There are plenty of games that have mounts for the player, but in Terraria, mounts are often far more useful and diverse in function than they might appear in other games; putting a saddle on a pig in Minecraft is certainly fun, but the pig unfortunately isn’t able to fly or shoot lasers. There are currently 26 different mounts in Terraria and only one you, so figuring out which one is the best to use can be a bit daunting. In this article, we’ll look at some of the best and worst mounts that Terraria has to offer.
First, let’s go over the rankings and their meanings:
TIER | NAME | GAME MODE |
S Tier: The S Tier is the best of the best. These are the mounts that are the most useful and, more importantly, stay that way throughout the entire game, both for traversal and combat. | Cute Fishron Witch’s Broom UFO Tree Santank | Expert Mode Expert Mode Classic Mode Master Mode Master Mode |
A Tier: The A Tier is for mounts that are indisputably great, but have one or two things holding them back, whether they are a bit too much trouble to find or they aren’t as useful in every situation as they could be. | Goat Winged Slime Unicorn Drill | Master Mode Classic Mode Classic Mode Classic Mode |
B Tier: The B Tier is for those mounts that are great when you first get them or are very useful for specific purposes, but don’t necessarily bring any unique perk to the table to provide them with staying power, meaning that they can (and really should) be replaced as your main mount as you progress through the game. | Pirate Ship Rudolph Lava Shark Slime Basilisk Bunny Golf Cart Flamingo Painted/Majestic/Dark Horse Scutlix | Master Mode Classic Mode Classic Mode Classic Mode Classic Mode Classic Mode Classic Mode Classic Mode Classic Mode Classic Mode |
C Tier: The C Tier includes mounts that are fine if you’re hurting for a mount or can be useful for a niche purpose, but they aren’t necessarily great and there are definitely better options. | Pigron Turtle Bee Book | Classic Mode Classic Mode Classic Mode Master Mode |
D Tier: This tier is reserved for the mounts that are fun for their gimmick or reference, but don’t have much going for them in terms of functionality. | Pogo Stick | Classic Mode |
Ideally, you should aim to snag one of the S or A tier mounts as early as possible. The best mounts can actually prove useful in the late-game boss fights and events, especially since your enemies will just keep getting faster, so let’s go over those high tier mounts in depth!
Cute Fishron (Expert Mode, S Tier)
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"Cute" is certainly right. Look at that little guy!
Summon Item | Horizontal Speed | Vertical Speed | Flight |
Shrimpy Truffle | 33(82) | 41(82) | Infinite |
How To Get: Duke Fishron’s Lootbag
Click Here to see it in action!
To start off the S Tier list, we have Cute Fishron. Even if it is not necessary for progression, Duke Fishron has great loot all around, and Cute Fishron is definitely counted among that group. Here are just a few reasons why:
- Flight. It is one of the several infinite-flight capable mounts in the game, allowing you to fly around the map without limit, greatly improving traversal ability
- Speed. Cute Fishron has a fairly fast base speed, allowing you to zip through the skies with ease. Just make sure to keep it off the ground; it will slow down to a crawl if it comes into contact with land. It is a fish, after all.
- Water Buff. Cute Fishron’s real power is tied to water; if you dive beneath a liquid block while on Cute Fishron, its eyes will begin to glow and it will get a massive speed boost! This effect happens any time it gets wet, so this can also be triggered by rain, other liquid blocks like honey and lava, or getting sprayed by the water gun by other players. Cute Fishron’s water buff doesn’t just affect its speed, however. When wet, Cute Fishron also grants the player a +15% buff to damage.
- Combat. Because of how overpowered the water buff can be, many players agree that Cute Fishron is excellent for boss fights and events, especially if combined with arena layouts that include water bubbles or pools. Additionally, in most versions of the game, the speed and damage buff can also be triggered by the player falling below 50% health, similar to how the Duke Fishron fight goes, so Cute Fishron can be very helpful in a rough fight.
Aesthetics. While looks aren’t everything, Cute Fishron definitely lives up to its name. It is adorable, and who wouldn’t want to fly around on a cute pig-dragon-fish? Plus, those glowing eyes that activate with the buff are pretty cool, especially since they change colors based on the water color of the biome you are currently in. This means that, during Blood Moons, the Cute Fishron’s eyes will glow red. Pretty spooky!
Witch’s Broom (Expert Mode, S Tier)
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Properly witchy!
Summon Item | Horizontal Speed | Vertical Speed | Flight |
Witch’s Broom | 46 | 41 | Infinite |
How To Get: Mourning Wood’s Lootbag
Click Here to see it in action!
The Witch’s Broom is a Hardmode treasure that can be obtained as a part of the Pumpkin Moon event. It is widely regarded by Terraria players as the best traversal-specific mount, and this is for good reason. Here are some it’s best perks:
- Size. The Witch’s Broom is one of the few mounts that does not increase the amount of blocks the player takes up, which allows it to get through smaller areas fairly easily without having to constantly dismount. This also makes it great for building and mining!
- Flight. Like Cute Fishron, the Witch’s Broom is also able to fly around without limit. Combined with the fact that it does not alter the player’s block radius, the Witch’s Broom is a great alternative to wings when you have to carefully consider your accessory slots late game.
- Combat. While the Witch’s Broom causes no buffs to your character or direct damage to enemies, the Witch’s Broom is great for dealing with ground enemies. Due to its ability to infinitely hover, it is easy to float just out of reach of any mobs below while attacking from above, making it helpful for handling events.
- Speed. The Witch’s Broom is easily one of the fastest mounts in the game. It is so fast, in fact, that it can be used to move around in late game boss fights to great effect.
- Light. The Witch’s Broom has a small lantern hanging from the front of it that can light up a small area around the player, making it helpful for nighttime travel.
UFO (Classic Mode, S Tier)
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An invasion of your own making!
Summon Item | Horizontal Speed | Vertical Speed | Flight |
Cosmic Car Key | 41 | 41 | Infinite |
How To Get: Drop from Martian Saucer
Click Here to see it in action!
The UFO can be obtained as a part of the Martian Invasion event. Many consider it to be about equal to the Witch’s Broom, so it is really up to which event and boss you prefer to deal with. Let’s look at some of its features:
- Flight. Yet another mount that is able to fly infinitely! Are you noticing a trend here? Be careful, though; the UFO will deactivate if you fly it into liquid!
- Combat. Again, similarly to the Witch’s Broom, the UFO has no buffs or direct damage to offer, but can be used for similar strategies that allow the player to hurt enemies without getting hurt themselves.
- Speed. The UFO boasts a decent speed, only being slightly slower than the Witch’s Broom, allowing for quick traversal of the map.
- Gaps. While it is unclear if it is intentional, it is possible to squeeze upwards through one-block wide gaps while moving diagonally in the UFO, which could be exploited for certain arena setups.
- Aesthetics. If you’re one for the visual flair of your mounts, the UFO is definitely one of the more unique-looking mounts and is perfect for a character indulging in the cosmetic drops you probably just acquired from the rest of the Alien Invasion event.
Tree (Master Mode, S Tier)
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The fastest tree you'll ever meet!
Summon Item | Horizontal Speed | Vertical Speed | Flight |
Hexxed Branch | 81 | N/A | No |
How To Get: Mourning Wood’s Lootbag
Click Here to see it in action!
While the name may not seem all that exciting, the Tree is actually a fantastic mount. Like the Witch’s Broom, the Tree is obtained from the Mourning Wood mini-boss during the Pumpkin Moon event, only this time you must be in a Master Mode world. It has quite a few perks, including the following:
- Speed. Unlike the previously discussed mounts, the Tree isn’t capable of flight, but that doesn’t stop it from having the fastest base speed stat of any mount in the game. This makes it amazing for traversal, but be warned that it lacks a double-jump!
- Acceleration. Some mounts take quite a while to get going at their top speed, which can make it difficult to utilize them in fights due to the need to quickly turn back and forth, but the Tree reaches their full speed in about a half of a second!
- Damage. The Tree, when moving at full speed, will inflict a whopping 120 summon damage on any enemy it hits.
- Drop Rate. The Hexxed Branch, the Tree’s summoning item, has a pretty decent drop rate; it has a 25% chance of dropping from a loot bag, and considering quite a few Mourning Wood enemies can spawn in one Pumpkin Moon, you have a great chance of snagging it!
- Accessibility. The Pumpkin Moon event is available as soon as Plantera is defeated, so it is entirely possible to get this mount before facing harder and quicker bosses. Having this mount could definitely give you the leg up that you need to blaze through the remainder of the game!
Santank (Master Mode, S Tier)
Is this how Santa takes care of the people on the naughty list?
Summon Item | Horizontal Speed | Vertical Speed | Flight |
Toy Tank | 41 | N/A | No |
How To Get: Santa-NK1’s Lootbag
Click Here to see it in action!
The Santank is a Master mode drop from the Frost Moon event. The Santank is the perfect mount for the people that love to max out their DPS. Here’s what you can expect from it:
- Combat. The Santank is one of a few mounts that will attack enemies with projectiles while in use. It has incredibly powerful rockets that launch at enemies as well as a machine gun that will fire constantly at anything in range. Other weapons and tools can still be used while the Santank is attacking, too!
- Size. Unlike many mounts, it does not increase the size of the player when activated, meaning that it will not interfere with your ability to move through tight spaces. This makes it helpful for mining as the automatic attacks can defend you in the dangerous Hardmode caverns.
- Speed. The Santank is a bit slow compared to other land-based mounts that you would have already encountered at this point in the game, but it’s still able to outpace the player if all they have to boost their speed is Lightning, Frostspark, or Terraspark boots.
- Double Jump. The Santank has a double jump, which can aid you in getting around your world and even dodging attacks. In addition, like other mounts capable of double jumps, you can stack on additional jumps with accessories like the Bundle of Balloons.
- Reduced Fall Damage. The Santank does not completely cancel fall damage. Instead, oddly, it reduces all fall damage to 1 point regardless of the height you fall. While not perfect, it is definitely massively helpful and can be a total life saver.
Goat (Master Mode, A Tier)
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It's the GOAT!
Summon Item | Horizontal Speed | Vertical Speed | Flight |
Goat Skull | 61 | N/A | No |
How To Get: Wall of Flesh’s Lootbag
Click Here to see it in action!
The Goat is a potential Master Mode drop from the Wall of Flesh. This summon was actually almost placed in the S Tier due to how much it has to offer, but it ultimately falls a bit behind compared to the rest of the mounts in that tier of the list. Let’s take a look at why:
- Accessibility. Arguably the greatest perk of the Goat is when you obtain it in the game. Because it has a 25% chance of being dropped from the Wall of Flesh, it is possible to get it immediately upon entering Hardmode if you are lucky enough with your spawn rates. This allows you to have a great mount through the early stages of Hardmode without having to grind. If you’re lucky enough to get it on your first fight with the Wall of Flesh, that is.
- Speed. While certainly not the fastest, the Goat offers a huge jump in base speed compared to pre-Hardmode mounts, giving you a considerable advantage going into Hardmode and even a great mount for the rest of the game. Other mounts certainly outpace it the further into Hardmode that you get, but it’s nothing to scoff at in the early stages.
- Double Jump. The Goat has a double jump, which does a lot to make up for the lack of flight. Unless you are dealing with some truly crazy world generation, the Goat should be able to get across most terrain at a blazing speed!
- Reduced Fall Damage. The Goat provides a solid 80% reduction to fall damage, so in the event you have yet to acquire the Lucky Horseshoe accessory, the Goat may be the perfect cliff-diving buddy for you.
- Damage. The Goat can inflict 60 points of summon damage to enemies you run over when moving at full speed in addition to providing a very strong knockback!
Winged Slime (Classic Mode, A Tier)
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A royal and jiggly mount, now with wings!
Summon Item | Horizontal Speed | Vertical Speed | Flight |
Gelatinous Pillion | 33/58 | 56/102 | Limited |
How To Get: Drop from Queen Slime
Click Here to see it in action!
The Winged Slime is a relatively early Hardmode piece of loot, depending on how soon you can be prepared to take on the Queen Slime. It’s a great mount that can be incredibly useful for certain character builds, but there are some drawbacks to the mount that hold it back. Here are some of it’s pros and cons:
- Water. The Winged Slime, like any slime, floats on the surface of the water. This can be both a blessing and a curse. You can use it to quickly bring you to the surface of the ocean or any other body of water for a breath, but it also means that it cannot be used very effectively for travel underwater.
- Flight. The Winged Slime, as the name may suggest, is capable of flight. However, it is only able to fly for a limited time before you must touch down on solid ground again. Luckily, you are also able to glide on the mount, similar to how wing accessories swoop over long distances, making it a pretty decent traversal companion.
- Speed. The Winged Slime is not particularly fast; it bounces along the land slower than even some pre-Hardmode land mounts. However, it speeds up quite a bit when flying, so it could certainly be worse!
- Jumping. The Winged Slime has an impressive jump height and speed, making it very helpful for getting around jagged terrain or dodging attacks.
- Falling. The Winged Slime, much like the slime mount that you can get from King Slime, excels when it falls. It falls extremely quickly, allowing you to ground-pound enemies. Additionally, fall damage is completely canceled on the Winged Slime, making it great if you want to quickly travel down through any tunnels to Hell.
Unicorn (Classic Mode, A Tier)
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Because why wouldn't you want to ride around on a magical unicorn?
Summon Item | Horizontal Speed | Vertical Speed | Flight |
Blessed Apple | 61 | N/A | No |
How To Get: Random Drop from Hallow Enemies and Unicorn
Click Here to see it in action!
The Unicorn is a Hardmode loot item that has a small chance of being dropped from any Hallow enemy. It has pretty much the same function and perks as the previously discussed Goat, but is not necessarily as good. Let’s go over its traits:
- Speed. The Unicorn shares a base speed stat with the Goat, allowing for the same speedy traversal of your world without needing to play in on the Master mode difficulty.
- Double Jump. The Unicorn has a magical double jump, making up slightly for its inability to fly.
- Damage. Just like the Goat, the Unicorn can inflict 60 points of summon damage to enemies when moving at full speed. This dash-attack also has crazy knockback, allowing you to smack away any enemies that you can’t immediately kill.
- Drop Rate. The Blessed Apple, the summon item for the Unicorn, can be dropped by pretty much any Hallow enemy. Unfortunately, the drop rate is only about 0.5%, unless you are facing an enemy Unicorn, in which case the drop rate is 2.5%. It is not a very generous drop rate, so you may end up grinding quite a bit. It is possible to slightly raise the drop rate by playing in Expert or Master mode, but at that point, it might just be more worth it to try and get the Goat.
- Accessibility. It is possible to get this immediately upon starting in Hardmode. All you need to do is locate your new Hallow biome. However, depending on where the biome has spawned and how prepped you are, it may be pretty hard to get there (let alone grind for enemy drops once you arrive) when you are first starting out in Hardmode.
Drill (Classic Mode, A Tier)
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For the player that hates digging up dirt manually.
Summon Item | Horizontal Speed | Vertical Speed | Flight |
Drill Containment Unit | 31 | 41 | Infinite |
How To Get: Crafting
Click Here to see it in action!
The Drill is a very useful post-Moonlord mount for resource collection and building, and it is the only crafted mount in the game. As the name suggests, it is a flying drill, capable of mining surrounding blocks with powerful lasers, though its other qualities as a mount are limited. Here are its major pros and cons:
- Mining. The drill is the only mount capable of destroying blocks, and it does so very well. While active, the drill can mine any block or wall in the game within a 15 block radius, and it does so faster than any other tool in the game, making it perfect for clearing out large areas (as long as you don’t need to be precise).
- Infinite Flight. While not necessarily designed for traversal, The Drill is capable of infinite flight, which is always a nice perk.
- Speed. Compared to other mounts that you would find this late in the game, the Drill is quite slow, boasting a horizontal speed slower than that of even the Zoologist’s horse mounts.
- Crafting Recipe. The crafting recipe for the Drill is pretty ridiculous; it is made up of large quantities of several hard-to-obtain end-game metals, including Luminite. In fact, it requires an amount of Luminite that, depending upon your gamemode, may not be guaranteed to drop from the Moon Lord upon a single defeat. In other words, you may not be spared from grinding bosses in order to get your hands on this one just because it is not a loot drop.
- Damage. Despite possessing powerful lasers similar to the Laser Drill tool, the Drill cannot damage enemies. In addition, you cannot use tools or weapons while inside the Drill, meaning you cannot fight while using the mount.