Snickerbobble
The Painter
Throughout Terraria, you usually upgrade most of your health early on, up to 400 HP in pre-hardmode, and an extra 100 in the late game. With life crystals available at the very start, a player can upgrade up to 400 HP before they even fight the Eye of Cthulhu. The game was originally designed with (pre-nerf) Skeletron as the final boss, which was about the time the player was expected to have 300 or more HP. With the final 100 HP locked away until the end of the game, the progression feels tacked onto the end, because it is. My plan here is to spread out the health upgrades across the whole game, to avoid sequence breaks in pre-hardmode, and to give the sense of upgrading continuously throughout most of the game.
Life: 100/100
First off, new characters would spawn with 10 hearts, however each heart would be worth 10 HP rather than 20. The player would still start off with 100 HP total.
Life Crystals
Through mining, the player can increase their maximum HP by 10, up to 200 HP. Trying to consume a Life Crystal at 200 HP will only make the clinking sound.
Life: 200/200
So, now what? The player's got 20 hearts but only half the health! Our brave adventurer would soon come across the Underworld and discover..
Blazing Hearts
"Burning with passion.."
These demonic hearts require a Nightmare/Deathbringer Pickaxe or better to mine. This means the highest health the player can have against the Eater of Worlds or Brain of Cthulhu is 200 HP. With these spooky hearts scattered around the underworld, it encourages exploration through hell, as right now, all the player really needs to do is mine hellstone safely from within hell towers for a molten pickaxe, fight Wall of Flesh, and move on. Due to multiplayer issues, as well as old worlds without Blazing Hearts, these will also be craftable with 1 Life Crystal and 8 Hellstone Bars.
Life: 300/300
With all hearts blazing, each heart is now worth 15 HP. The highest health available to fight the Wall of Flesh would be 300. Could be difficult, but keep in mind we've been getting more and more buff potions, stronger weapons, and gear, since 1.1. Looks like our adventurer defeated the Wall with only 300 HP! Now what?
"The ancient spirits of light and dark have been released."
Time to check out the Hallow!
Dazzling Hearts
"Breaking good"
Blue, crystalline hearts can be found in the Underground Hallow, giving this easily skippable biome another reason to visit. They grow similarly to Life Fruits. These require an Adamantite/Titanium Pickaxe to mine, finally giving those tools a purpose. Upon each one used will give the player 5 additional HP, up to a maximum of 400 HP, surely enough to face the mechs. As mechs now spawn on their own, with Dazzling Hearts, there would now be a pre-mech flag, where mechs will not spawn naturally until a player has 400 max HP, similar to how the Eye of Cthulhu won't spawn until the player has 200 HP (which is a little too late I think, 150 sounds more like it?)
Life: 400/400
All hearts are now a shimmering crystalline blue, now worth 20 HP each. The brave warrior takes down all 4 mechs like a boss! Time to head on over and become king of the jungle.
Sweet Hearts
"Hard as a rock!"
Pink candy hearts are located within the underground Confection, and grow just like their Dazzling counterparts. They function nearly the same.
Life: 400/400
With all hearts encased in rock candy, it's time to take down rock 'n rollin' Plantera! ..after the mechs, that is.
Okay, I think you know how this part goes. The player collects Life Fruit to increase HP by 5 again, up to 500 max HP.
Life: 500/500
With max health reached, the player continues on and finishes the last few challenges left within the world. Good job player, thanks for playing!
Wait..
That's it?
NOPE! With new hearts, there would be some new items to craft as well!
Heart Lantern
This thing slightly increases regeneration and is made from a Life Crystal and 4 Chains. It is hung from the ceiling.
Blazing Brazier (Oops, dark background, click here to view it better)
When placed on the ground, all nearby players gain a 15% increase in movement speed, perfect for the Wall of Flesh battle. When players run within its area of effect, a fire trail blazes behind them as they run. Made from a Blazing Heart and 4 Iron/Lead Bars.
Dazzling Mirror
"Mirror, mirror, on the wall.."
Hang this thing up on a wall and it will increase all attacks by 8%, as long as you're within the mirror's area. As the mech battles are timed, this will help those struggling to finish before dawn. Take that, Skeletron Prime! The mirror is crafted with a Dazzling Heart and 20 Pearlstone.
Box of Candies
"Eat me."
This delicious box of goodies are placed on tables and platforms. The dangerously sweet taste causes your blood sugar to rush, granting you an extra 5% critical strike chance. These confectionery dishes are crafted with a Sweet Heart and 20 wood.
Tree of Life
The little tree sways joyfully with 3 bouncing heart fruits within it. You can't help but feel inspired by this happy plant. You reach into your potion bag and take a swig, to realize you feel more revitalized than ever. Potions consumed around the Tree of Life heal by 15% extra, as well as an extra 5 defense of protection. The tree is crafted with 3 Life Fruits, 5 Chlorophyte Bars, and 10 Rich Mahogany. It must be planted within a pot to function.
That's about it! I'll leave you with a little animation of health upgrades, a Hallow version and Confection version:
These changes will help prevent sequence breaking (a new player might find themself with too much health, decreasing challenge and fun in the early game), spread health upgrades across the game for a more accomplishing feeling, and give us fun new items to use as decorations or minor buffs. Buffs and stats are up to change. What do you think?
Special Thanks to @AntithesisEK for the Blazing Heart idea. 200 HP against WoF and into Hardmode would've been rough without that extra 100 HP! Also, for that cute Tree of Life!
Life: 100/100
First off, new characters would spawn with 10 hearts, however each heart would be worth 10 HP rather than 20. The player would still start off with 100 HP total.
Life Crystals
Through mining, the player can increase their maximum HP by 10, up to 200 HP. Trying to consume a Life Crystal at 200 HP will only make the clinking sound.
Life: 200/200
So, now what? The player's got 20 hearts but only half the health! Our brave adventurer would soon come across the Underworld and discover..
Blazing Hearts
"Burning with passion.."
These demonic hearts require a Nightmare/Deathbringer Pickaxe or better to mine. This means the highest health the player can have against the Eater of Worlds or Brain of Cthulhu is 200 HP. With these spooky hearts scattered around the underworld, it encourages exploration through hell, as right now, all the player really needs to do is mine hellstone safely from within hell towers for a molten pickaxe, fight Wall of Flesh, and move on. Due to multiplayer issues, as well as old worlds without Blazing Hearts, these will also be craftable with 1 Life Crystal and 8 Hellstone Bars.
Life: 300/300
With all hearts blazing, each heart is now worth 15 HP. The highest health available to fight the Wall of Flesh would be 300. Could be difficult, but keep in mind we've been getting more and more buff potions, stronger weapons, and gear, since 1.1. Looks like our adventurer defeated the Wall with only 300 HP! Now what?
"The ancient spirits of light and dark have been released."
Time to check out the Hallow!
Dazzling Hearts
"Breaking good"
Blue, crystalline hearts can be found in the Underground Hallow, giving this easily skippable biome another reason to visit. They grow similarly to Life Fruits. These require an Adamantite/Titanium Pickaxe to mine, finally giving those tools a purpose. Upon each one used will give the player 5 additional HP, up to a maximum of 400 HP, surely enough to face the mechs. As mechs now spawn on their own, with Dazzling Hearts, there would now be a pre-mech flag, where mechs will not spawn naturally until a player has 400 max HP, similar to how the Eye of Cthulhu won't spawn until the player has 200 HP (which is a little too late I think, 150 sounds more like it?)
Life: 400/400
All hearts are now a shimmering crystalline blue, now worth 20 HP each. The brave warrior takes down all 4 mechs like a boss! Time to head on over and become king of the jungle.
Sweet Hearts
"Hard as a rock!"
Pink candy hearts are located within the underground Confection, and grow just like their Dazzling counterparts. They function nearly the same.
Life: 400/400
With all hearts encased in rock candy, it's time to take down rock 'n rollin' Plantera! ..after the mechs, that is.
Okay, I think you know how this part goes. The player collects Life Fruit to increase HP by 5 again, up to 500 max HP.
Life: 500/500
With max health reached, the player continues on and finishes the last few challenges left within the world. Good job player, thanks for playing!
Wait..
That's it?
NOPE! With new hearts, there would be some new items to craft as well!
Heart Lantern
This thing slightly increases regeneration and is made from a Life Crystal and 4 Chains. It is hung from the ceiling.
Blazing Brazier (Oops, dark background, click here to view it better)
When placed on the ground, all nearby players gain a 15% increase in movement speed, perfect for the Wall of Flesh battle. When players run within its area of effect, a fire trail blazes behind them as they run. Made from a Blazing Heart and 4 Iron/Lead Bars.
Dazzling Mirror
"Mirror, mirror, on the wall.."
Hang this thing up on a wall and it will increase all attacks by 8%, as long as you're within the mirror's area. As the mech battles are timed, this will help those struggling to finish before dawn. Take that, Skeletron Prime! The mirror is crafted with a Dazzling Heart and 20 Pearlstone.
Box of Candies
"Eat me."
This delicious box of goodies are placed on tables and platforms. The dangerously sweet taste causes your blood sugar to rush, granting you an extra 5% critical strike chance. These confectionery dishes are crafted with a Sweet Heart and 20 wood.
Tree of Life
The little tree sways joyfully with 3 bouncing heart fruits within it. You can't help but feel inspired by this happy plant. You reach into your potion bag and take a swig, to realize you feel more revitalized than ever. Potions consumed around the Tree of Life heal by 15% extra, as well as an extra 5 defense of protection. The tree is crafted with 3 Life Fruits, 5 Chlorophyte Bars, and 10 Rich Mahogany. It must be planted within a pot to function.
That's about it! I'll leave you with a little animation of health upgrades, a Hallow version and Confection version:
These changes will help prevent sequence breaking (a new player might find themself with too much health, decreasing challenge and fun in the early game), spread health upgrades across the game for a more accomplishing feeling, and give us fun new items to use as decorations or minor buffs. Buffs and stats are up to change. What do you think?
Special Thanks to @AntithesisEK for the Blazing Heart idea. 200 HP against WoF and into Hardmode would've been rough without that extra 100 HP! Also, for that cute Tree of Life!
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