Terraria 1.4.5.7 Melee Rework: Best Weapons, Changes & Builds

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Last Updated: August 22, 2026

Terraria 1.4.5.7 doesn't just add a few damage buffs to melee weapons. The hotfix significantly changes how several weapons behave, including the Chlorophyte Saber, Chlorophyte Claymore and Paladin's Hammer, while a number of yoyos and boomerangs also receive meaningful reworks.

The biggest addition is the new Spored debuff on the Chlorophyte Saber, while the Claymore now revolves around explosions and spore clouds. Paladin's Hammer, meanwhile, has become a much more interesting melee/throwing hybrid.

This guide breaks down the most important Terraria 1.4.5.7 melee changes, the best reworked weapons, the new yoyo mechanics, and how melee speed affects some of the updated weapons.

Terraria 1.4.5.7 melee rework guide featuring the Chlorophyte Saber, Claymore, Paladin's Hammer, and inventory interface

What's New for Melee in Terraria 1.4.5.7?

Terraria 1.4.5.7 is officially a balance-focused hotfix, with Re-Logic specifically highlighting changes to existing item stats and functionality alongside new content.

For melee players, the most important changes are:

  • Chlorophyte Saber — completely reworked into a stabbing weapon.
  • Spored — a new damage-over-time debuff attached to the Saber.
  • Chlorophyte Claymore — now creates explosions and spore clouds.
  • Paladin's Hammer — now works as a melee weapon before throwing.
  • Kraken — receives new whirlpool and wave mechanics.
  • Cascade — gains a recurring explosion.
  • Chik — gets a crystal explosion.
  • Yelets — gains Acid Venom.
  • Gradient — receives a speed increase and new visual effect.
  • Several other melee and boomerang weapons receive smaller balance changes.

The update also changes how melee speed interacts with certain weapons, making attack-speed bonuses more interesting than simply increasing attack frequency.

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Best Terraria 1.4.5.7 Melee Reworked Weapons

If you only want to know which reworks are worth trying first, these are the standouts.

Best overall rework: Chlorophyte Saber — The Saber is arguably the most important melee weapon rework because its entire attack style has changed.

Best heavy sword: Chlorophyte Claymore — The Claymore is now built around ground slams, explosions and damaging spore clouds.

Best hybrid: Paladin's Hammer — The Hammer combines a melee swing with its traditional thrown attack.

Best yoyo rework: Kraken — The Kraken now has additional effects that make its attacks much more threatening.

Best unusual yoyo: The Eye of Cthulhu — Its new attack behavior gives it considerably more personality.

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Chlorophyte Saber: Spored Explained

The Chlorophyte Saber received one of the largest melee changes in 1.4.5.7.

Its old attack has been replaced with a stabbing attack, making it behave more like weapons such as Gladius and Starlight.

The weapon now has: 80 melee damage (increased from 57), autoswing, a stabbing attack, melee-speed-based stabbing range, the new Spored debuff, and no longer fires its previous spore projectile.

What is Spored? Spored is a new damage-over-time debuff inflicted by the Chlorophyte Saber. Instead of relying purely on the weapon's immediate hit damage, successful attacks can leave enemies suffering additional damage. That gives the Saber a much stronger identity than simply being another Chlorophyte sword.

Why the Saber is better than it looks: The important change isn't only its 80 base damage. Its stabbing range now scales with melee attack speed, so melee-speed bonuses can improve the weapon's effective reach as well as its attack performance. That makes accessories and modifiers that improve melee speed more interesting when building around the Saber.

Should you use the Chlorophyte Saber? Yes, especially if you like fast, close-range melee weapons. Its stabbing attack gives you much more direct control over where your damage lands, while Spored adds additional damage over time.

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Chlorophyte Claymore Rework

The Chlorophyte Claymore takes the opposite approach. Instead of becoming a fast stabbing weapon, it has been redesigned around a heavier attack with additional area damage.

When swung, the Claymore can now: slam into the ground, create an explosion, release spore clouds, emit spore clouds from its swings, and deal additional damage through the clouds. The spore clouds deal 75% of the original swing's damage, while the ground-slam explosion has a short cooldown. The old orb projectile has also been removed.

Why the Claymore is interesting: The reworked Claymore is much better suited to situations where enemies group together. Instead of relying exclusively on the sword's direct hit, you can combine the swing, slam and lingering spore effects to cover an area. That makes it particularly attractive for: enemy groups, tight spaces, events, arena fights, and players who prefer heavy melee weapons.

Saber vs Claymore: Choose the Saber if you want faster attacks, stabbing range, melee-speed scaling, and Spored damage. Choose the Claymore if you want heavier attacks, area damage, explosions, and lingering spore clouds. Neither weapon completely replaces the other. They now fill noticeably different roles.

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Paladin's Hammer Rework

The Paladin's Hammer is another major highlight of the update.

Previously, it was primarily known as a powerful thrown boomerang. In 1.4.5.7, it can now be used as a melee weapon before the hammer is thrown.

The current weapon has: 100 melee damage, 15 use time, very strong knockback, a melee swing, a thrown hammer, increased first-hit thrown damage, piercing, Broken Armor, and range affected by melee speed.

How does the new Hammer work? The weapon swings first, giving you a direct melee attack. It can then transition into its familiar thrown-hammer behavior. The first thrown hit receives a 33% damage increase, while the projectile itself has been redesigned with a larger hammer and other mechanical changes.

Does melee speed matter for Paladin's Hammer? Yes. Melee attack speed affects the hammer's projectile velocity and therefore its effective range. That means melee-speed bonuses can provide more than simply faster attacks when you're using this weapon. This is one of the more interesting build interactions introduced by the rework.

Is Paladin's Hammer still worth using? Absolutely. Its combination of melee swing + thrown projectile + piercing + range scaling makes it one of the most interesting hybrid melee weapons in the update.

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Best Reworked Yoyos in Terraria 1.4.5.7

The melee changes don't stop with swords and boomerangs. Several yoyos now have additional effects that make them worth revisiting.

1. Kraken: The Kraken receives one of the most substantial yoyo changes. It now has a whirlpool effect around the yoyo and can produce additional waves during attacks. Its damage was also increased, and its acquisition was changed to Duke Fishron. The result is a yoyo that is much more interesting for sustained combat. Best for: bosses and sustained single-target damage.

2. The Eye of Cthulhu: The Eye of Cthulhu yoyo gets a new attack effect tied to its namesake. Its attacks can now produce an additional Eye-related projectile effect. That gives the weapon considerably more offensive activity than simply keeping the yoyo on an enemy. Best for: players who want a more aggressive yoyo playstyle.

3. Cascade: The Cascade now has an explosive effect that triggers every two hits. That gives the pre-Hardmode yoyo an additional source of damage and makes it much more interesting against groups. Best for: early progression and crowd damage.

4. Chik: The Chik receives a crystal-based attack effect. After the required number of hits, it can trigger a crystal explosion that sends shards outward. This makes it considerably more interesting against groups of enemies. Best for: crowd control.

5. Yelets: The Yelets now applies Acid Venom for a short duration. That gives every successful attack an additional damage-over-time component. Best for: sustained boss fights.

6. Gradient: The Gradient receives a speed increase and a new visual gradient effect. Its faster behavior makes it more responsive than before. Best for: fast yoyo combat.

7. Amarok and Hel-Fire: These two yoyos receive smaller damage increases. They aren't as dramatic as the Kraken or Cascade changes, but they are still worth remembering when choosing a yoyo during progression.

For a complete progression-focused yoyo setup, see our Terraria 1.4.5.7 Best Yoyo Build guide.

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Other Melee Changes in 1.4.5.7

Not every melee change is a complete rework. Several weapons received smaller balance adjustments.

Light Disc: The crafting cost has been reduced: Hallowed Bars: 20 → 12, Souls of Might: 25 → 15. This makes the Light Disc significantly cheaper to produce.

Mandible Blade: Its throwing range was reduced.

Stylish Scissors: Its throwing range was also reduced.

Possessed Hatchet: The Possessed Hatchet also received a notable nerf to its camouflage-related behavior. If you're comparing older 1.4.5 builds with the current version, don't assume the previous Hatchet performance still applies.

Volcanic Display of Flowers: This weapon received both damage and projectile-count adjustments, changing how its damage is distributed.

The important takeaway is that 1.4.5.7 isn't simply a "melee buff" update. Some weapons were strengthened, some were redesigned, and others were nerfed.

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How Melee Speed Works With the New Weapons

One of the most interesting parts of the 1.4.5.7 melee changes is how melee attack speed interacts with weapon mechanics.

You shouldn't assume melee speed simply means: "more attacks = more DPS."

Chlorophyte Saber: The Saber specifically scales its stabbing range with melee attack speed. So increasing melee speed can help you maintain contact with enemies from farther away.

Paladin's Hammer: Melee speed affects the hammer's thrown movement and therefore its practical range.

Boomerangs: 1.4.5.7 also changes the way boomerangs return to the player, with melee attack speed making their return faster. The official change list describes roughly a 1% melee-speed increase producing about 1.5% faster return speed. This is an important distinction because faster return time can affect how quickly you can reuse or reposition a boomerang.

The important build lesson: Melee-speed accessories can therefore have several different benefits depending on your weapon. Before stacking attack speed, consider what your weapon actually does with it.

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Best Melee Build Direction for 1.4.5.7

The new weapons don't mean you need to completely rebuild your melee progression. Instead, think of the update as adding more specialized choices.

Early progression: Your normal melee progression still works well. The biggest changes become more noticeable once you reach the weapons that were directly redesigned.

Hardmode: Once Chlorophyte becomes available, you have two particularly interesting choices: Chlorophyte Saber (Fast stabbing + Spored + melee-speed range scaling) and Chlorophyte Claymore (Heavy sword + slam + explosion + spore clouds). Your choice can depend more on playstyle than raw damage.

Post-Plantera: This is where the Paladin's Hammer becomes especially interesting. Its hybrid attack pattern makes it useful when you want to combine direct melee attacks with a powerful ranged projectile. The reworked yoyos also become much more attractive at this stage.

For players comparing classes, our Terraria 1.4.5.7 Best Mage Build guide is also useful because the same update dramatically changed early-game magic and mana management.

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Terraria 1.4.5.7 vs Earlier 1.4.5 Melee Changes

This distinction is important because 1.4.5 and 1.4.5.7 are not the same update.

Terraria 1.4.5 launched on January 27, 2026, while 1.4.5.7 arrived later as a large balance-focused hotfix. Some weapons already received changes during 1.4.5. Then 1.4.5.7 went further by changing their actual functionality.

Paladin's Hammer is a good example: Don't attribute every modern Hammer mechanic to 1.4.5.7. The important point for this article is that 1.4.5.7 adds the melee-oriented rework, including its swing and revised throwing behavior.

Chlorophyte Saber: The 1.4.5.7 version is the major rework: stabbing attack, Spored, melee-speed range scaling, autoswing, 80 damage, old spore projectile removed.

Chlorophyte Claymore: The current version is likewise centered around its new: ground slam, explosion, spore clouds, cloud damage, rather than its previous orb projectile.

So when comparing builds, always make sure you're looking at 1.4.5.7 values, not launch-day 1.4.5 information.

Which Melee Rework Is Best? There's no single winner for every situation.

  • 🗡️ Best fast melee weapon: Chlorophyte Saber
  • 🌿 Best area damage: Chlorophyte Claymore
  • 🔨 Best hybrid weapon: Paladin's Hammer
  • 🌀 Best reworked yoyo: Kraken
  • 💥 Best explosive yoyo: Cascade

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Terraria 1.4.5.7 Melee Rework FAQ

What is the best melee weapon in Terraria 1.4.5.7?
There isn't one universal winner, but the Chlorophyte Saber, Chlorophyte Claymore and Paladin's Hammer are among the most important melee reworks to try.

What does Spored do in Terraria?
Spored is a new damage-over-time debuff introduced with the 1.4.5.7 Chlorophyte Saber rework. It gives the Saber additional damage beyond its initial stabbing hit.

Is Chlorophyte Saber better than Chlorophyte Claymore?
They serve different purposes. The Saber emphasizes fast stabbing attacks and Spored, while the Claymore focuses on heavier attacks, explosions and spore clouds.

What changed about Paladin's Hammer?
The Paladin's Hammer was reworked so it can be used as a melee weapon before throwing its hammer. Its thrown attack and range mechanics were also changed.

Does melee speed affect Chlorophyte Saber?
Yes. The Saber specifically scales its stabbing range with melee attack speed.

Does melee speed affect Paladin's Hammer?
Yes. Melee speed affects the thrown hammer's velocity and therefore its effective range.

Which yoyos changed in 1.4.5.7?
Notable reworks include Kraken, Cascade, Chik, Yelets, Gradient and The Eye of Cthulhu, alongside smaller balance changes to other yoyos.

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Final Verdict

Terraria 1.4.5.7 is a very good update for melee players.

The biggest improvement isn't simply higher damage numbers. Several weapons now have completely different identities:

  • Chlorophyte Saber → fast stabbing + Spored
  • Chlorophyte Claymore → heavy attacks + spore clouds
  • Paladin's Hammer → melee + throwing hybrid
  • Kraken → whirlpool + wave attacks
  • Cascade → recurring explosions
  • Chik → crystal explosions
  • Yelets → Acid Venom

The update also makes melee speed more interesting, because certain weapons use it for range or projectile behavior rather than straightforward attack speed alone.

If you're starting a fresh melee playthrough, these changes are worth experimenting with rather than simply sticking to the same weapons you used before 1.4.5.7.

And if you're building around a specific weapon type, our Terraria 1.4.5.7 Best Yoyo Build and Terraria 1.4.5.7 Best Mage Build guides can take you deeper into those specialized setups.

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