Dart Trap

Dart Traps are traps that fire poisoned darts when triggered via wire. The trap does not consume any ammunition, its output being limited only by how frequently it can be triggered, which is a maximum of once every 31/3 seconds ( 3 seconds). Dart Traps are found naturally placed in random areas in the Cavern layer, and more frequently in the Dungeon, and can be freed and harvested by players with a pickaxe or drill. They are found wired to Pressure Plates that trigger when the player or an enemy steps on them.

In order to use harvested Dart Traps, players must wire them to a triggering mechanism that sends a signal to the trap, which can be done with tools available from the Mechanic (who can be found in the Dungeon after Skeletron is defeated). Dart Traps will be placed facing the direction the player is facing, and on the, can be hammered to rotate them after being placed, allowing them to fire vertically.

Tips

 * With some planning, Dart Traps can also be used to very quickly harvest entire Mushroom/Glowing Mushroom/Vile Mushroom/Underground Jungle and Herb (planted on soil) Farm.
 * A wiring-related item, such as a Dart Trap, Pressure Plate, or Wrench, can be switched to in the Hotbar or held in the opened inventory to reveal any wire on screen. It will be visible as red, blue, yellow, or green lines, including the naturally-spawned wires connecting a Dart Trap to its Pressure Plate.
 * Alternatively, having the Mechanical Lens or Grand Design will reveal wires without switching to a wire-related item, as well as highlight wires in dark places.
 * Dart Traps still function normally when actuated. Using an actuator, it is possible for the player to place multiple dart traps in a line, since the darts won't hit the traps themselves.
 * The tip of the dart spawns one block in front of the dart trap; two dart traps can be placed in a row and both will fire without problems.
 * If two dart traps are placed 180 blocks apart with a 1 second timer, the darts will overlap, allowing for a continuous dart trap.
 * A Teal Pressure Pad placed 153 blocks away can be used to make a continuous repeating trap firing mechanism at its current maximum firing rate. With this looping mechanism, the trap will continue firing until the player logs out of the game (or otherwise breaks the loop).
 * Multiple dart traps can be chained together with Teal Pressure Pads to create very precise, repeating timers in relatively compact spaces (useful for traps in honey). As Dart Traps are fairly common, they can be especially useful when trying to activate statues or other traps as often as possible.
 * Seven 1/2 second timers strung together will give a 3.5 second delay between firings, which roughly matches the 3.33 second maximum.

Trivia

 * The Dart Trap's graphic resembles a stylized stone head. Traps involving such heads firing darts out of their mouths are a common sight in popular culture, such as the Indiana Jones movies.
 * This is one of two reusable traps available prior to Hardmode, along with the Geyser.