Terraria: Best Pre Hardmode Armors [Ranked]

We have ranked best Pre Hardmode Armors in Terraria players should use as they are easy to acquire & offer value from early to late game.

By Irfan Ansari October 22, 2023

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Terraria is a game full of mysteries, adventures, and battles. The possibilities are endless, and there is immense replay value that changes each time you equip a new weapon and armor set in the game. Players begin Terraria with pre hardmode and later transition into hardmode. The weapons and armor players get are different in both modes.

Key Takeaways

Terraria is a game where it progressively gets very hard and so with it comes better weapons and armor to use.
Armors in pre-hardmode have a variety of 34 armor sets in total to acquire each differing in stats and rarity.
Grade A+ armor sets are considered the best out of all and Grade C is the worst end-game.

All Armors In Terraria

Armor Name	Grade	Type	Total Set Defense	Set Bonus/Effects
Jungle Armor	A +	Armor Set	17.0	- 17 Defense, -16% Mana Usage, increased Magic Critical Strike Chance
Meteor Armor	A +	Mage Set	16.0	- +27% magic damage and Space Gun and Zapinator Costs 0 mana
Molten Armor	A	Melee Set	0.0	- 17% melee damage, +7 melee speed, +7% melee critical chance, and immune to fire
Angler Armor	A	Utility Set	4.0	- 15% fishing power
Shadow Armor	B +	Melee Set	19.0	- +15% movement speed and +21% melee speed
Pumpkin Armor	B +	Armor Set	7.0	- 10% damage
Necro Armor	B	Ranged Set	19.0	- 10% ranged critical hit rate, and 15% ranged damage
Fossil Armor	B	Ranged Set	13.0	- +5% ranged damage, and +8% critical ranged chance
Cactus Armor	C +	Armor Set	3.0	- +15/30/45 thorns damage and knockback
Wooden Armor	C	Armor Set	3.0	-

Grade-A+ Armor

All armors that we have ranked under the Grade A+ category are the best ones you should get while playing in pre hardmode. You get decent resistance and other status effects by equipping set bonuses of the armor under this category to beat enemies and bosses easily.

Best Pre Hardmode Armors In Terraria — All Grade-A+ armors in Terraria Pre hardmode

Jungle Armor

Jungle armor is an excellent pre-hardmode choice for mages. Comprising a jungle hat, shirt, and pants, it’s a must for magic builds. Craft it with materials found in the underground jungle.

The jungle hat boosts mana by 40 and has a defense of 5.
The full set increases maximum mana by 8 and reduces mana usage by 16%, making it a valuable choice.
It’s cost-effective to craft, and interestingly, sells for the highest coins.

Armor Stats

Type: Armor Set
Total Set Defense: 17
Rarity: Orange
Set Effects: 17 Defense, -16% Mana Usage, increased Magic Critical Strike Chance
Crafted at: Iron Anvil or Lead Anvil

Meteor Armor

Meteor armor is one of the easiest mage armor in Terraria. Because equipping the complete Meteor armor set allows you not to consume mana at all while using the Space Gun and Zapinator. Each set piece of this best pre hardmode Terraria armor set also increases the overall magic damage output by 9%.

Meteor Armor set favors magic weapons as it significantly increases the magic damage, and if you use it with Space Gun, then you don’t have to worry about mana consumption.

Armor Stats

Type: Mage
Total Set Defence rate: 16
Set Bonus/Effects: +27% magic damage and Space Gun and Zapinator Costs 0 mana
Recipe: 45 Meteorite Bar
Crafted/Obtained At: Iron Anvil/Lead Anvil

Grade-A Armors

These grade-A armors are at par with the Meteor armor, but the latter doesn’t offer the status effects that the former has. Regardless, the armor we have listed below are still equally powerful and useful in Terraria. Since the rating is not just about their stats but also how they are obtained, some can easily rival Grade-A+ armor if we only look at the stats and usefulness.

Molten Armor

Molten Armor is by far the best pre hardmode armor for maximum defense. Acquiring the armor is not an easy task as players will need to have a lot of Hellstone Bars, Hellstones, and Obsidian materials. You can easily craft Molten armor and get 25% defense from incoming enemy attacks if you have the necessary materials.

Armor Stats

Type: Melee
Set Bonus/Effects: 17% melee damage, +7 melee speed, +7% melee critical chance, and immune to fire
Recipe: 45 Hellstone Bar
Crafted/Obtained At: Iron Anvil/Lead Anvil

Angler Armor

Terraria’s fishing is crucial, and for maximum fishing rewards, Angler armor is essential and you can acquire it easily from the Angler NPC by completing fishing quests. After ten quests, you get the Angler Hat, 15 quests for the Angler Vest, and 20 quests for Angler Pants. Although it lacks defense, Angler armor excels in fishing quests and provides no additional stat bonuses.

Armor Stats

Type: Utility
Total Set Defense: 4
Rarity: Blue
Set Bonus/Effects: 15% fishing power
Obtained From: Completing 20 Fishing Quests

A Similar Read: Terraria Boss Order: Complete List With Tips

Grade-B+ Armors

All armors that we have ranked under Grade B+ fall at the middle grounds between the top tier ones and the average ones. They are not the absolute best in the game, but they are good enough to get the job done by offering valuable status effects and defense and are a tad bit easier to acquire in Terraria.

Shadow Armor

Shadow armor gives buff to movement speed and melee attacks. The easiest way to get your hands on this pre hardmode armor set is to craft it by acquiring the required materials we have mentioned below.

However, obtaining all of these materials can be a bit challenging. Luckily, there is a workaround if you get to beat Eater of Worlds worm-boss at least two times, then you will have enough materials in your inventory to craft all three set pieces of Shadow Armor.

Armor Stats

Type: Melee
Total Set Defense: 19
Set Bonus/Effects: +15% movement speed and +21% melee speed
Rarity: Blue
Recipe: 60 Demonite Bars and 45 Shadow Scales
Crafted/Obtained At: Iron Anvil/Lead Anvil

Pumpkin Armor

Pumpkin armor has decent damage resistance against enemy attacks and buffs weapon damage. The best part is that it can be crafted easily by gathering 75 Pumpkins. Players can obtain pumpkins quickly during Halloween as this item can be acquired easily at the start of the game. However, another easy way to get more pumpkins in Terraria is to beat a named boss and allow Dryad to move in to harvest pumpkin seeds.

Armor Stats
Rarity: White
Total Set Defense rate: 7
Set Bonus/Effects: 10% damage
Recipe: 75 Pumpkins
Crafted/Obtained At: Work Bench
Another Interesting Read: Terraria Crafting

Grade-B Armors

All the armors that we have ranked in Grade-B are easy to acquire or craft in Terraria. However, they do not offer defensive stats and set bonuses as other top-tier pre hardmode armors offer in the game. These armors can be better suited for beginners or early to mid-game only.

Necro Armor

Necro Armor favors the ranged weapons as equipping the complete set increases ranged weapon’s critical chance by 15%.
Also, the full set piece gives an additional stat bonus of a 20% chance of not consuming the ammo while firing a ranged weapon.

Ranged weapons are great at eliminating threats from a distance. This weapon type is useful in the early game for beginners. So having Necro armor in the early game will not only allow you to complete pre hardmode of Terraria quickly but will give you the advantage of defeating bosses and enemies effortlessly.

Armor Stats

Type: Ranged
Total Set Defense: 19
Set Bonus/Effects: 10% ranged critical hit rate, and 15% ranged damage
Rarity: Green
Recipe: 135 Cobweb and 150 Bone
Crafted/Obtained At: Work Bench

Fossil Armor

Fossil Armor, like Necro armor, also favors ranged weapons instead of other weapon types in Terraria. Equipping the complete set gives players a 20% chance not to consume ammo while firing the ranged weapon in the game. While the chances are not high enough, having at least a 20% chance to save ammo becomes critical while fighting challenging encounters and bosses in Terraria.

Armor Stats

Type: Ranged
Total Set Defense: 13
Set Bonus/Effects: +5% ranged damage, and +8% critical ranged chance
Rarity: Blue
Recipe: 60 Sturdy Fossil
Crafted/Obtained At: Iron Anvil/Lead Anvil

Grade-C+ Armors

These armors are best suited for beginners who have got the hang of combat in Terraria. All Grace-C+ armors are easy to obtain or craft in the game and offer decent stat effects and defensive stats in the early hours.

Ninja Armor

The easiest way to acquire Ninja Armor in Terraria is to beat King Slime boss. Normally, he’d drop at least one armor set piece every time you beat this boss in the game. However, if you play the encounter in expert mode, you are likely to receive at least two armor set-pieces after defeating King Slime.

Equipping the complete Ninja armor set grants a total of 9% chance to land a critical strike. Moreover, the increased movement speed also allows you to dodge the incoming enemy projectiles in Terraria, and Ninja armor grants a 20% increase in movement speed.

Armor Stats

Rarity: Blue
Total Set Defense: 9
Set Bonus/Effects: +9% critical chance and 20% movement speed
Obtained From: Defeating King Slime drops armor pieces

Cactus Armor

As the name implies, Cactus armor has spiked thorns, allowing you to passively damage an enemy whenever they come in contact with the character. Besides receiving hit damage when an enemy touches your character, the Cactus armor also deals knockback damage to the enemy as a counter-attack.

Acquiring this pre hardmore armor in the early game is also easy as you only need to have 75 Cactus materials.

Armor Stats

Rarity: White
Total Set Defense: 3
Set Bonus/Effects: +15/30/45 thorns damage and knockback
Recipe: 75 Cactus
Crafted/Obtained At: Work Bench
Related Guide: How To Farm Life Fruit In Terraria

Grade C Armor

We have ranked only one armor in Grade-C because it is easy to obtain and is pretty much the basic armor in the early game.

Wooden Armor

Wooden Armor is mostly the go-to choice for absolute beginners playing at Classic/Normal mode in the early game only. As players progress the pre-hardmode, the application of this armor wears off as it does not offer decent defense and stat bonuses required to beat the enemies and bosses easily.

Armor Stats:

Total Set Defense: +3 set defense
Rarity: White
Recipe:75 Wood
Crafted At: Work Bench

That is pretty much everything you need to know about the best pre-hardmode armors. Which has been your go-to or favorite armor in the game? Let us know more of your thoughts in the comments section below.