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Arrows are one of the different types of ammunition in Terraria, and as of Terraria update 1.4, there are 17 different types of arrows, eight of which are only available during Hardmode.
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So which ones should you be using? Which are the best arrows for your Repeater or Bow as you play through the game's boss progression? This list covers the top Arrows in the game, as well as when you should pick them up, and what they're good for.
Best Early Game Arrows
Arrows are very strong right at the start of the game. Crafting even a simple bow from one of the starter Ores, like Copper, Lead, or Silver, and you'll be dealing much more damage than a regular sword.
| Wooden Arrow | 5 Damage | Crafted with any wood and stone blocks. Can be dropped in Chests and from Zombies. |
| Flaming Arrow | 7 Damage | Crafted with Wooden Arrows and Torches. A decent upgrade, and will also inflict the On Fire! debuff to enemies. |
Out of the two, it makes sense to upgrade your Wooden Arrows to Flaming Arrows if you're going for an early ranged build. However, the best early game arrow is the Frostburn Arrow.
| Frostburn Arrow | 9 Damage | Crafted with Wooden Arrows and Ice Torches. They also apply the Frostburn debuff. |
Wooden Arrows, Flaming Arrows, and Frostburn Arrows all have a chance to drop once they hit their target, or hit a surface. They have a 1/3 chance to drop, so always make sure you're searching the area for any that get left behind.
- Arrows are very strong in the early game
- With Frostburn or Flaming Arrows and an easy-to-craft bow, you can defeat bosses like the Eye of Cthulhu with ease
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Best Mid-Game Arrows
Moving towards Hardmode and defeating the Wall of Flesh, you want to be looking at some more powerful Arrows to add to your arsenal. There are a couple of different options.
| Jester's Arrow | 10 Damage | Can be found in Gold Chests in the Underground and Cavern Layers, or crafted with Wooden Arrows and Fallen Stars. |
| Unholy Arrow | 12 Damage | These arrows can be dropped by the Eye of Cthulhu, purchased from the Arms Dealer (at nighttime), or crafted with Wooden Arrows and Worm Tooth. |
| Hellfire Arrow | 13 Damage | These arrows are found in Shadow Chests and Pots in the Underworld, purchased at the Demolitionist, or crafted with Wooden Arrows and Hellstone Bars. |
Which is the best out of these three arrows? There are a couple of different things to consider.
- Jester's Arrows and Unholy Arrows can pierce enemies, although Unholy Arrows are limited to five enemies at a time, whereas the Jester's Arrow can pierce an infinite number.
- Hellfire Arrows have the most damage, but they also require a Hellstone Bar to craft, making them much more expensive and time-consuming than either of the other arrows.
All of these arrows do require quite specific crafting materials, so depending on which one you have more of, you might want to opt for those arrows. Out of these, the Jester's Arrows are best at defeating segmented enemies (like the Eater of Worlds), but the Hellfire Arrows do more damage for entering Hardmode.
Although all these arrows are strong, if you want to defeat the Wall of Flesh easily, just use The Bee's Knees, the bow drop from the Queen Bee. The bees absolutely swarm the various laser eyes and it makes the fight much easier.
Best Hardmode Arrows
Upgrading your Ranged build in Hardmode is very important, and there are loads of options for which arrows to use in either a bow or repeater. Some Repeaters and Hardmode bows will fire several arrows at once while only consuming a single arrow, so that's worth keeping in mind if you're worried about crafting.
| Holy Arrow | 13 Damage | Crafted with Wooden Arrows, Pixie Dust and Unicorn Horn. |
| Luminite Arrow | 15 Damage | Crafted with Luminite Bars at an Ancient Manipulator. |
| Chlorophyte Arrow | 16 Damage | Crafted with Chlorophyte Bars at a Hardmode anvil. |
| Ichor Arrow | 16 Damage | Crafted with Wooden Arrows and Ichor at a Hardmode anvil. |
| Cursed Arrow | 17 Damage | Crafted with Wooden Arrows and Cursed Flame at a Hardmode anvil. |
| Venom Arrow | 19 Damage | Crafted with Wooden Arrows and Vials of Venom at a Hardmode Anvil. |
So what is the best Arrow out of the bunch? Need something to help you beat the Moon Lord?
- Venom Arrows are available post-Plantera and have the highest damage of any Hardmode arrow. They're also pretty easy to get. This makes them a strong contender for the top spot.
- Holy Arrows are excellent early Hardmode arrows, as the crafting materials can be farmed from surface Hallow areas and don't require you to tackle the enemies in the Caverns or Underground.
- Chlorophyte Arrows are very strong, definitely in the top three, and bounce around all over the place when fired.
- Ichor and Cursed Arrows are beans from the same pod, inflicting different debuffs, but overall pretty strong for a mid-Hardmode Ranged build.
- Luminite Arrows are very endgame, requiring you to have collected Luminite Bars, but they're also incredibly strong. Honestly, though, you might not have much use for them.
Out of the bunch, we have to go with the Luminite Arrows for sheer damage, although the Chlorophyte Arrows take a very close second place. We recommend sticking with the Chlorophyte Arrows for the majority of Hardmode, but work your way up to them via Cursed Arrows and Venom Arrows.