Defense
- For defense mechanics, refer to Defense on the Terraria Wiki
Defense is a player statistic that determines how much damage can be taken per hit. The damage the player takes is reduced by half / three quarters of their defense value. Defense can be increased by equipping armor and accessories, or temporarily boosted by various buffs.
Some forms of damage are impossible to reduce through defense. Damage from health-draining debuffs like Plague or drowning in water are not reduced by defense. Damage taken from lava, however, can be reduced through defense.
Damage Reduction
- Main Article: Damage Reduction
Damage Reduction (DR) is a stat alongside defense that decreases damage that both the player and other NPCs take based on a percentage. The player can boost their damage reduction with certain accessories, although it scales diminishingly as more damage reduction is gained.
Defense Boosts
For defense granted by armor pieces and their set bonuses, see here.
Items
Item | Defense | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
Aquatic Emblem | +0 to 50 | Gradually builds up when submerged in liquid | |
Sand Cloak | +1 | ||
+6 | While in the dust veil | ||
The Community | +2 to 10 | Depending on bosses killed | |
Marnite Repulsion Shield | +2 | ||
Shield of the Ocean | +2 | ||
+5 | When submerged in liquid | ||
Wulfrum Controller | +3 | For each existing Wulfrum Droid | |
Corrosive Spine | +4 | ||
Frost Barrier | +4 | ||
Stress Pills | +4 | ||
Craw Carapace | +5 | ||
Crown Jewel | +5 | ||
+8 | When life regeneration is below 0 | ||
Gladiator's Locket | +5 | ||
Living Dew | +5 | While in the Jungle | |
Ambrosial Ampoule | +6 | ||
Corrupt Flask | +6 | While in The Corruption | |
Crimson Flask | +6 | While in The Crimson | |
Fungal Carapace | +6 | ||
Bloody Worm Scarf | +7 | ||
Bloody Worm Tooth | +7 | ||
Celestial Jewel | Celestial Jewel | +8 | |
+11 | When life regeneration is below 0 | ||
Deep Diver | +8 | ||
+15 | When submerged in liquid | ||
Ornate Shield | +8 | ||
Void of Extinction | +8 | ||
Honey Dew | +9 | While in the Jungle | |
Archaic Powder | +10 | While in the Underground, Cavern, and The Underworld | |
The Camper | +10 | ||
Dark Sun Ring | +10 | ||
+15 | At night or during a Solar Eclipse | ||
Giant Shell | +10 | ||
Regenator | +10 | ||
Rover Drive | +10 | When the protection matrix is active | |
Shattered Community | +10 | ||
Astral Arcanum | Astral Arcanum | +12 | |
+15 | When life regeneration is below 0 | ||
Laudanum | +14 | When Weak debuff is active | |
+15 | When Darkness debuff is active | ||
+30 | When Armor Crunch, Blackout, or Confused debuff is active | ||
+40 | When Ichor debuff is active | ||
+50 | When Obstructed debuff is active | ||
+25% | When Broken Armor debuff is active | ||
Giant Tortoise Shell | +14 | ||
The Absorber | +15 | ||
Profaned Soul Crystal | +15 | At night or when submerged in water or honey | |
-15 | At day or when submerged in lava | ||
Tarragon Wings | +15 | While equipping a full set of Tarragon armor | |
Asgard's Valor | +16 | ||
+16 | When submerged in liquid | ||
Elysian Aegis | +18 | ||
Rampart of Deities | +18 | ||
Frost Flare | +20 | When below 25% health | |
Leviathan Ambergris | +20 | ||
+10 | When submerged in liquid | ||
The Sponge | +20 | ||
Ursa Sergeant | +20 | ||
Asgardian Aegis | +28 | ||
+20 | When submerged in liquid | ||
Yharim's Gift | +30 | ||
Flame-Licked Shell | +36 | ||
-18 | While Shell Speed Boost buff is active | ||
Draedon's Heart | +48 | ||
Bloodflare Core | Up to -50% | When the player is hit depending on amount of damage taken |
Buffs and debuffs
Buff/Debuff | Defense | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
Elysian Guard | +0 to 40 | Gradually builds up | |
Mushy | +5 | ||
Reaver Rage | +5 | ||
Tequila | +5 | During the day | |
Titan Scale | +5 | ||
+20 | For 10 seconds after a true melee strike | ||
Spirit Defense | +6 | ||
Hallowed Defense | +8 | ||
Crimson Effigy | +10 | ||
Moonshine | +10 | ||
Phantomic Shield | +10 | ||
Tequila Sunrise | +10 | During the day | |
Yharim's Power | +10 | ||
Afflicted | +13 | ||
Bloody Boost | +20 | ||
Encased | +30 | ||
Grax Boost | +30 | ||
Burning Blood | -3 | ||
Irradiated | -10 | ||
Vulnerability Hex | -10 | ||
Armor Crunch | -15 | ||
Wither | -20 | ||
Grape Beer | -3% | ||
Bloody Mary | -4% | During a Blood Moon | |
Rum | -5% | ||
Vodka | -5% | ||
Whiskey | -5% | ||
Margarita | -6% | ||
Star Beam Rye | -6% | ||
White Wine | -6% | ||
Caribbean Rum | -10% | ||
Cinnamon Roll | -10% | ||
Fab | -10% | ||
Everclear | -30% |
Armor Penetration
Armor penetration is a statistic that reduces the defense of the player's targets. For instance, a Purple Slime normally has 6 defense. If the player has 5 Armor penetration and attacks the slime, then the slime will take damage as if it only had 1 defense instead.
Source | Armor penetration bonus | Condition | |
---|---|---|---|
Wulfrum Blunderbuss | 3 | Always. | |
Badge of Bravery | 5 | Always. | |
Invisibility Potion | 5 | While Invisibility buff is active when holding a javelin. | |
Shadow Potion | 5 | While Shadow buff is active when holding a javelin. | |
Tin armor | 5 | Set bonus. | |
Marnite Obliterator | 5 | Always. | |
Experimental Wulfrum Fusion Array | 10 | Always. | |
Filthy Glove | 10 | When performing stealth strikes. | |
Marnite Deconstructor | 10 | Always. | |
Sand Shark Tooth Necklace | 10 | Always. | |
Reaper Tooth Necklace | 15 | Always. | |
Omega Blue armor | 15 | Set bonus. | |
Electrician's Glove | 20 | When performing stealth strikes. | |
Nanotech | 20 | When performing stealth strikes. |
Defense Reduction
Several weapons can permanently lower an enemy's defense on hit. These defense reduction effects cannot stack with themselves or each other, unless marked with the + symbol.
Source | Defense Reduction | |
---|---|---|
Earth | +1 | |
Grand Guardian | +1 | |
Majestic Guard | +1 | |
Apoctolith | 15 | |
Anti-materiel Rifle | 25 |
Vanilla changes
Various changes have been made to vanilla's defense boosts:
- Buffed Ankh Shield from 4 defense to 12.
- Buffed Cobalt Breastplate from 8 defense to 11.
- Buffed Cobalt Hat from 2 defense to 4.
- Buffed Cobalt Helmet from 12 defense to 16.
- Buffed Cobalt Leggings from 8 defense to 10.
- Buffed Cobalt Mask from 4 defense to 7.
- Buffed Cobalt Shield from 1 defense to 4.
- Buffed Frozen Shield from 6 defense to 13.
- Buffed Hallowed Greaves from 11 defense to 13.
- Buffed Hallowed Plate Mail from 15 defense to 18.
- Buffed Hero Shield from 10 defense to 20.
- Buffed Obsidian Shield from 2 defense to 7.
- Buffed Obsidian Skull from 1 defense to 2.
- Buffed Orichalcum Breastplate from 13 defense to 16.
- Buffed Orichalcum Headgear from 4 defense to 6.
- Buffed Orichalcum Helmet from 7 defense to 10.
- Buffed Orichalcum Leggings from 10 defense to 14.
- Buffed Orichalcum Mask from 19 defense to 22.
- Buffed Paladin's Shield from 6 defense to 9.
- Buffed Palladium Breastplate from 10 defense to 13.
- Buffed Palladium Headgear from 3 defense to 5.
- Buffed Palladium Helmet from 5 defense to 8.
- Buffed Palladium Mask from 14 defense to 15.
- Buffed Palladium Leggings from 8 defense to 11.
- Buffed Shackle from 1 defense to 3.
- Buffed Shield of Cthulhu from 2 defense to 3.
- The Tipsy debuff now reduces defense by 10% instead of a flat reduction of 4.
Defensive accessory modifiers now scale with progression:
Modifier | Hard | Guarding | Armored | Warding |
---|---|---|---|---|
Vanilla | +1 | +2 | +3 | +4 |
Hardmode | +2 | +3 | +5 | +6 |
Post-Golem | +4 | +7 | ||
Post-Moon Lord | +6 | +8 | ||
Post-Providence | +5 | +7 | +9 | |
Post-Polterghast | +3 | +8 | +10 | |
Post-Devourer of Gods | +6 | +9 | +11 | |
Post-Yharon | +4 | +7 | +10 | +12 |
Some vanilla items have gained the ability to increase defense:
- Adamantite armor's set bonus increases defense up to 30 while continuously dealing damage.
- Angel Wings increases defense by 10.
- Beetle Wings increases defense by 10 while the player is equipping Beetle armor with Beetle Shell.
- Bone Wings increases defense by 30 while the player is equipping Necro armor.
- Fairy Boots increases defense by 10 when Fairies are nearby.
- Frozen Turtle Shell increases defense by 6.
- Gladiator armor's set bonus increases defense by 3.
- Leaf Wings increases defense by 5 while the player is equipping Tiki armor.
- Magma Skull increases defense by 4.
- Molten Skull Rose increases defense by 8.
- Mothron Wings increases defense by 5.
- Obsidian Skull Rose increases defense by 4.
- Spectre Wings increases defense by 10 while the player is equipping Spectre armor with Spectre Hood.
- Steampunk Wings increases defense by 8.
Additionally, Sharpening Station's armor penetration value has been nerfed from 12 to 5.
Game mechanics | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Combat | Damage Reduction • Defense damage • Enchantment • Hit sounds • Immunity frames • Lifesteal • Minions • Rogue | ||||||||
Environment | Biome backgrounds • Events • Music | ||||||||
Events | Acid Rain • Boss Rush | ||||||||
Game | Bestiary • Configuration options • Difficulty Modes (Death Mode • Revengeance Mode) • Fishing • Game controls • Lore • Secret world seeds (For the worthy • Get fixed boi) • Vanilla changes | ||||||||
Items | Alternative crafting ingredients • Charge • Consumable • Crafting stations (By Hand) • Drops • Modifiers • Rarity • Recipes • Vanilla item recipes | ||||||||
Player | Adrenaline Meter • Aggro • Buffs and Debuffs • Death prevention • Defense • Flight Time Bar • Rage Meter | ||||||||
UI | Boss Health Bar • Cooldown Rack • Speedrun Timer • Status messages • Tips |