Guide:Game progression

Terraria is a sandbox game, but that does not mean it is without structure or change. The game progression presents a lengthy cyclic pattern:
 * 1) The player explores a new section of the world.
 * 2) The area provides new materials from the landscape, chests and pots containing new items, and new enemies which offer varied hazards, but also drop new items.
 * 3) The player uses these to upgrade their equipment, until they are ready for...
 * 4) ... a boss fight.  Each new boss provides a uniquely challenging fight.  Defeating the boss provides still more advanced equipment and materials.  This may include new NPCs and new items sold by existing NPCs.
 * 5) The items gained from the boss will again improve the player's equipment, but the bosses' defeat will also present a new challenge, usually access to a new area, or the appearance of new enemies in a previously explored area.  This returns the player to step 1.
 * 6) The most significant boss battles for progression are the Wall of Flesh and Plantera, which both change the behavior of the world itself (biome spreading and new enemies).

This page attempts to summarize the game progression, as delineated by bosses, NPCs, and suchlike, in text form. It will not give details about boss fights and such, see the particular boss's page or strategy guide for that. It will, however, give tips for control of the transitions in the game, and note key items to craft or find. Some tips will represent opportunities for "sequence breaking", by gaining equipment slightly in advance of the "usual" timing.

For a more detailed and graphics-heavy guide, see the Walkthrough Guide. Other important pages relating to progression: NPCs, Hardmode, Bosses. Item-class pages such as Armor or Swords may also be helpful.

Starting the Game
The Player starts with minimal equipment. Your task at hand is to collect resources (wood, ore, other blocks, equipment), build shelter (for yourself and your first NPCs), and work your way up the beginning of the armor & weapons ladder. With a little care, this can be done while avoiding the early bosses.

Items:

 * You'll start off chopping trees for wood, killing Green Slimes by day (torches), and digging around the surface of the world. You need to make yourself a safe shelter before nightfall.
 * Make better armor, weapons, and tools as you gather materials.  (Get used to upgrading your equipment often, this is an ongoing theme for the game.)
 * Make a Bed as soon as you can (you will need to collect 35 cobwebs and make a Loom), and set your spawn point in a protected shelter.
 * Start mining underground, but be careful how deep you go, as the Underground and Caverns are significantly more dangerous than the surface.
 * Once you get the Merchant, buy at least one Piggy Bank as soon as you can.
 * Until your mana is maxed out, collect Fallen Stars to make Mana Crystals and use those immediately.
 * Collect all the Heart Crystals you find, but don't actually use them until you're ready (see below).

NPCs:

 * Nearly every NPC needs a house. As their numbers grow, housing them all and defending them will become an increasing issue. The NPCs can defend themselves fairly well against individual early-game enemies, but later in the game or if they get mobbed, they can be killed. If they do die, they will respawn the next day with a new name.
 * When you do get a bed for yourself, the requirements for setting your spawn point are close to those for NPC housing, so you can share your own house with one NPC (the Nurse is popular).
 * Some NPCs may not seem very useful, but there are purposes for which any NPC will do:
 * Some of the later NPCs will appear only once a certain number of prior NPCs have already appeared or other conditions have been met (such as the player carrying some related item in inventory).
 * Enemy spawns are reduced near any NPC. If three NPCs are visible on the screen, enemy spawns will be completely suppressed (Blood Moons and other events notwithstanding).
 * Any NPC that can sell items can also buy items from the player (some items have no value). Any such NPC will buy any item, and all will pay the same price.
 * You start with the Guide, you just need to build a house for him (which you can share for now). He can give advice about crafting ("what can you do with this?") and occasional warnings of upcoming events.
 * Carry 50 silver coins for the Merchant. He will sell an assortment of basic items.
 * Find and carry a bomb or grenade (or any other explosive) for the Demolitionist. He sells grenades, bombs, and other explosive items.
 * The Nurse will appear after you use your first Heart Crystal (see below). She does not sell items, but can instantly heal you (and remove any debuffs) for a small fee.
 * There are three "non-town" NPCS, who do not need a house. The exceptions are the Old Man (found at the Dungeon entrance... temporarily), the Traveling Merchant (who will visit during the day) and the Skeleton Merchant (who can be found randomly underground). The Old Man is used only to summon Skeletron for the first time.  The two wandering merchants each  sell a random and/or time-dependent selection of merchandise, and can also buy unneeded items from the player.

Tips:

 * Mark the spot where you spawned (the "world spawn point"), and be careful about digging there. If you dig away the ground at the world spawn, you will still spawn there, but promptly fall into the hole.
 * Until you start using Heart Crystals, your biggest threats are the night monsters, and possibly King Slime if you wander far enough away from spawn.
 * The first crystal you use will enable Blood Moon nights to happen randomly. (It will also attract the Nurse).   You probably shouldn't do this until you've got at least Iron armor and weapons.
 * The second crystal enables Slime Rains, which can bring King Slime to your doorstep.
 * The fifth crystal is the critical one, which will cause the Eye of Cthulhu to spawn randomly at night. If possible, work your way up to Gold/Platinum armor and weapons before you use the fifth crystal (and any others you've collected).
 * You can collect lenses to summon the Eye manually, just so the fight happens at your convenience. Watch for status messages and comments from the guide, so you don't summon him on a night when he was about to come anyway.  Similarly, don't summon him at the stroke of sundown -- wait a few seconds to make sure he's not coming, and that it's not going to be a Blood Moon.
 * Early advantage can be had by quick trips into other biomes, as soon as you have built your first shelter.:
 * Head for the desert to make Cactus armor and sword, and to the Snow biome to make Frostburn arrows.  This can be in either order, but note that they will be in opposite directions.
 * If you're particularly daring, you might try delving into the Jungle, looking for the makings of the Amazon yo-yo and/or the Thorn Chakram.

Season's Greetings: Calendar Events
Terraria offers a couple of seasonal events, based on the Gregorian calendar used in the Western world. These "holiday seasons" overlap any normal game events that may be happening, but provide additional enemy drops and other features. When starting a game, these can be real game changers.

Valentine's Day
If it is Valentine's Day in Terraria, the Merchant will sell two particularly useful items:
 * For, the player can buy a Valentine Ring. When dropped, picked back up, and equipped, it grants a jump bonus and a health regeneration boost.
 * For, the player can buy a Heart Arrow. Heart Arrows are basically Wooden Arrows which stun enemies for 1.5 seconds. These can be extremely useful against bosses, especially when used in large amounts. If a large enough amount is used, a boss can be stunned forever.

Christmas
If it is Christmas in Terraria, you can use Presents to speed up game progression.
 * Presents can drop the Red Ryder and Musket Balls for ammo. This are extremely useful early-game, and will allow the Arms Dealer to move in early.
 * They can drop the Fruitcake Chakram, also useful early to mid pre-Hardmode.
 * Star Anises (stronger Shurikens), can drop from Presents.
 * Finally, Candy Cane tools, a Candy Cane weapon, and Candy Cane Blocks can drop. Candy Cane Blocks can save material when building houses, as they can replace wood in the walls and basic shape of the house. The Candy Cane Sword is a strong mid pre-Hardmode sword, and the Candy Cane Pickaxe can mine Demonite and Crimtane, which means the crafting of a Gold Pickaxe is not required. The Candy Cane Hook is better than the normal Grappling Hook, and also drops from Presents, making it easier to obtain.
 * The Hand Warmer can also drop from a Present. The Hand Warmer protects against the Frozen and Chilled debuffs when equipped.
 * Presents (like Crates, discussed below) can be saved for later opening in Hardmode, when they can also contain a Snow Globe to summon the Frost Legion. See below for more details.

Halloween
Halloween is somewhat less generous, but does offer some goodies:
 * The Witch Doctor will sell the Cauldron, a Cooking Pot which is Halloween-themed. This can be a nice alternative to using your own iron to make a Cooking Pot.
 * The Bloody Machete and Bladed Glove both have a 0.05% drop rate from all weaker enemies. Both weapons are very powerful pre-Hardmode.
 * Pumpkins will begin to grow around the world in random places. Outside of the Halloween season, pumpkins would not be available until the Dryad appears, and then only when the player buys and plants the seeds.  Pumpkins can be used to make Pumpkin armor, which is as good as Tin armor, plus the set bonus boosts all damage by 10%.  They can also be used for Pumpkin Pie, a long-lasting food item.  They can even be used for building as blocks or walls, or crafted into a complete set of furniture.
 * Monsters will drop Goodie Bags. These mostly contain Vanity items sets, but also can include Rotten Eggs.  These are a weak throwing weapon, but they are the only player-wielded weapon that normally damages NPCs.    Rarely goodie bags can also contain the Unlucky Yarn pet-summon, or the powerful Bat Hook.  The costumes are 2 or 3 pieces, and can be sold for  per piece.

Finding your feet
Once you've beaten the Eye, it will no longer spawn on its own. You should definitely be able to reach the Jungle by now (again, for the yoyo and/or the Thorn Chakram), and go onward to the Ocean (for the Angler).

NPCs:

 * The Dryad needs only a house to live in. She sells a number of nature-related items:  Seeds to plant any sort of grass, Sunflowers for a useful buff, acorns and pumpkin seeds.  Her Purification Powder can purge Corruption or Crimson from small areas, and is the only way to revert tainted blocks (until you get the Clentaminator in the mid-game).
 * Carry any dye plant to attract the Dye Trader. He sells dye-related items, including a couple of colors that are not otherwise found in the world, and the crafting station to mix your own dyes.  He also trades Strange Plants for exclusive dyes with animated effects.
 * The Stylist is found in a Spider Nest, but will be helpless when found. She and the Angler are the first of several NPCs who need to be found and "rescued" (by clicking on them) before they can move into your town.  Her services are purely cosmetic, but some of the hair dyes can provide useful information, and she can buy your surplus items.
 * The Angler is found sleeping in or near the Ocean (when woken, he will often immediately drown). His quests will provide a trickle of money and a steady stream of useful tools and accessories.  Meanwhile, his quests will provide an excuse to explore multiple areas, and master them at least well enough to establish a secure "fishing hole" in each.

Fishing:
From this point on, fish as much as you can -- take every possible quest from the Angler, using all the fishing-related equipment and potions you get from him.
 * This will get you an assortment of useful items, both directly and from crates. The Reaver Shark and Rockfish will serve you for a long time, while some of the accessories will help you get around and/or protect from falls.  Crates can provide the tiny but powerful Falcon Blade, among other powerful items.  Duplicates and unwanted items can be sold.
 * Once you've got enough ore/metal and are getting dupes of the crate items, start stockpiling crates, and continue until Hardmode. Note that Biome crates can have special items, mostly the same items as the biomes' special chests.  Crimson or Corrupt Crates will also add special drops in Hardmode, so make sure you keep some of those.
 * Set up three chests for quest fish, and each time you fish for one, try to catch four of the current quest fish at a time (stashing them in chest or piggy bank as you catch them). The next couple of times those quests come up, you can hand over the fish immediately from the chests.  When you only have one left of the current quest fish, go catch three more before you turn one in.
 * As you set up in new biomes, set up protected fishing areas at various heights.
 * Fishing will remain useful into early Hardmode, but eventually there will come a point when the player has better equipment than anything they could fish up. At this point, fishing is more-or-less reduced to resupplying potion ingredients..

Items:

 * From here on, use Heart Crystals immediately until your health is at maximum.
 * Make a Reinforced Fishing Pole for fishing.
 * Make a Cooking Pot (or buy a Cauldron) for cooking fish. Make Clay pots or buy planters from the Dryad to grow herbs as you collect seeds.  Start making potions.
 * Hermes, Flurry, or Sailfish boots add mobility, and begin the crafting chain ending with Frostspark Boots.

Side Trips: Exploration and Queen Bee's Hive
Between the Eye and taking on the Eater of Worlds or Brain of Cthulhu, there is no real "ticking clock" to the world, so this is a good time for building, exploration and looting. If you are doing well in this stage, consider more exploration in the caverns or distant biomes, and perhaps taking on the Queen Bee, before proceeding with the "evil" Boss. If you are having trouble, you might want to postpone some of that until you have "evil" and/or Meteor equipment. In any case, you should be able to explore the various biomes and delve to Cavern level, getting items from the pots and special chests found in cabins, underwater, in the Jungle, and perhaps in a Desert Pyramid. In the other direction Sky Islands provide some unique items to jump higher and protect against falls. The adventurous player may want to step into the upper reaches of the Dungeon, in hopes of finding a Water Bolt above the Surface line. Desktop players may also want to visit the Underworld, seeking a Hellforge and enough Hellstone for an Imp Staff.

Note that killing the Queen Bee offers not only the obvious drops (use your first Bee Wax for a Hornet Staff), but provides a safe place to fish for Honeyfin (or the Bumblebee Tuna Quest fish). You may also want to start work on a skybridge/meteor shield, or perhaps improve your base defenses for the Goblin Army. Exploring the "evil" biome may also yield some rewards, but in any case, you will need to map out and perhaps set up an arena there for the boss battle.

Items:

 * Hornet Staff
 * Optionally Imp Staff.
 * Mobility items: The Sky Islands may also provide a Lucky Horseshoe, Red Balloon, and/or Cloud In a Bottle, while fishing may provide variations on these.

NPCs:

 * Witch Doctor (after killing Queen Bee). At this point his most important item is the Imbuing Station, which allows you to make Flasks for melee buffs.  He also sells the Blowgun, and as the game advances will provide miscellaneous tools and ammunition.

Break on Through
Once you have Gold/Platinum and better equipment, with some better weapons and helpful accessories, you should be able to delve into your "evil" biome with relative impunity. At this point, you can start breaking Shadow Orbs or Crimson Hearts (hereafter, "orbs"):
 * To mimimize meteorites, avoid breaking multiple orbs between midnight and dawn (4:30 AM), as that can get you multiple meteorites immediately (separate 50% chance for each orb broken).  If orbs are broken at other times, there will be at most one meteor (next midnight) no matter how many orbs you broke that day.
 * Regardless, after the first orb is broken, there will be a small chance of meteorites falling every night thereafter. There will also be a random chance each day of the Goblin Army invading.
 * When breaking that first orb, make sure of the status message you get, which should be "A horrible chill runs down your spine...". If you instead get "Screams echo around you...", this means that one of the orbs has already been broken, by faulty worldgen or natural processes.  (There should have been a status message at the start of the game, but a new player might well miss that.)  The next orb will in fact be the third, and will summon the boss.
 * The second orb broken will offer more drops, but otherwise ought to do nothing in particular, aside from the above rare chance.
 * Every third orb broken summons the boss: Eater of Worlds or Brain of Cthulhu.

NPCs:

 * Carry bullets or a gun for the Arms Dealer (you will get a gun from the orbs). He sells guns, ammunition, and the Illegal Gun Parts used to craft several powerful guns.  As with several NPCs, specialized ammunition may not be offered unless you are carrying the appropriate weapon.
 * Tavernkeep, found after the boss fight.  He provides access to the Old One's Army optional event, and weapons and armor to fight it.
 * Goblin Tinkerer, after defeating the Goblin Army.
 * He sells the Tinkerer's Workshop to combine accessories.
 * He sells Rocket Boots (upgradable to Spectre Boots at the Workshop), and a handful of other items, including what might be your first Hook.
 * He also provides a special service: By reforging an accessory, weapon, or some tools, you can get a new modifier for the item.  Throughout the game, a fair bit of your coin will go toward reforging your equipment for improved power.
 * Painter. His wares are purely cosmetic, but can drastically improve the appearance of your base, not to mention such practical uses as color-coding chests.

Tips

 * From this point on, Meteorites will be hitting your world. Place Chests at all your bases and other points you want to protect, as they will prevent Meteorites from landing there.
 * Once you have enough Meteorite ore, consider making a Skybridge as a Meteor shield over your world.
 * Since skybridges will not work in the, use Chests to prevent Meteor hits in the area.
 * If you haven't done the Side Trips from above yet, do them now, you'll want minions and powerful equipment for the Dungeon. You may also want to start mining the Underworld for Hellstone and useful drops (Demon Scythe, Magma Stone, etc.).

At this stage in the game, "classes" begin to appear: You can choose among several different armor sets, each of which provides bonuses to support a different play style and weapon type:
 * Bee armor for summoners (who like to live dangerously, as its defense is low).
 * Jungle/Ancient Cobalt armor, for magic-users in general; lower mana costs, higher magic critical chance.
 * Meteor armor supports the Space Gun and magic damage.
 * Necro armor for ranged weapon bonuses.
 * (Ancient) Shadow armor, for movement and attack speed. OR
 * Crimson armor for regeneration and a general damage bonus.
 * Molten armor for a big melee damage bonus, and the highest defense before Hardmode.

Items:
Spectre Boots (eventually upgraded to Frostspark Boots), the Obsidian Skull for mining Meteorite ore and Hellstone ore, The Shadow Orb/Crimson Heart drops, and the Crimtane/Demonite and Meteorite armor and equipment. The daring can drop into the Underworld and mine enough Hellstone for an Imp Staff, or even Molten Armor.

Into the Dungeon
By this point, you should have at least "evil" or meteorite armor (or a suit chosen for your play class) and similar equipment, with a fair range of weapons and accessories. A tough fight with Skeletron will grant you access to the Dungeon. The Dungeon will provide the last items needed to complete your Cell Phone, a Muramasa to complete your Night's Edge, and a Shadow Key for looting the Underworld. Dungeon and Underworld together will get you the most powerful equipment available before Hardmode.

NPCs:

 * Clothier: He can supply an assortment of wearables and the materials to make others.  All his wares are cosmetic.
 * Mechanic (found in Dungeon): She will be your source for wires, switches, actuators, pumps, and other mechanical stuff.
 * Party Girl: Most of her wares are cosmetic and party-related, but some can be eccentrically useful.

Tips
Clear the place out as best you can, fixing obstacles and stripping away Spikes as you go. When you come back here in the late game, you'll have enough trouble with the new monsters, without worrying about your footing. You might also want to make a fishing hole here for later; remember, to fish for dungeon crates you must be below Surface level and in front of "natural" Dungeon wall. Once you have the Mechanic, you can build yourself a statue farm at your base, and perhaps beef up your base defenses.

Items:
Cell Phone, Shadow Key, Night's Edge, The Grand Design.

Mastering the Underworld
Explore and loot all the Underworld's Ruined Houses and loot the Shadow Chests, while mining Hellstone for Molten armor and other equipment. You will also need to make several kinds of preparation for Hardmode:
 * You should chop up your world with "hellevators" and tunnels, to block spread of the Hallow and Crimson or Corruption.  Especially try to protect Jungle, Desert, and your spawn base.  If you haven't done the skybridge/meteor shield yet, this is another good time for that.
 * Check your stockpile of crates, you'll want to go into Hardmode with at least a stack or two of crates if not more.
 * While you're at it, stock up on potions, because you'll be wanting those more in Hardmode.
 * If you haven't already, you might try making a Surface Mushroom Biome, and building a house there for Truffle to move in later.
 * Prepare the Underworld for the Wall of Flesh fight: Optionally, flood one or both sides of the Underworld by digging a shaft down from the Ocean.  Even with a flood, you will need to make bridges over remaining lava.  Having established a safe surface to walk on, place stations along the way with Heart Lamps, Campfires, Star in a Bottle lanterns, Peace Candles, and banners, trying to cover as much territory as you can with your protective buffs.

Items:
Finally, gather up your best weapons and armor, choose your accessories, grab a few bags of Purification Powder, and summon the Wall of Flesh. When (and if) you defeat it, you might look around for a Tortured Soul to purify into your Tax Collector, but be prepared to teleport home as soon as danger threatens.
 * Imp Staff
 * Demon Scythe
 * Shadow Chests may contain the normally late-Hardmode Drax. If you find one, keep it handy, as it will be very useful even in late Hardmode.  In fact, you might be able to meet the Mechanical Bosses with Chlorophyte gear.

I knew that would come in handy...
So, you just got home after killing the Wall of Flesh. A bunch of things have happened:
 * The biggie: Stripes of Hallow and either Crimson or Corruption, and now they're contagious.
 * Lots of new, meaner, monsters, starting with the ordinary night spawn.
 * Blood Moons now feature bomb-throwing Clowns.
 * Rain brings Angry Nimbuses (but those drop the Nimbus Rod)
 * Goblin Armies now include Goblin Summoners, which drop Shadowflame weapons.
 * Underground, the rare Biome Mimics are a particular challenge, but with awesome rewards.
 * Chlorophyte will start appearing in the Jungle, but you can't mine it yet. ( Unless you found a Drax in a Shadow Chest.)
 * Both coin drops and equipment costs will increase sharply. You'll be going through a lot more money, but also making a lot more.

NPCs:

 * Truffle will show up if you have a suitable house for him (that is, in a player-created Surface Mushroom Biome).
 * Many of your existing NPCs will have new items for sale.
 * The Merchant sells the Disco Ball.
 * The Demolitionist sells Hellfire arrows and Explosive Powder.
 * The Dye Trader gives several new quest dyes.
 * The Dryad sells Hallow seeds and Jungle Wall.
 * The Arms Dealer sells the Shotgun and Empty Bullet Shells. Unholy arrows are now available around the clock.
 * The Stylist sells Biome Hair Dye
 * The Witch Doctor sells the Tiki Totem pet and Leaf Wings (Witch Doctor must be placed in a house in the Jungle for these two extra items to be available)
 * The Mechanic sometimes sells the Mechanic's Rod (for fishing).
 * The Party Girl sells colored rockets, bubbles, and smoke blocks.
 * The Traveling Merchant can sell the Gatligator.
 * The Skeleton Merchant can sell two new yo-yos (Gradient and Format C), the Yoyo Glove, and the Slap Hand.

Items:

 * Hardmode anvil, Hardmode forge.
 * Basic Hardmode metals, in three tiers. As with the pre-hardmode ores, only one of each tier can appear in the ground as ore.  Crates can provide all six metals.
 * Armor: Most of the Hardmode "tier" armor sets each have three headpieces.  Each headpiece provides piece and set bonuses to favor a particular class: melee, magic, or ranged.  Summoners are represented by "themed" sets and Tavernkeep armor.

Tips:
The "standard" way to proceed from here would be to go break some altars, then go mine for advanced ores in the depths. While trying to get enough ore for Hardmode armor and weaponry, you'll also be dealing with new, vastly more powerful enemies, plus unscheduled visits from the Mechanical Bosses, Hallow and evil spreading in unexpected places, and Pirate Invasions to boot.

If, however, you have saved up a supply of Crates from fishing, you have a much better option: Set up a row of chests, clear out your inventory, and start opening crates! Bank the ores and bars, while you take your pick of the other items and sell the extras. The sticking point here is the Hardmode Forge -- you will need at least 30 Adamantite or Titanium ore, which can require two stacks or more of Wooden Crates. Given this (and perhaps some higher-tier crates), you should have plenty of metal bars to make your Mythril Anvil, Titanium armor and weapons, and Mythril tools. (Or their alternates if you prefer.)  If you had some Crimson or Corrupt crates, you likely even have a few Souls of Night and Ichor/Cursed Flames.

Despite being a solid jump over your previous equipment, you will soon find the new armor and weapons to be barely sufficient to keep you in one piece. Fortunately, at this point, you don't need to break any altars. That gives you time to take things slowly, collecting Hardmode resources, crafting new equipment, and especially, taking on the Mechanical Bosses (and Pirate Invasion) in your own time, on your own terms, because they won't spawn until you summon them.

Venturing into Hardmode
After killing the Wall of Flesh, the world moves into the "midgame". At this point, much of the world has probably been mapped and looted, including all the surface biomes and most of the large structures (except the Jungle Temple, which has at least been located). But the monsters are a lot tougher in all environments, the contagious biomes are trying to take over the world, and big chunks of previously-known territory have been taken over by evil or the Hallow.

Your first priority is getting a feel for the new monsters, and learn how to handle them. Take things slowly, and don't get mobbed. Carry a decent selection of potions, and use that "autobuff" key at the first sign of trouble. You may want to check on your biome barriers, fix problems (with Purification or Vile/Vicious powder, or perhaps dynamite if needed), and close up gaps in the barriers. If your base defenses aren't up to snuff for the nights or the new Blood Moons, improve them -- things will only get worse from here.

The resource & equipment staircase continues. Since existing chests and pots won't be repopulated, the new resources will consist of the new ores and mob drops, with some new NPC sales. Don't be afraid to use a statue farm to get key items. Get some of everything as you travel around, but there are some particular targets for crafting and/or farming.

Items:

 * Medusa Head: Will be very useful against Wyverns and the Destroyer.  Given the hazards of hunting Medusa in the wild, the statue farm with lava is definitely the way to go.  A Pocket Mirror would be nice, too.
 * Wings: Most wings are crafted with 20 Souls of Flight (gained by slaying a Wyvern or two) and other ingredients which determine the type of wings you get.  (A few wings are purchased, or dropped by powerful enemies.) They come in several tiers; as usual, trade up as you get better stuff:
 * For bottom tier wings, you can use Souls of Night or Light with Harpy feathers, or get a set of Fin Wings from the Angler. On non-desktop platforms, you can also buy a set from the Dryad.
 * The Jetpack is a little better, and using 100 Pixie Dust is an improvement over that, but...
 * Several monsters offer rare drops whose only use is to make Wings, and most of those will be mid-tier or better. A Giant Harpy Feather is likely the first "wing token" you'll see, and will make solid mid-tier wings.
 * The top tier for now includes the Leaf Wings from the Witch Doctor and the rarer wing tokens: Feathers from Ice Golems or (later) Red Devils.   Still later, Mothron Wings and Spectre Wings will be in this tier.
 * Even more powerful wings will be available as you unlock advanced materials and take on the optional Events.
 * Spider Suite: The spider nests you've already found will now be spawning Black Recluses.  Use some of your new weaponry and perhaps a Tavernkeep sentry to slaughter them for their fangs.  You'll at least want enough for the Spider and Queen Spider Staffs.  If you really like minions, you may want to go whole hog with the Spider armor set.  If you pick up a Poison Staff, so much the better.
 * Mounts: The Ancient Horn or Blessed Apple both give you good mounts for charging through mobs, but the Scaly Truffle will let you move fast and fly better than most wings.
 * Ankh Shield: This is a medium- to long-term project, which will likely extend through coming stages. You should already have an Obsidian Shield by now, and perhaps a couple of the other ingredients.
 * If not, fix that! If there wasn't one Cobalt Shield in the whole dungeon, go fishing for Dungeon Crates until you get one from a Golden Lock Box.
 * You will be collecting nine rare drops of widely scattered monsters, to combine with each other and the Shield. The result will be a single accessory to protect you from a dozen of the most common debuffs and other hazards you'll encounter while adventuring.
 * Armor: Frost armor and Forbidden armor are powerful options that become available once you can fight their respective mini-bosses.  Also save Turtle shells for later crafting.

NPCs:

 * Tax Collector.  If you didn't catch him on the way up from the WoF fight, go get him now for a steady stream of money.
 * The Wizard: Along the way, look for this fellow in the Caverns or below.  Once rescued, he will sell you the Crystal Ball and Ice Rod, along with key materials for several weapons.

Tips
At this point, your only real "ticking clock" is the spread of Hallow and Crimson/Corruption. If your Jungle is being eaten, or you're in danger of not having any Forest left, you may want to push ahead faster, at least to the first Mechanical Boss so you can get the Clentaminator. If your barriers are working and your key biomes are safe, you can afford to take your time. If you haven't broken any altars and don't have biome issues, this is a fairly stable point in the game. This is a good time to improve your base, search or farm for desired items, or summon events. For example, you might get in a last few Tier 1 runs with the Old One's Army, to save up medals for a Tier 2 sentry. At this point, you should also be able to easily beat any of the pre-Hardmode bosses, so you can farm them "for fun and profit". You might want to set up a crystal farm or other project.

Once you have the Clentaminator, you may want to spray a little hallow on the border of the "evil" biome and the forest. The Hallow will not spread to the Jungle, and can act as a shield against the "evil" biome.

When you feel you've got your feet under you, it's time to take on the Mechanical Bosses, one at a time. You may have gotten some of their summoning items already, if not you can easily make them. It doesn't necessarily matter what order you take them in, and most game-advancement effects kick in based on only how many of the three you've beaten. However, each of them provides the Souls for particular weapons and tools. The Destroyer is generally easiest, The Twins next, and Skeletron Prime is probably the hardest, but this may well depend on your equipment and play style. Once you've learned how to beat each of the Mechanical Bosses, it will be much easier to repeat the performance, in case you run low on Hallowed Bars or their respective Souls.

Side Trip: Pirate Invasion
Even if you have not broken any altars, you can still manually summon a Pirate Invasion with a Pirate Map (rare drop from any enemy killed in the Ocean biome). The enemies include no casters or "speed freaks", and only one slow flyer. Thus with proper preparation, this event is fairly easy to farm, and quite profitable, with both powerful and lucrative drops. If summoned in the Ocean biome, the pirates themselves will drop several more Pirate Maps for later use.

Items:

 * Golden furniture for display or sale
 * The Coin Gun
 * Two or three money-related accessories as rare drops: Discount Card,  Lucky Coin, and  Gold Ring.
 * The Pirate Staff.

NPCs:

 * Defeating the invasion once unlocks the Pirate NPC, who sells two placeable cannons and ammo, a pet, a costume, and a new decorative Wall.

Side Trip: Frost Legion
If the player has played during the Christmas season, they may have obtained Presents. If opened during Hardmode, these can contain a Snow Globe. Snow Globes can be used (at any time, not just Christmas) to summon a special invasion, the Frost Legion. The invasion itself is pretty straightforward (with no flyers or casters at all) but also not very profitable; in single-player, the expected coin drop from the whole invasion is less than 5 gold.

Items:

 * The enemies create and drop snow blocks, making snow technically renewable.
 * After defeating it, the Clothier will sell the Balla Hat and the Gangsta Hat.

NPCs:

 * After defeating it, the NPC Santa Claus can spawn during the Christmas season.

After One Mechanical Boss

 * Solar Eclipses begin to occur. These are almost twice as long as Blood Moons, with far tougher monsters -- moving faster, jumping higher and flying aggressively, with bonus laser attacks.  However, if properly harvested they can be hugely profitable, both in coins and dropped accessories.
 * On the, Reapers will immediately start to spawn during Solar Eclipse, and Broken Hero Swords will drop from Frankensteins and Swamp Things. (See below for more details on these items).
 * The Old One's Army goes to Tier 2, with seven waves and Ogres at the end.
 * The Tavernkeep likewise sells Tier 2 sentries; hopefully, you've saved up enough Medals to buy one of those before your next army call.
 * He also sells four sets of "basic tier" armor to buff each of the sentry types, plus give bonuses to sentries and other minions.
 * At Tier 2, it becomes practical to buy a Defender's Forge to increase your portable storage.
 * As before, your ultimate goal for the tier is to save up enough Medals that after you do defeat the Golem, you can buy a Tier 3 sentry up front. In the meantime, Ogre drops may be handy.
 * Red Devils and Lava Bats spawn in the Underworld.

NPCs:

 * The Steampunker will arrive. She will sell the Clentaminator and its ammo, which will make sorting out the biomes much easier.  Also here's your jetpack (if you don't have better wings yet), not to mention teleporters and asphalt.
 * Several other NPCs will unlock more items for sale:
 * Greater Mana and Greater Healing potions from the Merchant
 * More quest dyes from the Dye Trader
 * As noted above, the Tavernkeep sells Tier 2 sentries and "basic tier" armor. However, the price of an Eternia Crystal goes up to 1 gold.
 * Speed Hair Dye from the Stylist
 * The Truffle will begin selling the Mushroom Spear and Hammush, and the Clentaminator ammo, Dark Blue Solution, which spreads the Mushroom biome.
 * The Pirate (if present) will sell the Bunny Cannon and Explosive Bunnies.

Items

 * Your next Yoyo: Yelets can be dropped by any enemy in the Jungle.  Underground Corruption, and Underground Hallow biomes.


 * Life Fruit will begin to grow in the Underground Jungle. Grab all you can and use it until you're maxed out.  After that, they're an easy 2 gold apiece.
 * You now have Hallowed bars and one of the advanced Soul types. You likely don't have enough for full Hallowed armor yet, but especially with your new Souls you can probably make some new weapons: Depending on the Souls you have, the main targets include Excalibur (eventually to be part of your Terra Blade), the Megashark or Light Discs, an Optic Staff, or a Flamethrower.

The Second Mechanical Boss
Slaying the second of the mechanical bosses doesn't unlock much in particular. However, if you haven't sunk too many of your Hallowed bars into weapons (or if you call for some return engagements), you should be able to make the armor by now. On the other hand, you might well prefer Frost armor (or even Spider or Forbidden armor) anyway.

After The Machines: The Age of Chlorophyte
Slaying all three of the mechanical bosses opens a few more gates, primarily the ability to mine Chlorophyte. On the Desktop version, it also unlocks some significant sword upgrades.
 * Solar Eclipses get Mothron and Reapers. Mothron will drop Broken Hero Sword s, allowing you to progress to the Terra Blade, while the Reapers will drop their Death Sickle (melee attacks through walls!).
 * By now, you probably are well-equipped to deal with Solar Eclipses, especially if you found a Drax and upgraded your equipment to Chlorophyte. Farming Broken Hero Swords will eventually let you craft the Terra Blade.
 * With all three of the advanced Souls, you can craft the Drax (or Pickaxe Axe). (you may already have a Drax from a Shadow Chest)  This lets you finally start mining (and farming) that Chlorophyte ore which has been growing in the Jungle.
 * The Chlorophyte weapons and tools include more than the usual options, and most of them have special abilities and/or projectiles.
 * Chlorophyte armor is a major tier jump in its own right; not only does it have the usual headgear for melee, ranged, or magic specialties, but its upgrades represent another tier with even more options:
 * The armor's Leaf Crystal is not controllable like a minion, but it hits much harder, and automatically shares its efforts between random targeting and your current opponents.
 * Over the next two bosses, its upgrades will comprise an intermediate armor tier with class-specific abilities: Turtle & Beetle armor for melee, Shroomite for ranged, and Spectre for magic.  Each of these has its own optional pieces for even more flexible defense.
 * Turtle Armor is the immediately available upgrade for melee types, replacing the Leaf Crystal (and varied helmet bonuses) with damage reflection (and much more defense).
 * You can now upgrade your Poison Staff to a Venom Staff.
 * Having all three Souls unlocks additional, platform-dependent items:
 * You can upgrade any of the "class" Emblems to an Avenger Emblem.
 * Depending on platform details, you may be able to craft Biome Keys from Biome Key Molds, and/or Dragon Armor.
 * Plantera's Bulbs start spawning, pointing the way to the next stage.

Extreme Gardening and Ancient Relics
When Plantera has been killed, a number of things happens:
 * The spread of Crimson, Corruption, and Hallow are slowed to 1/3 (33%) of their previous speed and remain so for the rest of the game.
 * The Solar Eclipse gets new enemies: Butcher, Nailhead, Deadly Sphere, Psycho, and Dr. ManFly, each of which drops a powerful weapon.
 * New, nastier enemies will spawn in the Dungeon, but you have reasons to brave them:
 * Each of them drops at least one powerful weapon and/or a key accessory.
 * Your Biome Keys will now open the four Biome Chests, yielding four powerful weapons, each of which comes one to a world.
 * Dungeon Spirits from killing powerful enemies will drop Ectoplasm. This new crafting material unlocks the Pumpkin Moon and Frost Moon events, as well as other items.  On, Ectoplasm is mostly used via Spectre Bars.)


 * Plantera's death grants access to the Jungle Temple and the Golem boss, represented by the Temple Key it drops.

NPCs:

 * The Cyborg NPC becomes available, needing only a house. He sells rockets and the mine launcher, along with nanites for "confusion to your enemies".  The Cyborg is the last NPC to appear, with the optional exception of Santa Claus.
 * The Truffle begins selling the Autohammer, used to craft Shroomite Bars.
 * The Traveling Merchant begins selling the Pulse Bow.
 * The Witch Doctor begins selling the Vial of Venom, allowing you to make flasks, arrows, and bullets inflicting the debuff.
 * If you get the Pygmy Staff from Plantera, the Witch Doctor will also sell several items to buff Minion summoning.

Items

 * Spectre Bars / Chlorophyte + Ectoplasm
 * Spectre armor offers magic boosts, with an option for either damaging orbs or healing.
 * However, Spectre bars make no weapons and only a few tools: A Pickaxe, Hamaxe, and painting tools with extra range.
 * The also make a pair of wings that would be pretty good... if you didn't have the Hoverboard to compare it to.


 * The Autohammer, which crafts Shroomite:
 * Shroomite doesn't make weapons or most tools... except for the Shroomite Digging Claw, which is the fastest pickaxe in the game.
 * Shroomite armor is the strongest ranger armor short of the Pillars, and offers a stealth mode with "backstab" bonuses.
 * The Hoverboard is the best "wings" so far, with the second-best flight time plus hovering and speed.
 * Mothron can now drop The Eye of Cthulhu, the second-most-powerful yoyo in the game (not to be confused with the early-game boss).

The Temple of Doom
The Jungle Temple provides yet another furniture set and the crafting station to make it, plus lots of deadly traps which you can take for your own use. It also leads up to the Golem fight. Defeating the Golem represents the beginning of the "late game":
 * The Golem itself can drop a variety of powerful weapons. It will also drop Beetle Shells, used to upgrade Turtle Armor into Beetle armor, and perhaps a Sun Stone to complete your Celestial Shell.
 * Martian Probes begin spawning randomly, which can trigger the Martian Madness event.
 * Killing Martians gives the blocks for another furniture set, plus a new mount with a distance attack.
 * The Martian saucer, on the other hand, can drop a mount that can fly forever (as fast as the Dungeon Guardian), a unique hook, and an assortment of deadly weapons.
 * The Old One's Army goes to Tier 3. The Tavernkeep sells Tier 3 sentries and advanced-tier armor.  Eternia Crystals go up in price again.
 * The Steampunker sells the new "best wings so far", beaten only by the Fishron Wings and some of the Pillar wings.
 * Cultists spawn at the Dungeon's entrance, which can be used to summon the Lunatic Cultist and begin the Lunar Events.

Side Trips: Duke Fishron, Pumpkin Moon, Frost Moon, and Ocram
These challenges are all strictly optional, but offer great rewards for those that can manage to overcome them... or even those who survive long enough to get some decent drops.
 * The Pumpkin Moon offers many powerful weapons, notably the Horseman's Blade, Stake Launcher, and Raven Staff. Also available are two pets, two high-tier wing tokens, and Spooky Wood.
 * The Frost Moon is considered the most difficult event in the game, but it offers the chance of several powerful (but often eccentric) weapons, a pet, and a mount.
 * Duke Fishron, if defeated, will drop one of five powerful weapons, and possibly his impressive wings.
 * is another late-game boss, indeed the most powerful boss for platforms without the Moon Lord.
 * It drops Adamantite Ore, Spectral Arrows, and Souls of Blight.
 * Souls of Blight are used to craft Titan armor, Dragon armor, Spectral armor, Tizona, and the Tonbogiri.
 * However, these armors are (mostly) outclassed by the non-exclusive armors, and are very expensive to craft. The Tizona is similarly outclassed by the Terra Blade, in crafting and power, but the Tonbogiri has a very long reach and is more viable as a late-game weapon.

Blinded By The Light Of The Moon
The Cultists at the Dungeon represent the start to a final marathon of boss fights, Terraria 's endgame.
 * Killing the Cultists at the Dungeon will summon the Lunatic Cultist, a difficult boss with a variety of attacks. When defeated, he drops the crafting station used for endgame gear.  He also drops the last gold piece you'll see from one of the Celestial enemies.
 * Once he is defeated, the Lunar Pillars will spawn, and they will not despawn until defeated, whether you leave the world or not. Some key notes:
 * Even a player who isn't powerful enough to defeat them outright can battle them piecewise: Chip away at the spawns at the edge of the most convenient pillar until the pillar's shield breaks down, then make a run to take down the pillar.  The drops from the first pillar should let them create at least one powerful weapon, which will help in defeating the next pillar, and so on.
 * If you get any three types of fragments, you can combine them to get the fourth.
 * Each fragment type can produce a few of its own weapons and other items (no armor until you have Luminite). All four together can produce Super Healing potions, the Lunar Hook, or the Celestial Sigil which allows manually summoning the Moon Lord.


 * Once all the Pillars are defeated, the Moon Lord will spawn, while the Lunar Cultists reappear at the Dungeon entrance. If the Moon Lord wins the fight (no players surviving to fight him), he will despawn, leaving the players to start over from the Cultists.  (And accumulate more fragments to make more equipment!)
 * Defeating the Moon Lord will provide access to the final tier of equipment, with which you can establish ultimate power over your world (bwahaha!)
 * He always drops one of several endgame weapons, representing three options for melee, and two each for the other classes.
 * He always drops the Portal Gun, allowing for long-distance commuting between chosen locations.
 * Besides bullets and arrows, Luminite unlocks all four Celestial armor sets, plus their wings, pickaxes and hamaxes.
 * The four pickaxes are essentially identical except for appearance, and likewise for the hamaxes.
 * The wings offer a choice between two sets of statistics: The Stardust and Solar wings maximize time and ascent speed, while the Nebula and Vortex wings instead offer hovering.
 * In contrast, the armor sets support the class of their respective pillars, and are usually considered the best available armor for that class.
 * Combining Luminite with all the previous "advanced" bars, you can create the Drill Containment Unit.

After the End
Defeating the Moon Lord / Ocram and Duke Fishron does not end the game. At this point, you can do anything you want to. Some options:
 * You can summon and fight the Pillars and/or Moon Lord a few more times for even more endgame equipment.
 * If you haven't defeated Duke Fishron, the Pumpkin Moon, or the Frost Moon yet, you can try out your new toys on them.
 * Or, feel free to go back and beat up all those bosses who used to terrify you!
 * You can rearrange the world to your liking:
 * Eliminate all of the Crimson or Corruption, or bring the other evil in from a different world.
 * Build or extend railroad or teleporter networks.
 * Eliminate all the Hallow, or help it take over the whole world.
 * Build huge machines, farms, or more arenas.
 * Rebuild your bases for looks, using all the new materials you have access to.
 * Establish "parks" of every biome with and without Corruption, Crimson, and/or Hallow. Statues can populate them with unexpected critters or even enemies.
 * Build a museum of your old equipment, with armor and weapons of every tier.
 * Anything else you can dream of.
 * Or you can take your equipment to another world, and blast through the entire progression (and the world itself) with your new endgame equipment. Perhaps equip a second character?
 * Or truly start again from the beginning,creating a new world and working a new character up from the beginning, but now knowing what you wished you knew then....