At the beginning of Terraria, your primary objective will be to build a base of operations. Most will typically create a surface-layer house, but this makes you susceptible to enemy invasions. While sky bases are excellent choices for defense, they are not accessible. Your next best option will be to build an underground base.
An underground base will not be challenging to build early on, but transforming it into an impressive subterranean fortress is another thing. Here are some tips to get you started on that.
4 Improving The Defenses Of Your Underground Base
Subterranean bases in Terraria have a decent all-around defense early on, but you will need to make necessary preparations as you step into hard mode later in the game. Underground bases will provide you with infinite materials, too, as expanding your underground base will net you more resources rather than draining your surplus.
A fun way to further improve the defenses of your base is to utilize some well-placed traps. Using basic wiring and pumps, you can spread various traps that will trigger spears, darts, spiked ball, and even douse pesky enemies in lava. With a bit of planning, you can turn your underground base into a full-fledged 'Home Alone' homage.
3 Preventing Corruption and Defense Against Worm Enemies
There are two hurdles that you will need to contend with when building an underground base, though: Worms and Corruption. Corruption, specifically, will be extremely dangerous if your area gets infected. Preventing this from occurring should be at the top of your priority list as soon as possible.
An effective way to protect your underground base from Corruption is by building empty spaces around it. A pit that is at least three blocks wide will block Corruption, Crimson, and Hallow from spreading. This method will need to consider your base layout, but the three-block-wide pit is the gist of the rule.
Having an open space or pit surrounding your underground base will also help protect it from Worms, Wraiths, Reapers, Everscreams, and Mourning Woods. A fantastic backup defense is to utilize teleporters and pressure plates against other physical threats.
Also, placing a group of NPCs in your base can lower the maximum spawn rate of enemies. Keep this in mind if you notice a mob of enemies regularly trying to assault your underground home. Once your underground fortress has expanded significantly, you should not spread the NPCs too thin. Always place a bunch of them together.
Speaking of NPCs, one efficient way to protect the denizens of your base is to build a small ‘hideout’ away from your main dwelling. Place a teleporter inside your bedroom that connects to your secret place. Why should you do this? Dangerous events such as Blood Moons can put NPCs living in your base in a pickle. By moving to a different location, you can prevent deadly monsters from spawning and attacking your home base.
2 Materials That Can Protect Your Base From Corruption
Besides creating a deep chasm, you can also use specific types of materials for the exterior of your underground base. Not all building materials can be infected by corruption; some are immune, and these are crucial to mitigating the risk of infection spreading. Materials that are immune to Corruption in Terraria include:
- Wood
- Silt
- Ash
- Clay
- Gray Bricks
- Stone Slabs
- Sandstone Bricks
- Glass
- Yellow Stucco
- Smooth Sandstone
- Mudstone
- Ice Bricks
Mud is immune to Hallow only. It can still be affected by Crimson and corruption, which will turn it into Dirt.
Additionally, sunflowers can keep Corruption at bay for up to two tiles below. Keep in mind that biomes can still spread if some susceptible blocks are close enough to infect the surrounding three tiles. This is another reason why pits are highly recommended for any structure built on or underground.
1 Decorating Tips To Aesthetically Enhance Your Base
While it might be tempting to start breaking every block when opening up space for your underground shelter, you should avoid breaking objects that cannot be placed again. These materials that grow naturally will add some character to your subterranean vault. Examples of these objects include:
- Heart Crystals
- Stalagmites and Stalactites
- Emeralds
- Topax
- Axe Head
- Copper Coin Pile
- Bone Pile
Once you have carved out an ideal cavern, you should move on to smoothing out stone surfaces. You can liven up the base by placing dirt and grass to create a visible contrast on the edges. To further add depth to your base’s aesthetics, add stone walls, grass walls, and living leaf walls (sparsely) to create the ambiance of a long-lost ruin.
Use Wood or Stone for the walls of individual structures within the underground base. When adding detail, you can incorporate Lead Fences as a substitute for windows and Wooden Beams. Be careful where you place Wooden beams, as they can obstruct furniture.
Decoration will depend on the theme of your base, but for the general underground cavern look, wooden crates, portraits, and candles can easily spice up the interior vibe. Also, adding lighting is crucial, and different light sources will emit different colors of light.
For reference, torches will emit a white glow, while candles and brass lanterns create a warm yellow glow. Don’t forget to utilize water and lava (carefully) to further spruce up the look of your underground base.