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Aggro, short for aggression or aggravation, is an invisible statistic that determines the distance at which enemies will begin to attack the player. Terraria features various items that can alter this statistic when equipped.

All enemies target the player based on criteria set in their AI. Most will constantly try for a target, while others may only target if the player is in water, for example.

Currently, the Stardust Guardian is the only summon able to divert an enemy's target away from the player. It overrides the player's presence, but only if it is closer than 200 pixels from said enemy. Otherwise, an enemy may target the player or the Guardian – whichever is closer. It is best to summon the Stardust Guardian closer to hordes of enemies, rather than a small few, to avoid being targeted when a few enemies disperse or die. As of 1.4.0.1, the Stardust Guardian targets the closest enemy and whose actions can no longer be influenced by the player.

Armor and other items that "increase/decrease enemy targeting" cause enemies to consider a player to be closer or farther away than they actually are. Therefore, having a Stardust Guardian close to an enemy but also having aggro-increasing accessories equipped, the player could be considered "closer" than the Stardust Guardian is, potentially resulting in temporarily being targeted instead of the Guardian.

If the Eternia Crystal is present, the Old One's Army will target it by default, only targeting the player or Guardian if they get "in the way".

Gear[]

Decrease[]

The following items reduce the player's aggro statistic, meaning that enemies will have to get closer to target the player.

Item Aggro change
Invisibility PotionInvisibility Potion −750 (while not using an item)
−250 (while using an item)
Putrid ScentPutrid Scent -400
Arcane FlowerArcane Flower -400
Recon ScopeRecon Scope -400
Stalker's QuiverStalker's Quiver -400
Psycho KnifePsycho Knife In stealth mode, aggro is decreased based on visibility to a cap of −750
Shroomite armorShroomite armor(full set) In stealth mode, aggro is decreased based on visibility to a cap of −750
Vortex armorVortex armor(full set) In stealth mode, aggro is decreased based on visibility to a cap of −1200
  • Aggro reductions of −750 (or more) nearly guarantee the player will not be targeted.
  • Vortex armor provides the largest aggro reduction available in the game.

Increase[]

These items increase the player's aggro statistic, meaning that enemies can be farther from the player and still target them.

Item Aggro change
Turtle HelmetTurtle Helmet +250
Turtle Scale MailTurtle Scale Mail +250
Turtle LeggingsTurtle Leggings +250
Beetle HelmetBeetle Helmet +300
Beetle ShellBeetle Shell +300
Beetle LeggingsBeetle Leggings +300
Solar Flare HelmetSolar Flare Helmet +350
Solar Flare BreastplateSolar Flare Breastplate +350
Solar Flare LeggingsSolar Flare Leggings +350
Flesh KnucklesFlesh Knuckles +400
Berserker's GloveBerserker's Glove +400
Hero ShieldHero Shield +400

Formula[]

Most enemies will only attack the target they are closest to. They will determine the player's distance first, then the Stardust Guardian's (if applicable) and finally the distance to the Eternia Crystal (if applicable). The distance for the player formula is

abs(targetPlayer.x + 10 − enemy.x + (enemy.width / 2)) + abs(targetPlayer.y + 21 − enemy.y + (enemy.height / 2)) − targetPlayer.aggro

The result from that formula is then compared to the guardians formula result:

abs(guardian.x + 25 − enemy.x + (enemy.width / 2)) + abs(guardian.y + 40 − enemy.y + (enemy.height / 2)) − 200

Whichever results in the higher value is targeted.

Old One's Army formula[]

Enemies in the Old One's Army follow a separate formula due to having to attack the player, as well as the crystal. An enemy will first determine the distance between the Eternia Crystal and it with a simple distance formula. Then, barring the chance the enemy is currently "ghosted", the enemy determines the "distance" to the player with the following formula.

distance(enemy.position, targetPlayer.position) − targetPlayer.aggro

Even though this formula does account for aggro, a player will be ignored if they are not within 200 pixels of the specified enemy.[1] Like with regular enemies, if the Guardian is closer to an enemy than the player is, and is within 400 pixels of it, then the Guardian is targeted instead of the player.

Notes[]

Footnotes[]

  1. Betsy, with a slightly different targeting system, will not target the player based on distance, and will instead target the player so long as the player is closest to it in comparison to the Stardust Guardian or Eternia Crystal.

History[]

  • Desktop 1.4.0.1: The Stardust Guardian now targets the closest enemy; its actions can no longer be influenced by the player.
  • Desktop 1.3.0.1:
    • Slimes no longer target the player if the player has Royal Gel equipped.
    • Introduced the Stardust Guardian, which can divert aggro away from the player.
  • Console 1.0.750.0: (PlayStation 4)
    • Slimes no longer target the player if the player has Royal Gel equipped.
    • Introduced the Stardust Guardian, which can divert aggro away from the player.
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