Environments

The world of Terraria consists of ten officially mentioned environment types.

Forests
Main article: Forest

Forests are the only biome that can spawn small and large trees, which can be replanted using the acorns that are dropped by chopping them down. Natural caves may be found in this environment, although most are not more than 100 feet deep.

Monsters:
 * Zombie (Night)
 * Demon Eye (Night)
 * Slime (Anytime)
 * Pinky (Anytime)

Deserts
Main article: Desert

Large sandy areas that are occasionally generated. Nothing, however, is particularly special about them, as they are completely barren. They have the same monsters as forests.

Ocean
The least complex and interesting area of Terraria. Both edges of every map have a sandy beach followed by an enormous body of water. The water goes deeper as the player goes further out. Exploration without a means to swim will likely result in drowning, and there isn't much to see anyway. The bottom of the ocean floor frequently has one or more chests containing a Breathing Reed or Flippers.

Underground
Main article: The Underground

The underground consists of two layers: the dirt layer and the stone layer. Ores, pots, and chests can be found throughout. Water is a common sight anywhere underground and demon altars can be found within these layers, however it is a very rare occurrence. Lava becomes common near the bottom of the stone layer. Giant mushrooms have been seen as well.

Monsters: Chests may contain: Pots may contain:
 * Giant Worm
 * Skeleton (stone layer)
 * Most Slimes, excluding Green Slimes
 * Mother Slime (stone layer)
 * Bomb
 * Bottles
 * Shuriken
 * Dynamite
 * Flippers
 * Lucky Horseshoe
 * Breathing Reed
 * Enchanted Boomerang
 * Hermes Boots
 * Cloud in a Bottle
 * Magic Mirror
 * Band of Regeneration
 * Angel Statue
 * Gold, Silver and Copper Coins
 * Gold and  Silver Bars
 * Bomb
 * Shuriken
 * Torches
 * Arrows
 * Hooks
 * Silver and Copper Coins
 * Lesser Healing Potions (Rare)
 * Whoopie Cushion (Very Rare)

Floating Islands
Main article: Floating Islands

Floating Islands are masses of land that appear in the sky. Just like in forests, you can find trees and grass growing over dirt blocks, with some stones and ores in the ground. They usually have a building made of ore bricks and a chest inside. The monsters that spawn here are the same as the ones from the forest.

The islands can be found at different levels of height, based on the size of the map selected. Use a Depth Meter to determine your height.

The Following hights per Large Medium or Small Floating Islands are


 * Small worlds the islands are located around 250-500 feet, and in some circumstances are very close to high hills.


 * Normal/medium worlds it is around 400 to 500 feet, though can sometimes be found above and below that height. Your best bet for finding one is to go to 430 feet and move horizontally.


 * Large worlds they are located between 650-1200 feet. It is very difficult to find the islands on large maps because of the various heights, the best option is to get a map viewer that shows where the islands are.

Another way to find floating islands is to craft meteorite bullets and shoot them into the air while traveling. Since meteorite bullets richochet, you will be able to tell when there is an island above you, since the bullets will bounce off the islands and fall back down towards you. Link to a video demonstrating this technique can be seen here.



Another way is to shot a fire arrow up in the air and if it comes down not on fire you have an object above you. This happens because when a fire arrow hits a solid surface it will become a normal arrow again.

Chests may contain:
 * Lucky Horseshoe
 * Rocket Boots (very rare)
 * Shiny Red Balloon
 * Starfury
 * Staff of Regrowth

The Corruption
Main article: The Corruption

The Corruption spawns higher-level monsters at all times of the day and should be avoided initially. Corruption is special because it will override nearby dirt blocks to spread, unless the dirt block has a sunflower on it. Chasms, Demon Altars, and Shadow Orbs can be found here. Corrupted areas can be cleared with Purification Powder.

Monsters: Defeat of the Eye of Cthulhu is recommended before accessing this enviroment, as the use of Purification Powder from the Dryad is needed to gain full access to Shadow Orbs and some Demon Altars. However, if you have a Demonite or greater pick, you can mine through the corrupted stone (Ebonstone, has no apparent use yet).
 * Devourer
 * Eater of Souls
 * Eater of Worlds (Spawnable Boss)

Meteorite
Main article: Meteorite

After smashing a Shadow Orb, a Meteorite will crash into the planet. It is a small area, but should be avoided by lower-level players. The Meteorite itself is made of Meteorite ore, a high-level material that harms the player on contact (an Obsidian Skull is useful here as it protects from fire-block damage). Upon removing roughly 90% of the Meteorite, the local Meteor Head monsters will stop spawning on the edge of the screen.

It may take some time for the meteorite to spawn after the initial shattering of the Shadow Orb. Also, occasionally only one meteor zone will spawn at a time.

Recommended to be at a mid-game level, wearing at least iron armor, to access this environment. Be warned that touching meteorite is a moderate but quick damage dealer to unarmored players and Meteor Heads will often bombard and push the player into mentioned meteorite.

Monsters:
 * Meteor Head

Underground Jungle
thumb|350px|left|Video Guide

Main article: Underground Jungle The Underground Jungle is a very remote area of the world, residing deep underground. Like Dungeons, these areas have few dead ends; unlike Dungeons, however, th ey are covered in plants. They have special items that are found in Jungle Shrines, small buildings made of gold blocks that are spawned at random locations in the Underground Jungle.

The Underground Jungle, a biome found underground (see the name), usually makes its home from about 5% to 10% of the entire underground (might vary by map size). Much like dungeons, they stretch across the top of their horizontal location to the bottom of the map, stopping a bit above the Underworld biome. Other monsters common in the overworld and in the dirt-rock and rock-dirt layers can be found, but it has two unique monsters: the Hornet and the Man Eater.

Underground Jungles are located on the opposite side of the map from the Dungeon, and digging at the halfway point between the original spawn and the ocean will often place you into the Underground Jungle. They are also often found under or next to the corruption. The buffer between the Underground and the Underground Jungle is spottable by a random mixture of mud and stone/dirt.

The Underground Jungle is a late-game enviroment, due to enemies being able to deal 30-40+ damage and its tricky navigation.



On a small map you can usally find the jungle at about 600-1300 feet below.

On small maps exclusively, it is possible that you can see the top of an Underground Jungle at the surface of your level, amongst the Forest Biome. Video proof can be found here.

Use a Depth Meter to see how deep you are.

Plants and Items
Underground Jungles also contain several unique plants, such as the Jungle Rose and Nature's Gift. The jungle roses are used in tier 2 to 3 crafting, necessary in weapons such as the Thorn Chakrum and Blade of Grass. And they are also necessary to make the tool Ivy Whip.

The Underground Jungle can also be helpful for making obsidian if there is a lava pool because of the fact that there are many water deposits.

Underground Jungles are made almost entirely of mud, and this can sometimes reach to the surface, leaving large areas of almost entirely mud at the surface, which can be used to locate the Underground Jungle. Another way to help locate the underground jungle is to dig down to about 700-1200 depth and go horizontally.

Monsters:
 * Man Eater
 * Hornet
 * Stone Layer enemies such as skeletons in the deeper areas of the jungle near areas with stone walls.
 * If the jungle is close to the underworld, you may also encounter fire imps.

Jungle Shrines May Contain:
 * Nature's Gift
 * Feral Claws
 * Staff of Regrowth
 * Anklet of the Wind

Dungeons
Main article: Dungeon

Dungeons are enormous buildings found close to the edge of a generated world, spanning many layers deep. They're filled with treasure chests and unique items (water candles, books, chain lanterns, etc.), all of which are spread evenly in chests and on shelves throughout the Dungeon. Chests further down do not necessarily have better loot.

On some worlds, the bottom of the Dungeon will cut into the Underworld, providing a viable way to "easily" access the Underworld.

To gain access, you must first defeat Skeletron, the guardian boss transformed from the Old Man near the entrance of the dungeon.

Recommended to be at an end-game level to access the Dungeon, as enemies in the Dungeon will deal up to 20+ damage even with armor, and efficient navigation requires a grappling hook or movement enhancing accessories. A set of shadow or meteorite armor is recommended.

Some may attempt to make run-throughs of the dungeon without defeating Skeletron. If you have a grappling hook and a cloud in a bottle you can run from the skulls and loot one chest before they get to you and kill you. It is recommended that they player set their spawn close to the dungeon before attempting this.

The Underworld
Main article: The Underworld

A lava-filled, monster-infested hell located below the stone layer. This is, at the moment, the lowest layer in Terraria. It can be considered the most dangerous area, even for end-game players. The Underworld is one of two places a player can obtain a Hellforge, which are located in tall, dilapidated buildings made of hellstone brick. The Underworld can be recognized by the lava veins in the wall.

The Underworld is a late-game enviroment, and the use of Obsidian Skull is highly recommended, as well as healing potions and high damage dealing weapons.

Monsters:
 * Bone Serpent
 * Fire Imp