How to Farm the Tally Counter in Terraria
The Tally Counter is an informational accessory in Terraria that tracks how many times you have killed each enemy. It drops from three specific Dungeon enemies at a 1 in 100 (1%) chance. This guide covers which enemies to farm, the fastest setup, probability tables, and where the Tally Counter fits in the Cell Phone crafting chain.
If you want a real physical tally counter for tracking clicks or counts, try our free online tally counter tool - no download required.
What Is the Tally Counter?
The Tally Counter is an informational accessory that displays how many times you have killed a specific enemy type during your current playthrough. Once equipped or placed in a vanity slot or your Void Bag, it shows kill counts on enemies you hover over.
It does not need to occupy an active accessory slot to work. Carrying it in your inventory, your Void Bag, or placing it in a vanity slot all activate the kill-counting display. This makes it one of the easiest informational items to use since it frees up your accessory slots for combat or movement upgrades.
Its primary purpose is completing the R.E.K. 3000 accessory, which is one of the five components required to craft the Cell Phone - one of Terraria's most complex and useful items.
Which Enemies Drop the Tally Counter?
The Tally Counter drops from exactly three enemy types, all found exclusively in the Dungeon:
| Enemy | Drop Chance | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Angry Bones | 1 in 100 (1%) | Most common Dungeon enemy; best farming target |
| Cursed Skull | 1 in 100 (1%) | Floats through walls; found in deeper Dungeon sections |
| Dark Caster | 1 in 100 (1%) | Ranged caster enemy; appears alongside Angry Bones |
All three have the same 1% drop rate. Angry Bones is your primary target because it spawns most frequently and appears throughout the entire Dungeon rather than being limited to specific depths or sections.
The Skeleton Merchant does NOT drop the Tally Counter despite being a skeleton NPC associated with the Dungeon. It is a vendor, not a combat enemy, and cannot drop accessories.
When to Farm: Pre-Hardmode vs Hardmode
The Tally Counter is available as soon as you have cleared the Old Man and defeated Skeletron to unlock Dungeon access. Farming it in pre-Hardmode is strongly recommended.
After defeating Plantera in Hardmode, the Dungeon's enemy pool changes significantly. Plantera's defeat triggers the spawning of new post-Plantera Dungeon enemies (Paladins, Necromancers, Tactical Skeletons, etc.), which partially replace the original Angry Bones, Cursed Skull, and Dark Caster spawns. This makes Tally Counter farming meaningfully slower in Hardmode post-Plantera because your target enemies spawn less frequently.
If you are in the early stages of Hardmode and have not yet defeated Plantera, farming now is still efficient since the original enemy distribution is unchanged.
Kill Probability Table
At a 1% drop rate, here is the cumulative probability of getting at least one Tally Counter drop by a given number of kills:
| Kills | Probability of at Least One Drop |
|---|---|
| 50 | 39.5% |
| 100 | 63.4% |
| 200 | 86.6% |
| 300 | 95.0% |
| 500 | 99.3% |
Statistically, you are likely to see a drop by 100 kills and almost certain to have one by 300 kills. If you reach 200 kills without a drop, you have been unlucky but are still within the normal range. Do not stop farming at exactly 100 kills expecting a guaranteed result.
Fastest Farm Setup
To maximize enemy spawn rate and kill speed in the Dungeon, use this setup:
Spawn rate boosters: Place a Water Candle and drink a Battle Potion simultaneously. The Water Candle increases spawn rates by 33% and the Battle Potion doubles spawn rates for 7 minutes, stacking multiplicatively. This combination dramatically increases how many enemies appear per minute.
Location: Find or carve a long horizontal corridor inside the Dungeon, ideally 60 to 80 tiles long. Stand near the center. This maximizes the spawn zone on both sides of you while keeping enemies within your attack range.
Weapons: Use area-of-effect weapons to clear enemies quickly. Pre-Hardmode options include the Vilethorn, Starfury, or Night's Edge. In Hardmode, any piercing weapon or magic staff that hits multiple enemies simultaneously maximizes your kills per minute.
Loot collection: Use a Vacuum Bag or Magnet Sphere to collect drops automatically. Manually walking over drops while fighting wastes time and risks taking unnecessary damage.
The Crafting Chain: From Tally Counter to Cell Phone
The Tally Counter is not the end goal - it is one ingredient in a long crafting chain that eventually produces the Cell Phone, one of the most useful utility items in the game.
| Crafting Step | Components | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Step 1 | Tally Counter + Lifeform Analyzer + Radar | R.E.K. 3000 |
| Step 2 | R.E.K. 3000 + GPS + Goblin Tech | PDA |
| Step 3 | PDA + Magic Mirror (or Ice Mirror) | Cell Phone |
All three R.E.K. 3000 ingredients are dropped by Dungeon enemies at low rates. The Lifeform Analyzer drops from Blood Zombies, Dripplers, and other rare enemies. The Radar drops from Crabs, Snow Flinx, and others. Of the three, the Tally Counter tends to take the most farming time for most players because Angry Bones, while common, have a longer kill time than some other targets.