Tax Collector


Type | |
---|---|
Environment | |
AI Type | Passive AI |
Damage | 10 |
Max Life | 250 |
Defense | 15 |
KB Resist | 50% |
- Item (Quantity)Rate
- 12.5%
Hurt | |
---|---|
Killed |
- Internal NPC ID: 441

The Tax Collector is a Hardmode NPC that taxes other housed NPCs to earn coins for players. He is first encountered as the Tortured Soul, a rare Underworld enemy. When Purification Powder is used on it, it will transform into the Tax Collector. If the Tortured Soul is killed, it will still be able to respawn afterwards; if the Tax Collector NPC is killed, he will move in again after some time as long as there are vacant houses.
When the Tax Collector is present, 50 will be earned per real-world minute (each in-game hour), for each NPC that has a house (including the Tax Collector himself but excluding town pets[1]). The Tax Collector stores these funds, up to 25. Speaking to him will reveal the amount stored thus far, and offer the option to collect. His tax limit (as well as his current funds and how much he collects per minute) varies depending on his current happiness; thus, how much he earns per minute will be between 33 and 66, while his limit will be between 166666 and 333333.[2]
The Tax Collector will attack nearby enemies with his cane to defend himself.
Living preferences
Biome | Neighbor | |
---|---|---|
Loves | n/a | |
Likes | ||
Dislikes | ||
Hates | n/a |
For more information, see NPC happiness.
Shimmered form
![]() ![]() |
Shimmered Tax Collector and his Map Icon. |
When submerged in Shimmer, the Tax Collector will transform into his Shimmered form. This has no impact on gameplay or dialogue and is only a visual change. He can be returned to his classic look by submerging him in Shimmer again.
Notes
- The Tax Collector is the starting NPC in Don't dig up worlds, and one of the starting NPCs in Get fixed boi worlds.
- Funds can be collected at any time, and do not require a minimum amount stored.
- When the Tax Collector's maximum storage is reached, he will not collect any further coins until the player collects from him.
- Time passed using the Enchanted Sundial counts towards his total.
- Time passed using the Journey Mode time menu counts towards his total.
- In multiplayer, each player's earned taxes are separately maintained, and collecting has no impact on another player's payout.
- The Tax Collector can be teleported using the King Statue.
- He will not participate in Parties, or even wear a party hat. However, it is still possible for him to throw a party.
- The Tax Collector will keep the debuffs inflicted on him as well as (in Expert Mode) any dropped coins he picked up when changed from a Tortured Soul into himself.
Tips
- With 20 town NPCs, the Tax Collector will collect 10 every minute, collecting 240 per in-game day.
- When searching for a Tortured Soul, make sure all minions are dismissed so they will not kill it. Note that a Tortured Soul can respawn like any other enemy if it is accidentally killed.
- Bringing some Purification Powder when going to kill the Wall of Flesh for the first time will let the player recruit the Tax Collector almost immediately after starting Hardmode, even before returning to the surface or breaking altars.
- For most of the game progression, the only way to maximize his happiness is to put him in the Snow Biome with the Merchant and Party Girl; unfortunately that will make both of them unhappy. The Party Girl can be replaced by the Princess later.
Names
The Tax Collector may have any of the following names:
- Agnew
- Blanton
- Carroll
- Chester
- Cleveland
- Dwyer
- Fillmore
- Grover
- Harrison
- Herbert
- Lyndon
- McKinly
- Millard
- Ronald
- Rutherford
- Theodore
- Tweed
- Warren
- Woodrow
Quotes
Interaction quotes
When Merchant is present:
When Arms Dealer is present:
When Dryad is present:
When Demolitionist is present:
During Rain :
During a Thunderstorm:
During a Windy Day:
When in a Graveyard:
When the player clicks "Collect" and money is collected:
When the player clicks "Collect" and there is no money to be collected:
|
Happiness quotes
When homeless:
When neutral:
When far from home:
When in a sparse area:
When overcrowded:
When in a Snow biome:
When in the Hallow:
When in an Evil biome or the Dungeon:
When near the Merchant:
When near the Party Girl:
When near the Demolitionist:
When near the Mechanic:
When near Santa Claus:
When near the Princess:
|
Trivia
- The Tax Collector is a reference to Ebenezer Scrooge from the Charles Dickens story A Christmas Carol. Scrooge is a greedy, grumpy old man with a cane and top hat, mutton chops, and a hunched back. Many of his quotes are references to the story. Additionally, this is why he prefers the Snow biome, dislikes Christmas and hates Santa.
- The Tax Collector's potential names are all names of well-known U.S. politicians, most of which were at one point president or vice-president.
- The Tax Collector not participating in the Party event, is almost certainly intentional and possibly another reference to Ebenezer Scrooge, as they both do not celebrate.
- In the game files, the Tax Collector has an alternate image of him without a hat:
. This would have been originally used to don him with a party hat during a Party.
- Many of his quotes reference colloquial names for pre-decimal units of British currency, such as shillings.
- The quote "Go tell <name of Arms Dealer> to stop offering to pay me with ammo, I don't even own a gun." is possibly a reference to the post-apocalyptic fiction novel Metro 2033, where ammo is used as currency. However, it's more likely that the Arms Dealer is making a veiled threat to shoot the Tax Collector rather than paying him, and the Tax Collector doesn't understand the undertone. Money can be used as ammo for the Coin Gun.
- The quote "Tried to get <name of Dryad> to pay me with favors once, now I have fungus growing in strange places." is a vague sexual reference.
- The line "You already managed to spend every pence I paid you!? Bah, I'm not a charity, go kill a slime!" is a reference to slimes being so easy to kill and make money off them.
- The quote "Just between you and me... I have no idea why they're bothering to pay the rent" exists in the game's source code, but never appears, possibly due to a coding error.
- All the NPCs the Tax Collector likes or loves dislike or hate him in return, with the exception of the Princess.
- When maximally unhappy, the Tax Collector will only store coins in numbers consisting of sixes. The Number of the Beast (a Hellish monster in the apocalyptic Bible book of Revelations,) is 666. Considering that the Tax Collector's description indicates that he has been to Hell and back seems to indicate that the connection of sixes may not be accidental.
- His quote "Begging so soon?! Don't look at me like I'll have a change of heart overnight! " references the fact that, in A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the three spirits of Christmas and has a change of heart overnight.
- The quote "Death and taxes, nothing more sure in life than that!" said when in a graveyard, is a reference to the quote “Our new Constitution is now established, everything seems to promise it will be durable; but, in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes,” said by Benjamin Franklin.
- The quote "Must everyone open and shut doors so incredibly noisily around here?!" is a reference to NPCs always opening and shutting doors.
- The
Bestiary entry for the Tax Collector: "This grumpy Tax Collector has literally been to hell and back. Greedy to a fault, he's truly only concerned with money."
History
- Desktop 1.4.4: Can now hold up to a base 25 Gold instead of 10.
- Desktop 1.4.1: Fixed a bug where the chance of The Tax Collector being named "Agnew" was twice as high as any other name.
- Desktop 1.4.0.1: Added variances in his coin collection rates and max coin storage based on his happiness level.
- Desktop 1.3.1: Fixed Tax Collector not using some of his special chat dialog.
- Desktop 1.3.0.4: Now grants money properly in Multiplayer.
- Desktop 1.3.0.1: Introduced.
- Console 1.0.933.1: Introduced. (
)
- Console 1.0.750.0: Introduced. (
)
- Switch 1.0.1096.2: Fixed a bug where the Tax Collector had a chance to be named "TaxCollectorNames.Name_20".
- Switch 1.0.711.6: Introduced.
- Mobile 1.3.0.7: Introduced.
References
- ↑ Information taken from the
Desktop 1.4.3.6 source code, method
CollectTaxes()
inTerraria.Player.cs
. There may be inaccuracies, as the currentDesktop version is 1.4.4.9.
- ↑ Information taken from the
Desktop 1.4.0.5 source code, method
GUIChatDrawInner()
inTerraria.Main.cs
. 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 divided by a 150% price modifier gives 166666 due to the truncation. There may be inaccuracies, as the currentDesktop version is 1.4.4.9.