[Top 10] Terraria Best Weapons (And How To Get Them) (2023)

Isn't Terraria a peaceful game?

Terraria is an action-adventure game that was released back in May 2011. Once you start playing the game, you’ll be faced with relaxing scenery and cheerful music. Everything is peaceful and quiet until night falls, that is.

Soon you’ll realize that Terraria is not just about building houses and farming flowers. You’ll begin to understand that to survive in your world, you have to take up arms and defend your life. If you’re new to the game, this might get very confusing as the game has over 500 unique weapons to choose from. This is why we’ve created this list of Top 10 Terraria best weapons and how to get them!

We’ll be talking about both pre-hardmode, hardmode, and post-Moonlord weapons in this list. Each weapon would be rated at its current functionality at that specific phase of the game.

10. Reaver Shark

I hope PETA isn't reading this

I know what you’re thinking. Isn’t Reaver Shark technically a pickaxe? Well, yes. But that doesn’t stop you from whacking enemies with it! It was heavily nerfed in Terraria: Journey’s End due to some progression issues, but it’s still valuable to get early on.

The Reaver Shark is a Pickaxe that’s able to mine everything below Demonite and Crimtane ores and is very accessible pre-hardmode.

What makes Reaver Shark awesome:

• Utility - Can be used to progress through the early stages of the game as a Pickaxe
• Decent damage for early-game. Has the same damage as Gold / Platinum Broadswords
• Slightly bigger range than most pre-hardmode swords

Weapon Stats:

• Damage: 16 (Melee)
• Knockback: 3 (Very Weak)
• Crit Chance: 4%
• Use Speed: 22 (Fast)

How to get the Reaver Shark:

Getting the Reaver Shark

9. Minishark

What is it with Terraria and sharks?!

Yet another “shark” makes it to our list. The Minishark is one of the earlier guns you can get in the game that deals a massive amount of damage up until early hardmode, where it becomes a crafting ingredient for a weapon with an even better DPS output.

The Minishark has the fastest attack speed out of all the ranged weapons pre-hardmode. The downside is, it only deals very minimal damage so armored enemies won’t take too much damage from it. An easy counter to this would be using the Sharktooth Necklace which adds armor penetration and is overall very easy to find.

What makes Minishark awesome:

• High RPM means more shots hit. Combine this with “effect” bullets and you’ll be dealing tons of damage
• 33% chance not to use up any ammo.
• Very easy to get early-game!

Weapon Stats:

• Damage: 6 (Ranged)
• Knockback: 0
• Crit Chance: 4%
• Use Speed: 8 (Insanely Fast)
• Velocity: 7

How to get the Minishark:

Getting theMinishark

8. Space Gun

Pew pew pew!

Once you beat your first Crimson or Corruption boss, a meteorite will land in your world at a random location (roughly middle left or right of your map). The spawned meteorite can then be mined using a Tungsten/Silver and above level pickaxe (or the Reaver Shark, if you got it)

Gather enough meteorite from the crash site and you get yourself a weapon that costs MP to shoot. And by cost, we mean emptying your mana pool every 3 seconds. The only way to combat this is to craft the Meteor armor that goes along with it as well. Having the full set equipped makes the Space Gun cost zero MP to use.

What makes Space Gun awesome:

• No mana cost when used with the Meteor armor set
• Decent damage and can pierce up to 2 enemies per shot
• The projectile is very fast making it feel very accurate
• One of the best weapons to kill the Wall of Flesh easily

Weapon Stats:

• Damage: 17 (Magic)
• Knockback: 0.75 (Extremely Weak)
• Mana: 6 (0 with Meteor armor)
• Crit Chance: 4%
• Use Speed: 17 (Very Fast)
• Velocity: 30

How to get the Space Gun:

Getting theSpace Gun

7. Starfury

When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are!

Now we’re back to melee weapons! The Starfury is a pre-hardmode sword that makes stars fall from the sky when swung. This melee-ranged hybrid is capable of dealing huge damage in open spaces and has more utility than meets the eye. Also, if you manage to get one, keep it until late-game. We’ll discuss that later on.

This sword is mostly found generated in the Sky Islands which require tons of rope or a gravity potion to reach. One of the cheesiest ways to look for said islands is to use one of the weapons in this list, the Space Gun (although not required to get it). Keep shooting your Space Gun upwards while walking across your map and you’ll eventually hear a ‘thud’, marking the next destination.

What makes Starfury awesome:

• It’s a melee with a ranged attack
• Stars gain effects of melee buffs as well
• Can be used to light up dark caves with the star crashing effects
• The stars can shoot through horizontal obstacles as it comes from above

Weapon Stats:

• Damage: 22 (Sword) / 44 (Star) (Melee)
• Knockback: 5 (Average)
• Crit Chance: 4%
• Use Speed: 20 (Very Fast)
• Velocity: 20

How to get the Starfury:

Getting the​Starfury

6. Quad-Barrel Shotgun

When just two barrels ain't enough

Terraria added a new biome in the recent 1.4 Journey’s End update, the Graveyard. Speak to the Arms Dealer in this biome and he’ll show you one of the most powerful weapons you can get for late pre-hardmode to early hardmode.

The Quad-Barrel Shotgun is exactly what it is, a high-spread version of the Boomstick. This makes it a very nice weapon to have when you like being up close and personal.

What makes Quad-Barrel Shotgun awesome:

• It fires 6 bullets at a 45-degree angle. Effective against groups and large bosses.
• Easy to get very early in the game and can carry you quite a bit into early hardmode
• Uses ammo, so bullet effects are very useful with it.

Weapon Stats:

• Damage: 17 x 6 (Ranged)
• Knockback: 6.5 (Strong)
• Crit Chance: 4%
• Use Speed: 55 (Extremely slow)
• Velocity: 7

How to get the Quad-Barrel Shotgun:

Getting theQuad-Barrel Shotgun

5. Daedalus Stormbow

It's raining men! I mean arrows!

This is one of the most popular bows that many players continue using even until Moon Lord. The Daedalus Stormbow is a mixture of both power and chaos as it shoots your arrows not from the bow itself but as a rain of death from the skies above.

This bow is potentially one of the best things to farm for as soon as you jump into hardmode after beating the Wall of Flesh. It is essentially RNG dependent on whether the mob that drops it spawns, or if it even drops it for you.

What makes Daedalus Stormbow awesome:

• It fires multiple arrows across the map, making it useful for clearing out mobs
• It’s very useful when used with Holy and Jester arrows

Weapon Stats:

• Damage: 17 x 6 (Ranged)
• Knockback: 6.5 (Strong)
• Crit Chance: 4%
• Use Speed: 55 (Extremely slow)
• Velocity: 7

How to get the Daedalus Stormbow:

Getting theDaedalus Stormbow

4. Tome of Infinite Wisdom

Is it me or is it getting windy in here?

Ever wanted to dispatch The Destroyer easily? Then this is the weapon for you! The Tome of Infinite Wisdom is a highly destructive magic weapon that can shred segmented enemies to bits.

This item is a drop from the crossover event from Dungeon Defenders 2 from way back in 2016 and has continued in the game until the present. Once you defeat a mechanical boss in hardmode, fight the Old One’s Army and get this weapon drop from one of the minibosses.

What makes Tome of Infinite Wisdom awesome:

• Has 2 different attacks: Left-click releases wind blades that fire in a specific direction. Right-click shoots a tornado that blitzes through the ground.
• Useful for clearing out big chunks of enemies while still having the option for 1v1 combat
• Destroys the Destroyer

Weapon Stats:

• Damage: 32 (Magic)
• Knockback: 9 (Very Strong)
• Crit Chance: 4%
• Mana: 20
• Use Speed: 25 (Fast)
• Velocity: 22

How to get the Tome of Infinite Wisdom:

Getting theTome of Infinite Wisdom

3. Abigail’s Flower

Spooky!

Don’t Starve is a popular game series that took the co-op survival scene by storm. Like Dungeon Defenders 2, they also had a collaboration with Terraria, albeit not in the same way. While DD2 offered a new game event, Don’t Starve offered Terraria a pack of new weapons and equipment to find in-game.

Of the popular characters in Don’t Starve is Wendy and her twin sister ghost called Abigail. Wendy summons her sister to help her with protecting herself when she’s out and about the world. This mechanic is also similar in Terraria as the player can summon Abigail to dish out some decent damage that scales in all stages of the game.

What makes Abigail’s Flower awesome:

• Scales throughout the game, gaining more power with every additional summon slot used
• Can be gotten at the very beginning of the game
• Homes in on enemies through walls

Weapon Stats:

• Damage: 6 (Summon)
• Knockback: 2 (Very Weak)
• Crit Chance: 4%
• Mana: 10
• Use Speed: 36 (Very Slow)
• Velocity: 10

How to get Abigail’s Flower:

Getting Abigail's Flower

2. Zenith

It's easy to catch it when your eyes are closed. Try it.

Zenith, as the name suggests, is the pinnacle of all melee weaponry. It is a late-game weapon that can only be obtained at the very last part of the game. It’s a bit too late to get one of the most OP weapons in the game. But, there are still plenty of things to do in a Terraria world once Moon Lord is defeated.

This weapon is created by crafting together multiple swords from different stages of the game, each being the strongest in their own right (except for you, copper shortsword). Remember when we told you not to get rid of Starfury? This is the reason. And although it is a melee weapon, it shoots out multiple swords towards your mouse cursor. Every single projectile is enough to decimate through hordes of enemies that may target you, the player.

What makes Zenith awesome:

• Flying swords!
• It has a very long-range melee attack that shoots through walls
• Extremely high damage output

Weapon Stats:

• Damage: 190 (Melee)
• Knockback: 6.5 (Strong)
• Crit Chance: 14%
• Use Speed: 30 (Very Slow)
• Velocity: 32

How to get the Zenith:

Getting theZenith

1. Terraprisma

Look at my fancy wings!

This item, let me tell you right now, is a powerhouse. Not only does it outclass the Zenith, but you alsodon’t even need to aim and shoot! The Terraprisma is the weapon of all weapons. It is also the hardest weapon to ever obtain in the game.

To obtain this legendary weapon, you must kill the Empress of Light during the day. Yes, she DOES one-shot you during the day so good luck with that.

What makes Terraprisma awesome:

• Flying swords! AGAIN!
• Auto-tracks and obliterates anything it touches
• Very fashionable as the blades look like wings behind you when summoned

Weapon Stats:

• Damage: 90 (Summon)
• Knockback: 4 (Weak)
• Mana: 10
• Use Speed: 36 (Very Slow)
• Velocity: 10

How to get the Terraprisma:

Getting the Terraprisma

You may also be interested in:

• [Top 10] Best Terraria Weapons and How to Get Them
• [Top 5] Best Terraria Wings and How to Get Them
• [Top 10] Terraria Best Accessories and How to Get Them
• [Top 15] Best Terraria Mods That Make Things Fun