The Torch God

The Torch God is a mini-event initiated when a player places around 100 torches in close proximity, at a depth of at least 200 tiles below the Surface layer, in any biome. Surviving it awards the Torch God's Favor item, which converts regular torches to the current biome's torch variant both in the user's hand and when placed (see Torch Luck for more information). The event will be initiated once the area accumulates around 100 torches; however, the exact number of torches required seems to be slightly higher or lower each time. The placed torches begin launching small fireballs at the player, extinguishing themselves in the process. The fireballs deal 40 / /  damage, and they travel in straight lines through blocks, bursting at the second wall they hit (only after passing the player). They can also spawn from torches located off-screen.

While the event is active, the player is inflicted with the Blackout debuff, significantly reducing their light vision. When all torches are extinguished, the event ends. After a brief period, the torches reignite, and if 100 or more torches have been activated, the Torch God's Favor item drops near the torches. The player cannot initiate the event again once a Torch God's Favor has been used or a Torch God's Favor is in their inventory; re-initiating the event then requires creating a new character. A player that has not used a Torch God's Favor can continuously challenge and complete the event and obtain more Torch God's Favors, as long as they do not have one in their inventory.

While the event is active, the track will play. The player's eyes will be closed for the duration as a result of the Blackout debuff, which may not always be apparent due to armor or vanities.

Tips

 * Starting the event in an open area offers the player more room to dodge.
 * Dodging is made easier via the Rod of Discord or the Hook of Dissonance.
 * Anything that gives the player dodge chance, such as the Black Belt or the Brain of Confusion, gives the player a higher chance of surviving.
 * Since this is an endurance event, having armor, buffs, and accessories that offer high defense and damage resistance is preferred to reduce the damage from the torch fireballs.
 * Lowering enemy spawns using a Calming Potion and Peace Candle will let you focus on dodging the fireballs without being distracted by other enemies.
 * Using Crimson Torches is not recommended, as the fireballs they produce are black and therefore extremely hard to see due to the Blackout debuff applied to the player during the event. Conversely, Ultrabright Torches can prove to make the event easier by making the fireballs (and the arena) easier to see.
 * If not readily available, the benefit of using Ultrabright Torches may not be worth waiting for the Traveling Merchant to sell them, as the projectiles are still perfectly visible with normal torches.
 * Create a large open area and line torches around the edges of the area (a maximum of two edges) to provide maximum dodging time.
 * Build a square of torches framed by a square of rope to maneuver on. As the torches always target the player's current position, they can easily be avoided by constantly moving in one direction.
 * Placing Lanterns can provide harmless light sources during the event. Any non-torch light sources are helpful in lighting the area during the event, due to the Blackout debuff inflicted by it.

Trivia

 * The Torch God, as well as its reward, was most likely introduced as a response to the controversial "bad torch luck" feature introduced in 1.4.0.1 and removed in 1.4.0.3, which would punish players for using the wrong torch type in a given biome (e.g. using Ice Torches in the Underground Jungle as opposed to Jungle Torches). See Redigit's statement on people using "wrong torches".
 * The Torch God was initially discussed on live stream by Pedguin on May 24th 2020 as a way for Redigit to punish players for placing the wrong torch, with Redigit commenting in the chat that he liked the idea.