Terraria’s number of accessories can overwhelm new and old players who have yet to discover them all. Without the Guide’s help – or even the internet – one will probably miss essential pieces in completing the game. After all, items that boost your attack and movement make a difference in survivability.
In this short list, we’ve compiled ten accessories to obtain and upgrade/completely ignore to optimize your Terraria gameplay.
Accessories to Get
1. Fire Gauntlet
The Fire Gauntlet is one of the two best accessories you should consider using when playing melee class in Terraria. It’s perfect for solid DPS increase, making weapons like the Breaker Blade and most Whips easier to use.
During combat, the extra damage over time you can inflict on enemies can help. Not bad for an offensive accessory you can have after defeating all three mechanical bosses. But it’s noteworthy that most enemies will have immunity to Hellfire as we advance. It’d be best to supplement that with Flasks.
2. Berserker’s Glove
The Berserker’s Glove is another solid alternative if you’re playing Multiplayer as a tank-like role. Although the damage boost and debuff bonuses aren’t present versus their previous counterpart, it still offers good situational stats.
Take aggro, for example, where you can absorb hits meant for your damage dealers. Pair it with the Frozen Shield and Valhalla Knight armor set or other tough alternatives. The former gives you a bonus shield below 25% health and increases your squishy teammates‘ survivability, while the latter makes you tankier. It’s a decent summoner-melee build but feel free to experiment.
3. Recon Scope
The Recon Scope is the final upgrade for Sniper Scope and Rifle Scope, packing all the punch in a single accessory. This item is best with Multiplayer because of the aggro factor. Otherwise, you’ll only get the 10% ranged damage, critical hit bonus, and view range enhancement.
We recommend pairing the Recon Scope with Sniper Rifle and other high-damage output guns in Terraria. While you might think this accessory works solely on ammo-consuming weapons, you can also use it with:
- Candy Corn Rifle
- Elf Melter
- Flamethrower
- Stake Launcher
4. Stalker’s Quiver
There are more Bows in Terraria than guns you can acquire through normal gameplay. So, it’s unsurprising to see players opting for the former. But most Bow and Arrow in Pre-Hardmode are as not enticing as Hardmode.
The Stalker’s Quiver is another accessory we recommend if you use Bows in a Multiplayer game. Again, the same 400 aggro deduction makes you an unwanted target of Bosses and Invasion enemies. If you have someone playing the tank role, we recommend you maximize damage and mobility for a decent survival rate.
The next best choice to the Stalker’s Quiver is its Molten counterpart. But we’ll reveal later why it may not be the case.
5. Squire’s Shield
Among all accessories you can get from defeating Dark Mages and Ogres, the Squire’s Shield is the best. Melee-summon hybrid users can benefit from it as early as Pre-Hardmode, although obtaining Brand of the Inferno or Sergeant United Shield is a must-have first.
Note that you should discard the Squire’s Shield as soon as you find the Cobalt Shield from Dungeon Chests. From there, as we advance, you can upgrade it into the Obsidian Shield, which you can turn into the Ankh Shield for crafting the Ankh Charm.
6. Papyrus Scarab
Most minion-summoning weapons in Terraria are fairly weak, especially if you’re yet to obtain the Desert Tiger Staff or Tempest Staff. You can increase your overall damage output by using other weapons from a separate class but expect some downside. If you have the Hercules Beetle and Necromantic Scroll, consider combining the two for a massive boost.
The Papyrus Scarab’s 15% damage boost may be a downgrade to its crafting materials combined. But the 5% loss is easily replaceable by the extra minion you can spawn. Ultimately, you can equip the Papyrus Scarab, Hercules Beetle, and Necromantic Scroll altogether. Add a Summoning Potion and Stardust armor, and you’ll no longer be a one-man army.
7. Yoyo Bag
Like Flails, Yoyos are underrated. Some of the reasons include low overall DPS, accessibility, and difficulty to use. It’s understandable, as Yoyos are outperformed by most weapons in Pre-Hardmode, like the Imp Staff and Night’s Edge. But with the right accessory, any Yoyo can become lethally effective.
The Yoyo Bag caters to users who prefer launching a ball of continuous damage. The Yoyo Glove – one of the accessory’s ingredients – is obtainable as early as Pre-Hardmode. Using Hel-Fire or Amarok is enough for starters. Moving forward, you’ll get the Terrarian after defeating the Moon Lord, which offers tons of DPS from extra Yoyos and Counterweights.
With those considerations, we highly recommend going for the Yoyo Bag and wreaking havoc against waves of enemies and segmented worms!
8. Celestial Shell
The Celestial Shell is one of Terraria’s most powerful accessories you can obtain before facing all Four Celestial Pillars and the Moon Lord. We’ll let the stat speak for itself on this one. Just remember not to add any of its constituents to your Accessory Slot because it won’t stack.
9. Ankh Shield
Of all defensive accessories in Terraria, the Ankh Shield covers the most debuff immunity for you. Are you tired of getting Poisoned by Hornets in the Underground Jungle? Just equip this accessory.
Overall, the Ankh Shield is helpful, but not at all times. You may find the item indispensable if you’re doing Underground and Cave explorations. If you’re fighting bosses, it’s best to equip other accessories for DPS accumulation. Supplement your survivability with Potions and good dodging skills.
10. Celestial Cuffs
Celestial Cuffs is one of the three final upgrades from the Celestial Magnet. Combat-wise, there are many good features if you’re using Magic weapons. One example is using Last Prism, Razorpine, and Charged Blaster Cannon for continuous damage. Those three are some of the most mana-expensive items in-game.
With the Spectre Armor (Hood), you can repeat the process of healing by dealing damage to enemies and getting Mana Stars from taking hits. In the end, all you have to do is focus on the fight.
Accessories to Avoid
1. Molten Quiver
The Molten Quiver is an alternative ranged accessory for Stalker’s Quiver. While its unique effects of turning regular arrows into flaming ones sound perky, it’s acquirable in Hardmode. Ultimately, using the Molten Quiver is a mistake because of underwhelming damage. Plus, most enemies are immune to the debuff it inflicts.
2. Huntress’s Buckler
In Pre-Hardmode Terraria, activating the Old One’s army invasion can yield good rewards. The Huntress’s Buckler is one of them – but solely for profit. We can say the same for Apprentice’s Scarf and Monk’s Belt, as they all have identical stats. As you can get them by defeating Dark Mages and Ogres, profiting from them isn’t a bad idea.
3. Bee Cloak
Any Bee-related accessories become totally not viable once you reach Hardmode. Sure, there may be unique effects, like extra armor penetration or falling stars, but it ends there.
If you’re in Pre-Hardmode and have the Bee Cloak equipped, we advise selling it and replacing it with better items. The damaging Bees may sound like a good deal for extra damage, but it’s the opposite. Plus, activating it requires a portion of your health, which isn’t great for squishy builds.
4. Honey Comb
Equipping the Honey Comb solely in Terraria puts you at many disadvantages. If you’re in Pre-Hardmode, it’s best to find alternatives. Sell the accessory and never look back.
5. Sweetheart Necklace
The Sweetheart Necklace isn’t as bad as we thought. In fact, it’s an excellent alternative for fast-moving mounts and Wings (if you don’t have one yet). However, you’re actively exchanging a portion of your health to activate the speed boost in the process. If you’re in early Hardmode, you might be forced to equip tanky armor sets even to hold on!
What we instead recommend is making Wings, which we covered in this guide.
6. Band of Regeneration
The Band of Regeneration genuinely helps many Terraria players get through early Pre-Hardmode bosses‘ attacks. You can later combine it with the Philosopher’s Stone to make the Charm of Myths – reducing potion usage CD. However, it becomes a nuisance during Hardmode, so we suggest selling or stashing it away.
The extra life regeneration per second is available through various Hardmode armor sets. Some examples are Squire and Valhalla Knight, increasing your recovery rate by 2HP/s and 4HP/s, respectively.
7. Band of Starpower
As a Magic user, the Band of Starpower helps you last longer in a boss fight or fending off invasions. But once you’ve defeated the Wall of Flesh, it’s time to stash the accessory in your Chest. Later, you can upgrade it into Magic Cuffs, then Celestial Cuffs.
8. Shackle
For Pre-Hardmode players, equipping a Shackle makes or breaks your survivability, especially on Expert and Master Mode (although effects are mostly unnoticeable). But we don’t recommend equipping it for too long after finding better accessories.
9. Nature’s Gift
The Nature’s Gift isn’t bad, but equipping it alone won’t be enough either. Remember to combine it with other accessories in the Tinkerer’s Workshop to create Arcane Flower, Magnet Flower, or Mana Cloak.
10. Molten Skull Rose
Again, another accessory that isn’t bad or good. Think of it as a catalyst for crafting something better. It only becomes a waste of ingredients when opting for Magma Skull and Obsidian Skull Rose combinations, as you’ll use two Obsidian Skulls.
Once you get the Molten Skull Rose, don’t just stash it in your Accessory slot. Head to the Ocean and fish for Ocean and Seaside Crates to obtain the Water Walking Boots. Afterward, craft the Lava Waders, then Terraspark Boots if you have the Frostspark Boots.