Best Area Effect Magic Weapons in Terraria (2023)
There are multiple Area Effect Magic Weapons in Terraria with unique functions, each with different pros and cons. This list provides an overview of every magic weapon in the classification, where and when they shine the most, and extra tips to maximize each weapon's efficiency.
AoE Magic Weapons Explained
Magic Weapons that deal damage in a certain area belong to the AoE family. This classification specializes in annihilating waves of enemies that will otherwise take time compared to single-target magic weapons.
The following are all Area Effect Magic Weapons:
My Favorite Items Listed:
Terraria (Wiki): Rainbow Gun
Rating:
Pro and Cons:
Strengths
Perfect for waves of enemies. Deals uninterrupted damage against less mobile enemies.
Cons
Needs a lot of mana to use. Unable to penetrate walls (completely) and tight spaces (low chance).
Facts:
General Type: Magic Weapon
Damage value: 45 Health Points
Rarity: Yellow
Knockback: 2.5 (desktop, mobile, console) / 2 (3DS, old-gen consoles)
Sell-Value: 20 Gold Coins
Buy-Value: Not sold
Critical Size: 4%
Use Time: 40
Required Research: 1
Velocity: 16
Special Properties:
More Info:
Terraria (Wiki): Inferno Fork
Rating:
Pro and Cons:
Explosive damage against enemies with high armor. Debuff is scalable (3DS, old-gen consoles). Usable underwater.
Weaknesses
Obtaining is difficult. Slower projectiles underwater.
Facts:
General Type: Magic Weapon
Damage value: 70 Health Points
Rarity: Yellow
Knockback: 5 (desktop, mobile, console) / 8 (3DS, old-gen consoles)
Sell-Value: 6 Gold Coins
Buy-Value: Not sold
Critical Size: 4%
Use Time: 30
Required Research: 1
Velocity: 8
Special Properties:
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Terraria (Wiki): Resonance Scepter
Rating:
Pro and Cons:
Strengths
Stationary and controllable projectile. Rapid and high damage with a single click.
Weaknesses
Circular projectile unable to go beyond thick walls. Obtaining can be difficult.
Facts:
General Type: Magic Weapon
Damage value: 70 Health Points
Rarity: Pink
Knockback: 5
Sell-Value: 10 Gold Coins
Buy-Value: Not sold
Critical Size: 4%
Use Time: 25
Required Research: 1
Velocity: 10
Special Properties:
More Info:
Terraria (Wiki): Magnet Sphere
Rating:
Pro and Cons:
Strengths
Good for clearing spaces where disguised enemies like Mimics thrive. An excellent fast-clearing weapon. Shoots at will (hostiles only).
Weaknesses
Slow movement in liquids. Orb deals contact damage (Multiplayer mode only).
Facts:
General Type: Magic Weapon
Damage value: 48 Health Points
Rarity: Yellow
Knockback: 6
Sell-Value: 10 Gold Coins
Buy-Value: Not sold
Critical Size: 4%
Use Time: 20
Required Research: 1
Velocity: 1.2
Special Properties:
More Info:
Terraria (Wiki): Toxic Flask
Rating:
Pro and Cons:
Strengths
Deals damage over time. Straightforward and beginner-friendly to use.
Weaknesses
Limited vertical throw range. Less effective against bosses. Fairly low drop rate despite the stats. Very slow use time.
Facts:
General Type: Magic Weapon
Damage value: 52 Health Points
Rarity: Yellow
Knockback: 4
Sell-Value: 10 Gold Coins
Buy-Value: Not sold
Critical Size: 4%
Use Time: 45
Required Research: 1
Velocity: 14
Special Properties:
More Info:
Terraria (Wiki): Clinger Staff
Rating:
Pro and Cons:
Strengths
Excellent knockback and damage. Perfect against invasions and events. Decently-long duration when cast.
Weaknesses
High mana is required to use the weapon. Needs to be in direct line of sight before using. Limited to one wall when cast. Halved damage against worms.
Facts:
General Type: Magic Weapon
Damage value: 43 Health Points
Rarity: Pink
Knockback: 8
Sell-Value: 8 Gold Coins
Buy-Value: Not sold
Critical Size: 4%
Use Time: 24
Required Research: 1
Velocity: 15
Special Properties:
More Info:
Terraria (Wiki): Nettle Burst
Rating:
Pro and Cons:
Strengths
A decent magic weapon for Hardmode. Offers better damage, faster use time, longer duration, and larger area effect than Vilethorn. Good against armored enemies.
Weaknesses
Extremely weak knockback to offer. Better options exist.
Facts:
General Type: Magic Weapon
Damage value: 35 (desktop, mobile, console) / 25 (3DS, old-gen consoles) Health Points
Rarity: Lime
Knockback: 1
Sell-Value: 4 Gold Coins
Buy-Value: Not sold
Critical Size: 4%
Use Time: 25
Required Research: 1
Velocity: 32
Special Properties:
More Info:
Terraria (Wiki): Tome of Infinite Wisdom
Rating:
Pro and Cons:
Strengths
Great for gathering crafting materials (Tornado). High knockback. Buffed damage when using the Tornado attack.
Weaknesses
Needs a lot of mana to use. First attack spreads out when riding a flying mount.
Facts:
General Type: Magic Weapon
Damage value: 36 Health Points
Rarity: Pink
Knockback: 9
Sell-Value: 1 Gold Coin
Buy-Value: Not sold
Critical Size: 4%
Use Time: 25
Required Research: 1
Velocity: 22
Special Properties:
More Info:
Terraria (Wiki): Crystal Vile Shard
Rating:
Pro and Cons:
Strengths
Slightly better than the Vilethorn. Decent for certain bosses and enemies.
Weaknesses
Deals less damage and shorter range. Better options exist.
Facts:
General Type: Magic Weapon
Damage value: 25 Health Points
Rarity: Pink
Knockback: 3
Sell-Value: 8 Gold Coins
Buy-Value: Not sold
Critical Size: 4%
Use Time: 33
Required Research: 1
Velocity: 32
Special Properties:
More Info:
Terraria (Wiki): Blood Thorn
Rating:
Pro and Cons:
Strengths
Great for clearing tight spaces. Good damage output. Boasts wall-piercing capabilities.
Weaknesses
Uses slightly more mana than other magic weapons. Not beginner-friendly.
Facts:
General Type: Magic Weapon
Damage value: 34 Health Points
Rarity: Light Red
Knockback: 1
Sell-Value: 4 Gold Coins
Buy-Value: Not sold
Critical Size: 4%
Use Time: 33
Required Research: 1
Velocity: 32
Special Properties:
More Info:
Terraria (Wiki): Nimbus Rod
Rating:
Pro and Cons:
Strengths
Long-term mana conservation potential. Deals stationary damage (similar to turrets). More powerful than the Crimson Rod. Unlimited piercing capability (3DS, old-gen consoles).
Weaknesses
Obtaining is fairly difficult. Damaging projectiles are limited to 96.5 tiles away from the spawned cloud.
Facts:
General Type: Magic Weapon
Damage value: 30 (desktop, mobile, console) / 36 (3DS, old-gen consoles) Health Points
Rarity: Light Purple
Sell-Value: 3 Gold Coins & 50 Silver Coins
Buy-Value: Not sold
Critical Size: 4%
Use Time: 22
Required Research: 1
Velocity: 16
Special Properties:
More Info:
Terraria (Wiki): Crimson Rod
Rating:
Pro and Cons:
Strengths
Decent pick for Pre-Hardmode. Long-term mana conservation potential. Deals stationary damage (similar to turrets).
Weaknesses
The Nimbus Rod is a superior option. Can only pierce one enemy. Damaging projectiles are limited to 96.5 tiles away from the spawned cloud.
Facts:
General Type: Magic Weapon
Damage value: 12 Health Points
Rarity: Blue
Sell-Value: 1 Gold Coin & 50 Silver Coins (desktop, mobile, console) / 20 Silver Coins (3DS, old-gen consoles)
Buy-Value: Not sold
Critical Size: 4%
Use Time: 24
Required Research: 1
Velocity: 12
Special Properties:
More Info:
Terraria (Wiki): Vilethorn
Rating:
Pro and Cons:
Strengths
Great for segmented enemies and bosses. Great for holding off invasions. Great for enemies with high defense. Can stun-lock enemies. Projectile pierces and damages enemies behind any cover.
Weaknesses
Unable to compete against other Hardmode Magic Weapons of the same category. Fairly slow attack speed.
Facts:
General Type: Magic Weapon
Damage value: 10 Health Points
Rarity: Blue
Knockback: 1
Sell-Value: 1 Gold Coin & 50 Silver Coins (desktop, mobile, console) / 20 Silver Coins (3DS, old-gen consoles)
Buy-Value: Not sold
Critical Size: 4%
Use Time: 28
Required Research: 1
Velocity: 32
Special Properties:
More Info:
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