Modifiers

A Modifier, also known as a Prefix (however, in some languages it becomes a suffix), applies permanent changes to an item's statistics. All Weapons and Accessories have a 75% chance of receiving a random Modifier when crafted via the key (However, this will not occur in the  and ), purchased from an NPC, looted from Chests/Crates, or collected from drops. Modifiers can also be added or changed via the Goblin Tinkerer's Reforge function.

A Modifier changes the name of an item by adding a prefix, such as "Adept", "Godly", or "Broken" (e.g. "Demonic Minishark"). A complete list of all 83 of these appears 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. It is applied as long as the accessory is equipped.
 * Weapon modifiers alter the statistics of that particular weapon, and may be positive or negative, with up to 5 positive or 3 negative effects at once. Tools that damage enemies, such as Pickaxes and Hammers, may also have these Modifiers.

Reforging
Reforging is a service provided by the Goblin Tinkerer, which applies a new Modifier to an item in exchange for Coins. It will add a Modifier to an unmodified item, or replace an existing Modifier. Whereas crafting has a chance of resulting in an item with no Modifier, Reforging will always apply a Modifier. On the mobile version, it is possible to reforge a weapon and get no Modifier.

The Goblin Tinkerer charges one third of the item's current buy value, which is approximately 1.67x its sell price or 1/3 of its base value. The Discount Card 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. This can be used to the players advantage while reforging items with auto-pause enabled. For example, an Avenger Emblem will cost 14 gold and 40 silver to reforge if it has a +4 Stat modifier (Lucky, Menacing, Quick, Violent, Warding). Using this knowledge, the player can quickly determine whether they want to reforge their Avenger Emblem again.

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

In the, items are reforged by dragging an item to the Goblin Tinkerer's shop window, placing it in the uppermost slot, then pressing the "Reforge" button. When the weapon has the desired modifier, drag it back into the inventory.

In the, items are reforged by clicking the reforge button once you speak to the Goblin Tinkerer. It will pull up your inventory and highlight items that can be reforged (ones that can't are hidden by a shadow). Hover the cursor over what you want to reforge and press the reforge button.

The modifiers of items used in crafting have no effect on the crafted item's stats. Any modifier given to the newly crafted item will be completely random.

Tips
It is straightforward (but sometimes expensive) to force a given modifier, by reforging your item until you get what you want. Reforging has no memory: Each time you reforge, you have an equal chance of getting any of the modifiers possible for that item. A casual guess at "how many tries will it take" is likely to be misleading, because statistics are tricky: In practice, it's better to consider that at any given moment, you have an even (50%) chance of getting what you want in a given number of tries:


 * 10 for weapons with only the 14 Universal modifiers
 * 13 for Accessories with their 19 modifiers
 * 16 for weapons which also have the Common modifiers (24 modifiers total)
 * 25 For weapons with Magic or Ranged modifiers (36 total)
 * 28 for weapons with Melee modifiers (40 total)

This applies no matter how many tries you've made before. Being willing to settle for more than one prefix will make things a lot easier: For example, if you'll be happy with your accessory getting any of the 5 "+4%" modifiers, you have an even chance of getting that with just 2 reforges. If you'll settle for any of three prefixes for your melee weapon, you have even odds of getting one of them in 10 tries. (Note: The above numbers make no account of modifiers forbidden for individual weapons, but that will just make thing easier.)

Accessory Modifiers
Accessory modifiers are active when equipped. Every accessory item can be reforged with the exception of the Guide Voodoo Doll, Clothier Voodoo Doll, and all the Music Boxes. Unlike Weapons, accessories cannot have modifiers that negatively affect their stats. Accessories can have one of the following modifiers attached to them (there are 19 in total):

Weapon Modifiers
These modifiers only apply when the weapon is being used. Weapons that have no knockback cannot be reforged with modifiers that change knockback, such as Drills, Magical Harp and many guns (such as the Minishark).

The Light Disc and Bananarang cannot have modifiers.

Universal
Flails, Spears, Yoyos, Boomerangs (except for the Light Disc and Bananarang), Chainsaws, Drills and Jackhammers (including the Drax) can only have universal prefixes, because they can't have their speed modified.

Universal modifiers can also be found on all other weapon types. The best universal prefix is Godly. However, the Demonic prefix increases damage and critical strike chance (and therefore DPS) by the same amount, differing from the Godly prefix only in knockback. All endgame bosses and many threatening endgame enemies are knockback-resistant, so for most intents and purposes, a Demonic prefix is just as good as a Godly one. One may prefer to have Demonic for close range combat and for digging tools.

Among drills, only the Drax, Chlorophyte Drill and Laser Drill can obtain the Godly prefix, since only these drills have knockback. The best damage-increasing prefix for the other drills is Demonic, though it's unlikely that a drill would be of much use in combat.

There are 14 Universal modifiers.

Displayed values may differ due to rounding.

Common
All weapons that are melee, ranged, or magical can have these modifiers.

There are 10 common modifiers.

Displayed values may differ due to rounding.

Melee
All Pickaxes, Hammers, Axes, Hamaxes and swing Melee Weapons can be reforged with these mods, in addition to the top two categories. (Due to their low base damage, the Wooden Hammer and Copper Axe cannot be affected by modifiers that change their damage by 15% or less.) The best melee prefix is Legendary (Spears cannot receive a modifier which increases size, so their best melee prefix is Godly). For the purposes of mining and resource collection, the best prefix for tools such as Pickaxes, Hammers, and Axes is Light, which offers the greatest increase in speed, or Massive, for increased range.

There are 16 Melee modifiers.

Displayed values may differ due to rounding.

Ranged
All Bows and Guns (excluding the numerous magic weapons whose names end in "gun", such as the Space Gun and Bubble Gun) can be reforged with one of the following mods, in addition to the top two categories. The best overall ranged prefix is Unreal. However, the Minishark, Star Cannon, Flintlock Pistol, The Undertaker (before 1.3), and the Clockwork Assault Rifle, and all bows of standard ore and wood (Wooden Bow through Platinum Bow) while also in this category, are unable to receive any modifiers that affect knockback, as they have none. The best prefix for a ranged weapon without knockback is Demonic. Although the Harpoon is classified as a ranged weapon, it cannot receive the Unreal modifier; its best modifier is Godly. The Chain Gun has such a high firing speed that the only modifiers that can improve its speed are Frenzying and Rapid, and the former reduces its damage output. As such, its best modifier is a choice between Rapid and Godly (or Demonic if knockback is not a concern). Hasty may consume less ammo than Rapid on shorter ranges, especially against weaker targets, while doing the same DPS (due to projectiles in the air, when the target dies).

There are 12 Ranged modifiers.

Displayed values may differ due to rounding.

Magic
All Magic Weapons (mana consuming) can be reforged with one of the following mods, in addition to modifiers from the Universal or Common categories. The Magical Harp, Nimbus Rod, Nebula Blaze and Last Prism lack a Knockback value and are unable to receive modifiers that affect knockback, so the best choice for these are Mystic or Demonic. (The Nimbus Rod is already so mana-efficient that Demonic is most likely the preferred prefix.) Magic weapons must use at least 4 mana upon use to receive any modifier that decreases mana usage. For "conventional" magic weapons, the best magic prefix is Mythical.

For summoning weapons, different priorities apply. 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. For summoning weapons, the Ruthless modifier offers the most effective Minion boost by solely increasing the Minion's damage per hit the most.

There are 12 Magic modifiers.

Displayed values may differ due to rounding.

Complete List
Only swung melee weapons can have their size modified. Only ranged weapons can have their velocity modified. Only magic weapons can have their mana cost modified. Certain weapons can't have their speed or knockback modified.

Displayed values may differ due to rounding.

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. Here is an easy rundown of the most desirable possible Modifiers for each weapon, or weapon type in most situations:

In special cases these may differ:
 * With the Lucky Coin equipped:
 * (melee weapons) Damaged yields more coins/enemy than Legendary
 * (ranged weapons) Frenzying yields more coins/enemy than Unreal
 * (summoning items) Broken yields more coins/enemy than Ruthless
 * (magic weapons) Manic yields more coins/enemy than Mythical
 * Mages with low mana may consider Masterful over Mythical.

History

 * Spears can no longer have any prefix that increases size.