Swords

Swords are the player's basic melee weapon, available from the beginning of the game. The Copper Shortsword is given to the player at character creation. Swords progress through the various tiers of ore and other crafting materials, with some unique swords available only as loot later in the game.

There are two basic sword types: Broadswords and Shortswords, with differing attack characteristics. Some broadswords, however, shoot projectiles that damage the enemy.

Broadswords
Broadswords have high damage values, but are generally slower than Shortswords. Their attack sweeps through an arc from above/behind to the front of the player.

Shortswords
Shortswords have low damage values and a small range of attack, though they are faster than broadswords. They attack with a rapid forward stabbing motion. This makes them decent at cornering ground enemies, but poor at reaching flying, burrowing, or jumping foes. Shortswords are only available for the metal (ie. lower-tier) ores, and are generally obsolete once the player progresses past the beginning phases of the game. There are no Hardmode shortswords.