Liquids

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There are four types of liquids in Terraria: water, lava, honey and shimmer. While each has varying properties, all of these liquids share common "liquid mechanics" that describe how they move and interact with their surroundings. For example, all liquids flow to fill the area they occupy, and they can all be collected or moved using certain items. Liquids besides shimmer can become dangerous if the player falls into them if they occupy a deep enough space, as the player can then be subjected to drowning. However, all liquids are useful to some extent since they can be used for crafting, which is one of the main distinctive features between the different types of liquids.

All liquids

Flowing and moving

An example of "splitting liquids" fluid generator.

Liquids can fill part or all of a tile, and can flow between tiles. Liquid in motion is considered "flowing", and can visually occupy more of a tile than it will when it comes to rest. Liquids that are not moving are considered "settled": when entering a world, all flowing liquids are explicitly settled (displaying "Settling liquids" on the loading screen), moving them to their natural destination.

Water and shimmer flow most quickly, lava is slower, and honey flows the slowest. If a liquid block is placed with open space beneath it, it will flow downwards. If it has a block below it, but open space to either side, it will flow to either or both open sides, resulting in partial tiles of liquid. However, there is a minimum depth for liquid tiles; if the liquid spreads too thinly, it will disappear altogether.

Buckets can be used to collect, move, and place any liquid (except shimmer). Pumps can be used to collect, move, and place any liquid.

When using a bucket on liquid, the game checks a 3×3 square around that tile for more liquid of the same type. If it finds at least 0.39 (100/255) tiles of liquid in that area, the bucket collects what is there, up to a full tile at a time.[1] Regardless of if it collected less than a full tile, the bucket is always filled completely and is able to pour out a full tile. Full buckets can be stacked up to 9999, and placed in inventories, chests, etc. like any other item.

Pumps are mechanisms, used with wires and various triggers. When an Inlet and an Outlet Pump are connected with wire and triggered together, they will transfer up to four tiles of liquid from the inlet to the outlet. They cannot duplicate liquids, but they can be used to keep a liquid continuously flowing. For moving large quantities of liquids, pumps can be set up once and left to finish the job (this also applies to filling large areas). However, the setup can be finicky, as it requires connecting two pumps with wires. Using a stack of buckets may in fact be more efficient when transporting small amount of liquid on a long distance.

(Old-gen console and 3DS versions) Before 1.4.0.1, flowing liquids would tend to increase in volume. They could be purposely poured over blocks to split their flows, maximizing the volume increase, and/or pumps could be used to keep them flowing (and increasing) indefinitely. See below for more details.

Interactions with blocks

In-game graphic of a waterfall. Notice the half block.

Liquids cannot be placed in a tile containing a block, even if the block has been hammered into a partial block. If a liquid tile is adjacent to the empty part of a partial block, it can appear to fill the space, but is not considered "in" the block's tile, and cannot be picked up from there. Blocks can be placed in liquid (except lava). Any liquid in the tile will be trapped, and cannot flow out (or otherwise be interacted with) until the block is removed. However, after exiting and re-entering the world, such trapped liquid will be specially processed during the "Settling liquids" phase: the liquid will try to flow as if the block trapping it does not exist. If the block connects with open space, the liquid will flow out to open space; if the block connects with other blocks that do not allow liquid through, the liquid will still be trapped inside it. Afterwards, all remaining liquid trapped in blocks will be deleted. As liquids flow, their volume tends to increase. This can be exploited to duplicate liquids indefinitely (see Infinite Liquids below).

If a full tile of liquid is next to a half block with open space on the other side, it will visually flow over the block and continue as a river or liquidfall. This liquidfall is purely a visual effect, and cannot be interacted with (a "lavafall" of this sort will not burn the player, a "honeyfall" will not heal them, and a "shimmerfall" will not make them phase through blocks). If the liquid is water and the half-block is a Gemspark Block or Rainbow Brick, the waterfall will glow with the color(s) of the half-block.

At various points in the world, liquids can be found dripping from ceilings. This dripping effect is purely visual, and has no functional use. This effect can be created by the player using Magic Droppers. Natural or player-made "droplets" can be broken (but not harvested) with a pickaxe or drill, aiming just below the block they drip from.

There are also two kinds of block that have special interaction with liquids:

  • Bubbles allow entities pass freely, while liquids interact with them as if they were solid blocks.
  • Grates(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) function as the opposite of Bubbles, allowing liquid through while blocking entities. They can also be toggled via wire.

Note that these blocks are also subject to the general rule of liquid settling: when liquid is trapped inside them, it will still flow out or be deleted upon re-entering the world.

Interaction with players

Players normally cannot walk over liquids, and will instead fall in. Falling into liquid negates all fall damage regardless of distance and depth of the liquid pool. Players entering/exiting liquids will make a splashing sound and appropriate animation. Certain items can allow walking on liquids (see the liquid's own page for details); the player still will not take fall damage when landing on the liquid. While in liquids, players will find their movement slowed. The slowing effect matches the liquid's flow speed: Water is least restrictive, lava is in-between, and honey is most restrictive.

Players have no natural ability to swim in liquids, but can still jump or fly according to their current equipment. Certain items can cancel the movement penalty and/or allow free swimming, see the liquid's own page for details. The Flipper (or its upgrades) will allow the player to swim freely in any direction. However, it does not allow them to float, and as soon as they stop moving they will sink down through the liquid. The Inner Tube causes players to float to the surface. The Neptune's Shell and its upgrades will allow the player to swim freely in water, honey, and shimmer, but not lava. Note that neither landing in nor jumping out of liquid (including swimming up past the surface), will reset flight time for wings or Rocket Boots variants.

Drowning

Diving equipment
any of the following:

A player who stays submerged too long in water or honey, will begin to drown. When the player first goes above neck level in the liquid, the breath meter will appear, and slowly empty. When the meter empties completely, the player will begin to take damage (about 17 health per second without any equipment). When the head of the player emerges from the water, the breath meter will rapidly refill and then vanish. Various equipment can prevent drowning: Diving equipment will slow the emptying of the breath meter. The Breathing Reed will do likewise (and stack with the diving equipment); it also reaches above the player's head, and if the end of the reed is in air, the player can refill their breath meter. A Neptune's Shell (or its upgrades), or the effect of the Gills Potion will remove the breath meter and prevent drowning in water altogether.

Removal

There are a few different ways to remove liquids:

  • Dry Bombs(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) can be used to easily remove any liquids. However, these require lava-fishing to obtain.
  • Dry Rockets(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) can be bought from the Cyborg for 50 SC each. They are ammunition for launchers.
  • If small amounts of one liquid are poured over a pool of another, even a single bucket's worth can turn much larger amounts (generally at least twice or three times) of the target liquid into blocks.
  • When two types of liquid touch each other at an occupied tile (e.g. the tile has an actuated block or a piece of furniture),
  • The Super Absorbant Sponge, Lava Absorbant Sponge, and Honey Absorbant Sponge can be used to destroy water, lava, and honey respectively. The first is obtained from the Angler, the second requires lava-fishing, and the third has a chance to be obtained from the Angler when giving him a Bumblebee Tuna. These three can be combined at a Tinkerer's Workshop to make the Ultra Absorbant Sponge, which is capable of removing the formerly mentioned three liquids, as well as shimmer.
  • If a block or so of liquid is poured over a large flat space, it can spread to the point where it dissipates entirely.

Crafting with liquids

When different liquids touch each other, they create one of the four contact-created blocks: Obsidian (water + lava), Honey Block (water + honey), Crispy Honey Block (honey + lava), and Aetherium Block (shimmer + water / lava / honey). When this happens, up to a tile's worth of each liquid will be consumed, but either or both of the touching tiles can be partial and/or flowing tiles – that is, creating the block does not require a "full" tile of either liquid.

Furthermore, water, lava, and honey tiles are minor crafting stations, which enable a few recipes whenever the player is nearby. Their recipes do not use up the liquid, even when filling Bottles with water or honey. Shimmer's transmutation mechanic allows for crafting or decrafting certain items.

Fishing

All liquids (except shimmer) can be fished in. For each liquid, the pool must contain a minimum number of tiles for fishing to work (see the Fishing page for full details). Lava requires a special fishing pole to fish in it, the Hotline Fishing Hook. In the Desktop version Desktop version, Console version Console version, and Mobile version Mobile version, the Lavaproof Fishing Hook accessory or Underworld bait can be used to fish in lava with any fishing rod. Lava and honey have a very limited selection of fish that can be caught in them. Trying to fish in shimmer will give the player the Shimmering debuff which will cause them to sink through the ground.

Water.png Water

Main article: Water

Water is by far the most common liquid in the game, appearing in lakes from the edge of Space to the depths of the Caverns (lower in the Caverns, lava takes over as the primary liquid, but some water still appears). However, if water enters or is placed in the Underworld, it will rapidly evaporate.

  • Water does not usually provide any buffs or debuffs, but entering water will remove the On Fire! debuff. In Expert Mode(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions), entering water in a Snow or Ice biome will apply the Chilled debuff.
  • Pools of water can spawn critters (usually Goldfish) or enemies depending on depth and biome.
  • The color of water varies depending on the biome the player is standing in. It can be altered manually with Water Fountains.
  • Water Walking Boots, or any of their upgrades, will allow walking on the surface of (non-flowing) water.
  • A Neptune's Shell (or any upgrade thereof), or Fishron Wings will almost completely remove the slowing effect of water (only).
  • If large amounts of water are poured into the Underworld, (e.g., diverting a lake or ocean), eventually all the water will evaporate, but this can take some time, and it will convert the lava surface to Obsidian.
  • There is no way to "melt" ice or snow into water, nor the reverse. Therefore, the amount of Ice Blocks in a world is limited. In a Snow biome, hazardous Thin Ice will spawn on top of the water, but naturally generated Thin Ice cannot be collected as item.
  • Water can be produced endlessly with the Bottomless Water Bucket(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) (or see below). The Super Absorbant Sponge(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) can likewise be used to remove water freely.
  • The following method can be used to destroy a large water pool from below: Dig a 2×2 hole a block underneath the bottom (that is, the hole should still be dry). Place a chest into the hole, and put 3 or 4 buckets of lava or honey over the chest. Now dig out the blocks above the chest so that the water can flow in. Since the Obsidian or honey block has no place to form (and cannot break the chest), the flowing water will simply be destroyed.

Lava.png Lava

Main article: Lava

Lava is the second most common liquid in the game. It appears often in the lower Cavern layer, and is plentiful in The Underworld. It can also be created in two ways:

  • If Hellstone is mined in the Underworld, each block drops a half / full bucket/tile of lava. Lava can be farmed by repeatedly placing and mining Hellstone, but only in the Underworld.
  • In Expert Mode(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions), Lava Slimes will drop lava upon death.
  • In Get fixed boi(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) worlds, Hellbats and Lava Bats drop lava upon death.

Lava has two unique properties: it deals damage, and it dislodges and destroys items. Lava will deal direct damage to the player on contact, and inflict the On Fire! debuff. However, the player cannot drown in lava. The Obsidian Skin Potion or Lava Charm/Lava Waders will prevent contact damage for their duration, and an Obsidian Rose will sharply reduce the damage. Lava's contact damage is reduced by a player's defense, so advanced armor can be helpful. Lava will also burn most enemies, and so can be used in traps.

  • Lava is opaque, and will hide both objects and creatures, including the player.
  • Blocks cannot be placed in lava, but blocks that are subject to gravity (Sand, Silt, and Slush) can fall into it and thereby be placed at the bottom. This can be used to build a pillar for bridging the lava.
  • Lava can only destroy items with a rarity of Rarity level: 0. These items will be destroyed if submerged in lava past the midpoint of their sprite. There are a few Rarity level: 0 rarity items which are immune to lava: Obsidian, Fireblossom and its seeds, Living Fire Block(Desktop, Console, Old-gen console and Mobile versions) (only the regular type, not its variants) and Grates(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions).
  • Flowing lava will dislodge most platforms and furniture, which may then be destroyed as items. Pumps, statues, Obsidian furniture, and Obsidian/Stone(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)/Ash Wood Platforms(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) are unaffected.
  • Lava Waders will allow walking on lava indefinitely (if the surface is settled), and even allow swimming in it for 7 seconds.
  • Flippers or their upgrades allow swimming in lava, but will not help with the movement speed or contact damage. The Neptune's Shell and its upgrades do not work in lava.
  • Lava can be produced endlessly with the Bottomless Lava Bucket(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions). The Lava Absorbant Sponge(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) can likewise be used to remove lava freely.

Honey.png Honey

Main article: Honey

Honey is the third most common liquid in the game. It is naturally found only in and around Bee Hive mini-biomes inside the Underground Jungle. It can be created by mining Hive Blocks, but if honey is produced, the Hive Block will not drop. Honey will slow the player's movement a great deal (as will the Honey Blocks often found nearby).

  • Honey is nearly opaque, hiding submerged items and creatures.
  • Honey pools will provide the player with a special life regeneration buff. This effect lasts as long as the player is standing or swimming in honey, then for another 30 seconds after they leave the honey. The player does not need to be submerged, but the honey pool must be at least two tile's worth, and not too shallow. There are also a couple of healing items that can be produced at honey pools, namely Bottled Honey and Honeyfins.
  • Like water, the player will drown in honey if submerged for too long. The same items that slow or prevent drowning in water, will do likewise in honey.
  • The same items which allow walking on water (Water Walking Boots or any of their upgrades), or swimming in water (Neptune's Shell or Flippers, or their respective upgrades) will work the same in honey. However, they will not prevent the slowing effect of honey (Fishron Wings will, however).
  • Honey can be produced endlessly with the Bottomless Honey Bucket(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions). The Honey Absorbant Sponge(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) can likewise be used to remove honey freely.

Shimmer.gif Shimmer

Desktop version Console version Mobile version
Desktop/Console/Mobile-Only Content: This section's information applies only to the Desktop, Console, and Mobile versions of Terraria.
Main article: Shimmer

Shimmer is a shiny, lavender-colored pearlescent liquid, and by far the rarest liquid in the game. A limited amount can be found in the Aether, a rare mini-biome which generates once per world in the Cavern layer, always on the same half of the world as the Jungle. It also cannot be picked up with buckets, and must either be moved manually, or with pumps. Shimmer can only be placed with the post-Moon Lord Bottomless Shimmer Bucket. Shimmer has a unique function of transforming items and entities soaked in it. Items after transformation will float upwards until they leave the shimmer, then linger in midair and producing vibrant lights until a player picks it up, similar to that of souls. This includes:

  • Transforming crafted items back into their components.
  • Transforming certain items into other items in a process called "transmutation". Certain items can only be obtained via this transformation, such as the Vital Crystal, Aegis Fruit, Arcane Crystal, and Ambrosia. Some item transformations only occur in worlds where the Moon Lord has already been defeated.
  • Transforming the sprites of town NPCs.
  • Transforming certain enemies into other enemies.
  • Transforming most critters into Faelings.

Infinite liquids

Old-gen console version Old-gen console version and Nintendo 3DSNintendo 3DS version version

Compact liquid farm with mixing chamber, block view.
Compact liquid farm, wiring view.
Infinite liquid generator with block production.

Using pumps, a player can construct infinite liquid sources, by pumping liquid in a continuous cycle.

To the right are two examples of compact infinite liquid factories, with arrangements to produce the contact blocks as well. Note the enclosed storage to prevent overflowing and the 1 Second Timers to automate the process. The first uses a common mixing chamber that can draw fluid from the generation chambers, four tiles per switch-press. The second takes an alternative approach to have blocks continuously available.

The second option's double Outlet Pumps do not (as formerly thought) duplicate the liquid from the input. However, they may still help speed, by carrying overflow liquid when the first Outlet Pump is blocked (that is, the liquid it brought in last cycle has not had time to flow away).

Desktop version Desktop version, Console version Console version, and Mobile version Mobile version

The above form of liquid generation will not work well on these versions, and may destroy liquid instead of creating it. There are, however, the following alternatives:

  • For water, lava, honey, and shimmer, there are "Bottomless Buckets" available. The Bottomless Water Bucket and Bottomless Honey Bucket, and their reverse items, the Super Absorbant Sponge and Honey Absorbant Sponge, are Angler rewards. The Bottomless Lava Bucket and its reverse item, the Lava Absorbant Sponge, are caught directly while fishing in lava. The Bottomless Shimmer Bucket is either crafted or obtained via submerging a Bottomless Water Bucket in shimmer after defeating the Moon Lord.
  • The alternate method, which works for water, lava, and honey, again involves fishing in lava for Obsidian or Hellstone Crates; these can also contain Wet Bombs. These will create water when they explode, and they can be hand-crafted into Dry Bombs, which remove (any) liquid where they explode. These in turn can be crafted into any of the three liquid bombs, when the player is standing near the respective liquid (this does not use up the liquid). This provides Lava Bombs or Honey Bombs (and lets a Dry Bomb be converted back to a Wet Bomb).
  • The Demolitionist will sell Wet Bombs, Dry Bombs, Lava Bombs, and Honey Bombs as long as they player has the given type in their inventory, allowing for as much liquid as the player can purchase. It is wise to set aside one of each of the four types (or at least a Dry Bomb) to make sure of having one available when buying more.
  • The Cyborg will sell Dry Rockets, which can be crafted into Wet Rockets, Lava Rockets, and Honey Rockets while standing near the respective liquid (similar to Dry Bombs). It is important to note that these liquid rockets explode immediately on contact with liquids.

All versions

An example of liquid duplication using a Bucket.

When moving liquids with buckets, liquid buckets can be created with less than a full tile of liquid, but they will always place a full tile of liquid. As a result, splitting liquid and collecting some back when the liquid is flowing allows slow but easy liquid duplication.

For example, pouring liquid on either top of a U-shaped structure will split it in two halves, with one half flowing downwards and the other half staying inside the structure and able to be collected and placed again. This setup is best used on water duplication, as the player can simply hold ⚒ Use / Attack to duplicate it. Lava and honey move more slowly, resulting in less efficiency. Using Smart Cursor can help to collect the liquids.

History

  • Desktop 1.4.0.1: Updated fishing loot, such as crates and lava fishing rewards.
  • Desktop 1.3.4: Liquids flow more dynamically and have a new option to configure this behavior.
  • Desktop 1.3.3: Fixed liquid and rain sounds persisting when the game window is inactive.

References

  1. ↑ Information taken from the Desktop version Desktop 1.4.4.9 source code, method ItemCheck_UseBuckets() in Terraria.Player.cs.
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