Early Hardmode as a Magic-Based Character

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Xylia

Xylia

Terrarian
Blarrrgh, how do you guys do this?

Normally I play Melee Characters, and Hardmode Progression is pretty simple:

Go into Hardmode with Molten Armor, Night's Edge, and as much +Defense as you can get from accessories. Get Pirate Map ASAP and spawn the Pirates (using a hidey-hole that you can't get hit in) and get a Cutlass ASAP. Once you do that you got it made.

Magic Character...... uh.

Jungle Armor has way too little defense, and Cobalt is slightly worse than Molten Armor (looks like Mythril is about the same) and I got a world that spawned Adamantite instead of Titanium.

As for weapons, best I can tell (I got Corruption instead of Crimson) is I'm looking at Crystal Storm for my first Hardmode Magic Weapon...

Simply put, I had to get Molten Armor (thankfully I made it just-in-case) and used the Night's Edge, but still... because of the lack of +Defense stuff I was going for, I'm having a tough time trying to get 30 crystals. I got the 15 Souls of Light, and I found the Wizard, I just need more stinking crystals to spawn.

Seems much harder to actually get started in Hardmode than a Melee character is. I'm tempted to farm Pirates to get a Cutlass so that I can actually kill something without having to wait for the enemies to walk into my Nimbus Rod clouds (without that Nimbus Rod, most of this would be impossible lol).

That, and it seems like Normal Mode is missing a Hellstone Tier magic weapon that is actually good. We get bouncy fireballs, and mouse-controlled missile weapons, but yet nothing that appears to be a straight up projectile weapon that isn't mouse-controlled (therefore, slow as balls to fire).

There's Demon Scythe, but that requires farming demons to get it to drop, there's the Book of Skulls, but who feels like summoning Skeletron 50+ times until he finally drops the stupid thing? And that was nerfed too IIRC.

So here I am hoping I can eke out some crystals so I can finally get a magic weapon that will do more than 2-3 damage to hardmode enemies....
 
What I do is use molten armor, but just use magic weapons and of course a melee to fight off mobs that are close and a one click kill as the armor is for melee. I usually go for the crystal storm as it's one of the easiest to grind for as it doesn't require as many ingredients. But to start off with, I usually just use ranged as it's easy to use the pheonix blaster in hardmode as it still does decent damage especially when you get hardmode armor, like mythril. I then just grind for bosses to get the mage armor and I have to say the Golden Shower is an OP weapon even as the game progresses up to the Pumpkin Moon.
 
When I go in hardmode I immediately break alters and go mining until I have decent armor. And then I usually look for an Ice Mimic so I can get the Flower of Frost. Or I sometimes just make a Crystal Storm, or a Golden Shower/Cursed Flames. Also you HAVE to use the Mana Flower as a mage. And you need the wizard so you can get Greater Mana Potions. I don't know how you think melee characters are easier, they feel so weak to me.
 
lol when 1.2 was still being updated last year I had a solar eclipse when I don't think I even had mythril armor so I was staying at the top of a rope and shooting Crystal Storm down at the enemies. So yeah, Crystal Storm is good, but not recommended for late hardmode stuff like eclipses.
ShipShup said:
When I go in hardmode I immediately break alters and go mining until I have decent armor. And then I usually look for an Ice Mimic so I can get the Flower of Frost. Or I sometimes just make a Crystal Storm, or a Golden Shower/Cursed Flames. Also you HAVE to use the Mana Flower as a mage. And you need the wizard so you can get Greater Mana Potions. I don't know how you think melee characters are easier, they feel so weak to me.
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They nerfed Mana Potions though. I still never use them, rather shooting with a backup ranged or "ranged melee" weapon whenever I run out of mana.
 
xXAwesomeNinjaXx said:
They nerfed Mana Potions though. I still never use them, rather shooting with a backup ranged or "ranged melee" weapon whenever I run out of mana.
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You still pretty much never run out of mana with Mana Flower + multiple stacks of Greater Mana Potions. And those things don't cost much anyways.
Or well at least I don't run out.
 
Wizard hat + Diamond Robe + Meteor Leggings make a very deadly combo. Flamelash, Flower of Fire, and Demon Scythe all do a lot of damage, letting you take out early hardmode enemies in a second or two. You just have to learn how to use them effectively. With this armor combo and these weapons, you can be hitting in the 70s.. without buffs. Demon Scythe is especially deadly in close range, as each scythe can do 200 to 300 damage with the rapid hits (this also makes it REALLY good to use on The Hungry and the Wall of Flesh). The lack of good defense doesn't matter if everything blows up before they touch you, and then +30 or so damage definitely tops taking 5 or so less damage with Molten.. and with enemies hitting for 50 to 80 already, that 5 less damage isn't gonna do much good. Really, mages are pretty OP in end of pre-hardmode, and early hardmode.

You also have the magic power potion for 25% more damage, and the mana regeneration for nearly infinite mana. Well Fed will help a little too. Use any other helpful buffs, like regeneration potion, ironskin, etc.

Try to get Crystal Storm (and if in Crimson world, Golden Shower too), and take on the Twins, and then craft the Rainbow Rod and Magical Harp. Use the Harp on Destroyer along with a Nimbus Rod for crazy damage. For Prime, probably stick to Crystal Storm. If you have Golden Shower, use it every once in awhile on Twins and Prime for the +10 damage per hit.

For armor, go for titanium if the world has it. If not, if you can survive the Twins' simple attack pattern, you can then make hallowed armor along with the hallowed magic weapons.

Hope this helps!
 
With the amount of damage HardMode common mobs do, defence looses a lot of purpose against them. For as long as you can remain mobile, of course, which is easily done with wings.

Since you can't get Golden Shower, Crystal Storm is your best bet. That thing drains on Mana, though. Or just use the Laser Rifle. Might be less damage, however it has very high velocity to make hitting the mechanicals simple enough. You can also stick to the Demon Scythe as it has high enough base damage to take the hardmode mobs out.

Nimbus Rod, however, is a must have. While it shreds the Destroyer trivially, clever placement of it and being sly with mobility against the Twins and Prime will take a lot of their health away on top of your primary weapon.
 
Well, an update of sorts...

On my way down towards the Hallow Underground, a Legendary Frost Scythe dropped. While not a magic weapon, it was *loads* better than the Night's Edge I was using at the time and it allowed me to survive much easier.

Got enough crystals to make a Crystal Storm, though as said above, it eats mana like crazy and has a low damage problem (it does lots of hits but single digits per hit).

I also found a Frost Staff on the way, it hits harder but consumes more mana, but it at least does 45-50 damage without magic-based armor on normal hardmode enemies.

The Frost Scythe, however, is still destroying stuff thanks to those OP spinning projectiles, I'm so glad I found that thing.

Anyways, I have the legs and chest of Adamantite Armor, a Nimbus Rod, a Crystal Storm, and that Frost Scythe (which I'm sure would do obscene damage to the Destroyer). I'm getting close to being ready to summon the Destroyer. Oddly enough, though, I haven't come across Any hardmode pop items (I usually have 2-3 of each by this point).

The only problem is I'm running out of places to check for Adamantite and I still need to make the helmet. Always hated that phase of hardmode because it is so annoying.

Hopefully I can find some mech pops rather than wasting vast amounts of materials to make them myself, and do some Destroyer pops and get hallowed armor..
 
Xylia said:
The only problem is I'm running out of places to check for Adamantite and I still need to make the helmet. Always hated that phase of hardmode because it is so annoying.
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If you haven't checked already, search the ceilings of hell.

Otherwise, just get some spelunker potions and start digging ferociously in one direction. Titanium is a :red: to find, but I always come across enough in the end.

Edit: Completely forgot about Magic Daggers. Those are very, very good at close range.
 
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If you haven't checked already, search the ceilings of hell.
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Did that already, in fact I wound up with an impromptu WoF battle because of a stupid Voodoo Demon deciding he was going to fly into some Frost Scythe projectiles and drop a doll into some lava lol.

Also went through the Jungle, didn't find any (found a few spots of Mythril, but no Adamantite).

So yeah looks like potions are the only way I'm getting that done. I usually try to save them for Chlorophyte though, but ah well. Might try to explore more of the caverns too, not sure.
 
Chlorophyte is usually everywhere regardless. It's not hard to find it, just takes a while to get a good amount.
 
I have always played as a magic character and i usually go with: Full spider armor, spider and spider queen staff. then as spammable magic venom staff and i usually upgrade venom staff for moar damage and projectiles. Get natures gift from jungle ASAP and craft a mana flower. then either buy ALOT of mana potions from wizard or craft them yourself. I have survived with that combo. Accessories areuser specific stuff so i usually get star veil,wings,mana flower,those chackles that give mana when struck.

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And after you have killed the twins craft optic staff !
 
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