Guide


 * This page is about the NPC. For Terraria Online's Guide articles, see Terraria Wiki:Projects/Guides.

The Guide is the first NPC that you encounter. He provides tips that are mainly for new players to learn the basics of the game, and can show you all crafting recipes involving an item you show him.

Unlike other NPCs, the Guide spawns on World creation, before an appropriate House is available, but will move into the first one you build, and will teleport there if he can't get there otherwise. If he is killed, he will need proper housing before he respawns. If you wish to give your Guide a new name, or just feel like killing him, you can attack him while equipped with the Guide Voodoo Doll in an accessory slot, and he will respawn if there is a House available and it is daytime.

The Guide will defend himself against nearby enemies using a bow and arrow, firing Wooden Arrows initially and then upgrading to Flaming Arrows in Hardmode.

The Guide's tips
At the beginning of the game:
 * "You can use your pickaxe to dig through Dirt, and your axe to chop down trees. Just place your cursor over the tile and click!"
 * "If you want to survive, you will need to create weapons and shelter. Start by chopping down trees and gathering wood."
 * "Press ESC to access your crafting menu. When you have enough Wood, create a Workbench. This will allow you to create more complicated things, as long as you are standing close to it."
 * "You can build a shelter by placing wood or other blocks in the world. Don't forget to create and place walls."
 * "Once you have a wooden sword, you might try to gather some gel from the slimes. Combine wood and gel to make a torch!"
 * "To interact with backgrounds, use a hammer!"
 * "You should do some mining to find metal ore. You can craft very useful things with it."
 * "Underground are crystal hearts that can be used to increase your max life. You can smash them with a pickaxe."
 * "There are many different ways you can attract people to move in to our town. They will of course need a home to live in."
 * "In order for a room to be considered a home, it needs to have a door, chair, table, and a light source. Make sure the house has walls as well."
 * "Two people will not live in the same home. Also, if their home is destroyed, they will look for a new place to live."
 * "You can use the housing interface to assign and view housing. Open your inventory and click the house icon."

If ore is inside your inventory:
 * "Now that you have some ore, you will need to turn it into a bar in order to make items with it. This requires a furnace!"
 * "You can create a furnace out of torches, wood, and stone. Make sure you are standing near a work bench."

If bars are inside your inventory:
 * "You will need an anvil to make most things out of metal bars."
 * "Anvils can be crafted out of iron, or purchased from a merchant."

If you have unobtained NPCs:
 * "If you want a Merchant to move in, you will need to gather plenty of money. 50 Silver Coins should do the trick!"
 * "For a nurse to move in, you might want to increase your maximum life."
 * "If you had a gun, I bet an arms dealer might show up to sell you some ammo!"
 * "You should prove yourself by defeating a strong monster. That will get the attention of a Dryad."
 * "Make sure to explore the dungeon thoroughly. There may be prisoners held deep within." (Reference to a mechanic in the dungeon)
 * "Perhaps the Old Man by the Dungeon would like to join us now that his curse has been lifted."
 * "Hang on to any bombs you might find. A Demolitionist may want to have a look at them."
 * "Are goblins really so different from us that we couldn't live together peacefully?"
 * "I heard there was a powerful wizard who lives in these parts. Make sure to keep an eye out for him next time you go underground [sic]." (Hardmode only)

Misc:
 * "If you combine lenses at a demon altar, you might be able to find a way to summon a powerful monster. You will want to wait until night before using it, though."
 * "You can create [worm bait/a bloody spine] with [rotten chunks and vile powder/vertebrae and vicious powder]. Make sure you are in a [corrupt/crimson] area before using it."
 * "[Demonic/Crimson] altars can usually be found in the [corruption/crimson]. You will need to be near them to craft some items."
 * "You can make a grappling hook from a hook and 3 chains. Skeletons found deep underground usually carry hooks, and chains can be made from iron bars."
 * "If you see a pot, be sure to smash it open. They contain all sorts of useful supplies."
 * "There is treasure hidden all over the world. Some amazing things can be found deep underground!"
 * "Smashing a [shadow orb/crimson heart] will sometimes cause a meteor to fall out of the sky. [Shadow orbs/crimson hearts] can usually be found in the chasms around [corrupt/crimtane] areas."
 * "You should focus on gathering more heart crystals to increase your maximum life."
 * "If you gather 5 fallen stars, they can be combined to create an item that will increase your magic capacity." (now only needs 3 fallen stars to make 1 mana star, prior to the 1.3 update on Steam and OS)
 * "Stars fall all over the world at night. They can be used for all sorts of useful things. If you see one, be sure to grab it because they disappear after sunrise."
 * "Your current equipment simply won't do. You need to make better armor."
 * "I think you are ready for your first major battle. Gather some lenses from the eyeballs at night and take them to a demon altar."
 * "You will want to increase your life before facing your next challenge. Fifteen hearts should be enough."
 * "The ebonstone in the corruption can be purified using some powder from a dryad, or it can be destroyed with explosives."
 * "Your next step should be to explore the corrupt chasms. Find and destroy any shadow orb you find."
 * "There is a old dungeon not far from here. Now would be a good time to go check it out."
 * "You should make an attempt to max out your available life. Try to gather twenty hearts."
 * "There are many treasures to be discovered in the jungle, if you are willing to dig deep enough."
 * "The underworld is made of a material called hellstone. It's perfect for making weapons and armor."
 * "When you are ready to challenge the keeper of the underworld, you will have to make a living sacrifice. Everything you need for it can be found in the underworld."
 * "Ostara's hare is corrupting the wildlife. Defeat it to change things back to normal."

During Hardmode:
 * "Make sure to smash any [demon/crimson] altar you can find. Something good is bound to happen if you do!"
 * "Souls can sometimes be gathered from fallen creatures in places of extreme light or dark."

Quotes
In addition to tips, the Guide also has various quotes: During Night: Only during Blood Moon: During Oktoberfest Near New Years
 * "Greetings, [Name of Player]. Is there something I can help you with?"
 * "I am here to give you advice on what to do next. It is recommended that you talk with me anytime you get stuck."
 * "They say there is a person who will tell you how to survive in this land... oh wait. That's me."
 * "You should stay indoors at night. It is very dangerous to be wandering around in the dark."
 * "Hey, buddy, do you know where any deathweed is? Oh, no reason; Just wondering, is all." (Possible reference that Deathweed blooms in blood moons.)
 * "If you were to look up, you'd see the moon is red right now."
 * "You can tell a Blood Moon is out when the sky turns red. There is something about it that causes monsters to swarm."
 * The Oktober festival is here![Name of Merchant] has brewed up some of his famous ale especially for the occasion and [Name of Clothier] is selling traditional festival clothes. (Only if Merchant and Clothier are present)
 * New Year is here! [Name of Demolitionist] is selling special weaponry to light up the skies, and [Name of Clothier] is selling traditional festive attire.

Names
The guide may have any of the following names:

Trivia

 * The Guide is very important in the game, and pretty mysterious. He appears out of nowhere when the Player first starts, giving him/her tips and apparently knowing about everything that is happening on the Map (including things like the presence of a tied Wizard, or his knowledge about both Crimson and Corruption and his "betrayal" by you activating Hardmode), and is the NPC that is represented on the doll.
 * He must be killed in order to summon the Wall of Flesh and proceed into Hardmode. Additionally, the Cyborg refers to the Wall of Flesh as the "Wall of [Guide's Name]."
 * Killing the guide may be a reference to the 8th Stage of The Hero's Journey, where, typically, the hero loses their mentor(ie. Obi Wan/Yoda in Star Wars, Dumbledore in Harry Potter, Patches O'Houlihan from Dodgeball) while facing a great challenge. This seems likely, as the game then rewards you (the 9th stage) with Hardmode afterwards.
 * One of the Guide's names is Andrew, which is also the name of Andrew Spinks (a.k.a. Redigit), the lead developer of Terraria. The Green Cap is dropped if you kill The Guide with that name, which is due to the fact that his sprite comprises of a player with the aforementioned cap.
 * Terraria's lead developer, Redigit, said during an AMA on Reddit that he created the Guide Voodoo Doll so players could get revenge on him for always opening the door.

History
Guide Гид