Iron Shortsword

Shortswords stab straight out instead of arcing overhead. The blade appears for a moment directly in front of you and vanishes, so you have to be nearly touching something for anything to land. That reach is the whole character of the weapon. Against one slime or one zombie it is fine. Against a crowd, or anything that drops on you from above, the broadsword made from the same ore is far easier to live with.

Later versions let the stab point wherever your cursor is rather than only sideways, which at least makes it usable on things below or above you, and a new Journey Mode character starts with this one rather than the copper version. Neither changes the basic deal. It is a starter blade you drop the moment a boss hands you something better.