NPC Housing & Happiness Guide
NPCs in Terraria need houses to move in. Once they're housed, you can manage their happiness by pairing them with neighbors they like in biomes they enjoy. Happy NPCs give you discounts and sell pylons for fast travel.
Valid House Requirements
A house must meet these minimum requirements to be considered valid:
- Interior size of at least 60 tiles (e.g., 10 wide x 6 tall)
- Interior size of no more than 750 tiles
- Background walls — must be player-placed. Natural dirt or stone won't work
- A valid light source (torch, candle, chandelier, etc.)
- A valid flat-surface item (workbench, table, etc.)
- A valid comfort item (chair, throne, bed, etc.)
- A valid door (or trap door or platforms acting as entrance)
- The house must not be in a corrupt/crimson biome
Quick House Template
The classic "prison" style: 10 wide x 6 tall with wood walls, one torch, one workbench, one chair, and a wooden door. This qualifies as a valid house and takes minimal materials.
NPC Happiness — How It Works
Each NPC has preferences for where they want to live (biome) and who they want to live with (neighbors). Meeting these preferences increases their happiness, which:
- Lowers prices (up to 75% of normal at max happiness)
- Increases sell prices for items you sell to them
- Unlocks the Pylon for that biome at high enough happiness
Crowding Penalty
Having more than 3 NPCs within 120 blocks of each other gives a happiness penalty. Spread out your NPCs across different biomes. Don't build a giant NPC tower in one spot.
Best NPC Pairings
Here are the optimal pairings to maximize happiness and unlock all pylons:
| Biome | NPC 1 | NPC 2 | Pylon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest | Guide | Zoologist | Forest Pylon |
| Desert | Arms Dealer | Nurse | Desert Pylon |
| Snow | Mechanic | Cyborg | Snow Pylon |
| Jungle | Dryad | Witch Doctor | Jungle Pylon |
| Hallow | Party Girl | Wizard | Hallow Pylon |
| Underground | Demolitionist | Tavernkeep | Cavern Pylon |
| Ocean | Angler | Golfer | Ocean Pylon |
Pylon Network
Once you have a pylon, you can teleport between any two pylons from anywhere on the map. Build one pylon per biome for fast travel across your entire world. This is essential for Hardmode when you're traversing long distances.
Complete NPC List
| NPC | Arrival Condition | Loves | Likes | Dislikes | Hates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guide | Always available at start | — | Forest | — | Clothier |
| Merchant | All players have 50+ silver total | — | Forest | Desert | — |
| Nurse | One player has 100+ HP | Arms Dealer | Forest | Snow | Zoologist |
| Arms Dealer | Gun or bullet in inventory | Nurse | Desert | — | Demolitionist |
| Dryad | Defeated any boss | — | Jungle | Desert | Zoologist |
| Demolitionist | Explosive in inventory | Tavernkeep | Underground | — | Arms Dealer |
| Clothier | Defeated Skeletron | — | — | — | Guide |
| Mechanic | Found in Dungeon | Cyborg | Snow | Underground | — |
| Wizard | Found in Cavern layer | — | Hallow | — | — |
| Tavernkeep | Defeated Eater/Brain | Demolitionist | Underground | — | — |
| Steampunker | Defeated one mechanical boss | — | — | Jungle | Party Girl |
| Cyborg | Defeated Plantera | Mechanic | Snow | Underground | — |
| Princess | All other town NPCs housed | Everyone | — | — | — |