Dungeon

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

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, Console, Mobile, and 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, Console, Mobile, Old Chinese, tModLoader, and 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
* ​Skeletron(boss)
* ​Old Man
* ​Bound Mechanic
* ​Angry Bones
* ​Dark Caster
* ​Cursed Skull
* ​Dungeon Slime
* ​Spike Ball
* ​Blazing Wheel
* ​Dungeon Guardian(only accessible before defeating Skeletron)
* ​Dragon Skull

Hardmode post-Plantera:
* ​Blue Armored Bones
* ​Rusty Armored Bones
* ​Hell Armored Bones
* ​Paladin
* ​Necromancer
* ​Ragged Caster
* ​Diabolist
* ​Skeleton Commando
* ​Skeleton Sniper
* ​Tactical Skeleton
* ​Giant Cursed Skull
* ​Bone Lee
* ​Dungeon Spirit

Hardmode post-Golem:
* ​Lunatic Devotee
* ​Blue Cultist Archer
* ​Lunatic Cultist(boss)

Unique Treasures
* ​Handgun
* ​Aqua Scepter
* ​Magic Missile
* ​Blue Moon
* ​Cobalt Shield
* ​Muramasa
* ​Shadow Key
* ​Valor
* ​Bone Welder

Hardmode post-Plantera from Biome Chests:
* ​Piranha Gun
* ​Scourge of the Corruptor
* ​Vampire Knives
* ​Rainbow Gun
* ​Staff of the Frost Hydra
* ​Desert Tiger Staff

Unique Drops
* ​Golden Key
* ​Bone
* ​Bone Wand
* ​Clothier Voodoo Doll
* ​Ancient Necro Helmet
* ​Nazar
* ​Tally Counter
* ​Bone Key(only obtainable before defeating Skeletron)
* ​Cream Soda

Hardmode post-Plantera:
* ​Bone Feather
* ​Keybrand
* ​Wisp in a Bottle
* ​Magnet Sphere
* ​Paladin's Shield
* ​Paladin's Hammer
* ​Armor Polish
* ​Adhesive Bandage
* ​Shadowbeam Staff
* ​Spectre Staff
* ​Inferno Fork
* ​Rocket Launcher
* ​Rifle Scope
* ​Sniper Rifle
* ​SWAT Helmet
* ​Tactical Shotgun
* ​Black Belt
* ​Tabi
* ​Ectoplasm
* ​Kraken
* ​Morning Star
* ​Shadow Jousting Lance
* ​BBQ Ribs
* ​Coffee

Through plundering:
* ​Water Bolt
* ​Book
* ​Dungeon Brick
* ​Lesser Healing Potion
* ​Lesser Mana Potion
* ​Dungeon Brick Wall
* ​Spike
* ​Water Candle
* ​Alchemy Table
* ​Bewitching Table
* ​Dungeon Furniture
* ​Dungeon Paintings

Hardmode Post-Plantera plundering:
* ​Jungle Chest(need Jungle Key)
* ​Ice Chest(need Frozen Key)
* ​Hallowed Chest(need Hallowed Key)
* ​Corruption Chest(need Corruption Key) *or* Crimson Chest(need Crimson Key)
* ​Desert Chest(need Desert Key)

From Fishing:
* ​Dungeon Crate
* ​Stockade Crate(Hardmode only)
* ​Alchemy Table

Music
* ​Dungeon
* ​Dungeon (Otherworldly)

## 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.

## Notes

* 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.
* 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, Console version, Mobile version, and 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, Windows Phone, and 3DS 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

 **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
 **Big Booty** • *“Unlock one of the dungeon's large, mysterious chests with a special key.”*Open your first Biome Chest. Category:  Explorer
 **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
## 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

* – 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.

* 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

PC version
* 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 1.3.5: Newly-generated Dungeons now contain new furniture.

* Desktop 1.3.0.1:
	+ Hardmode enemies can now have a chance to drop the Kraken.
	+ Cultists will now spawn at the entrance of the dungeon when Golem has been defeated.
	+ Bewitching Tables and Alchemy Tables now generate within the dungeon.
	+ Valor now can be found in a locked Gold Chest.
	+ There is a 1 in 7 chance that a Hardmode Dungeon monster will spawn on any Hardmode Dungeon backwall.

* Desktop 1.2.4.1: Fixed bug where Hardmode dungeon casters would shoot more than 1 projectile in multiplayer.

* Desktop 1.2.4: The Dungeon (as well as the Underworld) has more new Furniture generated at world creation.

* Desktop 1.2.3: Heart Crystals no longer spawn in the dungeon.

* Desktop 1.2.0.3: Now only generates hardmode enemies after Plantera is defeated.

* 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.

* Desktop 1.1: Now generated with traps and light sources wired to switches.

* Desktop 1.0.6:
	+ Dungeons should no longer spawn in the Ocean.
	+ Dungeons now spawn with more Spikes and less lighting.
	+ Some items no longer spawn in Dungeon as these were meant for non-Dungeon areas.
	+ Chests are now locked and must be opened with a Golden Key.
	+ New enemies:
		- Blazing Wheel
		- Dungeon Slime
		- Spike Ball

* Desktop 1.0.5:
	+ Entering the Dungeon before defeating Skeletron now spawns Dungeon Guardian instead of Skeletron’s head.
	+ Common Chests are now replaced with Gold Chests.

* Desktop-Release: Introduced.

Console version
* Console-Release: Introduced.

Nintendo Switch version
* Switch 1.0.711.6: Introduced.

Mobile version
* Mobile-Release: Introduced.

Nintendo 3DSversion
* 3DS-Release: Introduced.

## References

1. ↑ Information taken from the 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 is 1.4.4.9.