Guide:PvP



Player versus Player brings a unique type of play to the world of Terraria. This is a game mode where one player or a team of players can defeat another player or team of players. This is done by joining a multiplayer world, and enabling the PvP option by clicking on the swords in the upper right hand corner of the screen. The only way a player can damage another player is if both have the PvP option enabled. There is also the option of joining a team. Teams are represented by the colored shields in the upper right corner of the screen as well. Once you select a team there is an onscreen notification of how far away they are, as well as how much health they have. PvP is not an overly useful game mode as it does not help in any particular way. However it allows a very fun and challenging form of gameplay. Teamwork is usually the key factor in PvP combat, as it is also the key factor in Terraria. Below is a general guide as well as some tips, tricks, and hints that can help the average player become knowledgeable about the PvP factors in Terraria.

Damage
When attacking a player your damage is doubled. For instance, if you attack with a Muramasa, having a base damage of 18, and hit a player wearing a full set of Molten armor, giving 25 defense, the damage dealt will be 23, as the damage is increased to 36 and the damage reduction is 13.

Weapons
PvP combat is always fast and always fierce; bringing top tier weapons is a must, but how can one decide on what to bring? Should one bring a flail or a sword, a gun or a bow? Here are some brief breakdowns of weapons sets that are advantageous (take into mind that only top tier weapons are included and described for space).

Ranged weapons
Bow & arrow: Molten Fury + Hellfire Arrow 39 damage, 25 use time (substitute Jester's Arrows for 38 damage) this combo allows the player some utility, arrows arc creating a wider hit range; however their total flight time is not that great. A 1.56 max damage rate (or for the easy going player 1.44 using regular Wooden Arrows converted to Flaming Arrows). The major downside to this weapon is that high tier ammunition is hard to come by, and ultimately yields a small damage rate. The enemy will most likely pick up and keep arrows used against them, except for Jester's Arrows or Hellfire Arrows.

Gun & ammo 1: Phoenix Blaster + Meteor Shot 32 damage, 10 use time (Sub in Musket Ball for 30 damage) This combo allows the player to quickly cause burst damage to the target it has a small hit range due to straight line travel; this is made up for in its long projectile flight time and its overall speed. A 3.2 damage rate is astonishingly good, yet the amount of ammunition consumed trying to hit a player may be very costly.

Gun & ammo 2: Star Cannon + Fallen Star, 155 damage, 12 use time. This combo allows the player to deal an astounding amount of damage clocked in at 12.92 to an unarmored enemy (Unconfirmed). The downside to this is collecting stars is not quick process compared to the amount of ammunition consumed in a PvP fight, as well the stars cannot be reused. There is, however, a strategy for collecting fallen stars that requires a sky bridge.

Boomerang 1: Flamarang 32 damage, 15 use time This weapon allows the player an extra inventory slot due to not consuming ammunition, the downside is the projectiles very long return time if the target is missed. A plus side is that on the return the boomerang flies through bricks allowing the target to be hit from a safe location. A total damage rate of 2.14 leave this weapon open as a utility weapon.

Boomerang 2: Thorn Chakram 25 damage, 15 use time The Thorn Chakram deals slightly less damage than the Flamarang, with a 1.7 damage rate, but has the ability to bounce multiple times before returning to the user, making the weapon a great choice in tight quarters.

Spiky Balls: 12 damage, 15 use time Since they do little to no damage to players with decent armor they're a poor choice for a main weapon, but they can be thrown in narrow corridors or down slopes to slow down and inflict knockback to raiding parties while staying at a safe distance, or simply laid down in tight spots as a decent defensive strategy.

Melee weapons
Sword 1: Fiery Greatsword 36 damage, use time of approx. 35-45. This weapon deals a bit of damage, and has a reach of about 10ft. A total damage rate of approx. .75-.95 makes this weapon hard to use in PvP effectively. However, the chance to do the On Fire debuff is very useful.

Sword 2: Blade of Grass 28 damage, use time of approx. 20-30. This weapon has an incredible reach of about 12ft. with a decent attack speed as well. A damage rate of approx. .93-1.4 making this weapon slightly more effective in combat. It also has a chance to inflict the Poisoned debuff on the target.

Sword 3: Muramasa 18 damage, use time of approx. 10-15. This is the 2nd most effective PvP swords despite its initial low damage. The Muramasa has a damage rate of 1.467-2.2 being one of the highest damage causing weapons. This sword also has a very unique quality; if the melee key is held down, the sword keeps swinging. This makes the sword very powerful in the right item set.

Sword 4: Night's Edge 42 damage, 49 with Molten armor. Most costly weapon providing it takes multiple weapons and large amounts of resources to craft, but nevertheless worth the trouble. But it can't be held down to be swung. It would be recommended to use Feral Claws or equip Shadow armor for increased melee speed.

Flail: Sunfury 33 damage, use time of 30. This is known as the best non-projectile weapon in the game, it holds a high position in PvP combat due to flail mechanics. With a damage rate of 1.33 this weapon stands in high regard. A useful property of the flail mechanic is constant damage, as well as the flail traveling back through bricks on the way back to the player.

Spear: Dark Lance 27 damage. When used with Molten armor this weapon can be incredibly useful for PvP, because of its average speed and long range it can easily hurt players from a long range.

Magic weapons
Magic 1: Vilethorn 8 damage (damage time interval unknown assumed 50), 5 Mana, 30 use time This weapon isn't the ideal damage item, but can be extremely useful due to it being able to cause constant damage for a low amount of Mana while also being able to attack through walls. With a damage rate of approx. .16, it should generally only be used for those 2 purposes.

Magic 2: Flamelash 41 damage, 20 Mana, use time 20. This is arguably the best magic weapon regarding PvP due to its controllable projectile. With a damage rate of 3.5 this weapon stands out, however it does consume Mana and one drastic downside is while controlling the projectile the player is rendered defenseless. It also has a chance to inflict the On Fire! debuff to the target.

Magic 3: Starfury 15 damage (plus stars 20 each), 11 Mana, 10 use time This weapon is a good addition to the PvP arsenal, but it only works when the character has Mana (will not swing without Mana, and only reaches maximum potential while outside or in an open ceiling building. With a fast use time and stars, this weapon has an interesting DPS rate. From melee range, the character can do a maximum of 75 damage or 7.5 damage rate. However, the chances decrease drastically that the target will hold still for this battery, thus the real damage rate is somewhere around 3.5 as the weapon is not viable in close range (-15) and targets move all the time causing a fall off in star damage (-25).

Armor
Armor is one of the major aspects of PvP combat as it will be the first thing that alerts a player to what build they are going up against. Below are the basic unique armor sets found in PvP combat, their special set bonuses and abilities and some details on usage. Please note that this is not a general armor discussion, and only contains armor of second tier or better.

This set should be used for roles that are likely to take large quantities of damage. Usually this can be mixed with other defense accessories items such as the Cobalt Shield, the Obsidian Skull and the Shackle, which all add +1 defense, as well as the Ironskin Potion for another +10, granting a total of 38 defense. Molten armor also gives a +17% bonus to melee damage. Combined with a Feral Claws this makes for an almost unstoppable tank.

The set bonus reduces spell costs by 16%. It is useful for players that want to cast spells. This set of armor can be used with a Band of Starpower to further increase the amount of available Mana.

The set bonus gives a +20% chance not to use ranged ammo (stacks with the Minishark's bonus and works for the Sandgun) making this the go to set for ranging.

The set bonus increases movement speed by +15%. It is best for those that want to maximize their melee DPS, often referred to as a glass cannon. This is done by equipping a Feral Claws to reach the maximum melee attack speed. This makes the player a veritable bladestorm in combat; this is suggested to be used with the Muramasa, a weapon lauded for its strong attack power and very fast attack speed.

The set bonus reduces the cost of using the Space Gun to 0, allowing unlimited shots with this weapon. It can be useful for ranged combat by players using Rocket Boots and Ivy Whips to stay out of reach while spamming opponents with rapid fire.

Accessories
Accessories come in four different types, three of which are used for PvP: Movement, Regenerative, and Combat. This section addresses various pros, cons, and alternatives to the accessories that may be used in PvP, as well as giving very useful information on some like Hermes Boots and Band of Regeneration.

There appears to be a misconception that many classes, particularly rushing classes or ones that stay close to the enemy receive far better survivability from Bands of Regeneration than they do with Cobalt Shields (or Obsidian Skulls), when they actually provide relatively little survivability in PvP's fast-paced combat.

Movement
The boost stacks with Shadow armor to reach a max of approx. +31%.

It is also useful for breaking falls, since it does prevent fall damage (as of v1.03). Shiny Red Balloon jumps higher overall.

In a simple test it took 28 blocks for unaided Hermes Boots to activate. An Anklet reduces the number of blocks needed by 11%(28-> 25). Players looking for land speed should consider how far it will take them to activate Hermes.

Grappling Hook/Ivy Whip can be used to latch onto the ground/walls, Cloud in a Bottle can be used to break the fall (as of 1.0.3), and Rocket Boots can be used to reduce speed before hitting the ground.

Very useful as they do not drain any Mana so spell casters can use them much more efficiently now (as of 1.0.5), effectively giving them better jump than Cloud in a Bottle or Shiny Red Balloon. However eternal uninterrupted flight is no longer possible as they will only provide 1 second of lift. To recharge lift the player much either touch the ground or use a Grappling Hook/Ivy Whip.

Shiny Red Balloon's jump is higher than Cloud in a Bottle's double jump.

Regenerative
Although generally considered a survivability item, it provides little help in combat, as high-tier weapons will usually end a duel in mere seconds. Having a supply of Healing Potions or even Regeneration Potions handy is a slightly faster alternative, effectively freeing one accessory slot that one could use instead for other accessories. Not a recommended item for a "deathmatch" style PvP, but a defensive character in a strategic game could find the improved regeneration useful.



Combat
The multiple knockbacks from fast hitting items like the Minishark and Muramasa can be devastating in tight areas. Nearly mandatory for characters that rush or dart around to prevent being focused and rendered far less-mobile or lose a Hermes Boots speed boost.

An excellent accessory, the only one that actually increases your own damage output. Using it with the Shadow armor further enhances offensive capabilities.

Cobalt Shield can also be equipped.

This item also does not give an extra benefit like Cobalt Shield and Obsidian Skull do. Therefore this item becomes far more useless.



WARNING-More than one accessory can no longer stack!

Buffs
Gills Potion / Spelunker Potion / Battle Potion /: Not worth the slot as far as PvP goes.


 * It doesn't provide any direct advantage, but as it can be used to cross water and lava pools fast and safely it can give someone an edge in aquatic combat, as anyone else that falls in will be considerably slowed down.


 * Can actually be useful for mobile characters, as it also increases jump height and negates fall damage. Not always recommended, as you are more vulnerable to knockback when using it.


 * Good idea to carry on you in-case of lava moat/trap.


 * Decent for combat as it is equivalent to 4 bands of regeneration, lasts 5 minutes and is easy to craft, regenerating nearly as much HP as six Healing Potions would over time.


 * Good for the speed loving type, it offers 25% movement speed boost.


 * Reduces 5 damage per hit; is a highly advisable buff for use in PvP.

/: Useful for spell-casters.


 * To actually become invisible with this potion, a player would be required to remove all armor, as social slots are ignored when PvP mode is enabled. Doing this can be worth the risk however, if you can take full advantage of your invisibility. However, many servers have banned this potion, making it unwise to rely on a strategy utilizing it.


 * Does 1/3 of the damage done to you to the enemy who attacked you. This effectively leaves you with a third more health when fighting an equally equipped enemy. However, only a viable option for players who plan on dueling with melee very often as it does not affect people who attack you with a ranged weapon.


 * Only use if you plan on using a bow as your main weapon. This is usually a bad strategy as high tier guns are far more effective than high tier bows.


 * Good to avoid sneak attacks.


 * The most effective way of reaching high places, however it is the most difficult buff to create. Can be a suitable replacement for Rocket Boots, freeing up an accessory slot.

Roles and strategies
There are various combinations of armors and accessories that can make a player ideal for a certain role, such as attacking, defending, supporting and so on. Of course, anyone can make up their own strategies, or adopt different ones together in order to be ready for any situation.

Durable fighter
Set up with Molten armor and Defense or Regeneration accessories: this is the setup that grants the highest possible defense. Due to the armor's bonus, it works well with melee weapons. Spears are a good choice, because of their long reach and augmented damage. Flails won't benefit from the damage bonus, but will allow to easily mow down enemies in a wide area in front of the user.

The Durable Fighter might want to sacrifice some of the accessories' defense for agility-enhancing accessories.

Quick fighter
An attacker that exploits the Shadow armor's agility boost to become faster and nimbler. Although weaker than the one above in offensive and defensive terms, its speed, especially if further enhanced by agility-boosting accessories, makes it harder to hit by melee and ranged users alike. Thanks to their excellent maneuverability, they can easily pick off melee users with quick shots from a gun, or rapidly close in and hack away at ranged users with fast-swinging swords like the Muramasa or Blade of Grass. Since they rely entirely on their ability to kill enemies before they have a chance to retaliate, Feral Claws is a recommended accessory.

Supporter
When the others fight the enemy head-on, the Support Attacker assists allies from a safe distance. They can either don the Jungle armor and cast spells in the heat of the battle to help damage the enemies, or use the weaker Meteor armor and pick off multiple opponents with the Space Gun. Explosives, throwables, Bows and Guns also work wonders, especially if used in combination with the Necro armor. Since they're unlikely to confront the enemy face-to-face, their ideal accessory setup is either one that regenerates Health and (for magic users) Mana, or one that increases their speed, making them able to run where they're needed, or retreat fast.

Defender
When there is a point to be defended (could be a base, but also a vantage point, a construction site or such), the ability to stall the enemy with traps and improvised defenses becomes of paramount importance. Along with the Molten armor for maximum defense, the best thing to do is to use terrain-modifying tools, such as the Sandgun and Dirt Rod, along with Spiky Balls, Grenades and Water/Lava Buckets to slow down the enemy's advance. As a weapon, pistols are a good balanced weapon to defend oneself in a pinch.

Bomber
This strategy exploits the Gravitation Potion's effect to fly indefinitely over the enemy's strategic points, damaging them by shooting downwards a variety of mostly gravity-based projectiles, including bullets, sand pellets, explosives, Lava or Spiky Balls. Throwables and arrows are fine too, but the enemy will be able to pick them up afterward (with the exception of Bones). With some agility it is possible to use Water and Lava to create a block of Obsidian in mid air, enabling the player to drop massive amounts of Sand on the enemy, or create a small barrier to intercept projectiles from an enemy's counter-attack.

Saboteur
The Saboteur's strategy is pretty tricky: the Invisibility Potion can help greatly in infiltrating the enemy's ranks, and hindering them in a variety of ways: making the terrain rough or hard to cross, surprising enemies by attacking them when they least expect it, or ultimately use Vile Powder to turn part of the enemy's territory into a Corruption, or hiding blocks of Meteorite to spawn Meteor Heads. Another act of sabotage can be digging under their base, thus tampering with their traps or create an easy way through for your team, or even using boss-summoning items when enemies are on screen, and exploit the boss's aggro to guide it toward them when they're trying to take it down.

It is to note that, since being fully invisible requires being devoid of any armor, extra care has to be taken while sabotaging the enemy, as the maximum attainable defense is a measly 3 from accessories (provided that the player gives up 3 mobility accessories, which would be unwise). Drinking an Ironskin Potion can add 10 defense, to bump it up to 13 total.

Rough terrain
Some small pits, hills and barriers, combined with some cobwebs over a large area will considerably slow down anyone trying to charge through the base at full speed.

Sand barrier
A large underground space filled completely with Sand will force enemies trying to tunnel their way to the base to either give up, try to maneuver around it, or clear it with explosives forcing them to reveal their position. A 1-block wide tunnel near the spot they will likely stall at will allow the defenders to flood the tunnel with Lava for a quick kill.

Counter: Avoid it altogether, or clear it quickly with Dynamite.

Advanced sand barrier
Similar to the sand barrier above, the advanced variant adds lava to the equation. Having a large reservoir of lava above the sand barrier will discourage opponents from using explosives to clear the blockage. In addition, when they do clear it, they will be flooded with lava. Alternately, placing the lava outside visual range above the blockage will increase the chance that your opponents will accidentally flood themselves with lava by using explosives. You can discourage your opponents from simply going under the trap by adding lava beneath the flooring as well. Finally, making the tunnel only 6ft high, and lining it with Hellstone or Spikes will further reduce enemy maneuverability. If the top and bottom of the tunnel is lined with lava, you can also remove every second block along the bottom to reduce the availability of blocks to counter the lava flow. The primary disadvantage to this tactic is the large amount of lava that can be required.

Counter: Avoid it altogether, use water or Obsidian Skin Potion to neutralize the lava, or bring blocks to stop the lava with before the sand is fully released.

Pit trap
A pit trap is seen when a player digs multiple holes that are 4ft (2 blocks wide) and about 40ft (20 blocks) deep. At the bottom of the pit, spikes are usually placed. In some occurrence, lava may be placed at the bottom in small puddles. Alternatively, if a player gets trapped in a pit trap, the owner of the trap can drop mass amounts of sand on the trapped player to defeat them. The pit trap becomes more efficient if lined with Hellstone Bricks, as this will likely burn players attempting to get out. One can also place a one-block floor and remove it from range with the Dirt Rod. This is efficient at night if there isn't light around because this is impossible to see under the floor in such case. Counter: Fly over the traps with Rocket Boots or escape with a Grappling Hook and an Obsidian Skull equipped. By using the Hook, a player can also slingshot himself out quickly if their timing is right. If the enemy is using a Dirt Rod as visibility is low, one can cast an Orb of light, throw some Glowsticks or use a ranged weapon that emits light to detect an hidden trap.

Sand trap
A sand trap is seen when a player uses webbing to uphold sand. This may seem counter intuitive, but sand deals a lot of damage on contact with the player mesh. Because the webbing is so easy to destroy, the sand gains much more malleability in how it can be used. Often players can be led into a room and then blocked off by sand or encased in sand and then shot down with arrows, or more sand can be dropped on them, or a lava trap can be used to drop lava onto them.

Counter: Keep some sturdy blocks at hand to create an emergency barrier against the falling sand.

Spike trap
A spike trap is seen when a player has raided a dungeon of its spikes and mindfully put them in locations that are effective in whittling away health. These spikes can be used to damage other players. Spikes are often best used when they are out of sight of the player and placed on walls or ceilings. When a player puts spikes on the wall or ceiling a player will hesitate to grapple, leaving the target open for a sand trap.

Counter: Look for an alternative way around, or use the Ivy Whip to latch in between two walls without touching either of them.

Lava trap
A lava trap is seen when a player takes lava from the -2100ft level and uses buckets to move it up to his or her fortress. This lava is then held in place in a funnel shaped container, which is corked off by a web/sand cork. This allows the quick release of lava onto an unsuspecting character. This technique coupled with the sand trap is a sure way to deal good amounts of damage.

Counter: Keep water handy to temporarily stave off the lava

Obsidian padding
Obsidian padding is an efficient defense, as it makes a regular fortress immune to most explosive damage. Regular Obsidian created when water touches lava is almost completely resistant to explosive damage, the same can be said of obsidian brick. This makes obsidian invaluable when protecting a base from explosive damage or keeping a player from tearing through your fortress with Bombs.

Using Dungeon Bricks or Hellstone is safer, because Obsidian is technically not dynamite-proof while Dungeon Bricks and Hellstone are.

Counter: Destroy it with Dynamite, or hack it away with a Molten Pickaxe.

Moats
Moats, while not only for PvP (also for Goblin Armies), are very effective. To build one you either need a lot of water, or better, lava. First, build a giant moat (as big as possible, the bigger the better), then fill it with water/lava. Build a bridge over it. Now, when you know that enemies are coming, mine out the bridge (while able to get back into your house, of course), and watch for them. If they attempt to re-build the bridge, either risk it by trying to mine the bridge out, or attempt to get behind them and knock them in the water/lava. This isn't the best tactic, but it can still add an extra line of defense to your base.

Counter: Use Rocket Boots to fly over them.

Lava tubing
This technique is used to drown players; however, it is very hard to accomplish due to the amount of lava required. The player must first start off with a hallway that is tubed or water tight, then the top and bottom of the tube must be spaced one block apart and Obsidian Brick/Ore) will be placed, then the spacing between the brick and obsidian is filled with lava. This technique is done on both the top and bottom of the tube, then it must be filled with water. This technique, however difficult, yields a watery death for any traveling player.

Counter: Take extra care while traveling in narrow corridors, and try to stay undetected.

2012 machine
It is an ambitious project, but its power is devastating. It should be built high enough for the enemies to not notice, for example 300-400 feet above ground, and consist in a small reservoir of lava that funnels the liquid onto a block that splits the flow in two, letting each of the outgoing flows hit another block and split again, and again. The result will be a literal downpour of lava upon anyone unlucky enough to not have a shelter, although with a considerable delay due to the difference in height. Even better, the aftermath will see the whole area covered with a layer of lava, making it dangerous for anyone to cross. It can be further powered up by placing masses of sand held up by Wood Platforms and diverting the lava so that it burns through the platforms, adding a deadly rain of debris to the already hellish scenario.

Counter: Obsidian Skin Potion, or make a barrier and start digging down.

Meteor Head/Corrupt guards
Simply put 50 blocks of Meteorite or Corrupt a wide area in front of your base, so that Meteor Heads or Eaters will spawn just outside of the base (they won't spawn anywhere covered by a wall). To avoid the Meteorite from being destroyed, it is best to build it in a shape that makes it harder to lay bombs on (for example, a triangle pointing up), building it up in the air, and put a layer of Obsidian, Ebonstone or Dungeon Bricks around it.

Hellstone flooring
Very, very simple. You just make the floor of your base Hellstone, will deal continuous damage and (if without Obsidian Skull) make it extremely difficult to move through, as you will take knockback upon contact. However, it will require your entire team have an obsidian skull in their accessory slot.

You could also use Meteorite, but if the floor is too long, 50 blocks or more, Meteor Heads will start spawning, and Meteorite is not immune to Bombs/Dynamite, unlike Hellstone.

Counter: Equip Obsidian Skulls