Modifiers

A modifier, also known as a prefix (although in some languages it becomes a suffix), applies permanent changes to an item's statistics. It changes the name of an item by adding a prefix to the item's name (displayed when selected in the hotbar and in its tooltip), such as "Adept", "Godly", or "Broken" (e.g. "Demonic Minishark"). A complete list of all 83 modifiers can be found below. Hovering the cursor over an item with a modifier in an inventory slot will show the modification details beneath the item's description.


 * Accessory modifiers will grant a bonus to one of the player's stats, such as defense, movement speed, or maximum mana. The modifier is applied as long as the accessory is equipped. Certain accessory-like items that cannot be placed in an accessory slot (e.g., a Cell Phone), cannot receive modifiers.
 * Weapon modifiers alter the statistics of that particular weapon, and can affect up to five statistics. The effects of a given modifier can be all positive, all negative, or mixed. Tools that damage enemies, such as pickaxes and hammers, may also have these modifiers. Weapon-like items that do not inflict damage (e.g., a Bug Net) cannot gain modifiers; neither can the two stackable weapons (Bananarangs and Light Discs) nor consumable weapons (e.g., Shurikens).

Most but not all weapons and accessories will receive a modifier upon the item's creation. Modifiers can be added or changed afterwards by the Goblin Tinkerer's Reforge function.

Initial modifiers
Nearly all weapons and accessories have up to a 75% chance of receiving a random modifier upon the item's creation: Naturally generated in a Chest, crafted, looted from a grab bag (excluding Presents), or dropped by a slain enemy. Items produced by fishing (e.g., Rockfish or Balloon Pufferfish), opening Presents (e.g., Candy Cane Sword), and completing Angler quests (e.g., Angler Earring) never get initial modifiers, though they can be reforged to gain a modifier.

Items purchased from NPCs never have any modifiers, due to the ability to refund items (selling them back for full price before closing the menu) introduced in 1.4.

No modifiers are visible on an NPC's shop stock, but one can be supplied when the item is bought (its purchase price will be unaffected). However, an item that a player sells to an NPC will keep its modifier, and if repurchased in the same trading session, the modifier will be unchanged.

For a weapon's initial modifier, there is a "mercy" mechanic that reduces the chance of penalties: If a weapon's initial modifier is one of a list of "bad" modifiers, it has a chance of being voided, and the item will be created without a modifier. This can sharply reduce the chance of having a modifier at all, but does so by eliminating only bad modifiers. The modifiers considered "bad" for this purpose are:. Note that some usually-unwanted modifiers are not included in this "mercy" list:.

Accessories do not have any "bad" modifiers regardless, only lesser bonuses.

Reforging
Reforging is a service provided by the Goblin Tinkerer, which applies a new, random modifier to an item in exchange for coins. It will add a modifier to an unmodified item or replace an existing modifier. It will never leave an item without a modifier. All eligible modifiers have equal chances, without the "mercy" filtering of initial modifiers.

The Goblin Tinkerer charges one third of the item's current buy value, which is of its sell price or  of its base value. The Discount Card or its upgrade, the, can be used to lower reforge costs by 20%. Existing modifiers affect an item's value, so items with poor modifiers are cheaper to reforge, while reforging an already well-modified item will be more expensive. The price is adjusted according to the Goblin Tinkerer's current happiness.

Reforging can be accessed by talking to the Goblin Tinkerer and choosing "Reforge" from the options, then placing the item to be reforged in the box that appears below the inventory. Below the listed cost is a small gray hammer that, when clicked, reforges the item for the listed price.

In the and, items are reforged by clicking the reforge button after speaking to the Goblin Tinkerer. It will pull up the inventory and highlight items that can be reforged (ones that cannot are hidden by a shadow). Hover the cursor over the item that is to be reforged and press the reforge button.

Accessory modifiers
Accessory modifiers are only active while the accessory is equipped in a non-vanity slot. Nearly every accessory item can be reforged, with the exceptions of the Guide Voodoo Doll, Clothier Voodoo Doll, and all the Music Boxes. Unlike weapons, accessories can only receive beneficial modifiers. Modifiers cannot be legitimately obtained on armor. Accessories can have one of the following 19 modifiers attached to them:

The average value boost for all accessory modifiers is +27.75%. Accounting for the 25% of items that start with no modifier, the average is +20.81%.

Weapon modifiers
These modifiers only apply when the weapon is being used. Weapons and tools that have no knockback cannot get modifiers that change knockback; examples include drills, the Magical Harp, and many guns (such as the Minishark).

The stackable weapons Light Disc and Bananarang cannot have modifiers.

Universal
Flails, spears,, boomerangs, chainsaws, drills (including the Drax) and the Chlorophyte Jackhammer can only have universal modifiers, because they cannot have their speed modified.

Universal modifiers can also be found on all other weapon types. The best universal modifier is Godly or Demonic. The two modifiers only differ in knockback, a stat that is not considered very useful (or even beneficial) in many situations. The difference in knockback is also negligible enough that Godly and Demonic can be treated as the same modifier.

Among drills, only the can obtain the Godly modifier, since only these drills have knockback. The best damage-increasing modifier for other drills is Demonic, although it is unlikely that a drill would be of much use in combat.

There are 14 universal modifiers.

Displayed values in-game may differ due to rounding.

The average value boost for a random Universal modifier is +17.12%. Accounting for the 25% of items that start with no modifier, the average is +12.84%.

Common
Swords (including Shortswords) and all weapons that deal ranged, magic, or summon damage can have these modifiers.

There are 10 common modifiers.

The average value boost for Universal and Common modifiers together is +14.75%. Accounting for the 25% of items that start with no modifier, the average is +11.06%.

Melee
Almost all melee weapons that are swung overhead (swords, pickaxes, hammers, axes, and hamaxes) along with shortswords and can be reforged with these modifiers, in addition to common and universal modifiers. With the exception of shortswords (including Starlight), all melee weapons that are not swung upon use (such as spears, flails, and ) cannot receive these modifiers. The Copper Axe and Wooden Hammer can receive any of these modifiers except for those that affect damage. The Terrarian cannot receive any melee modifiers, though it can gain a special "Legendary" modifier that provides different stats.

There are 16 melee modifiers.

Displayed values in-game may differ due to rounding.

Counting the Universal and Common modifiers, the average value boost for melee modifiers is +14.93%. Accounting for the 25% of items that start with no modifier, the average is +11.20%.

Ranged
Almost all ranged weapons can be reforged with one of the following modifiers, in addition to common and universal modifiers. Ranged weapons with zero knockback (such as the Minishark or low-tier bows) cannot receive a modifier that alters knockback, even if their ammunition deals knockback.

There are 12 ranged modifiers.

Displayed values in-game may differ due to rounding.

Counting the Universal and Common modifiers, the average value boost for ranged modifiers is +21.27%. Accounting for the 25% of items that start with no modifier, the average is +15.95%.

Magic and summoning
Almost all magic weapons and summon weapons (excluding ) can be reforged with one of the following modifiers, in addition to common and universal modifiers. Magic or summon weapons with zero knockback (such as the Nimbus Rod and ) cannot receive any modifier that affects knockback. Magic weapons that consume 3 mana or less will not receive any modifier that decreases mana usage.

There are 12 magic modifiers.

Displayed values in-game may differ due to rounding.

Counting the Universal and Common modifiers, the average value boost for magic modifiers is +20.20%. Accounting for the 25% of items that start with no modifier, the average is +15.15%.

Complete list
Only swung melee weapons and shortswords can have their size modified. Only ranged weapons can have their velocity modified. Only magic weapons can have their mana cost modified. Certain weapons cannot have their speed, knockback, damage, or mana cost modified.

Displayed values in-game may differ due to rounding.

Tips
It is straightforward (but sometimes expensive) to force a given modifier, by reforging the item until it receives the desired modifier. Note that reforging has no "memory": Upon each reforge, there is an equal chance of getting any of the modifiers possible for that item, including the modifier it currently has. A casual guess at "how many tries will it take" is likely to be misleading, because statistics are tricky: In practice, it is better to consider that at any given moment, there is a 50% chance of getting any specific modifier in a given number of tries:


 * 10 tries for weapons with only the 14 universal modifiers
 * 13 tries for accessories with their 19 modifiers
 * 16 tries for weapons that can also have the common modifiers (24 modifiers total)
 * 25 tries for weapons with magic or ranged modifiers (36 total)
 * 28 tries for weapons with melee modifiers (40 total)

Being willing to accept more than one modifier will speed things up sharply. For example, if the player accepts either a Lucky or Menacing modifier for boosting their offense, it will take half as much time to reforge compared to reforging the accessory to Menacing specifically. Similarly, if any of three modifiers for a melee weapon will do, there is a 50% chance of getting one of them in only 10 tries. Weapon modifiers that are widely considered "good enough" include Godly, Demonic, Ruthless, Deadly, and Masterful.

This all applies regardless of how many tries have been made before. The above numbers make no account of modifiers forbidden for individual weapons, but that will just make the process faster.

It is technically possible to make a profit when reforging a weapon once from a bad modifier to a good one, but reforging will normally result in an average monetary loss.

When autopause is enabled, the name of the reforge will not show up above the player's head until the game is unpaused. However, one can get a sense of the modifier's value by looking at the reforge cost, potentially speeding up the process. It is a good idea to check the modifier only when the reforge cost is expensive enough to indicate a potentially good modifier.

For example, an Avenger Emblem will normally cost to reforge if it is Menacing, Lucky, Quick, Violent, or Warding. If aiming for one of those modifiers, one can immediately skip any reforges of lesser value and only check when the displayed cost is.

Similarly, if reforging a sword to Legendary, it is a good idea to make a mental note of how much the weapon costs to reforge when it is Godly/Superior/Demonic, and only stop reforging once the cost exceeds that amount.

Weapons
Due to various limitations with certain weapon classes, determining the best possible modifiers may not be as simple as comparing statistics, and players can waste money trying to acquire modifiers that are impossible to achieve for their given weapon. The following is an easy rundown of the most desirable possible modifiers for each weapon or weapon type in most situations:

The best overall melee modifier is Legendary, which is only applicable to broadswords and shortswords. The best modifier for all other melee weapons (such as spears, flails,, and unique melee weapons like the Scourge of the Corruptor) is Godly or Demonic. The Terrarian can obtain a special version of the Legendary modifier unique to it.

The best overall ranged modifier is Unreal. The best modifier for ranged weapons with no base knockback (such as the Minishark or low-tier bows) is Demonic or Deadly. Although the Harpoon is classified as a ranged weapon, it cannot receive the Unreal modifier; its best modifier is Godly. The Chain Gun fires so quickly that it cannot receive any modifier that increases its speed by 10% or less. As such, its best modifier is Rapid, with Godly and Demonic as more ammo-efficient alternatives.

The best overall magic modifier is Mythical. The best modifier for magic weapons that are unable to inflict knockback (such as the Nimbus Rod or ) is Demonic. If the player bears low maximum mana, Masterful may be preferred over Mythical, or Mystic over Demonic. Some magic weapons, such as the Clinger Staff, Magnet Sphere, and Rainbow Gun, create a long-lasting projectile that remains active after switching weapons. The critical strike chance of these weapons is calculated based on the magic weapon currently being held, meaning that base damage is the only stat that matters, and therefore their best modifier is Ruthless.

The best overall summon modifier is Ruthless. The reduced mana cost, increased speed, critical strike chance, and knockback provided by Mythical are less useful: Summon weapons use mana only for the initial summoning, minions cannot deal critical hits, and their knockback is negligible even with modifiers. The Ruthless modifier offers the most effective minion boost, by increasing the minion's damage per hit the most. The best modifier for whips is Legendary. The range of whips is inversely affected by attack speed modifiers, so it is usually preferable to aim for a modifier with a negative penalty to attack speed, the best of them being Sluggish.

For the purposes of mining and resource collection, the best modifier for tools such as pickaxes, hammers, and axes is Light. Note that for many tools the Legendary modifier gives the same tool speed increase as Light due to tool speed being rounded down to the next whole number. The Legendary modifier is superior in these cases as it also provides increased damage, critical strike chance, size, and knockback over the Light modifier, though the impact is relatively low given that mining tools are rarely used for combat.

With Lucky Coin
If the Lucky Coin or any of its upgrades is equipped, it is desirable to hit enemies as often as possible, dealing as little damage as possible, in order to maximize the income. The following modifiers reduce the weapon damage the most, yielding more coins per enemy:

Accessories
Menacing, Lucky, and Warding are generally agreed to be the most consistently useful accessory modifiers:


 * On Expert mode and higher difficulties, the survivability boost provided by Warding becomes proportionally lower, making it a less desirable choice.
 * Quick and Violent can be useful in the early game, but become less so as the player gains access to faster weapons and movement options.
 * Similarly, Arcane helps only with magical weapons. It gives an advantage for early players with low maximum mana, but more powerful magic weapons can drain even a maxed-out player's mana quickly, making mana recovery more important than a fractional increase to the maximum.

The choice between Menacing (damage) and Lucky (critical chance) has long been the subject of extensive debate among the player base. Generally speaking, balancing Menacing and Lucky (favoring Menacing) gives slightly higher DPS over a range of opponents:


 * The Menacing and Lucky modifiers each simply add their bonuses if there are more than one of the same, but their effects multiply with each other.
 * If a player has five Menacing accessories, their DPS will be 1.2 * 1.04 (base crit chance) * 100 = 24.8% above "normal".
 * If they have five Lucky accessories, their DPS will average 24% above "normal" (4% base+20%, and the double-damage critical hits get averaged with the others).
 * With three Menacing and two Lucky accessories, their DPS would be 1.12 * 1.12 * 100 = 25.44% above "normal".
 * However, the above logic does not account for enemy defense:
 * Against moderate defense (compared to the weapon in use), damage bonuses are proportionately more powerful, because they increase the margin of damage for every hit.
 * Against very high defense or with low-damage weapons (that is, even the enhanced damage cannot penetrate), increasing the critical chance becomes the only way to increase damage dealt. The extreme for this case is the Dungeon Guardian, where all hits do 1 damage except critical hits, which do 2.

Accordingly, balancing the two gives a flexible advantage with a variety of weapons and opponents.

Despite the above, all-Menacing is considered a superior choice for those who choose to depend on summoning weapons, since those gain nothing from critical-chance bonuses.