Do Pets Count for Pylons in Terraria? Unlocking the Secrets of Town Happiness!

Absolutely! Town pets most certainly count as NPCs for pylon activation in Terraria. This is a crucial piece of information for optimizing your town layouts and ensuring your teleporters are always up and running. Let’s dive deeper into how this works and answer some common questions about pets, pylons, and NPC happiness in Terraria.

Understanding Pylons and NPC Requirements

Pylons are essential for fast travel in Terraria, allowing you to quickly move between different biomes and locations. However, they’re not freely available; you need to meet specific conditions for them to function. The primary requirement is having a sufficient number of living, housed NPCs nearby.

• The Rule: Pylons require at least two living, housed NPCs within a 169-tile wide by 124-tile high rectangle centered on the pylon.

• Who Counts? This includes standard town NPCs like the Merchant, Guide, and Nurse, as well as special NPCs like the Old Man (before defeating Skeletron) and, crucially, town pets.

Town Pets: More Than Just Companions

Town pets, introduced in later Terraria updates, are special NPCs that add a delightful touch of personality to your towns. They’re obtained by using a pet license, purchased from the Zoologist, and will move into an available house. These pets serve several purposes:

• Aesthetic Appeal: They make your towns feel more lively and unique.
• Pylon Activation: As mentioned earlier, they count toward the NPC requirement for pylons.
• Enemy Spawn Reduction: They contribute to reducing enemy spawn rates near your town, enhancing safety.
• Happiness Neutrality: Unlike standard NPCs, pets do not affect the happiness of other NPCs. This allows you to strategically place them without worrying about disrupting the complex happiness dynamics.
• Town Slimes – This is also something to keep in mind because these count towards Pylon requirements as well.

Therefore, strategically using pets is a great method for easily getting NPCs to a specific location in a biome without upsetting the normal happiness balance that you were aiming for in your world.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Pets, Pylons, and NPC Happiness

1. What exactly are town pets in Terraria?

Town pets are unique town NPCs that appear in your town after you use a pet license item purchased from the Zoologist. Examples include the Town Cat, Town Dog, and Town Bunny, as well as the various Town Slimes.

2. How do I get a town pet?

First, you need to find the Zoologist NPC, who moves in when you’ve filled at least 10% of your Bestiary (54 entries). Once she’s settled in, she’ll sell pet license items. Use a license, and a corresponding pet will move into an available house in your town the following day.

3. Do town slimes count as NPCs for pylons?

Yes, Town Slimes absolutely count as NPCs for pylon requirements. They are a type of town pet and can be moved in by players.

4. Do pets affect NPC happiness?

No, town pets do not affect the happiness of other NPCs. This is a significant advantage, as you can use them to meet pylon requirements without disrupting the carefully balanced happiness dynamics of your other NPCs.

5. What’s the point of having pets in Terraria?

Most pets are primarily cosmetic, adding charm and character to your towns. However, they also contribute to pylon activation, reduce enemy spawn rates, and are happiness neutral.

6. Can the Zoologist sell pylons?

The Zoologist sells the Universal Pylon, which is the only pylon that allows you to teleport to your base from anywhere. The Bestiary must be completed for her to sell the item, which requires defeating the Moon Lord.

7. Why won’t my NPC sell a pylon?

An NPC must be happy enough to sell a pylon. This means they need to be in a preferred biome, near NPCs they like, and away from NPCs they dislike. The vendor NPC must be happy, with a sale modifier of 90% or better.

8. What’s the ideal setup for NPC happiness and pylons?

Experiment with NPC pairings and biome placements to find the optimal setup for happiness. Consult a Terraria happiness guide to learn about each NPC’s preferences. Remember pets do not affect anyone’s happiness.

9. What is the rarest pet in Terraria?

The rarest pets in Terraria include the Unlucky Yarn and the Lizard Egg, due to their low drop rates from specific enemies or events.

10. What are the most useful non-town pets in Terraria?

Some of the most useful pets, which don’t contribute to pylon activation, provide unique benefits, such as light or combat assistance. Examples include the Alien Skater, Baby Ogre, Destroyer-Lite, Eater of Worms, and Everscream Sapling.

11. What happens if a town slime dies?

Like other NPCs, Town Slimes will respawn on their own should they be killed, as long as the original condition for their arrival (having an open house and a town with existing NPCs) is still met.

12. Can you have more than one pet at a time in Terraria?

At any time, the player can have at most one pet of each type active.

13. How rare is the Spiffo pet?

The Spiffo Plush, which summons the Spiffo pet, has a 1/1500 (0.07%) chance of being dropped by all types of Zombie.

14. Are there any resources for learning more about game mechanics and education?

The Games Learning Society, which can be found at https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/, is dedicated to the intersection of learning and gaming. They offer resources and insights into how games can be used for educational purposes, which is a good place to start.

15. How do I make my NPCs happy?

Happiness is positively affected by crowding, biome preference, and NPC preference. A lack of crowding multiplies the total by 95%, a loved biome or NPC multiplies by 88%, and a liked biome or NPC multiplies by 94%.

By understanding the role of town pets in Terraria, particularly their contribution to pylon activation, you can create efficient and thriving towns. Happy building!