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BiomeBannerDungeon
For tips on navigating the Dungeon, see Guide:Surviving in the Dungeon.
Dungeon Map

Map view of a Dungeon in the PC version PC, Console version Console, Mobile version Mobile, and tModLoader version tModLoader.

Lesser Healing Potion (placed) Lesser Mana Potion (placed)
Placed Lesser Healing and Lesser Mana Potion
WaterBolt

Placed books and the Water Bolt

The Dungeon is a vast underground labyrinth made of Bricks that is generated on world creation, being located on either the far right or left of the map, and contains unique enemies whose spawn rates increase the deeper a player travels. It begins at an above-ground entrance structure resembling a castle, and extends down to near-Underworld depths. One Dungeon is generated in each world, appearing in one of three Dungeon Brick colors, and with one or more Dungeon Brick Wall patterns. Accessing the Dungeon below 0' requires first defeating Skeletron (see Access below).

In the PC version PC, Console version Console, Mobile version Mobile, and tModLoader version tModLoader versions, some passages are blocked off by Cracked Dungeon Bricks. These blocks look almost identical to regular dungeon brick, but appear slightly crumbled, and drop no blocks when destroyed. Breaking one block may break adjacent false blocks in a chain similar to the behavior of Desert Fossil. False blocks may also break spontaneously when the player walks on them or uses a grappling hook. Using a Dangersense Potion will highlight these blocks. Cracked Dungeon Bricks also conceal large, rectangular rooms lined with spikes and occasionally filled with water, so caution is advised.

The Dungeon contains a dense assortment of unique furniture and Mechanisms that can be retrieved by the player for later use. Chain Lanterns are wired to Switches, which the player can toggle on and off. Several Dart Traps are wired to Pressure Plates, providing an extra hazard to players. Traps like these can also sometimes be found above-ground at the Dungeon's entrance. The bound Mechanic is found below 0', and is freed when spoken to.

There are many shelves in the Dungeon, on which are Books, Lesser Healing Potions, Lesser Mana Potions, and occasionally Water Candles and Water Bolts, which appears as a blue book with a yellow stripe in placed form. Life Crystals cannot spawn in the Dungeon.

There are several locked Gold Chests containing both loot unique to the Dungeon and standard Underground loot. A Golden Key is required to open each of these, and will be consumed upon unlocking a chest. Locked Biome Chests are also present, but they can only be opened after Plantera is defeated and the player has obtained a respective Biome Key.

After Plantera is defeated, the Dungeon spawns new, more powerful enemies, which offer access to new items. Not all enemies spawn in all Dungeons: The particular background wall type generated for a particular Dungeon, as well as the corresponding Faction Flags scattered around, determine which post-Plantera enemies spawn there (see below).

On the PC version PC, Console version Console, Mobile version Mobile, Old Chinese version Old Chinese, tModLoader version tModLoader, and tModLoader 1 tModLoader Legacy versions, after a player defeats Golem and Skeletron in a world, a group of 4 Cultists will spawn at the entrance of the Dungeon. Killing them will summon the Lunatic Cultist, and killing the Lunatic Cultist will initiate the Lunar Events, an end-game event.

Access[]

To gain unrestricted access to the Dungeon, Skeletron must first be defeated. Skeletron is summoned by speaking to the Old Man, who guards the Dungeon entrance. At Night, a "curse" option will be displayed, which will turn the Old Man into Skeletron when clicked. Speaking to the Old Man during the Day will not allow the player to fight Skeletron. By defeating Skeletron, the Clothier NPC becomes available, and will spawn when a suitable vacant house is available.

The Dungeon can be entered but not fully explored before Skeletron is defeated. Traveling to -3 depth in the Dungeon before it has been defeated will summon Dungeon Guardians which will generally kill most players with a single hit. The Dungeon Guardians are practically invincible, and killing them will not grant access to the Dungeon, and the only item gained from defeating a Dungeon Guardian is the Bone Key.

The player can tell if the requirements to spawn Dungeon Guardians are met if the music changes to the Dungeon track, or if they have a Depth Meter equipped that reads "Level" or "X' Underground". Dungeon entrances are located at varying heights, but are always some distance above zero depths, making their entrance structures and 1-2 screens of depth generally safe from Guardians.

Contents[]

Characters
Unique Treasures
Unique Drops
Music

Hardmode post-Plantera Dungeon[]

When Plantera is defeated for the first time in a world, the status message "Screams are echoing from the dungeon..." appears, meaning that new enemies will now appear in the Dungeon. They are generally much more difficult than ordinary Dungeon enemies, and drop new powerful items. It also becomes possible to open the Biome Chests present in the Dungeon.

The particular post-Plantera enemies that spawn in a Dungeon area are based off of the background walls, present, which also correspond to the Faction Flags found naturally placed in the area. A single Dungeon can contain multiple background wall types in different sections, or just one type. Whether a Dungeon contains different types can only be determined by exploring the Dungeon. Each wall type has "usual" enemies to spawn, but there is always a small chance of other Dungeon enemies spawning, and this chance is increased if a lucky player is present. For example, Skeleton Snipers can still rarely spawn in areas with Dungeon Brick Walls, even if no Slab Walls are nearby.

Dungeon Wall Types

Comparison of the different Dungeon Wall types' appearances.

Wall
Appearance
Wall Type /
Faction Flags
Unique Post-
Plantera Enemies
Rare Drops Banners
Dungeon Wall - Brick
Blue Brick WallBlue Brick Wall
Internal Item ID: 135

Green Brick WallGreen Brick Wall
Internal Item ID: 138

Pink Brick WallPink Brick Wall
Internal Item ID: 140


Marching Bones BannerMarching
Bones Banner

Necromantic SignNecromantic Sign

Blue Armored BonesBlue
Armored
Bones

Bone FeatherBone Feather
KeybrandKeybrand
Wisp in a BottleWisp in a Bottle
Magnet SphereMagnet Sphere
Morning StarMorning Star
Armor PolishArmor Polish

Blue Armored Bones BannerBlue Armored
Bones Banner

NecromancerNecromancer Shadowbeam StaffShadowbeam Staff Necromancer BannerNecromancer
Banner
Skeleton CommandoSkeleton
Commando
Rocket LauncherRocket Launcher Skeleton Commando BannerSkeleton Commando
Banner
PaladinPaladin Paladin's HammerPaladin's Hammer
Paladin's ShieldPaladin's Shield
Paladin BannerPaladin Banner
Dungeon Wall - Slab
Blue Slab WallBlue Slab Wall
Internal Item ID: 1378

Green Slab WallGreen Slab Wall
Internal Item ID: 1382

Pink Slab WallPink Slab Wall
Internal Item ID: 1380


Rusted Company StandardRusted
Company
Standard

Ragged Brotherhood SigilRagged
Brotherhood
Sigil

Rusty Armored BonesRusty
Armored
Bones

Bone FeatherBone Feather
KeybrandKeybrand
Wisp in a BottleWisp in a Bottle
Magnet SphereMagnet Sphere
Morning StarMorning Star
Adhesive BandageAdhesive Bandage

Rusty Armored Bones BannerRusty Armored
Bones Banner

Ragged CasterRagged
Caster
Spectre StaffSpectre Staff Ragged Caster BannerRagged Caster
Banner
Skeleton SniperSkeleton
Sniper
Rifle ScopeRifle Scope
Sniper RifleSniper Rifle
Skeleton Sniper BannerSkeleton Sniper
Banner
Giant Cursed SkullGiant
Cursed Skull

Shadow Jousting LanceShadow Jousting Lance
NazarNazar

Giant Cursed Skull BannerGiant Cursed
Skull Banner
Dungeon Wall - Tile
Blue Tiled WallBlue Tiled Wall
Internal Item ID: 1379

Green Tiled WallGreen Tiled Wall
Internal Item ID: 1383

Pink Tiled WallPink Tiled Wall
Internal Item ID: 1381


Molten Legion FlagMolten
Legion Flag

Diabolic SigilDiabolic Sigil

Hell Armored BonesHell
Armored
Bones

Bone FeatherBone Feather
KeybrandKeybrand
Wisp in a BottleWisp in a Bottle
Magnet SphereMagnet Sphere
Morning StarMorning Star

Hell Armored Bones BannerHell Armored
Bones Banner

DiabolistDiabolist Inferno ForkInferno Fork Diabolist BannerDiabolist
Banner
Tactical SkeletonTactical
Skeleton
SWAT HelmetSWAT Helmet
Tactical ShotgunTactical Shotgun
Tactical Skeleton BannerTactical Skeleton
Banner
Giant Cursed SkullGiant
Cursed Skull

Shadow Jousting LanceShadow Jousting Lance
NazarNazar

Giant Cursed Skull BannerGiant Cursed
Skull Banner
All Wall types Bone LeeBone Lee TabiTabi
Black BeltBlack Belt
Bone Lee BannerBone Lee
Banner
1/15 chance to spawn on death
of any 100+ health enemy
Dungeon SpiritDungeon
Spirit
EctoplasmEctoplasm Dungeon Spirit BannerDungeon Spirit
Banner

Notes[]

Surface Dungeon Chest

A Chest high enough to be looted prior to defeating Skeletron.

  • Relative to the world's horizontal center, the Dungeon will always be on the side opposite to the Underground Desert and Jungle. Likewise, the Dungeon will always be on the same side as the Snow biome.[1]
  • A player is considered to be in the Dungeon if they are at or below the depth of -3 feet, standing in front of any naturally-placed walls except Dirt Walls, and can see at least 250 Dungeon Bricks on screen. This knowledge can be useful if one wants to lure out a Dungeon Guardian, or to avoid encountering one.
  • Most Dungeons, regardless of their visible background walls, have Brick walls behind their foreground blocks. If these blocks are mined out and Plantera has been defeated, enemies associated with Brick walls can potentially spawn.
  • The unique loot of the first few chests of the Dungeon (starting from the entrance) can be easily guessed without unlocking. If the first chest is located above the depth of -100 feet, it will be wooden and contain a Golden Key, otherwise it will contain a Muramasa / Shadow Key . The following chest will contain a Cobalt Shield / Muramasa , and so on.
    • This is because of the way Dungeon chest loot is generated; the unique item of each chest follows a predetermined order. In practice, this becomes impossible to follow because of how the Dungeon splits off into multiple branching paths; however, the entrance is predictable because it is a single linear path. The order is as follows: Shadow Key , Muramasa, Cobalt Shield, Aqua Scepter, Blue Moon, Magic Missile, Valor, Golden Key, Handgun.
    • Note that in PC version PC version, Console version Console version, Mobile version Mobile version, and tModLoader version tModLoader version, the Shadow Key will generate alongside another unique Dungeon treasure, instead of on its own, hence it being excluded from the loot order in those versions.
    • However this does not mean the first Gold Chest in the Dungeon will always be a Muramasa, it is depending on world generation.
  • Dungeons are much smaller on the Old-gen console version Old-gen console, Windows Phone version Windows Phone, and 3DSNintendo 3DS version versions of Terraria.
  • It is possible, though highly unlikely, for a Dungeon Guardian to spawn pre-Skeletron if the player is below -3 depth and outside of the Dungeon. This will only happen if the player is extremely close to the Dungeon, by touching or standing on the outside wall.
  • In Expert mode, all Hardmode Dungeon enemies have a chance to drop two items.
  • It is possible that one or more Chests spawn above the surface, allowing to be looted without triggering the spawn of Dungeon Guardians. However, these do not contain the unique, valuable Dungeon-specific items.
  • It is possible for the Water Bolt to be above the surface, allowing for early game players to get a powerful weapon.
  • If Skeletron was already defeated, it will no longer appear at the Dungeon and will only be able to be summoned by a Clothier Voodoo Doll, making it and the Dungeon Guardian the only non-permanent enemies in the Dungeon. The Old Man and the Dungeon Guardian are the only creatures that will never be able to spawn again in the world once a boss is beaten.
  • It is possible for an Altar to spawn in a Dungeon, even when there is no Crimson/Corruption nearby.
  • Dungeon enemies can occasionally spawn outside the dungeon while the player is in it.

Achievements[]

Achievement Dungeon Heist
Dungeon Heist • Steal a key from the dungeon's undead denizens, and unlock one of their precious golden chests.
Unlock your first Gold Chest within the Dungeon.
Category: Explorer Explorer
Achievement Big Booty
Big Booty • Unlock one of the dungeon's large, mysterious chests with a special key.
Open your first Biome Chest.
Category: Explorer Explorer
Achievement Robbing the Grave
Robbing the Grave • Obtain a rare treasure from a difficult monster in the dungeon.
Obtain a rare item from an enemy in the post-Plantera Dungeon.
Category: Explorer Explorer

Tips[]

For tips on navigating the Dungeon, see Guide:Surviving in the Dungeon.
  • Farming for Bones is harder in a post-Plantera dungeon, as the weaker enemies will be overridden by the spawn rates of post-Plantera enemies, which don't drop bones. However, bones will be of little use by the time the player has gotten this far.
  • If the player wants to navigate the Dungeon in a post-Golem world, ignore the Cultists when entering. Defeating all four of them by accident will spawn the Lunatic Cultist, so be cautious.
  • Spike-covered pits that are filled with water are very suitable for Dungeon Fishing.
  • While the Dungeon is technically only associated with the Bound Mechanic, the Bound Goblin Tinkerer and Unconscious Tavernkeep can also spawn in the expansive hallways and rooms.
  • Since the Dungeon tends to go down vary far under ground, it can be used to prevent the evil biome that was spawned intially from spreading if the player digs out the remaining two channels quickly enough, saving the player time and resources (if the player wants to use bombs or dynamite to dig out the channels).
    • Granted, this would require the evil and and Dungeon to be next to each other, or at least no other biome other than the biome that was intially infected (if the player doesn't want any other biomes infected by their evil biome) and the evil biome would need to be between the world center and the Dungeon for this to work.

Trivia[]

  • Official Terraria Lore – According to the official game lore, the Dungeon was once a thriving city until an unknown curse brought everyone in the dungeon to live past death, their bodies rotting away and turning into mindless beasts.
  • Dungeon lore

    • The decorative banners placed in front of the various walls hint as towards the enemies - e.g. the Diabolic Sigil is found in tiled wall areas, where the Diabolist spawns.
    • It is possible (though unlikely) for a boulder trap to spawn with a dungeon tunnel passing between the boulder and pressure plate. The dungeon bricks between the trap will be removed, leading to a functional boulder trap, and an entrance into the dungeon.

    History[]

    • Desktop 1.4.1.1: Fixed an issue in Dungeon code that was causing the same seed to create different worlds each time.
    • Desktop 1.4.0.5:
      • Dungeon fishing now prioritizes Dungeon loot over overlapping biomes.
      • Fixed an issue where Dungeon pits would generate at the Surface.
    • Desktop 1.4.0.4: Fixed some Hardmode Dungeon enemies drawing into the floor slightly in their animation.
    • Desktop 1.4.0.1:
      • Added a new Desert theme chest that contains the Desert Tiger Staff.
      • Added Cracked Dungeon Bricks to the dungeon, these may block certain paths in the dungeon or reveal pit traps that are lined with spikes and occasionally filled with water.
      • Spikes are one block longer.
      • Shadow Keys now generate along other unique loot in Golden Chests.
      • Updated the sprites of most dungeon enemies.
    • Desktop 1.2.4.1: Fixed bug where Hardmode dungeon casters would shoot more than 1 projectile in multiplayer.
    • Desktop 1.2:
      • Dungeons now always have the same color bricks and back wall.
      • Now generates with biome-key locked chests and Faction Flags that denote what will spawn there in Hardmode.
      • Now has its own music instead of the Eerie theme.
      • The dungeon now has 3 unique textures/colors and furniture.

    References[]

    1. Information taken from the PC version PC 1.4.2.3 source code, method GenerateWorld() (world generation pass "Reset") in Terraria.WorldGen.cs. There may be inaccuracies, as the current PC version PC version is 1.4.4.9.
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