Lava




 * See also: Guide:Making Liquid

Lava is a glowing red/orange liquid found deep in the Cavern layer and in The Underworld, appearing instead of Water at depths below 1,500 feet (750 tiles) in a small world, 2,300 feet (1,150 tiles) in a medium world, and 3,350 feet (1,675 tiles) in a large world. Contact with Lava deals 80 damage per hit on players and 50 damage per hit on enemies, and inflicts the On Fire! debuff on both. Lava also slows movement the way Water does. Obsidian Skin Potion makes players immune to Lava damage, though a submerged player will have their breath meter activated, and will therefore still be in danger of drowning.

Lava flows downwards and horizontally, settling and taking the shape of any block formations below and beside it, the way Water does; though Lava is more viscous than Water, flowing more slowly. It also emits a medium amount of flickering light. Lava can be moved by the player via a bucket or pump.

Dropped items of a Rarity lower than blue (which includes all Coins) will be destroyed when submerged in Lava past their vertical midpoint. Blocks cannot be placed directly within Lava, but falling blocks like Silt and Sand can fall into it, resulting in placement at its bottom, and these can be stacked until reaching the Lava's surface to form a safe bridge over it. Silt and Sand blocks placed this way will revert back to Lava if mined away.

Obsidian blocks form when Lava and Water come into contact with each other. Hellstone produces Lava when mined in the Underworld.

Trivia

 * In the real world, lava is molten rock, but the term is usually applied only when it is expelled above ground as the result of a volcanic eruption. Lava, as found underground in Terraria, would typically be termed magma instead.