Drop rate is one of the most controversial mechanics in RPGs. We can use this mechanism in Terraria to determine the chance of an object dropping from an enemy or a chest. For many years, the players have looked for ways to increase this stat just so they can get the most powerful artifacts in a particular game.
Although Terraria doesn’t have your traditional drop rate stat, there are ways to increase the quantity and quality of items that you get.
Drop rate in Terraria basics
By default, each monster drops a few different items. For each one of these items, there’s a drop rate. For example, a Zombie has a 2% drop rate for Shackle. In other words, you’ll get Shackle after killing an average of 50 of them.
If you increase the drop rate in Terraria by 100%, the current 2% becomes 4%. In other words, you should get a Shackle after every 25 Zombies killed.
Calculating the stat in Terraria is a bit hard compared to titles such as Diablo or Path of Exile. Unlike these two games, there isn’t a numerical value in Terraria showing the increase or decrease of the drop rate.
Here are the main ways you can increase drop rate in Terraria:
- Using items such as Battle Potion and Water Candle can increase the enemy spawn rate. Although this doesn’t directly increase drop rate in Terraria, you get more items by killing more monsters.
- Choosing Expert mode increases the quantity and quality of the items while exponentially increasing the game’s difficulty. It also unlocks certain game content that isn’t otherwise present.
- Luck is the main stat that governs drop rates.
Ideally, you should combine several methods to maximize your drop rate.
Expert mode
Enhanced loot in this mode compensates for its difficulty. Most people play this mode to get fantastic exclusive items you can’t get on Normal mode. Expert mode affects items in several ways:
- You get 2.5x more coins
- You get more money and better items from fishing quests
- You get more and better loot from pots
- There are new accessible statues
- Banners provide stronger buffs
- Enemies in Hardmode Dungeons drop different items with better drop rates. You might also receive two items at once
- Bosses drop special Treasure Bags that have much better loot and might include exclusive Expert mode items. Most notably, you can obtain some of these items only on Experts mode.
If you’re a newbie who just wants to get better loot, we wouldn’t recommend going with Expert mode.
Battle Potion
Battle Potion provides a Battle buff for 7 minutes. The effect increases the spawn rates of enemies and critters by 100%. Battle buff also increases the total number of enemies that can appear on screen at one moment. If you wish to remove the buff, you can do so by right-clicking on its icon.
The effect is especially cool in multiplayer. Keep in mind that every player spawns its own enemies and can increase their quantity with Water Candles and Battle Potions. This can lead to some chaotic situations.
Water Candle
The Water Candle is a furniture item you can hold in your hands or place somewhere to increase the number of enemies. It improves the spawn rate by 33% and the total number of enemies that can be on screen by 50%. The effect stacks with Battle Potion.
It’s noteworthy that you can’t use the item during certain events, but you can place it underwater. These candles are especially potent in space, increasing the enemy spawn rate to 167%.
Luck
Terraria uses the Luck mechanic to affect numerous things in the game, such as item drop rates, creature spawn rates, merchants‘ appearances, and their inventories. The main issue with this concept is that it’s a hidden stat, so you don’t know what kind of improvement to expect. It can also have a negative value, so your drop rate can actually be lower than normal.
The only way to determine how much Luck you have is by speaking to the Wizard. Here’s how the stat affects items and item drops:
- Luck increases the odds of Mana Star or Heart dropping. It also increases the chance that certain enemies will drop more than just one Heart.
- In situations where a boss is guaranteed to drop an item, Luck will have no effect. There are several bosses in the game that are not affected by the stat whatsoever.
- Luck also increases/decreases the amount of coins dropped.
- Luck can increase drop rate in Terraria from enemies, but it will not affect things such as crate drop rate.
Things that affect Luck
Here’s everything that affects Luck:
- Ladybugs can provide a short-term increase or decrease of Luck lasting from 3 to 6 minutes. Touching a Ladybug can also eliminate various bad Luck effects you’ve accumulated.
- Luck Potions are another great way to increase this stat. You can use Lesser Luck Potion (3-minute duration), Luck Potion (5-minute duration), or Greater Luck Potion (10-minute duration). All of these potions are stronger at the start of the effect. With more than 5 minutes remaining, they provide a +0.3 increase or 30% increase. With more than 3 minutes remaining, they provide a +0.2 increase or 20% increase. With 3 minutes or less, they give a +0.1 increase or 10% increase.
- Torches can also affect this stat if you hold them in your hands or place them within a certain biome. For example, having an Ice Torch in Snow biomes can increase your Luck by up to +0.2 or 20%. To maximize the impact of Torches, make sure to use them for appropriate biomes and position them close to each other.
- You get an extra +0.3 Luck or 30% during the Lantern Night event. However, the event cannot start during certain other events if a boss or Moon Lord is present.
- Garden Gnomes provide +0.2 or 20% in a small area around them.
Each one of these mechanisms works separately. In theory, you should place torches all over the map while paying attention to a specific biome, and you should occasionally use Luck Potions to increase the effect. Garden Gnomes and Ladybugs also provide a nice boost, but they are not as reliable as some other methods.
