Shimmer is a shiny, pearlescent liquid found in the Aether, a mini-biome which generates in the Underground or Cavern layer, always on the same side of the world as the Jungle. It has a variety of effects on different items and NPCs, triggered through contact. Shimmer is the only liquid that cannot be fished in.
It cannot be picked up with Buckets, but it can be pumped. The Bottomless Shimmer Bucket can also pour endless amounts of shimmer, which can be obtained after defeating the Moon Lord by either submerging a Bottomless Water Bucket into it, or crafting one using a Bottomless Water Bucket and 10 Luminite Bars at an Ancient Manipulator.
Throwing coins into Shimmer increases the player's Coin Luck, of which the strength and duration of will be determined by the value of the coin and the amount thrown.
Upon placing 300 or more tiles of Shimmer in the Underground or Cavern layers, an Aether biome is created. In the Aether, the area gets dimmer and stars appear in the background. The music that plays is "Aether" and the background can be replicated using the Aether Monolith.
Transmutation[]
Shimmer is used to transform or "transmute" one item into another item or decraft it. This also affects town NPCs (specifically their sprites), several enemies, and many critters.
- Transformed items will float out of the Shimmer and stay in the air, and their sprite is a bit brighter.
- Certain items will be upgraded by being submerged, some will be downgraded. Some won't be affected at all.
- Craftable items will be decrafted into their components, except for Potions, for which each ingredient has a 33% chance not to be produced, to prevent duplication of potion ingredients.
- NPC sprites will be transformed into a shimmered variant.
- Enemies will become invisible for certain amount of time except for slimes which will be transformed into a shimmer variant.
- Enemies which cannot be transformed will rapidly turn invisible; this effect will fade very slowly once the enemy leaves the Shimmer.
- Most critters will be transformed into Faelings. The same will happen if thrown into the Shimmer as an item. There is one exception for gem critter, which will transform into a gem as an example: Diamond bunnies turn into diamonds etc., they don’t need to be in item form, they will also transform into the gem in NPC form.
- On contact with another liquid, Shimmer transforms into an Aetherium Block.
- Any new item created from Shimmer will not have a modifier, even cycling items like the emblems.
- All accessories that can be crafted into another accessory will cycle in ingredients needed to make it, cycling in a similar fashion to emblems.
- Upon jumping into the shimmer, the player will gain an effect called Shimmering, which makes you travel through blocks until you reach a flat surface that is not in the shimmer.
- If a star falls into the shimmer, it bounces back to the sky.
- Pre-Hardmode Crates cannot be transformed into their hardmode variants before entering hardmode.
Item Transmutations[]
For an item to be transmuted, the transmuting pool must completely cover the item.
Permanent Upgrades[]
Some permanent character upgrades can be made by throwing certain items into Shimmer. Each can only be used once per character, except the Peddler's Satchel and Advanced Combat Techniques: Volume Two, which can only be used once per world instead.
Input | Output | Notes |
---|---|---|
Life Crystal | Vital Crystal | Increases health regeneration ramping speed by 20%. |
Mana Crystal | Arcane Crystal | Increases mana regeneration. |
Life Fruit | Aegis Fruit | Increases defense by 4. |
Any Fruit | Ambrosia | Increases mining and tile / wall placement speed by 5%. |
Gold Worm | Gummy Worm | Increases fishing power by 3. |
Pink Pearl | Galaxy Pearl | Increases luck by 0.03. |
Peddler's Hat | Peddler's Satchel | Increases the number of items sold at a time by the Travelling Merchant. |
Spell Tome | Advanced Combat Techniques: Volume Two | Increases defense and attack damage for town NPCs. |
Some items can be upgraded by throwing them into Shimmer:
Input | Output | Notes |
---|---|---|
Rod of Discord | Rod of Harmony | No longer inflicts the Chaos State debuff onto the user from teleporting too frequently. Requires Moon Lord to be defeated. |
Clentaminator | Terraformer | Farther reach, wider spread, and 33% chance to not consume solutions. Requires Moon Lord to be defeated. |
Interchangeable items[]
These items will cycle between each other when placed into Shimmer.
Can Of Worms Internal Item ID: 4345
|
Herb Bag Internal Item ID: 3093
|
Pumpkin Internal Item ID: 1725
|
Cactus Internal Item ID: 276
|
Bottomless Water Bucket Internal Item ID: 3031
|
Bottomless Shimmer Bucket Internal Item ID: 5364 (Post Moonlord Only)
|
Bewitching Table Internal Item ID: 2999
|
Alchemy Table Internal Item ID: 3000
|
Bamboo Internal Item ID: 4564
|
Large Bamboo Internal Item ID: 4547
|
Marble Block Internal Item ID: 3081
|
Granite Block Internal Item ID: 3086
|
Jungle Grass Seeds Internal Item ID: 195
|
Mushroom Grass Seeds Internal Item ID: 194
|
Mining Shirt Internal Item ID: 410
|
Mining Pants Internal Item ID: 411
|
Any Ancient Armor | Non-Ancient Variant |
Bezoar Internal Item ID: 887
|
Adhesive Bandage Internal Item ID: 885
|
Blindfold Internal Item ID: 888
|
Pocket Mirror Internal Item ID: 3781
|
Vitamins Internal Item ID: 892
|
Armor Polish Internal Item ID: 886
|
Fast Clock Internal Item ID: 889
|
Trifold Map Internal Item ID: 893
|
Megaphone Internal Item ID: 890
|
Nazar Internal Item ID: 891
|
These items cycle from left to right.
Discount Card Internal Item ID: 854
|
Lucky Coin Internal Item ID: 855
|
Gold Ring Internal Item ID: 3033
|
Tackle Box Internal Item ID: 2375
|
High Test Fishing Line Internal Item ID: 2373
|
Angler Earring Internal Item ID: 2374
|
Sextant Internal Item ID: 3096
|
Weather Radio Internal Item ID: 3037
|
Fisherman's Pocket Guide Internal Item ID: 3120
|
Water Bucket Internal Item ID: 206
|
Lava Bucket Internal Item ID: 207
|
Honey Bucket Internal Item ID: 1128
|
Ranger Emblem Internal Item ID: 491
|
Sorcerer Emblem Internal Item ID: 489
|
Summoner Emblem Internal Item ID: 2998
|
Warrior Emblem Internal Item ID: 490
|
Ballista Rod Internal Item ID: 3824
|
Flameburst Rod Internal Item ID: 3818
|
Lightning Aura Rod Internal Item ID: 3829
|
Explosive Trap Rod Internal Item ID: 3832
|
Ballista Cane Internal Item ID: 3825
|
Flameburst Cane Internal Item ID: 3819
|
Lightning Aura Cane Internal Item ID: 3830
|
Explosive Trap Cane Internal Item ID: 3833
|
Ballista Staff Internal Item ID: 3826
|
Flameburst Staff Internal Item ID: 3820
|
Lightning Aura Staff Internal Item ID: 3831
|
Explosive Trap Staff Internal Item ID: 3834
|
Decrafting exceptions[]
Items with multiple recipes have only one way to be decrafted via Shimmer:[1]
Item | Custom Shimmer result |
---|---|
Silver Bullet× 70 | |
Tungsten Bullet× 70 | |
Copper Pickaxe | |
Copper Axe | |
Copper Shortsword |
These items decraft into random ingredients.[2]
Recipes that contain the following recipe groups will always be decrafted into the proper items:
Enemy and Critter transmutations[]
Downgrading[]
Shimmer can downgrade various tiered items thrown into it, like ores and gems. When the lowest version of something is thrown into the Shimmer, it turns into a Stone Block, and Stone Blocks turn into Dirt Blocks.
With ores, Shimmer downgrades by tier, with 1.2 variants at each tier coming after the original variants. Copper is the lowest ore in the chain, Luminite is presumably still the highest.
Gems thrown into Shimmer downgrade from Diamond down to Amethyst.
Note: Demonite Ore, Crimtane Ore, Meteorite, Hellstone, and Hallowed Bar are unaffected by Shimmer.
Ore Type | Downgrades Into
| ||
---|---|---|---|
Diamond Internal Item ID: 182
|
Ruby Internal Item ID: 178
| ||
Ruby Internal Item ID: 178
|
Emerald Internal Item ID: 179
| ||
Emerald Internal Item ID: 179
|
Sapphire Internal Item ID: 177
| ||
Sapphire Internal Item ID: 177
|
Topaz Internal Item ID: 180
| ||
Topaz Internal Item ID: 180
|
Amethyst Internal Item ID: 181
| ||
Amethyst Internal Item ID: 181
|
Stone Block Internal Item ID: 3
| ||
Stone Block Internal Item ID: 3
|
Dirt Block Internal Item ID: 2
|
Note: Amber is unaffected by Shimmer.
Downgrading items requiring multiple blocks to craft in a high enough stack can break the max limit to how many of those blocks you can stack.
NPC transmutations[]
NPCs that come into contact with Shimmer will change appearance and teleport upwards, unless there is no block to land on, in which case they will teleport a few blocks to the side. The change in appearance doesn't affect anything sold in the shops or NPC dialogue. The housing icons are changed to match the NPC's new look, but the bestiary entries are not. They can be returned to their classic looks by being submerged in Shimmer again.
Notes[]
- Shimmer can only be found naturally in worlds created in v1.4.4 (and later).
- It can be obtained in worlds created prior to this with the post-Moon Lord Bottomless Shimmer Bucket.
- Several projectiles will bounce upwards off the Shimmer's surface, including Bullets, Explosives, Gem staves' projectiles, Portal Gun portals, Starfury stars, Flare Gun flares and Fallen Stars.
- Projectiles that do not bounce off the surface are repelled outward.
- Repelled projectiles will gain height after each bounce (approximately one half block per bounce, if at a true vertical)
- Jester arrows can go through shimmer without being repelled.
- Shimmer Slimes can repel projectiles.
- Grappling hooks end when they touch Shimmer, not grabbing and not having to retract.
- Golf Balls instantly disappear on contact with shimmer.
- Projectiles that do not bounce off the surface are repelled outward.
- If a block is placed on top of Shimmer, a hook will grab the block, briefly pulling the player toward the block before disconnecting.
- If the player obtains the Shimmering debuff whilst flying (through the use of a fishing rod or other means) the debuff will instantly disappear.
- Items cannot be transmutated in Multiplayer
- Fluids on the Jungle side caverns of Celebration Mk10 worlds are replaced with Shimmer.
- Mud turns into dirt and wet bombs turn into dry bombs, but not the other way around.
- ?Ancient armor pieces such as the Ancient Gold Helmet change to their standard forms, and vice versa. This works for both loot-dropped ancient armor and craftable ancient armor.
- Gem critters turn into their respective gems.
- Hardmode crates turn into their respective pre-Hardmode variants.
- Luminite Bricks will turn into different variants, depending on the phase of the moon it is when they are thrown into the Shimmer.
- Despite not being mentioned in the tooltip, the Terraspark Boots make it possible to walk on Shimmer.
Tips[]
- While Buckets cannot collect Shimmer, it can be transported using Pumps.
- Shimmer can be used to enter the Jungle Temple without a Temple Key.
Trivia[]
- Shimmer may be a reference to a number of media.
- 2018 science fiction film Annihilation, in which an amorphous phenomenon called "the Shimmer" transforms living things.
- "The Waterfall of Wishing" / "Mysterious Pond" areas in the 1991 video game The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, where the player can throw in items and get a stronger item in return.
- 2005 science fiction show, Doctor Who, where an object called a "Shimmer" which allows for the owner to change their appearance as well as others, but mainly functions as a disguise.
- It could also be a reference to the old transmutation glitch in Minecraft, where a block of flowing water was used at the same game tick as a piston activating and pushing a block to merge the metadata of the two together, "transmuting" the block into another variant of itself.
- If the Skeleton Merchant falls into the Shimmer liquid, he transforms into a zombie.
- The stars produced by swinging the Starfury bounce off the surface of the shimmer instead of passing through it.
The Wizard's transmutation is likely a reference to the Black Mage from the Final Fantasy series.
Achievements[]
History[]
- Desktop 1.4.4.5:
- All Torches are now transmuted in Shimmer to Aether Torches.
- Bones can no longer be obtained via Shimmer decrafting before Skeletron.
- Lihzahrd Bricks can no longer be obtained via Shimmer decrafting before Golem.
- Fixed a potential softlock caused by Shimmer and bouncy blocks.
- Fixed Shellphones being unable to be decrafted in Shimmer.
- Fixed another exploitable item with Shimmer decrafting.
- Desktop 1.4.4.3:
- Fallen Stars produced via decrafting no longer instantly disappear during daytime.
- Some items are set to be non-decraftable to fix an exploit which granted infinite coins.
- Desktop 1.4.4: Introduced.
- Console 1.4.4: Introduced.
- Mobile 1.4.4: Introduced.