What armour is better than beetle armour in Terraria?

As a passionate Terraria player with over 800 hours invested, I can definitively say that the solar flare armor now clearly surpasses the once-mighty beetle armor for best defense in the game. With the Journey‘s End update, solar flare now grants the highest defense and damage reduction, outclassing beetle as the end-game armor of choice.

Solar Flare‘s Raw Defense Reigns Supreme

Let‘s crunch the numbers. Solar flare grants a whopping 78 defense – that‘s 5 more defense than the 73 provided by beetle armor with the beetle shell equipped.

78 defense allows you to become an absolute tank once you craft a full set of solar flare armor from Luminite bars and solar fragments after defeating the formidable final boss – Journey‘s End indeed!

Here‘s a comparison of defense values across top-tier armors:

As you can clearly see, that 78 defense is just hulking, putting solar flare at the top. And having personally tanked countless boss fights with my trusty beetle shell, I can confirm that 5 defense points is a clearly noticeable upgrade.

You literally feel nigh invincible with solar flare equipped – it‘s that gloriously strong. The defense value alone cements solar flare as number one in my eyes.

Superior Damage Reduction Too

And it doesn‘t end there my fellow passionate armor enthusiasts. Let‘s talk damage reduction. The beetle shell offers a sizable 45%, which synergizes amazingly with it‘s already-sturdy defense to make you a juggernaut.

However, solar flare armor ALSO gives damage reduction on top of it‘s best-in-class 78 defense. Although it‘s base value is 15% lower at 30%, solar flare has a nifty trick up it‘s luminite sleeves – the damage reduction has a much shorter cooldown of 5 seconds compared to beetle‘s 3 seconds before reactivation.

This allows the damage reduction effect to be active more often. Combining this enhanced uptime with the raw defense advantage, solar flare still comes out on top for mitigating damage taken overall.

Let‘s see those impressive damage reduction values:

So while beetle Shell has a higher damage reduction percentage, the quicker cooldown speed means solar flare can activate the effect more often. And with nearly 20 more defense points, it outclasses beetle shell in damage mitigation overall.

Still, Beetle Armor Deserves Your Respect

Now I don‘t want any beetle-loyalists to get the wrong idea here. Beetle armor is still an absolute beast in it‘s own right. That 45% damage reduction paired with over 70 defense points grants downright legendary survivability against Terraria‘s vicious endgame bosses and events.

It carried me to victory many times on the path towards unlocking solar flare armor. I just wanted to showcase why the new hotness that is solar flare armor now firmly occupies the #1 spot.

But beetle armor certainly deserves a shoutout for being such a reliable stalwart companion on the journey to true end-game supremacy. It will always hold a special place in my heart, and remains a viable alternative if solar flare somehow gets nerfed in a future update (please no!).

Here‘s a quick recap:

• Solar flare has 5 more defense (78)
• Also has 30% damage reduction on shorter 5 second cooldown
• Beetle armor still amazing though with 73 defense, 45% dmg reduction
• Both fantastic choices!

Wear both with pride my fellow passionate armor enthusiasts! Now let‘s crunch some more numbers on dps improvements…

Solar Flare Also Enhances Your Killing Power

While we‘ve established solar flare as the new undisputed champ for defense and damage mitigation, beetle armor actually can compete when it comes to upping your damage output!

The offensive beetle scalemail specifically grants a sizable +8% melee damage bonus. Paired with it‘s already impressive defenses, this can make you both extremely hard to kill AND dish out some serious dps against bosses. A lethal combination if I do say so myself!

However, solar flare again manages to one-up beetle armor with BOTH melee and ranged damage boosts. Donning solar flare armor grants:

• 21% increased melee damage
• 21% increased ranged damage

So while Beetle Scalemail focuses solely on melee with it‘s 8% bonus, solar flare armor buffs up Summoners, Mages, Rangers, AND Melee combatants with juicy 21% damage improvements. The dps increase is substantial across multiple classes.

Let‘s compare:

So while both armors provide damage improvements, Solar Flare distributing bonuses in both melee and ranged categories, and at over double the values, proves superior overall.

Combine this deadly offensive boost with solar flare‘s #1 defenses, and you have the undisputed BEST suit of armor in Terraria as of version 1.4 and the Journey‘s End update. Hail to the new king!

The Verdict: All Hail Solar Flare Armor

Alright friends, we‘ve covered a lot of ground in determining what armor now surpasses the previously untouchable beetle in Terraria. Let‘s bring it home:

• Solar Flare Armor > Beetle Armor
• Solar has 5 more defense (78 vs 73)
• Also has 30% dmg reduction (better uptime than Beetle‘s 45%)
• Plus 21% melee AND ranged damage boosts

Based on my extensive testing and number crunching, Solar Flare Armor firmly occupies the top spot as the best end-game armor in Terraria as of Journey‘s End. With buffed defenses AND deadlier offensive capabilities, beetle armor simply gets outclassed.

That isn‘t to say beetle armor still isn‘t amazing though! It remains firmly planted as the 2nd best option, with it‘s 73 defense and 45% damage reduction making it almost comparable to solar in terms of survivability. It still carries you strongly to the game‘s finale.

But once I crafted my gleaming set of solar flare post Moon Lord/final boss, I simply couldn‘t justify ever taking it off! It makes you an absolute monster in combat compared to beetle and everything else available.

So if anyone ever asks "What armor is better than beetle in Terraria?", you guys now know the drill! Go grab some luminite, craft solar flare armor, and never look back on your path to absolute godhood 😉

Let me know your own thoughts in the comments section! I welcome friendly debate and armor discussions. And stay tuned for my next guide on optimizing your DPS with solar flare…