Iron Broadsword

Broadswords sweep in a wide arc and can catch more than one enemy per swing, so the early ones are about clearing space around you rather than raw hitting power. Iron is the first tier where crafting a sword is clearly better than the shortsword you started the world with.

It is still a stopgap. If your world rolled lead instead, that version edges this one out, and neither is worth a mining detour once you can pull a Starfury from a sky island chest or grow a Blade of Grass. Bars are tight this early. A pickaxe upgrade pays back faster than a sharper sword.