With 25 different types of minecarts in Terraria, there’s a vast array of styles to choose from. Ranging from the basic wooden minecart to the meowmere minecart, it can be difficult knowing which minecart to choose.
Additionally, the varying speeds of a few specific minecarts mean that, as you progress through the game, the rate at which you can travel on rails becomes faster. This can allow for easier and more efficient travel across the map
The difficulty of obtaining minecarts varies dramatically depending on the type of minecart you wish to get – some are acquired through crafting with basic materials while others are acquired by defeating bosses and events.
Due to the fantastic horizontal mobility they provide, it’s important to know how to get out of a minecart in Terraria.
Getting In and Out of a Minecart
Minecarts are a simple but effective way to travel across the map. They particularly excel at horizontal movement, however, vertical movement over distances is possible too.
There are two ways to get in and out of a minecart in Terraria – both are very straightforward and require minimal knowledge of the game.
It’s important to note that when the correct method is followed the minecart will spawn into the game and that it is not visible beforehand.
Minecart tracks are required to spawn a minecart. They are placeable blocks that cannot be walked on but can be grappled onto as well as interacted with. The tracks will create slopes if placed diagonally to one another and will merge with tracks placed horizontally beside each other – creating one continuous track.
There are two options for spawning a minecart – both require you to be near the minecart track. The first is simply pressing your quick-mount hotkey. If unsure which key quick-mount is assigned to, go into controls (in settings) and find the key associated with quick-mount.
The other option is to use your mouse to interact with the track. Clicking anywhere on the track – provided you are nearby – will spawn your minecart.
Both methods are quick and useful and will aid both mobility and world exploration.
How to Get a Minecart
The difficulty of getting a minecart is heavily dependent on the type of minecart you want. Some minecarts are easier than others to obtain, however, it’s important to remember that almost all of the 25 minecart types travel at the same speed.
The standard top speed for a minecart is 66mph (48.75 tiles per second), with the time taken to reach this speed being 5.42 seconds. There are only 3 minecarts that do not have these values. These minecarts and their values are:
- Digging Molecart (Max Speed 31mph (22.5 tiles per second))
- Wooden Minecart (Max Speed 51mph (37.5 tiles per second))
- Mechanical Cart (Max Speed 102 mph (75 tiles per second))
The Digging Molecart takes 5 seconds to reach its max speed, the Wooden Minecart takes 5.56 seconds and the Mechanical Cart takes 3.33 seconds.
Despite being the slowest minecart in Terraria, the Digging Molecart offers arguably the most utility of any of the carts. This is due to the fact that it has the ability to dig a tunnel 5 tiles high, placing minecart tracks as it goes.
It is only able to dig in a horizontal direction and, in order for it to dig, you must have a pickaxe or drill in your inventory. The tool with the highest pickaxe power will be used by the Digging Molecart. Similarly, for it to lay down tracks, you must have them in your inventory.
It’s worth noting that the Digging Molecart will only function this way if in – or below – the Underground layer.
The Digging Molecart is purchasable from the Zoologist NPC for 50 gold, but only after the Bestiary is 60% completed.
The Wooden Minecart is the standard minecart in the game, and you will therefore have it by default: without having to do anything. Due to this, however, it is slower than the majority of other minecarts.
The Minecart is the easiest to craft, only requiring 15 iron or lead bars and 10 of any type of wood. It has no special features apart from the fact it is slightly faster than the default Wooden Minecart.
The Mechanical Cart is, by far, the fastest minecart and is a contender for the fastest form of travel in the entire game. This means that it is not easy to obtain and is Expert Mode exclusive.
To craft a Mechanical Cart, you will need a Mechanical Wheel Piece, a Mechanical Wagon Piece, and a Mechanical Battery Piece. Each of these items is found in the treasure bag of each mechanical boss. Additionally, it must be crafted at a Mythril or Orichalcum anvil.
Other minecarts, such as the Bee Minecart and the Demonic Hellcart, can be found throughout the world in chests corresponding to their biome. For example, the Demonic Hellcart is obtainable in Shadow Chests (found in The Underworld/Hell).
How to Get Minecart Tracks
There are 3 types of minecart tracks in Terraria: minecart track, pressure plate track and booster track. All of these are very simple to obtain and provide fantastic mobility throughout the game.
Unlike the pressure plate track and booster track, the minecart track has no special feature; its sole purpose is mobility. The rate at which you travel on minecart tracks is not affected by the track itself but the type of minecart.
Minecart tracks are crafted at an iron or lead anvil using 1 iron or lead bar and 1 of any type of wood. This simple recipe provides 50 minecart tracks.
They can also be found as Abandoned Mine Tracks. Abandoned Mine Tracks appear randomly underground and spawn in long, continuous tracks. The amount and length of Abandoned Mine Tracks correspond directly to the selected world size.
Abandoned Mine Tracks are made entirely of standard minecart tracks – pressure plate tracks can’t be found, they can only be crafted. Pressure plate tracks are crafted at an iron or lead anvil and require 1 minecart track and 1 of any type of pressure plate. This recipe will create 1 pressure plate track.
Pressure plate tracks act the same way pressure plates do but are activated by minecarts instead.
Booster tracks are purchasable from the Mechanic NPC for 50 silver coins each. They can be placed alongside other tracks to boost the player by 20mph (regardless of minecart type) in the direction of the red arrow. The direction of the red arrow can be toggled using a hammer or wire.
Conclusion
In conclusion, minecarts are a fantastic and efficient way to travel around the map horizontally and – in some cases – vertically. They provide fast movement and, depending on the minecart, can have other benefits too. There are many different minecart types to choose from and obtain throughout the game.
