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Which things give light, and how far?
| Source | Range (m) | Light and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Torch | 14 | Orange. On the floor or against a wall. |
| Lantern | 14 | White. A lit voxel you place like raw matter. |
| Candle, candlestick, chandelier | 8 | Soft orange. Burns as soon as it is set down. |
| Ceiling, wall, floor, desk lamps | 14 | Warm. Need power from a cable. |
| Street lamp | 15 | Cold white. Needs power from a cable. |
| Fireplace | 14 | Warm, flickers with the crackle. |
| Lava | 12 | Orange. Natural, in lava lakes. |
| Glow mushroom, crystal | 5 | Faint blue and faint cold white. Natural, found in caves. |
How do I make torches and lanterns?
How to get it
A voxel of coal, a charcoal or a glowing creature part (glow jelly, ectoplasm, an angler lure or spores) on a stick: four torches.
What it is for
Light caves and rooms, keep your base safe from monsters, light bitumen with a right click.
Why it exists
Light is what makes a base safe: darkness is where monsters are born.
A voxel of coal on a stick makes 4 torches. Glow jelly on a stick, or an angler fish's lure on a stick, also make 4. An iron ingot above a torch makes 2 lanterns. A torch stands on the floor or leans on a wall; it takes its voxel and the one above, which must be empty.
What about candles, lamps and the fireplace?
- Candles: wax (or tallow) over a wick of wool, flax, cotton or string makes 4 candles in their dish. The dye vat colours them. Wax is a honeycomb melted down (from a bee nest or your own beehive); tallow comes from cows, sheep, goats and bears.
- Candlestick and chandelier: three candles and iron or gold ingots make a candlestick. A chandelier hangs from the ceiling by a copper chain with six arms of candles; the crystal one is gold with glass drops.
- Electric lamps: copper wire, a light bulb, and glass or sheet metal. They light only when a small power cable brings electricity from a generator, panels or a battery; with less power, they shine weaker. A light switch (an iron sheet or plastic, wire and rock make 2) turns the lamps of its network off and on with a right-click. See power.
- Fireplace: 2 m × 2 m against a wall, in bricks or in rock, with an iron ingot for the firedogs. It burns wood, planks, sticks, coal or charcoal one unit at a time, 40 times slower than a furnace: a cubic metre of wood lasts about four minutes, a voxel of wood 3.75 s. It keeps burning while you are away, and cooks raw food in 12 s on a spit or a gridiron. Its flicker is steady on Low and Medium graphics.
| Lamp | Power | Made of |
|---|---|---|
| Ceiling lamp | 60 W | Wire, bulb, glass (opal globe) or an iron or copper sheet (dome) |
| Wall lamp | 40 W | Copper arm, bulb, wire, a glass or metal shade |
| Floor lamp | 60 W | Paper shade, bulb, wire, iron pole (or a glass torchiere) |
| Desk lamp | 25 W | Bulb, wire, green stained glass on iron sheets (or an iron shade; a terracotta or porcelain foot) |
| Street lamp | 150 W | Iron ingots, glass, bulb, wire |
Light sources
What does light do at night?
Night and caves are almost black without a source, so you cannot see what is coming. Light also makes a base safe: no monster spawns within the range of a light you placed, 14 m for a torch, a lantern, a fireplace or a lit lamp, 8 m for a candle, and a monster that stays 3 s in that light (a ghost through a wall, a zombie through the door) goes up in smoke, as in sunlight. Lava, glowing mushrooms and crystals do not count. The brightness setting only lifts the darkest shade. See creature dangers.
Questions
How far does a torch light?
14 m. A lantern also lights 14 m, a candle 8 m.
Why is my lamp dark?
A lamp needs a power cable from a generator, and its light switch must be on. Torches, lanterns and candles need no power.
Does a torch keep monsters away?
Yes: no monster spawns within 14 m of a torch (8 m of a candle), and one that lingers 3 s in its light goes up in smoke. Light the inside and the edges of your base.
Updated