[2020] Terraria: NPC Guide - 1.3.5

Hello guys and welcome to my first Terraria guide (computer version only), in this guide I'll show you the "basic" information about all the NPCs in the game and how do you get them into your houses.

Note: This guide is 90% copy-pasted from the Terraria's Wikipedia, the only reason that I made this guide was to be more handy for you and make your life easier!

Pre-Hardmode

Guide

The Guide is the first NPC a player encounters. He provides tips mainly aimed at new players, and displays possible crafting recipes for items shown to him.

Unlike most other NPCs, the Guide spawns on world creation, before a House is available. He will however move into the first House built. If he is killed, a proper House will need to be built before he can respawn.

The Guide will defend himself against nearby enemies using a bow and arrow, firing Wooden Arrows initially and then upgrading to Flaming Arrows in Hardmode.

Merchant

The Merchant is an NPC vendor that will spawn once the following conditions have been met:

• There is an empty house;
  
• All players in the game world have more than 50 between them in their inventories.

If the Merchant is killed, he will only respawn if the above conditions are met again. This means all players need to have over 50 in their combined inventories. Only coins in the main inventory or coin slots are counted, savings stored in the Piggy Bank or Safe do not count toward the requirement.

The Merchant will lob throwing knives at nearby enemies to defend himself.

Nurse

The Nurse is an NPC that will spawn once the following criteria have been met:

• There is an empty house;
  
• The player's maximum life has been increased with a Life Crystal;
  
• Merchant is present.

The Nurse will heal the player's health and cure them of any active debuffs for a small price. Healing costs can range from a few copper to a few silver, depending on how much damage the player has taken. She charges Copper equal to 75% of the health restored (e.g. 75 copper for 100 health), plus an additional 7 silver coins and 50 copper coins for every active debuff on the player.

She will fight enemies by throwing poison syringes that will damage and poison enemies. She can also use these syringes to heal herself, other friendly NPCs and the player.

Demolationist

The Demolitionist is an NPC vendor that will spawn once the following criteria have been met:

• There is an empty house;
  
• You have an explosive in your inventory;
  
• Merchant is present.

If the Demolitionist is killed, he will only respawn if the above conditions are met again. This means you must place an explosive in your inventory. Having them stored in Chests or other containers will not fulfill this requirement.

The Demolitionist will lob Grenades at nearby enemies to defend himself.

Dye Trader

The Dye Trader is an NPC that sells the Dye Vat and other dye-related items. He will move in when the following criteria have been met:

• There is an empty house;
  
• One of the following:
  
  • A Strange Plant has been acquired and is in the player's inventory;
    
  • One of the four major pre-Hardmode bosses has been defeated: Eye of Cthulhu, Eater of Worlds / Brain of Cthulhu or Skeletron.
• Additionally, the player must have any material used to craft dye in their inventory (eg. Yellow Marigold). (Strange Plants also count for this)

In addition to selling dye-related items, players may trade in Strange Plants for uncraftable and unpurchasable animated dyes. These dyes are given at random in sets of three for each Strange Plant exchanged.

The Dye Trader will attack nearby enemies with his Exotic Scimitar to defend himself. He may also drop this weapon on death.

Dryad

The Dryad is an NPC vendor that will spawn once the following criteria have been met:

• There is an empty House;
  
• One of the following bosses has been defeated: Eye of Cthulhu, Eater of Worlds / Brain of Cthulhu, Skeletron.

In addition to selling items, the Dryad can report the percentages of Corruption/Crimson vs. Hallow that exist in the current world.

When enemies are nearby, the Dryad will periodically grant the Dryad's Blessing buff to players in the vicinity and displays a leaf barrier effect. The buff grants +8 defense, and gives the player contact damage. Enemies caught within the circle of the barrier will take 1 point of damage per second, more if you defeated more bosses (and x1.5 during Expert Mode).

Tavernkeep

The Tavernkeep is a unique NPC vendor that accepts only Defender Medals as currency for most items, instead of coins. He will only become accessible after the player has defeated the Eater of Worlds or Brain of Cthulhu. Once this criterion is met, he will appear as an unconscious man spawning in any layer of the world. Similar to bound NPCs, talking to him allows him to claim a House and respawn when killed.

The Tavernkeep's sentry summon weapons are associated with the Old One's Army event, and at first, they can only be used within that event. They function elsewhere only after the event is completed once successfully. Each of the Tavernkeep's sentry summon weapons come in three tiers: Rod, Cane, and Staff; with the Staff being the most expensive and the most powerful.

When threatened, he throws mugs of ale at enemies.

Arms Dealer

The Arms Dealer is an NPC vendor that will spawn once the following criteria have been met:

• There is an empty house;
  
• The player has at least one bullet-firing Gun or Bullet in their inventory (Flare Guns, Flares, or those stored in a Chest don't count).

If the Arms Dealer is killed, he will only respawn if the above conditions are met again.

When threatened by enemies, the Arms Dealer will use a Flintlock Pistol to defend himself. Once Hardmode begins, he upgrades to a Minishark for self-defense.

Stylist

The Stylist is an NPC that can change your hair style and color. She also sells a variety of Hair Dyes, which apply dynamic effects to the player's hair.

Switching to another normal hairstyle costs 1, while Stylist-exclusive hairstyles cost 5; changing hair color costs 1. Hair Dyes range in price from 5 to 30.
You can find the Stylist in Spider Nests, entangled in cobweb. Talking to her will free her, after which she will move into a vacant House if one is available. As with all similar NPCs, she spawns the same as enemies - positioning yourself with a Spider Nest just off screen and then checking it once in a while for the spawn is an easy way to find her. Using a Battle Potion and running in and out of the nest will give her a better chance of spawning. A Lifeform Analyzer can detect her, showing "Webbed Stylist" when she is nearby.

She uses Stylish Scissors to attack nearby enemies. They will be dropped (sometimes) if she dies.

Painter

The Painter is an NPC who sells Paint and painting Tools, as well as Paintings and Wallpaper. He will arrive after at least 7 other NPCs have been acquired, and a suitable House is available. The Old Man and Skeleton Merchant will not count towards the current NPC total however the Traveling Merchant will.

The paintings that the Painter has for sale change based on the biome he is living in, and based on the Moon phase. During the Christmas season, the Painter sells a variety of holiday-themed wallpaper. Note that for the biome requirement, all that is needed is that the Painter NPC be present in said biome, it is enough to move him there with a King Statue. This is especially useful for the Deadland and Chasms paintings since NPCs will not want to live in a corrupt environment, though it is still advised to at least create a safe room where the summoned NPCs will not be hassled by monsters or fall into chasms.

The Painter will attack nearby enemies with his Paintball Gun to defend himself.

Angler

The Angler is an NPC that doesn't sell anything, but rather assigns quests to players. Quest objectives generally involve catching him rare fish from particular biomes, for which he dispenses various rewards. When threatened, he will throw Frost Daggerfish at nearby enemies.

The Angler is first encountered as Sleeping Angler randomly sleeping on the sand or on the water surface of an Ocean biome. He will move in when:

• You have an empty House available for him;
  
• You have talked to him and woken him up.

Speaking to the Angler and clicking his "Quest" button will display the day's quest. The item will only be catchable during the day when its Quest is in effect. Once you've caught the required item, speak to the Angler and click "Quest" again. The Quest item in your inventory will be replaced by a reward.

Goblin Tinkerer

The Goblin Tinkerer is an NPC that sells several unique items, as well as providing the Reforge function. He can be acquired after a Goblin Army has been defeated, spawning randomly in open areas in the Cavern layer. He will appear to be bound at first, and like the Mechanic, Wizard and Stylist, talking to him in this state will free him. He will then respawn as long as a vacant House is available. If threatened by enemies, the Tinkerer will defend himself by throwing Spiky Balls, which behave like those thrown by the player. However, they do not destroy grass.

The Goblin Tinkerer's reforge option allows the player to randomize the Modifier for a weapon or accessory, which can make the item better or worse than it was originally. Reforges cost one-third of the item's current value, which can also be affected by its current modifier.

The modifiers of items used in crafting have no effect on the crafted item's modifier. Any modifier given to the newly crafted item will be completely random.

Witch Doctor

The Witch Doctor is an NPC vendor that will spawn once the Queen Bee has been defeated and when there is a empty House available.

On the Desktop version, the Witch Doctor will shoot poison darts to nearby enemies with a Blowgun to defend himself.

Clothier

The Clothier is an NPC vendor who sells only vanity items (items that only change a player's appearance and serve no other function).

The Clothier is the same character as the Old Man who guards the Dungeon before Skeletron is defeated. After defeating Skeletron, the Old Man is freed from his curse, and he disappears from the Dungeon's entrance. Once a suitable vacant house is available thereafter, he spawns and sells items. His clothes are no longer tattered, his eyes have turned blue (from red), and he is wearing a Red Hat.

Equipping the Clothier Voodoo Doll allows a player to attack and kill him (similar to the Guide Voodoo Doll). Doing so at night re-summons Skeletron.

When threatened, the Clothier fires skull projectiles similar to those produced by the Book of Skulls. In Hardmode, these inflict enemies with the Shadowflame debuff.

Mechanic

The Mechanic is an NPC who sells various Mechanisms, as well as Wire Cutters and Wrenches, allowing the player to build wired devices like Traps and critter engines.

The Mechanic must be saved from the Dungeon after killing Skeletron. She will randomly spawn near the player while they're exploring. Talking to her in this state will free her, and she will wander the area until she gets killed or until the player moves far enough from her. After that, she will move into an available house like any normal NPC. If the Mechanic is killed, she will respawn if there is a house for her, rather than needing to be saved again (the same with the Stylist, Goblin Tinkerer, and Wizard). A Lifeform Analyzer can detect her while trapped in the Dungeon, showing "Bound Mechanic" when she is nearby.

The Mechanic will attack nearby enemies by throwing her Wrench like a boomerang to defend herself.

Party Girl

The Party Girl is an NPC vendor that sells festive novelty items and furniture.

Unlike most NPCs, the Party Girl has a random 1/40 (2.5%) chance to spawn every morning once the criteria below are met, rather than being guaranteed to appear once fulfilling them. This random chance also applies to her respawning following her death.

• There is no other NPC waiting to move in;
  
• There is an empty house;
  
• A certain number of other NPCs are in the world:
  
  • On the PC version, 13 are needed. The Old Man and Skeleton Merchant will not count towards this total.

When approached by enemies on the Desktop version, she will attack them by throwing a happy grenade. Otherwise, she will behave like normal, though she will occasionally throw confetti at the player.

Hardmode

Wizard

The Wizard is a Hardmode NPC that sells magic-related items. The Wizard can be acquired via open areas underground during Hardmode. He can be found at the cavern layer or lower, where he spawns rarely and appears to be bound, much like the Stylist, Goblin Tinkerer and Mechanic. Talking to him will free him, after which he will respawn as long as a vacant house is available, even if killed.

When enemies are in his vicinity, the Wizard hurls fireballs at them.

Tax Collector

The Tax Collector is a Hardmode NPC that taxes other Housed NPCs to earn coins for players. The Tax Collector is obtained by traveling to the Underworld and throwing Purification Powder on a Tortured Soul (a rare Underworld enemy that appears similar to the Tax Collector). The enemy will transform into the Tax Collector, and will respawn thereafter so long as a vacant House is available.

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. The Tax Collector stores these funds, up to 10. Speaking to the Tax Collector will reveal the amount stored thus far, and offer the option to collect.

The Tax Collector will attack nearby enemies with his cane to defend himself.

Truffle

The Truffle is a Hardmode NPC that sells various mushroom-themed items. To get the Truffle to move in, there must be a vacant House in (or near) a surface Mushroom Biome during Hardmode. Surface Mushroom biomes must be created manually by a player, and do not generate naturally. 100 blocks of Mushroom Grass and Mushroom Plants are required.

When threatened by enemies, the Truffle will release mushroom spores, which hover in air and deal damage.

Pirate

The Pirate is a Hardmode NPC that appears once at least one Pirate Invasion has been defeated and a vacant house is available. He also has exactly the same texture as the Pirate Captain, an enemy from the Pirate Invasion.

Steampunker

The Steampunker is a Hardmode NPC. She will appear once the player has defeated at least one Mechanical Boss and has a vacant house for her.

The Steampunker will attack nearby enemies by using a Clockwork Assault Rifle to defend herself.

Cyborg

The Cyborg is a Hardmode NPC that will appear once Plantera has been defeated at least once in the current world, and a vacant house is available. He sells several "high-tech" items.

The Cyborg will attack nearby enemies with rockets to defend himself.

Santa Claus

The Santa Claus is a Hardmode NPC vendor that arrives after the Frost Legion has been defeated, but only during the Christmas season (December 15–31), after which he dies.

Santa Claus can be spawned at other times by changing your computer's date setting December 15–31. Changing the time back to normal will cause him to die at the next sunrise.

Santa Claus will defend himself against nearby Enemies by throwing baubles.

Other NPCs

Traveling Merchant

The Traveling Merchant is a unique NPC vendor who randomly visits the player's town for one day. His inventory is randomized and different every visit, selling 4-10 (average 5.5) different items (4-11, average 6 in Expert Mode) listed below.

In order for the Traveling Merchant to spawn, at least 2 other NPCs must already be present. The Guide counts as one of these, but the Old Man and Skeleton Merchant do not. He won't spawn during Events (except Rain and Slime Rain). He does not require his own house in order to spawn, and will instead spawn near existing NPCs, spending the day walking around near them.

Once the criteria are met, the Traveling Merchant has a 25% chance (1/4) of spawning each day, appearing at a random time between 4:30 AM and 12 PM. He generally stays for only one day at a time, after which he leaves at 6:00 PM. He despawns if the world is vacated before that time,

If threatened by enemies, the Traveling Merchant will defend himself with a Revolver. Once Hardmode begins, he upgrades to a Pulse Bow.

Old Man

The Old Man is an NPC whose primary function is to summon Skeletron. He can be found at the Dungeon's entrance. When spoken to at night, the Old Man will give the player the option to "curse", which summons Skeletron. The Dungeon cannot be fully explored until Skeletron is defeated.

When spoken to during the day, the Old Man will tell you to return at night. He will also judge players with less than 300 life (15 hearts) or less than 10 defense as unworthy but still allows them to summon Skeletron.

The Dungeon can be entered without defeating Skeletron, but traveling deeper than ground level within it (below zero depth) will spawn Dungeon Guardians that will most likely kill the player on contact.

When Skeletron is defeated, the Old Man is freed from his curse and will arrive as the Clothier (as long as a vacant House is available), in addition to allowing access to the Dungeon.

Skeleton Merchant

The Skeleton Merchant is an NPC that sells items; he is found in the Underground and Cavern layers. He spawns randomly, similar to a bound NPC. Enemies will not spawn near him. He will not move into a vacant house if one is available, similar to the Traveling Merchant and the Old Man, and will despawn when off screen.

His stock changes at 4:30 AM everyday and he does not need to respawn for it to do so. He has a specific inventory for each moon phase.

He will throw bones to fend off nearby non-skeletal enemies.

Unlike other NPCs, the Skeleton Merchant does not have a map icon. A Hunter Potion will highlight him, but the Lifeform Analyzer will not detect him.

Achievements

No Hobo • "Build a house suitable enough for your first town NPC, such as the guide, to move into."
Successfully get an NPC to move into your first House.

Real Estate Agent • "Have all possible town NPCs living in your world."
All town NPCs are living in your world.

Website Used

Official Terraria Gamepedia - http://terraria.gamepedia.com/NPC

Originally posted by author:

Damsacu

Don't forget!

[Goat]

Oh yeah, I forgot about that! I hope you're doing great - my equal condolences and please don't forget to update the guide, these NPCs have been showing up in my house uninvited and there's no way I'm accepting them on my house.

[Wekapipo]

hey man i need to know new npc conditions thank you for caring about your fans!!! sorry for your tumor, hope you can live, stay strong

[Azzy Dreemurr]

I've made a group for goats because I can.

[Goat]

Hello sir, I checked the Official Terraria Gamepedia and there's more information available - will you please update your original guide? Thank you!

[Azzy Dreemurr]

@Goat you should consider getting Goat Sim!

[Wekapipo]

hello update guide? yes sir thank you update please

[lol no]

I think you should add the drops from killing the NPCs as an extra

[Wekapipo]

thasnks for the guide man

[Wekapipo]

deves ter batido com a cabeça na sanita meu foste ditar isto as 5 e meia da manhã que homem wtf bro mano damn

[Wekapipo]

like e favoritpo