It's rare for the best mods to pop up for a game years after its release, but here we are: the Terraria mod scene keeps on rolling. In the five years since Terraria's release, the sprawling survival sandbox has been treated to countless players, a vast number of updates and thousands of user-made mods—a list which spans the suitably sublime to the outright bizarre.
The following slides offer but a smattering of our favourites, which add new soundtracks, items, settings and overhauls to Re-Logic's two-dimensional adventure playground. Heck, there're even mods in here which transform the game into fully-fledged RPGs, so you're bound to find something that tickles your fancy. Have fun experimenting!
Let's start big, shall we? The Tremor Mod Remastered is one of the best Terraria overhaul mods out there, and is as close to a total conversion as you're likely to get. Packing over 522 items (including weapons), seven NPCs, loads of mobs, and six new bosses, the mod's seven-person team isn't kidding when it says "our goal for the mod is to make Terraria even bigger and to fill it with even more content than it has." Furthermore, Tremor adds exclusive expert mode treasure which should keep even the best Terraria players/intrepid loot hunters going for some time.
Terraria is a game about growth about building up your character, your skills and, crucially, your chances of survival. Crafting plays a very large part of this and while there's something to be said about perseverance and successful scavenging, imkSushi's mod lets you craft whatever the heck you want, whenever the heck you like. This quality of life addition makes items that are usually found in chests and drops readily available, therefore this naturally this suits action-oriented players. It even lets you buy boss-summoning items from NPCs, so long as you've previously defeated the adversary in question.
Terraria is already a time-sink to rival any RPG, but N Terraria turns it into a fully featured roleplaying experience with all of the trappings: classes, races, a level system, NPC companions and even quests. It s got it all. It s a perfect way to add some longevity to what is already a very deep game. It also makes the game harder than Adamantite, but it s all part of the charm.
TerraFirma is the premier mapping tool for the curious adventurer. This invaluable tool pulls the world map out of your save and makes it viewable, taking the guesswork out of spelunking for resources. You can also use it to sneak a peek into chests, search for statues or even find the underground desert.
The grandmaster of Terraria overhauls. Tremor, as featured elsewhere on this list, is a great mod excellent, even however Thorium is above and beyond the best there is. Think new bosses, new NPCs, new enemies, new items, a new multiplayer healer class, new just about everything you can think of this 'un upgrades Terraria's vanilla state in just about every way imaginable. What's more, bosses harness unique attack patterns and have a tendency towards projectile offence, which makes expert mode only suitable for those with utmost skill and a cool temperament. Or at least a replacement keyboard/control pad.
Another utility, TerraSavr lets you fiddle with your items: point it at your Terraria .plr and you can edit your character’s variables, imbue your items with buffs or—if you’re a filthy cheat—give yourself new items.
This isn’t limited to shiny new gear either, the tool makes every item in the game searchable and from there you just click and drag it into your inventory. It’s web based, so you just click the link and get to work.
Like Tremor and Thorium, Calamity adds a ridiculous amount of new stuff by way of both standard and unique weapons (melee, ranged and magic), armour loadouts, items, and accessories. The mod also flaunts five new types of mineable ores and tiles, not to mention ten new bosses each with its own distinct strengths and weaknesses. While perhaps not quite as sophisticated as the overhauls noted above, creator MountainDrew runs regular polls on the mod's tModLoader page where he or she asks for suggestions regarding what to add next.
Omnir describes his Nostalgia Pack as a mod based on Final Fantasy, Tibi and Lord of the Rings. It adds over 100 new creatures, a bundle of new bosses, and a host of great special items.
Also you get to fight Sauron, which really doesn’t happen enough in videogames.
Some caveats: This mod requires tAPI and also Grox’s Base Mod. It’s worth the fiddle to get it working.
If you just want to level up, but want to preserve the vanilla Terraria experience, then Terraria Levelled does just that. The mod doesn’t have many overt features beyond the levelling system, but the elegant UI and well-paced progress curve adds a moreish sense of achievement to your exploring. Equipment trumps levels, so you don't have to grind to wear that new set of armour or legendary sword.
Terraria+ takes the base game and bulks it up with extra weapons, armour and accessories. Additions include The Lihzarhd Lantern ("fires lasers randomly"), a Piranha Staff that summons pet piranhas and the Soul of Pow, which confuses enemies.
It’s unobtrusive, but adds a lot of extra diversity to the crafting tree. Some of the accessories are invaluable and I’d recommend even the more mod-adverse take a swing on this.
It’s another tAPI mod, so if you get on well you can add a lot more to it, but it works well as a solo effort that keep things interesting when you think you’ve seen it all.
After a hundred hours or so, you might start itching to change the music. There’s a lot of different music mods for Terraria, but I use the great Legend of Zelda Wavebank, which adds classic tracks from Ocarina of Time. There are a whole lot of other choices on the Terraria forums, including original compositions and renditions of the Mario and Halo soundtracks.
Installation is easy. Go to Terraria’s content folder. You’ll need to make a copy of the file Wave Bank and move it somewhere safe, then drag the sound pack into the folder and make sure it’s called Wave Bank. Voila. The game will start playing the music from the pack next time you launch.
Super Terraria World has been around for a couple of years, but has continually impressed with the speed in which it's grown. This mod transforms the base game into a fully realised RPG (it bills itself as a "standalone MMORPG overhaul mod") including intricate quests, skills, NPCs and all that's expected from a role-playing adventure lark. Once a part-time endeavour, its creators have recently launched a Patreon with the aim of pushing its boundaries further still, and its most recent update number 1.12a launched alongside an official trailer. This mod is ideal for those not just after extra mileage in Terraria, but also additional structure.
Another tool to round things off, this actually doesn’t interface with the game at all. However, it is an essential companion.
Terranion is a lightweight search-based guide for Terraria for you to run in the background while you’re playing. Need to know information about a boss, where to dig for cobalt or how to craft a certain item? It’s all presented in an easy to navigate format and, because it takes information directly from the game, it’s reliable. One to have on your bookmarks to load alongside every game of Terraria.
Are there any Terraria mods you've enjoyed that you'd like to share with others? Do mention them in the comments.
tModLoader's creator describes it as a mod to make mods, which makes it a vital resource for anyone interested in modding Terraria. It follows in the footsteps of the discontinued tAPI, and helps modders keep their creations compatible with one another.
Not quite as sexy as a total conversion, rebalancing or slew of new items, but tModLoader helps keep new mods ticking along years after Terraria's release.
tAPI is a powerful tool that allows creation, management and handling of multiple mods at once. A member of Re-Logic helped out with development, though a disclaimer insists that "this mod is first and foremost community made".
tAPI lets you combine smaller mod complementary arrangements that you can easily tweak. Whether you want Dark Souls weaponry, inventory management or animal masks, tAPI lets you mix and match to your own tastes. Though now discontinued, it's an important tool in the Terraria mod scene.
