Whether you’re a new Terrarian or a seasoned expert, you will know the importance of chests in Terraria. Not only do they provide loot and items that – in some cases – can’t be found anywhere else, but they also provide essential storage for all your items. 

This means that, overall, chests are an integral part of your adventure. While chests can be found and gathered, making them is much more efficient and means that you can make many at a time. 

Understanding how to make a chest in Terraria is a crucial part of any player’s knowledge, and this guide will teach you the ins and outs of chests, including how to make them, the different types, and where to find them.

What Are Chests For?

There are two main uses for chests in Terraria, and both are very similar. The most common and obvious one is for storage. Chests are the primary storage source in Terraria, with 40 item slots. Stacked items will only take up one slot.

chestspace

Another use for chests is building. The vast range of different chest types available means that there’s a chest for every aesthetic. 

It’s worth noting that, when placed into chests, locked items will no longer be locked.

Naturally-Occurring Chests

In your Terraria adventure, you will inevitably have come across many different types of chests that spawned naturally in your world. Naturally-occurring chests have loot that is determined at world generation. This means that, upon entering hardmode, the loot remains the same.

Therefore, chests are particularly helpful early game, as they don’t adjust according to the difficulty increase when entering hardmode. There are 20 types of naturally-occurring chests, and 15 of these aren’t craftable. 

Naturally-occurring chests can be found throughout almost every layer of your world – from the sky to the underworld. The only layer that chests won’t naturally spawn in is the space layer. Some chests require specific keys to open.

naturalchest

All naturally-occurring chests contain one primary item and a random assortment of common items. Sometimes, in hardmode, Mimics can be disguised as chests. Therefore, it’s advisable to shoot them beforehand to ensure you don’t get ambushed by a problematic enemy to kill – particularly earlier on in the game.

The Golden Chest is the only chest that is only obtainable as an enemy drop. It drops from Pirates during a Pirate Invasion. It’s not to be confused with the Gold Chest – a chest that is commonly found throughout your world.

Dead Man’s Chest

The Dead Man’s Chest is a type of chest that acts as storage as well as an activation method. It is a naturally-occurring chest that is identical in appearance to a Gold Chest. 

They can be found underground and are rigged with multiple traps that can kill you. The trap setup usually involves 2-6 Dart Traps, 2-5 Boulders, and 0-3 explosives. This can make obtaining the loot from the chest very troublesome. 

Using an accessory or item that reveals wire, such as a Mechanical Lens or The Grand Design, is highly recommended if you suspect a chest of being a Dead Man’s Chest. This will enable you to see any potential dangers or traps that are connected to the chest.

Dead Man’s Chests are always found on their own and never in Underground Cabins. They will contain the standard loot of Gold Chests, although they will occasionally have an additional Dead Man’s Sweater.

Making Chests

In total, there are 42 types of chests in Terraria. 27 of these are craftable. The recipe for chests is very simple, making them available from early on in the game. However, some chest types can only be acquired in the late game – some as late as the Lunar Events – the series of events prior to fighting the Moon Lord

lunarchests

Like making rope, to craft a chest, you will need 2 Iron/Lead bars and 8 blocks of the type of chest you wish to make. For example, to make a Cactus Chest, you’ll need 2 Iron/Lead bars and 8 Cactus. 

The crafting station required to create a chest depends on the type of chest you wish to make. Most chests necessitate a Work Bench; however, some require other crafting stations, such as an Ancient Manipulator or a Bone Welder.

In each Terraria world, there’s a maximum of 8000 placed storage items at any one time. While it’s unlikely you’ll exceed this number, it’s worth knowing.

Trapped Chests

Trapped chests can be made at a Heavy Work Bench with any chest and 10 wires. This will create a trapped chest of the same type as the chest used to craft it. 

When crafted into a trapped chest, the chest will lose the ability to act as storage and, instead, become an activation mechanism. 

This means that, upon opening a trapped chest, it will emit a signal to any connected wires or actuators. You can turn any type of chest into a trapped chest.

Trapped chests look identical to standard chests when in the inventory or placed.

Conclusion

In summary, it’s a straightforward task to make a chest in Terraria. There are many different types of chests, and more types become available as you progress further into the game; however, they are all identical in function. Trapped chests act as an activation method but do not have storage capabilities.