VenonUIO
Retinazer
It isn't a useless stat and comes nowhere close to being a useless stat. If I so wished I could call any stat useless with enough meta deduction. I am not the person who was making a case that Well Fed and Swiftness were consumable buffs you should have to replace any "need" for other movement speed buffs, that was the previous responder. Though Well Fed is absolutely worth having for the other various buffs it provides (including melee stat bonuses). Remember, I have never been making a case that movement speed is a stat that you are sacrificing or prioritising over other variables, in fact, I've actively been making the case that it's a mechanic that's passively integrated into a variety of melee buffing gear and consumables. I was never exclusively talking about boss fights at all, but even then grappling does not supplant regular movement, it can potentially bolster it with the correct timing but you need to do it when appropriate, direct it correctly, propel off of it, and have the correct range. It's a triggered mechanic that only works close to a block or platform, movement speed is always active with even the slightest movement. Dashing is not a universal mechanic, I don't know where the prevailing opinion that a stat is useless because other mechanics also have an effect on the concept came from, but throwing them away because they aren't the most blatant deciding factors late-game is wasteful.I'm slightly confused about what you're trying to say, but I'll try to answer anyway.
Movement speed is a useless stat. There is no need to mass produce Well Fed and Swiftness to have high amounts of it all times, because it doesn't do much. But even if it was a very useful stat, you could have both melee gear and buffs like Well Fed and Swiftness, because they do stack. Assuming we're talking about boss fights, grappling works on platforms, and not only moves you quickly away from the boss, but also propels you in the grapple direction if you jump at the last second. Also, why does it matter that dashing is only restricted to a couple of things before Plantera? The Shield of Cthulhu is available close to the start of game, and can be used to get immunity frames. Crystal Assassin Armour has lots of other boosts beyond dashing. Also most bosses are fought above the surface, which removes the need to manoeuvre around blocks and inclines. Movement speed only has a momentary effect when you start running away from something, and continuously running away only works for the Eye of Cthulhu, King Slime and the Wall of Flesh. For every other boss, you'll be using double jumps, Rocket Boots or Wings to avoid them, which are not affected by movement speed.
The Shield of Cthulu is more or less another general accessory that still benefits melee the most, even the minor defense boost and dash mechanic has synergy with both the usual Melee stat layout and the usual playstyle. Though again, the dash isn't exceptional and has a notable delay and fall-off when finished, and getting immunity frames requires particular timing as well because if done too soon/late on colliding with an enemy you may end up taking even more damage than you otherwise would. I am not talking exclusively about bossing, not am I saying that dashing isn't useful. I'm saying that dashing does not replace movement speed, as it is a triggered and directed mechanic that applies to only some gear, and doesn't often come equipped with other ancillary bonuses. Crystal Assassin Armour is an exception to that but it's not a particularly great armour set either, as classes are one of the times specificity is better, which is what it lacks in addition to having low defense. Unless your entire world is a flat line of blocks and platforms than movement speed will always be relevant as maintaining constant momentum in all directions during many of these fights (like the EoC and WoF) is by no means a guarantee. Collision with just about anything will kill your max speed, at which point having a wide variety of movement options (including movement speed, which is never a trade-off stat after the very start of the game) is very useful.