The best Terraria mods

Terraria may have been out for a few years but there's still plenty to discover in Re-Logic's two-dimensional playground. The best Terraria mods take the adventure a step further—and there are thousands of user-made mods out there, from subtle quality of life improvements to the totally bizarre. 

This Terraria mods guide covers a variety of the different types out there, ranging from simply adding items, quests, or soundtracks, to mods that completely change the game into a fully-fledged RPG. So whether you're after a few small tweaks or you want to totally overhaul your experience, you should find something here to suit your needs.

If you're late to the party, one of the best Terraria builds should get you started, or check out this Terraria whips guide for help with the newest weapon class. But if you're ready to take the game to the next level, read on to discover the best Terraria mods.

Best Terraria mods: Download tModLoader 

Download from: Terraria Community Forums

Before trying to download any mods, make sure you have tModLoader installed. TML is an open-source mod manager that has made modding a breeze in Terraria for years. With the release of Journey's End, TML is now officially supported by ReLogic and even available to download on Steam as free DLC.

Most mods that you'll find on this list require easy installation through TML. Others are "standalone" mods that require a bit more doing to get working.

Adventure mods

N Terraria (Standalone)

Download from: Terraria Community Forums

Terraria is already a time-sink to rival any RPG, but this entry in our best Terraria mods, 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.  

Thorium (TML)

Download from: Terraria Community Forums

The grandmaster of Terraria overhauls. 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 the utmost skill and a cool temperament. Or at least a replacement keyboard/control pad.    

Calamity (TML)

Download from: Terraria Community Forum

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.    

Dragon Ball Terraria (TML)

Download from: Terraria Community Forum

Dragon Ball Terraria essentially converts the game into a Dragon Ball Z RPG. The mod comes complete with DBZ abilities, transformations, animations, a flight system, and more. You can even go on a quest to collect the Dragon Balls and make a wish. Like the best Terraria mods, it's an ambitious expansion with a lot of love put into it.

Super Terraria World  (Standalone)

Download from: Terraria Community Forum

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.  

Terraria utility mods

TerraFirma (Standalone)

Download from: Sean Code

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.  

Terraria Overhaul (TML)

Download from: Nexus Mods

Don't be fooled by its generic name, this ambitious undertaking adds a bunch of new gameplay mechanics—targeting everything from combat to seasons, dodge-rolls, electricity systems and player movement. Terraria Overhaul describes itself as a "huge" mod, and that feels like an understatement.  

Boss Checklist (TML)

Download from: Terraria Community Forum

It's not always easy to keep track of everything you've done in a game like Terraria, and that's where this mod helps you out. Boss Checklist does exactly what you'd expect, and then some—it lists all of the boss battles, the best order to take them on, then checks off each, as and when you've defeated them. 

Extensible Inventory (TML)

Download from: Terraria Community Forum

If the size of your backpack has ever been a concern, Extensible Inventory gives you extra tabs of storage to mess with. This is a great option for players that don't necessarily want to extend their stack limit, but just need a few more slots for the long journeys.

TerraSavr (Standalone)

Download from: Yal

Another utility for our best Terraria mods round up, 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.

Legend of Zelda Wavebank (Standalone)

Download from: Terraria Community Forum

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.