Nimbus Rod

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Nimbus Rod
  • Nimbus Rod item sprite
Stack digit 1.png
Statistics
Type
Damage30 (Magic)
Knockback0 (No knockback)
Mana30
Critical chance4%
Use time22 (Fast)
Velocity16
TooltipSummons a cloud to rain down on your foes
RarityRarity level: 6
Sell3 GC50 SC
Research1 required
Projectiles created
  • Rain Cloud Moving
    Rain Cloud Moving
  • Rain Cloud Raining
    Rain Cloud Raining
  • Rain (friendly)
    Rain (friendly)
Obtained from Obtained from
Classic Mode.png Classic
Expert Mode.png Expert
Master Mode.png Master
EntityQty.Rate
Angry NimbusAngry Nimbus.gifAngry Nimbus16.67%
The Nimbus Rod's rain cloud attacking Target Dummies. Note how the rain pierces enemies, cannot penetrate walls, and can be summoned twice.

The Nimbus Rod is a Hardmode magic weapon that creates storm clouds that drop damaging "rain" projectiles directly below themselves. When cast, a cloud projectile is fired from the Nimbus Rod and travels towards the cursor. Upon reaching its destination or colliding with a solid block, the cloud stops and starts sending damaging raindrop particles downward, each dealing the weapon's stated damage. The raindrop can hit up to 5 targets. Each cloud lasts for five minutes and up to two clouds can be spawned at once. Using the Nimbus Rod when there are already two active clouds will cause the oldest cloud to disappear. The Nimbus Rod has a 1/15 (6.67%) chance of being dropped by Angry Nimbuses.

Its best modifier is Demonic or Deadly for damage output, or Mystic for mana conservation because it cannot get modifiers that affect knockback.

Notes

  • The clouds cannot travel through solid objects like blocks or closed doors, but can pass through platforms and liquids.
  • The rain projectile applies 10 ticks[1] of static invincibility frames upon hitting an enemy.
  • The cloud spawns a raindrop every 9 ticks, i.e. 6.67 raindrops per second.[2]
  • The raindrops travel at 51 mph, the same speed as a falling player.
  • The raindrops dissipate after 5 seconds,[2] giving them a maximum range of 96.5 tiles.

Tips

  • The Nimbus Rod is somewhat similar in function to sentries: Its fire-and-forget nature, low cost, long duration, and relatively high damage over time make it an ideal weapon to have during fights against large enemies like bosses. The piercing property of the raindrops proves effective against multi-segmented enemies, such as The Destroyer. The player is also left free to use other weapons while the clouds are active, since the cloud stays for a long time and only the initial cost consumes mana.
  • Since the critical strike chance of a projectile is not based on the weapon that fired it but rather the one the player is currently holding, this weapon pairs very well with magic weapons with a higher base critical strike chance than usual, most notably Sky Fracture(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions), Staff of Earth, and Stellar Tune(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions).
  • Each individual raindrop will trigger damage-related set bonuses, such as those of the Orichalcum armor and Spectre armor.
  • As there is very limited space between drops, rain can serve as a barrier against destructible projectiles, such as Burning Spheres.
  • The Crimson Cloud from the Crimson Rod can also be active, allowing the player to have up to three clouds on the screen at once. However, one will find the Crimson Rod to be relatively underperforming in Hardmode.
  • Acquiring a Nimbus Rod can be difficult, given that the Angry Nimbus is somewhat rare even during rain. As with all enemies, its spawn rate can be increased with Water Candles and Battle Potions, as well as during events like the Blood Moon or Solar Eclipse. With a properly fortified base where they can attack the Nimbuses from safety, a player can have a reasonable chance at getting a Nimbus Rod.

Trivia

  • The Nimbus Rod can be seen as the Hardmode upgrade to the Crimson Rod, which has a similar effect with lower damage.
  • The term nimbus is an outdated term for the type of cloud now classified as the nimbostratus cloud. A nimbostratus cloud is a low, gray, often dark, amorphous, nearly uniform cloud that usually produces continuous rain or snow.
  • During a Blood Moon, the raindrops from the Nimbus Rod will become red, like with the Crimson Rod.

History

  • Desktop 1.4.4:
    • Duration of clouds increased from 1 minute to 5 minutes.
    • Damage reduced from 36 to 30.
    • Now uses static frames, so immune frames will no longer interfere with non-Nimbus Rod sources of damage.
    • Mana cost increased from 10 to 30.
    • Pierce count reduced from infinite to 5.

References

  1. A tick is a time unit countable by the software. Most of Terraria's updating logic happens every tick. A tick has the length of 1/60th of a second, hence there are 60 ticks in a second and 3600 ticks in a minute.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Information taken from the Desktop version Desktop 1.4.4.9 source code, method AI() in Terraria.Projectile.cs. The relevant part is the aiStyle == 45 block.