Guide:Armor progression

Progression in Terraria is marked by the player gaining access to new weapons, accessories, and armors. While weapons are the main determinant of combat effectiveness, armor also plays an important role by mitigating damage taken and passively boosting damage output. Choosing the ideal armor sets to use at each stage of the game is sometimes straightforward, but not always. This guide will help you decide on which armor sets to use at various points in game progression.

The armor sets listed in this guide are optimized for overall damage and survivability, with consideration given to raw stats as well as set bonuses. As a result, the optimal sets will often be hybrid sets that do not confer a set bonus. That is not to say that unlisted sets like Turtle armor, Solar Flare armor, or Adamantite armor are unviable, but mathematically, they will fall short in DPS and/or survivability when compared to the listed sets.

Earlygame
At this point, armor serves little purpose other than to boost your defense. You may obtain up to 20 defense with metal armors such as Platinum armor, but the resources required are better spent elsewhere. Therefore, it's recommended to simply wear Cactus armor or other basic, easy-to-craft armors until you can get your hands on a real armor set; whatever you wear at the start of the game will be replaced very quickly.

Late pre-Hardmode
Sets that can be acquired after smashing at least one Shadow Orb/Crimson Heart, defeating a boss, and/or exploring environments more hostile than the Cavern layer.

Early Hardmode
To save resources, it is recommended that you choose one early Hardmode armor set and use it until you defeat your first Mechanical boss. Forbidden Treads make for an excellent filler item in the leg slot, especially for sets like Adamantite armor that lack a useful set bonus. Their +2 bonus to minion capacity will usually outshine the paltry offensive bonuses of other leg slot items.

Pre-Plantera
Aside from Hallowed and Chlorophyte Bars, you now have access to the second tier of the Old One's Army, the rewards of which provide welcome upgrades to every class. Most players won't be aiming to purchase a full set, however.

Pre-Betsy
While Plantera and Golem provide separate advancements to game progression when defeated, they are treated as one milestone by this guide due to their similar difficulty level. At this point you would be expected to have defeated Duke Fishron, Martian Madness, and the Pumpkin Moon. The Xeno Staff in particular provides a noticeable power boost to those who were using Forbidden Treads.

Pre-Lunar Events
With the Old One's Army vanquished and a good supply of Defender Medals in your pocket, you can now purchase the best armor available before challenging the Lunar Events. The most notable of these armor pieces is the Valhalla Knight's Breastplate, which drastically increases the survivability of all classes.

Endgame
All Luminite-tier armors except for Solar Flare armor are the best offensive armors for their respective classes. However, the Valhalla Knight's Breastplate can still be worn by ranged users and summoners, who do not receive any defensive benefits from their respective endgame armors.