depths to find them. Rare magic armor and valuable alchemy ingredients both can be found here, along with considerable danger for the foolhardy. The Jungle is often flooded and treacherous, making explorations difficult for those without double jumping, swimming, or high-jump capability. In many areas, the caverns in a Jungle reach so deep that they can reach hell on their own and are so vast you will need to use the map often to find your way. In the Jungle you will find Hornets who shoot small, unnoticeable stingers at you, Jungle Slimes who do the same, but with poison, making them marginally more annoying and of course carnivorous plants. It is also possible to find Hives in the Jungle, who contain honey, bees and a little pod you should most definitely destroy.

The Jungle is also home to the Temple, a magical place where much of the late game takes place - To enter, you must kill Plantera, who drops a key to the temple. Once inside, you will find treasure, magical weaponry and armor and a horde of pissed off lizards who won't accept any kids messing with their jewelry. The dormant Golems lies within the Temple too, just waiting to have some little pest to slap in the face. The Jungle also tends to die off pretty quickly in Hard Mode unless preserved somehow by the player the Corruption/Crimson can take over the Jungle in Hard Mode and will do that without mercy, so make sure you build up some walls around it to protect to from extinction... Though, when you think about it, the Corruption/Crimson might be a break compared to the Jungle in Hard Mode. It's required if you want any shot at finding a Plantera's Bulb though. Come 1.4.4 there's now a corrupted/crimson version of jungle grass, so instead of permanently being turned into another Corrupt/Crimson Forest you can just take the Clentaminator to it and it'll be good as new.

The Tundra

Cold, and covered in ice and snow. Valuables rest deep underneath. The biggest thing to worry about before Hard Mode are Ice Slimes and their spiked variants as they can affect the player with a movement Debuff. Once Hard Mode kicks in, the bigger threat are Ice Golems which appear during Blizzards. They hit hard and shoot laser beams at you. The rewards are worth it as it has a 1/3 chance at dropping an Icy Feather needed to craft the Frozen Wings. Also beware that in Hardmode, The Corruption/Crimson and Hallow can spread through this area.

The Desert

Dry and desolate, full of sand and cacti. Comes in two flavors: the big main one with an underground which serves as the counterpart to the Snow biome and generates on the same side as the Jungle, and smaller ones that appear randomly. Sometimes generate with Oases and/or Pyramids, the former being more common than the latter. The Underground Desert is a giant fucking nest full of Antlions and rolling cacti that will fuck you up if you go in carelessly.

May be host to a Sandstorm if it's windy enough for one to happen. They push you around and spawn exclusive enemies - the one to look out for in Hardmode is the Sand Elemental which is equivalent to the Ice Golem. In Hardmode, Corruption/Crimson and Hallow can and will spread through this area and transform it into a Corrupted/Crimson or Hallowed Desert.

Underworld

....It's Hell. The toughest creatures (at least, pre-Gardmode) reside here, as does the best and most powerful crafting materials and items. Really, it's not complicated. The only way to get to it is to dig deep. Really deep. Beware of Skeletal Horrors. Underworld is mainly composed of high amounts of lava everywhere, only periodically disrupted by buildings made out of obsidian blocks. It is highly advised that you bring something that repels lava and fire damage (like an Obsidian Skull), along with a lot of mobility-boosting gear (like the Grappling Hook, the Rocket Boots, the Cloud/Fart in a Jar and/or wings of any sort).

The most notable danger in the Underworld isn't in fact the lava, or the mobs - It is the Voodoo Demons combined with the lava. See, Voodoo Demons carry around a doll of the Guide, which, when thrown into lava in the Underworld, will summon the Wall of Flesh if the prerequisites are met (which they usually will be by the time one goes to the Underworld). Why is that a problem, you might ask? Well, when you kill a Voodoo Demon, it drops that doll. And it flies about over lava most of the time. And you can't flee from the Wall of Flesh, lest you want to be killed for being a wuss. Shit. Thankfully, patches fixed this and the Wall of Flesh is now only summoned if you manually chuck the doll into the Lava.

Humorously, Hell's about the safest place to be once Hard Mode kicks in, since the enemy encounters really don't change unless you defeat a Hardmode boss, and then 3 new enemies show up: Mimics, Red Devils, and Lava Bats.

Got a kickass soundtrack to itself in 1.3.

The Dungeon

It's on either the far left or far right side of each world, and you can only enter if you killed Skeletron - otherwise there shall be skulls. Valuable items and rare spells, monsters, and more can be found here, but the dungeon is dark, deep, and dangerous: There are spikes freaking everywhere, skeletons who really, really want to push you into that pit over there and numerous pits and chasms to go. Explorations must proceed with care, and players need to act carefully, lest they end up stranded, far from their spawns, with no healing items and their only way back to the surface being a bodybag.

It is notable that while the game kills you if you venture too far into the Dungeon before killing its boss, you can actually DODGE the flying skeleton heads that come for you. So while more keep coming for you, it is possible to take dives into the dungeon to test your luck, and possibly get at least one of the artifacts with which to kill the boss. If you’re willing to exploit intentional physics (and are willing and able to set aside an hour of your day), you can also cheese the Guardian with a hoik loop and an early game flail for the rarest pet in the game.

The Dungeon is also home to the Biome Chests, special containers with powerful artifacts within - Look to the Jungle-section to learn how to open these goodies!

Sky Islands

The sun won't save the occupants of this particular shelter. When they have to leave (and they will), the Harpies will swoop in and feast. Thus is the way of wildlife in Terraria.

High in the sky are hidden islands full of treasure - however, going too high attracts the Carp equivalent of Terraria, the Harpy. These flying. projectile-firing fiends are relentless in their pursuit, which ironically makes them favored guards for fortresses built in the air (lol), and they have a notorious tendency to knock you out of the air, sending you hurtling to your twisted mangled death below. Harpies' modern sprite (added long after the image to the right was taken) is even more monstergirl than the original, and still-playing fa/tg/uys rejoiced.

In Hard Mode, Wyverns appear here, which are each basically a 4000 HP Miniboss. Their appearance scares the Harpies towards hanging out at lower altitudes, so you'll begin finding harpies if you jump up a high hill. However, going after the Wyverns is well worth the risk as they are the only enemies that drop Souls of Flight which are needed for wings.

The Hallow

The Hallow is a candy-colored land of death. It appears after the end-of-the-world event that is Hardmode, and is the only terrain that blocks corruption other than man-made blocks. The Hallow spreads quickly if started, just like the corruption, but it won't overlap the Jungle and most terrain it converts into Hallowed versions of their basic terrain, just like Hardmode Corruption and Crimson. Strong blessed creatures, such as Unicorns and Pixies, dwell above and below ground. Whilst more photogenic, they are at least as dangerous as the foul monstrosities of the Crimson or Corruption. If you want to shoot rainbows and master magic, you'll spend a lot of time here.

Post-Golem, a constant danger becomes not hitting Prismatic Lacewings, lest a gigantic fey will appear to teach you a lesson.

Granite Cave

A mini-biome of black rocks, where the enemies change into Granite Golems and floating Elementals..

Marble Cave

A Mini-Biome made of white rocks. Enemies are medusas and Hoplites, because Marble means Greek.

Graveyard

A mini-biome made of graves that isn't naturally present on world creation, but can often get created accidentally if you (or NPCs if in Hardcore) keep dying at a certain spot. Prehardmode nighttime enemies spawn here all the time and some normally Halloween-exclusive enemies spawn here regardless of the time of year. You can also see the Groom or Bride outside of a Blood Moon if you're lucky. Main incentives for making one on purpose are NPC purchases - especially from the Dryad in Hardmode, since one of her wares while in one lets you access the world evil that didn't generate on world creation without world-hopping - as well as the Ecto Mist which causes crafting stations to have new recipes.

Removing one can be a pain prehardmode since Ghosts have a 50% chance to spawn from breaking a grave in versions that have Graveyards.

The Aether

The newest minibiome in the game, from the latest of versions. It generates underground near the edge of the world on the side where the Jungle is, and provides access to weird and wonderful Shimmer. This magic liquid can transmute things that fall into it, from uncrafting stuff you want the materials back from to some exclusive items. It'll also make you phase through the ground if you jump in, so unless you wanna have to dig your way back up maybe don't. You only get a limited amount of it until postgame, upon which you can transmute the Endless Water Bucket into the Endless Shimmer Bucket and create as much Shimmer as you want.

Bosses

Terraria has powerful boss monsters designed to fuck your shit like an angry marine. Most are optional in terms of being needed to access the final boss. They are as follows:

Prehardmode

• King Slime: It's a big fucking slime. Kill it and you're rewarded with a piece of the Ninja outfit. It spawns little slimes as you hit it. Great for getting early game gold. It is unique in that it has two spawn conditions: either very rarely on the outer edges of the world or after killing 150 smaller slimes during a Slime Rain. Very likely to be the first boss the player encounters if a Slime Rain occurs before the Eye of Cthulhu spawns for the first time.
• Lepus: An old boss from the old Mobile version, now only fightable on 3DS. Summoned with a Suspicious Looking Egg. Notoriously spawns more of itself during its fight, which can get very annoying - killing it fast is recommended. Drops its own boss item too, since Diseaster Bunnies no longer spawn and Corrupt Bunnies no longer drop the Egg as soon as it dies.
• Eye of Cthulhu: A giant eyeball ripped straight from Cthulhu's socket that eats people. It also spews out smaller Eyeballs. Will drop either Crimtane or Demonite ore depending on how the world was generated. Farmed for ore. It spawns at night after a certain amount of progression is reached (200 HP, 4 town NPCs, and 10 defense) if it hasn't been killed already. Typically the first boss a player will encounter unless a Slime Rain happens first.
• Eater of Worlds: A game of centipede gone wrong. The Corruption boss. Each segment has its own health pool, and you'll need to kill all of them. And that's a hard task because it'll split into more of itself if you cut it in two. Drops Shadow Scales and Demonite Ore, and farmed for both.
• Brain of Cthulhu: A flying brain that amalgamated with the gross shit around it after being torn from its original owner, with tons of miniature eyeballs surrounding it. The Crimson boss. It will only reveal its weak point (a heart with an eye) when all the eyeballs are gone. Tougher than the Eye of Cthulhu by virtue of the fact that the first time you fight it will likely be underground. The eyes are the biggest rewards as they are the only enemies that drop Tissue Samples to make Crimson gear. Farmed for Tissue samples and Crimtane ore.
• Queen Bee: A giant motherfucking bee, what else need be said. It can drop weapons which shoot BEEEEES, parts of the bee outfit, and the rarest pre-Hardmode pet. The only boss whose summons are non-renewable without creating multiple worlds or mods - those being larvae found in beehives in the Underground Jungle, or the Abeemination item.
• Skeletron: You have to kill it to go into the dungeon (well, without encountering a Dungeon Guardian). It's huge and you need to kill it before dawn, or you die. Will smack you with bony hands and ram its skull into yours. Summoned at the dungeon entrance by invoking the Old Man's curse at night, or stabbing his Townfolk version, the Clothier, to death using the Clothier Voodoo Doll at night. Previously optional, but now required if you want the Lunatic Cultist fight to be accessible.
  • While technically not a boss, the Dungeon Guardian can be considered a superboss-like enemy due to its ridiculous defense (all attacks against it are reduced to 1-2 damage) and large healthpool (9999 HP on normal difficulty). Killing one invariably requires you to know what you're doing, prepare, and have some luck on your side, since otherwise it's going in dry. If you manage to whittle it down completely, it drops the hardest-to-get pet in the game. The most reliable (and safest) method for taking it down requires abusing intentional collision logic with a little thing called a Hoik, which says a lot about how easy it is for it to kill you under normal circumstances.
• Deerclops: A crossover boss from Don't Starve, and the only boss for the Snow biome. A giant bipedal deer monster with a single eye, it spawns at night during a blizzard if the player is considered strong enough (200 hp, 9 defense) and there aren't any townsfolk nearby. Drops items relating to the crossover.
• Turkor the Ungrateful: Another old boss from the old Mobile version, now only in the 3DS version. Summoned by using Cursed Stuffing on a pet Turkey, angering PETA in the process. In Soviet Russia, turkey eats you.
• Wall of Flesh: The boss of hell is an inescapable nightmare that takes fuckhuge amounts of firepower to bring down. Summoned by releasing it from its vessel via sacrificing the Guide to the Underworld's lava, either directly by Sparta kicking him in or indirectly via a Guide Voodoo Doll. Killing it gives the player the Pwnhammer that can destroy Demon Altars which create Deposits of Hardmode Metal for each Altar broken by it at the cost of spawning Wraiths and allowing the Mechanical Bosses to spawn. Farmed for various accessories. Also irreversibly starts Hardmode, obviously. Will instakill you if you let it reach the edge of the world or if you try to escape using teleportation.

Hardmode

• Queen Slime: A Hardmode version of King Slime that can fly. Summoned using a special crystal found in the underground Hallow.
• Mechanical Bosses: Remixes of previous fights, all required for reaching the final boss. Lore says they were built to replace damaged/lost parts of Cthulhu by the Cultists (them clearly not knowing he could just grow them back), with the brain replacement unfinished (unless you're running a mod that adds an interpretation of what a mechanical Brain of Cthulhu would be) when you barge in and ruin their hard work. They spawn at night after you pwn(hammer) an Altar until all three are dead.
  • The Twins: The Hardmode version of the Eye of Cthulhu, only there are two of them (Retinazer and Spazmatism), and you have to fight them at the same time. Retinazer shoots lasers and Spazmatism breathes cursed flames, and Spazmatism is the only one to retain the EoC's mouth second phase (Retinazer has a new second phase which shoots stronger lasers). Summoned manually using a Mechanical Eye.
  • Skeletron Prime: The Hardmode version of Skeletron. Has four arms instead of two, and instead of hands has various weapons. Also gains spikes when going for a skull ram. Summoned manually using a Mechanical Skull.
  • The Destroyer: The Hardmode version of the Eater of Worlds that shoots lasers out of the segments of its body, and spawns laser drones if said segments get hit enough. Gets utterly raped by the Daedalus Stormbow. Summoned manually using a Mechanical Worm.
  • Mechadusa: A fucking abomination made of the 3 mechanical bosses fought on a special worldseed. Save the Skeletron Prime portion for last because it chains down the other two. Summoned manually using Occram's Razor, named for the logic concept (and possibly for Ocram, the old Hardmode boss that also dropped souls). Can be considered an alternative to fighting all 3 separate bosses at once for the achievement.
• Plantera: A giant plant monster. The Bulbs needed to spawn it will only spawn when you defeat the Mechanical bosses; one is now guaranteed to immediately grow once all 3 have been killed in modern versions at least, but otherwise, God help you if the World Evil is slowly eating the Jungle (though this is less of a problem on modern versions as well since instead of it permanently becoming a mound of evil dirt it can be turned back into pure Jungle). Required for reaching the final boss.
• Ocram: The final boss in the original Console release, and now only accessible if you have an Xbox 360/PS3/PS Vita/Wii U/3DS, it requires a Suspicious Looking Skull and is extremely expensive to produce due to the materials required to make it. Drops Souls of Blight which are used to craft the console edition's endgame sets and weapons. Its name is actually just its programmer's backward (Marco), and coincidentally resembles the Moon Lord that would take its place (making some wonder if Ocram at least partially inspired its final design). Referenced posthumously in a death message in modern Terraria, as well as a stretched reference in the Occram's Razor summon item for Mechadusa.
• Golem: The boss of the Jungle Temple, only accessible in Hardmode. Can only be accessed by killing Plantera, going to the Temple, and activating the Altar in its heart. Required for the Lunatic Cultist to be accessible. At the stage of progression it's supposed to be fought at, it's somewhat underwhelming.
• Duke Fishron: Half fish, half pig, and half dragon. Found by fishing using a special truffle worm, and is completely optional for progression. Gains an extra phase with invisibility (sans eyes, which are the only always-visible part of this phase) and reduced visibility in Expert Mode, which is pretty annoying to fight.
• Empress of Light: Big butterfly fairy. Summoned by killing a special butterfly that only spawns in the Hallow. Becomes a one-hitting superboss during the day, which, if you manage to beat it (entirely during the day - no cheating by having any part of the fight happen at night, you pussy), drops the best summon weapon in the game.
• Lunatic Cultist: A devotee of the Moon Lord. Killing him summons the four Celestial Pillars/Towers, which are bosses, invasions, and temporary semi-biomes in one. Spawned by killing his underlings worshipping a Moon Lord-depicting tablet outside the Dungeon.
  • The only modern boss to not have a grab-bag in Expert/Master Mode, probably since he's also the only one to not have any difficulty-exclusive items.
• Moon Lord: The final boss. Confirmed to be a very weakened Cthulhu in a lore forum post, having gotten his shit kicked in (and an eye and brain ripped out, though it appears he just regrew them) and banished to the Moon by the Dryads (it cost them all but one member of their race, though that's to be expected when fighting a Great Old One). It's your job to finish him off. He spawns after killing all Celestial Pillars/Towers or using a Celestial Sigil, though the latter only becomes accessible if you've done the former at least once. Drops several of the best weapons in the game, including the last few components for the best, the Zenith.
  • Originally planned to be a completely different boss that was essentially the moon falling on the world a la Majora's Mask. Got changed to be Cthulhu at some point, either to bring the game full circle from killing Cthulhu's eye or because the falling moon idea would be too hard to make.

The Bosses may drop trophies as well. In Expert Mode, they drop some exclusive gear, and in Master Mode, you get pets and even bigger and grander trophies.

The only bosses that need to be killed to beat the game from a fresh character and world are technically Skeletron, Wall of Flesh, all the Mechanical Bosses, Plantera, Golem, Lunatic Cultist, and Moon Lord, but missing the gear and resources of the other bosses will make things much harder. Especially the World Evil bosses since Hellstone (and therefore a lot of Hardmode shit) are locked behind an evil pickaxe (unless you're in an old version where the Reaver Shark is still a substitute for an evil pickaxe, in which case this is easily rectified by just fishing in the Ocean - or God forbid a version where the Drax is obtainable in Shadow Chests which basically makes mining up to mid-Hardmode trivial).

Events

Seasonal events

Tied to the date in real life instead of anything in-game, seasonal events cause changes that aren't vital for game progression but often have exclusive items. Some add enemies/enemy variants, some allow certain enemies to spawn in more places, and two historical ones even had unique bosses tied to them.

Modern versions feature only two seasonal events, both of which can also be manually triggered for an ingame day if certain conditions are met (see Pumpkin Moon and Frost Moon below):

• Halloween - Pumpkins naturally grow without having to be manually planted, Ravens spawn everywhere (not just Graveyards) at night, Ghosts spawn naturally underground, and Hopping Jacks (think big pumpkins that want to kill you) spawn in Hardmode. Enemies drop Goodie Bags with Halloween-themed loot being obtained from them. Some critters and enemies gain Halloween variants, which are basically them wearing costumes. Goes from October 10th to November 1st.
• Christmas - Enemies drop Presents, which contain Christmas-themed loot. Most notable of which is the Snow Globe in Hardmode, meaning the (underdeveloped) Frost Legion event is technically locked behind the Christmas season. Some enemies and critters have festive outfits. Goes from December 15th to 31st, and goes out with a bang (literally) by exploding Santa.

Older versions (particularly old console/mobile ones) have a few more:

• Valentine's Day - Worlds generated during this event can contain a Heart Shrine in the Snow biome which allows players to obtain the normally post-Plantera Frozen Biome Chest early - the chest contains several love-themed items (including 69 coins) and the shrine itself also has two Life Crystals which grant 40 extra max HP total. Gems broken during this period have a chance to drop a Cupid pet, and the Merchant sells an accessory and special arrows. Lasts the entirety of February. Still available on Windows Phone and 3DS, with the Heart Shrine oddly only being present on the former.
• Easter - A new enemy, the Diseaster Bunny (ha), spawns if Lepus hasn't been defeated yet. These enemies (alongside Corrupt Bunnies if Lepus hasn't been defeated) are the only way to obtain the Suspicious Looking Egg to summon the boss. Lasts the entirety of April. Still available on Windows Phone and 3DS.
• Thanksgiving - The Merchant sells a pet turkey, and enemies have a chance to drop Cursed Stuffing. Committing animal cruelty using both is the only way to fight Turkor the Ungrateful. Lasts the entirety of November. Still available on Windows Phone and 3DS. (Noticing a pattern yet?)
• St. Patrick's Day - Rainbow pieces fall from the sky during the day (basically Falling Stars but in the sun) and can be crafted into a leprechaun pet. Lasts the entirety of March, and is only still available on Windows Phone (it was never available on 3DS, strangely enough).

A Chinese New Year event was planned for the Mobile version but was scrapped when Re-Logic made the decision to remove content not made by them in the modern console and mobile versions. It would have given the Wyvern a dragon puppet variant among other things.

Several of these removed events, alongside other removed console/mobile-exclusive content, are added back in by mods.

Blood Moon

At night, monsters come out. Zombies and Demon Eyes, mostly. On a Blood Moon, a somewhat uncommon event, evil is stronger; the Zombies and Demon Eyes hit harder (and sometimes mutate into abominations), and the Zombies gain the presence of mind to open doors, and Female NPCs get grumpy towards you because...ahem. Encounters for all monsters skyrocket. Suffice to say, the Zombie apocalypse is on, and your NPCs are in jeopardy unless you built your base well. (Hint: Two-door "airlocks" work just fine, since zombies can only open doors inwards.) Good training for the much more dangerous rigors of Sieges and PVP, Blood Moons give you a real taste of a sustained assault. You must hold the line until the morning sun vanquishes the horrible night.

God help you when these happen on Hard Mode. And don't go fishing unless you want more nasties to fight, including a miniboss in Hardmode.

Solar Eclipse

Rarely, there will be a solar eclipse, during which vampires and Frankensteins come out to play. If and when this happens, it will suck, because vampires have 800+ HP, and hit like a pissed off angry marine. Have fun! Oh right, some of the zombies shoot lasers. Mostly based on monster movies.

You'll want to kill the Mothra clones for the Broken Hero Swords they drop, since otherwise you won't be able to craft the uber-swords locked behind the True versions of the Night's Edge and Excalibur.

Goblin Siege

Occasionally, a bunch of Goblin shits get together and decide to raid your village, putting you pesky humies to the sword. When this happens, the Goblins will march towards the center of the map and actively seek to occupy buildings and kill NPCs. Goblin Mages, siege engineers, and warriors will attack, and you must perform a veritable Exterminatus to kill them all, since the siege only breaks when so much time passes that they give up, they kill everyone, or each and every Goblin is killed. A Siege can be summoned by using a Goblin Battle Standard: which is crafted from 10 tattered cloth and 5 wood at a loom. Goblin Sieges are easy to dispatch if you killed a few and are holding spiked balls they drop, Goblins are incredibly stupid and will walk right into the spiked balls you set on the ground.

In Hardmode, they bring in their tougher, Shadowflame-addicted Summoners Warlocks. That can fly.

Old One's Army

A crossover with some tower defense game called Dungeon Defenders 2, and basically plays like one somewhat. Except you can fight the enemies in the waves head-on yourself if you want. Notably gets upgraded as you progress, first becoming available after beating the World Evil boss (being locked behind the Tavernkeep NPC that only spawns after you kill the EoW/BoC) and getting upgraded (in terms of difficulty and the enemies you'll have to fight) twice in Hardmode: once after beating a Mechanical Boss and then after Golem. There are 3 (mini)bosses, with 2 first appearing in a respective tier and later both appearing in the final one with the remaining boss. They're the Dark Mage (a book-riding necromancer first appearing in the final wave of Tier 1 and later in Tier 3), Ogre (a giant club-wielding cyclops, spawning in the final wave in Tier 2 and later in Tier 3), and Betsy (a dragon that spawns on the final wave of Tier 3).

Also notably the only event that forces you to build an arena, since a relatively large, flat area is required to summon the event by using an Eternia Crystal on its Stand, and also blocks building and breaking blocks as long as it is active. You can get some gear out of it, either from boss drops or buying it from the Tavernkeep using Defender Medals you can collect for beating waves. You get 5 Medals for free from said Tavernkeep at the start, so make sure you grab a basic tower from him to make your life easier.

Frost Legion

Hard mode equivalent of Goblin Siege (in a sense), they are only encountered in Hard mode and can only be summoned from a Snow Globe which is only attained through opening presents during Christmas (Dec 15-31). The Snow Globes can summon them regardless of season. However they are even stupider than Goblins since they can't break down doors, nor can jump down wooden platforms. There are 3 kinds, Snowman Gangsters (Gunners), Mister Stabby (Warriors), and Snow Balla (Throws snowballs which can wreck homes and can block up holes in the ground).

You get Santa Claus as a NPC Villager after defeating the Legion but will only show up between Dec 15-31. After the 31st he explodes into gore.

The most underdeveloped of the bunch (seriously, why didn't they flesh it out in one of the newer updates), so don't expect much.

Pirate Invasion

Yet another hard mode siege, except not season-specific. Can occur on its own, but can also be summoned by use of a Pirate Map, a hard mode drop from enemies in coastal areas. Pirates are in almost all regards just souped-up goblins. Watch out for the Captains though, since they have 2000 HP, hit like trucks, and are accompanied by obnoxious attack parrots. Like the goblins, these guys are total morons, and can be defeated with a modicum of strategy even if you lack superior firepower. Pirates generally drop golden furniture, although they have some disgustingly rare drops that can be found nowhere else. Hope you like farming! They also have a flying battleship.

Defeating your first Pirate Siege will get you the Pirate NPC Villager.

Pumpkin Moon

A Halloween-y event that can only be initiated by use of the Pumpkin Moon Medallion, an item constructed from Pumpkins (which only grow around Halloween initially), Ectoplasm, and Hallowed Bars. The Pumpkin Moon lasts one night, and consists of up to 15 ball-crushingly brutal enemy waves that culminate in not one but two consecutive boss fights, against the Mourning Wood (yes, really), and the almighty Pumpking. You will not only have to focus on staying alive, but also on micromanaging the rate at which you kill enemies, so as to ensure that the event progresses to waves 14 and 15 before you kill the bosses; killing them any earlier drastically reduces the odds of them dropping some of the best loot in the game. So yeah, not only is it incredibly tough, it's finicky bullshit as well. Fantastic!

If you get to wave 15 (or the final wave, 20, in older versions), the normally season-locked Halloween content will become available for an entire ingame day.

Frost Moon

Like the Pumpkin Moon, but Christmas-themed and harder. Summoned with the Naughty Present. Proof that you can turn Christmas music into something badass. Has three bosses, the Everscream (Mourning Wood without the innuendo), Santa NK-1 (A Santa-themed mech bringing Christmas cheer...with guns), and the Ice Queen (a cold bitch). Has the same reduced drop rate bullshit in early waves for the bosses as the Halloween counterpart. If you get to wave 15 (or all the way to the last wave, wave 20, in older versions) you get a day of the normally season-locked Christmas content.

Martian Madness

An alien invasion caused by getting seen by a martian probe that you let escape. Hope you like getting probed. Drops gear that's useful for the final stretch of progression.

Lunar Events

If you kill the Lunatic Cultist, four Eldritch pillars - themed Solar for melee, Vortex for ranged, Nebula for magic, and Stardust for summoning - appear across the world. As they are the final event of the game, they are incredibly tough, summoning endgame-tier enemies that need to be defeated in order to attack their associated Pillar directly. Killing them drops endgame materials relevant for their associated damage class, and killing them all summons the Moon Lord.

Having one spawn over your base will kill any town NPCs that wander outside wondering what the strange lights are. Oh, and don't fly near Solar.

PVP

All you need to know about Terraria's team-based PVP is that it's covered in detail here. tl;dr: As baked into vanilla, it's basically the same as the game's PVE, only your enemies are actual people who have access to the same stuff as you (though they are unlikely to be using the same stuff as you unless you're going for the meta). Some weapons behave differently for PVP balance reasons when hitting other players, so keep that in mind. You also get less I-frames so you can't abuse super-tanky builds.

Hardmode

After beating the Wall of Flesh, the world goes nuts. Hugely powerful enemies fill it, and it's possible to acquire incredibly powerful materials to forge truly-potent weapons and armor. The Corruption (or Crimson) goes into Munchkin mode, and quickly fills the land like Magma in a Dwarf Fortress map, blocked only by manmade blocks and the Hallow and Jungle biomes biome (The Jungle never blocked world evil spread; in older versions it was completely and irreversibly subsumed but the most recent updates have added evil variants of jungle grass so you won't lose it forever to the corruption pits right next door). The enemies are rape-tastic on this mode, and will quickly fuck your shit up if you don't access better materials ASAP.

Get ready for a tough fight.

There are 3 tiers of Hardmode Metal:

• Cobalt
• Mythril
• Adamantium

As of the 1.2 PC update, there are also 3 alternate Hardmode Metals that may take the place of those above:

• Palladium
• Orichalcum
• Titanium

One can also acquire Souls of Flight in Hard Mode, which will allow the player to make wings to reduce the rate of descent/glide. However getting them involves facing the Wyverns that appear in the skies. Harpies will retreat to lower altitudes when Hard Mode kicks in as they fear the Wyvern as much as the player will.

Modding

Terraria, like Minecraft, has a prominent game modding scene - unlike Minecraft however, modding is officially supported by the developers, with the game's definitive community-made mod loader (tModLoader) becoming backed by them after 1.4 released. Even before then, the modding scene was thriving, though under different loaders (tConfig pre-1.2 and tAPI during the 1.2 era).

/tg/, back in the game's earlier years, would use older community mod loaders to put /tg/-adjacent content into the game, from 40k weapons to classic D&D monsters. Several of these, especially the latter, have been incorporated into more mainstream mods. However, the /tg/ mods themselves were never really maintained and became unusable once updates and new mod loaders rolled out. Couple that with /tg/ moving onto other things, and the game hasn't really seen any /tg/ content save rehashed ideas. The 40k stuff was even moved over entirely to Starbound, a similar game with a more appropriate sci-fi theme made by an ex-Terraria dev and has baked-in mod support via Steam's Workshop.

In terms of the scene today, there are three kinds of mods: the crappy, random mods that flood the new tab, small mods that are just quality of life or minor additions, and large content mods that can completely change the game. The most popular (and controversial) mod, Calamity, falls into the latter category, overhauling much of the game and providing an alternative storyline to the official one. It's usually the mod people first try when getting into Terraria modding, but it's absolutely NOT for beginners to the game.

Come tModLoader updating to 1.4, a lot, and we mean a lot, of mods got Thanos snapped due to either being abandoned, still being in update hell, or developers refusing to update to the newer version for whatever reason. Several popular mods of the 1.3 era got shafted hard, even if they're technically still available in a legacy version kept around for historical purposes. As a result Terraria modding (as of 2022) is in a sort of lull as the big boys finish updating to the newer version and the rising stars of this new era are yet to be determined (though a few, both released and yet to be, are promising).

Any more information would be more /v/'s thing and therefore out of scope.

External Links

• Official website
• Steam page, aka the main way you'll probably be buying it
  • tModLoader's Steam page if you want to play modded
• Official wiki, which should be prioritized for information over this article for obvious reasons