Stairs are a crucial platform type, being used for both functional and aesthetic purposes. Therefore, knowing how to make stairs in Terraria is an essential part of any player’s knowledge.
With a wide variety of platform types in the game, many different types of stairs can be created from these. While all platforms are pretty much the same in terms of functionality, visually, there are many different styles to choose from.
Additionally, making stairs is a very straightforward task, so you can use lots in your buildings without concern for running out. Stairs can also be found throughout all stages of the game – regardless of progression.
This means that, overall, stairs are a useful tool for any Terrarian’s adventure, whether you use them for ease of access, to block enemies, or to give your buildings some extra personality.
Uses For Stairs
In Terraria, there are more uses for stairs than meets the eye. They provide more than just additional aesthetics; also being suitable for mobility.
Mobility
Stairs are great for providing mobility to you and your town’s NPCs. They can help you travel up and down your buildings with ease. Also, if you wish for your town NPCs to interact, stairs can assist this.
When connecting a building to enable NPCs to socialize with one another, it’s important to ensure that the stairs are laid out as simply as possible; otherwise, the NPCs will struggle to walk up or down them.
Additionally, there must be no platforms above the stairs. Platforms above a staircase will block the NPCs, as they can’t travel through them.
It’s worth noting that NPCs also can’t use any staircase variations (such as a spiral staircase), nor can they use ropes or ladders. They can use stairs of any type, so long as these rules are followed.
An extra feature of platforms, including when they are stairs, is that they can be grappled to.
Alternatively, you can use rope or chain as this also looks great and provides swift, vertical mobility. Making rope is a simple task, so you should always consider it.
Aesthetics
The vast array of stairs in Terraria means that there are many possibilities regarding building with them. They come in lots of different colors and shapes but are all the same size and have the same function.
Because stairs can be traveled through when moving upwards and act as a solid block when falling, they can be great for building structures requiring many accessible floors.
As well as being an excellent interior design feature acting as a staircase, stairs make fantastic roofs. They create the structural elements that many houses have, but you can also pass through them, meaning that they won’t act as an obstacle in your world.
Stairs are an essential part of building in Terraria as not only do they look great, but they provide utility too.
Making Stairs
Making stairs in Terraria is a straightforward task. It simply requires platforms and a hammer of any caliber. They are, therefore, very accessible even from the early-game.
Platforms can be crafted using 1 block per 2 platforms. Most platforms are craftable by hand; however, some require specific crafting stations to be made.
It’s important to remember that the type of block you use determines the kind of platforms you get. For example, a Cactus block would provide you with 2 Cactus Platforms.
The simple recipe and many craftable platform types mean that you won’t have to worry about a shortage of stairs when building.
Some platforms, such as the Dungeon Shelf, can’t be crafted and can only be found.
Creating platforms is the first step to making stairs. The next step involves using a hammer. In Terraria, hammers are used to break background walls and change the shapes of some tiles.
Platforms are an example of tiles that you can change to different shapes with a hammer. One of the shapes platforms can be turned into is stairs.
Turning platforms into stairs is as simple as left-clicking the platform with your hammer selected. You may have to do it several times to cycle through the shapes to stairs.
Creating a Spiral Staircase
While stairs are often used to make staircases, they aren’t the only way of doing so. An example of this is a spiral staircase – which uses platforms and beams to create the illusion of a spiraling staircase.
To create a wooden version of this structure, you will need Wooden Beams (crafted at a Sawmill with 1 wood for 2 beams), Wooden Platforms, and a wall of your choice.
To begin with, place the beams where you want the spiral staircase to be. Next, place platforms adjacent to the bottom of the platform and gradually move up the beams, placing platforms one tile over from the platforms below, cutting through them as necessary.
When your platforms are directly next to the platform on the other side of the beams, repeat the first step in the opposite direction. Continue this until you have your spiral staircase. Finally, place walls around the spiral staircase to complete the build.
Using Blocks As Stairs
Despite the many varieties of platforms Terraria provides, not every block has a corresponding platform. In this case, it’s important to understand how to make convincing stairs without using a stair tile.
Using a hammer to turn blocks into sloped or half blocks is a fantastic way of doing this. Left-click the hammer on the block you wish to change into a half block or sloped block and cycle through the different shapes until you get the one you want.
Sloped blocks can look particularly great as roofs, as they create a slanted look similar to that of a roof.
Conclusion
To conclude, there are several uses for stairs; however, it mostly boils down to their appearance. There’s such a variety in platform types that there are stairs to satisfy all aesthetic purposes. And, in the rare instance that there isn’t a suitable platform for your build, you can use half or sloped blocks to create a similar effect.
