There are two good reasons to start modding Terraria. You may want another adventure, with unfamiliar bosses, equipment and progression. Or you may still enjoy your current run and simply want less time spent searching recipes, opening chests and clearing your inventory.
Choose around that goal. Calamity and Thorium offer substantial new content. Recipe Browser, Boss Checklist and Magic Storage make the everyday parts of a playthrough easier to manage. These twelve recommendations give you options for both, with room to add tools as you need them.
This guide covers PC mods used through tModLoader. At the time of our source review, its stable branch is still based on Terraria 1.4.4 content. Follow the branch supported by tModLoader and each mod, rather than assuming a mod should match the latest version number of vanilla Terraria.
On this page
Pick the change you want first
| Your goal | Start with | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| More bosses and an extended endgame | Calamity | Plan a playthrough around it |
| New classes and different group roles | Thorium | Healer and Bard are key attractions |
| Look up recipes and ingredient uses | Recipe Browser | Assign the keybindings |
| Track boss progress and summoning | Boss Checklist | Modded information depends on integration |
| Search stored items and craft centrally | Magic Storage | Build and upgrade a storage network |
| Find missing NPC arrival conditions | Census | Useful when filling out your town |
| Identify which mod added something | Which Mod Is This From? | Most useful with several content mods |
| Discard unwanted pickups automatically | Auto Trash | Review the disposal list carefully |
| Reduce repeated reforging clicks | Auto Reforge | Check for an existing reforge overhaul |
| Mine connected ore more quickly | Ore Excavator | Configure the allowed blocks |
| Equip wings in a dedicated slot | Wing Slot Extra | It changes your accessory choices |
| Locate a boss outside the screen | Boss Cursor | Check whether you already have a radar |
Choose a content mod for a fresh playthrough
1. Calamity: more reasons to keep fighting bosses
Calamity is a strong option if defeating the Moon Lord leaves you wanting more equipment to pursue and more encounters to learn. It expands bosses, areas and progression, including a substantial continuation beyond the vanilla endgame.
It also changes existing systems, so check for overlap before adding convenience tools. Reforging is one example. Use the official download route and include the required Calamity Mod Music dependency listed on Workshop; that requirement is separate from optional music expansions.
2. Thorium: try a different role in your next group
Thorium adds equipment, bosses, NPCs and classes around the familiar Terraria adventure. Its Healer and Bard are particularly interesting for friends who want more distinct roles in a group, including ways to support each other during combat.
Start by looking at the class you would like to play, then follow its progression. For a first large content mod, concentrating on one expansion makes it easier to understand how the new equipment and encounters fit together.
Understand your recipes, progress and storage
3. Recipe Browser: follow an ingredient through the crafting process
Recipe Browser lets you search items, inspect recipes and trace what an ingredient can become without leaving the game. It becomes especially useful when a content mod introduces equipment with several intermediate crafting steps.
Set a keybinding for the browser, look up something you want to make, and favourite the recipe. That gives your next supply trip a clear purpose. It is a useful companion when learning an unfamiliar set of items.
4. Boss Checklist: remember where you left off
Boss Checklist is helpful when you return to a save and cannot remember your next target. Its checklist tracks progress, while the Boss Log provides information such as summoning requirements and drops.
It can include bosses from other mods when those projects supply support. How complete the information is depends on that integration. Use it to plan your next goal while leaving room for the exploration order you enjoy.
5. Magic Storage: find your materials and put them to use
Once your base has enough chests, remembering that you own an item is easier than finding it. Magic Storage connects storage into a searchable network, with crafting facilities that help you use the materials inside it.
You build and improve the system as your playthrough develops, so it becomes an ongoing project for the base. Install the listed absoluteAquarian Utilities dependency. Before removing the mod later, arrange somewhere for its stored items to go.
6. Census: work out why an NPC has not arrived
Census adds information about missing town NPCs to the housing panel. If you have prepared a room and are still waiting for someone to arrive, its condition hints give you somewhere useful to start checking.
It is particularly handy when filling out a town or learning the NPCs added by another mod. A question mark can mean the game has not checked the conditions yet. Support for modded residents depends on the information supplied by their creators.
7. Which Mod Is This From?: identify unfamiliar content
With several content mods enabled, an unfamiliar item can leave you wondering which guide to consult. Which Mod Is This From? identifies the source of modded items, blocks and NPCs.
That also helps when investigating a problem: you can begin with the right project's documentation. It is easy to skip when you only have a few mods, then add once keeping track of their content becomes difficult.
Reduce the repetitive actions that bother you
8. Auto Trash: stop collecting items you always discard
Auto Trash remembers selected item types and automatically disposes of future pickups. It is most useful during repeated farming when you already know which drops you have no reason to keep.
Start with a short list. Revisit it after adding content mods, because an old item may acquire a new use. Being selective keeps the convenience without quietly throwing away supplies you will need later.
9. Auto Reforge: spend less time repeating the menu action
Auto Reforge adds an interface for automatic reforging. It suits players who have already decided to work on an item's modifier and would like fewer repeated clicks. Check the target, stopping behaviour and cost before using it.
First see whether your main content mod already changes reforging. Calamity includes its own changes, for example. Try those before introducing another tool that may affect the same interface.
10. Ore Excavator: collect a vein after finding it
Ore Excavator can mine connected ore and perform other linked block operations. If you enjoy finding resources but want the collection itself to take less time, begin with ordinary ore excavation.
Set the keybinding and allowed blocks before expanding its scope. Other options can alter resource yields or excavation limits, so agree on those when playing with friends. Keeping the original resource balance is a useful starting point when your main goal is fewer clicks.
11. Wing Slot Extra: give wings a permanent place
Wing Slot Extra adds a dedicated wing slot, leaving an accessory slot available for another part of your build. It is appealing when you want flight without repeatedly rearranging equipment around it.
That extra room also affects character strength. Agree on it with your group, especially for a run built around equipment restrictions. Before disabling the mod, move the wings back into ordinary inventory and back up the character.
12. Boss Cursor: keep track of a boss outside the screen
Boss Cursor places directional arrows around your character to help locate bosses after they leave the visible area. It is a straightforward option if you would rather watch the fight than keep checking the minimap.
Check your existing tools first. Boss Checklist also offers an off-screen boss radar, and either approach may be enough. Choose the display you find easiest to read instead of filling the screen with overlapping indicators.
How to get started
Steam players can install tModLoader and launch it separately from vanilla Terraria. Subscribe to the relevant Workshop projects and required dependencies, then enable and reload them through the Mods menu. Vanilla resource packs and tModLoader gameplay mods use different systems.
Begin with Recipe Browser and Boss Checklist, then consider building a Magic Storage network. For a large content expansion, a separate character and new world make it easier to experience its progression and world content from the beginning.
For multiplayer, match the tModLoader branch and check each project's Mod Side. Both-side mods require the server and players to coordinate their setup; client-side tools follow their own instructions. Check dependencies and configuration for the projects you actually choose.
Frequently asked questions
Which mods should a beginner try first?
Recipe Browser helps with crafting, Boss Checklist helps with progress, and Magic Storage is useful once managing materials becomes a chore. Try those as needed, then choose a large content mod if you want a new adventure. Introducing changes gradually makes them easier to understand.
Should I choose Calamity or Thorium?
Look at Calamity if you want more boss encounters and a longer journey beyond the Moon Lord. Look at Thorium if new classes and different roles for a group are especially appealing. The better choice depends on what you want from this particular run.
Can I install Calamity and Thorium together?
Loading together and providing a coherent first playthrough are different questions. Both add substantial content, with progression and equipment balance to consider. Try them separately first. For a combined setup, check the current versions, compatibility notes and any patches you intend to use.
Do I need a new world?
Information tools and world-content mods have different requirements. A lookup interface is usually easier to add, while new areas, structures and progression are easier to experience in a fresh world. Back up both character and world before changing an existing save, and follow each project's guidance.
Why do mods still mention 1.4.4 when vanilla Terraria has updated?
tModLoader maintains stable, preview and legacy branches on its own schedule. Match a mod to the branch you launch. Moving an established setup to a preview branch just to match vanilla's version number can leave some of your mods without a compatible release.
Can I use these in multiplayer, on consoles or on mobile?
PC players can use tModLoader multiplayer according to each mod's requirements. Some need installation on both the server and clients, so having only the host install everything is not a universal solution. These tModLoader mods also cannot be installed directly into console or mobile Terraria.
Choose a playthrough, then add the tools it needs
For a new adventure, begin with a direction such as Calamity or Thorium. For your current save, start with the task that keeps interrupting it: checking recipes, locating materials or clearing inventory space.
If your goal is more specific, describe it on ModGenie's Terraria search page. “Store my materials in one searchable system” or “find out why an NPC has not moved in” is enough to begin looking for a useful change.