Terraria Moon Tips (Full Moon, Blood Moon, Moon Lord)


To make the game more realistic for its players, Terraria has moon phases and day-night cycles for each user. Interestingly, every moon phase links to special events in the game, explaining why it is best to always look out for the various shapes, as this article elaborates.

So, how common are full moons in Terraria? The full moon in Terraria is visible once every eight game nights. Generally, all the other moon phases in the game occur in these eight cycles, and you will only see each of them once a night until the rotation ends. The full moon is the first in line in world creation, and it appears in a complete circle, unlike the other phases. You will detect it at dawn all through to the following day.

Any Terraria die-hard will tell you that the full moon is the most anticipated phase in the game. It comes with several perks for gamers, and it is understandable to want to know when to expect it. If you love the full moon, here is what you should know.

Like any other phase in the game, the full moon occurs once every eight game nights. Through these eight cycles, all the various stages rotate such that you will only experience the full moon once out of the eight nights.

This moon is the first in the rotation when creating your world, and you will notice it as the only moon is an entire circle. The complete phase will start at 4:30 AM (dawn) and continue until the following day at the same time.

You will notice that the Terraria moons move across the game’s sky from the West to the East. Here, the moon will take a different shape every night, unlike in real life, where one cycle takes seven nights.

It is also fascinating that the moons only take eight nights to go through all the phases, and the rotation will not change even when you sight the Blood Moon. When creating your world, the first phase is the full moon.

You will see the whole circular moon, and the shape will gradually change through the rotation until the moon disappears, indicating the new moon. If you are unsure of your game’s moon phase, you can determine it through the Sextant, an essential accessory you obtain from Angler. It is a quest reward or an upgrade after fishing. Although some players don’t find moon phases important to their gameplay, you will notice that the full moon has some attractive perks.

For instance, the full moon increases your fishing power by 10%, unlike the other phases that either decrease it or only improve it by 5%. You are also likely to encounter the Deathweed in this phase and the Werewolves in the hard mode.

Moreover, NPCs seem to sell particular items during specific moon phases. For instance, you have a high chance of obtaining the shadow and negative dye from the dye trader during the full moon.

How Often Do Moons Happen in Terraria?

The moon in the Terraria world mimics the real-life version but with slight differences. Each moon phase comes with unique events; therefore, you need prior information to know what to expect. It is critical to learn about the Terraria moons and the essence of each phase.

The moon has eight phases, occurring once every day until the eighth day. These phases are visible at night as they revolve in a cycle which commences with a visible full moon when you create a world in the game. After four days, including three waning phases, it is time for the invisible new moon.

Afterward, four nights after the new moon and three waxing stages, the cycle ends, and the new moon returns for a new session. Each moon phase starts at dawn and lasts until the following day.

Each moon phase represents certain occurrences during the day and night. For instance, the Waning Gibbous allows for an additional 5% effect on your Fishing Power, a doctor’s set from Clothier, and some Healing Potions from Skeleton Merchants. On the other hand, the third moon phase provides you with Purple Counterweight and Strange Brew from the Skeleton Merchant.

The Waning Crescent presents a 5% reduction in the Fishing Power effect and the Green Counterweight and Lesser Healing Potion from the Skeleton Merchant. Similarly, the New Moon has a 10% negative influence on the Fishing Power and has an increased spawning rate of enemies such as the Demon Eye and Lightning Bugs on the Surface. Like most phases, you will also get the Blue Counterweight and Strange Brew.

Furthermore, during Waxing Crescent, the Fishing Power drops by 5%, and you get a Maroon Graduation set from Clothier and a Lesser Healing Potion together with Red Counterweight from Skeleton Merchant.

The First Quarter moon phase, on the contrary, does not affect the Fishing Power, but you can receive a Cow set from Clothier and Strange Brew and Purple Counterweight from Skeleton Merchant.

Finally, the Waxing Gibbous, the eighth moon phase, increases the Fishing Power by 5%, and you get the Mechanic’s rod and a Black Graduation set from Clothier. Additionally, the Skeleton Merchant offers the Green Counterweight and a Lesser Healing Potion. Therefore, all the moon phases in Terraria have particular occurrences that affect your gameplay in one way or another.

Why Does the Blood Moon Keep Happening Terraria and How Long Does It Last?

A Blood Moon is an extraordinary event in Terraria that entirely alters gameplay. While some players dread it, others love how it makes gaming more exciting. Here is all the information about the Blood Moon if it is a new concept for you.

Generally, the Blood Moon will only happen during two instances. First, a player in the setup must have 120 life (health pool), which means one must have utilized a Life Crystal to increase health at over 100 points. The second condition is that there must be a visible moon in the game, regardless of the stage.

Therefore, the Blood Moon will never happen during the new moon. As long as the conditions are favorable, you have one out of nine chances of the Blood Moon sighting. Lastly, note that it will appear for an entire night, like other moon phases.

When you are playing, you can get a sudden confirmation on your screen stating, “The Blood Moon is Rising”. The next thing you will see is that the whole map with a red tint and new hazards will follow.

It is also common to encounter exceptional drops and more items only particular to the event. You can never tell when the moon will show up unless you get the notification; therefore, it is best to always be prepared for it.

Fortunately, you will only experience it if your world fulfills the two criteria. First, one or more players must have 120 health, and there must be a visible moon present because the new moon cannot take the Blood Moon form.

There is generally an 11.11% chance that it will occur, and it brings with it specific exciting changes. For instance, expect the Zoologist to transform to a werewolf during the full moon, and other werewolves will appear in Hardmode.

Additionally, players cannot sleep through the Blood Moon sighting, and there are equal chances of recurrence as long as the conditions are right. It is also the only time when Deathweed will bloom, making it the perfect time to obtain its seeds. Lastly, the moon cannot reach places like the underground. Therefore, the region will not face changes like high spawn rates, and the monsters will stay the same.

How To Survive a Blood Moon

You may be playing Terraria on a typical day but suddenly see your entire world turn eerie in the night, signaling the Blood Moon occurrence. Fortunately, you don’t have to get frightened because there are ways to survive through this to help you make the best out of the Blood Moon.

If you are not well-prepared to battle unexpected enemies, you can destroy your doors and use other materials as barricades. As long as the monsters cannot open and break into your house, you can stay alive through the night.

Alternatively, if you want to fight and get the rewards that come with it, you can instead set up strong defenses to guard your treasures and NPCs. Some practical ways include putting up trap pits and dirt walls. Additionally, you can carry many healing items and always go back to your base to restock or heal whenever you can.

Although battling in the Blood Moon comes with attractive rewards, it is crucial to know whether or not you can face these several spawning enemies. You will need the best equipment for these gruesome combats; else, you will be losing your gold and other precious items every time you die. You will detect a drastic and unusual increase in the monsters’ spawn rate during the sighting. Therefore, it is common to be surrounded by enemies all the time.

Furthermore, the moon transforms harmless creatures into lethal enemies to make it more challenging for you. Your NPCs will also not help reduce the spawn rates, making enemies constantly reappear around your home. You can also expect zombie attacks into your house since they can open doors, risking you and your NPCs. Fortunately, you can survive this scenario and obtain your rewards.

The first safety measure involves barricading your doors to keep off the zombies. Consider removing the doors they are used to and replacing them with other materials. It will buy you some time until the Blood Moon disappears.

You can further place trap pits and dirt walls to keep you safe. Healing items will also come in handy, and you can take advantage of other supplies in your home by often going back for them when necessary.

What To Do After Moon Lord in Terraria

If you play Terraria on platforms such as the console, gaming PC, Switch, or mobile, you may have met the Moon Lord as the final boss. Luckily, it does not mean that the game is over; therefore, I have rounded up other fulfilling side tasks that you can do afterward.

Once you beat the Moon Lord, he will drop a Luminite item crucial in crafting specific resources. Besides creating, you can build a teleport for undetected movements within locations. You can set up a room with multiple teleports to move you faster within corners of the world or use your time to build an armory to keep all your weapons safely. Additionally, you can make a room to collect and store all your banners and trophies. Lastly, you can spawn all the bosses and dispatch all of them again.

There are several tasks to engage in even after conquering the Moon Lord. Since you have been earning trophies in the long run, you may opt to build a storage room and keep them all in one place. You can also do the same with the banners. Additionally, you can create arenas according to your preference or create farms to hang your banners and trophies for others to see.

Exploration by teleporting is also fun, but you may go for something new after a while. You can try a class playthrough and see how it turns out. Try sticking to one weapon type during the game to defeat the bosses.

You will also note that chests are tinier and get full faster, hence the need to build an armory that can hold more weapons, try filling it by collecting all the weapons dropped by bosses you previously fought.

Due to its tasking nature, these activities will take you a while to complete. There is an endless list of fun tasks that you can do after beating the Moon Lord, and it will entirely depend on what you love doing more. You can even experiment with each boss’s weapons’ strength or fish out Duke Fishrons and beat them. Lastly, if you love building, you can try Crimson or Corruption.

Wrap Up

The moon is an effective way for Terraria to create a consistent and realistic world. You will notice that eight different moon versions occur through an eight-day cycle. Therefore, you will experience various phases once a night eight times, and they will all rotate, starting with the full moon.

The only change occurs when you sight a Blood Moon, an event that alters gameplay for you. Many players dread it because it leads to increased enemy spawns and converts otherwise harmless creatures into lethal monsters. Fortunately, you can survive through it, and the best part is that you get terrific rewards out of it.

Bal Kang

Bal Kang is a technology expert based in the UK, with experience across a number of technology areas from phones, tablets, computers to gaming.

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