Classes in Terraria - Terraria Guide

Melee builds are an excellent choice for new players, as they often utilize Armor that has high defense, as well as Weapons that have a high damage output at the cost of range. Melee Weapons include, but are not limited to, Swords, Yoyos, Spears, and Maces. Due to the close combat required for a Melee build, we recommend you equip Vanity Items that grant flight or increased movement speed, to ensure you’re able to maneuver around hostile mobs and bosses while mitigating damage.

The table below gives examples of Melee builds for each world state as you progress through Terraria. Note that this is an inexhaustive list; play around with what works best for you and your playstyle, and don’t be afraid to switch classes if you find a cool new Weapon that you want to try!

World State	Weapon	Armor	Accessory
Pre-Bosses	Ball O' Hurt	Ancient Shadow Armor (buffs melee attack speed)	Feral Claws (buffs melee attack speed)
Pre-Hardmode	Enchanted Sword (fires projectiles, making it a strong combo Melee/Ranged option)	Molten Set (buffs melee attack damage)	Feral Claws (continue to provide best melee buff)
Pre-Mechanical Bosses	Fetid Baghnakhs (high damage with quick attack times)	Mythril Set (greatly buffs melee bonuses)	Berserker's Glove (buffs mele speed, greatly buffs knockback)
Pre-Plantera	True Night's Edge (another combo weapon with a strong Melee attack, as well as Ranged projectiles)	Turtle Set (buffs defense stats)	Mechanical Glove (greatly buffs knockback and attack speed)
Pre-Golem	Terra Blade (fires fast, long-ranged piercing projectiles)	Beetle Armor (buffs melee damage and speed)	Mechanical Glove (continues to offer the best knockback and attack speed buffs)
Pre-Lunar Events	Terra Blade (continues to be the best weapon at this stage)	Valhalla Knight's Set (buffs melee bonuses)	Fire Gauntlet (buffs all melee attack bonuses, adds Hellfire to all attacks)
Endgame	Meowmere (highest damage output and strongest knockback; combo weapon that fires projectiles)	Solar Flare Set (buffs life regen and reduces all damage types)	Ankh Shield (immunity to knockback, bleeding, broken armor, confused, cursed, darkness, poison, silenced, slow, weak, and chilled debuffs)

Ranged builds are a great option for players that like having a little breathing room during combat. Examples of Ranged Weapons include Guns, Crossbows, Bows, Throwing Knives, and Weapons from the Explosives subclass, such as Launchers and Cannons. Unlike the Melee class, Ranged builds predominantly require ammo, which is a finite resource that must be purchased, found, or crafted. Due to the ammo requirements for a Ranged build, we recommend you equip Vanity Items or Buffing Potions that extend the range of your Weapon, as well as provide unlimited ammo or the chance for ammo to not be used with each shot.

See Also

The best Terraria builds for each class

The table below gives examples of Ranged builds for each world state as you progress through Terraria. Note that this is an inexhaustive list; play around with what works best for you and your playstyle, and don’t be afraid to switch classes if you find a cool new Weapon that you want to try!

World State	Weapon	Armor	Accessory
Pre-Bosses	Tendon Bow (highest damage output while using ammo that is cheap and easy to obtain)	Fossil Set (buffs ammo damage)	Hermes Boots (increases movement speed)
Pre-Hardmode	Star Cannon (highest damage output)	Necro Set (buffs ammo damage)	Hermes Boots (increases movement speed)
Pre-Mechanical Bosses	Adamantite or Titanium Repeater Repeater (highest DPS)	Frost Set (high buff for ammo damage, buffs chance for critical ranged strike)	Magic Quiver (greatly buffs ammo damage and knockback)
Pre-Plantera	Megashark (fastest fire rate, 50% chance not to consume ammo)	Huntress's Jerkin (strong buff to ammo damage)	Magic Quiver (greatly buffs ammo damage and knockback)
Pre-Golem	Daedalus Stormbow (arrows rain from the sky as good crowd control and boss damager)	Huntress's Jerkin (continues to provide the strongest buff to ammo damage)	Magic Quiver (greatly buffs ammo damage and knockback)
Pre-Lunar Events	Xenopopper (includes extra free "bubble" shots without ammo cost)	Red Riding Set (greatly buffs ranged attacks; highest ranged DPS in the game)	Magic Quiver (greatly buffs ammo damage and knockback)
Endgame	S.D.M.G. (50% chance ammo will not be consumed)	Vortex Set (huge ranged bonuses when in Stealth mode)	Molten Quiver (greatly buffs ammo damage and knockback, converts arrows into flaming arrows)

Magic builds, much like Ranged builds, rely on a finite pool of resources, this time in the form of Mana. Magicians are your classic glass cannon build, in that they have a high damage output at the sacrifice of low-defense Armor. Examples of Magic Weapons include Staffs, Rods, Scepters, and Spheres. While Ranged and Melee players can get away with skimping on the buffing Potions or ignoring Armor synergy, Magic builds are mostly unfeasible without Wizard Robes that increase your Mana pool, as well as plenty of Mana regeneration Potion and Items. If you are new to a Magic build, we recommend carrying a secondary Weapon in the Ranged or Melee classes to fall back on as you learn Mana resource management.

Classes in Terraria - Terraria Guide - IGN (2024)