Many people stack the effects of whips, utilizing combos such as the Durendal to gain attack speed and the Dark Harvest to deal lots of damage. Summoners have very low defense, with even Stardust armor having only 38 defense, so the overall goal of a summoner is to avoid all attacks while letting their minions and their whips deal the damage. Different minions are useful for different situations, as some have high accuracy while some have less, and some are grounded while others fly. Whips are the primary weapons that will focus summons and increase their damage, as well as allowing the player to deal damage themself. This makes summoners great for farming enemies or if they have to go do something. Summoners utilize Minions to deal damage for them. Magic-users must craft or purchase mana potions if they wish to recover mana instantly. Enemies also have a high chance to drop mana when killed by a player with less than full Mana, which proves useful in situations with lots of enemies where they'll end up using lots of mana. Mana becomes less of a problem as the player progresses, as they obtain helpful Armors and Accessories such as the Mana Flower. They are held back by reliance on mana, which regenerates very slowly unless the Mana Regeneration buff is in effect. Magicians are fragile but highly varied in attack style, often utilizing special mechanics such as homing, lifesteal, and area-of-effect damage. Using the right one in a situation can make a huge difference. There are different Arrows, Bullets, Darts and Rockets that each have their own use and effect. For many weapons that doesn't use regular ammo (such as the Nail Gun or the Candy Corn Rifle), players can buy the ammo from the Arms Dealer while having the weapon in their inventory. Rangers have decent defense, and are good at killing enemies while keeping a safe distance. This can be done through crafting or purchasing from the Arms Dealer. Ranged users must constantly acquire ammunition, unless using the Endless Quiver or Endless Musket Pouch. They utilize weapons like bows and guns, as well as thrown objects. Rangers are able to attack from a distance, doing high single-target, piercing, or splash damage. Melee is generally the most straight-forward class, as using the weapons and dealing decent damage with them doesn't require any help. Melee users are good at taking lots of hits without losing lots of health, which helps with tougher enemies and Bosses. Many melee weapons have a short attack range, and those that are viable at a distance tend to do lower damage than their close-range counterparts.

It utilizes weapons such as swords, spears, sickles, boomerangs, flails, and yoyos. The melee class is powerful, sporting high defense and damage as well as decent crowd control. Each class has its strengths and weaknesses and has a wide variety of weapons to choose from.

However, weapons can be grouped into four ( five) distinct categories based on their damage type – melee, ranged, magic, and summoning. Terraria has no formal player class or leveling system.

For cosplay setups, see Guide:Ideas § Cosplay.

Thorium class setups