Guide:Class setups

In need of updating post 1.2 release. In Terraria, there are many different types of weapons. There are also many bonuses that can be used to improve these weapons. This page lists some common synergies, setups and ideal reforge prefixes. Note that these prefixes are by no means required, and spending much effort reforging midgame equipment is generally a waste.

Greenhorn
Armor Weapons Accessories Summary
 * Wooden Armor, Ebonwood Armor, Shadewood Armor, Cactus Armor, Rich Mahogany Armor
 * Wooden Sword
 * Wooden Bow
 * Flaming Arrows (or wooden arrows)
 * Shackle

This is the equipment players should aim for before digging for an iron anvil. This is generally the best equipment you'll get without an Anvil, unless you find a lucky Chest or two. Cautious use of the bow can enable characters to take out enemies up to and including Skeletons, though Giant Worms pose a serious threat at this stage.

Adventurer
Armor Weapons Accessories Summary
 * Gold Armor
 * Gold Broadsword
 * Gold Bow
 * Flaming Arrows
 * Shuriken
 * Enchanted Boomerang
 * Trident
 * Grappling Hook
 * Magic Mirror
 * Cloud in a Bottle
 * Hermes Boots
 * Band of Regeneration
 * Shackle

With this level of equipment, players are prepared to start fighting bosses and entering the midgame. Not every item on this list needs to be acquired, but a suit of Gold Armor and a good ranged weapon is recommended.

Shadow
Armor Weapons Accessories Summary
 * Gold Armor
 * Gold Bow
 * Jester's Arrow
 * Flaming Arrow
 * Boomerang (of any type available)
 * Shuriken
 * Aglet
 * Anklet of the Wind

A simple, relatively hard hitting stealth sniper class that retains good movement speed.

Fast Melee
Armor Weapons Accessories Summary
 * Shadow armor
 * Legendary Muramasa
 * Feral Claws

Utilizes Muramasa's continous swing and the attack speed bonuses from Shadow armor and Feral Claws for high DPS against low-defense enemies.

Tank
Armor Weapons Accessories Summary
 * Molten armor
 * Legendary Night's Edge
 * Godly Flamarang
 * Godly Sunfury
 * Warding Obsidian Shield
 * Warding Band of Regeneration
 * Warding accessories

Basic tank template before entering hardmode. Has very high defense, survivability and high damage. It requires no resources to sustain. Performs quite well in hardmode without significant gear upgrades.

Ranger
Armor Weapons Summary
 * Necro armor
 * Harpoon
 * Unreal Phoenix Blaster
 * Silver Bullets or Meteor Shot
 * Demonic Minishark
 * Silver Bullets or Meteor Shot
 * Unreal Molten Fury
 * Hellfire Arrows
 * Demonic Star Cannon
 * Fallen Stars

Basic ranger template before entering hardmode. Has many viable weapon options. Especially the Harpoon should not be underestimated, as its refire rate is dependent on how long the harpoon is out. Thus, it can deal extremely heavy DPS when the target stays close, making it an excellent choice against enemies that are immune to knockback. Phoenix Blaster will consume ammo faster than a Minishark will, but has knockback. Molten Fury has less DPS and range, but higher damage per shot and consumes the least ammo. Star Cannon has the highest DPS of all ranged weapons, but gathering ammo for it will require considerable effort. A skybridge can help a lot.

"Space Ranger" Caster
Armor Weapons Accessories Summary
 * Meteor armor
 * Mythical Space Gun
 * Rocket Boots
 * Shiny Red Balloon

Utilizes Meteor armor's bonus to Space Gun. This setup is an alternative to the Shadow armor setups players typically get after breaking their first Shadow Orbs. Can be an interesting alternative if Jungle armor is not yet available and/or mana usage is an issue. The high projectile speed of the space gun enables it to be accurate even while using rocket boots.

Caster
Armor Weapons Accessories Summary
 * Jungle armor
 * Mythical Demon Scythe
 * Mythical Magic Missile or Mythical Flamelash
 * Mythical Water Bolt
 * Arcane Nature's Gift
 * Arcane accessories

Basic caster template before entering hardmode. Demon Scythe is one of the best magic weapons available due to its high damage, long range, piercing and versatility. Magic Missile / Flamelash can be used to damage mobs in otherwise unaccessible locations. Water bolt offers cheap utility for finding Floating Islands and is effective in confined spaces, something the other two spells lack.

Full Tank Warrior
Armor Weapons Accessories Summary
 * Turtle Helmet
 * Turtle Scale Mail
 * Turtle Leggings
 * Legendary Terra Blade
 * Legendary The Horseman's Blade
 * Legendary Vampire Knives
 * Legendary Scourge of the Corruptor
 * Legendary Paladin's Hammer
 * Picksaw
 * Spooky Hook
 * Wisp in a Bottle
 * Magic Mirror
 * Frozen Turtle Shell
 * Ankh Shield
 * Celestial Stone
 * Paladin's Shield
 * Star Veil
 * Fire Gauntlet (PvP)

The endgame Full tank warrior takes on the roll of attracting and just tank for your allies. All your accessories should have Warding Prefix to get max defense. You will need to run around some times and try to save your potions for the last. Enemies will be attracted to you with Turtle Armor. You can basically just stand there and take all the damage.

Ranger
Armor Weapons Accessories Summary
 * Hallowed Helmet
 * Hallowed Plate Mail
 * Hallowed Greaves
 * Unreal Megashark
 * Cursed Bullets or Crystal Bullets
 * Unreal Hallowed Repeater
 * Cursed Arrows, or Holy Arrows
 * Unreal Flamethrower
 * Gel
 * Drax
 * Dual Hook/ Ivy Whip
 * Fairy Bell
 * Magic Mirror
 * Wings
 * Ranger Emblem
 * Spectre Boots
 * Obsidian Shield
 * Cloud in a Balloon

The endgame ranger is probably the best overall at fighting bosses. Skeletron Prime and the Twins crumble before him/her, and it's possible to fight multiple bosses in one night with this setup. The options between weapons are mostly preference, though it's worth noting that the Repeater performs slightly better in PVP and the Megashark mows down bosses like nothing else. The Flamethrower performs similarly to the Megashark with a slightly higher damage output but limited range. It's reasonable to carry multiple weapons if you don't intend to be filling your inventory with loot.

Sorcerer
Armor Weapons Accessories Summary
 * Hallowed Headgear
 * Hallowed Plate Mail
 * Hallowed Greaves
 * Mythical Rainbow Rod
 * Mythical Crystal Storm
 * Mystic Magical Harp
 * Mythical Ice Rod
 * Mythical Demon Scythe
 * Drax
 * Dual Hook/ Ivy Whip
 * Fairy Bell
 * Magic Mirror
 * Arcane Wings
 * Arcane Sorcerer Emblem
 * Arcane Spectre Boots
 * Arcane Cloud in a Balloon/ Arcane Nature's Gift
 * Arcane Mana Flower

The endgame sorcerer is versatile and complicated to play. Crystal Storm and the Magic Harp perform well against bosses; the Rainbow Rod is potent against other players, and the Ice Rod can provide unusual tactical options. Sorcerers, moreso than even Rangers, tend to adopt a hit-and-run style of play, pulling back to regenerate mana and then striking hard and fast. Sorcerers that prefer more mana may switch out the Cloud in a Balloon for the Nature's Gift for even greater mana reduction.

Tank Mage
Armor Weapons Accessories Summary
 * Spectre Hood
 * Spectre Robe
 * Spectre Pants
 * Mythical Shadowbeam Staff
 * Mythical Inferno Fork
 * Mythical Magnet Sphere
 * Mythical Spectre Staff
 * Mythical Nimbus Rod
 * Mythical Staff of the Frost Hydra (optional)
 * Menacing Ghost Wings (Any wings will work, but Ghost Wings match the Spectre armor)
 * Menacing Cobalt/Obsidian/Ankh Shield
 * Menacing Star Veil/Cross Necklace
 * Menacing Frostspark Boots (optional)
 * Menacing Mana Flower/Magic Cuffs (optional)

The Tank Mage is a high survivability, high DPS build. Menacing is preferable over warding and Arcane, because Spectre armor's set bonus will heal you more the more damage you deal. This build is to be used with mana potions or Magic Cuffs. Nimbus Rod and Staff of the Frost Hydra are used for passive damage, which leads to passive healing. Star Veil or Cross Necklace are very good for more survivability, as this helps tremendously with bosses. Overall, this build is a build for DPS and Healer roles. The high DPS can keep teammates alive, while still taking down enemies at incredibly fast rates. Keep Nimbus Rod and Staff of the Frost Hydra up as much as possible, and use Magnet Sphere and switch to another weapon, when Magnet Sphere runs out, cast another one.

Space Sniper
Armor Weapons Accessories
 * Hallowed Headgear
 * Hallowed Plate Mail
 * Hallowed Greaves
 * Mythical Laser Rifle
 * Arcane Mana Flower
 * Warding Angel Wings
 * Arcane Spectre Boots
 * Arcane Band of Starpower

The Space Sniper is the Hardmode version of the Space Gun Caster, with the Laser Rifle and prefixes, as well as Hallowed Armor, but as well as being accurate and having a fast projectile speed means that you can either snipe or flood an opponent with projectiles, especially in confined spaces.

Flood Gate
Armor Weapons Accessories
 * Hallowed Headgear
 * Hallowed Plate Mail
 * Hallowed Greaves
 * Mystic Magical Harp
 * Mythical Cursed Flames
 * Arcane Mana Flower
 * Warding Angel Wings
 * Arcane Spectre Boots
 * Arcane Band of Starpower

The Floodgate shines in dispatching tanks or groups of players in confined spaces by 'flooding' them with projectiles and hoping that they hit.

Warlock
Armor Weapons Accessories
 * Hallowed Headgear
 * Hallowed Plate Mail
 * Hallowed Greaves
 * Mythical Demon Scythe
 * Mythical Rainbow Rod
 * Mystic Magical Harp
 * Mythical Cursed Flames
 * Mythical Crystal Storm
 * Mythical Ice Rod
 * Mythical Laser Rifle
 * Menacing Spooky Wings
 * Menacing Mana Flower
 * Menacing Spectre Boots
 * Menacing Sorcerer Emblem
 * Menacing Band of Regeneration / Band of Starpower / Cross Necklace / Nature's Gift

Very powerful spellcaster with heavy hitting power at the expense of agility. This set will wreck The Destroyer with the harp in addition to being fairly effective on The Twins and Skeletron Prime. In PvP, this set has a very wide range of options with the power of a boss itself. It is highly recommended to carry a few slots of Mana Potion, so that there is no real need for retreat. The use of Greater Healing Potion is almost necessary. The last accessory is pretty much up to choice depending on how you use the weapons. A player could opt for the Philosopher's Stone for adventuring/boss fight.

Nuker
Armor Weapons Any kind of grappling hook you can get!
 * Meteor Leggings
 * Meteor Suit
 * Wizard Hat
 * Mythical Rainbow Rod
 * Breaker Blade

Accessories
 * Menacing Demon Wings
 * Menacing Spectre Boots
 * Menacing Titan Glove
 * Menacing Sorcerer Emblem
 * Menacing Band of Regeneration / Band of Starpower / Cross Necklace / Nature's Gift

Putting every tiny wee percent of magical strength, which can of course include consuming potions of magical power, into the strongest single-target spell there is, the nuker relies on a heavy hit-and-run strategy, including to knock away enemies while running for it when reaching zero mana. Since the Wizard Hat alone delivers a 15% boost to magic damage and each part of the meteor armor comes with another 5%, the armor alone gives the player a damage boost of 20%. This is most effective when used on magic weapons with an already high base damage.