How To Get Pylons in Terraria

Since its release in 2011, Terraria has received a few major updates, which brought additional game mechanics and options for players to use. The developers added pylons with the final major release, 1.4.0, powerful items that allow players to traverse between explored areas quickly.

However, getting the pylons in the exact spot you need is not always easy, and obtaining them can be a chore.

Luckily, we’re here to help. In this guide, we’ll explain how to get pylons and what you can do with them.

How to Get Pylons in Terraria

You can usually buy pylons from the NPCs., but you can’t craft them. Different characters will sell pylons according to the biome they’re currently in. However, to obtain a pylon from an NPC, you’ll need to utilize the newly introduced NPC “Happiness System.”

Each NPC has specific biome preferences that add to their happiness. They also need to be close to other NPCs they like to get enough happiness to sell you the pylons. If the NPC is not happy, it won’t have a pylon in its sales inventory.

The system also considers possible overcrowding and adjusts happiness levels accordingly. For example, if there are more than four other NPCs in the area, any happiness bonuses from living with a liked neighbor are mostly negated. Putting an NPC alone in the biome they love will get you most of the way towards to threshold needed to buy a pylon. After that, you can put a single NPC that they like close to them and that should give them enough happiness to sell you the pylon for that biome.

Mastering the “Happiness System” and moving NPCs around so they stay in suitable biomes and close to other NPCs will be crucial in obtaining these precious items. Once you’ve pushed an NPC’s happiness far enough, they will sell you the pylon for some gold.

Each pylon has several possible combinations, but we will discuss only a few that will provide the best results. All pylons function the same, with one exception. The only differences are in how they appear (based on the biome they were bought in).

Every NPC likes the Princess, so she can be a wildcard for you to get the pylon anywhere you want, provided you put an NPC that likes that domain.

Ocean Pylon

The ocean pylon can be bought in the ocean biome. The NPCs that prefer to stay in these biomes are the Stylist, the Angler, and the Pirate. Luckily, the Pirate likes staying near the Angler, so you can use those two NPCs to get the Ocean Pylon. Alternatively, you can put the Pirate and the Tavernkeeper together.

Snow Pylon

As its name suggests, the snow pylon can be bought in the snow biome, home to the Mechanic and the Cyborg. If you put those two NPC in the snow biome, the Mechanic should sell you the pylon. You can replace the Cyborg with the Goblin Tinkerer for slightly better results (if, for example, you have a bit too many NPCs in the area).

Desert Pylon

The desert pylon can be obtained by putting the Dye Trader with either the Painter or the Arms Dealer in the desert biome. Since only the Dye Trader likes desert, this is pretty much the only way to go to get this pylon.

Mushroom Pylon

The only NPC who likes staying in the mushroom biome is the Truffle. If you pair them with the Dryad or the Guide, they should sell you the pylon for their biome.

Cavern Pylon

The cavern pylon is relatively easy to obtain because of the wide variety of pairing options available. The three sellers for this pylon (in the cavern biome or the Underground) are the Goblin Tinkerer, the Demolitionist, and the Clothier. Pairing the first two with a Mechanic should work well enough. The Demolitionist also pairs excellently with the Tavernkeeper. If you have the Clothier in the caverns, place the Truffle or the Tax Collector near them to achieve the same result.

Jungle Pylon

Three characters prefer the jungle: The Dryad, the Witch Doctor, and the Painter. Putting the Painter with the Dryad is the best possible result, but you can place the Dryad and Witch Doctor together provided there are no other NPCs nearby.

Forest Pylon

The Zoologist, the Golfer, the Merchant, and the Guide like to live in the forest biome. There are a few combinations you can try for this pylon. The best ones are to put the Zoologist and Witch Doctor together, or the Golfer and the Angler. The Golfer and the Guide also like living with a Zoologist, making those two other safe choices to get a pylon.

Hallow Pylon

The hallow biome is liked by only two NPC, the Party Girl, and the Wizard. If you put them together, the Party Girl should sell you the pylon. Alternatively, use the Zoologist instead of the Wizard, or the Golfer instead of the Party Girl.

Universal Pylon

The universal pylon is unique among pylons. It works slightly differently since it can be placed without any NPCs nearby. To get this pylon, you need to fill up your Bestiary, making this item a post-Moon Lord drop. Once you’ve filled the Bestiary, you can buy the universal pylon from the Zoologist for one platinum piece (at base price).

How To Use Pylons in Terraria

If you want to place a pylon, it needs to be near the residences of at least two NPCs. The NPCs themselves can roam out of the area, but as long as the 169-tile wide and 124-tile high rectangle encompasses two NPC houses, you can place the pylon in that area.

Pylons only function when placed within their respective biome, i.e., you need to place the forest pylon in the forest.
The universal pylon is an exception to both rules, as it can be placed anywhere and out of range of any NPC housing. This makes it especially vital for connecting far-off portions of the map or doubling up on biome pylons.
Each pylon can only be purchased once, so you’ll have to strategize where you place them.

When you place at least two pylons in the world, they connect into a pylon network. Players can interact with one pylon to select another pylon to teleport to, effectively crossing significant distances quickly.

You can also open the map when five tiles or closer to a pylon and select the destination without interacting with the pylon. Do note that pylons can’t be used during boss battles or invasions, making them ineffective at escaping from immediate danger. Other modes of transportation and teleportation are better for making a swift exit.

Additional FAQ

Why can’t I buy pylons in Terraria?

There are two main reasons you might not be able to purchase a pylon. The first one is that you’ve already bought a pylon of that type. Since you can only buy one pylon per biome, you’ll need to go to NPCs in a different biome (or transfer them there) to obtain another pylon.

The other reason an NPC can’t sell you the pylon is that their happiness isn’t high enough. Putting too many NPCs close to one another will negatively impact their overall happiness. For best results, put one NPC the intended seller loves next to them.

Additionally, you need to verify that your game version is at least 1.4.0. Earlier game editions don’t have pylon features.

You Must Construct Additional Pylons

Now you know how pylons work and how to obtain them from the game NPCs. Use the happiness system to the fullest and explore other NPC combinations that will make a suitable result. Just remember that pylons don’t make for effective escape pods since they turn off in boss battles and invasions.

What is your best pylon placement strategy? Let us know in the comments section below.