How to Use Dye in Terraria

Many games offer the possibility of customizing your character, which can vary from changing the visual appearance to choosing a specific attribute of your character’s personality. One of these options is changing the color of the clothing and armor you’re wearing in the game. This is available in Terraria as well.

Changing the color of your boots, leggings, helm, armor, and other equipment parts can let you create a unique look for your character in the game. You can use many possible dyes and make your armor have an animated effect, for instance.

Read on to learn how to use dye, where to buy them, and how to create them.

Using Dyes in Terraria

Dyes are one of the items you can possess in your inventory. They are easily found in their designated spot marked “Dyes” and can be used to change the color of your equipment. To do this, you only need to drag the desired dye to the piece of equipment you want to change the color of. For example, if you want to make your helm yellow, drag the yellow dye to the helm slot.

It’s worth noting that not all pieces of equipment will have a slot for dye. Furthermore, you don’t have to use the same paint for all your armor; you can dye your helm yellow and your boots red or silver. And when you want to remove the dye, you can just unequip it.

There are many available dyes you can use for this purpose, from Basic and Bright Dyes to Gradient, Compound, Strange, and Lunar, and shades that are classified as Other Dyes.

How to Obtain Dyes

Basic Dyes are the most common dye items found in the game. You can make them from different materials, each specific for each dye. Another way to obtain dyes is to buy them from the Dye Trader NPC.

Obtaining Dyes by Crafting Materials

You can create many different dyes in Terraria, but there are 13 Basic Dyes, which can be easily created by owning a Dye Vat and the required raw material. While the material can be found all around the world, the Dye Vat crafting item can only be bought from the same Dye Trader NPC. When you want to create a dye, all you need to do is:

1. Stand near the Dye Vat.
   
2. Click on the material from the menu on the left side of the screen and put the dye in your inventory.
   

Here is the list of all 13 Basic Dyes, which materials you need to make them, and where you can find them in “Terraria.”

• Red – This color can be crafted with Red Husk. Cochineal Beetle mob drops this item in 100% of cases after you kill it. You can find the beetle in the Underground biome.
• Orange – Orange can be crafted from Orange Bloodroot, which you can also find in the Underground or Cavern layer hanging from the ceilings.
• Yellow – You need to acquire Yellow Marigold and put it in the Dye Vat to get this dye. This plant is spread on the surface layer, usually found in grass.
• Lime – The Lime Kelp needed to make this dye can be found in the water. Water is present near many biomes, except the Underground and Desert, where it’s rare. However, you can also find kelp in the Oasis biome.
• Green – Green Dye is made from the Green Mushroom. Dirt blocks, where Green Mushroom resides, can be found in many places on the map, from the surface to the Underground and Cavern layers.
• Teal – Teal and Green Dyes are similar, except you need to find the Teal Mushroom to make teal, which can also be located in the same game levels as green ones.
• Cyan – Killing Cyan Beetles will get you Cyan Husk, which you need to make Cyan Dye. These mobs are found in the Ice biomes in the Underground and Cavern layers. If you reach the Lava layer, you’ve gone too far.
• Sky Blue – This dye requires Sky Blue Flowers found on the surface, usually in the Jungle biome.
• Blue – Gathering Blue Berries from the Forest biomes and grass blocks on the surface will result in Blue Dye.
• Purple – If you want your armor to be purple, you need to obtain Purple Mucus from the Sea Snails in the Ocean biomes.
• Violet – Similar to Cyan and Red, Violet Dye can be crafted by obtaining the Violet Husk from Lac Bettles, which resides in the Underground Jungle.
• Pink – You need to gather a Pink Prickly Pear item, which grows on Cacti in the sandy biome Desert, to craft a Pink Dye.
• Black – For a darker look, you need to loot the Squid in the Ocean biomes to find the Black Ink required for crafting a Black Dye.

Besides the colors mentioned above, Silver and Brown Dyes are considered Basic Dyes, but they’re not craftable. You can buy them from the Dye Trader.

Combining Dyes

Basic Dyes can be combined with different materials and create Gradient or Bright Dyes, for example. If you want to have bright-colored armor, all you need to do is combine the Silver Dye with the desired color.

You can combine different dyes and make Gradient Dyes. For instance, red, orange, and yellow dye ingredients can produce Flame and Black Dye, Intense Flame Dye, and Flame and Silver Dye. This can be done with various primary colors, and the possibilities are immense. You can combine until you find the right color that fits your style and preferences.

Obtaining Dyes From the NPC

If you don’t want to gather materials and craft dye, you can buy certain dyes from the Dye Trader NPC. He is recognizable by a purple turban. However, you need to fulfill specific requirements to “summon” him. This NPC appears if:

• You have one of the “Strange Plants.”
• You possess a dye or dye ingredient.
• There is some empty house.
• There are all four NPCs in town.
• You defeated one of the following bosses: Skeletron, Eater of Worlds, Eye of Cthulhu, or Brain of Cthulhu.

The Dye Trader can sell you a brown or a silver dye any time for one Gold Coin, while other items are available during specific periods. For instance, if you want to buy a Bloodbath Dye, you need to wait for a Blood Moon, or if you want a Team Dye, you need to play on a multiplayer server instead of a single-player one.

Strange Plant Quest

Another thing you can do when you interact with the Dye Trader is offer him Strange Plant items. These can be acquired by doing the “Strange Plant” quest. If you have one of the four Strange Plants (red, orange, green, or purple), you can offer it to the NPC, who randomly gives you a special dye. These plants can be found all over the world.

Create the Best-Looking Armor

With so many different colors and dyes in Terraria, you can use your creativity and mix various colors and materials to create a perfect color for your armor, hat, or leggings. If you prefer a lighter tone, obtaining Silver Dye is necessary. But if you want one of the basic colors, you can explore the world and search for them in different biomes.

Which dye do you use for your armor? Let us know in the comments section below.