Brutal Ambience
While Brutal World is on, some biomes drop ambience hazards onto the field. This is not a fog layer, and it is not a new map. Thorns, falling rock, waves, and falling stars can kill the player. Thunderstorms also drop lightning on the surface. A Blood Moon or solar eclipse mostly changes the sound and the sky. Those two do not deal damage.
If a town NPC is within about 60 tiles, that pocket does not spawn damaging or pulling hazards. A living boss freezes those systems. Pure visuals may stay at a lower intensity. Difficulty tabs only change how often they fire, or how fast a meter fills, not whether they can deal damage.
Turning off Brutal World stops the hazards immediately.
How to read
Section titled “How to read”Read the biome first, then the tell, then leave the landing. Most landings light or swell before they hit. Remaining on a lit mark results in taking the hit. The tables use in-game display names. The sections below describe the tell and the effect.
Surface
Section titled “Surface”| Biome | Hazard | How to leave |
|---|---|---|
| Snow surface | Frostveil Gale Wall. Contact chills and pushes | Walls have a bright seam. Walk the seam |
| Desert surface | Windshear Gust. During a sandstorm, Gathering Sand Lash appears first, then Sandstorm Lash | Sidestep the lash lane. Cover blocks the gust |
| Beach | Rogue Wave and Rip Current | Stand above the crest, or get on land. The rip only pulls in surface water |
| Jungle surface | Mire Fog Ambush, then a Verdant Thorn Ring if you linger | Walk the gap in the ring. Do not step the band |
| Pure forest surface | Woodsong Bramble. It sprouts toward an incoming foe during combat. You can chop it. Standing on it deals damage and can be lethal | Jump, walk around, or chop. It will not spawn closer than about 6 tiles |
| Hallow | Prismatic Judgment. A circle appears under your feet first | Stay outside the circle. On the surface it only falls at night |
| Corruption | Miasma Wellspring and Writhing Vileground | Walk around the whole column. A swollen, bright mound will burst |
| Crimson | Blood Dew Curtain that inflicts Bleeding | Stand under an eave. No line of sight, no rain |
| Graveyard | Gathering Grudgefire. It only forms if you linger still | Walk past about two-thirds of the radius |
| Meteorite | Meteoric Afterburst that ignites | Leave the glowing meteor tile |
| Brimstone Crags (Calamity) | Crag-Mouth Flame Tongue and Keening Pressure Wave | Leave the vent, or change layer. The wave deals no damage |
| Astral (Calamity) | Astral Starlance and Astral Bloom. The lance is night only | Jump the circle, then walk out of the bloom |
Underground and sky
Section titled “Underground and sky”| Biome | Hazard | How to leave |
|---|---|---|
| Underground Desert | Pouring Sandfall and Quicksand Sink Pit | Sidestep the column. Jump or hook out of a sink |
| Underground Ice | Hanging Icicle and Cold Mist Hollow | You can pass under an icicle. The mist deals no damage |
| Pure caverns | Startled Rockfall. Mining, swings, hits, and nearby blasts shake the ceiling | The landing locks first. Shafts skip it. Leave the mark |
| Granite cave | Resonance Pulse Ring. No damage. Brief Slow if you are grounded | Jump, or wait the ring out |
| Marble cave | Pillar of the Stone Gaze | Stand outside the half-width |
| Spider Nest | Plunging Spider Shade and Sticky Web Blotch | Sidestep. A forming web does nothing yet |
| Mushroom | Swelling Mushroom Cap, Spore Glob, and Bewildering Spore Mist | Chop the swelling cap to cancel. Walk out of the circle. Thin edge mist does not build |
| Underground Jungle / Hive / Temple | Marsh-Gas Pocket and Mire Miasma. The Hive also has Sentry Bee Cloud | Walk around the miasma. Leave the Hive and the cloud breaks up |
| Dungeon | A lingering gaze scare. No damage | Changing rooms decays it |
| Shimmer | Shimmering Gravity Bubble. No damage | Walk around, or wait for it to pop |
| Space | Plummeting Star and Stardust Updraft | Landings light first. Leave the mark. The updraft deals no damage |
| Underworld | Seething Magma Bubble, Spattering Slag Bead, and Passing Ash Tempest | Distance. Walls block beads |
| Sunken Sea | Tranquil Vortex. No damage, only pull | The pull is capped. Leave the water to drop it |
| Abyss | Abyssal Downwelling (no damage) and distant staring eyes | Walk sideways out. Approach the eyes or light that spot and they disperse |
| Sulphurous Sea (Calamity) | Acid Boil and Toxic Haze Tide | Leave the water to drop it. Walk around boil zones |
Weather and skies
Section titled “Weather and skies”| Condition | Hazard | How to leave |
|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm (surface) | Rainveil Thunderbolt | The landing lights a warning column first. Ordinary rain does not strike |
| Blood Moon (surface) | Low red mist, distant howls, and a heartbeat. No damage | There is no damaging landing |
| Solar eclipse (surface) | A darker amber sky and drifting ash. No damage | There is no damaging landing |
Pure caverns
Section titled “Pure caverns”This means the dirt or rock layer before it becomes desert, ice, jungle, evil, Hallow, mushroom, granite, marble, a hive, a temple, the Dungeon, Shimmer, a graveyard, a meteorite, a beach, the Sunken Sea, Astral, or the Brimstone Crags. The abyss and sulphurous belt near the world’s left and right edges do not count. Standing on a spider-web wall does not count either.
The piece that can kill you is Startled Rockfall. It is not on a clock. Swinging a pick, axe, or hammer, swinging a damaging weapon, taking a hit, or an explosive going off within about 56 tiles will wake the ceiling. When the shake peaks, a tell hangs from a high enough ceiling beside you. Higher difficulty tabs make the same actions trip a fall sooner. The rock’s shape and damage do not follow those tabs. They follow this world’s Classic / Expert / Master contact baseline, about 11 / 22 / 33.
The tell lasts about one second: a warm glow at the ceiling crack, grit falling down that column, and a low rumble. The landing locks the instant the tell appears and does not follow you. There is time to leave the landing. The rock only deals damage after it leaves the roof. If you are still overlapping it at that moment, those hits do not count. If you step away and walk back into it, you take the hit. A hit or the ground shatters it.
The landing never picks the column you are standing in. It sits about 3 to 8 tiles to either side. If the air under the ceiling is shorter than about 10 tiles, that pass does not fire. Mining against a low roof or inside a shaft often makes noise and nothing else. At most four rocks can be up at once. After one drop, your own shake will not hang another for about 15 seconds. A town NPC within about 60 tiles, or a living boss, stops the damaging rocks.
Turning off Brutal World stops the whole set immediately.
The cave can also drip from the ceiling, groan far off, and send a short wingbeat past you. Lit air sometimes holds faint motes. Stay in near-total dark for about 4 seconds and a fog gathers at the screen edges with a ringing tone. It fills over about 8 seconds more and collapses when you make light. The fog does not change real lighting and does not deal damage. A warm firefly ribbon sometimes drifts along the roof. It does not deal damage either.
Pure forest surface
Section titled “Pure forest surface”This means overworld forest that has not become desert, snow, jungle, evil, Hallow, mushroom, a meteorite, a graveyard, or a beach.
By day the woods hold extra pollen, bird calls, and leaf-waves in the wind. At night a thin fog sits on the ground. Distant howls and cracking branches play. The fog does not deal damage and does not spawn extra enemies. A cold-white wisp sometimes drifts toward a nearby cave mouth or clearing. Raven flocks can flush through the canopy in thick night fog.
The piece that can kill you is Woodsong Bramble. It is not decorative grass that sits there all day. When a hostile enemy has you as its target, a patch arches up on the ground between you and that foe. The landing sits about 8 to 16 tiles out, and never closer than about 6 tiles. The sprout is harmless for about one second. After that, standing on it deals damage and can be lethal. Three hits chop it down. At most three patches can be up at once. A town NPC within about 60 tiles, or a living boss, stops new patches.
Snow surface
Section titled “Snow surface”A Frostveil Gale Wall approaches as a distant white curtain and sweeps your stretch about three or four seconds later. The wall has a thinned bright seam. Standing in the seam lets the whole wall pass safely. Hitting the body of the wall inflicts brief Chilled and pushes you. The wall itself deals no damage. Walls come more often while it is snowing.
Standing in the open on the snow surface slowly chills you. When the meter fills you take a short Chilled, then it drops back. Torches, campfires, furnaces, indoor shelter, and nearby town NPCs clear it faster. A living boss pauses this buildup.
Desert surface
Section titled “Desert surface”Clear days kick up extra sand. Windshear Gust first draws faster sand-lines on the ground. The howl lasts about one second, then pushes anyone in the open sideways. The push is weaker in the air. Overhead cover blocks it.
The lash only appears during a vanilla sandstorm. The ground first raises Gathering Sand Lash: a sand column gathers and a ghost trail marks the whip line for about one second. Sandstorm Lash then fires along that locked heading. Sidestep the lane. When the sandstorm ends, lashes stop.
Standing still on sand at bright noon slowly heats you. When the meter fills you take brief Slow. Walking, rain, or a sandstorm starting will clear it.
The shore holds sea wind and surf. Stronger wind and rain make the waves taller and more frequent. Higher difficulty tabs also raise the crest.
A Rogue Wave rises from the far water. The white crest is readable from the start and breaks about two and a half seconds later. Damage only exists during the break and the sweep across the beach, about 10 contact. Anyone whose feet sit above the crest is safe. Land is safe as well. The approaching swell rolls over a swimmer’s head without dealing damage.
A Rip Current first paints a foam corridor on the surface. Kelp leans toward deeper water for a little more than a second. For about four seconds after that it drags anyone in surface seawater toward the deep. Land, a wet shallows wade, and a deep dive are all exempt. The rip only pulls. It does not deal damage. Leaving the water drops the pull at once.
Jungle surface
Section titled “Jungle surface”The air stays damp. Pollen sometimes drifts on a hot day. Lingering in rain or water slowly soaks you. When the meter fills you take brief Weak. Heat nearby dries it faster.
Mire Fog Ambush gathers in a hollow or at the waterline. Insect noise cuts out while the strands collect, a little more than a second. The dense fog itself deals no damage. Stay inside it about one more second and a Verdant Thorn Ring rises underfoot. The band poisons and deals light contact. A gap is locked the instant the ring appears and does not move afterward. Walking the gap keeps you off the band. Fog is more common in the rain.
Hallow
Section titled “Hallow”Rainbow dust and crystal flashes appear by day. They do not deal damage.
Prismatic Judgment on the surface only falls at night. A circle locks underfoot first, about 5 tiles in radius, for about one second. The center does not follow you. Standing outside the circle avoids the pillar. Underground, the same tell becomes a crystal-cluster pulse. If a boss appears before the tell ends, that cast goes out.
Corruption
Section titled “Corruption”The biome holds extra purple haze and distant groans. After a long stay, a traveling echo sometimes plays far off. None of this deals damage.
A Miasma Wellspring first gathers purple bubbles on the ground for about one second, then a column rises from the crack. Contact inflicts brief Weak and light contact damage. Walk around the whole column.
Writhing Vileground is a mound on corrupted grass. Most subside on their own. The ones that will burst swell and brighten for about one second, then pop for light damage. Leave when a mound swells and lights up.
Crimson
Section titled “Crimson”A blood mist sits on the biome. The heartbeat speeds up as your life drops. This does not deal damage.
A Blood Dew Curtain seeps from crimson ground or a ceiling. Blood beads climb the anchor first. The ticking lasts about one and a half seconds, then the curtain falls. Touching it inflicts brief Bleeding and light contact. An eave, or no line of sight from the rain to you, blocks the hit.
Graveyard
Section titled “Graveyard”The graveyard fog slowly breathes. A headstone sometimes lights when you stand near it. Dust can scratch up from the ground. None of this deals damage.
Gathering Grudgefire needs you to linger still in the graveyard. After about 12 to 18 seconds, twelve wisps form a ring and close for a little more than a second. The band only bites if it sweeps your body, and it inflicts brief Chilled. Walking past about two-thirds of the radius drops it. Moving far enough resets the buildup. Leaving the graveyard, or a living boss, breaks the ring.
Meteorite
Section titled “Meteorite”The crater holds embers and a metal drone. They do not deal damage.
Meteoric Afterburst starts on a nearby meteorite tile. That tile glows red and sizzles for about one second, then a short fire column jumps. Only that beat deals damage, and it ignites. Leave the glowing tile.
Brimstone Crags
Section titled “Brimstone Crags”The cliffs hold red light and a distant wail. They do not deal damage.
Crag-Mouth Flame Tongue first pressures a crack. Red light and a hiss last about one second, then a jet fires. Contact deals light damage and ignites. Leave the vent, or change layer.
A Keening Pressure Wave pushes in from far off. The distant wail and air ripples are the tell. Being swept inflicts brief Weak and a light shake. The wave deals no damage.
Astral Infection
Section titled “Astral Infection”Indigo and orange motes drift, with pulses of tinnitus. They do not deal damage.
Astral Starlance only names a player at night. A star-circle locks underfoot, about 6 tiles in radius, for a little more than a second. The circle does not follow you. The lance deals about 25 contact inside the circle. Jump or walk out.
The landing then opens Astral Bloom. The unfurling petals deal no damage. After the crystal ring finishes, standing in the circle deals lingering hits of about 20. Walking out stops them.
Underground Desert
Section titled “Underground Desert”There is no surface gust here. Sand leaks from above and sinks underfoot.
Pouring Sandfall first seeps from a crack for a little more than a second, then the whole column dumps. Being caught deals light contact and a mild downward push. Sidestep the column.
A Quicksand Sink Pit first spins on the ground for about one second, then pulls anyone standing in it downward. It deals no damage. A jump or a hook can break out. Leaving that patch of ground drops the pull.
Underground Ice
Section titled “Underground Ice”The cave holds cold wind and distant ice-cracks. Breath shows in the air. None of this deals damage.
A Hanging Icicle grows from ice on the ceiling over about 30 to 50 seconds. When mature it shakes for about one second, then falls. Only the fall deals damage, about 16, or about 34 after Hardmode, plus brief Chilled. You can pass under the cone. Nearby swings or projectile noise can startle a hanging icicle down. An icicle broken before it matures only shatters. It does not fall.
A Cold Mist Hollow sits in a low pocket. Standing in it slowly chills you. When the meter fills you take brief Chilled. The mist itself deals no damage. Walking out lets it fade.
Granite and marble
Section titled “Granite and marble”The two halls sound different. Granite holds arcs and hiss. Marble holds a hollow drone. Neither deals damage on its own.
Granite drops a Resonance Pulse Ring. A crystal cluster charges for about one second, then a visible ring expands. If the ring sweeps you while you are grounded, you take brief Slow. The ring deals no damage. Jump, or wait it out.
Marble drops a Pillar of the Stone Gaze. Ground engravings light for about one second, then the pillar rises. Standing inside it deals light contact. Stand outside the half-width.
Spider Nest
Section titled “Spider Nest”Silk threads sometimes flash. They do not deal damage.
Plunging Spider Shade first flashes the thread overhead twice, about one second, then drops along it. Mid-descent it hitch-pauses and dives. A graze deals light contact. Sidestep the landing.
A Sticky Web Blotch sits on floor, ceiling, or wall. It does nothing until it finishes weaving, about one second. Touching it webs you briefly and deals no damage. Stepping on it while it is still forming does nothing. The blotch ages away on its own.
Glowing mushroom
Section titled “Glowing mushroom”Stepping a small mushroom puffs a bright ring. Large mushrooms hum like an organ at night. Neither deals damage.
A nearby large mushroom first becomes a Swelling Mushroom Cap for about one second. Chopping that mushroom before the tell ends cancels the burst. Otherwise it throws a Spore Glob that opens into Bewildering Spore Mist.
The mist only bites after about one second of forming, and it poisons. Walking out of the circle stops it. The thin outer band does not bite and does not build drowsiness. Stay in the dense mist about two and a half seconds and you cough and take a hit, about 15 before Hardmode and about 30 after. That hit can kill. Crossing the dense mist quickly usually does not fill the meter.
Underground jungle, Hive, and Temple
Section titled “Underground jungle, Hive, and Temple”The underground jungle stays wet. Hive drones rise the longer you stay. The Temple is mostly glyphs and atmosphere. It has no separate damaging hazard.
A Marsh-Gas Pocket swells at muddy water. The bubble and gurgle last about one second, then it pops into ground-hugging Mire Miasma. The miasma only bites after about one second of settling. Contact poisons and deals light damage. If the water is drained, or a boss is alive, the pocket only sheds foam and does not spray.
Stay in the Hive about 9 to 14 seconds and a Sentry Bee Cloud gathers. Bee-shapes collect from the walls for about one second, then sweep your path. Contact deals light damage. Leave the Hive and the cloud breaks up at once. These are not living bees.
Dungeon
Section titled “Dungeon”Dungeon candles hold a cold glow. When a draft sweeps through, candles along the front snuff first and relight about one and a half seconds later. None of this deals damage.
Stay in the Dungeon about 45 to 75 seconds and a pair of eyes rushes the face and breaks up. It deals no damage. Changing to another stretch of the Dungeon decays the linger. A living boss pauses the buildup.
Shimmer
Section titled “Shimmer”Pearls and chimes sit on the lake and in the air. They do not deal damage.
A Shimmering Gravity Bubble drifts in from a lake surface off to one side. The bubble is visible from the start. Stepping inside makes you briefly almost weightless and the bubble can carry you. It deals no damage. After about 18 seconds, or if it hits terrain, it pops. Walk around, or wait for it to break.
Stay under the shimmer lake about 6 to 9 seconds and motes in the water stream downward with a low hum, about one second. A mild downward pull then lasts about two and a half seconds. It deals no damage. A hook can pull you out. A new pulse will not start if breath is too low.
The high air is thin. A light wind plays. It does not deal damage.
A Plummeting Star lights its landing for about one second, then falls from the sky. The landing is never placed under your feet. The blast radius is about 6 tiles. Leave the mark after it lights. If a boss appears before the tell ends, that star will not explode.
Stardust Updraft is a visible rising column. Walking in lifts you. It deals no damage.
Stay in space about 40 to 80 seconds and you take brief Weak. Dropping to a lower layer recovers it quickly. A living boss pauses this buildup.
Underworld
Section titled “Underworld”Lava gurgles. A distant horn sometimes sounds. Neither deals damage.
A Seething Magma Bubble swells on the lava surface for about one second, then spatters Spattering Slag Bead. Beads ignite and deal light contact. Walls block them.
A Passing Ash Tempest first pushes a red haze in from far off, about six seconds, then crosses. During the crossing, ash covers the view, you are pushed, and you ignite in pulses. Cover cuts the burning sharply. Gain distance, or get behind shelter.
Sunken Sea
Section titled “Sunken Sea”In the Calamity mod the Sunken Sea is a peaceful biome. There is no damaging ambience hazard here. Crystal tones and a slow light swell sit in the water.
A Tranquil Vortex first draws motes and current-lines inward for a little more than a second, then pulls anyone in the water toward the center for about four and a half seconds. The pull is capped. Swimming out can break it. It deals no damage. Leaving the water drops the pull. The first time you enter the sea, a delay passes before a vortex can start.
The screen edges darken as you go deeper, and the heartbeat speeds up. A brittle crack sometimes sounds in the deep. None of this deals damage.
Abyssal Downwelling first sends a column of bubbles upward for a little more than a second, then pulls anyone wet inside the column downward. It deals no damage. Walking sideways out of about half the width leaves the column. Leaving the water drops it.
A pair of glowing eyes can appear in distant dark. Close to about 19 tiles, or light that spot, and they disperse. They deal no damage and do not spawn extra enemies.
Sulphurous Sea
Section titled “Sulphurous Sea”Acid mist and muffled thunder sit on the water. While a Calamity acid-rain event is running, the two hazards below pause new casts.
Acid Boil first densely bubbles a stretch of water for about one second, then rolls for about five and a half seconds. Immersion deals about 15 contact and poisons. Higher difficulty tabs upgrade that to Venom. Leaving the water eases both. Walk around the boiling stretch.
Toxic Haze Tide is a slow yellow-green fog wall. It is visible from far off. Staying inside it builds poison. It has no direct collision damage. Walk around, or wait for it to drift past. Leaving the water clears the linger.
Thunderstorms, Blood Moons, and eclipses
Section titled “Thunderstorms, Blood Moons, and eclipses”Ordinary rain only thickens the rain-threads. The sky may dim. This does not deal damage.
During a thunderstorm, open surface ground can take a Rainveil Thunderbolt. A warning column lights the landing for about one second, then the bolt strikes and inflicts brief Electrified. Leave the mark. Roofed ground is not chosen. Ordinary rain does not strike.
A Blood Moon on the surface lays a low red mist, with distant howls and a heartbeat. A solar eclipse darkens the sky toward amber and drifts ash. Neither set has a damaging landing.