How long does an npc take to respawn in terraria?

I beat the WoF and lost my guide (yes i liked him) and now I have to search for recipes and stuff like that. I later found out that you need to make a room/house for him which I did.

Now how long do I actually have to wait until he respawns because I'm really needing him right now and I cant do WoF again because I failed last time and he's dead. Please help I need my guide back he was like a father to me...

3 Answers

From the Terraria Wiki -

A killed NPC will respawn the following day and move back into its house (provided it still meets the requirements).

So as long as your guide still has a house he will respawn next day. Day begins at 4:30 AM but they can respawn at any time. Based off of my experience they usually come really early but they do come late sometimes.

Usually they Spawn in the morning or in the afternoon if there are no boss fights happening, including The old ones army frost Leigon, the Martian madness,(console) ect.

For the NPC to comeback you can not be in veiw of the house, assuming you already created the correct living conditions and there are no events. If the crimson/corruption is too close to your house, it will also prevent him from spawning.