Why Isn’t the Goblin Army Spawning in Terraria?
The Goblin Army invasion is a classic early-game event in Terraria, offering both challenge and valuable loot. However, it can be frustrating when this event refuses to trigger. The most common reasons why the Goblin Army isn’t spawning are that you haven’t met the pre-requisites: having at least 200 health and having destroyed a Shadow Orb or Crimson Heart. Another reason may be that a Goblin Army event happened the previous day If you have met both of these requirements, the Goblin Army has a 1/3 chance of spawning each dawn. However, after defeating a Goblin Army, the chance is dramatically reduced to 1/30. You also cannot start the invasion manually if the prerequisites are unmet.
Understanding Goblin Army Spawning Mechanics
The spawning of the Goblin Army hinges on several key factors. Understanding these can help you diagnose why the pesky goblins aren’t showing up to cause chaos.
Meeting the Prerequisites: A Check-List
- Health Threshold: You must have at least 200 maximum health. This means using Life Crystals to increase your health pool.
- Orb/Heart Destruction: You must have destroyed at least one Shadow Orb in the Corruption or one Crimson Heart in the Crimson. These are found within their respective biomes’ underground caves and are typically broken with a hammer.
- Time of Day: The Goblin Army can only spawn at dawn (4:30 AM in-game time).
Random Chance and Cooldowns
Even if you meet the above requirements, the Goblin Army doesn’t spawn automatically every day. There’s a random chance involved.
- Initial Chance: After meeting the health and orb/heart requirements, there’s a 1/3 (33.33%) chance of the Goblin Army spawning each dawn.
- Post-Defeat Chance: After you successfully defeat a Goblin Army, the spawn rate plummets to a 1/30 (3.33%) chance each dawn. This means you might have to wait quite a while before the event occurs again naturally.
Using the Goblin Battle Standard
If you’re tired of waiting for the random event, you can manually summon the Goblin Army using a Goblin Battle Standard.
- Crafting: Goblin Battle Standards are crafted at a Loom using 5 Tattered Cloth gathered by killing Goblin Scouts.
- Requirements: You must still meet the 200 health and orb/heart destruction requirements to use the Goblin Battle Standard. If you don’t, the item will be unusable.
- Location: Use it on the surface, in a biome that is not a donjon.
Other Considerations
- World Evil: If you’ve recently converted your world from Corruption to Crimson or vice-versa (or to a pure world), the game might need some time to adjust before triggering events correctly.
- Multiplayer: In multiplayer, only one player needs to meet the health and orb/heart requirements for the Goblin Army to potentially spawn. However, the event will occur around the player closest to the world spawn point.
- Bugged Worlds: While rare, there’s a small chance your world might be bugged. Creating a new world and transferring your character can sometimes resolve such issues. This is uncommon, but it’s worth considering if you’ve exhausted all other troubleshooting steps.
Goblin Scouts
Goblin Scouts are essential for farming tattered cloth.
Tattered Cloth
Tattered Cloth can only be acquired by killing Goblin Scouts (with a 100% drop rate). Its sole purpose lies in the crafting of the Goblin Battle Standard at a Loom, which is used to manually summon a Goblin Army.
Goblin Scout Spawning
They can only be found in the furthest east and furthest west sixths of the world. They will not spawn in the Corruption or the Crimson and will only spawn during the day. It is one of the few entities that can be detected by the Lifeform Analyzer or its upgrades.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the Goblin Army
1. What exactly are the pre-requisites for the Goblin Army to spawn naturally?
You need at least 200 health and must have destroyed at least one Shadow Orb or Crimson Heart. If you don’t meet these requirements, the event will not trigger naturally or via Goblin Battle Standard.
2. I’ve met the health and orb/heart requirements, but the Goblin Army still isn’t spawning. What gives?
The Goblin Army has only a 1/3 (33.33%) chance of spawning each morning after you meet the requirements. After defeating an army, the chance drops to 1/30 (3.33%). Just keep waiting, and it should eventually appear!
3. How do I increase my health to the required 200?
Find Life Crystals underground and use them. Each Life Crystal permanently increases your maximum health by 20, up to a maximum of 400 before needing Life Fruits in Hardmode.
4. Where do I find Shadow Orbs and Crimson Hearts?
Shadow Orbs are found in the Corruption biome, within chasms and connected to Shadow Stone. Crimson Hearts are found in the Crimson biome, within underground tunnels and connected to Crimstone. Both require a hammer to break.
5. Can I summon the Goblin Army at night?
No, the Goblin Army can only spawn at dawn (4:30 AM) in-game time, whether naturally or when using a Goblin Battle Standard.
6. I used a Goblin Battle Standard, but nothing happened. Why?
You still must have smashed at least one Shadow Orb or Crimson Heart and at least one player must have 200 HP or more to manually summon the event. If you have not met both of these requirements, you will be unable to use a Goblin Battle Standard to manually summon the event.
7. How do I get a Goblin Battle Standard?
You must craft it at a Loom using 5 Tattered Cloth.
8. Where do I find Tattered Cloth?
Tattered Cloth is dropped by Goblin Scouts, which spawn in the outermost edges of the world (the furthest east and west sixth). Goblin Scouts will not spawn in the Corruption or Crimson areas of the game world.
9. Is there a cooldown on summoning the Goblin Army with a Battle Standard?
No, there’s no cooldown. As long as you have a Goblin Battle Standard and meet the health/orb/heart requirements, you can summon the event whenever you want.
10. Can Goblin Scouts spawn during the Goblin Army event?
No, Goblin Scouts do not spawn during the Goblin Army invasion. Focus on defeating the army first, then resume scouting for Tattered Cloth afterward.
11. Does the Goblin Army’s difficulty scale with the number of players in a multiplayer game?
Yes, the Goblin Army’s strength and number of enemies will scale based on the number of players in the world.
12. Can I build a special arena to fight the Goblin Army?
Absolutely! A well-prepared arena with good defense, lighting, and mobility options (like platforms and grappling hooks) can make the battle much easier.
13. What are the best weapons and armor to use against the Goblin Army?
Early-game options include the Gold or Platinum armor, weapons like the Gem Staffs (especially Amethyst or Topaz), Jester’s Arrows, and explosives like Grenades.
14. Can NPCs die during the Goblin Army invasion, and will they respawn?
Yes, NPCs can die during the invasion. However, they will not respawn if they die until you have defeated the Goblin Invasion, assuming they have suitable housing available.
15. What are some of the notable drops from the Goblin Army?
Key drops include Spiky Balls, which are effective traps, and the Harpoon, a piercing ranged weapon. The Goblin Summoner in Hardmode also drops the First Shadowflame, a powerful accessory that grants all minions the ability to inflict the Shadowflame debuff.
Understanding these nuances of the Goblin Army spawning mechanics will hopefully help you troubleshoot any issues you’re experiencing. Happy goblin slaying! You can continue to develop your game knowledge by exploring the resources available at GamesLearningSociety.org. The Games Learning Society provides research and insights into how games enhance learning and education.