Overview
Desert Fossils are blocks you can find in the Underground Desert. You can mine them with any pickaxe or using explosives. But these blocks have a chance of breaking adjacent tiles without dropping anything. The only things you can craft with them are Desert Fossil Walls, and you can also get Desert Fossils from Desert Fossil Walls.
The Desert Fossils have also another use. Indeed, you can use them with an Extractinator to extract Sturdy Fossils and all types of items. But first, you have to get an Extractinator.
You can find it rarely in Wooden Crates, Gold Chests, or Frozen Chests. You can also find it in Underground Cabins these are small wooden structures containing a chest and a Statue or any kind of furniture) in the Underground Desert.
To use the Extractinator, you just have to place it somewhere and click your “Attack” button with the Desert Fossils in your hand to transform them into other items. You can also click your “Attack” button while holding shift to automatically use the Desert Fossils in your inventory without having to take them in your hands.
Extractinator Items
Here is the full list of all the items you can get using Desert Fossils with the Extractinator:
| Item | Chance | Quantity | Average | Quantity for 1000 fossils |
| Sturdy Fossil | 10% | 1–7 | 1.3 | 130 |
| Platinum Coin | 0.0066% | 1-11 | 1.2758 | 0.08 |
| Gold Coin | 0.0915% | 1-100 | 10.3345 | 9.46 |
| Silver Coin | 1.2178% | 1-100 | 17.7839 | 216.57 |
| Copper Coin | 57.7876% | 1-100 | 26.892 | 15540.24 |
| Amber Mosquito | 0.027% | 1 | 1 | 0.26 |
| Amethyst | 0.15% | 1-16 | 1.1775 | 1.77 |
| Topaz | 0.15% | 1-16 | 1.1775 | 1.77 |
| Sapphire | 0.15% | 1-16 | 1.1775 | 1.77 |
| Emerald | 0.15% | 1-16 | 1.1775 | 1.77 |
| Ruby | 0.15% | 1-16 | 1.1775 | 1.77 |
| Diamond | 0.15% | 1-16 | 1.1775 | 1.77 |
| Amber | 1.7629% | 1-16 | 1.1775 | 20.76 |
| Copper Ore | 3.5259% | 1-16 | 1.1775 | 41.52 |
| Tin Ore | 3.5259% | 1-16 | 1.1775 | 41.52 |
| Iron Ore | 3.5259% | 1-16 | 1.1775 | 41.52 |
| Lead Ore | 3.5259% | 1-16 | 1.1775 | 41.52 |
| Silver Ore | 3.5259% | 1-16 | 1.1775 | 41.52 |
| Tungsten Ore | 3.5259% | 1-16 | 1.1775 | 41.52 |
| Gold Ore | 3.5259% | 1-16 | 1.1775 | 41.52 |
| Platinum Ore | 3.5259% | 1-16 | 1.1775 | 41.52 |
As you can see, you can have a lot of items from the Extractinator, especially if you have stacks of 1000 Desert Fossils. You can even get ores that are not present in your world. But note you can’t get Demonite Ores or Carminate Ores. You can’t get hardmode ores either.
Farming fossils can be useful to gain get some Gold Coins. And if you want to increase the money you get from fossils, you can use the materials you get to craft things:
- If you get gems, the best thing you can do is turn them into Stained Glass.
- If you get Sturdy Fossils, you can use them to craft Knives. You just need 1 Sturdy Fossil to get 30 Knives.
Sturdy Fossils
The main materials you will get thanks to Desert Fossils are Sturdy Fossils. They are used for crafting various things.
Fossil Armor
The Fossil Armor is a pre-hardmode ranged armor. To get the full set, you will need 60 Sturdy Fossils. You craft it at an anvil.
The Helmet and the Greaves increase ranged critical chance by 4% per each. The Plate increases range damage by 5%. Wearing the full set grants a 20% chance of not consuming ammunition. This bonus combines well with weapons consuming a lot of ammunition such as the Minishark or bows. The full set gives you a total of 13 defense.
It’s one of the two ranged sets you can get in pre-hardmode.
Fossil Pickaxe
The Fossil Pickaxe is a pickaxe equivalent to the Gold Pickaxe. It can mine ores up to the Demonite Ores or the Crimtane Ores. You can mine Desert Fossils using every pickaxe so if you don’t find gold this pickaxe can be a good alternative.
Amber Staff
The Amber Staff is a pre-hardmode magic weapon you can craft using 15 Sturdy Fossils and 8 Ambers. You craft it at an anvil.
It’s a staff firing piercing projectiles. It functions as a Gem Staff. It can auto-fire.
It deals 21 base damage and uses 7 mana. It also has some knockback.
Scarab Bombs
The Scarab Bomb is a sticky thrown explosive you can use to mine large shafts. You can craft a Scarab Bomb using a Bomb and a Sturdy Fossil.
When throwing a Scarab Bomb, it will stick to a block and explodes after 3 seconds, creating a 3-tile high and 21-tile long shaft facing away from the player.
The explosion can damage you if you are too close to the bomb.
Throwing weapons
You can craft two types of throwing weapons using Sturdy Fossils:
- Bone Javelins: You get 20 of them using 1 Sturdy Fossil. When they hit an enemy, they will stick in him for 15 seconds dealing continuous damage. You can stick up to 6 Bone Javelins at the same time into an enemy. They deal 20 base damage, plus 3 damage per second.
- Bone Throwing Knives: You get 30 of them using 1 Sturdy Fossil. You can pierce up to 5 enemies using them. They are a powerful weapon, even until hardmode, as they deal 14 base damage, and they have a low use time.
For more guides or tutorials, be sure to see our other articles as THE BEST STARTER HOUSE IN TERRARIA or ZENITH: KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT THE BEST TERRARIA SWORD.
