Guide:Surviving in the Dungeon

After defeating Skeletron in a world, the player will gain access to the full Dungeon. This place contains a lot of items and weapons that will ease progression, so players will usually explore it before fighting the Wall of Flesh.

In Pre-Hardmode, the Dungeon is usually done after exploring the The Corruption or The Crimson, before or after the Jungle, and before the Underworld.

In Hardmode, the Dungeon will start spawning much stronger enemies after defeating Plantera, and the player will find the Cultists at the entrance after Golem has been defeated.

= Pre-Hardmode =

Recommended Gear
While Skeletron can be defeated at any time, it is recommended to do so with the gear obtained from the Jungle and the Corruption/Crimson, as it is the best available at this point.

Armor

 * Melee and Ranged players benefit equally from Crimson armor. Fossil armor is the only ranged-oriented set at this point, but its mediocre stats mean it is not worth spending extra effort to obtain if it is not already in the player's possession.
 * The Corruption exclusive Shadow armor trades the regeneration and the small damage upgrade from Crimson armor for much higher movement and melee speed.
 * Meteor or Jungle armor are the best for Magic users. The former combines very well with the, while Jungle armor works better with other weapons.
 * The Wizard set with the and  provides higher stat buffs than both armors, but loses in defense.
 * Summoners can use to maximize minion power,  or Obsidian armor to focus on whips.
 * Fossil armor is the best choice for Throwing users.

Weapons

 * Melee players should bring the, or the  yoyo. The  or  will help against crowds.
 * For Ranged players, the and  are the best guns, while the  is the best bow. Meteor Shots will work well due to their piercing and bouncing abilities.
 * Mages can quickly obtain the from the shelves with books on them. Other weapons like the,  or  can be used as secondary weapons.
 * A Summoner can use the or the, as earlier minions will not deal enough damage at this point. A Whip will help, with the strongest option being . Summoners should focus on obtaining Cobwebs and Bones to craft a.
 * Throwers will need and.
 * In Expert Mode, the will drop from Skeletron. This weapon is the strongest available for throwers, and the  needed for ammunition can be easily obtained after a couple of kills in the Dungeon.

Accessories

 * or their upgrades, variants of the and, if playing in Expert Mode, the  are essential for movement.
 * gives a rather significant boost to weapons.
 * are always good when exploring as a mage.
 * The Expert mode exclusive is always good for survivability.
 * If playing on, the Bone Glove is not a weapon but an accessory, and may provide useful supplementary attacks.

Other

 * At least 300 Health and 200 Mana.
 * A stack of torches and.
 * A decent Hook for easier exploration.
 * The can help when looking for.

Location
The Dungeon can be found on the far left or far right of the map, opposite to the Underground Desert chasm and Jungle, and in the same side of the Snow biome. If you find a desert with a chasm, the dungeon can be found on the other side of the map. If the player tries to enter the Dungeon before Skeletron is killed, the Dungeon Guardians will instantly kill them when reaching the Underground depth.

Exploration
Just like the Jungle, the Dungeon has a much higher spawn rate than a normal biome, so it is easy to get overwhelmed by enemies. It is better to progress slowly, taking out any seen as they will boost the spawn rate even further. The player will have to deal with many Angry Bones, as well as and. The latter two have the ability to attack through blocks, so caution is still needed when taking cover. and Spike Balls can also spawn. They cannot be killed and will do a lot of damage even if they do not directly target the player. are also more common than in other biomes, so at first, a might be useful.

Unlike other biomes, the found in the Dungeon are locked, so  will be needed to open them. They are a guaranteed drop from and a rare drop from other enemies. They can also be found in the occasional Wooden Chest. When looted, they contain a unique weapon, the Cobalt Shield accessory, or the, which is needed to open Shadow Chests in The Underworld; as well as the standard Cavern loot. Special chest loot is spawned in a sequential order, so if the player is missing some items it may be wise to ensure none have been skipped in earlier rooms or splits in the path (see discussion).

The player may also find the. She can be saved by right clicking her, and then she will move in to an empty house if it is available. If she is killed after being released, she will still respawn like any other NPC. She provides access to the Wire Cutter, as well as the Mechanical Lens informational accessory, both of which are handy for avoiding wired traps in the Dungeon and elsewhere.

Other Tips

 * When there are forks in the corridor, closing them with blocks can stop the Angry Bones from overwhelming the player from behind or other directions. This makes it easier to clear one path at a time.
 * False walls often hide passages through the dungeon. Mining through them can be greatly sped up by rapidly using any grappling hook or throwing Grenades (their sticky variant can help for controlled blasting).
 * Moving far enough off-screen causes an inconvenient Spiky Ball or Blazing Wheel to despawn and disappear.
 * Spikes can be removed with a Pickaxe, or from a distance with . Higher pickaxe power will help you mine them faster.
 * Dungeon Bricks can be mined, allowing for new entrances to the Dungeon through a safe mineshaft, or a quick retreat/resupply in case of danger.
 * can be disabled by harvesting them with a Pickaxe.
 * If the player wants the Ankh Shield, it is better to farm for the in Pre-Hardmode as it is more difficult to get it from the Post-Plantera Dungeon.
 * It may be a good idea to prepare a large open area for farming monsters before defeating Plantera, before the difficulty increases.

= Post-Plantera Dungeon = The dungeon becomes much more dangerous with the defeat of Plantera. When it is defeated, the message "Screams are echoing from the dungeon..." will appear and much stronger enemies start to spawn. Additionally, enemies with more than 100 health have a small chance of spawning a, which drops when killed. This new material is used for the Spectre armor, which is the best available for mages until the Moon Lord has been defeated. It is also used to summon the Pumpkin Moon and Frost Moon. The Biome Chests found previously can now be opened with their respective Keys.

Recommended Gear
Like every other Hardmode environment, it is better to go in well prepared. It is not a bad idea to defeat the Golem in the Jungle Temple beforehand, as the boss is not too difficult but it drops very good weapons and accessories.
 * Melee users should use Chlorophyte or Turtle armor. If Golem has been defeated, the Beetle armor should be used.
 * The best available weapons are the, , or the.
 * Ranged users have access to Shroomite armor, which is the best set available for them.
 * The and  with  are very powerful guns.  with  is strong against all enemies, while the  or the  with  are very strong against crowds.  or  can also be useful when paired with, due to their high damage, penetration and ricocheting abilities.
 * Mages should use Hallowed or Chlorophyte armor until enough Ectoplasm is obtained.
 * The is great all-around since it pierces and homes on enemies, with added controllability. The  or  work best for single targets. The  or  are better against hordes of enemies. The  is never bad to have.
 * Summoners should already have Tiki armor or Spooky armor.
 * Their best Minion staves are the or, while the Desert Chest will additionally provide the useful . The best sentries are the ones that the Tavernkeep sells, and once the Ice Chest is opened, the.
 * The is the best whip available. If Empress of Light or Pumpking have been defeated, the  or  are better to use.

Accessories

 * Wings are a must have at this point in the game.
 * or their upgrades help a lot with mobility.
 * If playing on Expert mode, the is very good to have.
 * Any Emblem, the or  as well as any other combat accessory are always good to have.
 * The can be useful when healing.
 * is useful for negating the many debuffs the enemies inflict.
 * Defensive accessories like the or  are always welcome.
 * or are decent for regaining mana as a mage.

Access and Location
For fast access to the dungeon it is best to use a track or a. It is recommended to dig a tunnel down to the main part of the dungeon, so the entrance shaft can be skipped. Choose a farming spot carefully. Stay as close to the entrance as possible, so that it is easy to retrieve dropped items after death. The location should be protected from monsters spawning above. Last, but not least, choose a spot where there is more or less equal distribution of brick, slab and tiled walls for even enemy spawning (see below).

Enemies
Enemy spawns depend on the Background Walls of an area. A wall type contains its own variant of the Armored Bones, a Caster enemy, and a Skeleton with a ranged weapon. There is also a low chance that an enemy from another wall type will spawn as well.

Brick Walls

 * will spawn on them. Compared to the other two, they deal the overall lowest damage but are also the hardest to kill, having higher health, defense and knockback resistance. They inflict the debuff on hit.
 * are the casters of the area. They teleport very frequently and their beams are very hard to predict, but unlike the other two they cannot attack through blocks. They inflict the debuff on hit, and have a low chance of dropping the.
 * use a Rocket Launcher to attack. The rocket is very strong and will explode on contact with any tile. They may drop their when killed.
 * Additionally, the miniboss can spawn in these walls. It has a lot of health, defense and knockback immunity, making it very hard to kill. Its hammer attack also goes through blocks. Despite this, it is not very mobile, and it cannot attack while taking damage from a player, so these two traits should be exploited when fighting it. It may drop the  and/or the  when killed.

Slab Walls

 * will be found in this area. They have the overall highest damage, and average health and defense. They inflict either or  on hit, but never both.
 * will appear. They shoot three homing projectiles that will inflict the debuff, which will greatly reduce visibility. Because of their high damage and homing projectiles that go through walls, they should be prioritized. They have a low chance to drop the.
 * carry a Sniper Rifle, and use it to shoot at players from far away. This attack deals massive damage, so the player should always watch out for them. They may drop the and/or  when killed.

Tiled Walls

 * will spawn. They have the overall lowest health and defense stats, while their attack damage is average. They inflict the debuff which will deal a high amount of damage over time and will also stop natural regeneration.
 * are the casters of the area. They shoot a fireball that goes through blocks. This projectile explodes, creating a large fire sphere that lasts for a few seconds and deals massive damage on contact. They should be killed as soon as possible, as their fire can limit the player's movement. They drop the when killed.
 * use their to attack from a distance. While it does a lot of damage, they are unable to attack while being hit, so it will rarely get a chance to shoot if constantly attacked. They may drop their weapon when killed.

All Walls
and appear on all wall types. The former is very mobile and does a lot of contact damage, making close ranged combat dangerous. The latter acts like a normal Cursed Skull, with the added ability to shoot a projectile.

Other Tips

 * The dropped by the Armored Bones should be used if obtained as it can keep the player's surroundings lit infinitely without the need to use torches.
 * Put Heart Lanterns and Campfires near any farming areas for faster health regeneration. Chairs and Honey baths can be used for extra healing when not fighting.
 * When fighting an enemy, keep attacking for a second or two after they are dead, because Dungeon Spirits' spawning is random. The spirits fly around the player rapidly, which makes it difficult to hit them with small-projectile weapons.