15 Best Swords in Terraria | Full Guide 2023

One ultimate rule in every Terraria gameplay is surviving. It’s your responsibility to make it through the night when mobs swarm your world. Of course, you can either fend them off or hide in a shelter. But in times desperately needed, you should stick to any weapon.

Different weapons are available, but some players prefer to get their hands dirty. One of the best solutions: Swords.

If you started from the infamous Copper Shortsword, consider thanking the G.O.A.T weapon. Without it, it might be a game over for you. It’s genuinely a good starting sword in Terraria, after all.

However, in this list, we’re compiling 15 exceptional blades you should start using. We promise that it’ll make your gameplay experience much easier, besides a guaranteed faster progression.

15. Influx Waver

We’ll make it straightforward. Although the Influx Waver has greater damage than other swords in this list, we placed it at the bottom.

For starters, Influx Waver fires a sword projectile that deals decent damage. The shot won’t pierce enemies upon contact but can return two more times to chase the same enemy. Note that honey will slow down the initial projectile until hitting a hostile. Afterward, the returning shots will travel at an average speed.

The Influx Waver is good for tanky enemies and applying crowd control in Terraria. It’s also best when fighting one target. However, bosses like the Empress of Light and Moon Lord (second phase) are less susceptible to its damage. That’s because the returning projectiles can’t keep up with the enemy’s movement speed.

Killing Martian Saucers during the Martian Madness Event (16.67%) is a sure way to get this sword. You’ll also need to defeat the Golem to unlock the said event and the weapon itself.

14. Keybrand

Finishing off enemies with little mobility is best with the Keybrand – a deadly weapon resembling a door key. In-game stats show that hostiles with less than 10% remaining health can receive up to 250% more damage per strike.

Getting the Keybrand has a 0.5% chance of dropping by killing Blue Armored Bones, Hell Armored Bones, and Rusty Armored Bones found in post-Plantera dungeons. It’s also noteworthy that defeating the Plantera itself is a must.

However, on world seeds like Get fixed boi and don’t dig up, the Keybrand is easily purchasable from the Traveling Merchant. With it, the value becomes Gold Coins (10) while the damage is adjusted from 105 to 15.

Although this weapon can offer a strong knockback, it’s still underwhelming against better ones. The compounding critical strike effects may be one-of-a-kind, but there are other Terraria swords in this list worth looking out for.

13. Chlorophyte Claymore

Next on the list is Chlorophyte Claymore: a blade that casts damaging Chlorophyte Orbs. The projectile travels slowly but can pierce infinite numbers of enemies. Moreover, every swing causes damage (unlike the Inferno Fork – a magic weapon).

This sword is decent for clearing a large group of hostiles in combat applications. However, allowing extra space for the orb to travel is essential, or it’ll disappear upon touching a block. Regardless, you’ll have to wait .75 seconds to recharge the projectile before firing again.

Both increases in melee speed and Chlorophyte Orb’s speed are directly correlated. It’s best to utilize this perk for better and safer gameplay.

To get the Chlorophyte Claymore, bring Chlorophyte Bars (12) at a Mythril Anvil or Orichalcum Anvil.

12. Brand of the Inferno

While the Brand of the Inferno can deal a subpar amount of damage, its Hellfire debuff aftermath is worth accounting for. The effect lasts five seconds, applies -15 Health per second, and prevents any regeneration.

The Brand of the Inferno also lets you evade an enemy’s attack while enabling another debuff, Striking Moment, making your damage 5x as potent +knockback. Don’t forget to equip any shield (except the Huntress’ Buckler) while right-clicking and time the action correctly. Regardless, you’ll get a guaranteed 20 Defense (temporary) until releasing the Open/Activate button.

Defeating an Ogre during the Old One’s Army event in Terraria may drop the Brand of the Inferno. The odds range from 10% (Classic) to 20% (Expert and Master) if it’s a Tier-2 Ogre. Otherwise, a Tier-3 Ogre, regardless of the difficulty, only has a 5% chance.

11. Psycho Knife

What’s a better way of enjoying the Shroomite Armor Set? With a Psycho Knife, of course! However, we recommend picking between the weapon or gear. If you choose the former, it’d be best to have another game-changing armor set (we recommend the Solar Flame set).

Stats-wise, the Psycho Knife has a pretty subpar base damage. However, its full advantage comes when you’re in Stealth mode, granting you the following perks:

• +30% Crit. Chance (with 34% improvable chance)
• +100% Knockback (7 improvable base Knockback)
• +300% damage (340 improvable base damage)

Sneak up on your enemies and defeat them with one shot! Upon successfully hitting them, your cover will disappear, and any nearby monsters will see and approach you. You’ll also decloak if you try changing your weapon or riding a mount. Upon decloaking, stand still until you regain stealth mode.

However, walking, flying, or attacking the air won’t cancel your stealth.

Although the Psycho Knife has an exemplary stealth mode, it has numerous disadvantages. For once, some aerial monsters and projectiles will reveal your position to them. Moreover, it’s not the best sword during PvP as players with missing health bars will show themselves, thus the location.

Defeating a Psycho during the Solar Eclipse event is the best way to obtain the sword. The odds range from 2.5% (Classic) to 4.94% (Expert and Master). Note that you also have to defeat Plantera first.

Overall, a Psycho Knife might work best for solo sneak attacks. But in groups (or certain monsters with higher HP), the next weapon has something better to offer.

10. Christmas Tree Sword

A Christmas Tree Sword is a Hardmode weapon that fires Christmas ornaments and stars upon swinging. Every ornament deals 100% of the sword’s base damage. The colored ones, however, deal with 25% knockback.

The weapon is best for mid-range combat, usually when dealing with a large group of enemies. A new ornament (star) comes out every 0.167 seconds (upon swinging) and breaks after 1.67 seconds. The other colored ornaments totaling five, stay suspended mid-air and will drop to the ground. We recommend having Betsy’s Wrath or Ichor debuffs for better results.

Getting the Christmas Tree Sword is done by defeating Everscreams from the Frost Moon event in Terraria. There are roughly 3.11% to 7.78% and 6.22% to 31.11% chances of getting the item depending on the selected difficulty.

9. True Night’s Edge

True Night’s Edge: a far superior version of the Night’s Edge earned its 9th spot for many good reasons.

First, its damage is massive, as an immense aura of dark energy is released around the weapon. During the process, there’s more range to offer, even harming hostiles behind walls.

Second, the damaging projectiles (spinning energy discs) can hit multiple enemies. This attribute makes the True Night’s Edge perfect for waves of mobs, either for offense or defense.

For its disadvantageous trade-off, enemies beyond the sword’s swings and projectile range are relatively unharmed. However, adjusting your position is plausible while engaged in combat.

To get the weapon, have the following items at a nearby source and use a Mythril Anvil or Orichalcum Anvil:

• Night’s Edge (1)
• Soul of Fright (20)
• Soul of Might (20)
• Soul of Sight (20)

8. Terra Blade

Terraria is no short of hordes-annihilating weapons; one of them is the Terra Blade. This weapon fires a green-colored slash wave projectile with each swing you make. Moreover, it’s similar to True Night’s Edge, having a large aura of energy which increases the weapon’s range.

During combat, we recommend treating the Terra Blade as a projectile weapon rather than a close-ranged one (although it’s still plausible in times most needed). The Old One’s Army event is known as one of many skill-demanding events in-game, and you would need less if you use this weapon.

Getting the Terra Blade starts by defeating the Plantera. Afterward, gather the following swords and head near a Mythril or Orichalcum Anvil:

• Broken Hero Sword (1)
• True Excalibur (1)
• True Night’s Edge (1)

7. Flying Dragon

During the Old One Army’s event, killing Betsy has a 25% chance of dropping the Flying Dragon. This unique weapon is best for close quarters and shoots crescent-shaped projectiles that damage up to five enemies.

There’s not much to say about the Flying Dragon aside from two things:

• Its suitability for traveling because of the glowing projectiles.
• Relatively easy to aim, making it effective against segmented bosses.

If you’re facing a Selenian, be careful not to get hit back, or you’ll get one-shot.

6. Star Wrath

The Star Wrath in Terraria might be the most exotic sword on this list. Although it acts like a blade, its projectiles are the “stars” that may or may not be game-changing. It’s also the better version of the Starfury, having more projectiles instead of one.

In combat, the falling stars summoned by the Star Wrath can be menacing. It’s not the best with hordes of enemies, but its concentrated damage is a deal-breaker when you hit them. Each projectile inherits the sword’s base damage, which you can amplify with debuffs from Flasks.

It’s essential to have a fast striking speed to reflect the falling stars. But despite its destructible capabilities, its weakness is easily detectable. If you’re against a player, you may have difficulty hitting them if they’re too fast. The same goes for bosses too. However, True Night’s Edge and Terra Blade are good alternatives.

Aside from combat capabilities, you may use the Star Wrath for traveling. Its projectiles provide light.

There’s a 22.2% chance the Moon Lord will drop the sword.

5. Solar Eruption

Because of its retracting properties, the Solar Eruption incites destruction to anything it comes across its path. In a straight line, all enemies within its range (excluding the tip, as it doesn’t do damage) are erasable with a few uses. This specialty makes the weapon one of the best for events or when against large waves of enemies.

On a closer look, the spear-like projectile explodes on the first few enemies and inflicts Daybroken. The debuff prevents health regeneration, aside from -25 HP per quarter second, lasting up to five seconds. Moreover, you can reach enemies hiding behind blocks, inflicting them the same damage as those without cover.

The following are what we think the Solar Eruption fits aside from clearing large waves of enemies in Terraria:

• Great for segmented bosses.
• Can cut down plants easily and efficiently.
• Great for quick and temporary lighting.

It’s important to remember that Melee Speed bonuses won’t apply to Solar Eruption.

To acquire the Solar Eruption, you’ll need Solar Fragments (18) and craft them at the Ancient Manipulator.

4. Daybreak

Daybreak is another endgame melee weapon remarkably similar to the Solar Eruption. The difference, though, is that the former prioritizes a single target, making it suitable for boss fights. The downside? It’s not bad against groups, but Solar Eruption is a superior choice.

Attacking with the Daybreak will release a sticky projectile that deals contact and explosion damage in combat. Each projectile deals 25 damage per quarter second and totals up to 800 maximum DPS, alongside the Daybroken debuff.

Some Combat Tips:

• Melee speed affects the sword’s velocity. Not the fire rate.
• You may throw more than eight spears. The first ones will explode because only eight are allowed.
• The Daybroken debuff doesn’t inherit any additional damage from buffs. You may use defensive builds as a result.

Aim for the block to make the spear explode instantly!

To get the Daybreak, have Solar Fragments (18) at the Ancient Manipulator.

3. Sky Dragon’s Fury

Visual effects-wise, Sky Dragon’s Fury might be our most favorite melee weapon because of how satisfying it is to use. Pressing Attack 1 will make the sword spin 360 degrees around that damages and slightly knocks back enemies coming into contact. Meanwhile, Attack 2 lets you shoot three projectiles that seek enemies, damaging them.

Because of its attacking capabilities, the Sky Dragon’s Fury is great at handling group enemies. However, it lacks attack speed, making killing enemies take time. In that case, we recommend amplifying the damage output instead with Demonic or Godly modifiers.

During the Old One’s Army event, Betsy has a 25% chance of dropping the Sky Dragon’s Fury on any difficulty.

2. Meowmere

We know what you’re thinking, “Why is Meowmere second on this list?” “Doesn’t this sword deliver more damage?” It’s true, as shown on their stats, but Meowmere fell short on other utility damage from the Zenith. But don’t be discouraged – this cat-shooting blade is still a good choice.

The Meowmere is a short-range type of sword best at decimating large waves of hostiles. Its projectile – a cat’s head – travels up to 61 MPH and ricochets (4x) while leaving explosive damage to anyone on contact. Note that you won’t need any kitten (that’s illegal) or mana to use the Meowmere.

Defeating the Moon Lord is the only way of acquiring a Meowmere, with a 22.2% chance, regardless of difficulty.

1. Zenith

The amalgamation of many of the most powerful swords in the game, Zenith is one of Terraria’s best weapons and can defeat bosses with ease. It can efficiently deal up to 100k DPS with little effort, making it perfect for farming items and playing on Master mode easily.

Zenith can phase through walls and reach as far as the screen allows, aside from its raw damage potential.

When swung, the sword sprites of its component swords fly toward enemies within a 20-tile radius of the cursor and circle back in frenzied arcs. They pass through solid blocks, and three swords will appear per use (at base melee speed), with each sword sprite dealing the weapon’s full damage. The Zenith ignores enemy invincibility frames and has semi-homing capabilities.

It’s a great weapon, and the requirements to craft it are equally ridiculous. Getting every item you need to make the Zenith can be challenging from the moment you start the game. At the Mythril Anvil or Orichalcum Anvil, combine the following items in Terraria to craft the sword:

• Bee Keeper
• Copper Shortsword
• Enchanted Sword
• Influx Waver
• Meowmere
• Seedler
• Star Wrath
• Starfury
• Terra Blade
• The Horseman’s Blade