Table of Contents
What are Pylons?
Pylons are a type of furniture item introduced in the Journey’s End update for Terraria. When placed in the world, they allow for fast travel between different biomes and locations in a Terraria world[1].
To use pylons, you must meet a few requirements:
- Have at least two NPCs living together in suitable housing within a biome
- These NPCs must have high happiness
- You can then purchase and place the pylon for that biome from one of the NPCs
- After placing the pylon, you can quickly teleport back to it from any other pylon
This creates a fast travel network connecting various parts of your world.
Obtaining Your First Pylon
When starting a new world, one of the easiest first pylons to obtain is the Forest Pylon. This requires having both the Merchant and Nurse NPCs living in the Forest biome.
The Merchant prefers the Forest biome, so building suitable housing for him there will boost his happiness. Place the Nurse nearby, as these two NPCs like each other’s company. Once both NPCs display a happiness level of “likes living here”, you can purchase the Forest Pylon from the Merchant[2].
Connecting Pylons Across Biomes
Once you have your first pylon placed, aim to build NPC housing in another biome to expand your network. Try moving the Demolitionist to live in the Underground layer – his happiness will be high there. Move the Tavernkeep to live near him, as they like each other. This will allow you to buy the Caverns Pylon to connect to your Forest Pylon[3].
Repeat this process, moving paired NPCs into different biomes and buying the corresponding pylons. Some key NPC pairings for pylons include:
- Ocean pylon: Pirate and Angler
- Hallow pylon: Dryad and Painter
- Desert pylon: Arms Dealer and Nurse
Using Pylons
To use a placed pylon, simply click on it. A UI will pop up allowing you to select which other pylon to teleport to. Click your destination pylon, and your character will be quickly teleported there[4].
This makes traversing your world much faster, easily allowing you to jump between key biome areas.
Pylon Limitations
There are some key limitations to pylon use that you should keep in mind:
- Only one pylon can be placed per biome in a world
- Pylons do not work during boss fights or events
- NPCs must remain near pylons for them to stay active
So don’t rely on pylons to escape from bosses or invasions! But they are extremely useful for general exploration and transportation in your world.
Optimizing NPC Happiness
Figuring out the right NPCs to pair up can be tricky to maximize pylon networks. Some key tips:
- Use the Bestiary to check which biomes NPCs prefer
- Pair NPCs who like each other’s company
- Move NPCs out of overcrowded housing
- Build houses suiting NPC preferences
- Check if background walls match the biome
Over time and with some trial and error, you’ll have a vibrant world filled with happy NPCs and linked pylons for fast travel.
The Universal Pylon
After defeating Moon Lord and completing 100% of the Bestiary, you’ll gain access to the incredibly useful Universal Pylon. This special pylon can be placed anywhere in the world, does not require nearby NPCs, and allows teleportation to any other pylon[5].
The Universal Pylon is great for setting up rapid transit from your main base to any other biome. Combined with the other pylons, it creates an incredibly convenient travel network for your world.
Quick Guide to Getting All Pylons
Follow this guide to efficiently obtain all world pylons:
- Forest: Merchant and Nurse
- Snow: Mechanic and Cyborg
- Desert: Arms Dealer and Nurse
- Jungle: Dryad and Painter
- Ocean: Pirate and Angler
- Mushroom: Truffle and Dryad
- Hallow: Steampunker and Dryad
- Underworld: Demolitionist and Tavernkeep
- Caverns: Demolitionist and Tavernkeep
- Universal: Complete Bestiary after Moon Lord
Conclusion
Pylons provide an invaluable fast travel system once set up. By pairing the right NPCs in biomes they like, you can connect portals allowing transit all across your Terraria world. Use the tips in this guide to efficiently obtain all pylons for the ultimate exploration and building convenience.
References
[1] https://terraria.fandom.com/wiki/Pylons
[2] https://www.reddit.com/r/Terraria/comments/gp0ktt/easytofollow_terraria_pylon_guide/
[3] https://forums.terraria.org/index.php?threads/pc-how-do-i-get-cavern-pylon.99059/
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0veZ3kI2MI
[5] https://terraria.wiki.gg/wiki/Universal_Pylon
