Options... (1.4.1 afterthought).

[Toxophilite [East]]

I just recently started playing Terraria again, after finally finishing Cyberpunk 2077. CP2077 ended up being my favorite game of all time, Terraria coming in a close second, but once I started exploring the world of 2D adventure again, I wasn't so sure anymore. Perhaps I love both games equally & for different reasons?

To the point though, I got to thinkin' of what exactly 1.4.1 is, what it really added, & why it seems it's still not enough for some players out there. Just to throw a few thoughts out into the wild, to get things going, I started thinking about items like Frog Gear. What does an early, pre-Hardmode-endgame item like that mean to a person like myself? Well, there's a few things that come to mind that Frog Gear manages to accomplish by just existing.

1. As a person who builds adventure maps, I always find it necessary to make Hardmode items available sooner, because they're just so much fun to use! Frog Gear, in my eyes, is an alternative to Master Ninja Gear, but balanced in a way that still leaves space for items like Brain of Confusion & Shield of Cthulhu.
2. Frog Gear also acts as a progression benchmark, pre-Hardmode technically has an "endgame" now. With the addition of other newer items & armor, a player can truly feel powerful & readily prepared for the difficult challenges ahead. Everything isn't about how much damage you do or don't do, now it's more about utility & problem solving, less about banging your head into a wall, until you finally succeed.
3. Bundle of Balloons isn't the only game in town anymore, Frog Gear, some decent boots & a set of Fledgling Wings is all you really need. There's so many new ways to increase mobility & survivability now, playing the game differently isn't just limited to what Class a player is using anymore.

I don't wanna get caught up on a single item, at the risk of my point being lost. What I'm saying is, Frog Gear is but a small representation of the freedom afforded to the player in the newer updates.

• If you want to be immune to fall damage, try searching the Cloud Islands for a set of pre-Hardmode wings.
• If you want to be immune to fall damage, try searching the Underground Caverns & you may possibly find a Luck Horseshoe!
• Find or craft a Featherfall Potion, the same as you could in the days of 1.3.5!

The same applies for the Bottle Items (Underground) & the Red Balloons (Sky Islands) or even the Frog Legs, Tsunami Bottle or Balloon Pufferfish (Ocean biome). This isn't to suggest that any of these things are necessarily new, it's to suggest that nearly everything added in 1.4.1 was to make it all come together. It really doesn't seem to matter where you start your adventure anymore, nearly every avenue leads to something worthwhile now. In my opinion, there really isn't any obvious place to go first anymore. You can literally start anywhere you'd like & be satisfied with your progression!

• Going for Skeletron first lands you a possible Bone Glove & shortly afterward, Spinal Tap & Bewitching Table (Summoner).
• Going for Queen Bee first is similar to 1.3.5's progression method, only better, considering the Snapthorn Whip & Pygmy Necklace (Summoner).

There was a time where Queen Bee & Skeletron were the unofficial branching paths for the Summoner Class, but it was previously very obvious, which a player should likely complete first. This is a revolutionary time in which a Summoner can completely ignore Queen Bee & progress though the game with no major issues. Again, this is but a small example of how the methods of progression have been broadened. A beginner Mage can still get lucky with the Traveling Merchant NPC, for some powerful starter items, or now, grow their very own Gem Tree Farm! If a beginner Mage is feeling spicy, they can even tackle the new Desert Biome in hopes of obtaining the Thunder Zapper!

It's difficult to think that the consideration for reply value wasn't taken into account here. In fact, every time I think about Journey's End & the different ways that it can be played now, even the Maps can present newer ways to progress, newer challenges.

• Classes have branching progression paths.
• Class Neutral powerups have branching paths.
• PreHardmode officially has an endgame now.
• Special Seeds can throw things for a loop!

I mean, I really don't know what else to add. Terraria, for me, is a real-life example of the human experience. No matter what you do, or how hard you try, you'll never be able to please everyone. Aside from Skyrim, thanks to it's brilliant & dedicated community, I have yet to own a game with 9+ years of content packed into it. Terraria is truly unique & I don't think we'll see anything else like it in quite some time... unless the devs are up to something!


⚙🛠

 

[Sora_92]

That's one of the many things, why Terraria is such an awesome game - in fact, among the most awesome games (IMO) - Each and every new playthrough is a new adventure. A new, and always slightly different adventure. There are so many possibilities!

By the way, you brought up frog gear as an example, and that's actually a very tricky item. at first, my opinion on what to craft from frog leg was also the frog gear. it seems to incorporate a bunch of useful functions, but it becomes less useful (though not useless) later game - like in hardmode -. several people pointed out, that amphibian boots are the better choice, and, while we can argue, but it's certainly true that amphibian boots are very awesome, and all-around useful for the whole game. in the end of the day, it's large part about frog leg being an incredibly powerful item, so, yeah, and, pair it up with fledgeling wings and some balloons, and maybe some other stuff, you can have some impressive mobility in mid-late-pre-hardmode that's similar to early hardmode, and that can be increased a lot more after with hardmode wings. (at the cost, that most of your accessory slots will be mobility focused, but if you're fine with that, then these stuff can grant some awesome mobility. it's very fun!

 

[Toxophilite [East]]

That's one of the many things, why Terraria is such an awesome game - in fact, among the most awesome games (IMO) - Each and every new playthrough is a new adventure. A new, and always slightly different adventure. There are so many possibilities!

That's the beauty of it all IMO, is that we can actually have preferences & everyone can still be somewhat correct. For me, it doesn't matter how far into the game I am, the ability to cling to walls, or triangle/ wall jump, with or without a Grappling Hook, is invaluable; others may disagree. It then becomes about playstyle rather than one thing or another being objectively the better choice.

What's even more exciting, is that my entire time here in the Official Terraria Forums, I have yet to hear any feedback from the PvP Community. With Summoner having an actual, dedicated Weapon now, I'm sure the Meta has be totally shaken up. As a player who used to participate in that community, I already know that PvE (player verses enemies) & PvP are much different & the value of certain builds can change dramatically when fighting a human opponent.

There's still so much to be discovered...