The 180+ Best Melee Weapons in Terraria: Facts & Secrets (2023)
Detailed Lists
- Best Pre-Hardmode Melee Weapons in Terraria (2023)
- Best Yoyos in Terraria (2023)
- Best Boomerangs in Terraria (2023)
- Best Hardmode Melee Weapons in Terraria (2023)
- Best Other Spears in Terraria (2023)
- Best Ore Broadswords in Terraria (2023)
- Best Flails in Terraria (2023)
- Best Ore Shortswords in Terraria (2023)
- Best Miscellaneous Melee Weapons in Terraria (2023)
- Best Ore Spears in Terraria (2023)
- Best Hardmode Ore Swords in Terraria (2023)
- Best Whips in Terraria (2023)
My Favorite Items Listed:
Terraria (Wiki): Blue Moon
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Terraria (Wiki): Tizona
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Terraria (Wiki): Katana
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Easy to obtain.
- Good enough against hordes of enemies.
- Highest critical chance.
Weaknesses
- Weak knockback.
- Better melee weapons exist for waves of enemies.
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Terraria (Wiki): Ice Sickle
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Terraria (Wiki): Orichalcum Halberd
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Perfect against waves of enemies.
- Slightly easy to obtain upon reaching Hardmode.
Weaknesses
- Weak damage output versus other Ore Spears.
- Better Ore Spears exist for waves of enemies with high damage.
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Terraria (Wiki): Iron Broadsword
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Superior to most metal Shortswords.
- Okay for low-tier enemies.
Weakness
- Outperformed by other Broadswords.
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Terraria (Wiki): Cobalt Sword
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Decent against small groups of enemies.
- Fastest Speed of all Hardmode Ore swords.
Weaknesses
- Shortest use time.
- Tricky to obtain.
- Better swords exist for waves of enemies.
- Weakest damage output versus other Hardmode swords.
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Terraria (Wiki): Gradient
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Terraria (Wiki): Thorn Chakram
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Inflicted debuff offers high damage potential.
- High knockback for crowd control.
- Outclasses most Pre-Hardmode Boomerangs
Weaknesses
- Slightly tricky to obtain.
- Slow cooldown reset.
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Terraria (Wiki): Waffle’s Iron
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Terraria (Wiki): Storm Spear
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Terraria (Wiki): KO Cannon
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Terraria (Wiki): Shadowflame Knife
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Terraria (Wiki): Ice Boomerang
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Extra damage from applied debuff to enemies.
- Offers the highest critical strike chance.
Weaknesses
- Slightly tricky to obtain.
- Slightly slow projectile travel speed.
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Terraria (Wiki): Tin Shortsword
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Pro and Cons:
Strength
- Extremely accessible.
Weaknesses
- Second-lowest damage potential.
- Slow usage cooldown.
- Dispensable option.
- Better weapons of the same class exist.
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Terraria (Wiki): Ham Bat
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Terraria (Wiki): Breaker Blade
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Terraria (Wiki): Trimarang
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- High DPS because of consecutive projectile spawning.
- Decent cooldown rate.
Weakness
- Slightly tricky to obtain.
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Terraria (Wiki): The Rotted Fork
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Terraria (Wiki): Tin Broadsword
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Superior to most metal Shortswords.
- Okay for low-tier enemies.
Weakness
- Outperformed by other Broadswords.
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Terraria (Wiki): Anchor
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Terraria (Wiki): Hel-Fire
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Terraria (Wiki): Beam Sword
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Terraria (Wiki): Fetid Baghnakhs
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Terraria (Wiki): Fruitcake Chakram
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Offers high knockback.
- Good cooldown reset.
Weaknesses
- Tricky to obtain.
- Unreliable projectile travel speed.
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Terraria (Wiki): Slap Hand
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Terraria (Wiki): Copper Shortsword
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Pro and Cons:
Strength
- Extremely accessible.
Weaknesses
- Lowest damage potential.
- Slowest usage cooldown.
- Dispensable option.
- Better weapons of the same class exist.
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Terraria (Wiki): The Meatball
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Terraria (Wiki): Bladed Glove
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Fastest cooldown usage among all Pre-Hardmode Melee Weapons.
- High DPS.
- Perfect against waves of enemies.
Weaknesses
- Tricky to obtain at early stages.
- Better melee weapons exist for waves of enemies.
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Terraria (Wiki): Shadow Jousting Lance
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Terraria (Wiki): Mythril Halberd
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Perfect against waves of enemies.
- Slightly easy to obtain upon reaching Hardmode.
Weaknesses
- Weak damage output versus other Ore Spears.
Better Ore Spearsexist for waves of enemies with high damage.
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Terraria (Wiki): Bloody Machete
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Better choice than most Pre-Hardmode Boomerangs.
- Decent cooldown reset.
Weaknesses
- Travel movement prevents inflicting 2x damage to enemies.
- Travel movement prevents damaging enemies behind solid blocks.
- Subpar projectile travel speed.
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Terraria (Wiki): Chik
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Terraria (Wiki): Copper Broadsword
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Most accessible Broadsword.
- Superior to most metal Shortswords.
- Okay for low-tier enemies.
Weaknesses
- Outperformed by other Broadswords.
- Weakest base damage.
- Shadewood Sword and Ebonwood Sword are more accessible.
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Terraria (Wiki): Exotic Scimitar
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Easy to obtain.
- Perfect against small waves of enemies.
Weaknesses
- Better melee weapons exist for waves of enemies.
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Terraria (Wiki): Cutlass
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Terraria (Wiki): Bat Bat
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Easy to obtain.
- Restores 1 HP on every hit.
- Perfect against small groups of enemies.
Weaknesses
- Slowest cooldown usage.
- Better melee weapons exist for waves of enemies.
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Terraria (Wiki): Candy Cane Sword
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Easy to obtain.
- Perfect against small waves of enemies.
- Larger range than pre-Hardmode swords (4x7 radius).
Weaknesses
- Better melee weapons exist for waves of enemies.
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Terraria (Wiki): Red Phasesaber
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Terraria (Wiki): White Phasesaber
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Terraria (Wiki): Yellow Phasesaber
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Terraria (Wiki): Orange Phasesaber
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Terraria (Wiki): Blue Phasesaber
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Terraria (Wiki): Flymeal
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Can damage NPCs.
- Perfect against waves of enemies.
Weaknesses
- Tricky to obtain at the early stages of the game.
- Better melee weapons exist for waves of enemies.
- Inflicted debuff does not deal damage.
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Terraria (Wiki): Green Phasesaber
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Terraria (Wiki): Purple Phasesaber
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Terraria (Wiki): Mace
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Terraria (Wiki): Ball O‘ Hurt
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Terraria (Wiki): Shroomerang
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Pro and Cons:
Strength
- Offers high knockback.
Weaknesses
- Slightly tricky to obtain.
- Better Pre-Hardmode counterparts exist.
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Terraria (Wiki): Stylish Scissors
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Perfect against small groups of enemies.
- Fast use time.
Weaknesses
- Better melee weapons exist for waves of enemies.
- Tricky to obtain.
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Terraria (Wiki): Format:C
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Terraria (Wiki): Pearlwood Sword
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Terraria (Wiki): Classy Cane
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Terraria (Wiki): Bone Sword
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- High base damage than other melee weapons.
- Perfect against waves of enemies.
Weaknesses
- Slightly tricky and risky to obtain.
- Better melee weapons exist for waves of enemies.
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Terraria (Wiki): Swordfish
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Terraria (Wiki): Palladium Pike
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Perfect against waves of enemies with low health.
- Easy to obtain upon reaching Hardmode
Weaknesses
- Lowest base damage among Ore Spears.
- Better Ore Spears exist for waves of enemies.
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Terraria (Wiki): Flaming Mace
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Terraria (Wiki): Enchanted Boomerang
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Very accessible early-game.
- Better overall stats vs. Wooden Boomerang.
- High knockback potential.
Weaknesses
- Better Pre-Hardmode options exist.
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Terraria (Wiki): Cascade
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Terraria (Wiki): Hallowed Jousting Lance
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Terraria (Wiki): Mandible Blade
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Perfect against waves of enemies.
- Better damage than other early-game swords.
Weaknesses
- Tricky and risky to obtain.
- Better melee weapons exist for waves of enemies.
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Terraria (Wiki): Zombie Arm
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Great against enemies with low health.
- Offers higher base damage than Pre-Hardmode Wood Swords.
Weaknesses
- Tricky to obtain at the early stages of the game.
- Better melee weapons exist for waves of enemies.
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Terraria (Wiki): Cactus Sword
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Easy to obtain.
- Great against small waves of enemies.
Weaknesses
- Better melee weapons exist for waves of enemies.
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Terraria (Wiki): Ash Wood Sword
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Perfect against small groups of enemies.
- Offers the highest base damage among all Pre-Hardmode Wood Swords.
Weaknesses
- Better melee weapons exist for waves of enemies.
- Tricky and risky to obtain.
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Terraria (Wiki): Hive-Five
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Terraria (Wiki): Shadewood Sword
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Perfect against small groups of enemies.
- Offers the 2nd highest base damage among all Pre-Hardmode Wood Swords.
Weaknesses
- Tricky and risky to obtain.
- Better melee weapons exist for waves of enemies.
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Terraria (Wiki): Ebonwood Sword
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Perfect against small groups of enemies.
- Offers the 2nd highest base damage among all Pre-Hardmode Wood Swords.
Weaknesses
- Tricky and risky to obtain for Pre-Hardmode players.
- Better melee weapons exist for waves of enemies.
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Terraria (Wiki): Boreal Wood Sword
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Easy to obtain.
- Higher base damage than the wooden sword.
- Decent against a small group of enemies.
Weaknesses
- Second weakest base damage among other swords.
- Better melee weapons exist for waves of enemies.
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Terraria (Wiki): Cobalt Naginata
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Perfect against waves of enemies with low health.
- Easy to obtain upon reaching Hardmode.
Weaknesses
- Lowest base damage among Ore Spears.
- Weakest knockback among Ore Spears.
- Better Ore spears exist for waves of enemies.
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Terraria (Wiki): Jousting Lance
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Terraria (Wiki): Valor
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Terraria (Wiki): Wooden Boomerang
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Pro and Cons:
Strength
- Very accessible early-game.
Weaknesses
- Weakest damage output.
- Slowest projectile travel speed.
- Subpar knockback potential.
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Terraria (Wiki): Chain Knife
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Terraria (Wiki): Rich Mahogany Sword
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Easy to obtain.
- Higher damage output than the wooden sword.
- Decent against a small group of enemies.
Weaknesses
- One of the weakest Pre-Hardmode Wood Swords.
- Better melee weapons exist for waves of enemies.
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Terraria (Wiki): Code 1
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Terraria (Wiki): Palm Wood Sword
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Easy to obtain.
- Higher damage output than the wooden sword.
- Decent against a small group of enemies.
Weaknesses
- One of the weakest Pre-Hardmode Wood Swords.
- Better melee weapons exist for waves of enemies.
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Terraria (Wiki): Amazon
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Terraria (Wiki): Spear
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Terraria (Wiki): Wooden Sword
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Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Easy to obtain.
- Great weapon against low-health enemies./
Weaknesses
- Weakest damage.
- Not a perfect choice for waves of enemies.
- Better melee weapons exist for waves of enemies.
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Terraria (Wiki): Arkhalis
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Terraria (Wiki): Artery
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Terraria (Wiki): Terragrim
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Terraria (Wiki): Malaise
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Terraria (Wiki): Rally
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Terraria (Wiki): Wooden Yoyo
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Terraria (Wiki): Firecracker
Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Viable even after defeating the Moon Lord.
- Unique summon tag effects.
- Good for exploring caves and finding ores.
- Great against slow-hitting minions with high base damage output.
Weaknesses
- Very weak knockback.
- Inflicted debuff is outperformed by other whip’s debuffs.
- 33% damage reduction penalty against multiple enemies.
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Terraria (Wiki): Leather Whip
Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- One of the two accessible whips early-game.
- Decent against small groups of enemies.
Weaknesses
- Weakest damage output versus other whips.
- 50% damage reduction penalty against multiple enemies.
- Extremely weak knockback.
- Terrible against large waves of enemies.
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Terraria (Wiki): Dark Harvest
Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Buff increases attack speed by 35%/3s.
- Provides light in dark/night areas.
- Great with rapidly-attacking minions than slower minions.
Weaknesses
- Very weak knockback.
- 10% less damage with each succeeding strike if it hits many targets in one attack.
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Terraria (Wiki): Snapthorn
Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Easy to obtain.
- Better damage versus early-game melee weapons.
- Granted buff improves attack speed.
- Inflicted debuff deals bonus damage.
Weaknesses
- Extremely weak knockback.
- Short range.
- 40% damage reduction penalty against multiple enemies.
- Better whips exist for waves of enemies.
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Terraria (Wiki): Kaleidoscope
Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Strongest whip in all modes.
- Best for finding caves and ores.
- High summon tag damage.
- Decent extra critical hit chance.
- Great for waves of enemies.
Weaknesses
- Obtaining can get tricky.
- Weak knockback.
- 10% damage reduction penalty against multiple enemies.
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Terraria (Wiki): Morning Star
Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Exceptionally strong knockback.
- Offers the lowest damage reduction penalty among other whips.
- Offers the highest critical strike chance among other whips.
Weaknesses
- Slow attack speed.
- 5% damage reduction penalty against multiple enemies.
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Terraria (Wiki): Spinal Tap
Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Strongest Pre-Hardmode whip.
- Easy to obtain.
- Great against waves of enemies.
Weaknesses
- Very weak knockback.
- 10% damage reduction penalty against multiple enemies.
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Terraria (Wiki): Durendal
Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Buff increases attack speed by 25%/3s.
- Provides light in dark/night areas.
- Second-highest amount of summon tag damage
Weaknesses
- Very weak knockback.
- 20% less damage with each succeeding strike if it hits many targets in one attack.
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Terraria (Wiki): Cool Whip
Pro and Cons:
Strengths
- Inflicted debuff offers tremendous damage and crowd control.
- Cool Flake projectile has armor-penetrating capabilities.
- Decent for finding caves and ores.
Weaknesses
- Tricky to obtain.
- Extremely weak knockback.
- 30% damage reduction penalty against multiple enemies.