Terraria starts you with a Copper Shortsword, a Copper Pickaxe and a Copper Axe, a Guide standing nearby and no instructions. Most players who quit do it in this first hour, not because it is hard, but because nothing tells them the order. The order is short, and once you know it the game opens up fast.
The clock is the first thing to understand. A new world starts at 8:15 AM and night falls at 7:30 PM. One in-game minute lasts one real second, so you have about 11 real minutes of daylight before zombies and Demon Eyes arrive.
Your first hour at a glance
| # | Do this | How | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chop trees and kill slimes | Copper Axe on trees; slimes drop Gel | Wood builds almost everything early; Gel makes torches |
| 2 | Craft torches | 1 Gel + 1 Wood = 3 Torches, by hand | Light for your house and for every tunnel you dig |
| 3 | Craft a Work Bench | 10 Wood, by hand | Your first crafting station; it also counts as a table for housing |
| 4 | Build a shelter before 7:30 PM | A closed box with background walls, a door, a torch, a Work Bench and a chair | Keeps you safe at night and is your first NPC house |
| 5 | Craft a Furnace | 20 Stone + 4 Wood + 3 Torches at the Work Bench | Smelts ore into bars |
| 6 | Mine down for ore | Copper or Tin, then Iron or Lead, near and below the surface | Bars become tools, armor and the Anvil |
| 7 | Craft an Anvil | 5 Iron Bars or 5 Lead Bars at the Work Bench | Needed for metal tools, armor and the Grappling Hook |
| 8 | Talk to the Guide | Choose Crafting and show him an item | He lists every recipe that uses it |
| 9 | Place a Bed when you can | 15 Wood + 5 Silk at a Sawmill | Sets your respawn point inside your base |
The Guide's Crafting option is the fastest way to learn the game. Put any item in his slot, such as Gel, a Lens or an ore, and he shows every recipe that uses it. Most "how do I make this?" questions end there.
The Bed is listed last on purpose. It needs a Sawmill (10 Wood, 2 Iron or Lead Bars and 1 Chain at a Work Bench), a Loom (12 Wood at the Sawmill) and Silk (7 Cobwebs at the Loom). That is a second-day project for most players, not a first-hour one.
Surviving the first night
Night lasts from 7:30 PM to 4:30 AM, about 9 real minutes. Zombies and Demon Eyes spawn on the surface, and the Guide can be killed by them. If he dies, he only comes back once you have a valid house for him.
You do not need to hide for the whole night. Good uses of it:
- Mine down inside or next to your house. A shaft that starts indoors lets you keep collecting ore while the surface is dangerous.
- Kill a few Demon Eyes. Each one has a 1 in 3 chance to drop a Lens, and 6 Lenses make the item that summons the Eye of Cthulhu.
- Pick up Fallen Stars. They fall from the sky at night and disappear at dawn if they are still on the ground. Five of them make a Mana Crystal.
- Craft and sort. Turn ore into bars and plan your next upgrade with the Guide.
Housing rules: what makes a valid house
NPCs only move into a room that meets all of these rules. A box with an outer size of 9 by 7 blocks is a common safe minimum.
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Size | 60 to 750 tiles including the frame, and no more than 100 tiles wide or tall |
| Closed frame | Solid blocks, with a door, trap door, tall gate or platform as the entrance |
| Background walls | Player-placed walls. Natural walls, such as those in caves, do not count |
| Light source | A torch, candle, lamp, lantern or chandelier |
| Table-type item | A Work Bench, table, dresser, bookcase, piano or bathtub |
| Chair-type item | A chair, bed, toilet, bench, sofa or throne |
| Not too close to an evil biome | Too many Corruption or Crimson blocks nearby make the house invalid |
Open the housing menu with the small house button above your armor slots, select the query icon and click inside the room. "This housing is suitable" means it works. Otherwise the message tells you what is missing, for example "This room is too small" or "This housing is corrupted". Each valid house holds one town NPC.
Houses can share walls and can be built underground, so a simple apartment block of identical rooms next to your base is the easiest way to house many NPCs.
Which NPCs arrive when
Most early NPCs move in because of something you carry or have done. Items stored in chests or in a Piggy Bank do not count for the "in your inventory" conditions.
| NPC | Arrival condition | Why you want them |
|---|---|---|
| Guide | Present from the start | Recipes and tips |
| Merchant | More than 50 silver in your inventory | Sells Torches, Rope, Lesser Healing Potions, the Iron Anvil (50 silver), Piggy Bank (1 gold) and Mining Helmet (4 gold) |
| Nurse | Maximum health above 100 and the Merchant present | Heals you and removes debuffs for coins |
| Demolitionist | An explosive in your inventory and the Merchant present | Sells explosives for digging |
| Arms Dealer | A bullet or a bullet-firing gun in your inventory | Sells guns and ammunition |
| Dryad | The Eye of Cthulhu, Eater of Worlds or Brain of Cthulhu, or Skeletron defeated | A natural reward for your first boss |
| Goblin Tinkerer | Found in the Cavern layer after you defeat a Goblin Army | Reforging and the Tinkerer's Workshop |
| Angler | Found at the Ocean and spoken to | Daily fishing quests with useful rewards |
| Clothier | Skeletron defeated | Vanity items |
| Painter | 8 other town NPCs in the world | Paints and wallpaper |
The first Shadow Orb you break always drops a Musket and 100 Musket Balls. Carry them home and the Arms Dealer qualifies immediately.
The Goblin Army can only come naturally after you have broken at least one Shadow Orb or Crimson Heart and a player has at least 200 maximum health. It arrives at dawn. Beating it lets the Goblin Tinkerer appear as a bound NPC in the Cavern layer; talk to him to free him.
Early gear: the ore tiers
Each world generates only one ore of each pair, chosen at random. The other one can still come from crates, slimes and bosses, so a world without Iron is not a problem.
| Ore | Where it appears | What mines it | Ore per bar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper / Tin | Lower surface, Underground and Cavern layers | Any pickaxe | 3 |
| Iron / Lead | Lower surface, Underground and Cavern layers | Any pickaxe | 3 |
| Silver / Tungsten | Underground, Cavern and Space layers | Any pickaxe | 4 |
| Gold / Platinum | Cavern and Space layers | Any pickaxe | 4 |
| Demonite / Crimtane | Corruption or Crimson below the surface; dropped by the Eye of Cthulhu | 55% pickaxe power (Gold or Platinum Pickaxe) | 3 |
| Hellstone | The Underworld | 65% pickaxe power (Nightmare or Deathbringer Pickaxe) | 3 Hellstone + 1 Obsidian at a Hellforge |
Your Copper Pickaxe already mines every ore up to Gold and Platinum. Many beginners believe they need an Iron Pickaxe for Iron or a Silver one for Gold; they do not. Better pickaxes in this range mine faster, but the first real gate is 55% power. That is the Gold Pickaxe (55%) or the Platinum Pickaxe (59%), which can also mine Meteorite and Obsidian.
A practical order for armor is:
- Copper or Tin armor as soon as you have the Anvil, for a little defense on the first trips underground.
- Iron or Lead, then Silver or Tungsten, as you find them. Skip a tier if you already have enough ore for the next one.
- Gold or Platinum armor and the Gold or Platinum Pickaxe. This is a solid set for the Eye of Cthulhu.
- Shadow armor or Crimson armor from Demonite or Crimtane bars plus Shadow Scales or Tissue Samples from the Eater of Worlds or Brain of Cthulhu. A full Shadow armor set takes 60 Demonite Bars and 45 Shadow Scales.
- Molten armor from Hellstone bars, after the Nightmare or Deathbringer Pickaxe (12 Demonite or Crimtane Bars and 6 Shadow Scales or Tissue Samples).
Hellstone is dangerous to mine. Touching it burns you, and each Hellstone block mined in the Underworld releases a little lava. An Obsidian Skin Potion or an Obsidian Skull prevents the burning.
Life Crystals and Mana Crystals
Life Crystals are the most important early upgrade, because health thresholds unlock content.
- You start with 100 health. Each Life Crystal adds 20, up to 15 crystals and 400 health.
- They appear in the Underground layer and below, but never in the Underworld or the Dungeon. Break them with your pickaxe.
- Above 100 maximum health, the Nurse can move in. At 200, the Goblin Army can arrive, and the Eye of Cthulhu can spawn by itself if you also have 11 defense and four town NPCs.
- After 400, Life Fruit in Hardmode raises your health to 500.
Mana Crystals are crafted by hand from 5 Fallen Stars. Each adds 20 maximum mana, up to 9 crystals and 200 mana. Even if you do not plan to play magic, collecting stars every night costs nothing.
Exploring safely
Most early deaths are falls, lava and being stuck far from home. These items fix that:
| Tool | How to get it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Grappling Hook | 1 Hook + 3 Chains at an Anvil. Hooks drop from Skeletons and Undead Miners (1 in 25) | Pulls you to a block up to 18.75 tiles away; saves you from falls and pits |
| Magic Mirror | Gold Chests underground; the Ice Mirror comes from Frozen Chests | Teleports you to your spawn point, unlimited uses |
| Recall Potion | Chests and pots, or brewed from Bottled Water, a Specular Fish and a Daybloom | A one-use Magic Mirror with a shorter delay |
| Rope | Merchant, 10 copper each; also chests and pots | Climb shafts; 10 Rope make a Rope Coil you can throw |
| Platforms | 1 Wood = 2 Wood Platforms, by hand | Quick stairs and bridges; press Down to drop through |
| Mining Helmet | Merchant, 4 gold | A light on your head while you dig |
A good habit is to dig a straight vertical shaft from your base, line it with platforms or rope, and branch out sideways. Combined with a Bed and a Magic Mirror or Recall Potion, every trip underground ends safely at home.
The early bosses
Bosses are optional at this stage, but they are how you get the next materials. For the full order and every summon, see the Boss Order Guide.
| Boss | How to summon | Natural spawn | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| King Slime | Slime Crown: 20 Gel + a Gold or Platinum Crown at a Demon or Crimson Altar | During a Slime Rain after 150 slimes are killed | The Solidifier, and a chance at the Slimy Saddle mount and Ninja armor |
| Eye of Cthulhu | Suspicious Looking Eye: 6 Lenses at a Demon or Crimson Altar, used at night | At dusk if a player has 200 health and 11 defense and 4 town NPCs live in the world | 30 to 90 Demonite or Crimtane Ore and 20 to 50 Unholy Arrows |
| Eater of Worlds | Worm Food: 30 Vile Powder + 15 Rotten Chunks at an altar, used in the Corruption | Breaking every third Shadow Orb | Shadow Scales and Demonite for the Nightmare Pickaxe |
| Brain of Cthulhu | Bloody Spine: 30 Vicious Powder + 15 Vertebrae at an altar, used in the Crimson | Breaking every third Crimson Heart | Tissue Samples and Crimtane for the Deathbringer Pickaxe |
When the Eye of Cthulhu decides to come by itself, the game warns you with "You feel an evil presence watching you..." That is your cue to get to an open area with platforms, not to hide in a narrow tunnel.
Breaking the third Shadow Orb summons the Eater of Worlds immediately. Breaking orbs one by one is how most players get the Musket and the first Goblin Army trigger, so stop before the third if you are not ready for the fight.
Choosing a class early
Terraria has four classes: melee, ranged, magic and summoner. In the first hours you do not need to commit. Use whatever drops: the Musket from the first Shadow Orb is a fine ranged weapon, and the Mana Crystals you craft from Fallen Stars make magic weapons usable. Commit to one class before the Wall of Flesh, when armor sets and accessories start to reward specialization.
For what each class is good at and how to gear it, see the Class and Build Guide. For which weapons to aim for at each stage, see the Weapon Progression Guide.
Common beginner mistakes
- Hitting a Demon Altar with your hammer. Before Hardmode it cannot be broken; it only takes half your health. Altars are where you craft the Suspicious Looking Eye, Worm Food, Bloody Spine and Slime Crown.
- Waiting for the Merchant with coins in a Piggy Bank. Only coins in your inventory count toward his 50 silver.
- Building next to the Corruption or Crimson. The house can become invalid, and the evil biome's enemies spawn around it.
- Leaving Fallen Stars on the ground. They disappear at dawn.
- Thinking you need a better pickaxe for Gold. You need 55% pickaxe power only for Demonite, Crimtane, Meteorite and Obsidian.
- Starting Hardmode by accident. The Wall of Flesh is summoned by a Guide Voodoo Doll in Underworld lava, and killing it turns the world into Hardmode for good.
- Ignoring the evil biome. Before Hardmode, Corruption and Crimson spread only slowly through grass to the next block. After the Wall of Flesh they spread through stone, sand and more, and a barrier must be at least three tiles wide to stop them. See the Hardmode Guide for how to protect your base.
Where to go next
Once you have Gold or Platinum gear and have beaten the Eye of Cthulhu, your next steps are the Eater of Worlds or Brain of Cthulhu, the pickaxe that mines Hellstone, and Skeletron at the Dungeon. The Boss Order Guide covers that route, and the Money Making Guide covers how to fund potions and reforging along the way.
★Honest Take: the first hour is the worst part, and it is short
Terraria's opening is genuinely unfriendly. Nothing explains that a Work Bench counts as a table, that the Merchant wants coins in your pocket, or that your Copper Pickaxe could already mine Gold. That is why so many people bounce off it. But the rules are few and consistent: build a valid house, carry the right item, get health to 200, and the game starts handing you goals on its own. Once the Eye of Cthulhu falls, "what do I do now?" turns into "what do I do first?", and that feeling lasts for a very long time.
