Traps

There are many types of traps you can make in Terraria, for NPCs and players alike. Listed are common traps.

Lava Trap
This is the most basic trap. It's a pit with lava in it. If the lava level is only one or two pixels high you can kill monsters but not burn up the loot. These traps are good for home defence during goblin invasions as they can be left unattended and visited later to collect the loot.

Loot Trap
This is a modification of the lava trap, with a tunnel built underneath it to collect the loot without having to touch the lava. The loot will not burn up because it will be drawn to your player.

Sand Trap
Made by placing a wall then dropping sand on top of it, then when the enemy you want to kill is underneath, break the wall and let the sand fall on top of them. While this is effective to some degree against slimes, the setup and cleanup are not worth the loot you will get and you will have to dig to get to it.

Pitfall Trap


Place a torch with sand stacked on top then put a torch on the side of the bottom-most piece of sand, and keep repeating the process until you have the pit the size you want. When you want to activate your trap remove the bottom torch and all stacks of sand will fall and damage enemies.

Flying Enemy Cage (a.k.a. Wooden Platform Trap)
A simple trap consisting of a boxed off area with 1 or more wooden platforms on the floor of the trap. This ensures that Slimes and flying enemies, such as Demon Eyes, can enter the trap by passing through the wooden platforms from below, but they won't be able to leave it since they can't pass through wooden platforms from above. Although this trap isn't lethal by itself, it can be used to keep the trapped enemies from bothering you.


 * Note that, as of patch 1.0.6, bats, harpys, demons, etc. can now pass through wooden platforms, making these traps ineffective against them.

Zombie Pit
As its name implies, this kind of trap is designed to trap Zombies (and Goblins). It works by exploiting the Zombie's (and Goblin's) limited pathfinding capabilities to lure them into a trap. Though a player can easily escape from this trap, Zombies cannot, as their AI tells them to only jump if they either encounter a pit while the player is above them, or if they encounter a block or wall in the way. By placing a block directly above spots where Zombies may attempt to jump, their mobility becomes limited to the point where they cannot escape the pit.

Shark Trap
Build your bridge at sea level, and then place wooden platforms under the sections you want to replace with the trap. Once removed, lava can be added without burning the platforms or turning into obsidian. Build a safe room above the trap, and pour two buckets full of water inside to lure the sharks and jellyfish into your trap. They will attempt to chase after you through the wooden platforms, only to end up being roasted by the lava.