Why Modded Terraria is Superior to Vanilla
Terraria is a popular 2D sandbox game, packed with action and adventure. Terraria was first released by Re-Logic in 2011 and has been growing ever since. With its vast open world, unique gameplay, and extensive crafting system, Terraria is a favourite for gamers of all ages. To this day Terraria has remained in the top 10 best-selling video games of all time selling over 44.5 million copies (Loki, 2022). With that being said, Terraria alone is an exceptional video game but with video game mods it can be taken to the next level. Modded Terraria provides a superior gaming experience to vanilla Terraria thanks to the visual and audio enhancements, expanded customization options, and its quality of life improvements to the already outstanding game. Video game mods can be traced back to the early 80s (NVIDIA, n.d.) and have been consistently increasing in popularity. Mods are becoming more accessible and with new technology, it is even becoming easier for people to create their own. Although there is some controversy around certain mods, like cheating, modifications are generally used to enrich games. Large video game companies have many ways of combating cheaters so that the game can remain fair for all. By simply downloading TmodLoader on Steam, you can get access to thousands of Terraria mods. Some of the most popular are Calamity, Thorium, and Overhaul.
Firstly, modding Terraria can give players enhanced graphics and audio that are unattainable in vanilla. Many players have created mods that enhance the visuals of the game and improve the game's overall aesthetic, making the game more immersive and enjoyable. Terraria is a 2D game, and although that gives it its charm, can sometimes get stale. Many have added mods to give the game a more modern and polished look. These mods, sometimes referred to as texture packs, can give the terrain more detail as well as redesign characters and items.
There are also mods that can optimize the game’s performance, such as “AntiLag” or “UnLag”. These mods give you the option to turn off certain settings that are otherwise impossible to change. Usually when dealing with lag, the simple fix is changing the graphics settings in-game. However, changing these settings is not always ideal since it can make the game look bad and ruin the immersion. These mods allow you to disable dust, gore, combat text, and off-screen projectiles so that the game isn’t running extra effects and background activity. Of course, these can’t solve all lag problems but can help if your game just needs that little boost. Mods give players more freedom than just changing its look by being able to adjust game settings that are otherwise invariable.
Since Terraria is a game that relies heavily on exploration and adventure, immersion is a very important factor in the game. There are certain mods that are called shaders and a very popular example is “Lights and Shadows”. This mod adds sun rays that shine through the tree branches and shadows that move accordingly with the sun’s position. Simple changes like shaders are an easy way to spice up the game or as a great introductory mod. These mods can make such a subtle but refreshing change to the game.
Additionally, mods can increase immersion with audio mods. Many larger mods, such as Calamity, have their own official soundtracks. Much like any popular video game, the music makes the game stand out — and hearing the music again can transport you back to that moment. Minecraft, Mario Kart, and Doom are some great examples of games with recognizable and nostalgic soundtracks. Vanilla Terraria already has a great soundtrack thanks to Re-Logic, but music mods can add some extra depth.
Ambient noises are another way mods can add immersion to the game. More music is great, but having different noises for biomes and mobs is also helpful. It can also be nice to hear something different for a change. If you’ve been playing Terraria for a long time, you may be wanting something a little different — mods are a great way to breathe some life into a game you already know and love.
Secondly, modded Terraria has a lot more options for customization. With players being able to bring their own unique perspectives and ideas, there are so many options for mods — or you can even make your own. Like mentioned earlier, one of the most popular uses of modding is changing the game's overall look to better suit their preferences. Players can customize the colour schemes, create their own textures and add different lighting effects. Having the ability to redesign parts of your favourite game can really help players to connect with the game on a deeper level.
Furthermore, mods can add new items and gameplay mechanics. Certain mods add completely new weapons, armor, and tools that can help customize the players' play style. We can see this in Calamity mod, as this mod brings their own class to the game. Terraria already has four classes; mage, melee, ranged, and summoner. However, Calamity adds a new one called Rogue. This class is sort of related to range as it is projectile based — but is more of a thrown projectile. The unique part of this new class is it introduces “stealth mode” which makes enemies less likely to target you and gives you a bonus called Stealth Strike, which does more damage than a regular hit. Changes like these can make the game feel brand-new. Calamity mod adds new resources to the game that are used to make all-new armour and weapons that can almost outshine any vanilla tools.
Moreover, mods can add new creatures, biomes, environments, and bosses. Again, Calamity is a great example of this. Calamity introduces several new biomes, such as the Sunken Sea, Astral Infection and the Abyss, and many more. As a result of these new biomes, new monsters, creatures, and resources can be found in each one. This opens the door for so many more new recipes, abilities, and equipment. As well as adding more bosses that drop even better loot. Players have more creative freedom and are given more options and areas to explore with mods.
In the same light, mods can be stacked, so players can choose all of their favourites and pile them together to create a version of the game that is uniquely their preferences. With new mods being developed daily, there is a never-ending list of mods to try and add to your combinations.
Finally, mods can add quality-of-life improvements to Terraria. As you may know, a lot of Terraria’s gameplay can be quite tedious and can drag out for long periods of time. This is due to a lot of chance and randomness. In a typical playthrough of vanilla Terraria, you will find that a lot of your playtime is spent farming and grinding for minuscule resources. This is fine if you’re just learning the game, but as you become more familiar with it, it becomes boring and repetitive. In Terraria, lots of items are what are known as “drops”, this means they are only attainable by killing certain creatures or defeating bosses. Although not every drop is guaranteed, this is where the game can get repetitive. For instance, one weapon that the ranged class will almost always have to use is the Daedalus Stormbow, which is obtained by defeating Hallowed Mimics. This sounds easy enough, however, the chance of Hallowed Mimics dropping the bow is only 25%. Hallowed Mimics are also not easy to summon, or find naturally. Summoning a Hallowed Mimic requires the creation of a Key of Light, which is crafted by 15 Souls of Light and placing it in a regular chest. Souls of Light also have a low drop rate of 36% from enemies in the underground hallow. As you can see the process isn’t ideal, especially for seasoned players. Thankfully with mods like “Reduced Grinding,” you don’t have to worry about tiring yourself out or giving up. Another area where this can get annoying is fishing. A lot of potions in Terraria require certain fish, which are only acquired in certain bodies of water in certain biomes, and there are different rarities for each fish. The “Reduced Grinding” mod can also help with these issues, but there are fishing-specific mods such as “Auto-Fisher” and “Fishing 2.0”. If all else fails and you are still having difficulty getting your items, another option is downloading an inventory editor, and giving yourself the item.
Installing mods also helps build player retention, mods like Calamity and Thorium add more content, so the game doesn’t end so soon. In vanilla Terraria there are 17 bosses, the last one being Moon Lord. Calamity mod adds 28 new bosses, 12 being post-Moon-Lord, when the game would normally finish. This means players still go through the vanilla bosses, but still have more to look forward to. Additionally, mods are ever-changing. Old players are more likely to revisit the game more often when they know they have new stuff to explore. This helps with the overall quality of life of the game since it’s always refreshing to come back to.
The final aspect that improves the well-being of both the game and the player is the organization mods. One of the most coveted mods is the “Magic Storage” mod. This mod is a lifesaver for any player who hates having to rummage through chests in order to find a single item. This mod creates a new chest system that allows you to simply search all your belongings and stack more than vanilla allows. This helps the player feel more organized and alleviates a lot of confusion and stress when it comes to crafting.
In conclusion, mods play a significant role in enriching the overall gaming experience of Terraria. By adding visual and audio enhancements, expanding the customization options available, and overall quality-of-life improvements to the game. Mods make the game more immersive and personalized to the player which makes the game that much more enjoyable. The added content, mechanics, and features not only increases the replayability of Terraria, but it also provides endless possibilities for players to construct their own unique gameplay experiences. The dedication of the modding community of Terraria has contributed countless hours using their ingenuity and creativity to make Terraria adapt and evolve to players’ desires. It’s the overwhelming passion of the modding community, combined with Terraria’s already profound gameplay that has propelled Terraria into the ranks of being one of the best video games of all time. Whether you’re new to the game or a veteran Terrarian, modding is a fantastic way to experience Terraria from a new perspective and navigate the game’s ever-expanding universe.
References
Moshirnia, A. (2007). The educational potential of modified video games. Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology, 4, 511–521. https://doi.org/10.28945/968
Xiao, Y., Wang, L., & Wang, P. (2019). Research on the influence of content features of short video marketing on Consumer Purchase Intentions. Proceedings of the 2019 4th International Conference on Modern Management, Education Technology and Social Science (MMETSS 2019). https://doi.org/10.2991/mmetss-19.2019.82
Loki. (2022, June 30). Terraria state of the game — May 2022. Terraria Community Forums. Retrieved April 10, 2023, from https://forums.terraria.org/index.php?threads%2Fterraria-state-of-the-game-may-2022.112582%2F#pc
The importance of modding. SAPPHIRE Nation — Community blog by SAPPHIRE Technology. (2022, July 13). Retrieved April 10, 2023, from https://www.sapphirenation.net/the-importance-of-modding#:~:text=Experienced%20modders%20can%20fix%20crashes,game's%20code%20to%20run%20better
Curtis, J., Oxburgh, G., & Briggs, P. (2021). Heroes and Hooligans: The Heterogeneity of Video Game Modders. Games and Culture, 17(2), 219–243. https://doi.org/10.1177/15554120211026255
Unger, A. (2012). Modding as part of Game Culture. Computer Games and New Media Cultures, 509–523. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2777-9_32
Champion, E. (2012). Introduction: mod mod glorious mod. In Game Mods (pp. 9–26). ETC Press. https://espace.curtin.edu.au/bitstream/handle/20.500.11937/34827/235669_AAA.pdf?sequence=2
Scacchi, W. (2010). Computer Game Mods, modders, modding, and the mod scene. First Monday, 15(5). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v15i5.2965
Terraria. Steam Charts. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2023, from https://steamcharts.com/app/105600
Top rated games on Steam · steamdb. (n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2023, from https://steamdb.info/stats/gameratings/
Williams, K. (2022, November 1). This is why you should play Terraria in 2022. WIN.gg. Retrieved April 10, 2023, from https://win.gg/news/here-is-why-you-should-play-terraria-in-2022/
Davis, W. (2022, December 28). Five top benefits of using Game mods. WIN.gg. Retrieved April 10, 2023, from https://win.gg/news/five-top-benefits-of-using-game-mods/
History of PC game mods. NVIDIA. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2023, from https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/news/history-of-pc-game-mods/#:~:text=A%20Brief%20History%20of%20PC,early%201980s%2C%20called%20Castle%20Smurfenstein.