Bundle of Horseshoe Balloons

One slot buys four jumps, a longer and faster jump arc, and immunity to fall damage. That last part is the quiet half of the deal, because it removes the accessory you would otherwise carry to survive your own mobility. Until Golem, when enemies start moving in ways a jump cannot answer, it is a real alternative to early wings rather than a placeholder for them.

The jumps give sharper vertical acceleration the instant you press the key, so reversing direction or ducking under a fast projectile is quicker than flapping. Wings win on sustained height and long travel. If you spend time on a ground mount the jumps keep working while wings sit unused, which is the point most comparisons miss.

The Sandstorm in a Bottle is the piece that holds everyone up. Pyramids do not generate in every world, so if yours has none you are fishing the Desert for crates and hoping. The other bottles turn up in ordinary underground chests and biome crates without much trouble. In Hardmode the sandstorm bottle becomes craftable outright, which is why plenty of players skip the whole project until then.

• Frog Leg, which stacks more height and speed onto every one of those jumps.
• Spectre Boots or better, for the short flight window between jumps.
• Amphibian Boots, if you want the frog effect and the running speed out of one slot.