Is Necro Armor Better Than Molten Armor? It Depends on Your Build

If you‘re playing Terraria as a ranger or summoner? Then yes, Necro armor is the superior choice over Molten armor.

However, for melee characters, Molten still reigns supreme in the pre-Hardmode stage.

So it ultimately comes down to tailoring your armor set to match your primary combat class and weapons.

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll be comparing Necro and Molten armor across several key factors:

• Defense and set bonuses
• Weapon damage boosts
• Effective health and DPS
• Progression and class builds

Let‘s analyze the nitty gritty details on whether Necro or Molten is better suited for different playstyles!

At a Glance: Necro vs Molten Armor

Before we dive deeper, here‘s a quick overview of how Necro and Molten armor stack up:

So Molten edges out Necro in raw defense, while Necro offers sustainability and bonuses tailored specifically for bows, guns, and minions.

Comparing the Defensive Stats

Defense is crucial for avoiding getting one-shot by the brutal damage output of Hardmode enemies. So every armor point counts when you‘re gearing up to take on The Wall of Flesh.

Here‘s a chart showing the base defense provided by Necro and Molten sets:

Necro armor gives 21 total defense, comprising 7 defense on the mask, chestplate, and leggings each.

Molten fares slightly better at 25 defense – 8 from the helm, chestpiece, and leggings respectively.

So Molten holds a slim +4 defense lead in the base stats. But let‘s factor in the other armor bonuses…

Offensive Power and Sustain

While defense protects you from taking damage, boosting your killing power is also imperative!

This table shows the weapon damage and sustain effects for both sets:

• Necro armor augments ranged and minions damage nicely with a 12% boost, further enhanced by 12% increased attack speed. It also grants minor health regeneration.
• Molten armor focuses solely on melee offense – your swords, yoyos, flails etc. will deal +17% extra damage.

So it‘s clear Necro is made for supporting ranged playstyles, while melee builds synergize far better with Molten‘s sizable melee boost.

Neither offers spell buffs, so mage builds would prefer pre-Hardmode armors like Jungle or Meteor armor with +15% and +20% magic damage respectively.

Mitigated Damage Analysis

We‘ve compared the defensive properties, but what do they mean for effective health in combat situations?

Let‘s math things out!

For example, say you have 400 max health post-armor:

• Necro would provide 421 EHP (Effective Health Pool)
• Molten gives 425 EHP

So Molten edges out Necro in mitigated damage capabilities too.

Check out this full chart to see estimates for various health levels:

Because flat defense reduces your incoming damage exponentially, Molten pulls ahead in effective HP the more vitality you have.

Class Weapon Damage Comparison

However, now let‘s factor in weapon DPS output using Necro and Molten‘s class-specific offensive bonuses:

• Ranger with 400 health and 100 DPS
  • Necro = 112 DPS
  • Molten = 100 DPS
• Melee build with 400 health and 100 melee DPS
  • Necro = 100 DPS
  • Molten = 117 DPS

As you can see, the boosts even the playing field in terms of overall combat effectiveness.

So when using appropriate weaponry:
Ranged characters will deal more damage wearing Necro
Melee fighters get more bang for their buck from Molten

Recommended Progression By Class

Let‘s discuss how Necro and Molten armor fit into a broader gearing strategy as you go through various stages of the game:

Pre-Boss Progression

• Early Game: Cactus/Boreal armor → Fossil/Gladiator armor
• Mid Game: Bee armor → Necro armor / Molten armor

Hardmode Progression

• Early: Spider armor → Necro armor / Molten armor
• Mid: Titanium armor / Adamantite armor → Hallowed armor

As you can see, Necro and Molten will carry you a decent way into the early Hardmode phases until you can craft something like Frost armor or Titanium armor. Reinforcing the fact that they are two of Terraria‘s best pre-Hardmode sets!

Based on the class you are using, upgrade from Spider armor into Necro for rangers or Molten for melee to push as far into Hardmode‘s increased difficulties as possible.

Catering Your Armor Pick to Your Build

Hopefully by this point, the breakdown has shown that both Necro and Molten are excellent armor sets – you should choose whichever matches your class focus for maximizing effectiveness:

• For ranged characters and summoners, Necro is clearly superior
  • The ranged and minion bonuses outdamage Molten‘s melee boost
  • Life regen improves survivability
• If playing a melee build instead, Molten armor is the ideal pick
  • Hard to beat that juicy 17% melee damage increase
  • Higher defense bolsters tankiness

As the top pre-Hardmode armors for their respective roles, you really can‘t go wrong picking Necro armor or Molten armor. But do make sure you align it with your primary weapons and class specialization.

Having the right gear tailored to your build makes a world of difference as you battle through the Wall of Flesh and take your first steps into Hardmode!

So choose wisely grasshopper 👍

Let me know in the comments if this helps explain whether Necro or Molten is better for different playstyles!