Is it great to specialize in brute force, long-range attacks, or magic? The best Metroidvania game contender Terraria, just like many other games, can give you that dilemma. As you progress into your adventure, you can choose from four Terraria classes or roles to have better chances to last longer in the game. Also, you may opt to plan your build or gear combinations so you can be the best in that role.
Still undecided about the class to push through in Terraria? Read on to find out which suits your style of play the most.
Terraria Classes and Ideal Builds
Although there is no skill tree or path to represent any class and its progression in the game unlike mobile RPGs, there are four primary Terraria classes. Those are Ranged, Melee, Mage, and Summoner, as standardized by players.
Because the four roles are defined by the type of Terraria weapons, armor, and accessories that suit them well, we will highlight the best build for each aside from the pros and cons. Let’s get you familiarized with the Terraria classes so you can decide easily, shall we?
Ranged
The Ranged class is chosen by gamers who prefer fighting enemies from afar instead of head-on. If you are to pick it, prioritize the use of long-range Terraria weapons. For example, bows and arrows, guns, throwables, and other gear that enhance their effectiveness. Taking on an archer or gunner’s path, you will defeat enemies with ease, whether on your own or with comrades.
True enough, the Ranged type is perceived by many players as the strongest of all Terraria classes. That might have to do with the bullet-hell shooter fighting style of most Terraria bosses. Take for example Plantera and the Empress of Light. The said enemies will shoot projectiles that almost cover the entire screen. Your best bet to survive when battling them is to dodge and maintain a safe distance while attacking. That strategy is the exact advantage you get when you are a ranged specialist.
As for the class disadvantages, you will find yourself frequently in need of ammunition. Also, you might be handicapped if in a constricted arena. There are workarounds, though. Gain arrow- or bullet-conserving buffs from Terraria potions and modify the area where the battle will take place, respectively.
In terms of the best build or gear combination for the said Terraria class, you can complete it by following the weapons, armor, and accessories progression guide below.
NOTEOur Terraria class build suggestions are categorized into the type of gear and what point in the game they are ideal to use. For the latter, we chose to do it per significant stage of the game instead of per boss for simplicity. Those phases are Standard Mode (Pre-Wall of Flesh), Early Hard Mode (Pre-Plantera), Late Hard Mode (Post-Plantera or Pre-Moon Lord), and Endgame (Post-Moon Lord).
Best Weapons
Standard Mode: Hellwing Bow (yields piercing bats) or Phoenix Blaster (fastest pre-hard mode firing speed)
Early Hard Mode: Megashark (50% chance to not use ammo) or Daedalus Stormbow (makes arrows fall from sky)
Late Hard Mode: Phantasm (auto-shoots four arrows), Vortex Beater (fires exploding rocket), or Megashark
Endgame: S.D.M.G (66% chance to not use ammo) or Phantasm
Best Armor
Standard Mode: Necro Armor (15% ranged critical strike chance increase)
Early Hard Mode: Hallowed Armor (Holy Protection buff) or Titanium Armor (Shadow Dodge buff)
Late Hard Mode: Shroomite Armor (improves ranged weapon stats)
Endgame: Vortex Armor (increases ranged weapon stats further)
Best Accessories
Standard Mode: Obsidian Shield (gives knockback resistance), Terraspark Boots (increases movement speed)
Early Hard Mode: Ranger Emblem (15% ranged damage boost), Molten Quiver (shoots fire arrows)
Late Hard Mode: Fishron Wings (supports flight and mobility in water), Ranger Emblem
Endgame: Celestial Starboard (fastest hovering speed among wings), Ranger Emblem
Melee
Melee is the opposite of Ranged. Even if the former role is usually what many players start with, it is often said to be the most difficult to progress in. That is because characters of the said class deal with close combat. Nevertheless, you will most likely pursue it if you are up for the challenge and love using swords, spears, blades, knives, and yoyos.
That does not mean being a Melee fighter does not have its perks. Once you get near an opponent safely, no matter how quick the window of opportunity is, you will be able to inflict serious damage. Your brute force is your bread and butter to slay even the toughest Terraria bosses.
Additionally, you can compensate for your lack of range or evasion handicap by using the best Terraria wings in the game. Dodge by the power of flight. That way, you can still use your trusty sword whenever there is a call for battle.
Here is a Terraria weapon, armor, and accessories progression guide for melee specialists or warriors:
Best Weapons
Standard Mode: Night’s Edge (biggest pre-hard mode sword damage) or Cascade (longest pre-hard mode yoyo spinning time)
Early Hard Mode: Yelets (spins 14 seconds) or True Night’s Edge (auto-swings)
Late Hard Mode: Solar Eruption (auto-extends and -retracts) or Terra Blade (throws sword sprites)
Endgame: Zenith (spawns flying swords) or Terrarian (ricochets and zeroes in on enemies)
Best Armor
Standard Mode: Molten Armor (best pre-hard mode defense stat)
Early Hard Mode: Turtle Armor (reflects damage) or Titanium Armor (Shadow Dodge buff)
Late Hard Mode: Valhalla Knight Armor (upgrades melee attack and defense) or Beetle Armor (improves damage or defense)
Endgame: Solar Flare Armor (boosts melee stats and life regeneration)
Best Accessories
Standard Mode: Feral Claws (12% faster melee attacks), Shield of Cthulhu (enables dash attack)
Early Hard Mode: Warrior Emblem (15% additional melee damage), Butterfly Wings (fall damage protection)
Late Hard Mode: Warrior Emblem, Fishron Wings (supports flight and mobility in water)
Endgame: Celestial Starboard (fastest hovering speed among wings), Warrior Emblem
Mage
The Mage class is characterized by the ability to use magic wisely. By specializing in it, you can be an efficient staff-, scepter-, or magic-item-wielder.
If you are wondering how the character type fares when compared to the other Terraria classes, it is ranked between Ranged and Melee. For solo play, it is either good or bad. That is because if you are not adept at conserving mana, which is consumed and slowly regenerated for magic, it can be hard to progress as a mage.
The ranking is different in a multiplayer setting. In team play, Mage is often considered the best class. As a magic specialist, you can be a ranged attacker while being a support member of your squad. It is possible thanks to the abundance of offensive, defensive, and healing effects that can be inflicted or granted by different types of gear in the game.
Here are must-haves if you want to be the best mage in Terraria:
Best Weapons
Standard Mode: Water Bolt (yields water balls) or Demon Scythe (yields projectiles that hit multiple enemies)
Early Hard Mode: Sky Fracture (channels three swords when swung) or Golden Shower (creates piercing stream)
Late Hard Mode: Nebula Blaze (emits projectiles that zero in on enemies) or Razorblade Typhoon (shoots ricocheting discs)
Endgame: Last Prism (emits rays that form big beam) or Lunar Flare (creates falling explosive projectiles)
Best Armor
Standard Mode: Meteor Armor (lessens mana cost of select weapons) or Jungle Armor (enhances magic weapons)
Early Hard Mode: Chlorophyte Armor (summons crystal leaf that shoots targets)
Late Hard Mode: Spectre Armor (restores health)
Endgame: Nebula Armor (increases magic weapon stats) or Spectre Armor
Best Accessories
Standard Mode: Mana Flower (automatic usage of mana potions), Brain of Confusion (Confused debuff)
Early Hard Mode: Sorcerer Emblem (15% magic damage increase), Mana Cloak (creates three attacking stars)
Late Hard Mode: Fishron Wings (supports flight and mobility in water), Sorcerer Emblem, Mana Cloak
Endgame: Celestial Starboard (fastest hovering speed among wings), Sorcerer Emblem
Summoner
Summoner is a class that highlights the expertise in calling forth characters that help in battle. While strength in numbers is good, you might find it hard to progress in the game by sticking to the Summoner class alone. That is because what you will be summoning might not accurately target your opponent, prolonging the battle. You should make the summoned character focus on the enemy by hitting the latter with a whip from time to time.
If you are persistent with whipping the target, then you should not have any problems. In case you are impatient or do not want to simply watch your summoned helper slowly chip away at the enemies’ health, you have to occasionally attack the enemy with a melee or ranged weapon.
The character you spawn can either be a sentry or minion. The sentry will stay in place while attacking for about two minutes. Also, you can only have one sentry in the arena unless you have a buff that increases the limit. The minion, meanwhile, can move while dealing damage. Furthermore, it will follow you around when there is no battle but will die if your character also perishes. You may opt to change your minion or stop it from following by summoning a new one, deactivating its buff, or exiting the game.
In Terraria, sentries and minions can be called forth into the arena by using summon weapons. Note that whips fall into the said weapon category but cannot spawn anything.
Below are the best build options for Summoners:
Best Weapons
Standard Mode: Imp Staff (summons an imp) or Hornet Staff (spawns a hornet)
Early Hard Mode: Queen Spider Staff (calls forth a Queen Spider) or Sanguine Staff (generates a Sanguine Bat)
Late Hard Mode: Terraprisma (summons its copycats) or Stardust Dragon Staff (spawns a flying dragon)
Endgame: Terraprisma or Stardust Dragon Staff
Best Armor
Standard Mode: Obsidian Armor (31% additional summon damage and 35% additional whip speed)
Early Hard Mode: Obsidian Armor
Late Hard Mode: Spooky Armor (increases the minion limit to five)
Endgame: Stardust Armor (increases minion limit and damage)
Best Accessories
Standard Mode: Feral Claws (12% faster melee attacks), Pygmy Necklace (creates extra minion slot)
Early Hard Mode: Summoner Emblem (15% additional minion damage), Berseker’s Glove (improves melee stats)
Late Hard Mode: Necromantic Scroll (10% additional minion damage), Papyrus Scarab (15% additional minion knockback)
Endgame: Celestial Starboard (fastest hovering speed among wings), Necromantic Scroll, Papyrus Scarab
Is Switching Terraria Classes Advisable?
As pointed out previously, the game does not have a class or skill tree where you finalize your gear in various phases. That means you are free to switch Terraria classes at any stage of your playthrough – simply change the weapon, armor, and accessories your character is wearing!
You might want to know if switching is advisable, though. The answer will depend on your preferred style of play and current situation in the game. If you want a systematic playthrough or are consistently good in a specific build in other games, stick to one Terraria class.
If you suddenly experience difficulties during a pure class run, then try a different character type or multiple roles. As for when it is ideal to do the former option, some players switch Terraria classes shortly before or after they enter hard mode. They do not do it randomly to avoid wasting resources already obtained for crafting the gear they originally wanted or just because of plain choice.
In case you decide to try multiple Terraria classes, we think it is best to only switch between two because it is difficult to collect all the best gear for every role.
Which Is the Best Terraria Class for You?
The best Terraria classes and builds will be what complements your playstyle or fulfills your real-time needs in battle. Even if that means no role officially overpowers all, we hope this guide helped you choose your specialization and gave you an idea of which gear to mix and match. Now get ready to begin or continue your Terraria journey and let us know which of the four Terraria classes worked best for you!
