Terraria Weapon Tier List — Best Weapons per Phase per Class

Pre-Hardmode Weapon Tier List

Pre-Hardmode Standouts Explained

Night's Edge is the defining pre-Hardmode melee weapon. Crafted from four component swords (Muramasa, Blade of Grass, Light's Bane or Blood Butcherer, Fiery Greatsword), it has the highest base damage and widest swing arc of any pre-HM sword. Every melee progression aims at Night's Edge before fighting the Wall of Flesh. The Bee Keeper (Queen Bee drop) is a strong alternative with bee minion summoning, but Night's Edge is the meta default.

The Phoenix Blaster carries the ranger from mid pre-HM through early Hardmode. Crafted from a Handgun (Cursed Skull drop in the Dungeon) plus 10 Hellstone Bars and 10 Obsidian, it fires fast and pairs perfectly with Meteor Shot for bouncing projectiles. The Star Cannon has burst potential but ammo (Fallen Stars) is rare — keep it for emergencies.

The Demon Scythe (Demon enemy drop in the Underworld) is the strongest pre-HM mage weapon by sustained DPS. Each shot pierces multiple enemies and deals high damage. Water Bolt (Dungeon item, fired from a stationary bookcase row) is the iconic pre-HM mage choice with bouncing projectiles. Both are best paired with Meteor Armor's space gun mana-free buff for pre-WoF caster setups.

Early Hardmode Weapon Tier List

The Daedalus Stormbow Phenomenon

The Daedalus Stormbow + Holy Arrows combination is one of the most famous power spikes in Terraria. The Stormbow fires arrows that rain from the sky onto the target — every arrow hits, and Holy Arrows spawn falling stars on impact. Against The Destroyer (worm boss with many segments), this combination hits dozens of segments per shot and chains stars through the body. Skilled players kill Destroyer in under 60 seconds with this loadout.

To get the Daedalus Stormbow, place a Key of Light in any chest in the Hallow — Hallowed Mimics spawn and may drop the Stormbow. Holy Arrows are crafted from Unicorn Horns (Unicorn drops in Hallow) plus Pixie Dust and Wooden Arrows. Both are accessible immediately after entering Hardmode if you have a small Hallow biome to farm.

The Stormbow falls off slightly past mechanical bosses but remains useful for clearing Pumpkin Moon waves of small enemies. Many players keep it in inventory as a wave-clear specialist weapon even into late Hardmode.

Late Hardmode (Post-Plantera) Weapon Tier List

Late Hardmode Meta Picks

Terra Blade dominates late Hardmode melee. Crafted from True Night's Edge + True Excalibur at a Mythril/Orichalcum Anvil, its projectile beam attacks give melee true range and consistency. Reforge to Legendary for peak performance. Vampire Knives (Crimson Expert Mode Treasure Bag drop) provide unmatched life steal sustain but only roll in Crimson worlds — Corruption players use Scourge of the Corruptor as the equivalent slot.

Tsunami (Duke Fishron drop) is the highest-DPS bow before Lunar Events. Fires 5 arrows in a tight spread per shot — with Shroomite Armor's stealth bonus standing still, sustained DPS is enormous. Pair with Holy Arrows for star-spawn area damage or with Chlorophyte Arrows for homing on evasive bosses.

Razorpine (Everscream drop in Frost Moon) is the meta mage weapon for late Hardmode. It fires fast-moving piercing icicles with high damage per projectile. Razorblade Typhoon (Duke Fishron drop) provides homing magical scythes — excellent against Empress of Light and Moon Lord's True Eyes. Many mages run Razorblade Typhoon for boss fights and Razorpine for wave clear.

Sanguine Staff is the late HM summoner standout. Dropped by the Dreadnautilus (caught by fishing during a Blood Moon — needs the Blood Moon rod). Sanguine bats deal high damage and persist near the player, providing excellent area DPS. Cheaper to acquire than Tempest Staff (Duke Fishron) and competitive in damage.

Post-Moon Lord (Endgame) Weapon Tier List

Endgame Weapon Choice Notes

Solar Eruption is the highest sustained melee DPS in the game. It fires a chain that extends and deals continuous damage to anything it passes through. Against Moon Lord (eyes spread across the body), Pumpkin Moon (densely packed waves), and pillar enemies, it deals devastating area damage. Meowmere has higher base per-hit damage but its bouncing-cat projectile pattern is harder to land consistently.

Last Prism is the mage endgame answer. Channeling it produces a rainbow beam that ramps up damage over time and pierces all enemies. The drawback is enormous mana consumption — even with Nebula Armor's mana regeneration and a fully stacked mana pool, you can drain in 5-8 seconds. Use Mana Potions liberally (or play with Spectre Armor's healing hood variant for sustain). Lunar Flare is the lower-skill alternative with magical projectiles raining from above.

Phantasm vs S.D.M.G. is the ranger endgame debate. Phantasm has slightly higher theoretical DPS at full ramp-up but requires holding the trigger. S.D.M.G. starts at peak fire rate immediately. Speedrunners prefer S.D.M.G. for consistency; casual players often prefer Phantasm for the satisfying ramp. Both are top-tier.

Stardust Dragon Staff is the summoner endgame answer. The Dragon scales with how many summons you have — invest all 7-11 minion slots into Stardust Dragon and you get one massive worm-like dragon with extraordinary sustained DPS. Pair with Kaleidoscope (Empress of Light drop) for the highest single-tag bonus in the game. Terraprisma (Empress daytime kill) is the highest single-minion DPS but requires beating one of the hardest fights in the game.

Class DPS Ranking by Phase

Verdict: All four classes are viable at every phase, but ranger and mage tend to lead DPS races because their weapon scaling and stealth/critical multipliers compound aggressively. Summoner provides the easiest 'set and forget' DPS via Stardust Dragon. Melee offers the highest survivability via Beetle/Solar Flare defense but slightly lower peak DPS than the other classes in most fights.

Weapons You Should Never Skip

• Night's Edge (pre-HM melee) — Required component for True Night's Edge → Terra Blade chain.
• Phoenix Blaster (pre-HM ranger) — Carries through WoF and into early HM.
• Megashark (early HM ranger) — Universal high-DPS gun for entire Hardmode.
• Terra Blade (mid HM melee) — Defines mid-late HM melee; signature weapon.
• Daedalus Stormbow + Holy Arrows (early HM ranger) — Trivializes Destroyer.
• Razorpine (late HM mage) — Frost Moon farm; mage standout pre-Lunar.
• Sanguine Staff (late HM summoner) — Dreadnautilus Blood Moon fishing drop; meta summoner pick.
• Solar Eruption (endgame melee) — Best sustained melee DPS in the game.
• Last Prism (endgame mage) — Final mage weapon; rainbow beam channel.
• Stardust Dragon (endgame summoner) — Scales with minion slots invested; massive sustained DPS.