What am I supposed to do at night time (just started)?

[WickedRequiem]

Read the "start guide" at Terraria wiki, and I managed to build a small house with minimal furnishing (chair, table, crafting workbench).

Night time seems to last a while, and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do to pass the time. I ventured forth to cut some trees, and I suppose most of you can probably guess that I got swamped by zombies.

Is there some sort of bed I can make to sleep to pass the time? Or am I supposed to use the time crafting stuff?

[Cyborgt]

Well, it won't take you long to sorta "outgrow" the need to hide at night at all but one option for filling that time (other than crafting/item organization) is to go exploring a cave for ore/chests. It can be a natural cave near your house or you can just dig down through your floor. Once you get a little ways down into the earth you won't see zombie/eye spawns anymore, though what you will find isn't really much safer. At least if your house is built on the map's spawn (or you build a bed) you can just run straight back into to cave to retrieve what you dropped on death.

It's a bit of a risk but it's at least more interesting than sitting around in your house all night, potentially more lucrative too. Sadly, unless you're running a server (or maybe using a mod) I don't think there's any MC style "sleep through the night" mechanic.

[ShadeDaystar]

My mineshafts are usually located below my house, which is often built around my spawnpoint.

Placing a mineshaft below your house gives relative safety while doing a bit of mining. Another option for the first night is to run like mad and try to cover as much ground as possible for exploration. And who knows? Maybe you'll find something good in a chest you come across.

[WickedRequiem]

...mineshaft?
You lost me after "below my house". Something to terraria wiki, I suppose. Although, isn't it unsafe to have a hole in the floor of your house?

[kevinshow]

Using a wood platform (made from wood in your crafting menu) you can keep a "floor" in that hole that leads to your mineshaft, but you can easily pass through it when you need (press Down when you're standing on it).

That wood platform is also good for when you are caving and need to move around the cave.

As for mining, yes, you will make many paths through the earth as you dig around. Sometimes you will come upon the natural caverns, and other times, it will be you making those paths.

Just be sure to have a light source, which you can make from wood and gel (acquired from slimes). Later, you will have other items you can equip that give off light.

With the dirt and stone that you will be digging, as well as wood platforms, you can make your way back up to the surface. However, if you want a fast way in your single-player world, just exit the map, and re-enter. You will then return to your spawn point.

After a few nights, you will be enjoying the night time also.

As a side note, at the beginning, it's good to have a weapon that swings overhead in an arc, as opposed to one that pokes out in front of you (default sword). Any broadsword will do that arc, whereas the short sword pokes. So a wooden sword or cactus sword is a very good, basic sword to have at the beginning.

[MOOMLEM]

Originally posted by WickedRequiem:

...mineshaft?
You lost me after "below my house". Something to terraria wiki, I suppose. Although, isn't it unsafe to have a hole in the floor of your house?

if u light it i thin iytll be safe

[ShadeDaystar]

Originally posted by MCdisco67:

Originally posted by WickedRequiem:

...mineshaft?
You lost me after "below my house". Something to terraria wiki, I suppose. Although, isn't it unsafe to have a hole in the floor of your house?

if u light it i thin iytll be safe

Light actually makes no difference to the things that go bump in the night (or try to eat your face during the day, as the case may be.) No, the things that prevent monster spawns in Terraria are, apparently, walls. Lining all your mines with wood, on all 5 sides, tends to be the strat of choice, since wood is a renewable source. Glass wall "windows" are also often put into tunnels, above level surface, to allow sunlight to come in while keeping monsters out.

Which isn't to say light's a bad idea. It does, after all, allow you to see.

[MOOMLEM]

Originally posted by ShadeDaystar:

Originally posted by MCdisco67:

if u light it i thin iytll be safe

Light actually makes no difference to the things that go bump in the night (or try to eat your face during the day, as the case may be.) No, the things that prevent monster spawns in Terraria are, apparently, walls. Lining all your mines with wood, on all 5 sides, tends to be the strat of choice, since wood is a renewable source. Glass wall "windows" are also often put into tunnels, above level surface, to allow sunlight to come in while keeping monsters out.

Which isn't to say light's a bad idea. It does, after all, allow you to see.

ahh nice!

[kevinshow]

Forgot to mention that you can make a bed but it is only used to set your spawn point, and not pass the night quickly. As a result, it's possible to have several beds throughout the world so that you will respawn at different places as needed. For example, I often do this when I am exploring the dungeon or jungle, because I either will usually die there or if I survive, then I want to return to the spawn point and unload all my loot, then go back for more. Either way, I can quickly get back to the area of adventure.