Terraria Beginner's Guide: Your First Day and Night

Starting a new Terraria world can feel like a lot: you spawn in, the sun is up, and you have no idea what to do before night comes. This guide gives you a simple plan for your first day and night, how to build a house that brings in helpers, and what to aim for next. It's written for brand-new players, so no complicated stuff.

What you start with

In Classic mode (and the harder modes), you start with a Copper Shortsword, a Copper Pickaxe and a Copper Axe.
In Journey Mode, you start with an Iron Shortsword, Iron Pickaxe and Iron Axe instead.
You also meet the Guide, a friendly helper who lives in your world. He's the most useful person in the game for beginners (more on him below).

Day 1: the plan

Night starts at 7:30 PM in-game, and that's when the dangerous monsters come out. Here's what to do before then:

Chop trees. Wood is the first thing you need for almost everything. Get a big stack.
Make a Work Bench from 10 Wood. You craft it by hand, no station needed.
Kill slimes for Gel. Gel is what you need for torches.
Make torches: 1 Gel + 1 Wood gives you 3 Torches. Make lots. You'll need them underground and for your house.
Build a small house before night (see the checklist below). Even a simple one keeps you safe.
Mine some stone and ore near the surface. Copper, Tin, Iron or Lead are all great finds on day 1.

Terraria first crafting path: wood, Work Bench, torches, Furnace, Iron Bar, Iron Anvil — Your day 1 crafting path, step by step.

A Terraria player fighting enemies in a dark underground cave — Fights get tougher the deeper you dig, so bring torches and better gear. Screenshot: Re-Logic via Steam.

Your first night

At night, Zombies and Demon Eyes appear on the surface. Demon Eyes only come out at night.
The safest plan: stay inside your house, craft, and mine downward from inside.
Night-time monsters run away or fly off when morning comes at 4:30 AM.
Bonus: Demon Eyes drop Lenses, which you'll need later to summon your first boss. Collect them!

How to build a house that works

A proper house keeps you safe and makes NPCs (helper characters) move in. A house needs all of these:

Walls all around made of solid blocks (like wood or stone), with a door to get in.
Background walls filling the inside. They must be walls you placed yourself, because the natural dirt walls you find in the world don't count.
A light source, like a Torch.
A table-type item (a flat surface), like a Work Bench or a table.
A chair or other comfort item.
Enough space: the house, counting its frame, must be at least 60 tiles in total.

Terraria house checklist with an example house layout: solid walls, door, background walls, torch, table and chair, at least 60 tiles — Everything a house needs before an NPC will move in.

Tip: open the housing menu in your inventory and use the check button on your house. It tells you if anything is missing.

Your first NPCs

The Guide: already in your world. Put any item in his crafting slot, and he shows you every recipe it's used in and which crafting station you need. Use him whenever you're stuck.
The Merchant: moves in when you have an empty house and are carrying more than 50 silver. Coins stored in a Piggy Bank don't count, so keep them in your inventory. He sells useful basics.
The Nurse: moves in once the Merchant is there, you have an empty house, and you have more than 100 max health. She heals you for coins.

Terraria requirements for the Guide, Merchant, Nurse and the Eye of Cthulhu — When your first NPCs move in, and when the Eye of Cthulhu can show up.

Each NPC needs their own house, so build a few rooms side by side.

A large Terraria base with wooden houses and many NPCs living in separate rooms — Your base can grow into a whole town, with an NPC in every room. Screenshot: Re-Logic via Steam.

Better gear: Furnace and Anvil

Furnace: 20 Stone Blocks + 4 Wood + 3 Torches, made at a Work Bench. You use it to melt ore into bars.
Bars: 3 Iron Ore makes 1 Iron Bar at the Furnace.
Anvil: 5 Iron Bars makes an Iron Anvil (or 5 Lead Bars makes a Lead Anvil, since every world has either Iron or Lead). With an Anvil you can make better tools, weapons and armor.

What to aim for next

A Terraria player exploring a glowing blue mushroom cave underground — Exploring underground is where you find ore and Life Crystals. Screenshot: Re-Logic via Steam.

Life Crystals: red hearts hidden underground. Each one gives you +20 max health. You can use up to 15, taking you from 100 to 400 health. Use them as soon as you find them, and remember your first one unlocks the Nurse!
Your first boss, the Eye of Cthulhu: you can summon it with a Suspicious Looking Eye, made from 6 Lenses at a Demon Altar or Crimson Altar. It only works at night. If you use it during the day, nothing happens and you keep the item.
Be ready before it shows up on its own: once you have at least 200 max health, more than 10 defense and at least 4 NPCs, the Eye of Cthulhu can appear at night by itself. Get good armor and a few health potions before you reach that point.

A Terraria player fighting the Wall of Flesh boss in the Underworld above lava — Much later, bigger bosses like the Wall of Flesh wait deep in the Underworld. Screenshot: Re-Logic via Steam.

Beginner mistakes to avoid

Staying outside at night on day 1. Get inside by 7:30 PM.
Forgetting the background walls in your house. That's the number one reason NPCs won't move in.
Keeping all your coins in a Piggy Bank when you want the Merchant. Carry 50+ silver.
Not using the Guide. If you don't know how to make something, ask him.
Fighting the Eye of Cthulhu too early with low health and weak armor.

What's new in 1.4.5

Terraria's 1.4.5 update, "Bigger & Boulder", came out on January 27, 2026, on PC, consoles and mobile. Re-Logic called it the game's final major update. It added a redesigned crafting menu and crossover content with Dead Cells and Palworld. Everything in this guide was checked against the current 1.4.5 version.

A Terraria player fishing from a floating sky island in the rain — There is a lot more to do later, like fishing on floating sky islands. Screenshot: Re-Logic via Steam.

My take

Terraria is one of those games where the first night is the hardest part. Once you have a house, a Furnace and an Anvil, everything opens up. My son is the biggest Terraria fan in our house, so if you've got a tip every beginner should know, drop it in the comments!