How do I make the Guide NPC happy in Terraria?

To make the Guide NPC happy in Terraria, you need to understand the NPC happiness system, which was introduced in the 1.4 update. This system allows NPCs to have preferences for specific biomes and neighbors, which directly affects their happiness. A happy NPC will offer discounts on their items and, in some cases, sell unique items. For the Guide, his happiness is influenced by the biome he lives in and the NPCs he is housed near.

The Guide prefers the Forest biome, which is the default starting biome in Terraria. This is the easiest biome to satisfy his preference, as it is naturally available at the beginning of the game. If you place the Guide in a house located in the Forest biome, he will already be halfway to being happy. However, his happiness is also affected by the NPCs he is near. The Guide likes living near the Clothier and the Zoologist, but he dislikes living near the Merchant and the Painter. Therefore, to maximize his happiness, you should place him in a Forest biome house with the Clothier or Zoologist as neighbors.

To set this up, you will need to build suitable housing for the Guide and his preferred neighbors. Housing in Terraria requires a room that is at least 6 blocks wide and 10 blocks tall, with walls, a door, a table, a chair, and a light source. You can use any type of block for the walls and floor, but the room must be enclosed and have a solid background wall. Once you have built the house, you can assign the Guide to it by opening the housing menu and selecting the room for him.

When placing the Guide in the Forest biome, make sure the house is not too close to other biomes, as this can cause the game to consider the house part of a different biome. For example, if you build the house too close to the Corruption or Crimson, the game might register it as part of those biomes instead of the Forest. This would make the Guide unhappy, as he dislikes those biomes. To avoid this, keep the house at least 50 blocks away from any biome borders.

Another important consideration is the distance between the Guide and his neighbors. NPCs need to be within 25 blocks of each other to be considered neighbors. If the Guide is too far from the Clothier or Zoologist, he will not receive the happiness bonus from being near them. You can check the distance by using the housing menu to see if the NPCs are close enough to each other.

A common mistake players make is overcrowding the Forest biome with too many NPCs. While the Guide likes the Forest, having too many NPCs in the same area can reduce overall happiness. Each NPC has a crowding penalty if there are more than three NPCs within 25 blocks of each other. To avoid this, spread out your NPCs across different biomes or create separate housing clusters within the Forest biome.

Advanced players can optimize the Guide's happiness by using pylons, which are teleportation devices that allow quick travel between biomes. To unlock a pylon, you need to have at least two NPCs in a biome who are happy enough to sell it. Since the Guide likes the Forest biome, you can pair him with the Clothier or Zoologist to unlock the Forest pylon. This not only makes travel easier but also ensures the Guide remains happy.

In terms of resource requirements, building a house for the Guide and his neighbors is relatively simple. You will need wood, stone, and torches, which are readily available in the early game. If you want to decorate the house, you can use furniture crafted from wood or other materials. However, decorations do not affect NPC happiness, so they are optional.

Class and equipment considerations are not directly related to NPC happiness, but having a strong character can help you gather resources and build houses more efficiently. For example, a melee character with a good pickaxe can quickly mine stone and wood, while a ranged character can defend against enemies while building in dangerous areas.

In summary, to make the Guide happy, place him in a Forest biome house with the Clothier or Zoologist as neighbors. Avoid overcrowding, keep the house away from other biomes, and ensure the NPCs are within 25 blocks of each other. Use pylons for optimization and gather basic resources like wood and stone for housing. By following these steps, you can keep the Guide happy and benefit from his discounts and unique items.