Best magic weapon for pre-hardmode?

[ziontheGOAT]

I don't play mage that much

[GhostyOsty]

Demon Sythe or Water Bolt.

[Scott_Morgan]

I play mage in master, honestly I was surprised to discover that my new main for pre-HM became the flamelash. Fast homing projectile that hits twice, with ability to control it(the only downside is that you cant fire in water nor the projectile goes through it). Secondary were Demon Sythe and Meteor gun

[ziontheGOAT]

Originally posted by Scott_Morgan:

I play mage in master, honestly I was surprised to discover that my new main for pre-HM became the flamelash. Fast homing projectile that hits twice, with ability to control it. Secondary were Demon Sythe and Meteor gun

Yeah I just found it, and i'm finding alot of use for it

[Gammaboy45]

space gun has always been the best option, especially for mixed classes. The meteor set bonus makes it easiest to use and it does fair damage to carry you *into* hardmode, although it becomes quite ineffective once you get past WoF.

[Chronusaur]

I usually don't mess with mage until hardmode, but the bee gun has always BEEn phenomenal.

[Gammaboy45]

Oh, also this thing exists... https://terraria.gamepedia.com/Gray_Zapinator
It's pretty crazy

[Chronusaur]

Originally posted by Gammaboy45:

Oh, also this thing exists... https://terraria.gamepedia.com/Gray_Zapinator
It's pretty crazy

The issue in a lot of cases though is its unpredictability, slow speed, and high mana cost. For me, predictability is more important than pure power.

[Infern]

The bee gun... It's perfect for the wall of flesh more than anything. Works perfectly well in master mode too. (Totally didn't die twice because i didn't build a track).

[Shark_Tart]

i need an army...

[GhostyOsty]

Originally posted by Gammaboy45:

Oh, also this thing exists... https://terraria.gamepedia.com/Gray_Zapinator
It's pretty crazy

Wait, it's been added?! Ok, now that's pretty ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ EPIC.

[JebKerman]

Originally posted by Brobro Sunfun:

Originally posted by Gammaboy45:

Oh, also this thing exists... https://terraria.gamepedia.com/Gray_Zapinator
It's pretty crazy

... and high mana cost ...

What if I told you Meteor Armour makes it cost 0 Mana to fire.

[Dr. Neurax]

Zapinator works with meteor armor bonuses, so you can use it for 0 mana.

[GhostyOsty]

Originally posted by JebKerman:

Originally posted by Brobro Sunfun:

... and high mana cost ...

What if I told you Meteor Armour makes it cost 0 Mana to fire.

Then you upgrade every accessory to Warding. Like a boss.

[Wigd]

Water bolt is the best.

Unless they changed it in 1.4, you can find it at the beginning of the game. It is tried and true. It will never fail you. You can use it in virtually any situation and it would be a good option.

While a lot of people like the space gun more, and the projectile from the space gun is much faster and the gun itself shoots faster, water bolt bounces off of walls.

This can be used to find floating island and hit enemies multiple times with one cast and the right setup.

This thing also pretty easily kills WoF. It has a low mana cost, the projectile looks cool, it's practical. The Water bolt is just a fantastic weapon. It's fun to use and has a utility that not many other weapons have in the whole game have.

You really can't go wrong with it in any situation. The damage is deceptively good.

[Gammaboy45]

Originally posted by Brobro Sunfun:

The issue in a lot of cases though is its unpredictability, slow speed, and high mana cost. For me, predictability is more important than pure power.

The mana cost is nothing with meteor set. It has the same effect as space gun, from what I can see. No mana cost, and the 10x damage on some strikes makes it very effective on single targets, which I am recommending it for. The effects it receives are never explicitly negative, and I think the beneficial effects make it potentially more effective than a space gun.