NPCs are an omnipresent feature of video games since the inception of the digital gaming era, whether it be a single-player adventure or an online multiplayer one. NPCs are what flesh a game out and make its world believable and alive.
Short for non-player characters, NPCs in Terraria are friendly automated characters that provide services to the players.
To interact with an NPC, the player needs to stand near one and press the ‘Open/Activate’ button to open a dialogue window possessing one or more options for the player to select. The majority of NPCs are vendors that display a shop inventory when the ‘Shop’ option is selected.
These NPCs sell items to players in exchange for coins while being able to buy items from a player to obtain coins. A few NPCs have options to perform other functions.
While NPCs in a usual game would play a very non-integrated role, they act a little differently in the world of Terraria.
How many NPCs are there in Terraria?
There are a total of 29 NPCs along with three town pets that are considered special NPCs. Every NPC requires certain conditions to be met in order to unlock them, other than the Guide, who is the only NPC that will be present in your town at the start of the game.
To make it a little clearer, in Terraria, there are:
- 18 town NPCs in regular mode.
- Eight town NPCs only found in Hardmode.
- Three NPCs that are found outside the town.
- Three pets that you need to purchase licenses for.
How do you get NPCs to move in? How do they work?
The majority of NPCs in Terraria are town NPCs that only make their appearance only after a slew of milestones are achieved while progressing through the game. They move into houses that the player must provide, which are required for town NPCs to remain available, in most cases.
Each NPC requires their own house, with one exception where a pet NPC and a non-pet NPC may share a house.
NPCs that have settled into houses reduce spawn rates of enemies in the area. This effect only increases the more NPCs there are present; having three or more town NPCs in the vicinity will, in most cases, stop NPCs from spawning on or near the visible screen (unless you are playing in Expert or Master Mode).
NPCs will usually walk around during the day and will remain stationary in their houses at nighttime or during events.
NPCs have a limited health pool and are vulnerable to damage. They can die at the hands of enemies, lava, traps, or by drowning in water, but conversely, do not suffer fall damage and have their health recover over a period of time.
If an NPC is killed, they will not respawn until the next day. In some instances, an NPC may need a specific item in your inventory for them to reappear, such as the Arms Dealer that requires bullets, and the Demolitionist that requires explosives.
Most of the NPCs can also defend themselves as they have weapons of their own, which is useful when enemies invade your town, especially during events such as Blood Moons.
NPCs also cannot be directly attacked by players, unless utilizing Rotten Eggs or special Voodoo Doll accessories.
What is the perfect room for an NPC to move in?
Aside from every NPCs unique requirement that you will have to meet, you would also need to construct a room for every NPC that fits their standards for them to move in. An NPC will automatically move in after a certain period of time since the construction of the perfect room.
An ideal room possesses:
- A living space of at least 60 blocks in total, including the floor, ceiling, and walls. A room exceeding 750 blocks is too large.
- Any sort of flat surface such as work benches or tables.
- Any sort of light source.
- Any kind of chair.
- Walls and ceiling constructed with pure materials.
- Player-made background walls.
- At least one entrance to the room such as a door, platform, and so on.
List of all Terraria NPCs and their move-in requirements
Pre-Hardmode NPCs
The following is a list of all the NPCs in Terraria that can be made to move in before activation of Hardmode:
| NPC | What they do | How to unlock |
| Guide | Gives out tidbits on how to acquire other NPCs and lists all item recipes shown to him. | Begin with a new world. |
| Merchant | Sells basic tools and supplies, and marshmallows in Snow Biome. | All players combined have more than 50 silver in their inventories. |
| Nurse | Heals players and cancels debuffs for coins. | A player has more than 100 health with the Merchant present. |
| Demolitionist | Sells explosives. | A player has an explosive in their inventory with the Merchant present. |
| Dye Trader | Sells the Dye Vat crafting station. Provides rare dyes in exchange for Strange Plants. | A player has a dye item or any item used to create dyes in their inventory. |
| Angler | Gives fishing quests, rewarding players if they complete them. | Speak to the Angler in the Ocean biome. |
| Zoologist | Sells items for critters along with vanity, mount, and pet items. | Fill 10 percent of the Bestiary (53 entries). |
| Dryad | Sells nature, Corruption, and Crimson items. Can report the percentage of Corruption, Crimson, and Hallow in the world. | Defeat the Eye of Cthulhu, Eater of Worlds/Brain of Cthulhu, or Skeletron |
| Painter | Sells paints, painting tools, and paintings. Sells the Jungle Pylon. | Acquire eight other town NPCs, including Old Man and Travelling Merchant. |
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| Golfer | Sells golfing accessories. | Speak to the Golfer in the Underground Desert. |
| Arms Dealer | Sells guns, bullets, and other kinds of ammunition. | A player has bullets or a gun that shoots bullets in their inventory. |
| Tavernkeep | Sells items for coins or Defender Medals to summon and fight the Old One’s Army. | Defeat Eater of Worlds or Brain of Cthulhu to make him appear. Then speak to him. |
| Stylist | Change players hairstyle while selling hair dyes. | Speak to Stylist to free her from a Spider Cave. |
| Goblin Tinkerer | Sells items such as the Tinkerer’s Workshop. Can reforge items. | After defeating the Goblin Invasion, find and speak to Goblin Tinkerer in the cavern layer. |
| Witch Doctor | Sells the Blowgun, the Imbuing Station, summoner equipment, Leaf Wings, and Fountains. | Defeat Queen Bee. |
| Clothier | Sells vanity items, such as the Familiar set. | Defeat Skeletron. |
| Mechanic | Sells the Wrench, Wire, and other mechanism items. Can sell the Mechanic’s Rod under certain conditions. | Speak to the Mechanic in the dungeon. |
| Party Girl | Sells novelty items that create colorful visual effects. | 1/40 chance to spawn after 14 town NPCs have been acquired. This includes Old Man and Travelling Merchant. If killed, doesn’t always respawn the next day, instead having the 1/40 chance. |
| Travelling Merchant | Sells a random selection of unique items each visit. | Once two other NPCs are in town, has a 22.12 percent chance to spawn during in-game morning hours (04:30am to 12:00pm). Does not move into town |
| Old Man | Becomes the Clothier when you defeat Skeletron. | Found at the entrance to the dungeon at night. Does not move into town |
| Skeleton Merchant | Sells items such as Counterweights, Spelunker Glowsticks, Yoyo Glove, and Magic Lanterns. Slap Hand can only be obtained from Skeleton Merchant. | Randomly and rarely found in the caverns. Does not move into town |
| Town Cat | You are able to pet the cat. | Purchase the cat license from Zoologist. Requires 10 percent bestiary condition and no other Town Cats. |
| Town Dog | You are able to pet the dog. | Purchase the dog license from Zoologist. Requires 10 percent bestiary condition and no other Town Dogs. |
| Town Bunnies | You are able to pet the bunny. | Purchase the bunny license from Zoologist. Requires 10 percent bestiary condition and no other Town Bunnies. |
Hardmode NPCs
The following is a list of NPCs in Terraria that can be made to move in only after the activation of Hardmode:
| NPC | What they do | How to unlock |
| Wizard | Sells magic-related items. | Find and speak to the Wizard in Hardmode’s Cavern layer. |
| Tax Collector | Collects 50 copper coins in property taxes for you from every other NPC in town. | Transform a Tortured Soul with Purification Powder in the Underworld biome. Dryad sells the Purification Powder |
| Truffle | Sells the Autohammer, Mushroom Spear, and a few other mushroom-related items. | Build a house in an above-ground Glowing Mushroom biome. |
| Pirate | Sells the Cannon and various other pirate-related items. | Defeat a Pirate Invasion. |
| Steampunker | Sells the Clentaminator, Teleporter, Jetpack, and various other items. | Defeat a Mechanical Boss (The Destroyer, Skeletron Prime, or The Twins). |
| Cyborg | Sells the Proximity Mine Launcher, Rockets, and Nanites. | Defeat Plantera. |
| Santa Claus | Sells the Santa costume set, colored lights, Christmas trees, as well as their respective decorations. | Defeat Frost Legion. Appears only during the Christmas season (Dec. 15 to 31). Tip: You can adjust your PC lock to force the game into the winter season. |
| Princess | Sells an array of vanity as well as furniture items. | Have all other town NPCs present in the world (other than Santa Claus and town pets). |
