Lightning Bug

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Lightning Bug
  • Lightning Bug item sprite
Auto-use
Stack digit 9.pngStack digit 9.pngStack digit 9.pngStack digit 9.png
Statistics
Type
Bait Power35%
Consumable✔️
Use time15 (Very fast)
RarityRarity level: 2
Sell5 SC
Research5 required
Not to be confused with Etherian Lightning Bug.

Lightning Bugs are harmless critters that spawn during the night on Hallowed grass blocks. The Lightning Bug has only 5 health and no defense, and can be damaged by other enemies and players.

The Lightning Bug can be caught with any Bug Net to be carried around in the inventory and released later, or crafted into animated decorative furniture (Lightning Bug in a Bottle). Once crafted, the Lightning Bug cannot be released again, unless the furniture item is de-crafted via Shimmer(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions).

The Lightning Bug can be used as bait for fishing, with 35% bait power.

The Lightning Bug can be spawned by the Firefly Statue, however statue-spawned critters cannot be caught with any Bug Net, and will disappear in a puff of smoke when the player attempts to do so.

Its regular counterpart is the Firefly.

Crafting

Used in

ResultIngredientsCrafting station
Lightning Bug in a BottleLightning Bug in a BottleBy Hand
Firefly StatueFirefly Statue(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)Heavy Work BenchHeavy Work Bench(Desktop, Console, Old-gen console and Mobile versions) and Ecto Mist(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)

Notes

  • At every dusk (7:30 PM), or each time the world is loaded, the spawn rate of Fireflies/Lightning Bugs are set to a random value. Below is the detailed info:[1]
    • For Fireflies/Lightning Bugs, there are three related parameters: fireFlyChance, the spawn rate of these when no town NPCs are around; fireFlyFriendly, the spawn rate of these when town NPCs are around; and fireFlyMultiple, the chance for multiple of these spawning at the same time.
These parameters are set in the following way:
  • First, 1/9 (11.11%) chance: fireFlyChance = 5–9, fireFlyFriendly = 1–3, fireFlyMultiple = 3–7.
  • If this failed, then 1/3 (33.33%) chance: fireFlyChance, fireFlyFriendly, fireFlyMultiple all set to 999999 (effectively preventing them to spawn).
  • If both failed, then: fireFlyChance = 10–59, fireFlyFriendly = 2–14, fireFlyMultiple = 6–29.
  • Then, if the world is a Celebrationmk10 world, fireFlyChance is divided by 2. If the value is lower than 1 after dividing, then set it to 1.
After these parameters are set, they will be used in spawning. Note that the following chances are only related to the respective critter and for reference only, they do not account for other spawns:[2]
  • Fireflies/Lightning Bugs can only spawn at night, when the player is on surface, is not in a Graveyard(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions), and the wind speed is lower than 20 mph.
  • Fireflies spawn on regular grass and both kinds of mowed grasses, while Lightning Bugs spawn on Hallowed grass.
  • There is a 1/fireFlyChance or 1/fireFlyFriendly chance for these to spawn, depending on whether the player is in a town. Then, there are four individual 1/fireFlyMultiple chances for an extra Firefly/Lightning Bug to spawn. As a result, they can appear in groups of 1–5.
  • Lavaflies(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions), which may seem similar to Fireflies, uses a slightly different spawning mechanic:[3]
  • They only spawn at night in Underworld. One Lavafly will always be spawned, and there are four individual 1/fireFlyMultiple chances for an extra Lavafly to spawn. As a result, they can appear in groups of 1–5.

Tips

  • Similar to Fireflies, they are very useful as bait due to the large quantities that can be obtained per night. Note that they only spawn in The Hallow, which makes them Hardmode-exclusive.
    • However, they will still spawn if The Hallow is created in a pre-Hardmode world, making them the only NPC to do so.

Trivia

  • Although it may seem as if the Lightning Bug is the Firefly version of the Enchanted Nightcrawler(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) (both 35% bait power with similar color changes), it is not crafted, contrary to the Enchanted Nightcrawler.
  • In real life, lightning bug is just another name for a firefly, not a distinct insect.
  • The BestiaryBestiary entry for the Lightning Bug: "Appears at night in blessed locations, filling the sky with flashing cyan light. Fish are especially attracted to these."

History

  • 3DS-Release: Introduced with the ability to be used as bait.
  1. Information taken from the Desktop version Desktop 1.4.4.6 source code, methods setFireFlyChance() in Terraria.NPC.cs, UpdateTime_StartNight() in Terraria.Main.cs, and LoadWorld() in Terraria.IO.WorldFile.cs. There may be inaccuracies, as the current Desktop version Desktop version is 1.4.4.9.
  2. Information taken from the Desktop version Desktop 1.4.4.6 source code, method SpawnNPC() in Terraria.NPC.cs. There may be inaccuracies, as the current Desktop version Desktop version is 1.4.4.9.
  3. Information taken from the Desktop version Desktop 1.4.4.6 source code, method SpawnNPC_SpawnLavaBaitCritters. There may be inaccuracies, as the current Desktop version Desktop version is 1.4.4.9.