NPCs

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NPCs
Guide Merchant Nurse Painter Dye Trader Zoologist Golfer Party Girl Angler Stylist Demolitionist Dryad Tavernkeep Arms Dealer Goblin Tinkerer Witch Doctor Clothier Mechanic Tax Collector Pirate Truffle Wizard Steampunker Cyborg Santa Claus Princess Traveling Merchant Old Man Skeleton Merchant Town Cat Town Dog Town Bunny Town Slime
Statistics
Type
DamageVaries (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
Max Life250
DefenseVaries (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
15 (Old-gen console and 3DS versions)
KB Resist50%
Immune toConfused
For a complete list of NPC names, see NPC names.

NPCs are friendly automated non-player characters that provide services to players.[1]

Standing near an NPC and pressing the Open / Activate button on them will open a dialogue window with one or more options for the player to select. Most NPCs are vendors, displaying a shop inventory when the "Shop" option is selected. They sell items to players in exchange for coins, and can be sold items by a player to obtain coins. Some NPCs also have other options that perform other functions.

Most NPCs are town NPCs, appearing after various milestones are achieved in game advancement. They move into structures the player must provide, known as houses, which are generally required for town NPCs to remain available. Each NPC will need their own house.

NPCs can reduce enemy spawn rates in the area, the effectiveness of which will increase as more NPCs are present, capped at 3 NPCs.[2] However, this enemy spawn reduction effect will be weaker in the Underworld, and is negated in some circumstances (see Town § Notes for details). Players tend to utilize this effect by building large structures (e.g. bases) with several integrated houses, to serve as their safe area.

Town NPCs generally walk around during the day. They remain still in their assigned houses at night and during certain events. NPCs have limited health and can take damage, and ultimately die from enemies, traps, lava, or (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) by drowning in water; however, they cannot be attacked directly by players (outside of special Voodoo Doll accessories, Rotten Eggs, or the Flymeal(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)). They do not suffer from fall damage and their health regenerates over time. The Nurse can furthermore heal herself and other nearby NPCs. Additionally:

  • (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Town NPCs will attack nearby enemies, each NPC having their own unique form of attack. They will not actively pursue combat, however, but rather attack in an act of self-defense.
  • (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Town NPCs gain defense and damage boosts based on which bosses have been defeated in the current world.
  • (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Occasionally, NPCs sit in chairs and randomly "talk" to other NPCs or the player (shown as mouth movement and speech bubbles).

If an NPC is killed, they will respawn after a delay, as long as a suitable vacant house is still available. (Old-gen console and 3DS versions) If the NPC has an inventory or population requirement for their initial spawn (e.g. the 50 SC requirement for the Merchant), that has to be met again for the respawn. However, a rescued NPC will stay rescued, and respawn without needing to be found again.

There are currently (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) 26 / (Old-gen console version) 21 / Nintendo 3DS version 19 Town NPCs, (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) 8 / (Old-gen console and 3DS versions) 6 of whom normally appear in Hardmode. An additional (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) 3 / (Old-gen console version) 2 / Nintendo 3DS version 1 NPC(s) can be encountered that do not move into houses.

Housing

Main article: House

Each town NPC requires a suitable, vacant house. A house is a room of a certain size enclosed by a frame of blocks, with player-placed background walls, along with a valid light source, flat surface item, and comfort item. Two town NPCs cannot live in the same house at the same time. Houses must not be located near Corruption or Crimson, and if those biomes spread too close to an occupied house, the NPC living there may move out from that house.

Town NPC home assignments can be rearranged using NPC flags from the housing menu, where players can also check whether a room is a suitable house.

If both a town NPC and their house is offscreen, they will teleport to their house during night, rain, Solar Eclipse, or Slime Rain(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions). The Old Man(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) / all NPCs(Old-gen console and 3DS versions) will also teleport to their house if they are standing on Dungeon Bricks, regardless of time. The Old Man will consider the Dungeon point (the spawn point of the Old Man, i.e. the left of the two tiles on which he stands during night) as his home.[3][4]

If a house occupied by an NPC is damaged in a way that makes it invalid, the NPC will move out and walk around the area until a suitable house is restored. If there are vacant houses available in the world, the NPC may move into one of them. If the NPC gets killed and does not have a home, they will not respawn until a new house becomes available.

Buying and selling

Selecting the "Shop" option from the dialogue window, opened by pressing the Open / Activate button on a vendor NPC, will display a shop inventory similar to the player's own inventory. Items can be bought by moving them from the shop inventory into the player's inventory; the cost in coins will be subtracted from the player's storage as soon as the item is picked up from the shop inventory. An item can only be bought if their coin cost is available in the player's inventory ((Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) or in the combined player's savings). Holding the Open / Activate button on stackable items allows the player to buy the item in bulk; the buy speed increases the longer the button is held.

Some NPCs sell biome-specific items when they are spoken to in certain biomes. They can be transported there by housing them there and waiting for the night (they will be teleported to their house at night once off-screen) or by using a King or Queen Statue. Note that the NPC does not need to live in the biome; talking to them while the player is in the biome is sufficient.

All NPC vendors can also be used to sell unwanted or surplus items to gain coins. The unwanted item(s) must be in the player's inventory. Hovering over the item while the NPC's inventory screen is open will display its sell value. Items are always sold to vendors at 1/5 of their purchase price. Not all items have a sell value (very common items such as Dirt or Wood have no value). Placing the item in the NPC's shop inventory will sell it, granting the player the sell value into their inventory. Sales to ((Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) and purchases from) NPCs can be cancelled while the NPC's inventory screen is still open: Sold items can be taken back in exchange for the amount they were sold for (and on Desktop version Desktop, Console version Console, and Mobile version Mobile, purchased items can be sold back in exchange for the amount they were purchased for).

All NPC vendors have the same base buying and selling price. Item prices can be decreased by equipping a Discount Card, which is a rare drop from Pirate Invasions. On Desktop version Desktop, Console version Console, and Mobile version Mobile, prices can also be higher or lower based on the NPC's happiness level.

All NPC vendors will sell pylons(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) when their happiness level is above a certain threshold.

Town NPCs

The NPCs are listed in the order in which they are generally likely to be acquired. See Living preferences below for Desktop version Desktop, Console version Console, and Mobile version Mobile biome and neighbor preferences. The term "other town NPCs" always includes the Old Man, Traveling Merchant, and town pets(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions), but not the Skeleton Merchant(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions).

Pre-Hardmode

NPC Description Spawn requirement Defending weapon ((Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)) Drops upon death
Guide Guide Provides tips and a general guide on how to acquire other NPCs.
(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Provides recipes that include an item that is shown to him.
Always already present when starting a new world. Wooden BowWooden Bow
(with Wooden Arrows /
HM: Flaming Arrows)
Green CapGreen Cap
100%; Desktop versionConsole versionMobile versionNintendo 3DS version only when named Andrew / Old-gen console version always
Merchant Merchant Sells basic tools and supplies. All players combined have more than 50 SC in their inventories.
Replaces the Guide as the starting NPC when starting a new Not the bees(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) world.
Throwing KnifeThrowing Knife n/a
Nurse Nurse Heals players and cancels debuffs in exchange for coins. A player has more than 100 health and the Merchant is present. SyringesSyringesSyringes
(Ranged attack; inflicts Poisoned to enemies; can also target and heal NPCs)
n/a
Demolitionist Demolitionist Sells explosives. A player has an explosive in their inventory and the Merchant is present.
Replaces the Guide as the starting NPC when starting a new For the worthy(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) world.
GrenadeGrenade n/a
Dye Trader Dye Trader(Desktop, Console, Old-gen console and Mobile versions) Sells the Dye Vat crafting station.
(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Provides rare dyes in exchange for Strange Plants.
A player has a dye item or any item used to craft dye in their inventory, (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) in addition to certain other conditions. Exotic ScimitarExotic Scimitar(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Exotic ScimitarExotic Scimitar(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
1/8 (12.5%)
Angler Angler Gives fishing quests and rewards players for completing them. Found and spoken to in an Ocean biome. Frost DaggerfishFrost Daggerfish(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) n/a
Zoologist Zoologist(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Sells vanity, mount, pet, and critter-themed items. At least 10% of the Bestiary (54 entries) has been filled. ClawsClawsClaws
(Melee attack)
n/a
Dryad Dryad Sells nature/Corruption/Crimson items, and can report the percentage of Corruption/Crimson and Hallow in the world. The Eye of Cthulhu, Eater of Worlds/Brain of Cthulhu, or Skeletron has been defeated. Dryad's BlessingDryad's Blessing(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
(Area of effect; gives Dryad's Blessing to players and Dryad's Bane to enemies)
n/a
Painter Painter Sells paint, painting tools, and paintings. (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) 8 / (Old-gen console and 3DS versions) 4 other town NPCs are in the world. Paintball GunPaintball Gun(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Paintball GunPaintball Gun(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
1/10 (10%)
Jim's CapJim's Cap(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
100%; only when named Jim
Golfer Golfer(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Sells Golf Clubs, Balls, and other golfing items. Found and spoken to in the Underground Desert. Golf BallsGolf Balls(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
(Ranged attack)
n/a
Arms Dealer Arms Dealer Sells guns, bullets, and other ammunition. A player has bullets or a gun that shoots bullets in their inventory. Flintlock PistolFlintlock Pistol /
HM: MinisharkMinishark
n/a
Tavernkeep Tavernkeep(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Sells items that summon and help with fighting the Old One's Army, most of them only in exchange for Defender Medals. Found and spoken to after the Eater of Worlds or Brain of Cthulhu has been defeated. AleAle
(Ranged area of effect attack)
Ale TosserAle Tosser(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
1/8 (12.5%)
Stylist Stylist(Desktop, Console, Old-gen console and Mobile versions) Can change the player's hairstyle and sells Hair Dyes. Found and spoken to in a Spider Nest. Stylish ScissorsStylish Scissors(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Stylish ScissorsStylish Scissors(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
1/8 (12.5%)
Goblin Tinkerer Goblin Tinkerer Sells items such as the Tinkerer's Workshop, and can reforge items. Found and spoken to in the Cavern layer, after a Goblin Invasion has been defeated. Spiky BallSpiky Ball n/a
Witch Doctor Witch Doctor Sells the Blowgun, the Imbuing Station, summoner equipment, Fountains, and Leaf Wings. The Queen Bee has been defeated. BlowgunBlowgun
(With Poison Darts; inflicts Poisoned)
n/a
Clothier Clothier Sells some vanity items, including the Familiar set. Skeletron has been defeated. Shadowflame SkullShadowflame Skull
(Ranged attack; inflicts Shadowflame)
Red HatRed Hat
100%
Mechanic Mechanic Sells the Wrench, Wire, and other mechanism-related items. Found and spoken to in the Dungeon. Mechanic's WrenchMechanic's Wrench
(Ranged area of effect attack)
Combat WrenchCombat Wrench(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
1/8 (12.5%)
Party Girl Party Girl Sells novelty items that create colorful visual effects. 1/40 chance of spawning after (Desktop, Console, Mobile and 3DS versions) 14 / (Old-gen console version) 8 other town NPCs are in the world.
Replaces the Guide as the starting NPC when starting a new Drunk world(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions).
Happy GrenadeHappy Grenade(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Happy GrenadeHappy Grenade(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
1/4 (25%); in stacks of 30–60

Hardmode

NPC Description Spawn requirement Defending weapon ((Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)) Drops upon death
Wizard Wizard Sells magic-related items. Found and spoken to in the Cavern layer. Ball of FireBall of Fire
(Ranged attack; similar to the Flower of Fire; inflicts On Fire!)
n/a
Tax Collector Tax Collector(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Collects property taxes from other NPCs. Earns 50 CC per NPC present, collectable by the player. A Tortured Soul is transformed with Purification Powder in the Underworld.
Replaces the Guide as the starting NPC when starting a new Don't dig up(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) world.
Classy CaneClassy Cane(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Classy CaneClassy Cane(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
1/8 (12.5%)
Truffle Truffle Sells the Autohammer, Mushroom Spear, and other mushroom-themed items. A house is available in an above-ground Glowing Mushroom biome during Hardmode. Truffle SporeTruffle Spore
(Summons projectiles around Truffle; damages enemies on contact)
n/a
Pirate Pirate Sells the Cannon and other pirate-themed items. A Pirate Invasion has been defeated. Pirate CannonPirate Cannon
(Ranged attack; similar to the attack of the Pirate Captain enemy)
n/a
Steampunker Steampunker Sells the Clentaminator, Jetpack, and other items. A mechanical boss has been defeated. Clockwork Assault RifleClockwork Assault Rifle IvyIvy(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
100%; only when named Whitney
Cyborg Cyborg Sells the Proximity Mine Launcher, Rockets, and Nanites. Plantera has been defeated. RocketsRocketsRocketsRockets
(Ranged area of effect attack; randomly chosen among Grenade Launcher, Rocket Launcher, and Proximity Mine Launcher.)
n/a
Santa Claus Santa Claus Sells the Santa set, colored lights, Christmas trees and their respective decorations. The Frost Legion has been defeated and it is Christmas. Christmas OrnamentChristmas Ornament
(Ranged attack)
n/a
Princess Princess(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Sells several vanity and furniture items. All other town NPCs are in the world (except for town pets and Santa Claus). Resonance ScepterResonance Scepter(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
(Ranged area of effect attack; swiftly contracts out of sight after attacking target)
Resonance ScepterResonance Scepter(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
1/8 (12.5%)

Town pets

Desktop versionConsole versionMobile version
Desktop/Console/Mobile-Only Content: This section's information applies only to the Desktop, Console, and Mobile versions of Terraria.
Not to be confused with Pets.

Town pets are special town NPCs that have distinctive housing assignment banners, and can share houses with another non-town pet NPC. They count as NPCs for pylon requirements and for decreasing enemy spawn rates in an area, but are not counted as neighboring NPCs in other NPCs' happiness calculations, and indeed do not positively or negatively affect the happiness of other NPCs in any way. Unlike other NPCs, town pets have no means of self-defense.

Like other NPCs, town pets also require a valid standing point in the house (a home tile). They may not be able to share a house with another NPC if the house is too small.

Town pets offer a unique "Pet" option, which places the player directly in front of the pet when selected, and displays a petting animation. The effect is purely visual.

There are currently four types of town pets.

Zoologist town pets

These town pets are obtained by using a pet license sold by the Zoologist. They will appear at dawn (4:30 AM) the day after a pet license item is used, and only one of each kind of pet can exist at a time. The type of the pet can be changed by using another pet license.

Pet License item Sell requirement
Town Cat Town Cat Cat LicenseCat License n/a
Town Dog Town Dog Dog LicenseDog License 25% Bestiary completion (135 entries)
Town Bunny Town Bunny Bunny LicenseBunny License 45% Bestiary completion (243 entries)

Town Slimes

Main article: Town Slimes

Town Slimes are town pets that will move in after certain requirements are met for each specific type. Unlike town pets from the Zoologist, all types of Town Slimes can exist at the same time.

This content is transcluded from Town Slimes § Types.

Image Name Condition Map Icon
Nerdy Slime Nerdy SlimeInternal NPC ID: 670 Moves in upon the defeat of King Slime. Map Icon Nerdy Slime.png
Cool Slime Cool SlimeInternal NPC ID: 678 Moves in when there is a natural active Party. Map Icon Cool Slime.png
Elder Slime Elder SlimeInternal NPC ID: 679 Moves in after unlocking an Old Shaking Chest with a Golden Key after defeating Skeletron. Map Icon Elder Slime.png
Clumsy Slime Clumsy SlimeInternal NPC ID: 680 Moves in after breaking the balloon of a Clumsy Balloon Slime. Map Icon Clumsy Slime.png
Diva Slime Diva SlimeInternal NPC ID: 681 Moves in after throwing or discarding a Sparkle Slime Balloon into Shimmer. Map Icon Diva Slime.png
Surly Slime Surly SlimeInternal NPC ID: 682 Moves in when fished up during a Blood Moon. Map Icon Surly Slime.png
Mystic Slime Mystic SlimeInternal NPC ID: 683 Moves in after using Purification Powder on a Mystic Frog in the Jungle. Map Icon Mystic Slime.png
Squire Slime Squire SlimeInternal NPC ID: 684 Moves in after dropping a Copper Helmet or a Copper Shortsword on a slime. Map Icon Squire Slime.png

Other NPCs

The following NPCs are not considered town NPCs because they do not move into houses.

NPC Description Spawn requirement Defending weapon ((Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)) Drops upon death
Traveling Merchant Traveling Merchant(Desktop, Console, Old-gen console and Mobile versions) Stays until the evening, sells a random selection of unique items each day. 22.12% spawn chance during morning hours (4:30 AM – 12:00 PM) once two other NPCs are present. Revolver /
HM: Pulse Bow
(Ranged)
Peddler's HatPeddler's Hat(Desktop, Console, Old-gen console and Mobile versions)
100%
Old Man Old Man Found at the entrance to the Dungeon. Summons Skeletron when spoken to, but only at night. Once Skeletron is defeated, the Old Man moves into town as the Clothier. Starting a new world. n/a n/a
Skeleton Merchant Skeleton Merchant(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Sells Counterweights, Spelunker Glowsticks, Magic Lantern, the Yoyo Glove and some other items, based on the lunar cycle. Some items such as the Slap Hand can only be obtained from him. Rarely found in the Caverns. Bone
(Thrown)
n/a

Stat boosts

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

All NPCs have a base defense stat of 15 (except for the Skeleton Merchant, who has 30), and their base attack stats vary from one NPC to another. They also gain a damage multiplier based on the difficulty of the world: 1× / 1.5× / 1.75×, respectively. In a Journey Mode world, the damage multiplier is 1× when the difficulty is lower than Expert (2×), and is set to when the difficulty is no less than Expert (2×).[5]

In addition, all NPCs gain specific defense and damage boosts based on the bosses that have been defeated so far in the current world. These boosts are completely independent of each other (e.g. the "Hardmode entered" boost can potentially be gained without first attaining the "Eye of Cthulhu is defeated" boost, and vice-versa). The boosts are also permanent for a given world, and are applied instantly to all town NPCs, including all Town pets and all other NPCs. The damage boost stack multiplicatively with the difficulty damage multiplier.[5]

As the Dryad does not deal damage directly, she gains damage boosts to her Dryad's BaneDryad's Bane debuff on enemies. These boosts to the Dryad's Bane debuff are not quite the same as those damage-stat boosts, however, so both kinds of boosts are listed in the following table. Just as with the stat boosts, the Dryad's Bane boosts are independent of each other, are permanent for a given world, and are applied instantly to all enemies inflicted with the debuff.[6]

Defeating Deerclops(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) will not give stat boosts to NPCs.

Event Defense
bonus
Damage boost[7]
Attack Dryad's Bane
Advanced Combat TechniquesAdvanced Combat Techniques(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) used +6 +20% n/a
Eye of Cthulhu is defeated +3 +10%
Eater of Worlds / Brain of Cthulhu is defeated +3 +10%
Queen Bee is defeated +3 +10%
Skeletron is defeated +3 +10%
Hardmode entered +12 +40%
Advanced Combat Techniques: Volume TwoAdvanced Combat Techniques: Volume Two(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) used +6 +20% n/a
Queen Slime(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) is defeated +6 +15% n/a
The Twins are defeated +6 +15%
The Destroyer is defeated +6 +15%
Skeletron Prime is defeated +6 +15%
Plantera is defeated +8 +15%
Golem is defeated +8 +15%
Empress of Light(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) is defeated +8 +15% n/a
Lunatic Cultist is defeated +8 +15%

Happiness

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

NPCs have individual preferences about other NPCs or the biome they live in which in turn affects their prices. When selecting " Happiness" in an NPC's dialogue window, the NPC will tell the player if any factors make them currently happy or unhappy, although they will not say what could make them happier or unhappier. For example, if the Guide is located alone in a Forest, he will praise the lack of other NPCs around and the fact he is in a Forest, but he will not hint at the fact he would prefer to live near the Clothier or Zoologist. One can, however, find an NPC's preferred biome from the background of the portrait in their Bestiary entry, with the exception of the Princess, who has no biome preference but has a portrait background of The Hallow.

Factors that make an NPC happy will lower their prices for goods purchased from them, down to a minimum of 3/4 (75%), and increase the value of goods sold to them by the inverse of the same modifier, up to a maximum of 4/3 (133%). Conversely, factors that make an NPC unhappy will raise their prices for goods purchased from them, up to a maximum of 3/2 (150%), and decrease the value of goods sold to them, down to a minimum 2/3 (67%). Price modifiers are rounded to the nearest 1% increment. When an NPC that sells items, other than the Skeleton Merchant or Traveling Merchant, has a price modifier at or below 90%, they will allow the player to purchase the pylon for their current biome. The Tax Collector's current tax funds and tax collection limit are both divided by his happiness factor, such that at maximum happiness he will store up to 33 GC33 SC33 CC, and at maximum unhappiness he will only store up to 16 GC66 SC66 CC; the amount of taxes that he collects per minute also scales at the same rate.[8][9]

For the purpose of calculating distances below, the position of an NPC's home tile is considered instead of the NPC itself, unless the NPC is homeless in which case their actual position is considered. The home tile is the block where NPCs stand on during nights and events. NPC's flag will "hook" directly above the home tile. One can easily find the home tile by locating the central column of the 3×3-tile area that the NPC's flag occupies, and then moving all the way down to the tile in the floor of the house. For more detailed definition of a home tile, see House § Home tile score.

Euclidean distance is used to find NPCs close enough to affect another's happiness.

Biome-related preferences will reference the primary biome where the player is, rather than where the NPC or their home is. If the player is in a hybrid biome, and the NPC loves/likes one of the biomes, but hates/dislikes one of the others, the loved/liked biome will take priority. Biomes that the NPC is neutral to are ignored.

An NPC's happiness is computed the moment their chat window is opened,[10] which means that their happiness can be altered very quickly (e.g. by closing their chat window, adding or removing nearby NPC flags, and re-opening the chat window).

Factors affecting happiness

The below price modifiers are multiplicative. The price multiplier will always be set to the maximum of 150% (purchasing) and 67% (selling) if the NPC is homeless, more than 120 tiles from their house, or located in the Dungeon, Corruption, or Crimson.[11]

Criteria[12] Price modifier (purchasing)[12] Price modifier (selling)[12]
Solitude Bonus: There are no more than two other NPCs within 25 tiles,
and no more than three other NPCs between 25 and 120 tiles away.
95% 105%
Crowded Penalty: For the fourth, fifth, etc. NPC within 25 tiles, each.
This equates to a maximum of three other NPCs within 25 tiles to avoid this penalty.
105% 95%
Located in a Loved biome 88% 114%
Located in a Liked biome 94% 106%
Located in a Disliked biome 106% 94%
Located in a Hated biome 112% 89%
For each Loved NPC within 25 tiles 88% 114%
For each Liked NPC within 25 tiles 94% 106%
For each Disliked NPC within 25 tiles 106% 94%
For each Hated NPC within 25 tiles 112% 89%

Living preferences

The Princess is liked by all NPCs, and therefore is not put in every column for the sake of less clutter.

 
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Emotes

Main article: Emotes

Although it may seem to be random, NPCs "emote" about things depending on their environment.

 
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Shimmered forms

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

When submerged in Shimmer, any NPC will transform into their Shimmered form. This has no impact on gameplay or dialogue and is only a visual change. They can be returned to their classic looks by being submerged in Shimmer again.

Notes

  • NPCs will not spawn during an active event (the Lunar Events are an exception) or at night.
  • An NPC takes about 2 minutes to spawn after another NPC has spawned or dawn passes.
  • If valid housing is off-screen during spawning, the NPC will spawn directly into the house.
  • NPCs will not move and always face the player as long as their dialogue window is open.
  • Unlike Chests and structures generated on world creation, bound NPCs spawn around the player's position on-the-fly, similar to enemy spawns. They are temporary, and can respawn elsewhere if missed (see NPC spawning).
  • NPC vendors who have biome requirements to sell certain items need to be spoken to with the player being in said biome to fulfill the requirement. It is not sufficient to have their home located in the specific biome.
  • (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) NPC Behavior as of 1.3.0.1:
    • NPCs are known to "visit" other NPCs, talk, and play three rounds of rock paper scissors.
    • NPCs are able to walk up stairs.
    • NPCs can drown in water that is 2 tiles deep, whereas players require 3 tiles of water depth in order to drown.
    • All NPCs have a base attack damage stat of 10, but the details of their attacks vary significantly. Their defense generally starts at 15.
  • The Oasis mini-biome counts as a Desert in terms of an NPC's preferred biome.
  • Similarly, a Graveyard counts as the host biome, and (dialogue aside) being in a Graveyard does not affect NPC happiness.

Achievements

Achievement No Hobo.png
No Hobo • Build a house suitable enough for your first town NPC, such as the guide, to move into.
Successfully get an NPC to move into your first House. (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
Category: Explorer Explorer
Achievement Real Estate Agent.png
Real Estate Agent • Have all possible town NPCs living in your world.
All town NPCs are housed in your world. (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
Category: Challenger Challenger
Achievement Leading Landlord.png
Leading Landlord • Meet with a tenant who's as happy as they possibly can be!
Talk to any town NPC while its happiness is at its maximum. (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
Category: Challenger Challenger
Achievement Feeling Petty.png
Feeling Petty • Deliver headpats to the town pet.
Pet a Town pet. (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
Category: Challenger Challenger
Achievement The Great Slime Mitosis.png
The Great Slime Mitosis • Find all of the Slime Pets and have them move in!
All Town Slimes are housed in the world. (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
Category: Challenger Challenger
Achievement All in the Family.png
All in the Family • “Every NPC has moved into your house”
All town NPCs are housed in your world. (Old-gen console version)

Tips

  • Each time the Traveling Merchant spawns, he will have a random shop inventory. If the player leaves the world between 4:30 AM and 12:00 PM, and enters again, there is a 22% chance he will re-spawn (with a new shop inventory).
  • Bound NPCs found underground can be freed by talking to them, after which they will always respawn whenever a vacant house is available. Having an empty room ready for them beforehand will cause them to move in at night as soon as they are off-screen.
  • Bound NPCs can be found by listening to their "hurt" sounds, especially the Mechanic, as the Dungeon is teeming with enemies.
  • A housing area can be created where all the NPCs can have their biome-specific items: (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) 1500 / (Old-gen console and 3DS versions) 300 Pink Ice Blocks, (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) 101 / (Old-gen console and 3DS versions) 100 Mushroom grass, (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) 140 / (Old-gen console and 3DS versions) 80 Lihzahrd Bricks, (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) 1500 / (Old-gen console and 3DS versions) 1000 Sand Blocks and (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) 7 Gravestone at the (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) space layer in one screen where the houses are located.
  • (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Drowning an NPC in water is an easy way to get NPC drops (safer than lava and quicker than Rotten Eggs).
  • (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) A vendor NPC alone in a preferred biome is sufficiently happy enough to sell a pylon. However, there must be another NPC near them for them to sell a pylon.
    • For this reason, it is possible when starting a town in another biome to move that NPC there before any others and buy the pylon, then move them back to their original housing if so desired. Note that to use a pylon there must be at least two NPCs nearby, but none of them have to be the same NPC the pylon was purchased from, nor do any have to be happy.
  • The Advanced Combat Techniques(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) book, obtained by fishing during a Blood Moon, can be used to permanently increase the stats of all NPCs.
  • To open a Chest behind an NPC, press the Open / Activate button twice. The first press will open the NPC's dialogue box, the second one will open the Chest.

Trivia

  • During a Blood Moon, all female NPCs except the Party Girl and Princess have dialogue that is more irritable or aggressive than normal. This references premenstrual syndrome, which may cause mood swings and irritability in some people. Both the menstrual cycle and the real-world moon cycle occur approximately every 28 days.
  • The only NPC interactions required to reach the defeat of the Moon Lord(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) are talking to the Old Man to summon Skeletron and allow the Cultists to spawn, and killing the Guide with the Guide Voodoo Doll to fight the Wall of Flesh.
  • Skeletons will not attack the Skeleton Merchant, and vice versa.
  • The Party Girl is the only NPC to "love" two NPCs as one of their living preference(s).
  • The Skeleton Merchant and the Traveling Merchant originally had special price modifiers, depending on the moon phase and distance from the world's edges, respectively. These modifiers were deactivated quickly after their introduction, in 1.4.0.4, but still remain in the code.
    • The price modifier for the Skeleton Merchant would depend on the moon phase:[13] 110% during gibbous moons Moon phase 2 (Waning Gibbous) Moon phase 8 (Waxing Gibbous), 120% during quarter moons Moon phase 3 (Third Quarter) Moon phase 7 (First Quarter), 130% during crescent moons Moon phase 4 (Waning Crescent) Moon phase 6 (Waxing Crescent), and 140% during new moons Moon phase 5 (New Moon). Additionally, his price modifier would be increased by another +10% during the day.
    • The price modifier for the Traveling Merchant would range between 115% (at the world spawn point) and 85% (at the world's borders).[14]
  • The Guide and Old Man are unique in that they always spawn upon creating a world. The Old Man does not move into a house, but rather remains near the Dungeon's entrance, and respawns the following day if killed (while Skeletron has not yet been defeated).
  • (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) NPCs will emit bubble particles when underwater. The location of where the particles are emitted from is lower for the Angler (8 pixels lower than other NPCs), possibly due to him being a child. However, this does not apply to the Princess despite she is also a child.[15]

See also

History

  • Desktop 1.4.4.4: Fixed an issue where NPCs who's names were translated would not drop name-based special drops.
  • Desktop 1.4.4:
    • Added Shimmered forms for all town NPCs.
    • NPCs who die will now respawn freely, ignoring the original unique conditions which were required to spawn in the first place.
    • NPCs (except the Old Man) that are standing on Dungeon Bricks will no longer be immediately teleported back to their home.
  • Desktop 1.4.3.3:
    • The minimum required happiness for NPCs to sell pylons has been decreased from 0.85 to 0.9. This means that it is now easier to make NPCs happy enough to sell a pylon.
    • If an NPC is present in a hybrid biome (e.g. the Hallowed Desert), and they like at least one of those biomes, then they will gain positive happiness from the biome they like.
    • The maximum number of NPCs in a town before Crowded penalties begin to take effect has been increased from 4 to 5. However, 4-NPC towns will have neither a bonus nor a penalty.
    • The maximum number of NPCs in a town before "hate crowded" quotes begin to appear has been increased from 7 to 8.
  • Desktop 1.4.1.2:
    • Happiness price modifiers are now rounded to the nearest 1% increment instead of the nearest 5% increment.
    • Reverted the change to the distances to compute happiness made in 1.4.1.
    • NPC Happiness now gives the "Solitude" bonus for 3-NPC towns. Previously, there was neither a bonus nor a penalty at 3 NPCs.
  • Desktop 1.4.1.1:
    • Fixed several grammatical/spelling issues in NPC dialogue.
    • Fixed an issue where Town NPCs would try to sit on Dynasty Chairs (they should not be able to).
  • Desktop 1.4.1:
    • Added the Princess NPC.
    • Doubled the distances to compute happiness, from 25 tiles / 26-120 tiles to 50 tiles / 51-240 tiles.
    • The boost from the "Solitude" factor is reduced by half.
    • The boost/penalty for Like/Dislike/Love/Hate factors have been increased by 20%.
    • The maximum number of NPCs in a town before "hate crowded" quotes begin to appear has been increased from 6 to 7. Note that this did not change the thresholds of crowded penalty.
  • Desktop 1.4.0.5: The Truffle now likes living in the Mushroom biome (instead of being neutral).
  • Desktop 1.4.0.1:
    • Zoologist and Golfer added.
    • Now sell pylons.
    • Now have a Happiness system depending on where they live and who they live with.
    • NPCs will now drop Tombstones when they die in Hardcore mode.
    • Dye Traders requirements changed to only require a Dye item or material to craft a dye item.
    • Town NPCs now get a little stronger each time the player defeats a boss.
  • Desktop 1.3.5: NPCs who are manually assigned to a room will have their successor attempt to move in when the original is killed.
  • Desktop 1.3.4:
    • Tavernkeep added.
    • Added 4 new emotes: Tavernkeep, Old One's Army, Beer, and Defender Medal.
      • Beer and Defender Medal are unused, but appear in the game files.
  • Desktop 1.3.2:
    • Added 4 new emotes: Party Present, Party Hat, Party Cake, and Party Balloons.
    • Fixed spazzing if there is lava underneath them.
    • NPCs now try to avoid falling into cliffs away from their home area.
    • Party event added.
  • Desktop 1.3.0.1:
    • 2 new NPCs added: Skeleton Merchant and Tax Collector.
    • Improved the sprites of some NPCs.
    • NPCs now avoid enemies and fight back if necessary.
    • NPCs now talk to each other, sit in chairs, and avoid blocking chests.
    • Having all possible NPCs living in a world now unlocks the Real Estate Agent achievement.
    • Changed the spawn order for Town NPCs so that the more important ones spawn first.
    • NPCs can now drown in water.
  • Desktop 1.2.4:
    • Added the Angler NPC.
    • Fixed bugs with the sign / NPC chat display again.
    • Fixed exploit where the player could buy and sell stackable items for profit.
  • Desktop 1.2.3:
    • 2 new NPCs added: Stylist and Traveling Merchant.
    • Names are now decided on spawn rather than World Creation.
    • Fixed a bug where numerous NPCs could spawn if the player beat a Hardmode boss in a non-Hardmode world.
    • Invasions can now spawn enemies anywhere near friendly NPCs instead of just the middle of the world.
    • Enemy attacks no longer trigger Spectre set healing from hitting friendly NPCs.
  • Desktop 1.2.1.2: Added some checks to ensure multiple NPCs of the same type do not spawn.
  • Desktop 1.1:
    • 3 new NPCs added: Goblin Tinkerer, Mechanic and Wizard.
    • NPCs now have random names given to them on World Creation. Their deaths will be reported with these names. Also other NPCs will use it in their quotes. Upon respawning after Death will be given a new random name.
    • NPCs now may be told where to live using the new Housing Menu feature.
    • Two NPCs of the same type can no longer spawn, even in a multiplayer world. (Previously that was two additional merchants and second nurse. They had multiplayer conditions.)
  • Desktop 1.0.6:
    • Shops now sell items back to the player. Shift-clicking items will automatically sell them.
    • New sound for initiating a conversation to an NPC.
  • Desktop 1.0.4:
    • Added Clothier.
    • Added an option that will pause the game while talking to an NPC in single player. It defaults to off.
  • Console 1.19: NPCs who are manually assigned to a room will now have their successor attempt to move in when the original is killed.

References

  1. In video game development lingo, the term NPC technically includes any character not controlled by a player, including enemies. However, Terraria, along with its developers and fan community, generally use the term NPC to refer only to friendly automated characters that provide a service to players. This page is therefore only about those friendly NPCs.
  2. Information taken from the Desktop version Desktop 1.4.3.6 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 1.4.4.9 source code, method AI_007_TownEntities() in Terraria.NPC.cs.
  4. Information taken from the Desktop version Desktop 1.2.4.1 source code, method AI() in Terraria.NPC.cs.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Information taken from the Desktop version Desktop 1.4.4.9 source code, method AI_007_TownEntities() in Terraria.NPC.cs.
  6. Information taken from the Desktop version Desktop 1.4.4.9 source code, method UpdateNPC_BuffApplyDOTs() in Terraria.NPC.cs.
  7. Damage bonuses are computed by first adding all applicable damage boosts to obtain a boost factor, then multiplying the NPC's base attack damage (or, for the Dryad, the Dryad's Bane base debuff damage) by that total factor. Thus, "+10%" and "+15%" and "+40%" combined give an increase of +65%.
  8. Information taken from the Desktop version Desktop 1.4.0.5 source code, method GUIChatDrawInner() in Terraria.Main.cs. There may be inaccuracies, as the current Desktop version Desktop version is 1.4.4.9.
  9. Note that tax amounts are converted to a floating-point number, then divided by the current happiness price adjustment, then truncated to an integer; hence, e.g. 25 GC divided by a 150% price modifier gives 16 GC66 SC66 CC due to the truncation.
  10. Information taken from the Desktop version Desktop 1.4.2.2 source code, method SetTalkNPC() in Terraria.Player.cs. There may be inaccuracies, as the current Desktop version Desktop version is 1.4.4.9.
  11. Information taken from the Desktop version Desktop 1.4.3.6 source code, method ProcessMood() in Terraria.GameContent.ShopHelper.cs. There may be inaccuracies, as the current Desktop version Desktop version is 1.4.4.9.
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 Information taken from the Desktop version Desktop 1.4.3.6 source code, method ProcessMood() in Terraria.GameContent.ShopHelper.cs. There may be inaccuracies, as the current Desktop version Desktop version is 1.4.4.9.
  13. Information taken from the Desktop version Desktop 1.4.0.1 source code, method GetSkeletonMerchantPrices() in Terraria.GameContent.ShopHelper.cs.
  14. Information taken from the Desktop version Desktop 1.4.0.1 source code, method GetTravelingMerchantPrices() in Terraria.GameContent.ShopHelper.cs.
  15. Information taken from the Desktop version Desktop 1.4.4.9 source code, method CheckDrowning() in Terraria.NPC.cs.