What is the Best Early Game Gear in Terraria?
The early game in Terraria can be both exciting and daunting. With a vast world to explore and dangers lurking around every corner, having the right gear can make all the difference between a swift victory and a frustrating demise. The ‘best’ early game gear isn’t necessarily the most powerful, but rather the most effective combination of readily obtainable items that will set you up for success in the initial stages. In short, the best early game gear in Terraria focuses on accessibility, ease of crafting, and effectiveness in handling the game’s first challenges. This generally means aiming for a combination of Silver or Tungsten armor, a decent Cactus or Bone weapon, and crucial accessories that boost your capabilities, particularly movement.
Essential Early Game Armor
The Case for Silver or Tungsten
While basic wood armor will do in the very beginning, it’s quickly outclassed. The first real armor upgrade should be Silver or Tungsten armor. Both are relatively easy to obtain by mining their respective ores. Silver and Tungsten are functionally similar, with Tungsten having a slight edge in defense. A full set provides a significant boost to your defense, allowing you to withstand more hits from early-game enemies. This extra survivability is crucial for exploring, mining, and taking on early bosses. Don’t worry too much about aesthetics, early game armor is more about function than fashion, as you’ll replace it before long.
Why Not Other Options?
While Ebonwood and Shadewood armor are also available early on, the defensive benefits of Silver/Tungsten are noticeably superior. It’s important to focus on a solid defensive base in the beginning, which is why these metallic armors are preferred over their wooden counterparts. There is little point in holding out for Iron or Lead armor either. While these metals are easy to find too, they provide the same armor rating as silver/tungsten, making them a negligible improvement at the cost of additional resources. It’s more efficient to stick with silver/tungsten until you’re ready for hardmode metals.
Effective Early Game Weapons
From Shortswords to Cactus Blades
You start with a Copper Shortsword, which is essentially useless. Your first priority should be crafting a Wooden Sword for its increased range and damage. However, this is only a minor upgrade. Your next significant weapon upgrade should be the Cactus Sword. This weapon can be crafted from cactus found in the desert biome, and it boasts a higher damage output, making combat against early enemies like zombies and slimes much easier. This is a relatively simple weapon to obtain, and it can carry you through the initial boss fights with ease.
Melee is King (Initially)
While you can explore ranged options early on, most players will start with a melee focus due to the starting weapon. That’s not to say other classes are unviable, but the simplicity and straightforward nature of melee weapons make it an easy starting point. If you feel like it, explore magic by crafting early staves with gems, but the weapons will not be as straightforward or as powerful as melee options.
Alternatives
Other decent options are the Bone Sword or Bone Pickaxe, both obtained in underground caves and from skeletons. The Bone Pickaxe in particular is also useful for its increased mining speed, making gathering resources more efficient.
Crucial Early Game Accessories
Mobility is Key
Early game accessories are often more impactful than raw damage stats. The most important of these are ones that improve mobility. The Hermes Boots or Flurry Boots should be your top priority. These items increase your base movement speed, making traversing the world and dodging enemies easier. These can often be found in chests, sometimes underground, sometimes on the surface.
Cloud in a Bottle
A Cloud in a Bottle or any jump increasing accessory is a must-have. These greatly improve maneuverability when exploring. Jumping is paramount in exploring caves and reaching higher platforms. These can also be found in chests.
Other Useful Accessories
Any additional accessories like the Band of Regeneration or Glowstick are helpful in the early game, but aren’t game-changers like mobility accessories. Consider these as a bonus rather than necessities.
The Big Picture: Combining Gear for Success
The best approach in Terraria’s early game is to focus on a balanced combination of defensive armor, reliable melee weapons, and crucial mobility accessories. There is no one single ‘best’ item to obtain, rather, you are looking for the most accessible items that, when combined, will help you tackle early game bosses, such as the Eye of Cthulhu or the Eater of Worlds. Focusing on building a strong foundation of gear first allows you to efficiently progress towards stronger items in the mid-game.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What are the most essential early game resources to gather?
Wood, stone, ores (especially silver/tungsten), and gel are the most important early resources. Wood and stone allow for basic crafting and housing, while ores allow for better tools, weapons, and armor, and gel will be a component of light sources.
2. Which early game boss should I fight first?
The Eye of Cthulhu is usually the first boss most players encounter.
3. Is it better to focus on defense or damage in the early game?
In the early game, defense is slightly more important than raw damage. Survivability allows you to explore more effectively and make mistakes.
4. How important is it to build a house early on?
Building a house early is absolutely crucial. It allows NPCs to move in, providing access to vendors and crafting materials.
5. Where can I find Hermes Boots?
Hermes Boots are most commonly found in chests, both on the surface and underground.
6. What is the best way to explore underground early on?
Use a combination of torches, ropes, and a decent pickaxe. Make sure to have a light source!
7. Should I use bombs or dynamite in the early game?
Be cautious with explosives. In the early game, you may not have a way to clear the debris, leading to dead ends. Save these for later use.
8. Is it worth mining every ore I find?
Yes, definitely. Even if you don’t use certain ores immediately, they may be needed for future crafting recipes.
9. How do I find accessories in the early game?
Accessories are primarily found in chests. Explore thoroughly and loot every container you see.
10. Are potions important in the early game?
Potions are helpful but not essential in the early game. They can provide temporary stat boosts, but don’t focus on them early on.
11. What’s the best early game tool for breaking walls?
The Copper Pickaxe and other early-game pickaxes are best suited for breaking walls until you obtain a better tool.
12. How can I get more health quickly in the early game?
Find and use Life Crystals. These permanent increases to health are paramount to being successful in the game.
13. What’s better, Silver or Tungsten Armor?
Tungsten Armor offers a slightly higher defense stat over Silver. However, the difference is marginal, and both are equally viable options.
14. Should I try the other classes early game, like magic or ranged?
It is possible to use other classes early on, however, they are not as straightforward as melee. It is much simpler to start with melee first before exploring the other options.
15. Is Terraria hard to get into?
Terraria has a bit of a learning curve, but is quite accessible if you do the research and follow beginner guides.