If you’ve just beaten the Wall of Flesh and jumped into Terraria’s chaotic Hardmode for the first time, you’ve probably noticed a lot of new, rare crafting materials popping up that you’ve never seen before. One of the most essential early Hardmode resources you’ll need to craft boss summons, powerful weapons, and quality of life items is the Soul of Night. A lot of new players waste hours hunting for this item in the wrong areas or using ineffective methods, so we’ve put together this no-fluff guide to help you farm it as fast as possible.
How to Get Soul of Night in Terraria: Core Eligibility Requirements
Before you start grinding for Soul of Night, there are a few non-negotiable requirements you have to meet first, otherwise you’ll never see a single drop no matter how many enemies you kill. First, you must be in Hardmode, which unlocks only after you defeat the Wall of Flesh in your world. You will never get Soul of Night drops in Pre-Hardmode, no matter how many enemies you kill in evil biomes before beating the Wall of Flesh. Second, you need to be in the underground or cavern layer of a Corruption or Crimson biome. The game counts an area as an evil biome if there are at least 200 Corruption or Crimson blocks (like ebonstone, crimstone, corrupt ice, or crimson ice) within a 125-block radius of your position. You can tell you’re in the right spot when the background switches to the evil biome underground art and the corresponding evil biome music starts playing. You don’t have to use your world’s natural evil biome, either: you can build a fully functional artificial evil biome anywhere in the underground layer by placing enough evil blocks.
Top Soul of Night Farming Methods for All Playstyles
Once you meet the eligibility requirements, you can pick a farming method that fits your current gear and how much time you want to spend grinding. We’ve tested all the popular methods, and these three are the most reliable for every stage of Hardmode:
One critical note to remember here: Enemies that spawn from statues do not drop Souls of Night, so don’t waste time building statue farms for this specific resource. We’ve seen tons of new players make this mistake, and it’s always a huge letdown when they spend hours building a farm that gives zero souls.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Farming Soul of Night
Even if you pick the right farming method, small mistakes can slow down your grind by hours. These are the three most common mistakes we see players make all the time: First, farming above the underground layer. A lot of players build farms in the surface Corruption or Crimson, but Soul of Night only drops when you are below the surface level. Always use a depth meter to confirm you are at least 0 feet below the surface before you start farming. Second, not accounting for biome interference. If your artificial farm is too close to Hallow blocks, the Hallow will cancel out the evil biome effect, so enemies won’t drop souls even if you have hundreds of evil blocks placed. Keep your farm at least 50 blocks away from any Hallow or neutral biomes to avoid this issue. Third, hunting only specific enemies. Many new players assume only rare mobs like Corruptors or Crimson Floaters drop Soul of Night, but every enemy that spawns in the evil underground has the exact same drop rate. I used to spend 20 minutes running past regular corrupt slimes just to chase Corruptors when I first started Hardmode, and I wasted so much time for no reason.
Best Uses for Soul of Night in Terraria
Now that you know how to farm Soul of Night efficiently, you might be wondering what to do with all the stacks you collect. It’s one of the most versatile Hardmode materials, with dozens of useful crafts for every playstyle. You will need at least 15 Souls of Night to craft all three mechanical boss summon items if you are playing in a Corruption world, so it’s always a good idea to farm extra before you start fighting Hardmode bosses. It’s also a key component for crafting biome keys, which let you open the special locked chests in the Dungeon to get some of the most powerful endgame items in the game. If you’re not focused on boss fights yet, there are plenty of quality of life crafts too. The Void Bag is one of the most underrated crafts using Soul of Night, as it gives you 40 extra inventory slots that you can access anywhere, even in the middle of a boss fight. It’s also used to craft a range of powerful magic and summoner weapons, like the Cursed Flames spell book and upgrade materials for summoner minion builds.
Farming Soul of Night doesn’t have to be a frustrating, hours-long grind if you know where to look and what methods work. Whether you’re a brand new Hardmode player just gearing up for your first mechanical boss fight or a late-game player stocking up for endgame crafts, the tips in this guide will help you get all the Soul of Night you need in a fraction of the time. Just remember to double check you’re in the right biome and layer before you start, and don’t be afraid to test out different farm setups to see what works best for your playstyle.