Advice for building

Do you want to get better at building? Here are some tips that should help you in your journey!

1. Block tips

There are a lot of blocks you can use in Terraria, but how do you know which blocks are right for your project? It depends on the style of building you are going for, for instance:

• Wood, stone slabs, and stone bricks are good for making a medieval-themed build
  
• Tin plating is good for making militaristic and apocalyptic builds
  
• Glass blocks, wood, and white and granite/marble work well for making Modern builds
  
• Celestial blocks (Such as Solar Bricks) are good for making spacey and otherworldly builds
  
• Blocks such as living wood and living leaves (placed using the living wood wand and living leaf wand, respectively), as well as biome-specific blocks are instrumental in making a natural build.

Keep in mind these aren't the only blocks you can use for these builds; The best way to figure out which blocks to use is to experiment with block choice.

Note that this section can also be applied to walls as well.

2. Biome choice

For the most part, you'll want to make your builds in a biome that fits or complements the build (Such as a wasteland build in a desert, or a castle in the hallow). However, if the build doesn't fit anywhere, you can try building a custom biome. That may sound daunting, but it's not too difficult, especially if you go off of a different biome, such as painting the trees in a purity biome orange to make it look like autumn.

3. Paint

Paint, as you may have guessed, is used for changing the color of a block. Paint can be purchased from the painter NPC, who moves in after 7 NPCs have moved into your world. There are two types of normal paint: Paint and Deep Paint, as well as some special paints.

• Normal paints only paint parts of certain blocks (Such as painting the flame of a furnace), and are unable to paint stone.
  
• Deep paints are used to paint any block, and affect the entire block.

There are also 3 types of unique paint:

• Negative paint, which inverts the colors of the block (switching the colors with their opposite, like black into white)
  
• Shadow paint, which makes blocks pure black (With no detail or texture)
  
• Illuminant paint, which makes blocks visible in the dark

Something worth noting is that each block of a piece of furniture can be painted, so you can paint certain parts of furnitures.

Paints are good for when a block has the texture you need, but is the wrong color, or when you want to change a block to better fit a theme.

4. Furniture

Most of the time, you want to add furniture to your builds, or else they'll feel empty. For the most part, you want to use furniture that fits the theme of its surroundings; Living wood furniture in a natural build, banquet tables in a banquet hall, wooden furniture for a cottage, etc.

The key to furnishing your build is to find the perfect balance of furniture and empty space in a room. Wall hangings, such as paintings, are great for filling empty space while not cluttering rooms too much. The best way to find the balance is to experiment.

Closing tips

• Start small: Build smaller creations when starting out. After all, it's harder to learn when you're doing a mega project.
  
• Use the hammer: Hammers can shape blocks, which is good for improving the shape of your build.
  
• Never forget how useful paints can be: Paints have nearly unlimited use when building.
  
• Terraforming: If the landscape around your build doesn't look good, then try shaping it to fit the build.
  
• Experiment: As I've said throughout this guide, experimenting with different combinations is helpful in building.
  
• Journey mode: Make a Journey Mode world dedicated to building, and try to look for a "creative" Journey Mode character (One with every item researched), or make one using Terrasavr (A web-based inventory editor for Terraria).
  
• TEdit: TEdit is a program that can be used to edit and create Terraria worlds. You can use it to generate a flat world or design a custom world for building. It can also be used for building, but I personally recommend building in-game.

I hope this helps out any new builders.

[Raegoer]

did you make your house key out of souls?

[Direct Hit]

but how did i build a mimic?

[SniperOnSunday]

That's no house, that's a mimic!

[Direct Hit]

Update: The house grew a mouth and is trying to eat me

[Direct Hit]

Instructions unclear, my house is breathing, and I think i can faintly hear a heartbeat?

[FatPineapple @bandit]

yuy

[chandlerhammett]

instructions unclear, i built terraria mobile.

[Veroson Pulse]

instructions unclear, my house is on fire

[Hex:El Goblino]

Instructions unclear i built a dirt house. XD

[Az0fTech]

Instructions unclear, built a multi-million dollar house irl