If you're ready to dive into Terraria with a melee build, you've come to the right place. Whether you love the thrill of swinging swords, the power of flails, or the precision of yoyos, the melee class offers a dynamic and engaging way to play through all the content Terraria has to offer.
In this Terraria melee build loadout guide, I'll walk you through the melee progression from your first wooden sword all the way to the legendary Zenith. We'll cover the best melee weapons, gear, and accessories for every stage of the game in pre-hardmode and hardmode in order to help you build the ultimate melee loadout. Ready to slash your way to victory? Let's get started on your Terraria melee progression journey!
Pre-Hardmode
Early Game
For me personally, early game is the most fun part of Terraria! Start as you usually would in any other survival game, gather key materials for building your first house and then work on map exploration in order to find Health Crystals to expand your maximum health.
Best Early Game Melee Armor
The Platinum armor set is easily the strongest early game set for a melee build in Terraria. You can get one by gathering 360 Platinum Ore, converting it into Platinum Bars and then crafting it at an Iron/Lead Anvil. The ores can in fact be mined with a Copper Pickaxe, meaning you can pretty much rush this armor set early on.
The full set grants you a total of 20 defense which is really solid for a melee build.
Best Early Game Melee Weapons
As far as the weapons go, you'll want to acquire one or more of the following: Terragrim, Enchanted Sword or Amazon.
Terragrim is a rare sword with an extremely fast attack speed, allowing it to deal continuous slashing damage to enemies. You can try to find one in the Enchanted Sword shrine (2% chance) or very rarely in the Caverns layer.
Enchanted Sword can only be found inside an Enchanted Sword Shrine or randomly generated cave areas that contain a sword statue. The weapon emits a projectile beam when swung, making it an effective melee weapon that can also deal decent ranged damage as well.
Amazon is always my go-to weapon because it is a yoyo that you can get quite early in the game just by exploring the jungle a bit. The materials required to craft the Amazon are: 8 Rich Mahogany (from Jungle trees), 2 Stingers (dropped by Hornets and Spiked Jungle Slimes), 1 Vine (dropped by Man Eaters) and 3 Jungle Spores (found in the underground Jungle).
Best Early Game Melee Accessories
Considering how RNG-heavy Terraria is, you sometimes won't be able to get all of the accessories mentioned, so I'm giving you the absolute best ones you can look for and wear them accordingly.
The Magma Stone will add fire damage to melee attacks. It can be found as a drop from Lava Bats in the Underworld.
The Shark Tooth Necklace will increase your armor penetration by 5. This item is dropped by Blood Zombies and Dripplers during a Blood Moon event.
String is an accessory that increases the range of yoyo weapons, making them more effective in combat. It can be crafted from 30 Cobwebs at a Loom and you should absolutely be wearing one if you're using a yoyo.
Feral Claws increase melee speed by 12% and enable auto-swing for melee weapons. It can be found in Jungle Shrines and Jungle Crates and is a big QOL improvement for early game melee weapons.
The Panic Necklace is an accessory that increases movement speed by 50% for 8 seconds after taking damage. You can get one by dropping it from Brain of Cthulhu or find one in Shadow Orbs in the Crimson zone.
Hermes Boots are a must-have accessory that will let you run really fast. It can be found randomly in Underground and Cavern chests, or obtained from Wooden and Iron Crates.
The Cloud in a Bottle will give you the ability to double jump. It's great for cancelling out fall damage, reaching hard to get to areas and overall a great combat item. It can be found in Gold and Ivy Chests, as well as in Wooden and Iron Crates.
Pre-Skeletron
After beating King Slime, Eye of Cthulhu and Eater of Worlds/Brain of Cthulhu you'll find yourself at the Pre-Skeletron stage. This is when you should do a few adjustments to your melee terraria build in order to have an easier time beating Skeletron.
Best Pre-Skeletron Melee Armor
While the Shadow Armor set does have one less Defense than Platinum Armor, it's still a decent upgrade because it gives you 15% increased critical strike chance, 15% movement and acceleration speed bonus.
To get the Shadow Armor set you'll need 60 Demonite Bars and 45 Shadow Scales, which you can get by defeating Eater of Worlds twice.
Best Pre-Skeletron Melee Weapons
The Terragrim and Amazon still remain top choices even at this stage of the game, and you can accompany them with the Bee Keeper. The Bee Keeper is a pre-hardmode broadsword that has a 33% chance to drop from killing Queen Bee and is a great sword because it summons Bees that fight for you, as well as inflicting a confusion debuff.
Best Pre-Skeletron Melee Accessories
As far as Pre-Skeletron accessory upgrades go, there's some new ones you should be getting:
- Stinger Necklace combines the effects of the previously mentioned Shark Tooth Necklace and a Honey Comb. It increases armor penetration by 5 and releases bees when the wearer takes damage, dealing extra damage to enemies. You can craft it by combining the two accessories at a Tinkerer’s Workshop.
- Shield of Cthulhu can only be obtained by defeating the Eye of Cthulhu in Expert Mode. It grants the ability to dash by double-tapping a direction, providing increased mobility and a brief moment of invincibility during the dash.
- Worm Scarf reduces damage taken by 17% and can also only be obtained in Expert mode, by defeating the Eater of Worlds.
- Frostspark Boots combine the effects of several movement accessories. They allow you to run faster, walk on water, honey, and lava, and gain increased mobility on ice. You can get them crafted by combining Lightning Boots and Ice Skates at a Tinkerer’s Workshop.
Wall of Flesh
Killing Skeletron and Queen Bee places you at the last stage of Pre-Hardmode and this is when you'll be killing the Wall of Flesh. While most of the accessories remain the same, you NEED weapon and armor upgrades for this part of the Terraria melee build progression.
Best Pre-Wall of Flesh Melee Armor
Molten Armor is the best Pre-Hardmode armor set by far. It gives 25 Defense, 17% melee damage bonus, 7% Melee Speed, 7% Melee Critical Strik Chance and an immunity to fire debuffs. To craft it you'll have to mine 135 Hellstone and 45 Obsidian.
Best Pre-Wall of Flesh Melee Weapons
Night's Edge is the strongest pre-hardmode weapon in the game, and it is crafted by combining four different swords: Light's Bane, Blood Butcherer, Muramasa, and Blade of Grass, at a Demon or Crimson Altar. While it is a pain to craft it, if you do have one you can use it in early hardmode for a while aswell.
Sunfury is a flail that deals huge AoE damage whilst inflicting a fire debuff. You can find one randomly in Shadow Chests of the Underworld or obtain it from Obsidian Lock Boxes found in Obsidian Crates.
Cascade is the yoyo upgrade over Amazon. It deals high damage and has a chance to inflict a burning damage over time. To drop it you'll have to grind enemies in the Underworld.
Best Pre-Wall of Flesh Melee Accessories
There's only a single accessory upgrade you have to get right now, and that's the Obsidian Shield. The Obsidian Shield provides immunity to knockback and burning— which comes in handy versus Wall of Flesh and for Hellstone & Meteorite mining. To craft an Obsidian Shield you'll want to combine Obsidian Skull and a Cobalt Shield at a Tinkerer's Workshop.
Hardmode
Mechanical Bosses
Congratulations! You've killed the Wall of Flesh and progressed your Terraria melee character into Hardmode. You now have access to a wide variety of equipment for the melee class in Terraria. A new biome called Hallow will be generated which overwrites old terrain. Enemies killed in the Underground Hallow will drop certain souls which you will use for crafting. Floating Islands now also feature the Wyvern enemy which drops Souls of Flight that are used for wing crafting.
Best Pre-Mech Melee Armor
Titanium Armor set is the best early hardmode armor that you can get and you'll be killing mechanical bosses with it. The set provides a whopping 49 points of Defense and grants you a defensive barrier of titanium shards (or immunity to a hit) depending on the platform you play on.
To craft the Titanium Armor you will need a total of 59 Titanium Bars and a Mythril / Orichalcum Anvil.
Best Pre-Mech Melee Weapons
Hardmode means a whole lot of new and STRONG enemies, hence why we've gotta swap out all of our old weapons.
The Ice Sickle is a melee weapon that drops from enemies in the Hardmode Snow biome. It shoots a spinning sickle projectile that travels through walls and inflicts damage to enemies it passes through.
Fetid Baghnakhs is also a melee weapon but with much higher attack speed and their single target damage output is insane! The weapon is obtained as a rare drop from Crimson Mimics in Hardmode.
Amarok is a Hardmode yoyo that inflicts the Frostburn debuff on enemies, dealing damage over time. It has long range and can stay out for an extended duration. It can drop from the Hardmode Snow biome just like the Ice Sickle, so that's the zone you should prioritize grinding first.
The Drippler Crippler is a flail that drops from the Blood Moon event in Hardmode. It shoots out ichor streams upon hitting an enemy, reducing their defense and dealing significant damage.
Best Pre-Mech Melee Accessories
There's going to be a few Accessory changes as you enter Hardmode:
- The Berserker’s Glove increases melee speed and knockback which are both excellent stats for a melee Terraria build. It can be crafted at a Tinkerer’s Workshop using the Power Glove and Flesh Knuckles.
- The Warrior Emblem increases melee damage by 15%. It is obtained by defeating the Wall of Flesh, which drops it as part of its loot pool and you'll be using one for quite a while.
- Frozen Wings will allow you to fly and glide in the air. They are crafted using Ice Feathers, which are dropped by Ice Golems during blizzards in the Snow Biome, and 20 Souls of Flight, which are obtained from Wyverns in the Sky biome. While you're farming for Ice Sickle and Amarok, be on the lookout for Ice Golems!
- Frostspark Boots can soon be replaced with Terraspark Boots if you have access to them.
Plantera
Beating Queen Slime, Mechanical Twins, Destroyer and Skeletron Prime marks the end of Pre-Mech stage and off we go to prepare your melee loadout for the Plantera kill. Plantera is a scary flesh eating flower plant boss in the jungle, and it has two stages that you have to beat.
Best Pre-Plantera Melee Armor
The Turtle Armor set is a really popular choice for melee classes because it reflects damage back to enemies while featuring a whopping 65 points of Defense. In order to craft it I advise you make a Chlorophyte ore farm so that you can easily get the 54 Chlorophyte Bars which are needed for it. You'll also need three turtle shells that have a 5.88% drop chance from Giant Tortoises in Hardmode jungle and underground jungle.
Best Pre-Plantera Melee Weapons
Preparing for the Plantera kill involves grinding new weapons: True Night's Edge, Death Sickle, Yelets and True Exalibur.
True Night's Edge is an upgraded version of the Night's Edge, crafted using the Night's Edge and 20 Souls of Might at a Mythril or Orichalcum Anvil. It has much higher base damage and shoots a projectile that can hit enemies through walls.
Death Sickle is a Hardmode melee weapon dropped by Reapers during a Solar Eclipse event. It fires a spinning sickle projectile that travels a short distance and passes through walls, dealing continuous damage to any enemies it hits.
Yelets is a yoyo rare drop from enemies in the Jungle biome that will only drop after defeating one mechanical boss.
True Excalibur is an upgraded version of the Excalibur, crafted using the Excalibur and 24 Souls of Sight at a Mythril or Orichalcum Anvil. It has increased damage and a higher attack speed compared to its predecessor.
Best Pre-Plantera Melee Accessories
If you still haven't, replace the Frostspark Boots for Terraspark Boots and look into getting Ankh Shield and Fire Gauntlet as well.
The Ankh Shield is a versatile accessory that provides immunity to most debuffs, knockback immunity, and an additional 4 defense. It is crafted by combining the Obsidian Shield and the Ankh Charm at a Tinkerer’s Workshop.
The Fire Gauntlet increases melee damage and attack speed by 10%, adds knockback, and inflicts a fire DoT on enemies that are hit. To make it you'll have to combine a Mechanical Glove and Magma Stone at a Tinkerer’s Workshop.
Terraspark Boots are an endgame pair of boots that combine the effects of multiple movement-enhancing items: ultra fast running speed, waterwalking, honeywalking, and lavawalking, and grant increased mobility on ice. They also offer immunity to fire blocks and minor fall damage reduction. You can craft them by combining Frostspark Boots and Lava Waders at a Tinkerer’s Workshop.
Lunatic Cultist
Beating Plantera and Golem should allow you to have the necessary gear to defeat Duke Fishron and Empress of Light as well. These two will provide you with some very useful loot such as the Fishron Wings which are one of the best in the middle stages of Hardmode.
Best Pre-Lunatic Cultist Melee Armor
The Beetle Armor is a post-Plantera/Golem armor set which provides a whopping bonus of 73 Defense. It also features a unique effect which spawns Beetles— small allied beetles that fly around you, increasing your melee damage and speed whilst also reducing damage taken from hits.
To craft the Beetle Armor you'll need 18 Beetle Husks and a full Turtle armor set (which you should have from last stage's progression already).
Best Pre-Lunatic Cultist Melee Weapons
Terra Blade is one of the most powerful pre-Moon Lord swords in Terraria. It is crafted by combining a True Night's Edge and a True Excalibur (both of which you should have from before) at a Mythril or Orichalcum Anvil. It features high base damage with fast attack speed and a green projectile that hits enemies from range.
Influx Waver drops from a Martian Saucer during the Martian Madness event. It deals high base damage and fires a homing projectile that targets enemies hit by the sword. The projectile can hit the same enemy multiple times, meaning it can shotgun for massive amounts of single target damage.
Eye of Cthulhu a lategame yoyo that drops from Mothron during the Solar Eclipse event. It has high base damage, a long range, and a lengthy duration. In fact, it can stay out indefinitely when used with the Yoyo Bag accessory.
The Vampire Knives are my personal favorites, and they can be found in Crimson Chests located in the Dungeon. The weapon fires a spread of knives that deal moderate damage and heal the player for a portion of the damage dealt, essentially providing a lot of sustain and less potion reliance for long boss battles.
Best Pre-Lunatic Cultist Melee Accessories
There's only two accessory changes we have to do in this particular part of the game. Frozen Wings get swapped out for Fishron Wings and a new accessory called Master Ninja Gear can be used for additional mobility.
Moon Lord
After you've killed the Lunatic Cultist you're basically progressing in onto Terraria's Endgame. The goal now is to kill Moon Lord, which is arguably the hardest boss in the game.
Best Pre-Moon Lord Melee Armor
You can continue using the Beetle Armor for the Moon Lord kill because there's no better melee Terraria build armor at this stage of the game.
Best Pre-Moon Lord Melee Weapons
There's two new weapons you'll want to acquire before attempting to kill Moon Lord: Solar Eruption and Daybreak.
The Solar Eruption is a powerful Hardmode, post-Lunatic Cultist melee weapon crafted from Solar Fragments, which are obtained by defeating the Solar Pillar during the Lunar Events. The chain part can pass through walls and enemies, dealing continuous damage along its path.
Daybreak is also a post-Lunatic Cultist weapon that can be crafted from Solar Fragments. It throws fiery spears that stick into enemies, causing instant damage and applying a DoT as well. It can stack multiple times, making it an effective boss killing Terraria melee build weapon.
Best Pre-Moon Lord Melee Accessories
Finally, it's time to swap out the Warrior Emblem that you've used ever since entering Hardmode. Replace it for Celestial Shell.
Celestial Shell combines the effects of the Celestial Stone and the Moon Shell. It provides increased stats (such as damage, critical strike chance, defense, life regeneration, and movement speed) during both day and night. Additionally, it transforms the player into a werewolf at night and a merfolk while in water. To craft it you need a Celestial Stone (crafted from a Sun Stone and Moon Stone) and a Moon Shell (crafted from a Moon Charm and Neptune's Shell) at a Tinkerer’s Workshop.
Endgame
Congratulations! Killing Moon Lord means you've finished all of the Terraria bosses and have effectively hit endgame. The Moon Lord does have a lot of different drops, so feel free to kill him multiple times to get every drop and min-max your Terraria melee build.
Best Endgame Melee Armor
Solar Flare armor is the absolute best set available for your endgame Terraria melee class loadout. It grants you a total of 78 Defense and a unique effect which spawns Solar shields that protect you and allow you to dash (they recharge over time).
To craft the Solar Flare armor set you're required to get 36 Luminite Bars and 45 Solar Fragments at an Ancient Manipulator crafting station.
Best Endgame Melee Weapons
There's three possible weapon upgrades at the end of the game: Meowmere, Zenith and Terrarian.
Meowmere— a post-Moon Lord sword, considered one of the most powerful melee weapons in Terraria. It has extremely high base damage and swings in a wide arc. When swung, it fires an auto-swinging projectile that resembles a cat head, which ricochets off surfaces and emits a meowing sound. It drops from Moon Lord, the final boss of the game.
Zenith is crafted by combining multiple swords, including the Copper Shortsword, Enchanted Sword, Terra Blade, Meowmere, Star Wrath, Influx Waver, Horseman's Blade, Seedler, Bee Keeper, and the Starfury, at a Mythril or Orichalcum Anvil. The Zenith's attack summons a flurry of these swords that orbit around the player and hone in on enemies, dealing massive damage with each hit.
Terrarian is the best yoyo in the game as it has high damage, long duration and homing capabilities from small projectiles that shoot out of it, and best of all, it drops from the Moon Lord.
Best Endgame Melee Accessories
At this point we've gone through all the best accessories that Terraria has to offer for a melee loadout. The only upgrade I can recommend is switching Fishron Wings for the Celestial Starboard.
The Celestial Starboard is a top-tier set of wings and an accessory dropped by the Moon Lord. It provides the best flight capabilities in the game, offering rapid ascent speed, excellent flight time, and unparalleled horizontal movement speed. In addition to these features, the Celestial Starboard allows for precise control and hovering, making it incredibly versatile for both exploration and combat. Its superior mobility makes it an essential accessory for endgame players.
