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The best weapons for the Summoner class (called summon weapons broadly) got a big update with Terraria 1.4 thanks to the introduction of Whips. Before 1.4, playing as a summoner was…a little difficult. But better armor sets, better weapons, and generally more utility for the class have made it easier to play.
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This list covers some of the best weapons for summoners during the early game, which armor sets to wear for Hardmode and the best weapons in general for the late-game. It covers whips, sentries, and minion-summoning staffs.
Best Pre-Hardmode Summoner Weapons
While there are some better additions for the summoner class in pre-Hardmode, it's still not the easiest class to use when melee and ranged weapons are so prevalent. However, here are some of the best weapons to pick up if you're challenging yourself with a summoner run.
| Weapon | Damage | How To Get It |
|---|---|---|
| Finch Staff – Summons a Baby Finch | 7 | Found in Living Wood Chests, underneath those giant trees. |
| Hornet Staff | 12 | Crafted with 14 Beeswax. |
| Imp Staff | 17 | Crafted with 17 Hellstone Bars. |
- The Finch Staff is one of the earliest minion-summoning weapons you can get in the game. Activate it and the Baby Finch rests on your head and flies off to attack enemies. Pretty useful even if you're not playing as a summoner.
- The Hornet Staff is the next serious upgrade – not counting the Slime Staff, which is very rare – which summons a Hornet that inflicts poison on your enemies.
- The final minion-summoning item before Hardmode is the Imp Staff, crafted with Hellstone bars. It inflicts the On Fire! debuff to enemies.
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Best Pre-Hardmode Whips
One of the biggest additions in 1.4 was the introduction of Whips for summoners. There are a few strong options that will definitely make the class feel more viable before defeating the Wall of Flesh.
- The Leather Whip is a great pick-up in the early game and works well when paired with some of the staffs above. It's purchased from the Zoologist for 15 gold once you've filled out 15 percent of the Bestiary. Shouldn't be too hard as long as you're exploring lots.
- The best whip pre-Hardmode is the Spinal Tap. Crafted with Bones and Cobwebs, you do have to beat Skeletron before you can craft it. It's pretty effective during the Wall of Flesh boss fight, too.
Best Hardmode Summoner Weapons
This is where the summoner class starts to get really fun. Hardmode introduces loads of new weapons to play around with. Here are some of the best.
| Weapon | Damage | How To Get It |
|---|---|---|
| Spider Staff | 26 | Crafted with Spider Fangs, dropped by the Hardmode Black Recluse found in Spider Caves. |
| Blade Staff | 6 | Dropped by the Queen Slime. |
| Pygmy Staff | 34 | Dropped by Plantera. |
| Deadly Sphere Staff | 50 | Dropped by Deadly Sphere, enemies that spawn during the Solar Eclipse once Plantera is defeated. |
| Stardust Dragon Staff | 40 | Crafted with Stardust Fragments at an Ancient Manipulator. |
| Terraprisma | 90 | Dropped by the Empress of Light if you manage to defeat her within daylight hours. |
- The Spider Staff is the first summoner weapon you should go for once entering Hardmode. If you've already stumbled across a Spider Cave, head back there and kill some Black Recluse spiders. They're pretty dangerous, but the grind is worth it for this useful summoner weapon.
- Don't let the low damage of the Blade Staff fool you. It pierces right through enemy armor, which actually makes it strong against a wide range of Hardmode enemies.
- The Pygmy Staff summons up to four pygmies that throw spears. They're not very accurate, really, but they're good at clearing out large swarms of enemies during invasions.
- Another weapon that is useful for swarms is the Deadly Sphere. It's slow and has a pretty short range, but can clear out groups of enemies quickly.
- The Stardust Dragon Staff is probably one of the prettiest minion weapons in the game. It spawns a whole dragon. Looks awesome, and does a bunch of damage as well.
- The Terraprisma is the strongest minion weapon in the game, although it does not attack through blocks, so you might want to opt for the Xeno Staff instead
Best Hardmode Whips
There are a bunch of Hardmode whips to upgrade your arsenal with. Some of them even work well if you're going for the best melee build. Here are some of the best.
- The Firecracker is potentially the first whip you'll get in Hardmode, as it drops from the Wall of Flesh. It applies the On Fire! debuff. It will also cause any minions that hit an enemy to have a little explosion, which makes it strong with rapid attack minions – like the lovely Stardust Dragon.
- The Durendal is a powerful summoner weapon that is crafted from Hallowed Bars. Once you hit an enemy, you'll get an attack speed buff of 25 percent, and this can be used in conjunction with another whip or melee weapon.
- Like the Durendal, the Dark Harvest provides a hefty melee damage boost, and this makes it a good choice for those opting for a melee build. It's great to see a bit of interaction between two separate styles of play.