PC Tier List: Late Hardmode Weapons

652Graystripe

Plantera
652Graystripe said:
Other than that, I've decided to add an icon to the thread for "point of contention" that marks weapons that are up for change.
It looks like this.
145801-15f9301340fe2b294fb7ef85c56f34e8.jpg

To get it applied to an item - well, that's easy. You just have to say "I think X should be in Y tier", and it'll get applied, simple as that. If more people (e.g. one other person or more) back you up - I count as "more people" as well - I'll move it over.
Hope this makes the thread easier to navigate.

As my last guide focused on the first half of Hardmode, my second deals with the second half - Plantera through Moon Lord. I'll copy-paste the instructions in here.

Here's the links to the others.
Pre-Hard Mode
Early to Mid-Hard Mode

It's a fact: some weapons are better than others. This thread is intended as a community-input encyclopedia on what weapons are the best and worth getting, pretty decent and useful, or not so useful at all. This also includes the "piece of crap" category, also known as the Unholy Trident.

When commenting as to why you think a weapon should be moved up or down, be sure you formulate a logical argument. "I like this weapon" or "I did something cool with this weapon" doesn't count. What we like most here are factual, stat-backed-up responses that can be done by anyone - just play around with the weapon and you'll see.

The following variables are taken into consideration:

-How much damage does the weapon do?
-Is it a single- or multi-target weapon?
-How useful is it in a variety of scenarios?
-Is it extremely useful in a single scenario?
-Is it difficult to get ammo or mana to sustain it?
-How hard is it to obtain?
-Any other factors that determine its usefulness, such as accuracy?

The thread covers all weapons that are available between Plantera's defeat and the Moon Lord's defeat. Duke Fishron is counted in here as well due to his balance, while dev yoyos are not included.
It's worth noting that not all weapons are judged against each other - because of the high degree of progression in late Hard Mode, it'd be completely unfair to judge the Last Prism against the Inferno Fork, for example. They are judged against credible threats at their tier - for example, the Inferno Fork would be judged against the Hardmode Dungeon, Golem, etc. while the Last Prism would be matched against the Moon Lord and possibly pillar events.

If you disagree with this thread, feel free to tell me. It's only starting with my opinions; it will be changed according to that of the community. I am only the poster for something that I hope will become much larger. Thanks.

Note that, with the 1.4 update, this list has been shaken up quite a bit! An asterisk (*) denotes weapons that are either new or significantly modified, and as such require reevaluation. I will also include a section for weapons that I don't feel able to rank, since I haven't played as much as I would like since the update.

S Rank

The best of the best - weapons that are undisputably excellent and work well in almost all situations.
Phantasm.png
Phantasm
S.D.M.G..png
S.D.M.G.
Solar_Eruption.png
Solar Eruption
Stardust_Dragon_Staff.png
Stardust Dragon Staff
Terrarian.png
Terrarian

A Rank
Perhaps not the best; they're held back by minor flaws that can usually be offset. They can be used well in almost all situations.

A+
Last_Prism.png
Last Prism
Lunar_Flare.png
Lunar Flare
Razorblade_Typhoon.png
Razorblade Typhoon
Razorpine.png
Razorpine

A
Aerial_Bane.png
Aerial Bane (
145801-15f9301340fe2b294fb7ef85c56f34e8.jpg
)
Daybreak.png
Daybreak
The_Eye_of_Cthulhu.png
The Eye of Cthulhu
Flairon.png
Flairon
Laser_Machinegun.png
Laser Machinegun
Meowmere.png
Meowmere
Snowman_Cannon.png
Snowman Cannon
Stynger.png
Stynger (
145801-15f9301340fe2b294fb7ef85c56f34e8.jpg
)
Tsunami.png
Tsunami

A-
Flying_Dragon.png
Flying Dragon (
145801-15f9301340fe2b294fb7ef85c56f34e8.jpg
)
Nebula_Arcanum.png
Nebula Arcanum
Possessed_Hatchet.png
Possessed Hatchet
Star_Wrath.png
Star Wrath
Stardust_Cell_Staff.png
Stardust Cell Staff
Tempest_Staff.png
Tempest Staff
Vortex_Beater.png
Vortex Beater
Xeno_Staff.png
Xeno Staff

B Rank
Weapons here are sometimes more trouble than they're worth to obtain; they also have notable flaws that prevent their use in a great variety of situations.

B+
Bat_Scepter.png
Bat Scepter
Betsy%27s_Wrath.png
Betsy's Wrath (
145801-15f9301340fe2b294fb7ef85c56f34e8.jpg
)
Chain_Gun.png
Chain Gun
Electrosphere_Launcher.png
Electrosphere Launcher (
145801-15f9301340fe2b294fb7ef85c56f34e8.jpg
)
Flameburst_Staff.png
Flameburst Staff
Flower_Pow.png
Flower Pow*
Inferno_Fork.png
Inferno Fork
Influx_Waver.png
Influx Waver
Kraken.png
Kraken
Paladin%27s_Hammer.png
Paladin's Hammer (
145801-15f9301340fe2b294fb7ef85c56f34e8.jpg
)
Staff_of_the_Frost_Hydra.png
Staff of the Frost Hydra
Toxic_Flask.png
Toxic Flask (
145801-15f9301340fe2b294fb7ef85c56f34e8.jpg
)
Vampire_Knives.png
Vampire Knives

B
Blizzard_Staff.png
Blizzard Staff
The_Horseman%27s_Blade.png
The Horseman's Blade (
145801-15f9301340fe2b294fb7ef85c56f34e8.jpg
)
Lunar_Portal_Staff.png
Lunar Portal Staff
Magnet_Sphere.png
Magnet Sphere
Nebula_Blaze.png
Nebula Blaze
Pulse_Bow.png
Pulse Bow
Scourge_of_the_Corruptor.png
Scourge of the Corruptor
Sniper_Rifle.png
Sniper Rifle
Seedler.png
Seedler
Rainbow_Crystal_Staff.png
Rainbow Crystal Staff*
Rainbow_Gun.png
Rainbow Gun (
145801-15f9301340fe2b294fb7ef85c56f34e8.jpg
)
Xenopopper.png
Xenopopper
Wasp_Gun.png
Wasp Gun*

B-
Ballista_Staff.png
Ballista Staff
Bubble_Gun.png
Bubble Gun
Candy_Corn_Rifle.png
Candy Corn Rifle (
145801-15f9301340fe2b294fb7ef85c56f34e8.jpg
)
Celebration.png
Celebration*
Elf_Melter.png
Elf Melter*
Golem_Fist.png
Golem Fist
Lightning_Aura_Staff.png
Lightning Aura Staff
North_Pole.png
North Pole
Nail_Gun.png
Nail Gun (
145801-15f9301340fe2b294fb7ef85c56f34e8.jpg
)
Piranha_Gun.png
Piranha Gun
Proximity_Mine_Launcher.png
Proximity Mine Launcher
Raven_Staff.png
Raven Staff*

C Rank
These weapons are, overall, poor; their effectiveness is severely limited or invisible.

C+
Deadly_Sphere_Staff.png
Deadly Sphere Staff
Heat_Ray.png
Heat Ray*
Pygmy_Staff.png
Pygmy Staff
Sky_Dragon%27s_Fury.png
Sky Dragon's Fury (
145801-15f9301340fe2b294fb7ef85c56f34e8.jpg
)
Stake_Launcher.png
Stake Launcher (
145801-15f9301340fe2b294fb7ef85c56f34e8.jpg
)

C
Butcher%27s_Chainsaw.png
Butcher's Chainsaw
Christmas_Tree_Sword.png
Christmas Tree Sword*
Leaf_Blower.png
Leaf Blower
Rocket_Launcher.png
Rocket Launcher
Shadowbeam_Staff.png
Shadowbeam Staff (
145801-15f9301340fe2b294fb7ef85c56f34e8.jpg
)
Spectre_Staff.png
Spectre Staff*
Staff_of_Earth.png
Staff of Earth*
Tactical_Shotgun.png
Tactical Shotgun (
145801-15f9301340fe2b294fb7ef85c56f34e8.jpg
)

C-
Explosive_Trap_Staff.png
Explosive Trap Staff
Grenade_Launcher.png
Grenade Launcher
Jack_%27O_Lantern_Launcher.png
Jack O'Lantern Launcher
Nettle_Burst.png
Nettle Burst*
Psycho_Knife.png
Psycho Knife* (
145801-15f9301340fe2b294fb7ef85c56f34e8.jpg
)
Venus_Magnum.png
Venus Magnum* (
145801-15f9301340fe2b294fb7ef85c56f34e8.jpg
)

D Rank
Reserved exclusively for weapons that are pretty much absolutely useless and should never be a first, second or even third pick.
Charged_Blaster_Cannon.png
Charged Blaster Cannon* (
145801-15f9301340fe2b294fb7ef85c56f34e8.jpg
)
Keybrand.png
Keybrand*

Need ranking
Due to my inability to test everything so far, these weapons are currently unranked. Community input is crucial in helping determine their placements!
Celebration_Mk2.png
Celebration Mk. II
Dark_Harvest.png
Dark Harvest
Desert_Tiger_Staff.png
Desert Tiger Staff
Eventide.png
Eventide
Kaleidoscope.png
Kaleidoscope
Morning_Star.png
Morning Star
Nightglow.png
Nightglow
Shadow_Jousting_Lance.png
Shadow Jousting Lance
Starlight.png
Starlight
Stellar_Tune.png
Stellar Tune
Terraprisma.png
Terraprisma
Zenith.png
Zenith

29/9/16 - Solar Eruption up to S, Pygmy Staff up to C+, Daybreak up to A-, Xeno Staff up to B+.
30/9/16 - Added Seedler (B). Stardust Cell Staff up to B+.
3/10/16 - Candy Corn Rifle up to B-.
19/10/16 - Laser Machinegun down to A, Flairon down to A+, Psycho Knife up to C-, Golem's Fist down to B-. Added Butcher's Chainsaw (C-).
28/10/16 - Nail Gun down to B-. Point of Contention symbol added and applied to Flairon, Possessed Hatchet, Paladin's Hammer, Psycho Knife, Butcher's Chainsaw, Shadowbeam Staff, Stake Launcher, Candy Corn Rifle, Toxic Flask.
3/6/17 - Aerial Bane (A), Flying Dragon (A), Betsy's Wrath (B+) and Sky Dragon's Fury (C+) added. Stardust Cell Staff up to A-, Daybreak up to A, Butcher's Chainsaw up to C. Flairon down to A. Rainbow Gun, Venus Magnum, Electrosphere Launcher, Charged Blaster Cannon and Razorblade Typhoon marked for contention.
18/6/17 - Lunar Portal Staff up to B, Rainbow Crystal Staff down to B, Possessed Hatchet down to B+.
19/6/17 - Flying Dragon down to A-. Procedures for reworking the movement system are in progress.
20/6/17 - Xeno Staff up to A-.
24/10/18 - Horseman's Blade, Tactical Shotgun and Sniper Rifle marked for contention. Stardust Guardian removed (why was that here anyway?) Added Tavernkeep staffs.
24/11/18 - Stynger, Vampire Knives and Possessed Hatchet marked for contention.
25/11/18 - Razorblade Typhoon up to A+.
12/12/18 - Possessed Hatchet up to A-, Wasp Gun up to B.
6/13/19: Thread refurbishing for 1.4 begun. Several weapons moved around, asterisks added. Several new weapons added as well.
6/14/19: Sniper Rifle, Rainbow Gun up to B, Vampire Knives up to B+. Nail Gun marked for contention.
 
Last edited:
I'd personally move the Solar Eruption to S due to its jack-of-all-trades status and it's ability to go through walls.
 
A few thoughts:

1. Most of the summoner stuff needs to be higher up. Stardust Cells should at least be somewhere in B, sure it's not as good as the Dragon but it's still got decent damage and you can have it and the dragon in different places at once. The turret staves need to be higher too. Keep in mind that they're not meant to be primary weapons, they're just supposed to provide extra damage while your other summons take care of things.

2. Daybreak is at least A rank, if not A+. If you don't already have a Terrarian it's the best melee weapon for fighting the Moon lord imo. Also I'm going to second the Solar Eruption moving to S, it's easily the most versatile melee weapon in the game.

3. The tool weapons should be added here. They aren't that good yeah, but they still qualify as weapons.
 
A few thoughts:

1. Most of the summoner stuff needs to be higher up. Stardust Cells should at least be somewhere in B, sure it's not as good as the Dragon but it's still got decent damage and you can have it and the dragon in different places at once. The turret staves need to be higher too. Keep in mind that they're not meant to be primary weapons, they're just supposed to provide extra damage while your other summons take care of things.

2. Daybreak is at least A rank, if not A+. If you don't already have a Terrarian it's the best melee weapon for fighting the Moon lord imo. Also I'm going to second the Solar Eruption moving to S, it's easily the most versatile melee weapon in the game.

3. The tool weapons should be added here. They aren't that good yeah, but they still qualify as weapons.
The summoner stuff - I'm willing to move the Stardust Cells up. As for the rest, having played a little more as summoner, Xeno and maybe Pygmy Staff could use an increase. Sound good?

Solar Eruption moved to D because of its noise /s
Nah, seriously, I'm willing to move it up to S. I think the only reason I put it in A+ is because of its turning speed - it's a bit hard to deal with fast enemies like Corites. Fair enough, I'll bump it up.

Daybreak, I may've been harsh with. It's harder to use against crowds, was my logic. I'll put it in A or A-, barring further votes.

Tool weapons as in the Chlorophyte tools, or the Moon Lord tools? Either way, they'd just end up in D - just as hard if not harder to craft, weaker.
 
Hmm I can generally agree with the options for S and A tiers as at least with regards to melee and ranged they are quite spam-able to high effectiveness (Solar Eruption the mono weapon)

However there are a few things I could argue differently.

First I have always found the Paladin's hammer to be a superior option to the Possessed Hatchet following the philosophy of "anything you can do I can do better". The only real upside for the hatchet is that it is far less difficult to acquire as the rare drop status of the hammer does bring down its usefulness as unless you get lucky it might not be worth the effort particularly in normal mode with its pitiful drop rates.

A second point of contention is the status of some of the C rank items. The Stake Launcher, while it may be over shadowed by fire rate spamming ranged weapons is a pretty good piercing high damage weapon for those who play to its strengths (rapidly obliterating up to ten targets in a straight line. I can see it being lower tier than some other ranged options on the grounds of it's absurd reforge cost (is this why it was ranked as only C+?) and I guess quite limited ammo selection however it performs quite well against expert mode enemies

Candy Corn Rifle as while it similarly lacks ammo versatility it and the shadow beam staff are good at what they were intended to do, spam ricocheting attacks everywhere which makes the, particularly suited towards arena use. They certainly aren't the highest tier but they vastly outperform some of the other c rank options so I recommend C+ because at the very least because they are no where near the level of terrible that the Christmas Tree Sword, Spectre staff, rocket launcher and stardust guardian are...
Star cells while not as spammable as the stardust dragon(and summon wise what is?) likewise are not as bad as the aforementioned trash items...
That said I'm not versed at tier lists so I can't add any certainly there and am simply presuming this is in regards to efficiency?
 
Possessed Hatchet, yeah, you hit the nail on the head. The Paladin's Hammer is pretty much all-around better except when it comes to attacking around corners and autofire. The second reason is why I ranked it higher, on top of the absurdly low drop rate for the hammer - it's good, but not good enough to justify that kind of farming. When a weapon attacks that fast, you start to have issues with the piercing, as well as autofire (you'll notice the Venus Magnum also got slammed).

Stake Launcher, it's mostly that low because of the unique ammo and its lack of effectiveness in certain events, especially compared to other ranged weapons such as the Tsunami or Pulse Bow. One thing I've noticed is that, while linear piercing weapons of its like are excellent in PHM, they're less effective in Hardmode, simply because both enemies and the player take to the skies and start making it harder to line up shots. I might be justified in moving it up, though - you're right, it's no slouch.

Candy Corn Rifle lost points because of its ammo type, yeah, but the main point is its piercing. It would be an amazing upgrade to the Megashark if it didn't pierce, which causes all sorts of problems in regards to the invulnerability timer - causing a lot of that expensive ammo to be lost. I may put it up higher, possibly, especially if more people vouch for it.

The Shadowbeam Staff, I've found, isn't even really that good at multiple enemies anymore. It doesn't deal much damage per hit in the first place, and its loss in damage as it pierces just gets too nasty.
 
Just noticed that the Seedler's not on here. I'm thinking either C+ or B- for that one, it's pretty useful if you can get it but Plantera never seems to drop it and its not as good as some of the other late hardmode swords since it has relatively low base damage.
 
Just noticed that the Seedler's not on here. I'm thinking either C+ or B- for that one, it's pretty useful if you can get it but Plantera never seems to drop it and its not as good as some of the other late hardmode swords since it has relatively low base damage.
Holy crap you are right! though I would argue for a bit higher from personal exploration. It's fragmenting projectiles work really well against multiple enemies or in enclosed spaces as they can deceptively deal more damage than you might expect. I would argue for B or B- rank as it certainly outperforms most of Plantera's other drops it terms of utility(i.e. it is better than the flower of pow from experience). It is as you said hindered at least in normal mode by Plantera's huge loot pool an unfortunate trait shared with other late hardmode bosses (Duke Fishron,Golem and Moon Lord)
 
Just noticed that the Seedler's not on here. I'm thinking either C+ or B- for that one, it's pretty useful if you can get it but Plantera never seems to drop it and its not as good as some of the other late hardmode swords since it has relatively low base damage.
Seedler, right, forgot that one. I went through a list of melee weapons on the Gamepedia, which for some reason didn't have the yoyos or Seedler or probably some other things that you guys can point out. I'll add it right away, putting it in B.

My logic:
-Excellent weapon, especially in close-quarters combat (although not overpowered as it used to be)
-Unfortunately a little bit rare since it's no longer available from fishing and has that 1/7 drop chance from Plantera
-Seeds seem to prioritize enemies, although they still have an element of randomness
-Lacks long-range potential
Sound good?
 
Stardust cell staff should be at least an A- in my opinion - the cells are absolutely insane when you have a huge swarm of them.
 
Candy Corn Rifle lost points because of its ammo type, yeah, but the main point is its piercing. It would be an amazing upgrade to the Megashark if it didn't pierce, which causes all sorts of problems in regards to the invulnerability timer - causing a lot of that expensive ammo to be lost. I may put it up higher, possibly, especially if more people vouch for it

I don't think you're going to find a weapon that uses cheaper ammo, though. It costs 5 copper per piece, which is significantly cheaper than Musket Balls, which cost 7. Not really a bad price for ammo that comes with piercing capabilities, which aren't exactly a downside outside of boss fights.
Against everything aside from bosses, it works just fine and very quickly shreds groups of enemies for a pretty insignificant price tag.

Still, it would be nice if we could use all ammo on this gun and just have candy corn be what it shoots by default if you use musket balls. Unique ammo just clutters the inventory and is more annoying than anything if you ask me.
 
Tool weapons as in the Chlorophyte tools, or the Moon Lord tools? Either way, they'd just end up in D - just as hard if not harder to craft, weaker.

Shroomite Claws, The Axe, Butcher's Chainsaw, and Moon Lord tools. I agree that they should all go in D though. I want to test the Butcher's chainsaw out though, just to see if the sparks are just enough to push it into C-. What standards are there for testing these weapons?
 
Shroomite Claws, The Axe, Butcher's Chainsaw, and Moon Lord tools. I agree that they should all go in D though. I want to test the Butcher's chainsaw out though, just to see if the sparks are just enough to push it into C-. What standards are there for testing these weapons?
Mostly what I'm looking for are accounts from those who've used the weapon. For example, what would prompt me to put the Butcher's Chainsaw in D is because (although it's fun to use) I suffered lackluster performance against the Solar Eclipse, Martians, etc.
I may well add those, though, just for giggles.
 
Mostly what I'm looking for are accounts from those who've used the weapon. For example, what would prompt me to put the Butcher's Chainsaw in D is because (although it's fun to use) I suffered lackluster performance against the Solar Eclipse, Martians, etc.
I may well add those, though, just for giggles.
Put on the spectre hood and use the chainsaw. The sparks are magic and fire when hitting a test dummy. It requires a specific setup to make work but it's really fun.
 
Finished testing the Butcher's Chainsaw. Definitely a D rank weapon. The test dummy setup made it slightly better, but I don't think weapons should need a specific setup to work.
 
Hmmm.... this list is a bit closer to my thoughts than the other two lists were, though there is something I disagree with:

Flairon really does not belong in S rank. Yes, it's a great weapon, but you gotta kill Duke Fishron for it, and that's far harder than it needs to be after they added that stupid enrage mechanic. Terra Blade and TEoC are plenty good enough to take the Solar Pillar down, so there's really no reason to even kill Fishron whatsoever other than for the achievement. Seeing that you may need to kill him several times, how annoying Truffle Worms are to get without building a dedicated farm for them, and how hard Fishron himself is to kill nowadays (he's even mildly difficult with Post-Pillar gear!), the Flairon really is more trouble than it is worth. The Solar Eruption is easier to get and outclasses it entirely.
 
Hmmm.... this list is a bit closer to my thoughts than the other two lists were, though there is something I disagree with:

Flairon really does not belong in S rank. Yes, it's a great weapon, but you gotta kill Duke Fishron for it, and that's far harder than it needs to be after they added that stupid enrage mechanic. Terra Blade and TEoC are plenty good enough to take the Solar Pillar down, so there's really no reason to even kill Fishron whatsoever other than for the achievement. Seeing that you may need to kill him several times, how annoying Truffle Worms are to get without building a dedicated farm for them, and how hard Fishron himself is to kill nowadays (he's even mildly difficult with Post-Pillar gear!), the Flairon really is more trouble than it is worth. The Solar Eruption is easier to get and outclasses it entirely.
I haven't killed him in a while, so I didn't even know he had an enrage mechanic. Flairon's going on the watchlist and will be down in A+ for the time being.
 
Now that I see it, I do have to ask: Why is the Golem Fist in B? That weapon has absolutely nothing going for it besides pointlessly high knockback.
Since it is competing with weapons like the Paladin's Hammer, the Possessed Hatchet, the Terra Blade and the Eye of Cthulu, I really have to say that it's absolutely outmatched in every imaginable scenario by them.
It doesn't pierce, it has no area effect and it also doesn't have a high damage output. Even at direct melee range on a single target, where its damage output is the highest compared to its competitors, it is significantly outshined by the Terra Blade and the Eye of Cthulu, barely exceeding the single target damage of the Hammer and Hatchet, but the Hatchet is useful due to its homing capabilities while the Hammer can quickly eradicate grouped enemies with its piercing ability.
The Golem Fist can't do anything that other weapons won't do better than it and barely even compares, even under ideal circumstances.
If it dealt about twice the damage it might be worth using, but as it is, it's pretty much entirely useless.
 
Back
Top Bottom