User blog:Shadow Wolf TJC/Recommended Items for Terraria

Since Gracey91 decided to delete the old page titled Necessary Items, since he thought that it should've been a blog post (I kinda agree with him), I've decided to create this blog in its place. Hopefully, it's more balanced out than the older page (though I may add my personal thoughts here and there). (By the way, I'm adding this blog to the Guides category for the time being.)

This page is about items that players are advised to bring along, no matter what task they're doing (whether it's exploring outside, raiding the Dungeon, or building a hellevator). However, this is only a guide, and some players may find that this is completely wrong for them. For example, a caster style player may find a gun or bow irrelevant and a melee weapon user may find magic useless.

Universal
It's safe to assume that most, if not all, players would prefer to have the following items in their inventory at all times, unless they haven't advanced far enough in the game to get one of course.


 * Grappling Hook or Ivy Whip - It is very useful for scaling walls or ceilings (including the deep chasms within the Corruption), making it a very useful tool for exploration and construction alike. It can even be used to keep the player from falling to his/her death.


 * Magic Mirror - Always be ready to leave in a pinch whether it be a full inventory, you forgot something back at home (this has happened to me more than once :-P), an emergency back home (such as if you feel an evil presence watching you or if a Goblin Army is coming) or otherwise certain death (from falling or from being overwhelmed by strong monsters, which has happened to me before while I was exploring the Underground Jungle. Curse those Hornets!).


 * Basic Tools - These are typically your strongest pickaxe, axe, and hammer. They are invaluable for their ability to alter the shape of your world.


 * At least 250 blocks of any material - Always have some on you in case you need a temporary bridge, height booster, or need to make a barricade. Dirt, Stone, and Wood are commonly-used building materials, but other blocks such as Clay, Ash, or even Copper or Iron Ore (ores that I personally have very little use for once I'm midway through the game) can also be used.


 * Any melee weapon - Usually, this will be a sword of some sort, though a few other weapons can also be used, such as a spear, the War Axe of the Night, or The Breaker. Handy to have if enemies are invading your personal space. (My weapon of choice would have to be a broadsword.)


 * At least 5 (Lesser) Healing Potions - After all, Terraria is a dangerous place. Just remember that, since patch 1.0.6, healing items in general now inflict the potion sickness debuff, which prevents you from using healing items for 1 minute.


 * The best armor that you have. However, if you're far enough in the game to have access to some of the higher-tier armor sets, such as Shadow Armor, Jungle Armor, or Molten Armor (which all have their own set of benefits over eachother), then the choice is up to the needs of your playing style.


 * A Light Source - You need one to see in the dark. At least 75 torches are recommended (and/or at least keep some Wood and Gel with you in case you need to make more), and they can be placed on the ground or wall to both light up the area and mark where you've been to before. An Orb of Light or Mining Helmet could also be used alongside (or instead of) torches, though the Orb of Light moves slowly, and the Mining Helmet takes up the head slot of your armor, essentially sacrificing defense (and possibly other bonuses) for a mobile light source.

Optional
Depending on the player's playstyle and/or what task the player is trying to accomplish, they may want to bring along the following items.


 * Obsidian Skull - Although it grants +1 defense, the Obsidian Skull's main benefit is that it protects the player from fire damage from touching Meteorite or Hellstone. Useful for exploring the Underworld (though a cautious player might not even need this while mining said Meteorite or Hellstone).
 * Cobalt Shield - Any experienced player would tell you that fighting monsters while next to the mouth of a chasm in the Corruption, or next to a pool of lava, is very risky, as the knockback that monsters can inflict upon you can push you to certain death (either from being incinerated in lava, or from falling from too high an area). In addition to providing you +1 defense, the Cobalt Shield eliminates knockback altogether, making it invaluable to some for surviving in places where such dangerous situations are all over the place, namely the Underworld (though some players, myself included, may instead prefer to just take the time to build bridges to make the Underworld a safer place to explore).


 * Workbench - Useful in case you may need to quickly craft items such as doors and walls as you explore and build. Be sure to also bring with you the necessary materials (such as Wood). (I personally like to take one of these with me wherever I go, especially while building a Hellevator or remote spawn point.)


 * Wooden Platforms - They're useful if you want to build ladders or staircases (such as if you'd like to build a Hellevator that you can climb back up on. I sure would). They can also be used for constructing things like some Boss Arenas or traps (such as a Flying Enemy Cage).


 * Piggy Bank/Safe - Both items act as special portable forms of storage, in that you can put one down, place some stuff inside it, pick it back up, and the stuff that you placed inside of it can be accessed later, either from the same piggy bank/safe, or from another. Very useful for effectively increasing the size of your inventory while exploring for extended periods of time. (Be sure to bring a Workbench or a couple Wooden Platforms with you as well, as Piggy Banks can only be placed on a table object or wooden platforms.)


 * An underwater light source - There are goodies to be found underwater, but unfortunately, torches don't work underwater. (You could always dig tiny air pockets that are separate from the water and place torches there though.) An Orb of Light would be especially useful here, as not only does it work underwater, but you'll be moving slower underwater, perhaps slow enough for the Orb of Light to be able to catch up to you. However, if you don't yet have an Orb of Light, then a Mining Helmet or Glowstick could work instead.


 * Any ranged weapon - Are some monsters pestering you from afar (like Antlions or Harpys)? Consider bringing a weapon that can likewise hit them from far away. Conservative players (like myself) may prefer to bring a Boomerang or Flail with them, though less-conservative players, or players that are fighting against one of the bosses in the game, may instead choose to bring along a Bow, Gun, or other ranged weapon such as Shurikens or Throwing Knives. If you're far enough into the game, then you could use spells, such as Flamelash, in place of ranged weapons.
 * Cloud in a Bottle/Rocket Boots - Both are useful not only to grant a player added jumping height, but also to cancel out fall damage. The Rocket Boots may be the more useful of the 2 items though due to how high they can take a player.
 * Hermes Boots - Useful for getting to certain places quicker.
 * Sand - Want to dig a hellevator all the way down to the Underworld, but can't because some lava is in the way? As of patch 1.0.6, you can no longer just use liquid-filling to get rid of the lava, as blocks can no longer be placed in lava. However, there's no need to redirect the lava to someplace else. Instead, why not try dumping sand into the lava? It'll soak it all up like a sponge! Tired of Hellstone spawning lava when you mine it? Leave those Obsidian Skin Potions at home. Place sand blocks on top of the Hellstone that you're mining, and as you mine the Hellstone from top to bottom, the lava will form, but then the sand falls on it! Sand! IT'S OVERPOWERED!!! (Sorry, but I think that someone ought to do a commercial on how useful sand is in this game. However, I really do think that it's useful for mining Hellstone and developing Hellevators. I'd personally recommend bringing down at least a full stack of 250 sand blocks.)

Feel free to add more.