Terraria: Complete Progression Guide (1.4.5 "Bigger & Boulder")

From your first night to Moon Lord: early priorities, the boss order, class gear by stage, NPCs and housing, and the big quality-of-life changes in the 1.4.5 update.

Researched September 2026 — current as of 1.4.5.8 (PC, August 23, 2026). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

• Build a shelter before the first night. A room of wood walls, a door, a light source (torch), a table and a chair makes it valid housing for the Guide, who tells you what you can craft.
• Mine down for ore early. Copper/Tin, then Iron/Lead, Silver/Tungsten, Gold/Platinum. Upgrade pickaxe and armor as soon as you can.
• Collect Life Crystals. Each gives +20 max HP, up to 400. They're red hearts found underground. This is your biggest survival upgrade early.
• Get mobility. Hermes Boots (or other speed boots), a Cloud in a Bottle (double jump) and a grappling hook make everything easier.
• Open every chest. Surface and underground chests hide key early accessories and weapons.
• Use the new crafting quality of life (1.4.5). You can craft from nearby chests, search the recipe list, and stack items to 9999.
• Pick a class, loosely. Melee, Ranged, Magic and Summoner all work. Mixing early is fine; commit later for armor set bonuses.
• Build an arena for every boss. Long platforms, campfires, heart lanterns and a Honey pool make fights far easier.
• Don't enter Hardmode unprepared. Beating the Wall of Flesh changes your world permanently.
• Hit the Shimmer (Aether) when you find it. It transmutes items and has several progression uses.

What's New in 1.4.5

Terraria 1.4.5 "Bigger & Boulder" launched on January 27, 2026; the current PC patch is 1.4.5.8 (August 23, 2026, a bug-fix follow-up to the 1.4.5.7 QoL/balance patch of August 19), with console and mobile following.

• Skyblock seed: Start on a tiny floating island with a Shimmer island in the distance. You build the world from nothing.
• Combinable special seeds: Mix several special world seeds together.
• 650+ new items, including 9 new whips, many furniture sets, hairstyles and paintings.
• Crossovers: Dead Cells (weapons like The Flint and The Killing Deck, the Beheaded vanity set, hanging flasks) and Palworld (five pals and a vanity set).
• Crafting QoL: Craft from nearby chests, a crafting UI with a search bar and filter tabs, a dedicated banner menu, and stack limits raised to 9999.
• Weapon reworks: Phaseblades and Phasesabers can be thrown and embed in the ground. Flairon switches between projectile and flail modes. Conveyor belts can move items upward.
• Balance: Pirate invasion enemies were significantly weakened. Town NPCs get stronger as you defeat bosses.
• QoL: Minions are automatically resummoned when you respawn, the Housing query gives visual feedback, and rope/grapple handling is improved.
• World gen: New dungeon entrance variants and better liquid handling.
• Mods: As of September 2026 the stable tModLoader release (v2026.07.3.0) is still built on 1.4.4, so mods run on 1.4.4 content. Check tModLoader's status before planning a modded run.

Default Controls (PC)

Action | Key

Move / Jump | A, D / Space

Use item | Left click

Inventory | Esc

Grapple | E

Quick Heal | H

Quick Mana | J

Quick Buff | B

Smart Cursor | Left Ctrl (toggle)

You can rebind all of these in Settings.

NPCs and Housing

Valid housing needs walls behind it, a door or platform entrance, a light source, a flat surface item (table) and a comfort item (chair), and enough space. Use the Housing menu to check.

NPC | How they arrive | Why you want them

Guide | Start of game | Crafting recipes

Merchant | 50 silver in inventory | Basic supplies

Nurse | Have 100+ max HP and the Merchant | Healing for coin (essential for bosses)

Demolitionist | Have explosives | Bombs, dynamite

Dye Trader | Have a dye ingredient or strange plant | Dyes

Arms Dealer | Have a gun or bullets | Ammo, Minishark

Dryad | Defeat any boss | Purification Powder, Seeds

Goblin Tinkerer | Rescue after the Goblin Army | Reforging, Tinkerer's Workshop

Mechanic | Free from the Dungeon | Wiring

Wizard, Truffle, Steampunker, Cyborg | Hardmode | Key mid/late items

Happiness matters: happy NPCs sell cheaper, and NPCs only sell pylons when they're happy enough. A pylon needs at least two NPCs nearby to work. Put two compatible NPCs in their preferred biome. Pylons let you teleport between biomes.

Pre-Hardmode Boss Order

Boss | Summon / trigger | Why fight it

King Slime | Slime Crown or random | Easy, drops Slime Mount (Royal Gel in Expert)

Eye of Cthulhu | Suspicious Looking Eye at night | Unlocks Demonite/Crimtane progress

Eater of Worlds / Brain of Cthulhu | Break Shadow Orbs / Crimson Hearts, or use Worm Food / Bloody Spine | Shadow Scales / Tissue Samples for armor

Queen Bee | Break the larva in a jungle hive | Bee weapons and armor, great for summoners

Skeletron | Talk to the Old Man at the Dungeon at night | Unlocks the Dungeon

Deerclops (optional) | Snow biome, Deer Thing | Good accessories and items

Wall of Flesh | Throw a Guide Voodoo Doll into Underworld lava | Unlocks Hardmode

Hellstone (mined with a Nightmare/Deathbringer Pickaxe or better) makes Molten armor and Molten Pickaxe, which is a strong setup for the Wall of Flesh. Build a long bridge across the Underworld first.

Hardmode Progression

When the Wall of Flesh dies:

• The Hallow spreads, and the Corruption/Crimson gets more aggressive. Start containing it early.
• You get a Pwnhammer. Smash Demon/Crimson Altars to spawn new ores: Cobalt/Palladium, then Mythril/Orichalcum, then Adamantite/Titanium.
• Queen Slime (Gelatin Crystal in the Hallow) is an early Hardmode option.
• Mechanical bosses: The Twins, The Destroyer and Skeletron Prime. They drop Hallowed Bars for Hallowed armor and more.
• After all three mechs, Chlorophyte appears in the underground jungle and Plantera becomes reachable.
• Plantera (break a pink bulb in the underground jungle) opens the Jungle Temple and post-Plantera Dungeon.
• Golem (Jungle Temple, after Plantera) gives Beetle Tech and unlocks the Lunatic Cultist.
• Duke Fishron (fishing with Truffle Worm in the ocean) and Empress of Light (kill a Prismatic Lacewing in the Hallow at night) are optional but give great gear.
• Lunatic Cultist (Dungeon entrance after Golem) starts the Lunar Events: destroy the four Celestial Pillars (Solar, Vortex, Nebula, Stardust).
• Moon Lord summons after the pillars fall. He drops class-best gear and Luminite.

Class Gear by Stage (Sample Paths)

Stage | Melee | Ranged | Magic | Summoner

Early pre-HM | Gold/Platinum broadsword, Enchanted Sword | Bows, Boomstick, Minishark | Wand of Sparking, Water Bolt | Slime Staff, Finch Staff

Late pre-HM | Night's Edge, Molten armor | Molten Fury, Star Cannon, Phoenix Blaster | Space Gun (with Meteor armor), Demon Scythe | Hornet Staff, Imp Staff, Bee armor

Early HM | Cobalt/Mythril/Adamantite weapons | Clockwork Assault Rifle, Daedalus Stormbow | Crystal Storm, Cursed Flames / Golden Shower | Spider Staff, Spider armor, whips

Post-mech | True Night's Edge, Hallowed armor | Megashark, Chlorophyte Bullets | Rainbow Rod, Magnet Sphere | Optic Staff

Post-Plantera | Terra Blade | Tactical Shotgun, Chlorophyte Shotbow | Razorblade Typhoon | Raven Staff, Xeno Staff

Endgame | Zenith / Meowmere, Solar Flare armor | S.D.M.G., Vortex armor | Last Prism, Nebula armor | Stardust Dragon / Terraprisma, Stardust armor

1.4.5 added nine new whips, so summoners have more options at every stage. Check the wiki for exact item stats.

Key Accessories to Chase

• Movement: Hermes Boots, Cloud in a Bottle, Blizzard/Sandstorm in a Bottle, Frog Leg, Lightning Boots, Terraspark Boots, Wings (Hardmode).
• Defense: Cobalt Shield, Obsidian Shield, Ankh Shield, Worm Scarf / Brain of Confusion (Expert).
• Utility: Cell Phone / Shellphone line, Lucky Horseshoe, Magic Mirror.
• Class emblems: Warrior, Ranger, Sorcerer and Summoner Emblems, later Avenger Emblem and Destroyer Emblem.

Reforge accessories to Warding (defense) or Menacing/Lucky (damage/crit) at the Goblin Tinkerer.

Resources and Farming

• Life Crystals (+20 HP each, up to 400), then Life Fruit in Hardmode (+5 each, up to 500).
• Mana Crystals (fallen stars at night) raise max mana.
• Potions: Ironskin, Regeneration, Swiftness, and the Endurance/Lifeforce/Wrath/Rage combo for bosses.
• Fishing gives crates (with ore and accessories), potion ingredients and quest rewards from the Angler.
• Banners from killing enough of an enemy give damage bonuses near the banner. In 1.4.5, they're stored in a dedicated banner menu.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Beating the Wall of Flesh before you're ready. Hardmode spreads Hallow and Corruption/Crimson aggressively.
• Not building an arena. Boss fights without platforms, campfires and heart lanterns are much harder.
• Hoarding items in random chests. Use the 1.4.5 crafting search and nearby-chest crafting to your advantage.
• Ignoring NPC happiness. It raises prices and can stop NPCs selling pylons.
• Skipping reforges and accessories. Upgrading accessories is as important as your weapon.
• Letting evil biomes and the Hallow spread unchecked in Hardmode. Dig containment trenches around your base and key areas, or clean up later with a Clentaminator.

Advanced Tips

• Hellevator: dig a straight shaft to the Underworld early. It speeds up everything.
• Fishing crates can fast-track pre-Hardmode ores and Hardmode ores.
• Clentaminator (Steampunker) purifies or converts biomes.
• Use Shimmer to transmute certain items and access unique uses of the Aether biome.
• Skyblock seed in 1.4.5 is a great challenge once you know progression well.
• Combine seeds in 1.4.5 for remixed worlds.
• Buff stacking: food (Well Fed), flasks for melee, and class potions add up.

FAQ

Is Terraria 1.4.5 out? Yes. 1.4.5 "Bigger & Boulder" launched on January 27, 2026. The current PC version is 1.4.5.8 (August 23, 2026).

Does tModLoader work with 1.4.5? As of the latest reports, tModLoader still runs on 1.4.4, so most mods aren't on 1.4.5 yet. Check tModLoader's official channels for updates.

What's the best class for beginners? Melee or Ranged. Melee is forgiving with high defense; Ranged is safe and flexible.

How do I start Hardmode? Defeat the Wall of Flesh by throwing a Guide Voodoo Doll into lava in the Underworld while the Guide is alive.

What's the Skyblock seed? A 1.4.5 seed where you start on a small floating island with only a distant Shimmer island. You have to build the world from scratch.

What are the Dead Cells and Palworld crossovers? Dead Cells adds weapons (like The Flint and The Killing Deck), the Beheaded vanity set, flasks and more. Palworld adds five pals and a vanity set.

Sources

• Official Terraria Wiki – 1.4.5.0
• Official Terraria Wiki – PC version history
• tModLoader releases (GitHub)
• Official Terraria Wiki – Upcoming features
• Supercraft – Terraria 1.4.5 update, current version and tModLoader status
• Shockbyte – Terraria 1.4.5 Bigger & Boulder
• PCGamesN – Terraria 1.4.5 release date