Terraria is a game filled with magic cast from wands, staves, tools, and books. I’m here to do a deep dive into the best books in Terraria for casting the most powerful spells.
If you’re planning to do a Mage class playthrough, this list is for you! These are all magic books that have made my playthroughs possible.
Best Books in Terraria by Progression
| Best in Slot – Pre-Hardmode | Water Bolt |
| Best in Slot – Hardmode | Lunar Flare |
| Choice for Crowd Control | Razorblade Typhoon |
| Best Utility | Golden Shower |
Our list is centered around the spellbooks that you can get from pre-Hardmode to Moon Lord. These are books that we’ve tested over the hundreds of hours of playtime we’ve invested in the game. These include both crowd-control and boss-killer spells that you can cycle through when playing the game.
So without further ado, let’s get right to it!
Demon Scythe
- Damage – 35
- Mana cost – 14
The Demon Scythe is a pre-Hardmode spellbook that fires scythe projectiles. This book can be obtained as a drop from the Demons and Voodoo Demons in the Underworld. This weapon provides great crowd control and single-target damage. Each fired scythe can pierce up to 4 enemies but does not ricochet.
Although it might seem like a very powerful weapon, the way it fires is very slow and inaccurate. Once fired, the projectile will hover in place for a while before fully accelerating toward your initial target. This means you’ll have to lead your shots to hit fast-moving opponents. This is supported by the projectiles having decent knockback, so you won’t have to worry about getting crowded.
Water Bolt
- Damage – 19
- Mana cost – 10
The Water Bolt is one of the most iconic pre-Hardmode books. It can be obtained in one of the random bookshelves in the Dungeon once Skeletron is defeated. This book is considered one of the best books in Terraria for defeating bosses in a closed environment. The knockback of this weapon makes it useful for crowd control as well.
The weapon’s projectile will only disappear after piercing through 10 total enemies or by bouncing 5 times. This makes it very powerful for fighting bosses like the Eater of Worlds and the Destroyer. This also makes quick work of the Queen Bee and will decimate the Wall of Flesh with a proper setup.
Crystal Storm
- Damage – 22
- Mana – 5
The Crystal Storm is your first Hardmode book in this list. This is made using the following items: Spell Tome, Crystal Shards, and Souls of Light. The projectiles fired from the weapon do not pierce, but they do bounce against walls. This makes it great for fighting in narrow corridors.
The selling point of this item is its rapid-fire ability. It can shoot multiple projectiles at fast speeds with ample knockback so your enemies can’t reach you. This book is best used against invasions or hordes of enemies and is not generally advisable to bring for boss fights.
Cursed Flames
- Damage – 55
- Mana cost – 9
The Cursed Flames is an exceptional book for applying the unique Cursed Inferno debuff. The weapon can be easily obtained in Corrupted worlds but can be obtained in Crimson worlds by jumping through a few hoops. This weapon fires similarly to the Flower of Fire / Frost as the projectile falls after reaching a distance.
The projectile can bounce on walls up to 4 times and can pierce once. As we have tested, the DPS on this weapon is huge as the Cursed Inferno deals 24 damage per second for 4 seconds per hit. At this phase of the game, every damage point counts. Although the weapon’s knockback is high, the rate of fire cancels it out.
Golden Shower
- Damage – 30
- Mana cost – 7
The Golden Shower is the best book in Terraria for applying debuffs to enemies and bosses. This weapon is the Crimson equivalent to the previous entry in our list. This weapon inflicts the Ichor debuff which adds a 15 armor penetration on affected enemies. The best part is that it works on most bosses as well.
The projectile fired is 3 streams of yellow light that arcs forward and pierces 4 enemies. Similar to the Corrupted Flames, this item can be obtained in a Corruption world through seeds purchased from the Dryad in a Hardmode Graveyard biome. Do not rely on this weapons knockback, only use it for its debuffs.
Magnet Sphere
- Damage – 48
- Mana cost – 14
The Magnet Sphere is a very potent spellbook that can deal massive damage with low mana usage. The book is obtained by farming post-Plantera dungeon mobs, namely all variants of the Armored Bones mob. This weapon is unique as its projectile is a slow-moving orb that shoots lasers at nearby enemies.
The orb projectile itself can damage enemies on contact but casting it again will make the first orb disappear, allowing you only one orb active at a time. Note that a single cast of this can have an orb that lasts up to 15 seconds or if it has traveled at least 52 tiles. Firing this weapon ahead of you will clear out a path as it provides decent knockback.
Razorblade Typhoon
- Damage – 85
- Knockback – 5 (Average)
- Critical chance – 4%
- Mana cost – 20
The Razorblade Typhoon is one of the best books in Terraria. It is obtainable very early in Hardmode so long as you can defeat Duke Fishron. The projectile fired is a disc that can bounce and pierce an unlimited amount, dissipating after 2.5 seconds.
Taking the time to defeat Duke Fishron early will allow you to breeze through any point in Hardmode as this weapon is still extremely viable in the Moon Lord fight. Also, did we mention that the discs it fires home in on enemies? It’s knockback lives up to being a typhoon spell. This book is an absolute powerhouse.
Lunar Flare
- Damage – 100
- Mana cost – 9
The Lunar Flare has the highest base damage among all spellbooks in the game. That said, this book can only be obtained after defeating Moon Lord. The book fires similarly to the Meteor Staff where it rains down projectiles from the sky that can obliterate enemies with ease.
Each use of the weapon drops down 3 projectiles that explode on impact. Unlike similar weapons, the projectiles from the Lunar Flare can pass through solid blocks, making them usable underground and in closed areas. This makes it a great weapon for modded boss fights in enclosed arenas. The knockback negates some of the damage since hit mobs get flinged around.
If you feel like there should be a book in this list that should have made it in, add your suggestion to the comments below!
Do you want us to cover other Magic weapons in the future? Let us know!
Need help finding the best equipment for the Ranger Class? Click here for our loadout recommendations and here for ranger accessories!
