Getting Started in Terraria — Your First Hour
Terraria drops you into a randomly generated world with minimal instructions. This guide walks you through your first day (and night) so you hit the ground running.
1. Gather Resources Immediately
When you spawn, your inventory has a Copper Pickaxe and a Copper Shortsword. Your first priority is wood. Chop down nearby trees by swinging your axe at their base. You need at least 100 wood to get through night one.
While chopping, keep an eye out for:
- Gel — dropped by slimes. Used for torches.
- Daybloom — a glowing yellow flower. Early potion ingredient.
- Chests — surface cabins and underground rooms contain valuable loot.
Tip: Craft a Workbench First
Stand near wood and craft a Workbench (10 wood). Place it in the world, stand near it, and you unlock dozens of new recipes including doors, chairs, and storage.
2. Build a House Before Sunset
Day lasts about 15 minutes. When night falls, zombies and demon eyes will attack you. A house keeps you safe. Here's the minimum valid house requirement:
- At least 60 tiles of floor/wall space (interior)
- Player-placed background walls (not natural dirt)
- A door (or platforms)
- A light source (torch)
- A chair and a table (workbench counts as table)
Build a box 10 tiles wide and 6 tiles tall with wood walls, then add a door, torch, chair, and workbench. Congratulations — you have a home.
Don't Build Entirely With Dirt
Dirt walls don't count as background walls. You must craft Wood Walls at the Workbench (1 wood = 4 walls) or use any other crafted wall type.
3. Explore and Mine
During the day, explore your surroundings. Key early goals:
- Find or make a crafting table — upgrade to an Iron Anvil and Furnace ASAP
- Mine ores — look for Copper/Tin, Iron/Lead near the surface, then dig deeper for Silver/Tungsten, Gold/Platinum
- Collect heart crystals — glowing red hearts found underground. Use a pickaxe to mine them. Each one gives +20 HP (max 400)
- Open chests — underground cabins contain Hermes Boots (sprint), Band of Regeneration, and weapon upgrades
4. Prepare For Your First Night
If you haven't built a house by nightfall, either hide underground (dig straight down and wall yourself in) or fight from your doorframe. Zombies can't open doors on Normal Mode — but they can on Expert. On Expert, build a two-tile-high doorway and stand behind it (enemies can't fit through).
Night also brings Demon Eyes — floating eyeballs that charge at you. They drop lenses, which you'll need for the Eye of Cthulhu summon later.
5. What To Do On Day 2+
- Expand your base — build separate rooms for NPCs (see NPC Housing Guide)
- Go caving — explore underground for ore, heart crystals, and accessories
- Stockpile rope — rope coils are essential for exploring deep shafts
- Check your Corruption/Crimson — find the chasm and prepare to destroy your first Shadow Orb or Crimson Heart
Pro Tip: Rope is a Lifesaver
Gather rope from underground pots or buy it from the Rope Coil NPC. Rope lets you descend and ascend vertical shafts safely — no more jumping into pitch-black holes.