While longtime fans of Terraria may find Expert mode to be difficult, the best and brightest of this pixel-art survival game’s community quickly found ways to make it trivial. Master Mode is a quick remedy to this lack of difficulty but still a step-down from the ultimate challenge in Terraria. Challenge and thrill-seekers of the Terraria community stepped up after the introduction of this mode in the Journey’s End update.
Even now, after this update has been out for over a year, new tricks and tactics are discovered for this unique mode. But, this begs the question, what makes this mode so unique, challenging, and compelling for diehard fans of the game?
Master Mode Is Available During World Creation
Master Mode may be one of the most challenging experiences for veteran players yet in Terraria. Even so, Master Mode also sets some restrictions in order to maintain this sense of unique challenge.
Master Mode is a world-generation option selectable during world creation. This means that any unique Master Mode buffs or nerfs will not remain outside of this world. Many veterans recommend bringing in an expert mode character, as this provides some special buffs.
Master Mode Uses Expert Mode As A Base
Master Mode uses Expert Mode as its default, rather than Classic Mode. This means that any Expert Mode attacks used by bosses and enemies, in addition to Expert Mode mechanics, are all present in Master Mode. While this may seem like a detriment to Classic Mode players, it also includes a few buffs to smart players.
Drop chances are increased on many items that are normally rare in Classic Mode in order to lessen the grind necessary to defeat the bosses in this mode. While this is definitely helpful in Expert Mode, in Master Mode this buff truly shines.
Enemies And Bosses Are Tougher
This may go without saying, but Master Mode provides a slew of related difficulty increases to the adversaries that players face in Terraria. Enemies in Master Mode worlds have 3 times as much health and damage as those found in a classic world. They also gain a 20% knockback resistance buff to complicate things further.
Bosses are where things get dicey though, as they gain a 50% damage increase over what they had in Expert Mode.
Death Is More Punishing
Master Mode not only increases the chance of an accidental death, but also the cost. Players who die in Master Mode lose all of their coins. This is as opposed to the 50% of Classic Mode, and the 75% of Expert Mode.
This makes it even harder to buy essential items, potions, weapons, and healing for use against the tougher enemies. While it may not seem super horrendous at first, it catches up, especially when an eager ranged character seeks out their first Minishark. This makes it almost necessary to set up an easy money farm as early as possible,
Difficulty Is Offset By An Additional Accessory Slot
While Master Mode is definitely much more difficult than Expert Mode, it also opens up a variety of new options in character customization, solely by adding a Master Mode only additional accessory slot. This slot is lost upon the return to a different, easier world, and makes a variety of build options both possible and promising.
Imagine a ranged player doing 12% more damage from an Avenger Emblem which does not clog up a previous slot. The possibilities for this extra slot are only limited by the player’s imaginations.
Everyone Gets A Treasure Bag In Multiplayer
Much like Expert Mode, Master Mode carries over the ability for everyone on a server to receive rewards from a boss via a Treasure Bag drop. These give the potential drops from a boss to everyone on a client-side basis, meaning that even in Master Mode fighting over loot is a potential that is carefully avoided.
These Master Mode treasure bags give each player an additional chance of receiving rare loot and make the grind for items much more tolerable.
All Bosses Drop A Relic Statue
Bosses, in addition to already being significantly more difficult, also have an extra reward available for the skilled or persistent. Golden Master-Mode-exclusive relics are available upon the defeat of each boss. Every boss has one, and they shine with an elegant glitter befitting of their status.
Players that obtain treasure bags in Master Mode worlds can expect to have one based on the boss they fought in that bag. In addition to this, the Eye of Cthulhu also always drops a flashy set of sunglasses, which were, prior to this update, absurdly hard to acquire.
Bosses Sometimes Drop Unique Items
While the changes to Master Mode encourage players to play smarter, not longer, there are some elements of RNG still to be found. In addition to priceless golden relics, every player also has a 25% of acquiring a separate item based on the boss.
What these items are depends entirely on the boss. Some are pets, others light pets, and a few of them are even mounts with extra effects and attacks. Either way, they are sure to impress anyone who knows their origin.
Debuffs Last Longer
Debuffs are possibly the most annoying part of Terraria. They affect the player's ability to see and move, in addition to many doing flat damage that adds on quickly. So, it is no surprise that many of the debuffs in Master Mode last significantly longer than those even in Expert Mode.
This list of extended debuffs includes the most annoying ones that invert controls, limit vision, and freeze players in place, in addition to several that do absurd damage over time to unwary adventurers.
Master Mode Can Be Toggled In Journey Mode
Journey Mode, the other large gameplay mode addition in Terraria’s Journey’s End update, is akin to unlockable Creative Mode in other games. It allows players to toggle certain effects, permanently unlock the creation of all blocks and items, and speed up time, among other things.
But, for those that wish to test their skills temporarily, there is also a toggle button for Master Mode in Journey Mode. This is a safe, non-committal way to show a player's skills against the new 1.4 bosses without making the decision to generate an entire world for this purpose.