[Top 7] Terraria Best Pre Hardmode Armors (And How To Get Them) (2024)

The last boss you'll need to beat to get to Hardmode is the Wall of Flesh. If you're not prepared for it, you'll either die instantly or run out of ground to run through. That's why equipment is vital to your survival. What better way to survive than to have the best armor for your class. Here are our top 7 Terraria best pre-hardmode armors and how to get them.

Summoner Armor

1. Obsidian Armor

Cloth lined with volcanic rock does not sound comfortable

The Obsidian Armor is the best armor set for summoners right before fighting the Wall of Flesh. It provides you with well-balanced stats including summon damage boost and minion slots. Not only that, but it also enhances any equipped whips with better speed and range.

What the Obsidian Armor excels in:

• The earliest source of whip boosts for the summoner class

Armor stats:

• +31% minion damage
• +1 minion slot
• +35% whip speed
• +50% whip range
• +15 defense

How to get the Obsidian Armor:

• The entire armor set is crafted with 60 Obsidian, 30 Silk, and 20 Shadow Scales or Tissue Samples

Magic Armors

1. Meteor Armor

It fell down from the sky. Should we check for gamma readings?

Meteor armor is unique in that it allows you to infinitely fire the Space Gun with no mana cost. This is extremely useful in the Wall of Flesh fight as the Mana Flower is still locked behind hardmode. A good way to utilize this would be to use up all your mana using another weapon (e.g. Bee Gun) then swap to the Space Gun while your mana regenerates.

What the Meteor Armor excels in:

• Space Gun is a good source of damage with unlimited use
• If you're a bit reckless, the Gray Zapinator can also be used for 0 mana cost but is very erratic and random

Armor stats:

• +18% magic damage
• +16 defense

How to get the Meteor Armor:

• The entire armor set is crafted with 45 meteorite bars (135 meteorite ore)

2. Jungle Armor

This is what I imagine Tarzan would wear

The Jungle is often considered the hardest area pre-hardmode as it has lots of monsters that do massive damage and are always out to kill you. Exploring this area early, however, will provide you with easily accessible loot that can greatly propel you towards the Wall of Flesh fight. As a bonus, traveling around the Jungle is sure to get you materials to get the Jungle Armor at low effort.

What the Jungle Armor excels in:

• Unlike the Meteor Armor which focuses on either the Space Gun or the Gray Zapinator, the Jungle Armor focuses on maximizing your mana cost for all magic weapons
• Reduces overall mana cost while adding 40% more mana (280mp at full cap)

Armor stats:

• +6% magic damage
• +12% increased magical critical strike chance
• +80 mana
• -16% mana usage
• +17 defense

How to get the Meteor Armor:

• The entire armor set is crafted with 10 Stingers, 2 Vines, and 32 Jungle Spores

Ranged Armors

1. Necro Armor

Is it called Necro since it’s made from dead people's parts?

The Necro Armor set is obtained relatively late in pre-hardmode as you'd need to have beaten Skeletron to get it. This set offers the ranger class a good fighting chance against the Wall of Flesh and is relatively easy to craft.

What the Necro Armor excels in:

• Gives a fixed chance to not use any ammo for both bullets and arrows
• Provides the highest offensive bonuses to ranged classes pre-hardmode

Armor stats:

• +15% ranged damage
• +10% critical strike chance
• +20% chance not to use any ammo
• +19 defense

How to get the Necro Armor:

• The entire armor set is crafted with 150 Bones and 135 Cobweb

2. Fossil Armor

This armor looks like it belongs in a museum somewhere

This armor is the easier ranger armor to get pre-hardmode but is severely outclassed by the Necro Armor. That said, there are only 2 ranger sets to choose from at this point in the game.

What the Necro Armor excels in:

• Gives a fixed chance to not use any ammo for both bullets and arrows
• Easily crafted using Sturdy fossils

Armor stats:

• +5% ranged damage
• +8% critical strike chance
• +20% chance not to use any ammo
• +13 defense

How to get the Necro Armor:

• The entire armor set is crafted with 60 Sturdy Fossils

Melee Armor

1. Molten Armor

Be careful, it’s extremely hot

Pre-hardmode melee classes benefit greatly in ore progression than farming for materials. The Molten Armor is directly on your path towards beating the Wall of Flesh as Hellstone is the last ore in the progression line.

What the Molten Armor excels in:

• Easily the highest defense in all pre-hardmode armor sets
• Balanced stats for Melee class players

Armor stats:

• +17% melee damage (7% from the chest piece and 10% from the set bonus)
• +7% critical strike chance
• +7% melee speed
• +25 defense
• Immunity to the On Fire! Debuff

How to get the Molten Armor:

• The entire armor set is crafted with 45 Hellstone Bars (135 Hellstone and 45 Obsidian)

2. Shadow Armor

Aren’t shadows supposed to be black? Oh well…

The Shadow Armor set focuses entirely on attack speed as the armor does not provide any bonuses to damage. This allows you to play aggressively with the Feral Claw and Terragrim combo. Knockback items are also welcomed in this set as mobs will not be able to touch you with your fast attacks.

What the Shadow Armor excels in:

• Fast movement and extremely fast attack speed with melee weapons

Armor stats:

• +15% movement speed
• +21% melee speed
• +19 defense

How to get the Shadow Armor:

• The entire armor set is crafted with 45 Hellstone Bars (135 Hellstone and 45 Obsidian)

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