Guide:Building

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This means the page will walk you through a specific task, strategy, or enemy/boss fight.

Status: Subject to revision (This Guide does not meet certain quality standards and may be heavily outdated.)

Building in Terraria is an art. Some like building bases, others are interested in arenas. This is a guide to building in multiple styles, as well as good tips and accessories to use while building. (this is a work in progress being made over time)

Helpful Accessories

The Architect Gizmo Pack is an essential accessory for building, as it increases placement and tool speed and range, and grants auto-painting. It is crafted at the Tinkerer's Workshop from construction accessories sold by the Traveling Merchant costing 10 GC each and can be bought before defeating any boss. The Step Stool can be found inside surface Chests or Wooden Crates and, while holding ▲ Up, increases vertical tool and placement range. The Ancient Chisel can be found inside Sandstone Chests in the Underground Desert or inside Oasis Crates and increases mining speed. These accessories with the post-Skeletron Treasure Magnet can be crafted into the Hand of Creation to combine all of their effects and save space for other accessories. The Toolbelt can be bought from Goblin Tinkerer for 10 GC and increases block placement range. The Toolbox can be found inside Christmas presents and increases tool and block placement range. The Toolbelt's and the Toolbox's effects both stack with the Architect Gizmo Pack. Hardmode accessories the Moonstone, which drops from Vampire, and the Sunstone, which drops from Golem, both increase mining speed. Their effects do not stack.

The Magiluminescence makes it easier to build in darkness by providing light around the player, similar to the Shine Potion and Mining Helmet. The Climbing Claws and the Shoe Spikes allow the player to slide down on blocks. If both are equipped or they are combined into the Tiger Climbing Gear, it allows the player to completely "stick" to blocks. Water Walking Boots allow walking on water, honey and shimmer. Later upgrade the Lava Waders allow walking on lava. The Water Walking Potion allows the player to walk on all liquids. Flower Boots are helpful if the player does not want to wait for flowers to grow and Spectre Goggles let the wearer see Echo Blocks.

Important Tools

The Paintbrush, the Paint Roller, the Paint Scraper and their spectre variants are for, you guessed it, painting! The Rod of Discord or Rod of Harmony are both helpful for movement. The Bottomless Buckets and Sponges are important for liquid use. Block-placing wands are helpful for building with unobtainable blocks. The Rubblemaker and Sandcastle Bucket are both helpful for adding little doodlies (ambient objects). While you can place many ambient objects, some cannot be placed in the latest version. This includes Stalactite, Stalagmite, Plantera's Bulb, Pot, and others.

Blocks for Styles

Treehouse: Hive, Pine Tree Block, Red Dynasty Shingles, Wood, and Glass

Castle: Gray Brick, Stone Slab,

Modern: Smooth Marble Block

Simple: Wood, Stone Block, Stucco, Glass

Fiendish: The Crimson, Flesh Block, Living Fire Blocks, Obsidian Brick

Angelic: The Hallow, Aetherium Brick, Sunplate Block,

Sky Base: Cloud Block, Rain Cloud, Snow Cloud,

Furniture for the styles

Treehouse: Living Loom, Living Wood furniture, Garden Gnome,

Castle: Throne, Tall Gate, Crystal Ball,

Fiendish: Hellforge, Skull Lantern, Obsidian furniture, Potted Lava Plants,

Angelic: Marble furniture, Water fountains,

Modern: Chandeliers, Marble furniture

Simple: Generic furniture,

Sky base: Skyware furniture, Sky Mill, Enchanted Moondial, Enchanted Sundial

Biome Change

While it is recomended to wait until post-Moonlord to change biomes, mostly because you get the option to Shimmer the Clentaminator into the Terraformer and get the option to get white, brown, and yellow Solutions, you can do it before, although it is tedious. To make a Snow biome or Ice biome, you will need to place 1,500 Snow Block or Ice Blocks. For a Desert, 1,500 Sand Blocks. For a Jungle, you must place 140 Jungle Grass Seeds.

Tips and Tricks

You can use functional furniture, like Banners, Bast Statues, Heart Lanterns and other to decorate, while still getting buffs!
It is highly recommended to create a new world to mine in to get resources. Need both the Corruption and the Crimson? Try the 5162020 secret world seeds!
When building with coins, the player can use copper coins and paint them to closely resemble other ones, saving money for other needs.

Shimmer

Shimmer is a liquid that transforms items into others. Some notable examples include:

Shimmer Transmutations
Before	After
Hellstone Brick	Ancient Hellstone Brick(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
Campfire	Aether Campfire(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
Torch	Aether Torch(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)

Consumables

Some consumables can be very helpful for building! The Dirt Bomb is good for filling in holes, Dry Bomb is good for removing liquids, Fertilizer is good for growing trees, Torch God's Favor, obtained by completing the Torch God event, places biome torches, the Builder Potion and Ambrosia increases placement speed, the Mining Potion is good for mining, Obsidian Skin Potion is good for building in the Underworld.

Enemies and Dangers

If you know you will be building for a long time, enemies will spawn and will try to kill you. In order to increase efficiency, it is recommended to play as summoner. This will eliminate the need of having to actually fight. If a boss spawns, they will take care of it.