Pirate Invasion Guide (Part 1): How to Summon, Drop Rates & Loadout
Pirate Maps, every pirate's HP, and the real drop rates since 1.4.4
Event Overview
Use a Pirate Map in Hardmode and the invasion starts on the spot; otherwise it rolls 3.28% per dawn once you've smashed an altar. You win at 180 kills (solo), and the Flying Dutchman that shows up past 50% is where the Coin Gun, Lucky Coin and Discount Card actually drop. Quick stats:
This is the only event that drops the Coin Gun, Lucky Coin and Discount Card. Since 1.4.4 the Flying Dutchman drops Lucky Coin, Discount Card, Pirate Staff and Gold Ring at 1/15 each and the Coin Gun at 1/50 — kill every Dutchman you see, the regular pirates are filler.
How to Trigger It
Three conditions for the random roll — or skip the wait with a Pirate Map:
Enter Hardmode
Defeat the Wall of Flesh. (A Pirate Map works even pre-Hardmode, but only drops in Hardmode.)
Smash at Least One Altar
Break a Demon or Crimson Altar with the Pwnhammer. From then on, each dawn has a 3.28% chance for your first invasion and 1.64% for later ones.
200+ Max HP
At least one player needs 200 max health — for the random roll and for using a Pirate Map.
Or Just Use a Pirate Map
Consumed on use, and the invasion starts right away. No waiting for dawn.
Farming Pirate Maps
Pirate Maps drop at 1% (1/100) from most enemies on the surface Ocean in Hardmode, within 380 tiles of the world edge (statue mobs don't count). Stack a Water Candle and Battle Potion on the beach to speed it up, and hoard them — maps stack to 9999 since 1.4.4, so you can chain invasions back-to-back.
Pirates keep coming until the progress bar fills: 180 kills solo, +60 per extra player. The invasion marches toward your world spawn, so build your arena there and keep NPC housing out of the line of fire.
Pirate Enemies
Seven pirate types plus a ghost that spawns when a Captain dies. Values are Classic / Expert / Master; damage is contact for melee pirates and projectile for ranged ones:
Pirate Deckhand
Pirate Corsair
Pirate Deadeye
Pirate Crossbower
Pirate Captain
Flying Dutchman
Pirate Parrot
Pirate's Curse
Drops & Drop Rates
Every pirate can drop the rare loot, but the odds are wildly different — a Flying Dutchman is 133× more likely to drop a Lucky Coin than a Deckhand:
Coin Gun
Shoots your coins: 25 damage per Copper up to 200 per Platinum. Can take modifiers again in 1.4.5.
Best source: Flying Dutchman 2% (1/50)
Lucky Coin
20% chance per hit to knock out 1–10 extra coins. Add a Gold Ring for the Coin Ring.
Best source: Flying Dutchman 6.67% (1/15)
Discount Card
Shops and reforging 20% cheaper; 1.4.5 adds Nurse healing and the Stylist.
Best source: Flying Dutchman 6.67% (1/15)
Pirate Staff
40-damage summon that calls a pirate crew. Since 1.4.5.7 they use Cloud in a Bottle and hooks to chase targets.
Best source: Flying Dutchman 6.67% (1/15)
Cutlass
53-damage autoswing sword. 1.4.5 adds +12% damage per consecutive hit, up to +50%.
Best source: Flying Dutchman 10% (1/10)
Barrel Launcher
New in 1.4.5: bouncing barrels for 100 damage (133 after a bounce), no ammo needed.
Best source: Flying Dutchman 10% (1.4.5 only)
Pirate Map
Consumable — starts the invasion instantly (needs a player with 200+ max HP)
Drop Rate: 1% (1/100) from Ocean enemies
Drop Rate by Source (1.4.4+)
| Item | Regular Pirate | Pirate Captain | Flying Dutchman |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coin Gun | 0.025% (1/4000) | 0.1% (1/1000) | 2% (1/50) |
| Lucky Coin | 0.05% (1/2000) | 0.2% (1/500) | 6.67% (1/15) |
| Discount Card | 0.1% (1/1000) | 0.4% (1/250) | 6.67% (1/15) |
| Pirate Staff | 0.1% (1/1000) | 0.4% (1/250) | 6.67% (1/15) |
| Gold Ring | 0.2% (1/500) | 0.8% (1/125) | 6.67% (1/15) |
| Cutlass | 0.5% (1/200) | 2% (1/50) | 10% (1/10) |
| Barrel Launcher | 0.5% | 2% | 10% |
Same rates in Classic, Expert and Master. "Regular" = Deckhand, Corsair, Deadeye and Crossbower; Parrots drop none of these. Barrel Launcher is 1.4.5 only.
Farming Strategy
A solo invasion is 180 kills, and a Flying Dutchman can spawn once progress passes 50% (it needs a 40×30-tile open area). Expert doesn't raise these drop rates, so farm on whatever difficulty you clear fastest and focus the Dutchman's 4 cannons the moment it appears.
Pre-Battle Checklist
Run through this before you use the map. Check items off as you go:
Recommended Loadout
Pick the setup that matches your progress. Three tiers:
Melee
Ranged
Melee
Ranged
Mage
Ranged Speed
Summoner AFK
Pirate NPC
Beat one Pirate Invasion and the Pirate NPC can move into any free house. He sells the Cannon, cannonballs and the Pirate outfit — plus the Parrot Cracker while he lives in the Ocean.
Pirate
Sells
Cannon
25 Gold
Cannonball
2 Silver
Bunny Cannon
50 Gold (Hardmode, Party Girl + any mech boss)
Parrot Cracker
3 Platinum 75 Gold (Ocean only)
Pirate Outfit (Hat / Shirt / Pants)
5 Gold per piece
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you start a Pirate Invasion in Terraria?
Use a Pirate Map (a player needs 200+ max HP) and it starts immediately. Otherwise, in Hardmode with at least one altar smashed, each dawn has a 3.28% chance for your first invasion and 1.64% for later ones.
Where do you get a Pirate Map?
1% (1/100) from most enemies killed on the surface Ocean in Hardmode, within 380 tiles of the world edge. Statue-spawned enemies can't drop it. Since 1.4.4 maps stack to 9999.
What is the Coin Gun drop rate?
2% (1/50) from the Flying Dutchman, 0.1% (1/1000) from the Pirate Captain and 0.025% (1/4000) from regular pirates. The rates are the same in every difficulty.
What are the Lucky Coin and Discount Card drop rates?
Both are 6.67% (1/15) from the Flying Dutchman. The Pirate Captain drops them at 0.2% and 0.4%, and regular pirates at 0.05% and 0.1%.
How many pirates do you need to kill to end the invasion?
120 plus 60 per player: 180 solo, 300 with three players, 600 with eight.
How do you get the Pirate NPC?
Beat one Pirate Invasion and have a free house. He sells the Cannon (25 Gold), Cannonballs (2 Silver) and the Pirate outfit, plus the Parrot Cracker while he lives in the Ocean.
Does Expert mode increase Pirate Invasion drop rates?
No. Coin Gun, Lucky Coin, Discount Card, Pirate Staff and Gold Ring have the same rates in Classic, Expert and Master, so farm on the difficulty you clear fastest.