With low HP and no starting Defense, enemies in Terraria are most likely to stomp you, even if it’s early-game. It’s more common in Expert and Master Mode, where some Zombies have overpowered weapons that can one-shot you! But even if you’re doing a Classic playthrough, bosses at that stage are still unforgiving.
The Guide tells you to chop your first Wood – which helps make an armor set. However, you have limitless options aside from being tanky, ranging from damage improvement and reflection to regeneration and more!
If you’re in Pre-Hardmode, you can have 35 unique armor sets, most offering protection against attacks. None of them are created equal, so we’re ranking them all and explaining their pros and cons. Read this comprehensive guide if you’re planning to maximize your Terraria session and ultimately reach Hardmode!
Ranking Pre-Hardmode Armor Sets in Terraria
Short on time? Here’s the complete list of Pre-Hardmode armor sets in Terraria and their tiers:
S-Tier
A-Tier
B-Tier
C-Tier
D-Tier
E-Tier
F-Tier
Analyzing Individual Pre-Hardmode Armor Sets
Here are all items we’re using in this tier list. Before finalizing, we applied the following criteria:
- Defense
- Overall stats
- Difficulty to obtain
The first and second criteria are self-explanatory, as those are key factors in knowing whether one is better than the other. On the other hand, the third criterion talks about what it would take to acquire a specific set. After all, some items are acquirable in late Pre-Hardmode in Terraria while being outperformed by others.
S-Tier
1. Molten armor
Combining all items from the Molten set equates to:
- +25 defense
- +7% melee critical strike chance
- +7% melee damage
- +7% melee attack speed
Wearing everything grants +10% melee damage and immunity to the On Fire! debuff (desktop, mobile, console) / +17% melee damage (3DS, old-gen consoles).
The Molten armor set is something you’ll get before fighting the Wall of Flesh. For fighters in Terraria, traversing the Underworld is tricky, especially when mining Hellstone Ores. A couple of Lava drowning may sting, but the armor is worth obtaining. One caveat, though, is it’s not the best for other classes. But you can freely mix and match!
2. Crimson armor
The set bonus from wearing all Crimson armor pieces is increased life regeneration. Overall, you’ll also gain:
- +19 defense
- +9% universal damage (desktop, mobile, console) / +6% universal damage (3DS, old-gen consoles).
On a normal Terraria playthrough, you’ll most likely have this set after acquiring an ore-based or Cactus armor. However, you’ll need tons of preparation since every piece’s ingredients are dropped after defeating the Eye of Cthulhu and Brain of Cthulhu.
Note that this armor set focuses on your melee capabilities and can last until late Pre-Hardmode. At this point, you should search for an alternative, like Obsidian or Molten armor. If you’re outside the Fighter class, there are other options for you, and mix and matching is still viable.
The Crimson armor deserves this spot because of how tanky you can get and the bonus HP regeneration. Not as durable as the Molten armor, but you can exchange that for something slightly better if you have no Potions.
3. Ancient Shadow and Shadow armor
The Corruption counterpart to the Crimson armor is an alternative Pre-Hardmode armor set you can wear in your Terraria gameplay. With all pieces on your accessory slot, you’ll gain the following bonuses:
- +19 defense
- +15% universal critical strike chance (desktop, mobile, console) / +21% melee attack speed (3DS, old-gen consoles)
In all game versions, you’ll gain +15% movement speed and acceleration.
We’ve talked about how the Crimson armor can make you tanky with its health regeneration bonus. However, the Corruption counterpart also belongs to the same tier, but it’s a matter of playstyle difference.
It’s important to remember that wearing the Shadow armor means you have to go all out. You can swap your mobility and flight-enabling accessories for offensive and defensive ones to help you delete enemies faster. But we recommend pairing this armor set in Terraria with a high damage weapon, as the damage boost isn’t present.
4. Necro armor
This post-Skeletron set has a bonus of +10% ranged critical strike chance (desktop, mobile, console) / -20% ammo consumption (3DS, old-gen consoles). Equipping all pieces in Terraria grants:
- +19 defense (desktop, mobile, console) / +16 defense (3DS, old-gen consoles)
- +15% ranged damage
Note that you can interchange some parts of the Necro armor without affecting its base stats.
Although it’s one of two sets that provide a ranged bonus, we’re confident it deserves to be in the S-Tier. This consideration is for users who use guns and arrows before finally getting better sets in Hardmode. By all means, it’s better than the Fossil armor, which may take a lot of time and risk to acquire.
5. Obsidian armor
Each part gives a total:
- +15 defense
- +1 max minion
- +16% summon damage
A set bonus of +30% whip range, +15% whip speed, and +15% summon damage is also guaranteed. Overall, you’ll end up at +31% summon damage.
Obsidian armor is the best possible summoner-based equipment you can have. Down the hierarchy is the Bee armor, which is a decent alternative, although only great once you get the Imp Staff. This is the perfect gear if you want to defeat the Etherian Army easily. But as soon as Hardmode starts, look for stronger alternatives.
Note that if you have a melee attack speed buff from external factors, it’ll stack to the existing +15% whip speed. Combine it with any summoning Staff and Turrets, and you’ll be unstoppable!
A-Tier
1. Ancient Cobalt and Jungle Armor
Equipping each piece in your accessory slot will give you the following effects:
- +17 defense (desktop, mobile, console) / +15 defense (3DS, old-gen consoles)
- +80 Max Mana (desktop, mobile, console) / +60 Max Mana (3DS, old-gen consoles)
- +12% magic critical strike chance (desktop, mobile, console) / +9% magic critical strike chance (3DS, old-gen consoles)
- +6% magic damage (desktop, mobile, console only)
Overall, in all Terraria versions, this Pre-Hardmode armor grants a set bonus of -16% mana costs for casting any magic weapon.
Some players may prefer Meteor armor in their Terraria gameplay, and it’s okay. However, the Jungle/Ancient Cobalt set is better because you’ll likely not use the Space Gun. For context, the weapon deals less damage than other magic weapons, albeit you can use it infinitely while having the Meteor armor.
There are better magic weapons that exist in Pre-Hardmode, like the Demon Scythe and Gray Zapinator. Sure, you’ll run out of mana, but you can always have Potions and buffs applied. Another argument may come from Zapinators costing no mana to use with the Meteor armor, but it’s worth considering the critical strike chance and battle longevity.
2. Bee armor
The Bee armor is one of two summoner gears you can have in Pre-Hardmode Terraria. Aside from its set bonus, +10% summon damage, each part will give:
- +13 defense
- +13% summon damage
- +2 max minions
Combined with the set bonus is a finalized +23% summon damage.
The Bee armor deserves the A-Tier spot because you’ll rely on your minions aside from conventional weapons. The best you can get is the Imp Staff, which you’ll need Hellstone Ores and Obsidian to craft. Moreover, having the latter ingredient means you can upgrade to the Obsidian set, giving you more ways to deal damage.
Pre-Hardmode Terraria has limited weapon choices, so ask yourself if you want to go one-on-one with the Wall of Flesh using Night’s Edge and Imps.
B-Tier
1. Meteor armor
The Meteor armor’s set bonus in Terraria is impressive, making Space Gun, Gray Zapinator, and Orange Zapinator cost no mana while using. On top of that, you’ll also get the following benefits:
- +16 defense
- +27% magic damage (desktop, mobile, console) / +21% magic damage (3DS, old-gen consoles)
Most Terraria players opt for this Pre-Hardmode armor set and Space Gun for unlimited usage. The problem we see with this is how lengthy a boss fight is supposed to be. Sure, if you get lucky and buy the Gray Zapinator, that’s around 50 magic damage. However, the use time is slow, which you should consider.
Overall, this set’s strength is amazing for offense, but you must pick the right weapon. Otherwise, you’ll most likely lose against a boss fight, especially in Expert Mode and Master Mode if you’re unlucky.
2. Fossil armor
Once you equip the full armor set in Terraria, you’ll get the following bonuses:
- +13 defense
- +8% ranged critical strike chance
- +5% ranged damage
Moreover, ammo usage has a 20% conservation rate.
Like its Necro counterpart, the Fossil set offers similar perks if you use ranged weapons. The sole difference is the values at which the former wins. However, it’s surprising that getting the Sturdy Fossil is slightly risky and tricky since you’ll deal with Antlion swarms and falling Sands! So, is it worth it? Slightly, but Gi is a good alternative.
C-Tier
1. Gladiator armor
If you’re lucky to find all pieces of the Gladiator armor set, you’ll get +16 defense and Knockback Immunity.
We placed this set at the top of C-Tier because it’s a superior choice to Platinum and Gold armor. It’s also great with Obsidian Shield or Cobalt Shield, which are surprisingly a drop from Gold Chests and Golden Lock Boxes available in Pre-Hardmode. For tank users, this is a good bet if they don’t have better gear.
2. Platinum armor
Wearing every piece of this set will give you +16 defense and a +4 defense bonus, totaling +20 defense.
If you find Platinum Ores and turn them into Bars, it’s better to craft them into something else. This Pre-Hardmode armor set is extremely outperformed in terms of unique bonuses. Moreover, finding Platinum Ores will take ages versus defeating a boss and then mining Meteorites or evil biomes for their corresponding sets.
3. Gold armor
The Gold armor set gives +13 defense, with a +3 defense bonus, totaling +16 defense. While the crafting material is a Platinum counterpart, the +4 defense difference isn’t worth it. We don’t recommend using the set and reserve Gold Ores for crafting other items.
4. Tungsten armor
Overall, you’ll get +12 defense with a set bonus of +3 defense, totaling +15 defense. Although it offers +2 defense than its Silver counterpart, we still recommend skipping this armor.
5. Silver armor
Upon wearing this Pre-Hardmode armor set in Terraria, you’re set for a +10 defense, totaling to +13 defense because of the +3 defense bonus. Although it’s the counterpart to Tungsten, we don’t recommend an ore-based defense unless it’s the current best option. Otherwise, you can rely on better armor sets, like the Jungle or Meteor variants.
D-Tier
1. Ninja armor
Although it’s an interesting piece, the Ninja armor set is the first of many items in D-Tier. A combination of all parts will grant you the following:
- +9 defense
- +9% universal critical strike chance
Alongside is a set bonus, giving you +20% movement speed.
The Ninja armor set isn’t bad, considering it’s a loot from the early Pre-Hardmode. But with the current gameplay trend, players will most likely head straight to Crimson or Shadow gears unless they’re playing Expert Mode and Master Mode. We recommend upgrading to the Crystal Assassin set once you reach Hardmode.
Overall, this equipment’s defense is decent. If you’re to compare the Ninja armor to other items above, you’ll notice a tiny difference in tankiness. But in most cases, you’ll need that extra points to survive, especially in a more challenging gameplay.
2. Snow and Pink Snow armor
We don’t want to be pessimistic, but the Snow and Pink Snow armor set is in a similar state to its Rain counterpart. The only difference is the former being more useful than the latter. But looking at a wider perspective, we don’t recommend using any of them unless you have no choice.
Wearing the interchangeable pieces of Snow and Pink armor set in Terraria grants you the following:
- +9 defense (desktop, mobile, console) / +4 defense (3DS, old-gen consoles)
- Immunity to Chilled and Frozen debuffs (a set bonus)
Note: Snow and Pink Snow armor doesn’t grant the set bonus in 3DS and old-gen consoles versions of Terraria.
E-Tier
1. Angler armor
Based on this Pre-Hardmode armor set’s general stats, we consider it a piece of situational equipment. Wearing all individual parts in Terraria will grant you:
- +4 defense
- +15 Fishing Power
Alongside is a set bonus, where enemy spawn rates and the maximum number of enemies are reduced to 23% and 30%, respectively. Unfortunately, this effect doesn’t exist in the 3DS and old-gen console versions of Terraria, so we suggest being more careful.
With sentries and minions, fishing in Pre-Hardmode is easy. However, you must upgrade your weapons since they’re not so good in Hardmode. Wyverns, in particular, are deadly if the Angler sends you to a Sky Lake to catch something. You’ll likely have the Night’s Edge or Imp Staff at that point, but it’ll still be a struggle.
As a countermeasure, having Peace Candles or fishing near NPCs is what we recommend. Up your offensive defenses and prepare for worm-like Wyverns. If you do that, the Angler set’s fishing power boost will become the best advantage!
2. Mining armor
Note that the Mining armor set allows you to interchange with the Ultrabright Helmet. Equipping all pieces in Terraria will grant you the following stats:
- +4 defense (with Mining Helmet in desktop, mobile, console) / +3 defense (with Mining Helmet in 3DS, old-gen consoles)
- +6 defense (with Ultrabright Helmet)
- +20% Mining Speed
- Small, portable light source (with Mining Helmet)
- Big, portable light source (with Ultrabright Helmet)
A set bonus of +10% Mining Speed is also guaranteed, totaling +30% Mining Speed in Terraria.
This Pre-Hardmode armor set’s stats speak for its usefulness throughout your gameplay. Are Crimson and Corruption spreading to your world? Make Hellevators. Need to remove large chunks of Stone Blocks for building? You can do so in a short time. However, using the Mining armor is situational. Plus, you’ll need to defend yourself to maximize your effort.
We’re placing this gear in E-Tier because while you may spend lots of time digging in Pre-Hardmode, you’ll need better equipment and tools. You’ll first come across Shadow, Meteor, Crimson, or Molten sets to acquire the best Pickaxe in the current mode. Before defeating Wall of Flesh is where the Mining armor will shine! It’s even useful in Hardmode!
Portable storage containing Slice of Cake and Mining Potions is excellent for the armor set. Moreover, Luminite Pickaxes and Shroomite Digging Claw (with insane digging speed modified by Light) finish the job faster! Don’t forget to place sentries and summon your minions for defense while doing so.
3. Lead armor
Overall, you’ll get +8 defense if you wear all pieces, with a +3 defense bonus that totals in +11 defense. We don’t recommend using this Pre-Hardmode armor set in Terraria once you have better tools to find alternatives.
4. Iron armor
With all pieces in your accessory slot, you’ll gain +7 defense, totaling +9 defense because of the +2 defense set bonus. The Iron Helmet and Ancient Iron Helmet are interchangeable without affecting the stats.
Overall, we don’t recommend equipping this armor set if you have better options.
5. Pumpkin armor
Wearing all pieces of the Pumpkin armor set will grant you +7 defense and a bonus of +10% universal damage.
We suggest scouring the world to find wild Pumpkins if it’s Halloween. You can skip most Wooden armor variants and have this equipment instead. But if you need to fight a Pre-Hardmode Boss to buy Pumpkin Seeds from the Dryad, stick to better alternatives.
If you have excellent mobility, the Pumpkin armor set is even better than its Platinum counterpart. The extra damage for ranged and magic users is the best part, although using melee weapons can be risky.
6. Cactus armor
Wearing this Pre-Hardmode armor set in Terraria gives you the following:
- +3 defense (desktop, mobile, console) / +4 defense (3DS, old-gen consoles)
- Damages an enemy upon contact and inflicts +10 Knockback (desktop, mobile, console versions only)
There’s a good chance you’ll encounter the Desert biome after traveling for a little while on Day 1. We strongly suggest converting Cacti blocks to Cactus armor because of its unique damage reflection.
7. Tin armor
Equipping the Tin armor will provide you +5 defense, totaling to +7 defense because of the set bonus +2 defense. Skip this armor set.
8. Copper armor
Equipping this Pre-Hardmode armor set grants a total of +6 defense. Once again, we recommend skipping Copper armor.
9. Shadewood and Ebonwood armor
While the Shadewood and Ebonwood armor gives +5 defense(+1 defense set bonus), we also don’t find it great to equip. You can find both equipment in the Crimson and Corruption biome, so there’s no need to bother chopping trees and head straight to metal variants.
F-Tier
1. Ash Wood armor
Once the Ash Wood set is in your accessory slot, you’ll have +7 defense. The set bonus consists of -50% lava contact damage and -3.5s duration upon getting the debuff On Fire!
While the Ash Wood set is the most powerful Pre-Hardmode wooden armor variant, it’s useless and laughable, progression-wise. In normal gameplay, better options exist. The materials you need to craft the Ash Wood armor are also in the Underworld – where Obsidian and Molten sets are also obtainable!
Despite its abundance in Don’t dig up and Get fixed boi world seeds, this equipment has further nerfs. However, we think it’s still better than other Pre-Hardmode armor sets in this tier.
2. Boreal Wood, Rich Mahogany, and Palm Wood armor
Among non-evil, Wooden armor sets in Terraria, Boreal Wood, Rich Mahogany, and Palm Wood variants tied up in stats. Equipping any set grants you +3 defense with a bonus +1 defense, totaling +4 defense. While it’s better than your standard Wood armor, we recommend skipping this armor set.
3. Rain armor
The Rain armor in Terraria is the only set that provides no bonus after you wear all pieces. Although Raincoat Zombies are common during a Rainy Day, even with the drop rate balancing, it’s worse than most Wooden armor sets. If you get it earlier than the Wood set, great. But we see no difference with the +3 defense it offers.
4. Wood armor
At the bottom of the F-Tier is the Wood armor set. In all versions, it gives +3 defense. The bonus in desktop, mobile, and console versions doesn’t make a difference. Still, it’s better than nothing, but it’s the worst stats-wise. Try not to be sentimental about this armor set.
Conclusion
We hope we’re helpful in guiding you on which Pre-Hardmode armor sets to choose in Terraria! Remember that trying out the good ones will offer a unique experience and may not align with our ranking. However, we’re confident you’ll find the best ones for your playstyle.
