One of Terraria’s aims in the game is to progress through a gauntlet of bosses. As such, another focus of the game is the variety of weapons. There are all kinds of weapons, from close range to long distance, even having the ability to stand by as others do the work for you.
As you progress into the Hard Mode part of Terraria, your choice of weapon becomes more important. Equipment will begin to favour certain weapon types over others, so maintaining a mixed set can become difficult. What you’ll want to do now is pick one of the four classes of weapons, then focus all that you can into these choices to use a weapon’s potential.
Now, there are a lot of weapons in Terraria, and I mean a lot of them. There are so many weapons to pick from, it can be hard to decide on what weapon best suits your play style that even a specific weapon of choice has its own variety of weapons. Because of this wide variety of weapons, there are specific categories of each weapon underneath each class, some of which can be specialised in, while others are there for additional coverage in your arsenal.
Melee - Close Quarters Combat
The types of Melee weapons. From left to right, Boomerang, Yo-Yo, Flail, Sword, Spear
One of the first weapons you’ll be using is a Melee weapon. These are short range but high-power weapons for hacking and slashing. Melee also accounts for tools like pickaxes, axes, and chainsaws, but the primary means of attacking will be swords or any blunt force weapon. Armour provided to Melee classes offer the highest defence value, allowing for a subclass of playstyle referred to as the Tank, able to take blows and redirect attention from other players.
The biggest weakness of a Melee weapon is that they require being near your target. Without the right gear, you may find yourself trapped and unable to get out of range of an opponent’s attack, or several opponents. As such, one of the primary means of surviving in combat will be to bolster defense through armour upgrades, potions, and accessories.
Types of Melee Weapons
The main staple of the Melee weapon are the swords and sword-based weapons. Simply take a swing or a stab at the enemy, it takes damage. As you progress along, these types of weapons start to vary in function, such as more ranged capacity, how the weapon is swung, and what additional debuffs apply to enemies.
Your first weapon when creating a new player is a Copper Shortsword, which while useful, is barely efficient at attacking enemies, what with the small range and lack of crowd control. What if it was bigger? This is where Spears come in. These longer-range weapons provide a similar attack method to the shortsword, but with a much larger hitbox and ability to attack through walls. Of course, Spears are rather slow, but with the right tricks, this lack of speed can prove deadly.
Melee’s biggest weakness is a lack of ranged ability, so how can this be fixed? A Melee weapon that can be thrown, like a Boomerang. These types of weapons can all vary depending on each other, but they are all generally a throwable weapon that returns to you. Some weapons fly through enemies to help manage crowds, others may follow a particular direction.
Another form of ranged Melee weapon is the Flail. While it lacks the range, it packs a punch. A Flail has two states. One is a winding attack that spins the flail around the user, while the other launches the flail wherever you aim, striking a line of enemies in the way of the flail
A niche choice for Melee is the Yo-Yo. Not quite ranged, but not quite close combat, the Yo-Yo is a special kind of weapon that seems rather unconventional to use, but when applied effectively, it can quickly melt the health of enemies, as well as additional crowd-controlling capabilities through the use of specialised accessories.
Ranged - Use More Gun (or Bow)
The types of Ranged weapons. From left to right, Throwable, Gun, Bow, Repeater, Launcher.
Next up in the line of weapons is the Ranged class. If getting up close and personal is not your thing, then this will be your pick. These weapons make use of artillery to fire at enemies from far away, allowing for quick dispatch while not getting too close to the action. Take aim with a quick projectile, or enter the fray with explosive flair.
Ranged weapons do need something to shoot at enemies. This is the main weakness of Ranged weapons: the ammo requirement. Now, as you progress through the game, ammo does not become a concern, but as you start out, ammo needs to be conserved. Say a battle goes on for too long, or you forget to stock up, you may find yourself unarmed.
Types of Ranged Weapons
The first and primary weapon of the Ranged class is the Bow. Simple in execution, aim your bow and watch as the arrow flies in an arch. Some bows will have certain other properties such as how the bow is shot. As you progress into Hard Mode, another set of weapons called Repeaters are made available. These function similar to Bows with ammo requirements and accessories, but make use of Hard Mode materials.
Another choice of the Ranged weapon is the Gun. Instead of Arrows for ammunition, you will be making use of bullets. Otherwise mostly similar in function to Bows, the ammunition required is the biggest difference, providing a different combination of damage modifiers and traits. It’s also home to the Minishark, so what’s not to love?
If guns aren’t enough, then a Launcher is your next choice. This mid-to-late game choice of Ranged weapon makes use of different ammo in the form of Rockets. The results of these weapons are more explosive and are good at crowd control.
Some weapons available for Ranged are Consumables. This is a general group of items that can be thrown to deal damage to enemies, but unlike Boomerangs, they are spent after throwing. The types of Consumables available can range from Grenades to Knives.
Magic - No Tricks Here
The types of Magic weapons. From left to right, Staff, Spellbook, Magic Gun.
For a bit of spice to gameplay, the Magic class provides a wide range of ways to attack. From a simple little ball of energy to a rain of magic, this class provides more interesting elements of gameplay as each weapon can change in functionality.
Unlike Ranged weapons, Magic weapons are not concerned with ammo. However, the trade-off is that you will now be utilising mana. Even after increasing the mana capacity, using weapons too frequently or with high mana consumption can render yourself exposed. As such, mana generation should be a focus, rather than defense, leaving you vulnerable to damage.
Types of Magic Weapons
The primary weapons for Magic are Wands and Spellbooks. While these two seem to be rather different in appearance, they are functionally similar, if Magic weapons can be considered similar. You see, Magic weapons have a wide variety of usage methods, such as ones that cast a controllable projectile, or ones that summon a falling projectile on the spot. For the most part, a Magic weapon will fire a projectile where you are facing.
For those Ranged users who are looking to try out Magic, you can feel right at home with Magic Guns. Unlike the typical Gun, Magic Guns only require mana to shoot, not ammo. The big difference is that as these don’t make use of the typical ammo, rather they consume mana.
Summoner - You and your Army
The types of Summons. From left to right, Sentry, Minion.
The Summoner is the last of the four main classes of weapon, and one of the more interesting classes to use. Where most of the classes make use of directly damaging opponents, the Summoner prefers to make use of temporary creations to do the damage for you. Rather than having to focus on a single opponent or a wave of them, the summons will automatically attack for you.
Relying on summons to do your bidding means that you aren’t involved with combat. That means if you are caught in the enemy’s fire, you won’t have the defenses to survive much of an attack. As a Summoner, the key is to make sure you don’t get too involved and that all damage is dealt by other sources.
Types of Summoning Weapons
Rather than there being different categories of weapons, there are categories of summons. The primary choice of summon are Minions. These will follow players around and target any nearby enemies. To better control what Minions do, there is another weapon that can be paired with them called Whips. These weapons are a method of direct damage for the Summoner while maintaining control over what Minions attack.
Another option is the Sentry. These are stationary summons that target enemies but only where they are. While this means controlling a sentry’s aim is not possible, having a stationary weapon means crowd control or even enemies from outside the area can be handled without player involvement.
Making the Choice
Terraria’s weapon selection comes down to preference, rather than a way of playing through the whole game. It can be overwhelming to understand what play style works best with how each weapon progresses throughout the game. Experimentation is key, so picking the right weapon varies based on how you play and what you think would be most enjoyable.
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