Aglet
The +5% speed offered by the Aglet is useful until you get some other accessory to replace it. The only specific scenario where it comes in handy is the Expert Eye of Cthulhu, which requires all the speed you can get. And even then, other accessories will probably take precedent.
Tier: C
Amphibian Boots
These somewhat-useful boots will require you to do some fishing, but once you get them, they give you a good amount of mobility - especially when combined with the bottle jump accessories. Be warned, however, that they can’t be used to make Spectre Boots, so you should have another pair of boots on hand for that purpose.
Tier: B+
Anklet of the Wind
10% extra movement speed is a decent amount, but it doesn’t usually outweigh other accessories. This accessory, which is sometimes annoying to get, is mostly just there to craft the Lightning Boots.
Tier: C+
Arctic Diving Gear
You should only upgrade from the Jellyfish Diving Gear if you happen to have spare Ice Skates, since you’ll be wearing Frostspark Boots more often than diving gear. But if you have the skates, go ahead, and you’ll find that the very small amount of underwater work you do will be a lot easier.
Tier: C+
Balloon Pufferfish
Should you get lucky while fishing, you may pull up this endearing little accessory. The extra jump height can be okay, although you should weigh it heavily against other accessories. Also consider making a Sharkron Balloon out of it, which is an easy-to-get mobility item that will prove quite useful.
Tier: B
Blizzard in a Bottle
Better than the Cloud due to the horizontal momentum you can get with the double-jump, plus it’s almost as easy to get. Especially without the Shield of Cthulhu, the Blizzard can be extremely handy to get a running start.
Tier: A-
Bundle of Balloons
These are completely unobtainable without extensive sky island fishing, so they’re usually not worth it to go for. That being said… the mobility offered is actually very significant, and the quadruple jumps will greatly help you in most all fights. Wings are almost always better, though.
Tier: C+
Climbing Claws/Shoe Spikes
The ability to wall-jump gives you great mobility in the very earliest stages of the game, where it can help you avoid having to build your way over obstacles. Rope is easy, but oftentimes wall-jumps are even easier. They do, however, become largely obsolete once you pick up a grappling hook.
Tier: B
Cloud in a Balloon (and other balloons)
Though getting to a floating island can be a little tough in pre-Hardmode, the increased jump height of these balloons will really help you as you head toward Hardmode. Bear in mind that most worlds will have 1-2 Shiny Red Balloons at most, so you may want to plan for that (although the Sharkron Balloon is a renewable option).
Tier: A-
Cloud in a Bottle
It’s easy to find and easy to use, although it’s considerably weaker than the Blizzard and Sandstorm in a Bottle. You’ll likely find one of these on your way through the underground, and it will provide your first valuable mobility boost. Then you can replace it.
Tier: B+
Diving Gear
Is it an acceptable way to explore large bodies of water, which usually don’t have much to explore in them? Absolutely. That’s one thing it does really well.
Tier: B-
Dunerider Boots
I place these separately from the Hermes Boots because 1) they require you to brave the Underground Desert and 2) they make you absurdly fast on sand. If you choose to design your arena for it, this speed can prove invaluable against almost any pre-Hardmode boss. You’ll want some Spectre Boots alongside them, though, for vertical movement and non-sand situations.
Tier: B+
Fairy Boots
The Flower Boots have very limited utility, and the Spectre Boots should be kept intact to make into Lightning, then Frostspark, then Terraspark Boots.
Tier: D
Fart in a Jar
Aside from making me mildly uncomfy, this accessory provides you with a good double-jump option that's noticeably better than any other (except the rare Sandstorm in a Bottle). If you happen to get a Whoopie Cushion, this is a good accessory to have. Unfortunately, you're not likely to get one before something more powerful has taken this thing's place.
Tier: B
Flipper
Water can be a bother in the early stages of the game (i.e. before you have a grappling hook or double-jump accessories), so a Flipper can be a welcome addition to your accessories. Once you don’t need it, you should feel free to ignore it, since water is not particularly dangerous once you have mobility items.
Tier: B-
Flying Carpet
If you get this from a pyramid chest, you’re 1) lucky and 2) fortunate. The horizontal glide that it offers lets you get the drop on a variety of enemies and enhance the ways you can travel around your world; it will only fall out of favor once you’ve got wings in Hardmode.
Tier: A-
Frog Flipper
While swimming is nice, and the Frog Leg is nice, neither of them are usually worth an accessory slot on their own. The same goes for the Frog Flipper, which combines the two of them and doesn’t give the more useful benefits of the Amphibian Boots.
Tier: C-
Frog Gear
Giving surprisingly good mobility (especially in water), you should definitely think of this accessory if you pick up a Frog Leg while fishing. On the flipside, though, the Tiger Climbing Gear falls off rapidly once you get a grappling hook, and it can also be used to craft the Master Ninja Gear later down the line; likewise, the Flipper has other uses. Is it worth it? I’ll give you a definitive maybe.
Tier: B
Frog Leg
The increased jump height and fall resistance of the Frog Leg will give you an edge, especially if you combo it with any double-jump accessory. Keep in mind, though, that it isn’t always worth the accessory slot, especially with any balloon in play.
Tier: B
Frog Webbing
Like the Tiger Climbing Gear, this accessory becomes rapidly less useful once you get a grappling hook, which should be relatively soon. By crafting it, you also miss out on the excellent Master Ninja Gear later on, as well as better Frog Leg tinkers such as the Amphibian Boots.
Tier: B-
Frostspark Boots
Though the ice mobility they provide is relatively negligible unless you do a lot of fighting in the tundra, the Frostspark Boots are a fantastic accessory thanks to the increased movement speed they offer. They even work with wings to grant additional flight time and speed. You should only drop them if you’re relying on a mount.
Tier: A+
Hellfire Treads
Although they do look absolutely sweet, these will prevent you from crafting the much better Terraspark Boots. Skip ‘em.
Tier: D
Hermes Boots
Almost mandatory before you fight your first bosses, the Hermes Boots and equivalents will let you sprint across the ground once you’ve built up speed. Pick them up and use them for exactly as long as it takes to upgrade them to Spectre Boots, which let you take to the skies as well as sprint.
Tier: B+
Honey Balloon
Of all the things to use your Shiny Red Balloon for, why this? It doesn’t grant a double-jump and it can’t be tinkered with the Lucky Horseshoe. It doesn’t even make sense as an accessory. Don’t go for it.
Tier: C-
Horseshoe Balloons
Fall damage can be a nuisance, although there are lots of ways (double jump, boots, grappling hook) to mitigate it. Use these to eliminate those worries. If you have designs on the Bundle of Balloons (hope you like fishing), these can’t be used for that, so be cautious.
Tier: A-
Ice Skates
Navigating the mostly-annoying, sometimes-treacherous terrain of the snow biome? Have some ice skates! Anywhere else? Haha what are you doing! It’s worth noting that these can give you surprising mobility on an ice battlefield, which can combine well with Hermes Boots for early boss fights.
Tier: B
Jellyfish Diving Gear
Although you’ll have to go a little out of your way to get the Diving Helmet in the first place, the Jellyfish Diving Gear can provide some useful mobility - and good light - when underwater. If you go underwater a lot.
Tier: B-
Lava Charm
For those who enjoy playing with fire, the Lava Charm is a fantastic toy. I recommend keeping it on you for whenever you encounter lava, and not wearing it in the interim. Bear in mind that it takes some time to charge up, so you can’t just slap it on and immediately go swimming!
Tier: B+
Lava Waders
Though Water Walking Boots are painfully rare, the ability to walk on water (and lava) can come in handy… sometimes. You mostly want these for the Lava Charm’s ability, so they earn the same ranking.
Tier: B+
Lightning Boots
As the benefits of the Frostspark Boots are not too huge compared to these ones, you should feel perfectly fine about sticking to Lightning Boots. They’re even useful when you have wings, as they boost your flight time and speed.
Tier: A+
Molten Charm
It’s fine, but the Obsidian Skull’s effect is much easier to obtain through the Obsidian Shield. If you don’t have the Shield yet (you probably will), feel free to use this.
Tier: C+
Molten Skull Rose
This accessory is mostly a waste of a Lava Charm, since it can’t be used to craft the Lava Waders. If for some reason you have no hope of getting the Lava Waders and therefore the Terraspark Boots, you can use your Lava Charm on this. Outside of that… don’t.
Tier: D
Obsidian Water Walking Boots
Like with the Water Walking Boots, the need to walk on water is rare, and the Obsidian Skull’s fire protection is already readily accessible (see: Obsidian Shield). These will really only appear if you’re going for the Lava Waders but haven’t picked up the charm yet.
Tier: B-
Panic Necklace
Unlike many accessories that activate when you get hit, the Panic Necklace helps you avoid additional damage, which makes it pretty nice. It’s not exactly the toppest tier of accessories, but it certainly performs well early in the game.
Tier: B
Rocket Boots
The upward mobility these give you will come in very handy against the later fights of Pre-Hardmode, including Skeletron and the Wall of Flesh. However, to get the most out of them, you should immediately combine them with Hermes/Flurry/Sailfish/Dunerider Boots to get the Spectre Boots.
Tier: A-
Sandstorm in a Bottle
Although it’s infuriatingly rare, this is the best of the bottle accessories, providing a powerful upward jump that will help you even into early Hardmode. If you can get it, use it.
Tier: A-
Shiny Red Balloon
By itself, this fetching balloon won’t help you a whole lot. Combined with the readily available double-jump items, it’s most certainly a different story.
Tier: B-
Spectre Boots
Though they aren’t quite as speedy as the Lightning Boots and upgrades, the Spectre Boots will give you the best mobility available pre-Hardmode. Since they’re easy to obtain once you have the Rocket Boots, you should tinker them right away.
Tier: A
Sweetheart Necklace
The main reason my tenth grade sweetheart left me was my complete inability to shoot bees, which this necklace really would’ve helped with. It’s mostly handy for the Panic Necklace’s abilities; the bees are extra. If you’ve got the components, feel free to make it. I can’t stop you.
Tier: B
Terraspark Boots
If you’re lucky enough to get a set of Frostspark Boots (easy) and Lava Waders (more difficult), you can make yourself the Terraspark Boots. They provide the same benefits as the Frostspark (very useful) and the Waders (very useful but only if you’re near liquids). If you can, go for them!
Tier: A+
Tiger Climbing Gear
Weirdly, Shoe Spikes and Climbing Claws can be a little bit difficult to both pick up, but if you do, you can make the Tiger Climbing Gear. Unfortunately, grappling hooks perform most of the same duties with little hassle, and they’re easy to get. Consider this gear if you really need to wall-slide for some reason, but outside of that, you can skip it.
Tier: B
Tsunami in a Bottle
This comes pretty often from Wooden Crates, so if you're prepared to do a little fishing, you should be able to obtain it. It's also marginally better than the Cloud in a Bottle, although it isn't nearly as good as the Blizzard/Sandstorm because of their momentum boost abilities. If you have difficulty getting the others, go ahead and search for this.
Tier: B+
Water Walking Boots
They’re useful when near water… sometimes. If you manage to get them (they’re annoyingly uncommon). I like to keep these in my vanity slots, just to put on if I need to stay standing on water for whatever reason. Bear in mind that they also allow honey-walking, which gives less Christian metaphor but can theoretically, maybe, help with the Queen Bee fight.
Tier: B-
