Guide:Surviving in the Dungeon

This is a Guide page.
This means the page will walk you through a specific task, strategy, or enemy/boss fight.

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Status: Revised (This Guide got revised and is up to date!)

See also: Dungeon.

See also: Guide:Skeletron strategies.

Map view of a 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 Space Gun, while Jungle armor works better with other weapons.
  • The Wizard set with the Wizard Hat and Diamond Robe provides higher stat buffs than both armors, but loses in defense.
• Summoners can use Bee armor 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 Blade of Grass, Bee Keeper or the Amazon yoyo. The Ball O' Hurt or The Meatball will help against crowds.
• For Ranged players, the Minishark and Boomstick are the best guns, while the Bee's Knees is the best bow. Meteor Shots will work well due to their piercing and bouncing abilities.
• Mages can quickly obtain the Water Bolt from the shelves with books on them. Other weapons like the Diamond Staff, Vilethorn or Crimson Rod can be used as secondary weapons.
• A Summoner can use the Vampire Frog Staff or the Hornet Staff, as earlier minions will not deal enough damage at this point. A Whip will help, with the strongest option being Snapthorn. Summoners should focus on obtaining Cobwebs and Bones to craft a Spinal Tap.
• Throwers will need Bone Throwing Knives and Javelins.
  • In Expert Mode, the Bone Glove will drop from Skeletron. This weapon is the strongest available for throwers, and the Bones needed for ammunition can be easily obtained after a couple of kills in the Dungeon.

Accessories

• Rocket Boots or their upgrades, variants of the Cloud in a Bottle and, if playing in Expert Mode, the Shield of Cthulhu are essential for movement.
• Shark Tooth Necklace gives a rather significant boost to weapons.
• Magic Cuffs are always good when exploring as a mage.
• The Expert mode exclusive Worm Scarf is always good for survivability.
• If playing on  PC version,  Console version,  Mobile version, and  tModLoader version, 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 Healing Potions.
• A decent Hook for easier exploration.
• The Lifeform Analyzer can help when looking for Dungeon Slimes.

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 Water Candles seen as they will boost the spawn rate even further. The player will have to deal with many Angry Bones, as well as Cursed Skulls and Dark Casters. The latter two have the ability to attack through blocks, so caution is still needed when taking cover. Blazing Wheels 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. Dart Traps are also more common than in other biomes, so at first, a Dangersense Potion might be useful.

Unlike other biomes, the Gold Chests found in the Dungeon are locked, so Golden Keys will be needed to open them. They are a guaranteed drop from Dungeon Slimes 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 Shadow Key, 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 Bound Mechanic. 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 Bombs. 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.
• Dart Traps can be disabled by harvesting them with a Pickaxe.
• If the player wants the Ankh Shield, it is better to farm for the Nazar 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 Dungeon Spirit, which drops Ectoplasm 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 Terra Blade, Death Sickle, The Eye of Cthulhu or the Possessed Hatchet.
• Ranged users have access to Shroomite armor, which is the best set available for them.
  • The Megashark and Onyx Blaster with Crystal Bullets are very powerful guns. Chlorophyte Shotbow with Holy Arrows is strong against all enemies, while the Stynger or the Pulse Bow with Venom Arrows are very strong against crowds. Dart Rifle or Dart Pistol can also be useful when paired with Crystal Darts, due to their high damage, penetration and ricocheting abilities.
• Mages should use Hallowed or Chlorophyte armor until enough Ectoplasm is obtained.
  • The Rainbow Rod is great all-around since it pierces and homes on enemies, with added controllability. The Sky Fracture or Crystal Serpent work best for single targets. The Magical Harp or Heat Ray are better against hordes of enemies. The Golden Shower is never bad to have.
• Summoners should already have Tiki armor or Spooky armor.
  • Their best Minion staves are the Sanguine Staff or Pygmy Staff, while the Desert Chest will additionally provide the useful Desert Tiger Staff. The best sentries are the ones that the Tavernkeep sells, and once the Ice Chest is opened, the Staff of the Frost Hydra.
  • The Durendal is the best whip available. If Empress of Light or Pumpking have been defeated, the Kaleidoscope or Dark Harvest are better to use.

Accessories

• Wings are a must have at this point in the game.
• Spectre Boots or their upgrades help a lot with mobility.
• If playing on Expert mode, the Shield of Cthulhu is very good to have.
• Any Emblem, the Celestial Stone or Celestial Shell as well as any other combat accessory are always good to have.
• The Charm of Myths can be useful when healing.
• Ankh Shield is useful for negating the many debuffs the enemies inflict.
• Defensive accessories like the Worm Scarf or Star Veil are always welcome.
• Magic Cuffs or Celestial Cuffs are decent for regaining mana as a mage.

Access and Location

For fast access to the dungeon it is best to use a Minecart track or a Teleporter. 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

• Blue Armored Bones 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 Broken Armor debuff on hit.
• Necromancers 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 Slow debuff on hit, and have a low chance of dropping the Shadowbeam Staff.
• Skeleton Commandos use a Rocket Launcher to attack. The rocket is very strong and will explode on contact with any tile. They may drop their Rocket Launcher when killed.
• Additionally, the Paladin 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 Paladin's Hammer and/or the Paladin's Shield when killed.

Slab Walls

• Rusty Armored Bones will be found in this area. They have the overall highest damage, and average health and defense. They inflict either Bleeding or Slow on hit, but never both.
• Ragged Casters will appear. They shoot three homing projectiles that will inflict the Blackout 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 Spectre Staff.
• Skeleton Snipers 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 Rifle Scope and/or Sniper Rifle when killed.

Tiled Walls

• Hell Armored Bones will spawn. They have the overall lowest health and defense stats, while their attack damage is average. They inflict the On Fire! debuff which will deal a high amount of damage over time and will also stop natural regeneration.
• Diabolists 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 Inferno Fork when killed.
• Tactical Skeletons use their Tactical Shotgun 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

Bone Lees and Giant Cursed Skulls 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 Wisp in a Bottle 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.