User blog:LukeT/Luke's Intermediate Guide

Terraria is a complex game with many layers and options; as such it is sometimes hard to know what one should do or how to further progress in the game. This guide is targeted towards people who have the basics covered by the starter guide down but who are looking for more direction in what to do.

To Start
When starting the intermediate mode of the game you should already have most of these items, and I'll be assuming that you have already acquired most, if not all of these:

Having mostly Silver Armor is a good decision when dealing with challenges that come up in mid-tier play. The monsters do higher amounts of damage and use harder tactics so damage reduction is key in many encounters. Also, having a Silver Pickaxe will allow you to tunnel faster as well as do enough damage that you can continue to tunnel while lower level enemies (like zombies, demon eyes and bats) run into your pickaxe. A decent ranged weapon like a Silver Bow, Enchanted Boomerang, or a large supply of Shuriken can really help in boss fights as well as against dangerous enemies like Man Eaters who are hard to engage at close range. Once you get to the stone layer of the Underground then Grappling Hooks become necessary to be able to get around efficiently. 200 Health is a good benchmark of mid-tier play and the boss monster Eye of Cthulhu will begin spawning once the character reaches that level of health. The optional items are just nice perks that are very easy to find as you explore and open chests during regular play. None of them are necessary but all make your life much easier.
 * Silver Tier Equipment
 * A Ranged Weapon
 * Grappling Hook
 * About 200 Health
 * Optional cool items like: Hermes Boots, Cloud in a Bottle, Magic Mirror and more.

Mid-tier Biomes
Biomes that I will be considering mid-tier are: the Underground's Stone Layer, the Underground Jungle and the Corruption.

Stone Layer
The Stone Layer of the Underground is the third layer of the Underground, after the Dirt and Rocky layers but before the Underworld. In the top half you will start to find large, open caverns with sporadic water, while in the bottom half you will find slightly smaller caverns with pools of lava. This is a good layer to explore while you are mid-tier for a couple of reasons. You can easily find large veins of metals like Copper, Iron and Silver as well as decent amounts of Gold Ore and Gemstones. If you're planning on upgrading your armour and equipment to Gold Tier than you will be spending considerable time here. Also, Gold Chests seem to spawn more frequently at this depth, ensuring better gear.

Underground Jungle
The Underground Jungle is a layer that is part of the Underworld but has mud floors instead of dirt and has a different selection of monsters that spawn. The Underground Jungle is much more dangerous than the regular Underground and the mobs that spawn there can be frustrating to deal with. The benefits of going here are the Jungle Shrines that carry loot that doesn't spawn anywhere else in the game, and it is the only place to find Jungle Spores and Stingers which are needed to craft some of the next couple levels of items. Sometimes it's also nice to have a more challenging fighting experience while tunneling, something that the Stone Layer doesn't really give.

The Corruption
The Corruption is a layer accessable from the surface of the world. It has purple grass and trees and very distinct music. The monsters of the Corruption are much more difficult than normal surface monsters and require some planning in assaulting for those who aren't used to fighting them. Also, the purple stone of the Corruption, Ebonstone, cannot be picked except with a Nightmare Pickaxe or better, making Chasms harder to explore than other biomes without some creative thinking. The benefits of going into the Corruption are mostly to acquire Shadow Orbs which are necessary to progress in the game.

Mid-teir Goals
These are some goals to work towards that will give you some direction while pushing you towards the later tiers of the game.

Bosses
As soon as you start meeting the requirements at the top of the page, you should think about fighting the Eye of Cthulhu. He will start appearing when you get 200 Health anyways, or you could craft his summon item, the Suspicious Looking Eye. Not only does he drop a decent amount of Demonite Ore which is useful, but killing a boss unlocks the Dryad NPC who is essential if you want to start exploring the Corruption (she sells Purification Powder that turns Ebonstone into regular Stone). Just go to the Eye of Chthulhu page and follow the tactics there. After you have done this you'll be better prepared for fighting later bosses like the Eater of Worlds.

Shadow Orbs
Shadow Orbs are found at the bottom of Chasms in the Corruption. Breaking them open gives you an item that's found no where else, they have a 50% chance of spawning a meteor crash in your world (a great thing if you need Meteorite) and the third one you break will summon the boss Eater of Worlds. The first Orb you break will always give you a musket, a great ranged weapon, and because of your possesion of a firearm the Arms Dealer NPC will spawn at your house. Breaking Orbs is an essential part of moving the game forward.