What Is The First Item In Terraria? The Complete Beginner’s Guide
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So, you’re diving headfirst into the wonderful world of Terraria, a sprawling 2D sandbox adventure packed with exploration, crafting, combat, and enough secrets to keep you playing for years. But before you face the Eye of Cthulhu or delve into the Dungeon, there’s a fundamental question on every new player’s mind: What’s the very first item you get in Terraria?
The answer is a trio: a Copper Shortsword, a Copper Axe, and a Copper Pickaxe. These are your starting tools, the foundation upon which your entire Terrarian empire will be built. Don’t underestimate them! While they might seem basic, they are essential for surviving your first few in-game days.
Why These Three Items?
The choice of these starting tools is crucial to Terraria’s early game loop:
- Copper Shortsword: Your initial line of defense. It’s a close-range weapon, useful for quickly dispatching early-game enemies like slimes. While it isn’t the most powerful sword, it’s enough to keep you alive until you can craft or find something better.
- Copper Axe: Essential for chopping down trees. Wood is one of the most fundamental resources in Terraria, used to build your first shelter, craft basic furniture, and create workbenches. No wood, no base; no base, no progress.
- Copper Pickaxe: Used for mining ores and stone. These materials are vital for crafting better tools, weapons, and armor, allowing you to progress further into the game and take on tougher challenges.
These three tools cover the most essential early-game activities: combat, resource gathering (wood), and resource gathering (ores and stone). Without them, you’d be completely stuck. They give you the basic capabilities to start your Terrarian adventure.
Getting Started: Beyond the Basics
While you start with these three Copper Tools, your immediate goals should revolve around upgrading from them. The Copper tools, while helpful for that first few minutes, are fairly weak and quickly become obsolete.
- Gather Resources: Focus on collecting wood, stone, and any ores you can find near the surface.
- Build a Shelter: A basic house with walls, a door, a table, and a chair is crucial for surviving the night and attracting NPCs (Non-Player Characters). NPCs provide valuable services like healing and selling useful items.
- Craft Better Tools and Weapons: Upgrade to wooden, stone, or, if you’re lucky, better-ore tools and weapons as soon as possible. The faster you upgrade, the easier your early game will be.
Remember to explore your surroundings. The world is full of chests containing useful items, and breaking pots can sometimes yield valuable resources. Don’t be afraid to wander off the beaten path, just be wary of the dangers that lurk in the darkness!
FAQs: Diving Deeper into Terraria’s Early Game
Here are some Frequently Asked Questions to help you navigate the early stages of Terraria:
1. What is the first thing new players will want to do in Terraria?
The first priority should be gathering wood. This is essential for building a basic shelter and crafting a workbench, which unlocks more crafting recipes. Following close behind is gathering stone and exploring the surroundings.
2. What is the best early game armor in Terraria?
Ebonwood armor, Shadewood armor, or other basic wood-based armors are great for the very early game. However, aim to get Iron armor, Lead armor, Tungsten armor, or Platinum armor as soon as you can. These offer significantly better protection.
3. How do I attract NPCs to my base?
NPCs require a suitable house: a closed room with walls, a door, a table, and a chair. Once you have a house, specific NPCs will move in when you meet certain criteria (e.g., defeating a boss, finding a specific item).
4. What is the first boss I should fight in Terraria?
The Eye of Cthulhu is generally considered the first boss. It spawns after you have at least 200 health, have more than 10 defense, and have at least three NPCs living in your town. You can also summon it manually using a Suspicious Looking Eye.
5. What is a good starter sword to get in Terraria?
While you start with the Copper Shortsword, craft a Wooden Sword as soon as possible. Then, venture into the Desert biome to get materials to craft a Cactus Sword. This is a large weapon with decent damage. If you’re lucky, you may find better alternatives in chests.
6. What is the rarest item in Terraria?
The Slime Staff is considered the rarest item due to its extremely low drop chance from slimes.
7. Should a 12-year-old play Terraria?
Terraria is generally considered suitable for teens and adults due to its combat and occasional monster designs. However, you can turn off the violence and gore in the settings if this is an issue. It’s always best to check the content and decide if it’s appropriate for the child. Terraria is an amazing game that teaches problem-solving skills and promotes creativity. This game is used for educational purposes, and you can learn more at Games Learning Society. You can read more at GamesLearningSociety.org.
8. What are the 3 most important early game items?
While your starting gear is obviously important, the three most important items to aim for early on are:
- Iron/Lead Anvil: Required for crafting better armor and weapons.
- Furnace: Used to smelt ores into bars, a crucial step in crafting.
- Hammer: Used to shape blocks and build houses.
9. How do I survive my first night in Terraria?
The best way is to be inside a shelter before nightfall. If you haven’t built one yet, dig a hole in the ground and cover it over your head with a few blocks. This will protect you from most enemies.
10. What is the best early game ore to find?
Iron and Lead are the best early-game ores. They are used to craft essential tools, weapons, and armor that will significantly improve your survivability.
11. What is the Nurse NPC’s purpose?
The Nurse heals you for a price, which depends on how much health you’ve lost. She’s invaluable for surviving difficult encounters, especially early in the game.
12. How do I summon the Moon Lord?
To summon the Moon Lord, you need to combine 20 Solar Fragments, 20 Nebula Fragments, 20 Vortex Fragments, and 20 Stardust Fragments at an Ancient Manipulator to create the Sigil. Activate the Sigil to summon the Moon Lord.
13. What are the best modifiers for weapons in Terraria?
The Godly and Demonic modifiers are generally the best for damage-dealing weapons. However, it depends on the weapon and your playstyle.
14. Is Ocram still a boss in Terraria?
Ocram was removed from the main versions of Terraria. He was a boss exclusive to older console and mobile versions.
15. What is the fastest hitting melee weapon in Terraria?
The Fetid Baghnakhs are tied with the Psycho Knife for the fastest melee weapon.
Conclusion: Embrace the Adventure
The starting trio of Copper Shortsword, Copper Axe, and Copper Pickaxe are more than just items; they are the key to unlocking the vast potential of Terraria. With these tools in hand, you can begin your journey, explore the world, build your empire, and face the challenges that await. So go forth, gather resources, craft, fight, and most importantly, have fun! The world of Terraria is waiting.