Guide:Travel

Even small Worlds in Terraria can present a challenge when a player wants to return to a point far from their Spawn. Here are some often-used methods.

Sky Bridge
A Sky Bridge is a long platform of blocks usually a single block wide, or Wood Platforms, either of which are placed at high altitude, that players often build in order to provide easy travel to far-away areas of the World without having to negotiate terrain obstacles. Players who wish to farm Fallen Stars may also build a Sky Bridge to catch and collect them more easily simply by running its length. A Sky Bridge is also useful for finding Floating Islands.

Using Hermes Boots, players can make good time running along the bridge. Points of interest across the map should be marked, so that by dropping through Wood Platforms, players can easily access the world.

One downfall of this strategy is that Meteorites may also be caught on the thin platform, producing only minimal ore. This can be mitigated by making the Sky Bridge thick enough to fully exploit the ore. However, this would require an extremely large amount of building materials. Alternatively, a new world could be created specifically for obtaining Meteorite.

Hellevator
A Hellevator or Dropshaft is a vertical tunnel of mined-out blocks, usually 2 blocks wide, that extends all the way from the surface to the Underworld via a straight fall. Advanced players who have reached the Underworld will usually want to return repeatedly to collect resources, and a Hellevator can be an invaluable tool for doing so.

Other players may wish to create a more time-consuming 3 block wide dropshaft with wooden platforms along the side, allowing for a straight fall or a controlled descent, and allowing the player to ascend, provided the platforms are placed close enough together to access via jumps.

Required Items

 * Fall damage negating item, this includes lava, water, cobwebs, any form of grappling hook, or the ability to use a Lucky Horseshoe
 * Any type of pickaxe
 * Sand (Not necessary, but extremely helpful. Can be replaced by any building material if sand is a problem)
 * Depth Meter (Optional, unless you really care how deep you dig)
 * Shine Potion (Optional, the Orb of Light and Mining Helmet can also provide hands-free light)
 * Obsidian Skull (Optional, recommended for when you reach the underworld)
 * Magic Mirror (Optional, you may instead leave the world and reconnect to return to your spawn point)

The goal of this form of mining is not to maximize your ore output. It is a method of getting you from point A. above-ground to point B. below-ground. Many keep chutes like this to their mushroom farm/jungle farms. It also allows quick access to the underworld. If at any point you need to stop to explore a cavern or mine for ores, feel free to do so.

To dig correctly, find a location where you will be able to easily access near your spawn. In the case of making an underground corruption farm, the opposite holds true. In case you need to return to the surface to drop off materials or withdraw items, a magic mirror is suggested. Start mining straight down. You should have no problems. At a point where you want a temporary stop, you can use wood platforms. If you have reached your destination then place down a few blocks worth of water, or a cobweb to stop the fall damage for you.

Avoiding Obstacles
As you tunnel downward, a variety of obstacles may impede your progress. Here are some ways to overcome them and carry on quickly.

Monsters - Most monsters will not bother you, if your shaft is sealed. Burrowing monsters and casters, on the other hand, pose a real danger. For casters, sadly to say, the only real solution is to get to their level, kill them, and get back to the shaft, ASAP. If you have a Vilethorn and mana, you can possibly use it to kill them without getting near them. (Certain ranged weapons can also fire through walls, under the right conditions - the Star Cannon, for example.)

Air Pockets - This is why you brought sand. Before you fall, place sand to the area directly beneath your feet. The sand will fall to the bottom of the floor, and eventually will build itself back up underneath you, assuring you do not fall to your death. You may then remove the blocks beneath you, building the shaft walls as you go. You may instead drop sand for the walls as well, if you don't mind its instability.

Water - See Digging through Water.

Lava - See Digging through Lava.

Avoiding fall damage

 * Fall damage can be averted using a small water pool at least 4 tiles deep, just above the Underworld (water evaporates within the Underworld itself, as of update 1.0.5).
 * Cobwebs can be placed at or near the landing, though these can take some time to get free of without having to cut them away, requiring replacement each time.
 * The Lucky Horseshoe can be equipped to eliminate fall damage.
 * The Grappling Hook, Ivy Whip, Cloud in a Bottle, or Rocket Boots can be engaged just before landing, though this requires that the player pay close attention to their location during the fall.