Before starting the game in Terraria, it is possible to set the future World’s desired parameters.
There are three possible options – small, medium and large. In this guide, we will compare them and find the difference between the first and third options. You will be able to explore the details of these options, find their advantages and disadvantages, as well as their comparison with each other.
Small World in Terraria
World Small is one of the suggested options that, when selected, will generate a world of 8400 × 2400 feet. At the same time, an area of 8234 × 2234 feet will be available for movement.
In this case, all the resources necessary for the passage and procedurally-generated buildings, such as the Jungle Temple, will be within walking distance. In the case of ores, the spawn area and their quantity have been expanded. It will also be much easier to find the results of random events such as a meteorite fall. However, this size will not be enough for the player for large buildings.
This setting will be preferred by players with weak gaming platforms and a lack of memory. The small World loads much faster, and its file is relatively lightweight.
The small World greatly influences the battles with bosses and common mobs. It should be borne in mind that fighting with flying bosses; the player will have less room to manoeuvre since the low height of the World will force the bosses to be near the player all the time. For a fight with the Wall of Flesh, you will also have to prepare better since the length of Hell will decrease with the World’s size, and therefore the space and time during the boss fight will be much smaller.
The player should understand that creating the Small World may fail to receive the generation of all possible biomes on the map in the future. Despite the positive reduction in the number of biomes infecting the World, the lack of space can prevent, for example, the simultaneous generation of a warped desert and a consecrated desert.
Large World in Terraria
Large World is the preferred world generation setting among Terraria players. This option assumes the generation of a 16800 × 4800 ft map. At the same time, an area of 16634 × 4634 feet is available for movement.
It reveals all the content and potential of Terraria. First of all, it is worth noting that this setting is ideal for joint passage, as well as dozens of hours of gameplay and world exploration. Besides, this size is enough for the construction of large buildings.
Large World is attractive in that the number and size of dungeons increase by its scale. There are more and more procedurally generated structures, but finding them is more problematic. At the same time, the number of treasures and resources is increasing. Stumbling into an ore vein or dungeon with chests shouldn’t be a problem. The oceans’ size at the World’s edges, which play its border, is also significantly increased. Only this generation gives a guaranteed chance of getting all possible biomes and their hybrids at the same time.
In case the player plays with modifications, the choice should also fall on Large World, since this option, realizing a world of full scale, avoids possible errors during generation.
This generation option’s main disadvantage is the requirement for a strong device with large amounts of memory. Playing on weak devices will lead to long loading times of the World and stable loads and lags during the game.
For some, the time-consuming running along the entire surface of the World will also be a disadvantage. Considering the uneven terrain, possible mountains and holes, and the large numbers of hostile creatures that will be encountered along the way, it can take tens of minutes to reach the edge of the map. It is also worth considering the infecting biomes’ aggressiveness since there will be several of them at once in a Large World. Dealing with them, especially in the latter stages of the game, can be pretty challenging.
The game experience of fighting bosses is also fully revealed with this setting. In addition to more space for manoeuvring in battle, the player will have the opportunity to erect massive auxiliary structures to simplify the fight. The fight with the Wall of Flesh is worth noting separately. In this boss’s case, the player will not face a lack of world length and time.
Small World vs Large World in Terraria
Having an idea of each of these two worlds, you can compare them with each other and emphasize their advantages and disadvantages in relation to each other.
First of all, it should be noted that Large World is more exacting to the gaming platform than Small World. This type of generation requires significant amounts of memory and strong device characteristics.
The main point of difference is the difference in the size of the World. A large World is twice as large as a Small World. The same applies to structures, the number and sizes of which are several times more extensive with the first option than the second. The depth of the World, the size and number of biomes and floating islands spawning all increase in accordance with the selected setting.
Depending on the choice of Large World or Small World in Terraria, the number of pre-generated treasures, Treasure Rooms and Mini-Biomes also changes. Below are some examples in the ratio Large World – Small World.
- Floating Islands — 6 in the large and 3 in the small world.
- Living Mahogany Trees — 12 to 22 in the large World and 6 to 11 in the small.
- Underground Cabins — 305-311 and 71-74
- Life Crystals — 403 pieces scattered across the large World and 100 pieces across the small World.
- Surface Chests — 42 in the large World and half the volume in the small.
Other elements of the above categories differ in a similar ratio.
Thus, you can understand that each of these two settings is balanced for specific needs and the desired passage. For quick play and inexperienced players, and weak platforms, an introductory Small World was created. The choice of experienced players planning long-play in Terraria and getting a whole experience from the game should fall on the Large World.