Summon weapons
Summon weapons are weapons dealing summon damage. Summon weapons are categorized into minion-summoning weapons, sentry-summoning weapons, and whips.
Minion- and sentry-summoning weapons spawn secondary characters that automatically attack enemies. Minions follow the player, while sentries are stationary.
Whips swing in an arc and do not consume mana, functioning similar to melee weapons though dealing summon damage. Whips set the target of minions and sentries on the hit enemy and often increase summon damage on the target.
There are 60 summon weapons.
The following lists present all summon weapons, along with their damage and how to obtain them. The weapons are roughly ordered by their intended stage of game progression.
Pre-Hardmode
Minions
| Item | Minion | Damage | Source | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abigail's Flower(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 6 | Found on grass near placed Tombstones. |
| ||
| Finch Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 7 | Found in Living Wood Chests. | |||
| Flinx Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 8 | Crafted: 6 or 6 |
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| Cattiva(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 9 | Found during the day on grass, Jungle grass, or Snow Blocks in the outer fourths of the world. | |||
| Foxparks(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 20 | Found during the day on grass, Jungle grass, or Snow Blocks in the outer fourths of the world. | |||
| Mushroom Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 8 | Crafted: 300 or 300 |
| ||
| Slime Staff | 8 | Dropped by most slime types, Slimed Zombie, and King Slime. | |||
| Vampire Frog Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 11 | Dropped by Zombie Merman and Wandering Eye Fish. | |||
| Hornet Staff(Desktop, Console, Old-gen console and Mobile versions) | 12 | Crafted: 14 |
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| Imp Staff(Desktop, Console, Old-gen console and Mobile versions) | 17 | Crafted: 17 |
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Sentries
Standard
| Item | Sentry | Damage | Source | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houndius Shootius(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 24 | Dropped by Deerclops. | |||
Tavernkeep's sentries
| Item | Sentry | Damage | Source | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning Aura Rod(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 4 | Purchased from the Tavernkeep ( |
| ||
| Flameburst Rod(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 17 | Purchased from the Tavernkeep ( |
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| Explosive Trap Rod(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 24 | Purchased from the Tavernkeep ( |
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| Ballista Rod(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 30 | Purchased from the Tavernkeep ( |
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Whips
| Item | Damage | Source | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cobwhip(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 9 | Crafted: 30 |
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| Slime Whip(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 12 | Crafted: 50 |
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| Leather Whip(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 14 | Purchased from the Zoologist (10 GC). |
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| Soulscourge(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 17 | Crafted: 12 |
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| Vasculash(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 19 | Crafted: 12 |
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| Starcrash(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 18 | Crafted: 20 |
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| Snapthorn(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 18 | Crafted: 15 |
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| Spinal Tap(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 29 | Crafted: 90 |
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Hardmode
Minions
| Item | Minion | Damage | Source | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spider Staff(Desktop, Console, Old-gen console and Mobile versions) | 26 | Crafted: |
| ||
| Sanguine Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 35 | Dropped by Dreadnautilus. |
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| Pirate Staff(Desktop, Console, Old-gen console and Mobile versions) | 40 | Dropped by Pirates and Flying Dutchman. | |||
| Blade Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 6 | Dropped by Queen Slime. |
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| Optic Staff(Desktop, Console, Old-gen console and Mobile versions) | 24 | Crafted: |
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| Pygmy Staff | 40 | Dropped by Plantera. |
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| Desert Tiger Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 41 | Found in Desert Chest. |
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| Deadly Sphere Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 55 | Dropped by Deadly Sphere. | |||
| Raven Staff | 55 | Dropped by Pumpking. | |||
| Xeno Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 36 | Dropped by Martian Saucer. |
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| Tempest Staff | 50 | Dropped by Duke Fishron. |
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| Stardust Dragon Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 40 | Crafted: 18 |
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| Stardust Cell Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 60 | Crafted: 18 |
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Terraprisma(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 90 | Dropped by Empress of Light if all damage is dealt during the day. |
| |
Sentries
Standard
| Item | Sentry | Damage | Source | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queen Spider Staff(Desktop, Console, Old-gen console and Mobile versions) | 26 | Crafted: |
| ||
| Barnacle Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 33 | Found by fishing in the Hardmode Jungle. | |||
| Staff of the Frost Hydra | 100 | Found in Ice Chest. |
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| Lunar Portal Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | Lunar Portal
|
100 | Dropped by Moon Lord. |
| |
| Rainbow Crystal Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 130 | Dropped by Moon Lord. | |||
Tavernkeep's sentries
| Item | Sentry | Damage | Source | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning Aura Cane(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 11 | Purchased from the Tavernkeep ( |
| ||
| Flameburst Cane(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 42 | Purchased from the Tavernkeep ( |
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| Explosive Trap Cane(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 59 | Purchased from the Tavernkeep ( |
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| Ballista Cane(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 74 | Purchased from the Tavernkeep ( |
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| Lightning Aura Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 34 | Purchased from the Tavernkeep ( |
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| Flameburst Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 88 | Purchased from the Tavernkeep ( |
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| Explosive Trap Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 126 | Purchased from the Tavernkeep ( |
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| Ballista Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 156 | Purchased from the Tavernkeep ( |
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Whips
| Item | Damage | Source | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firecracker(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 37 | Dropped by Wall of Flesh. |
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| Cool Whip(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 45 | Crafted: 8 |
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| Durendal(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 55 | Crafted: 12 |
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| Vulgar Display of Flower(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 75 | Dropped by Plantera. |
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| Dark Harvest(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 110 | Dropped by Pumpking. |
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| Morning Star(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 160 | Dropped by Blue Armored Bones, Hell Armored Bones, and Rusty Armored Bones. |
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| Electric Eel(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 150 | Dropped by Duke Fishron. |
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| Kaleidoscope(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 170 | Dropped by Empress of Light. |
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| Constellation(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 130 | Crafted: 18 |
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| Possession(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 110 | Dropped by Moon Lord. |
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Armor summons
Certain armor sets will summon a unique minion when the full set is worn:
- Each player can only have one armor minion that remains active as long as the armor is worn.
- They do not count against either minion or sentry caps.
| Appearance | Set | Minion | Damage | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forbidden armor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 20 | Double-press ▼ Down/▲ Up to send out an Ancient Storm to attack enemies. |
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Chlorophyte armor(any Helmet) | 100 | The Crystal Leaf periodically fires green, laser-like bolts of energy that instantly hit the target. |
| |
| Stardust armor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | Stardust Guardian(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)
|
30 | The Stardust Guardian will automatically seek enemies and attack them rapidly. |
|
Boost gear
The following items will boost the stats of summon weapons.
Armor sets
| Appearance | Set | Defense | Bonuses | Cost / Source / Crafted At | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head | Chest | Legs | Total | ||||
| Flinx Fur Coat(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | n/a | 1 | n/a | 1 |
|
| |
| Pumpkin armor | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
|
| |
| Obsidian armor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 4 | 6 | 5 | 15 |
|
| |
| Bee armor(Desktop, Console, Old-gen console and Mobile versions) | 4 | 5 | 4 | 13 |
|
| |
| Spider armor(Desktop, Console, Old-gen console and Mobile versions) | 5 | 8 | 7 | 20 |
|
| |
| Crystal Assassin armor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 12 | 14 | 10 | 36 |
|
Dropped by Queen Slime | |
| Forbidden armor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 6 | 12 | 8 | 26 |
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| Squire armor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 13 | 27 | 18 | 58 |
|
Sold by the Tavernkeep for | |
| Monk armor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 8 | 22 | 16 | 46 |
|
Sold by the Tavernkeep for | |
| Huntress armor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 7 | 17 | 12 | 36 |
|
Sold by the Tavernkeep for | |
| Apprentice armor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 7 | 15 | 10 | 32 |
|
Sold by the Tavernkeep for | |
| Hallowed armor Ancient Hallowed armor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)(with Hood) | 1 | 15 | 11 | 27 |
|
Hallowed armor
Ancient Hallowed armor
| |
| Chlorophyte armor(with Visor) | 2 | 18 | 13 | 33 |
|
| |
| Tiki armor | 6 | 17 | 12 | 35 |
|
Sold by the Witch Doctor for 1 PC50 GC (set) after defeating Plantera | |
| Spooky armor | 9 | 11 | 10 | 30 |
|
| |
| Valhalla Knight armor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 20 | 24 | 24 | 68 |
|
Sold by the Tavernkeep for | |
| Shinobi Infiltrator armor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 10 | 26 | 18 | 54 |
|
Sold by the Tavernkeep for | |
| Red Riding armor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 8 | 24 | 16 | 48 |
|
Sold by the Tavernkeep for | |
| Dark Artist armor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 7 | 21 | 14 | 42 |
|
Sold by the Tavernkeep for | |
| Stardust armor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) | 10 | 16 | 12 | 38 |
|
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Accessories
Note that melee speed also increases whips' attack speed, but other melee accessories' effects are not applied to whips, e.g. Titan Glove's increase in size.
| Item | Bonuses | Source / Crafted At | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feral Claws |
|
| |
| Pygmy Necklace |
|
Sold by the Witch Doctor for 20 GC at night | |
| Squire's Shield(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) |
|
Dropped by Dark Mages | |
| Apprentice's Scarf(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) |
|
Dropped by Dark Mages | |
| Summoner Emblem(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) |
|
Dropped by the Wall of Flesh | |
| Power Glove |
|
| |
| Moon Charm |
At night (while not underwater):
|
Dropped by Werewolfs | |
| Putrid Scent(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) |
|
Dropped by Corrupt Mimics | |
| Berserker's Glove(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) |
|
| |
| Moon Stone |
At night:
|
Dropped by Vampires | |
| Monk's Belt(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) |
|
Dropped by Ogres | |
| Huntress's Buckler(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) |
|
Dropped by Ogres | |
| Avenger Emblem |
|
| |
| Mechanical Glove |
|
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| Fire Gauntlet |
|
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| Hercules Beetle |
|
Sold by the Witch Doctor for 40 GC when spoken in the Jungle after defeating Plantera | |
| Necromantic Scroll |
|
Dropped by Mourning Woods | |
| Papyrus Scarab |
|
| |
| Sun Stone |
At daytime:
|
Dropped by Golem | |
| Celestial Stone |
|
| |
| Celestial Shell(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) |
At night (while not underwater):
|
| |
| Destroyer Emblem |
|
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Buffs
| Buff | Bonuses | Duration | Cost / Source / Crafted At | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Well Fed |
|
1–25 minutes |
| |
| Plenty Satisfied(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) |
|
5–20 minutes |
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| Exquisitely Stuffed(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) |
|
4–48 minutes |
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| Wrath |
|
4 minutes |
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| Cute Fishron Mount(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)(Expert Mode exclusive) |
|
While riding the Cute Fishron mount and below 50% health, during rain, underwater, or 6 seconds thereafter |
| |
| Feral Bite(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)(Expert Mode exclusive) | 30–90 seconds 3–10 seconds |
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| Damage Nebula(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) |
|
8 seconds | Granted by Nebula armor damage boosters | |
| Cerebral Mindtrick(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)(Expert Mode exclusive) |
|
4 seconds |
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| Tipsy |
|
2–4 minutes |
| |
| Bewitched(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) |
|
Until canceled, the player dies, or leaves the world |
| |
| Strategist(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) |
|
Until canceled, the player dies, or leaves the world |
Dropped by Dark Mages | |
| Summoning |
|
8 minutes |
| |
| Weapon Imbue: Cursed Flames |
|
20 minutes |
| |
| Weapon Imbue: Fire | 20 minutes |
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| Weapon Imbue: Gold | 20 minutes |
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| Weapon Imbue: Ichor | 20 minutes |
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| Weapon Imbue: Nanites | 20 minutes |
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| Weapon Imbue: Poison | 20 minutes |
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| Weapon Imbue: Venom | 20 minutes |
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Notes
- It is possible to press ⚷ Open / Activate with a minion- or sentry-summoning weapon. This will direct the respective minion/sentry to target the entity nearest to the cursor. As long as the minions/sentries have their target within their line of sight, they will specifically attack it. The targeted enemy will show swirling white curves on it.
- The targeting graphic after 1.4.0.1.
- While minion- and sentry-summoning weapons can obtain the Mythical modifier, the Ruthless modifier offers the most effective boost by solely increasing hit damage. The reduced mana cost, increased speed, critical strike chance, and knockback provided by Mythical are less useful because these weapons use mana only once (on the initial summoning rather than the minion/sentry attacks themselves), boost to critical strike chance does not apply to minion- and sentry-summoning weapons, and their knockback is negligible even with modifiers. However, due to damage rounding, the Ruthless and Mythical modifiers provide an equal damage boost for every minion and sentry in pre-Hardmode. So, with the exceptions of the Blade Staff and Optic Staff, it is only worth going for the Ruthless modifier in Hardmode.
- Weapon speed is not very useful for minion- or sentry-summoning weapons, as it will only decrease the time it takes to summon a minion/sentry. Minions/sentries will not attack faster with a speed-boosting modifier.
- Once summoned, minions' and sentries' stats will change dynamically if the player adds or removes boost equipment/buffs.
- Minions and sentries will never attack other players, making them nearly useless in PvP. Some minion/sentry weapons can still damage players if specifically targeted (Frost Hydra, Rainbow Crystal Staff, etc.), or if they deal incidental contact damage (Ravens, Sharknados, etc.).
- All mounts that can attack are classified as summon damage. This includes the following: Painted Horse Mount, Majestic Horse Mount, Dark Horse Mount, Chillet, Chillet Ignis, Golf Cart, Goat Mount, Pirate Ship Mount, Tree Mount, Santank Mount, Slime Mount, Winged Slime Mount, Basilisk Mount, Unicorn Mount, and Scutlix Mount.
- Note that minions and sentries will attack slimes even during the day, when slimes are nominally "neutral".
- Minions and sentries vanish when their player leaves the world, and are not re-summoned when the player re-enters that or another world.
- The only exception is the Finch Staff which summons one Baby Finch automatically upon entering a world when the player has it in their inventory.[2]
Tips
- It is unnecessary to upgrade an Avenger Emblem to a Destroyer Emblem for the purpose of summon damage, as they cannot deal critical hits.
- Even if not playing as a summoner, it is always good to keep a minion or a sentry around to help pick off minor or weakened enemies. Having a minion taking out some of the passing bats, slimes, zombies, etc. can sharply improve the player's quality of life while wandering around in the world. Doubly so if the player is trying to build, fish, gather bait, chop wood, or otherwise do something besides fighting -- indeed, for such projects it may be worth adding a second minion or sentry to help fend off interruptions.
- Minions and sentries provide an ongoing source of damage against enemies which requires little or no attention from the player. This can prove quite useful during boss fights as a "passive" source of damage. Sentries however are a bit weaker than minions in this case, as most sentries (e.g. Houndius Shootius, Flameburst Tower, or Spider Turret) shoot slow-moving projectiles which may not hit fast bosses, such as the Eye of Cthulhu in his second stage.
Maximizing minions
Minion count
- The maximum possible minion capacity is 11. It requires equipping Stardust armor (not counting its Stardust Guardian), the Papyrus Scarab, Necromantic Scroll, and Pygmy Necklace accessories while being under the effects of the Summoning Potion and the Bewitching Table.
Sentry count
- The maximum possible sentry count outside of Tavernkeep's sentries during the Old One's Army event is 5. It requires equipping either Valhalla Knight armor, Shinobi Infiltrator armor, Red Riding armor or Dark Artist armor, Squire's Shield, Apprentice's Scarf, Monk's Belt or Huntress's Buckler (their effects do not stack) and being under the effect of the War Table.
Trivia
- All minion-summoning weapons (with the exception of Abigail's Flower, Houndius Shootius, and the Terraprisma) and the Tavernkeep's tier three sentry-summoning weapons have the word Staff in their names.
- The Tavernkeep's tier two sentry-summoning weapons also all have the word Cane in their names. The same applies to the tier one weapons, which share the word Rod. This can be used to help tell the difference between the sentry tiers.
- That said, a number of other magical weapons and tools are also called Staff or Rod, e.g. Frost Staff or Nimbus Rod.
- ↑ Depends on Activate Set Bonuses setting
- ↑ Information taken from the
Desktop 1.4.4.9 source code, methods Spawn()inTerraria.Player.csandAutoFinchStaff()inTerraria.Player.cs. There may be inaccuracies, as the current
Desktop version is 1.4.5.5.







