Sprites A Bunch of Shimmer Ideas

[Russ Guss Doodles]

Ever since 1.4.4 released I’ve had a lot of ideas related to Shimmer. It’s such an interesting addition to the game and I feel like the liquid’s transmutation property has a lot of untapped potential. So here's a bunch of concepts for items and transmutations that I think would fit into the game.

Table of Contents
- New‎Shimmer‎Items‎ -
- Useful‎Transmutations‎ -
- Aetherian‎Entities‎ -
​

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New Shimmer Items

Bottled Eternal Flame
Consumable
Permanently makes all light pets glow at max brightness

Transmuted from a Faeling in a Bottle Post-Moonlord

This permanent upgrade would allow players to choose a Light Pet based on its appearance after beating the game. The light level for all light pets would be the same as the Wisp, Suspicious Looking Eye, and Fairy Princess.

Astral Chain
Consumable
Permanently gives all hooks max reach and velocity

Transmuted from a basic Grappling Hook Post-Moonlord

This permanent upgrade would allow players to choose a grappling hook based on its appearance after beating the game. When used this item would make all hooks extend 38 tiles and have max velocity. The upgrade would not affect how many hooks can be shot out at once or change any special effects.

Spellbound Saddle
Consumable
Permanently grants flying mounts infinite flight and gives all mounts a speed boost

Transmuted from any Zoologist Horse Saddle Post-Moonlord

This permanent upgrade would give players more freedom to choose a mount based on its appearance after beating the game. The speed buff would be a percentage increase to avoid messing with a mount's animation.

Prism Ring
Consumable
Permanently lowers shop prices by 10%

Transmuted from a Diamond Ring

At first glance this upgrade may seem overpowered, but keep in mind the Diamond Ring is a very rare Traveling Merchant item that costs 2 Platinum. It would be used as an investment for players who know they will be buying items or reforging a lot.

Bag of Winds
Consumable
Permentally increase movement speed

Transmuted from an Anklet of the Wind

When consumed this upgrade would permanently increase the player's movement speed by 3-5%, a small but helpful boost.

Dream Diver's Helmet
Consumable
Permentally extend underwater breathing time

Transmuted from a Diving Helmet

When consumed this upgrade would permanently grant the player a couple extra seconds of breathing time.

Orion's Toolbelt
Consumable
Permentally increase block placement range

Transmuted from a Toolbelt

When consumed this upgrade would permanently increase the player's placement range by 1.

Celestial Work Bench
Consumable
Unlocks an ability toggle to the left of the inventory
Enables you to craft from a Work Bench, Advanced Furnace, Advanced Anvil, Sawmill, Loom, and Heavy Work Bench from anywhere

Transmuted from an Ancient Manipulator

This upgrade is mainly meant as a QoL item for builders.

Death Certificate
Consumable
Unlocks an ability toggle to the left of the inventory
When enabled tombstones will not drop upon death
‘Hurry back! We’ve been dying to have you…’

Transmuted from any Gold Tombstone

This upgrade would be convenient for late Pre-Hardmode players who are tired of cleaning up graves, builders who don’t want their builds messed up, or during PVP when the last thing you want is a graveyard biome.

Illuminating Map
Consumable
A map that will permanently help you see every corner of the world
‘The greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places'

Transmuted from a Mysterious Map (one of my other item concepts) or a Compass Post-Moonlord

When revealing the map this item would only dimly reveal the unexplored parts so you can see where you’ve been while also showing the entire world. I recognize that even with this caveat an item that reveals the entire world may be too overpowered but I thought I would suggest it anyway and put the idea out there.

Shimmer Bullet
8 Ranged Damage
14% Critical Strike Chance
Extremely Weak Knockback
Ammo
Phases through blocks

Transmuted from Musket Balls and/or Empty Bullets

This ammo would have the unique property of being able to pass through blocks one time and like Shimmer Arrows would have a small rainbow explosion upon impact. After passing through blocks the bullet would do half damage.

Shimmering Grenade
Consumable
A small explosion that will cause nearby players to begin Shimmer Phasing
‘Instantaneously insubstantial!’

Transmuted from Grenades

This item would be perfect for trolling in multiplayer or might have some niche uses in the late game.

Shimmer Bomb
Consumable
A small explosion that will spread Shimmer

Transmuted from Dry Bombs Post-Moonlord or crafted from a Dry Bomb and Luminite Bar

This item would allow players to move Shimmer Post-Moonlord or bring Shimmer to a Pre-1.4.4 world without grinding for a Bottomless Water Bucket.

Shimmer Rocket
45 Ranged Damage
12% Critical Strike Chance
Weak Knockback
Ammo
Spreads Shimmer on impact

Transmuted from Dry Rockets Post-Moonlord or crafted from a Dry Rocket and Luminite Bar

Just like Shimmer Bombs, this item would allow players to move Shimmer Post-Moonlord or bring Shimmer to a Pre-1.4.4 world without grinding for a Bottomless Water Bucket.

Shimmer Dye
‘See how it glistens’

Transmuted from Silver Dye during a Full or Waning Gibbous Moon

This dye would apply a glowing lavender effect very similar to the appearance of Shimmer.

Chromatic Dye
‘Pure rainbow energy’

Transmuted from Silver Dye during a Third Quarter or Waning Crescent Moon

This dye would match the rainbow effect of the Chromatic Cloak.

Aether Dye
‘What do stars do?’

Transmuted from Silver Dye during a New or Waxing Crescent Moon

This dye would mimic the rainbow star background of the Aether.

Pearlescent Dye
‘Ooo, colors!’

Transmuted from Silver Dye during a First Quarter or Waxing Gibbous Moon

This dye would apply a pearlescent sheen.

Rainbow Quartz
Equipable
Summons a pet Gem Jelly
'An aquatic creature of pure rainbow light'

Transmuted from a Geode

The summoned Gem Jelly would randomly match one of the 7 gem types.

Magic Shimmer Dropper
Can be placed

Transmuted from an Empty Dropper

Just like the other Magic Droppers this item would be used to place glowing Shimmer drops in the world. This item could also introduce falling Shimmer droplets to the Aether during world generation, adding even more ambiance to the biome.

Shimmerfall Block
Can be placed
Material

Transmuted from Waterfall Block

This block would have the same animation as the other Liquidfall Blocks and would naturally glow in the dark like Shimmer. It would also be craftable into Shimmerfall Walls.

Inverted Block
Can be placed
Material
Disappears with Echo Sight

Transmuted from Echo Block

This block would be visible under normal circumstances but then disappear when wearing Echo Goggles or when near an Echo Chamber, making it the inverse of Echo Blocks. This would allow builders to use the same texture as Echo Blocks in their builds and when combined with the next item idea could lead to some interesting possibilities. Echo Coating would not work on this block.

Inverted Coating
Renders coated objects invisible with Echo Sight
Can be combined with any other paint or coating except for Echo Coating
‘Gone in a flash.’

Transmuted from Echo Coating

Just like its block counterpart, this coating would disappear when wearing Echo Goggles or when near an Echo Chamber. For obvious reasons, you would not be able to combine it with Echo Coating and it would not work on Echo Blocks. This coating could be used in tandem with Echo Coating to create moving builds and incredible adventure maps.

Prismatic Water Fountain
Can be placed
‘RGB gaming water’

Transmuted from a Pure Water Fountain

When activated this Water Fountain would cause water nearby to glow and cycle through the colors of the rainbow in sequence with other rainbow items (like Rainbow Bricks and Helium Moss). Water streams that flow over Rainbow Bricks glow and cycle through the rainbow so why not let entire pools of water do the same?

Pearlescent Perch
Material

Transmuted from any Hallow Fish (Chaos Fish, Princess Fish, or Prismite)

This fish would be used to craft Chromatic Potions.

Chromatic Potion
Consumable
Provides immunity to Shimmer Phasing and emits an aura of rainbow light
20 min duration

Crafted with a Pearlescent Perch, a Water Bottle, and a Daybloom

This potion would give the player a buff called Chromatic Aura that would grant the same immunity to Shimmer Phasing as the Chromatic Cloak and cause the player to glow with a bright rainbow light. This potion would have some utility in preventing Shimmer Phasing but could be used as an upgrade to Shine Potions.

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Useful Transmutations

Aether Torch <—> Normal Torch
Since all Torches turn into Aether torches when thrown in Shimmer there’s no way to get back the normal torches created through crafting or biome torch conversion. Having Aether Torches turn back into Normal Torches would help remedy this problem.

Diamond —> Amber —> Ruby
Amber is the only gem not included in the sequence of downgrading materials. Alternatively Amber could transmute into Diamond, it really depends on what Re-Logic thinks is balenced.

Cobalt —> Hellstone —> Meteorite —> Platinum
Currently, Hellstone is the only non-renewable metal. Meteorite is also hard to get without letting meteors destroy the surface of your world. Including both Hellstone and Meteorite ore in the sequence of ore transmutations would help remedy these problems.

Mud —> Clay —> Dirt
A renewable way to get clay.

Yellow Willow Sapling <—> Sakura Sapling
A simple convenient transmutation that makes sense.

Red Dynasty Shingles <—> Blue Dynasty Shingles
Another convenient transmutation that makes sense.

Cycle Between Team Blocks
And another convenient transmutation that makes sense.

Cycle Between Potted Trees
This would also apply to the Jungle Potted Trees, Hallow Potted Trees, Crystal Potted Plants, and Lava Potted Plants.

Snow <—> Ice
Ice currently transmutes into Snow but it would be convenient if it also went the other way. This would also make Ice renewable since you can get Snow from the Frost Legion.

Cycle Between Temple Traps
Useful for getting the Temple Traps you need without creating a new world.

Cycle Between Seashells
This would be useful getting the shells you want for decorating and turning the fancier shells into the plain shell for Reef Blocks. It also just makes sense.

Cycle Between Strange Plants
Would be useful for builders who want specific plants for their builds

Golden Key —> Gold Chest
A renewable way to get Gold Chests.


Biome Chests <—> Biome Keys
Biome Keys are obviously very hard to come by. Letting Biome Chests transmute back into Keys would prevent any accidents with a very rare item.

Bomb Fish —> Bomb
The transmutation would allow players to use Bomb Fish to make other bombs like Dirt Bombs or Scarab Bombs.

Tsunami in a Bottle —> Cloud in a Bottle
The Balloon Pufferfish transmutes into a Shiny Red Balloon so it only makes sense for the Tsunami in a Bottle to transmute into a Cloud in a Bottle. It would also make the Cloud in a Bottle renewable.

Sailfish Boots —> Hermes Boots
Same reasoning as the previous transmutation. It would match the Ballon Pufferfish transmutation and also make Hermes Boots renewable.

Orange Zapinator —> Gray Zapinator
A way to get the Gray Zapinator in Hardmode without having to create a new world.

Climbing Claws <—> Shoe Spikes
Both of these accessories behave the exact same way and are both used to craft Tiger Climbing Claws. Having them transmute back and forth would make sense and be convenient for getting the Master Ninja Gear.

Tabi <—> Black Belt
Both of these accessories drop from Bone Lees with the exact same drop chance and are used to craft the Master Ninja Gear.


Biome Mimic Hook —> Random Different Biome Mimic Drop
When farming biome mimics getting a hook can be really annoying. Letting Biome Mimic Hooks transmute into a different random drop from their respective Mimics would give players a second chance at getting the item they want.

Putrid Scent <—> Flesh Knuckles
Most Evil Biome equivalents can be easily obtained in Hardmode by creating an artificial Corruption/Crimson. However alternate Evil Biome Mimics can be hard to farm no matter what since you can’t use a Key of Night to spawn them. Also, unlike the other drops these two accessories are very different and are used in recipes for different classes. Having the option to transmute Putrid Scent and Flesh Knuckles back and forth would help solve this issue.

Aetherium Block —> Shimmer
Shimmer is a very limited resource before the Moon Lord is defeated. If throwing Aetherium Block back into the Shimmer refilled the pool any mistakes could be easily fixed.

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Aetherian Entities


Finally, two trolly easter egg ideas that have to do with the Voodoo Dolls.

‎Shimmered Guide Doll‎
When thrown into Shimmer the Guide Voodoo Doll would transform into what appears to be a Doll of the Shimmered Guide. However, you wouldn’t be able to pick up the Shimmered Doll. Instead, it would rise above the Shimmer pool, the Otherworldly Night Track would begin to play, and the Doll would make the Lunatic Cultist laughing sound. Then any players nearby would be frozen, not be able to see anything except the Aether background, would rapidly begin to take damage, and then right before dying would be teleported to spawn (to avoid any items falling into the Shimmer). The death message would be, “[Player Name] couldn’t comprehend what they saw…” or “You shouldn’t have done that…”

‎ Shimmered Clothier Doll‎
When thrown into Shimmer the Clothier Voodoo Doll would transform into what appears to be a Doll of the Shimmered Clothier. This doll would also rise above the Shimmer and make Lunatic Cultist sounds. But instead of directly killing the player this entity would summon a Dungeon Guardian and then disappear in an explosion of rainbow sparks. A funny joke and a way to obtain a Skeleton Key Post-Skeletron.

Here's what this could look like in game...

Both of these events would not kill Hardcore characters to avoid unfair deaths.

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Thank you for reading, I would love to hear what your favorite idea is or any feedback. Also, a big thanks to everyone who has shown support for these ideas, I really appreciate it!​

 

[GoldenTerrabyte]

There's a lot of creative stuff here! I like the variety of ideas, and I think it all feels pretty on brand. I especially like the Shimmer Grenade idea.

 

[firecat666]

No!!! We need the real First Fractal, not just a Zenith recolour! Just look at it go, it's so glorious!

Seriously, we need that.

 

[Dapling]

Wow these are awesome! Love the amount of thought put into all of these!

 

[Russ Guss Doodles]

No!!! We need the real First Fractal, not just a Zenith recolour! Just look at it go, it's so glorious!

Seriously, we need that.

I would LOVE it if Re-Logic finished and implemented the First Fractals original attack Having the First Fractals attack in the game could be interesting but I feel like a Zenith recolor would be a more reasonable addition. A nice nod to what could have been Terraria’s final sword.

 

[J Bame]

I haven't seen quality suggestions in a long time, this is really cool. I've seen the idea of being able to Shimmer Truffle Worms into Prismatic Lacewings to allow Pre-Mech empress of light fights without making newbies get confused by summoning a late-game boss in early hardmode.

Some nitpicks:

The ridiculous mount speed increase wouldn't look right on a lot of them, like the Bee Mount and especially the Turtle. Would be better if it was just a % boost. Im also not sure if buffing mounts like this is even possible, as far as im aware Mounts are an old hardcoded mess.

The chromatic potion is pretty expensive and redundant, shimmer phasing is EXTREMELY niche and most things that would need it (builds or adventure maps) would just use the Shimmer Cloak because it's permanent.

Amber is a tier below Diamond, not the other way around.

it’s hard to find a Collector’s Eddition

That's why it's the Collector's Edition.

 

[Russ Guss Doodles]

I haven't seen quality suggestions in a long time, this is really cool. I've seen the idea of being able to Shimmer Truffle Worms into Prismatic Lacewings to allow Pre-Mech empress of light fights without making newbies get confused by summoning a late-game boss in early hardmode.

Some nitpicks:

The ridiculous mount speed increase wouldn't look right on a lot of them, like the Bee Mount and especially the Turtle. Would be better if it was just a % boost. Im also not sure if buffing mounts like this is even possible, as far as im aware Mounts are an old hardcoded mess.

The chromatic potion is pretty expensive and redundant, shimmer phasing is EXTREMELY niche and most things that would need it (builds or adventure maps) would just use the Shimmer Cloak because it's permanent.

Amber is a tier below Diamond, not the other way around.


That's why it's the Collector's Edition.

Thank you for your feedback! I actually agree with a lot of your nitpicks and I’ve updated things accordingly. I’ve also removed the Fuzzy Carrot to Carrot transmutation because it was kinda stupid.

 

[firecat666]

I would LOVE it if they implemented the First Fractals original attack but I feel like a Zenith recolor would be a more reasonable addition.

Why? It's already in the game and it works fine. I wouldn't mind if they even lowered its damage compared to the Zenith so it's strictly inferior in most, if not all situations.

 

[J Bame]

Why? It's already in the game and it works fine. I wouldn't mind if they even lowered its damage compared to the Zenith so it's strictly inferior in most, if not all situations.

It's not in the game (you need 3rd party programs to get it) and just because it functions doesn't mean it's finished or working as intended. Honestly, it isn't even correct to call First Fractal "unimplemented", "removed", or anything liek that, it's quite literally an early take on the Zenith.

I like the idea of Shimmering a Zenith to get it just for the funsies, but I don't think the devs will want to do it.

 

[firecat666]

It's not in the game (you need 3rd party programs to get it) and just because it functions doesn't mean it's finished or working as intended. Honestly, it isn't even correct to call First Fractal "unimplemented", "removed", or anything liek that, it's quite literally an early take on the Zenith.

I like the idea of Shimmering a Zenith to get it just for the funsies, but I don't think the devs will want to do it.

Sure, but if you watch the video you can clearly see that it's closer to being finished than anything else. That's why I said I wouldn't mind if made some minor change so it can't compete with the Zenith and implement it basically as it is.

See, the idea here is that it's awesome and we want to play with it and we'll take whatever we can get. Therefore the best course of action is to support this so it gets enough traction for the devs to seriously consider it, rather than argue that it's bad because "the devs don't want it". I'm sure there's plenty of things the devs didn't want to add to the game but added anyway because enough people wanted it. Unless they're absurdly stubborn about it for some reason.

 

[Aceplante]

Mostly good ideas except for the things that permanently give the best stats with no downsides: Bottled Eternal Flame, Astral Cable, and Spellbound Saddle. Who in their right mind would ever think any of this was a good idea. At least that minecart thing is locked to master mode...

Also the Prism Ring (okay I guess but unnecessary), Gilded Death Certificate (dumb, just dont die), and illuminating map THAT REVEALS THE ENTIRE WORLD???? NO please never add any of these. Literally just go around and spray things if you want to reveal the map.

Edit: You have since clarified the illumination would only be very dim, just enough to make the general terrain out which I guess is balanced, plus it is post moonlord. You have also added concepts for an item that PERMANENTLY increases your breath by a MINUTE? (Op, please do not add) and an item that makes workbenches useless?

Some of the shimmer stuff like rockets/balloons make sense (since all the other liquids have them), and the toolbelt (+1 block reach)/bag of winds (+5% speed) seems reasonable. But we need to keep these permanent changes to minor stats... not "doesnt need workbenches ever/doesnt drop tombstones".

 

[Dapling]

Mostly good ideas except for the things that permanently give the best stats with no downsides: Bottled Eternal Flame, Astral Cable, and Spellbound Saddle. Who in their right mind would ever think any of this was a good idea. At least that minecart thing is locked to master mode...

Also the Prism Ring (okay I guess by unnecessary), Gilded Death Certificate (dumb), and illuminating map THAT REVEALS THE ENTIRE WORLD???? NO please never add any of these. Literally just go around and spray things if you want to reveal the map.

You're not considering that balance doesn't really matter post moon lord. None of these things are as strong as the Rod of Harmony, to show an example...

 

[noobsqoou⛏️]

I'm a big fan of the three items that permanently upgrade your light pet, hook, and mount slots in the same way the minecart slot gets upgraded. I've suggested "vanity slots" for those equipment slots before so effects of one item could be used with the appearance of another, but the upgrade method works even better. I also like the transmutes for the climbing accessories and the Putrid Scent <—> Flesh Knuckles. Tbh I wouldn't mind seeing all of the Corruption/Crimson Mimic items be transmutable (each one has a melee, ranged, and magic weapon, as well as a hook).

As for the rest of your suggestions . . . I'm pretty indifferent, but I wouldn't mind seeing them. I'd probably never use the map revealing item, because then I'd have no idea where I have actually been without heavy modifications to a given area.

 

[Aceplante]

I'm a big fan of the three items that permanently upgrade your light pet, hook, and mount slots in the same way the minecart slot gets upgraded. I've suggested "vanity slots" for those equipment slots before so effects of one item could be used with the appearance of another, but the upgrade method works even better. I also like the transmutes for the climbing accessories and the Putrid Scent <—> Flesh Knuckles. Tbh I wouldn't mind seeing all of the Corruption/Crimson Mimic items be transmutable (each one has a melee, ranged, and magic weapon, as well as a hook).

As for the rest of your suggestions . . . I'm pretty indifferent, but I wouldn't mind seeing them. I'd probably never use the map revealing item, because then I'd have no idea where I have actually been without heavy modifications to a given area.

Thats the thing, you use it ONCE, even accidentally, and then it permanently reveals the ENTIRE MAP??? just no

 

[J Bame]

I'd probably never use the map revealing item, because then I'd have no idea where I have actually been without heavy modifications to a given area.

This has a simple workaround, it could just show the "unexplored" part of the map at the minimum light. Places you've already explored will be far more lit up in comparison.

 

[Aceplante]

This has a simple workaround, it could just show the "unexplored" part of the map at the minimum light. Places you've already explored will be far more lit up in comparison.

hm.. very dim instead of black, i suppose that could be sorta fair?

 

[Russ Guss Doodles]

This has a simple workaround, it could just show the "unexplored" part of the map at the minimum light. Places you've already explored will be far more lit up in comparison.

I like this solution. It reveals the map so that you can see things like sword shrines and infection patches while keeping it a bit more balanced.

 

[Russ Guss Doodles]

Update: Since originally posting I’ve added the Bag of Winds, Dream Diver’s Helmet, Orion’s Toolbelt, Celestial Work Bench, Shimmer Bullet, 3 New Dyes, Rainbow Quartz Pet Summon, Inverted Block, Inverted Coating, and the Shimmered Clothier Doll.

 

[Unit One]

wep dee doo

Not needed @Aceplante. You’ve been warned before to treat others with respect. If you’re not going to be polite, please don’t post. If it happens again, there may be warning points or account restrictions (such as not being able to post in the Suggestions section) applied.

Send me a private message HERE if you have questions, I’m happy to answer or discuss this more in conversation.

 

[Dust🌳]

Lmao so many more consumable permanent items. I asked Red to make like a badge system so we can keep track of all the consumable permanent items we have used. He thought it was a good idea but I don't think it has been done yet tho.