How to Farm Moonstone in Terraria: A Comprehensive Guide
Farming the Moon Stone in Terraria can be a bit of a challenge, as it’s a Hardmode accessory that drops from a specific enemy during a specific event. Unlike some resources, you can’t simply mine it from the ground or harvest it from plants. Instead, you’ll need a strategic approach to maximize your chances of obtaining this valuable item. The core of farming Moonstones involves preparing for and exploiting the Solar Eclipse event and targeting its unique mob: Vampires.
The Moon Stone is a sought-after accessory because it grants a significant buff—the same benefits as the Sun Stone—but only during the night or during a Solar Eclipse. This makes it an excellent choice for nighttime combat or farming during events. With the right techniques, you can efficiently farm Moonstones and significantly boost your night time combat effectiveness.
Here’s a breakdown of the most effective method for farming Moonstones in Terraria:
Step-by-Step Guide to Moonstone Farming:
- Reach Hardmode: The Moon Stone is a Hardmode item, so the first and most critical step is defeating the Wall of Flesh and unlocking Hardmode. This will allow you to access the necessary enemies and events.
- Prepare Your Arena: A well-prepared arena can significantly increase the speed and efficiency of any farm. For a Solar Eclipse farm, this usually includes:
- A large, flat area: This allows for more spawnable tiles, meaning more enemies will appear.
- Multiple layers: Building platforms above the ground can help with visibility and mobility. It can also assist in avoiding specific ground-based enemies.
- Traps: Placing traps like Spiky Ball Traps or Dart Traps can significantly increase your damage output against the horde.
- Honey, Campfire, Heart Lanterns: These will provide beneficial buffs for quicker regeneration and added defense.
- Water Candle/Battle Potion: These items will increase the overall spawn rate of enemies, enhancing the appearance of Vampires.
- Wait for a Solar Eclipse (Or Force One): The Solar Eclipse is a rare event that spawns a specific set of powerful enemies, including Vampires, the source of the Moon Stone. A Solar Eclipse can randomly occur after any Hardmode boss is defeated. While you can wait for a random spawn, you can also force one using a Solar Tablet. Solar Tablets are found in Jungle Chests in the Jungle Temple. They can be activated during the day, summoning a Solar Eclipse immediately.
- Focus on Vampires: During the Solar Eclipse, your primary focus should be on eliminating Vampires. They have a 1/35 (2.86%) chance on Normal Mode and a 69/1225 (5.63%) chance on Expert/Master Mode of dropping a Moon Stone. Make sure you are positioned where you can readily engage and eliminate them quickly.
- Repeat the Process: Continue to farm during the Solar Eclipse until you acquire the desired number of Moon Stones. If necessary, consume additional Solar Tablets to trigger more Solar Eclipses.
- Consider AFK Farming: Using traps and specific gear, an AFK farm can be constructed to automatically eliminate enemies, passively collecting dropped items.
Farming Optimizations
Weapon and Armor Choice
- High Damage Weapons: Utilize weapons with high damage per second. This will help you cut down on kill time and get through enemies much faster.
- Armor Set Bonuses: Wearing an armor set with set bonuses geared toward damage output (like melee, ranged, or magic) can significantly improve your farming process.
- Mobility Gear: Gear that enhances mobility is useful for maneuvering around during the hectic Solar Eclipse.
Buffs
- Food Buffs: The use of food can provide significant boosts to your stats such as damage and defense, along with regeneration increases.
- Potions: Use potions like Endurance, Ironskin, and Rage/Wrath potions to add additional offense and defense.
Exploiting Increased Spawn Rates
- Water Candles and Battle Potions: Combining these increases the spawn rate, therefore increasing the appearance of Vampires during a Solar Eclipse.
- Blood Moon: If a Blood Moon happens to occur at the same time as a Solar Eclipse, then enemy spawn rates will be massively increased. However, you cannot force this overlap.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the drop rate for a Moon Stone?
The Moon Stone has a 1/35 (2.86%) drop chance from Vampires during a Solar Eclipse on Normal mode. This increases to 69/1225 (5.63%) on Expert or Master mode.
Can you buy a Moon Stone?
No, Moon Stones cannot be purchased from any NPCs in Terraria. They must be acquired through drops from Vampires during a Solar Eclipse.
What does the Moon Stone do?
When equipped, the Moon Stone grants the same buffs as the Sun Stone, including increased damage, critical hit chance, defense, and melee speed. However, these buffs are only active during the night or a Solar Eclipse.
Can you farm Moon Stones AFK?
Yes, it is possible to set up an AFK farm for the Solar Eclipse, allowing you to collect Moon Stones while being away from the game. This usually involves building a specific arena with traps that will damage and kill enemies on their own.
What is the best way to start a Solar Eclipse?
The most consistent way to trigger a Solar Eclipse is by using a Solar Tablet. These can be found in the Jungle Temple.
Do Moon Stones stack in Terraria?
No, the buffs from multiple Moon Stones do not stack. You only need one.
Can you get a Moon Stone on Pre-Hardmode?
No, Moon Stones are a Hardmode accessory and can only be obtained after defeating the Wall of Flesh.
How do I tell if a Solar Eclipse is coming?
The message “A Solar Eclipse is happening!” will appear on screen. There are no pre-warnings of an oncoming Solar Eclipse.
What is the best place to build a Moon Stone farm?
Any reasonably large, flat, and open area in the Surface Layer can be used as an arena for farming Moon Stones.
Is the Moon Stone better than the Sun Stone?
The Moon Stone and the Sun Stone offer the same stat boosts, but the Moon Stone’s benefits are active during the night and during Solar Eclipses, while the Sun Stone’s benefits are active during the day. The ‘better’ option depends on your playstyle.
What is the Moon Charm in Terraria?
The Moon Charm is a Hardmode accessory that, when equipped at night, transforms the player into a werewolf. It is a separate accessory that is dropped by Werewolves, not Vampires.
How rare is a Blood Moon in Terraria?
A Blood Moon has a 1/9 (11.11%) chance of occurring on any night that the moon is not a new moon.
Can I trigger a Blood Moon in Terraria?
Yes, a Blood Moon can be initiated manually at nighttime by using a Bloody Tear.
How do you know if it’s a Full Moon in Terraria?
The current moon phase can be determined using the Sextant, an informational accessory from the Angler NPC, or any of its upgrades.
What is the best way to find Solar Tablets?
Solar Tablets are found inside Jungle Chests in the Jungle Temple. Be sure to unlock the Jungle Temple after defeating Plantera.
By following this guide and these tips, you’ll be well on your way to efficiently farming Moon Stones and enhancing your nighttime capabilities in Terraria. Good luck, and happy gaming!