Summon weapons

Not to be confused with Summoning items.

For a sortable list of all available summon weapons, along with their stats for comparison, see List of summon weapons.

Summon weapons are a type of weapon that spawns secondary characters that will aid the player during battle by automatically attacking enemies within range. They cannot be hurt or killed, and deal summon damage.

The characters spawned by most summon weapons fall into one of two categories: minions and sentries. Minions are mobile characters that follow the player, while sentries remain stationary. Additionally, the set bonuses of the Stardust armor, Chlorophyte armor, and Forbidden armor will summon an entity to fight for the player in a manner similar to minions.

Whips(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) are related weapons that deal summon damage without summoning any minions. Hitting an enemy with a whip causes a player's minions and sentries to target it immediately.

There are 47 summon weapons on the  Desktop version,  Console version, and  Mobile version, 11 on the  Old-gen console version, and 5 on the Nintendo 3DS version.

Minions

Minions are mobile characters. They follow the player indefinitely until the player dies, summons a replacement minion, manually cancels their buff, or exits the world. There are several different minions available, some of which can walk or fly, and attack using melee or ranged means. A minion costs mana to summon initially, but follows the player indefinitely thereafter at no further cost.

Minions provide an ongoing source of damage against enemies which requires little or no attention from the player. The common limit of all minions is that each has a limited rate of attack and damage, but the different types also have various limits to their movement and/or attacks.

Minions follow players in a manner similar to pets, flying and passing through blocks as necessary to keep pace with the player's movements, though most cannot move through blocks for the purposes of attacking. Exceptions are the minions summoned by the Tempest Staff, Xeno Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions), Desert Tiger Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions), Stardust Dragon Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions), Blade Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions), Sanguine Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions), and Terraprisma(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions), all of which can attack through blocks.

On the  Desktop version,  Console version, and  Mobile version, it is possible to press ⚷ Open / Activate with a minion-summoning item. This will direct the respective minion to target the entity nearest to the cursor. As long as the minions 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.

• 

  Pre-1.4.0.1 targeting graphic when target is moving.

• 

  Pre-1.4.0.1 targeting graphic when target is stationary.

By default, a player can only have a single minion summoned at once. Various boosts can raise the player's minion capacity ("slots"), allowing multiple simultaneous minions. With minion cap boosts in effect, the same minion can be summoned multiple times, or several different minions can be summoned. Using the proper armor, accessories and buffs, the maximum number of minions can be raised up to 11.

Minion cap boosts do not affect pets or light pets. If the minion cap later drops below the number of minions in use, minions are randomly chosen and dismissed until the number of minions is below the current cap. Minions vanish when their player leaves the world, and are not re-summoned when the player re-enters that or another world.

The Optic Staff(Desktop, Console, Old-gen console and Mobile versions), Stardust Dragon Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions), Abigail's Flower(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions), and Desert Tiger Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) have special minion capacity logic. See their pages for details.

Sentries

Sentries are stationary characters. Unlike minions, sentries do not follow the player, and will instead remain rooted in place. In normal use, sentries will last for a fixed 10(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) / 2(Old-gen console and 3DS versions) minutes before vanishing; unlike minions, they can persist even after their owner dies. During the Old One's Army(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) event, this time limit does not apply (see below for details).

On the  Desktop version,  Console version, and  Mobile version, a player can normally only have a single sentry summoned at once. Tavernkeep armor, Stardust Helmet, Old One's Army Accessories, and the War Table can raise the player's sentry capacity, allowing multiple simultaneous sentries. Note that these accessories do not stack with each other, so the maximum sentry limit is 6: 1 by default, +1 from an accessory, +3 from armor, and +1 from the War Table buff. With sentry cap boosts in effect, the same sentry can be summoned multiple times, or several different sentries can be summoned. On the  Old-gen console version and Nintendo 3DS version, the player is limited to only summoning one of each sentry type, with no way to raise the cap.

A waiting sentry goes into a cooldown after attacking, before it can try to attack again. On the  Desktop version,  Console version, and  Mobile version, the cooldown is also applied when the sentry is first summoned. On the  Old-gen console version and Nintendo 3DS version, this cooldown is bypassed initially on summoning, which can dramatically increase sentry attack speed at the cost of greater mana expense by repeatedly summoning sentries.

Tavernkeep's sentries

  

Desktop/Console/Mobile-Only Content: This section's information applies only to the Desktop, Console, and Mobile versions of Terraria.

Sentries summoned by items from the Tavernkeep are associated with the Old One's Army event. They are purchased with Defender Medals (instead of coins), which are awarded only during the event. At first, they can only be used within the event, where they will remain placed until the end of the event. Each sentry summoned will cost 10 Etherian Mana; at the beginning of the event, the player immediately gets the 10 Etherian Mana for their first sentry, and can collect more as they kill enemies. Sentries summoned with Etherian Mana are not subject to sentry limits (see above). Other sentries can be used in the event, but will have their usual mana cost, duration, and sentry limits.

Each of the Tavernkeep's sentry summon weapons come in three tiers: Rod, Cane, and Staff; with the Staff being the most expensive and the most powerful. The Tavernkeep's various armor sets each enhance one of his four sentry types; see related pages for full details.

After the event is completed once, these can be used outside the event, and will then function as normal sentries, costing ordinary mana to summon (5 points per tier) and lasting the usual 10 minutes. Etherian Mana cannot be used outside the event, so the usual sentry limits apply: By default only one sentry can be summoned at once, but armor sold by the Tavernkeep, and accessories dropped by event bosses such as Ogres, can raise a player's sentry limit. This limit increase does include non-Tavernkeep sentries such as the Queen Spider. Again, the accessories do not stack with each other.

Whips

  

Desktop/Console/Mobile-Only Content: This section's information applies only to the Desktop, Console, and Mobile versions of Terraria.

Whips are unlike other summon weapons, and instead act more like a traditional weapon. When used, whips will perform a normal attack which costs no mana, swiping in a wide cone towards the cursor or wherever aimed. Whips deal summon damage, and as such cannot deal critical hits. All whips can pierce infinitely in their range, but will deal progressively less damage to each additional enemy they hit, until they start dealing 1 damage. Whips all vary in size as well. The severity of damage loss from piercing and the size of whips typically goes down and up, respectively, as whips get stronger.

Despite being summon weapons, whips are affected by some effects which only work on melee weapons, only get melee modifiers, and have a limited range like melee weapons. Whips are affected by any boosts to melee speed, as well as flasks and the autoswing feature of Feral Claws and its upgrades. Whips are not affected by boosts to melee damage or boosts to melee weapon size (such as the Titan Glove).

A feature of whips is how they make minions and sentries target the enemy hit, the same way that other summon weapons can target enemies. Whips can only target enemies by hitting them, unlike those other summon weapons. The enemy targeted will always be the last enemy hit by the whip, usually the furthest enemy away from the player that gets hit.

The main feature of whips is their summon tag damage, which increases the damage of each minion or sentry hit by a set amount. Two endgame whips also feature summon tag critical strike chance, which enables minions and sentries to deal critical hits. This summon tag critical strike chance cannot be increased by any other boosts to critical strike chance.

Some whips feature unique buffs and debuffs, aside from the common debuffs of Poisoned, Hellfire and Frostbite that three whips can inflict. Two whips feature debuffs which activate an effect when the enemy with the debuff is hit by a minion or sentry. These two debuffs are also universal; even universally immune enemies like The Destroyer can be affected by whip debuffs. The buffs that whips have are mostly boosts to melee speed, which get progressively more potent for stronger, later whips. These melee speed buffs are not exclusive to the whips that grant them, and will actually affect other whips as well. The Cool Whip features the only buff that does not affect melee speed; its buff creates a damaging projectile that lasts for 3 seconds after the last time the whip hit something.

Pre-Hardmode

Minions

Item		Minion	Damage	Source	Notes
	Abigail's Flower(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Abigail	6	Found on grass near placed Tombstones.	The flower on top of Abigail's head changes shape and/or color every time she is summoned.
	Finch Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Finch	7	Found in Living Wood Chests. Starting item in Journey Mode. Via Shimmer Transmutation with Living Wood Wand.	Does not trigger invulnerability.
	Flinx Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Flinx	8	Crafted: 6  + 10  ( @  ) or 6  + 10  ( @  )
	Slime Staff	Baby Slime	8	Dropped by most slime types and Slimed Zombie. Also purchased from the Princess(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) in Celebrationmk10(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) worlds (10 GC).
	Vampire Frog Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Vampire Frog	11	Dropped by Zombie Merman and Wandering Eye Fish.
	Hornet Staff(Desktop, Console, Old-gen console and Mobile versions)	Hornet	12 (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) / 9 (Old-gen console version)	Crafted: 14  ( @  /  )	Inflicts the Poisoned debuff.
	Imp Staff(Desktop, Console, Old-gen console and Mobile versions)	Imp	17 (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) / 21 (Old-gen console version)	Crafted: 17  ( @  /  )	Inflicts the On Fire! debuff.

Sentries

Standard

Item		Sentry	Damage	Source	Notes
	Houndius Shootius(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Houndius Shootius	24	Dropped by Deerclops.

Tavernkeep's sentries

Item		Sentry	Damage	Source	Notes
	Lightning Aura Rod(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Lightning Aura (tier 1)	4	Purchased from the Tavernkeep (50000*5 ).	Ignores all defense stats of its targets, except for enemies with more than 999 defense.
	Flameburst Rod(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Flameburst Tower (tier 1)	17	Purchased from the Tavernkeep (50000*5 ).	Inflicts the On Fire! debuff.
	Explosive Trap Rod(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Explosive Trap (tier 1)	24	Purchased from the Tavernkeep (50000*5 ).
	Ballista Rod(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Ballista (tier 1)	30	Purchased from the Tavernkeep (50000*5 ).

Whips

Item			Damage	Source	Notes
	Leather Whip(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)		14	Purchased from the Zoologist (10 GC).	4 summon tag damage. Damage reduced by 50% each hit in a single swing.
	Snapthorn(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)		18	Crafted: 15  + 3  + 12  ( @  /  )	6 summon tag damage. Hitting enemies increases attack speed with the Jungle's Fury buff. May inflict the Poisoned debuff. Damage reduced by 40% each hit in a single swing.
	Spinal Tap(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)		27	Crafted: 90  + 55  ( @  )	7 summon tag damage. Damage reduced by 10% each hit in a single swing.

Hardmode

Minions

Item		Minion	Damage	Source	Notes
	Spider Staff(Desktop, Console, Old-gen console and Mobile versions)	Spider	26 (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) / 25 (Old-gen console version)	Crafted: 16  ( @  /  )	Inflicts the Acid Venom debuff.
	Sanguine Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Sanguine Bat	35	Dropped by Dreadnautilus.	Stays in the same position in relation to the player.
	Pirate Staff(Desktop, Console, Old-gen console and Mobile versions)	Pirate	40 (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) / 32 (Old-gen console version)	Dropped by Pirates and Flying Dutchman(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions).	Does not trigger invulnerability.
	Blade Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Enchanted Dagger	6	Dropped by Queen Slime.	Ignores 25 defense. Does not trigger invulnerability. Stays in the same position in relation to the player, flies through blocks to attack enemies.
	Optic Staff(Desktop, Console, Old-gen console and Mobile versions)	Twins	24 (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) / 30 (Old-gen console version)	Crafted: + 2  + 12  + 20  ( @  /  )	Both Twins are spawned as 1 minion.
	Pygmy Staff	Pygmy	40 (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) / 34 (Old-gen console and 3DS versions)	Dropped by Plantera.	Inflicts the Acid Venom debuff.
	Desert Tiger Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Desert Tiger	41	Found in Desert Chest.	Does not trigger invulnerability. Will change form at 4 and 7 summoned minions. It will increase the tiger's damage and speed for each summon for up to 9 summons. Zap through blocks to attack enemies.
	Deadly Sphere Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Deadly Sphere	40	Dropped by Deadly Sphere.
	Raven Staff	Raven	55 (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) / 37 (Old-gen console and 3DS versions)	Dropped by Pumpking.	Does not trigger invulnerability.
	Xeno Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	UFO	36	Dropped by Martian Saucer.	Attacks are instantaneous and cannot miss.
	Tempest Staff	Sharknado	50	Dropped by Duke Fishron.	Both Sharknado and Mini Sharkrons can hit an enemy.
	Stardust Dragon Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Stardust Dragon	40	Crafted: 18  ( @  )	Each extra minion summoned adds a segment to the main Dragon, increasing damage. Flies through blocks to attack enemies.
	Stardust Cell Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Stardust Cell	60	Crafted: 18  ( @  )	Launches additional projectiles at enemies the player hits.
	Terraprisma(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Terraprisma	90	Dropped by Empress of Light if all damage is dealt during the day.	Does not trigger invulnerability. Stays in the same position in relation to the player, flies through blocks to attack enemies.

Sentries

Standard

Item		Sentry	Damage	Source	Notes
	Queen Spider Staff(Desktop, Console, Old-gen console and Mobile versions)	Spider Turret	26 (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) / 19 (Old-gen console version)	Crafted: 24  ( @  /  )	Spiders accumulate, inflicts the Acid Venom debuff.
	Staff of the Frost Hydra	Frost Hydra	100	Found in Ice Chest.	(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Inflicts the Frostbite debuff.
	Lunar Portal Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Lunar Portal	100	Dropped by Moon Lord.	Pierces infinitely.
	Rainbow Crystal Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Rainbow Crystal	130	Dropped by Moon Lord.

Tavernkeep's sentries

Item		Sentry	Damage	Source	Notes
	Lightning Aura Cane(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Lightning Aura (tier 2)	11	Purchased from the Tavernkeep (150000*15 ).	Ignores all defense stats of its targets, except for enemies with more than 999 defense.
	Flameburst Cane(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Flameburst Tower (tier 2)	42	Purchased from the Tavernkeep (150000*15 ).	Inflicts the Hellfire debuff.
	Explosive Trap Cane(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Explosive Trap (tier 2)	59	Purchased from the Tavernkeep (150000*15 ).
	Ballista Cane(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Ballista (tier 2)	74	Purchased from the Tavernkeep (150000*15 ).
	Lightning Aura Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Lightning Aura (tier 3)	34	Purchased from the Tavernkeep (600000*60 ).	Ignores all defense stats of its targets, except for enemies with more than 999 defense.
	Flameburst Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Flameburst Tower (tier 3)	88	Purchased from the Tavernkeep (600000*60 ).	Inflicts the Hellfire debuff.
	Explosive Trap Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Explosive Trap (tier 3)	126	Purchased from the Tavernkeep (600000*60 ).
	Ballista Staff(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Ballista (tier 3)	156	Purchased from the Tavernkeep (600000*60 ).

Whips

Item			Damage	Source	Notes
	Firecracker(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)		37	Dropped by Wall of Flesh.	Instead of increasing minion damage, a struck enemy is surrounded by fiery energy which explodes the next time a minion attacks it, which deals 2.75× the minion's usual damage. Inflicts the Hellfire debuff. Damage reduced by 33% each hit in a single swing.
	Cool Whip(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)		45	Crafted: 8  + 8  + ( @  /  )	6 summon tag damage. Hitting enemies summons a snowflake minion that attacks that enemy and any nearby enemies, doing 15 damage. It has 30 armor penetration. Inflicts the Frostbite debuff. Damage reduced by 30% each hit in a single swing.
	Durendal(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)		55	Crafted: 12  ( @  /  )	9 summon tag damage. Hitting enemies increases attack speed with the Durendal's Blessing buff. Damage reduced by 20% each hit in a single swing.
	Dark Harvest(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)		100	Dropped by Pumpking.	Hitting an enemy adds dark energy to it. When minions attack an enemy with dark energy, the dark energy flares, and damages nearby enemies and the original target for 10 damage per hit. It has 50 armor penetration. Hitting enemies increases attack speed with the Harvest Time buff. Damage reduced by 10% each hit in a single swing.
	Morning Star(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)		165	Dropped by Blue Armored Bones, Hell Armored Bones, and Rusty Armored Bones.	8 summon tag damage. 12% summon tag critical strike chance. Damage reduced by 5% each hit in a single swing.
	Kaleidoscope(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)		180	Dropped by Empress of Light.	20 summon tag damage. +10% summon tag critical strike chance. Damage reduced by 10% each hit in a single swing.

Armor summons

See also the Chlorophyte armor, a non-summoner armor set that summons a Leaf Crystal that attacks nearby enemies automatically.

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.

Item	Minion	Damage	Notes	Source
Forbidden armor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Forbidden Sign(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	25	Double-press ▼ Down to send out an Ancient Storm to attack enemies.	Crafted: 3 / 46 ( or )
Stardust armor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Stardust Guardian(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	20	The Stardust Guardian will automatically seek enemies and attack them rapidly.	Crafted: 36 / 45

Boost gear

Basegame armor

Appearance	Set	Defense				Summon Bonuses	Source
		Head	Chest	Legs	Total
	Flinx Fur Coat(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	n/a	1	n/a	1	+1 minion capacity +5% summon damage	10 Silk 8 Flinx Fur(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) 8 Gold Bar / Platinum Bar Crafted at Loom
	Obsidian armor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	4	6	5	15	+1 minion capacity +16% summon damage Set Bonus: +15% whip speed, +30% whip range, +15% summon damage (+31% total)	60 Obsidian 30 Silk 20 Shadow Scale / Tissue Sample Crafted at Hellforge
	Bee armor(Desktop, Console, Old-gen console and Mobile versions)	4	5	4	13	+2 minion capacity +13% summon damage Set Bonus: +10% summon damage (+23% total)	30 Bee Wax(Desktop, Console, Old-gen console and Mobile versions) Crafted at Iron Anvil / Lead Anvil
	Forbidden armor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	6	12	8	26	+2 minion capacity +25% summon damage Set Effect: Ancient Storm	3 Forbidden Fragment(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) 46 Adamantite Bar / Titanium Bar Crafted at Mythril Anvil / Orichalcum Anvil
	Spider armor(Desktop, Console, Old-gen console and Mobile versions)	5	8	7	20	+3 minion capacity +16% summon damage Set Bonus: +12% summon damage (+28% total)	36 Spider Fang(Desktop, Console, Old-gen console and Mobile versions) Crafted at Iron Anvil / Lead Anvil
	Hallowed armor(with Hood)	1	15	11	27	+1 minion capacity +10% summon damage +7% damage Set Bonus: +2 minion capacity (+3 total)	54 Hallowed Bar Crafted at Mythril Anvil / Orichalcum Anvil
	Tiki armor	6	17	12	35	+3 minion capacity +30% summon damage +10% whip range (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Set Bonus: +20% whip range (+30% total) Set Bonus: +1 minion capacity (+4 total)	(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Sold by Witch Doctor after Plantera has been defeated. (Old-gen console and 3DS versions) Sold by Witch Doctor while the player has a Pygmy Staff in their inventory.
	Spooky armor	(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) 9 / (Old-gen console and 3DS versions) 8	(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) 11 / (Old-gen console and 3DS versions) 10	(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) 10 / (Old-gen console and 3DS versions) 9	(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) 30 / (Old-gen console and 3DS versions) 27	(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) +4 minion capacity (Old-gen console and 3DS versions) +3 minion capacity +33% summon damage +20% movement speed Set Bonus: +25% summon damage (+58% total)	750 Spooky Wood Crafted at Work Bench
	Stardust armor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	10	16	12	38	+5 minion capacity +1 sentry capacity +66% summon damage +30% whip range Set Effect: Stardust Guardian	36 Luminite Bar(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) 45 Stardust Fragment(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Crafted at Ancient Manipulator(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)

Tavernkeep's armor

Appearance / Name	Minion boost(s)	Head	Chest	Legs	Total defense	Source
Apprentice armor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Flameburst sentry field of view and range are dramatically increased +2 sentry capacity +30% summon damage	7	15	10	32	Sold by Tavernkeep
Monk armor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Lightning Aura sentries can deal critical hits and strike faster +2 sentry capacity +30% summon damage	8	22	16	46	Sold by Tavernkeep
Huntress armor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Explosive Trap sentries apply Oiled debuff to enemies: Oiled enemies take extra damage from fire debuffs. +2 sentry capacity +30% summon damage	7	17	12	36	Sold by Tavernkeep
Squire armor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Ballista sentry projectiles pierce more targets Grants Ballista Panic buff when the player takes damage, doubling the fire rate of Ballista sentries for 3 seconds. +2 sentry capacity +30% summon damage	12	27	17	56	Sold by Tavernkeep
Dark Artist armor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	+3 sentry capacity +60% summon damage Greatly enhances Flameburst effectiveness	7	21	14	42	Sold by Tavernkeep
Shinobi Infiltrator armor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	+3 sentry capacity +60% summon damage Greatly enhances Lightning Aura effectiveness	10	26	18	54	Sold by Tavernkeep
Red Riding armor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	+3 sentry capacity +60% summon damage Greatly enhances Explosive Traps effectiveness	8	24	16	48	Sold by Tavernkeep
Valhalla Knight armor(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	+3 sentry capacity +60% summon damage Greatly enhances Ballista effectiveness	20	24	24	68	Sold by Tavernkeep

Accessories

Item	Boost(s)	Source
Pygmy Necklace	+1 Minion capacity	(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Sold by Witch Doctor during night. (Old-gen console and 3DS versions) Sold by Witch Doctor when spoken in the Jungle after Plantera has been defeated and there is a Pygmy Staff in the player's inventory.
Squire's Shield(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	+1 sentry capacity +10% summon damage	Dropped by Dark Mage.
Apprentice's Scarf(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	+1 sentry capacity +10% summon damage	Dropped by Dark Mage.
Summoner Emblem(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	+15% summon damage	Dropped by Wall of Flesh.
Putrid Scent(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	+5% (all) damage -400 aggro	Dropped by Corrupt Mimic
Monk's Belt(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	+1 sentry capacity +10% summon damage	Dropped by Ogre(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions).
Huntress's Buckler(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	+1 sentry capacity +10% summon damage	Dropped by Ogre(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions).
Avenger Emblem	+12% (All) Damage	Crafted: ((Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)) 1 or 1 or 1 or 1 + 5 + 5 + 5 or ((Old-gen console and 3DS versions)) 1 + 1 + 1
Hercules Beetle	+15% summon damage Increases minion knockback by 2	(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Sold by Witch Doctor when spoken in the Jungle after Plantera has been defeated. (Old-gen console and 3DS versions) Sold by Witch Doctor when spoken in the Jungle after Plantera has been defeated and there is a Pygmy Staff in the player's inventory.
Necromantic Scroll	+1 minion capacity +10% summon damage	Dropped by Mourning Wood.
Papyrus Scarab	+1 minion capacity +15% summon damage Increases minion knockback by 2	Crafted: 1 + 1
Moon Stone	+10% (all) damage +10% whip and melee speed Increases minion knockback by 0.5 (Bonuses only activate during the Night or a Solar Eclipse) (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Does not stack with Celestial Stone or Celestial Shell	Dropped by Vampire.
Sun Stone	+10% (all) damage +10% whip and melee speed Increases minion knockback by 0.5 (Bonuses only activate during the Day) (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Does not stack with Celestial Stone or Celestial Shell	Dropped by Golem.
Celestial Stone	+10% (all) damage +10% whip and melee speed Increases minion knockback by 0.5 (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Does not stack with Celestial Shell or either Sun or Moon Stone	Crafted: 1 + 1
Celestial Shell(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	+10% (all) damage +10% whip and melee speed Increases minion knockback by 0.5 In Werewolf form, at Night or during a Solar Eclipse: +5.1% whip and melee speed, total of +15.1% at Night. Does not stack with Celestial Stone or either Sun or Moon Stone	Crafted: 1 + 1
Destroyer Emblem	+10% (all) damage	Crafted: 1 + 1

Additionally, any accessories which boost melee speed also boost whip speed, and the autoswing property of Feral Claws and its upgrades applies to whips. There are some melee accessories which have small boosts only to whips, not to the summons themselves.

Item	Whip and Melee Boost(s)	Source
Feral Claws	+12% whip and melee speed All whips and melee weapons now autoswing	Found in Ivy Chests, Jungle Crates and Bramble Crates
Power Glove	+12% whip and melee speed All whips and melee weapons now autoswing	Crafted: +
Mechanical Glove	+12% whip and melee speed All whips and melee weapons now autoswing	Crafted: +
Fire Gauntlet	+12% whip and melee speed All whips and melee weapons now autoswing	Crafted: +
Berserker's Glove(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	+12% whip and melee speed All whips and melee weapons now autoswing +8 defense +400 aggro	Crafted: +
Moon Charm	+5.1% whip and melee speed (Boost only activates at Night or during a Solar Eclipse) (Does not stack with Celestial Shell)	Dropped by Werewolf on a Full Moon

Buffs

Buff	From	Minion Boost(s)
Well Fed	Foods	+5% (All) Damage +0.5 minion knockback
Plenty Satisfied(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Foods	+7.5% (All) damage +0.75 minion knockback
Exquisitely Stuffed(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Foods	+10% (All) damage +1 minion knockback
Wrath	Wrath Potion	+10% (All) Damage
Cute Fishron Mount(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Shrimpy Truffle(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	+15% (All) Damage - (In Water / Under 50% Health)
Feral Bite(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Some Bats and Duke Fishron	+20% (All) Damage
Damage Nebula(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Damage Booster(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	+15%/30%/45% (All) damage for 8 seconds
Cerebral Mindtrick(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Brain of Confusion(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	+10% summon damage (As an unlisted statistic)
Summoning	Summoning Potion	+1 Minion capacity
Bewitched(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	Bewitching Table(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	+1 Minion capacity
Strategist(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	War Table(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)	+1 Sentry capacity
Weapon Imbue: Confetti	Flask of Party	Melee and whip attacks cause a burst of confetti
Weapon Imbue: Cursed Flames	Flask of Cursed Flames	Melee and whip attacks inflict Cursed Inferno debuff on enemies
Weapon Imbue: Fire	Flask of Fire	Melee and whip attacks inflict On Fire! debuff on enemies
Weapon Imbue: Gold	Flask of Gold	Melee and whip attacks inflict Midas debuff on enemies
Weapon Imbue: Ichor	Flask of Ichor	Melee and whip attacks inflict Ichor debuff on enemies
Weapon Imbue: Nanites	Flask of Nanites	Melee and whip attacks inflict Confused debuff on enemies
Weapon Imbue: Poison	Flask of Poison	Melee and whip attacks inflict Poisoned debuff on enemies
Weapon Imbue: Venom	Flask of Venom	Melee and whip attacks inflict Venom debuff on enemies

Achievements

You and What Army? • “Command nine summoned minions simultaneously.”

Have nine minions summoned at the same time. (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)

Category: Challenger

Notes

• While all Summon weapons can obtain the Mythical modifier, the Ruthless modifier offers the most effective minion boost by solely increasing a minion's hit damage. The reduced mana cost, increased speed, critical strike chance, and knockback provided by Mythical are less useful because Summon weapons use mana only once (on the initial summoning rather than the minion attacks themselves), minions cannot deal critical hits, 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(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) 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. Minions/sentries will not attack faster with a speed-boosting modifier.
• (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Once summoned, minions' stats will change dynamically if the player adds or removes boost equipment/buffs.
• (Old-gen console and 3DS versions) Once summoned, minions' stats will not change even if the player adds or removes boost equipment/buffs.
• Minions count as buffs and contribute to the (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) 44 / (Old-gen console and 3DS versions) 22 buff/debuff limit. The player can potentially lose their minions in the middle of a fight if the buffs get pushed off by other buffs/debuffs. This can be mitigated by managing the total number of buffs:
  • Turning off non-combat buffs (pets, light pets)
  • Limiting number of active potions to only the most important potions
  • Using only one or two types of minion at a given time
  • Not activating un-needed buffs (e.g. Ammo Box if one does not intend to use ammo based weapons)
  • Removing extraneous buff granting items from arenas (like Water Candles)
  • Using debuff immunity items to prevent aquiring a debuff
• Minions will never attack other players, making them nearly useless in PvP. Some minion 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, Goat Mount, Pirate Ship Mount, Tree Mount, Santank Mount, Slime Mount, Winged Slime Mount, Basilisk Mount, Unicorn Mount, and Scutlix Mount.
• Only some minions have piercing attacks: Slime, Imp, Twins, the Stardust Dragon, Terraprisma, and all three Ballistas. This may be relevant if a player is using other piercing weapons.
• Note that when trying to obtain the "You and What Army?" achievement, a pair of the Twins count as one full minion.

Tips

• Minions do not differentiate between enemies summoned by Statues and normal enemy spawns. This causes them to sometimes interfere with enemy-based engines, as they will zip off to slaughter any statue-summoned enemies in range (The Stardust Dragon is especially prone to this behavior).
• Players may want to avoid using minions in some situations, as they may accidentally trigger events:
  • Minions that deal contact damage may inadvertently spawn the Queen Bee if they accidentally touch the Larva present in Bee Hives.
  • In the Underworld, minions may inadvertently spawn the Wall of Flesh by killing a Voodoo Demon, causing its Guide Voodoo Doll to fall into lava.
  • While minions will not explicitly target the Cultists, minions that deal contact damage may inadvertently damage them, causing them to become hostile. It is also possible for minions to kill all four Cultists, causing the Lunatic Cultist to spawn.
• (Old-gen console and 3DS versions) Summon weapons are the only weapon type that is not regularly available in the first parts of the game. While the first summon weapon, the Slime Staff is technically the earliest obtainable weapon, it is extremely rare, and is likely to go unseen until far later in the game. It can, however, be farmed by the use of a Slime Statue.
• Since sentries do not suffer from Mana Sickness, repeatedly summoning sentries can be a viable way to deliver high damage constantly when using a sentry that attacks instantly after being summoned.
• (Old-gen console and 3DS versions) Since minions' stats will not change after it is summoned, it is worthwhile to load up all available damage bonuses and buffs (for both summon damage and damage in general) before summoning minions, even with no intention of using that equipment in the field.
• It is unnecessary to upgrade an Avenger Emblem to a Destroyer Emblem for the purpose of summon damage, as they cannot deal critical hits. However, the Destroyer Emblem may benefit players if they are using non-summon weapons. Players may also want to use a Destroyer Emblem if they want to stack its damage bonus with the bonus provided by an Avenger Emblem.
• Even if not playing as a summoner, it is always good to keep a minion 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, gather bait, chop wood, or otherwise do something besides fighting -- indeed, for such projects it may be worth adding a second minion to help fend off interruptions.
• Note that minions will attack Slimes even during the day, when the Slimes are nominally "neutral".
•  Desktop version,  Console version, and  Mobile version The Kaleidoscope can prove to be more useful than the Morning Star, as the Kaleidoscope has higher drop rates from a specific boss than the Morning Star, the summon tag damage is higher and it is faster with more critical strike chance, which is better than simply a slightly longer range and more damage. The Morning Star, however, has high knockback and can be useful in events to keep enemies back.

Maximizing minions

Minion count

• (Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) 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.
• (Old-gen console and 3DS versions) The maximum possible minion capacity is 9. It requires equipping Tiki armor, the Papyrus Scarab, Necromantic Scroll, and Pygmy Necklace accessories while being under the temporary effects of the Summoning Potion.

Minion damage

Note that damage is calculated in a two-step process. First the weapon damage itself is adjusted for the weapon modifier (and rounded to the nearest integer). Only after that are all other modifiers added and applied to the weapon damage.

(Old-gen console and 3DS versions) Damage bonuses only need to be active while actually summoning the minions. This allows summoning some minions at maximum damage, and then unequipping some of the damage bonus for limit increases, to summon more minions at slightly lower damage.

(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions) Damage bonuses are calculated concurrently, meaning any damage bonus that is removed while a minion is active will be removed from the minion. Thus, the following loadout is no longer useful as a "setup" procedure, though it remains a powerful summoner build.

A Ruthless modifier on the minion-summoning staff yields +18% up front.

Other modifiers can be maximized as follows:

• A mixed armor set:
  • + 22% from the Stardust Helmet.
  • + 30% from either the Dark Artist's Robes or the Valhalla Knight's Breastplate.
  • + 25% from Red Riding Leggings.
• Accessories:
  • + 15% from the Papyrus Scarab.
  • + 15% from the Hercules Beetle.
  • + 15% from the Summoner Emblem.
  • + 12% from the Avenger Emblem.
  • + 10% from any of the following accessories: Necromantic Scroll, Destroyer Emblem, Celestial Stone, Celestial Shell, any of the Ogre accessories (Apprentice's Scarf, Huntress's Buckler, Monk's Belt, Squire's Shield), or either the Sun Stone (during the day) or the Moon Stone (at night).
    • These all offer the same damage bonus for the actual summoning of minions, but they have different features for continued use: The Necromantic scroll grants players an extra minion slot, the Ogre accessories grants players an extra sentry slot, while the other accessories extend their damage bonus to other damage types, and provide other bonuses.
  • + 20% from reforging all five accessories to have Menacing (+4% damage).
• Buffs:
  • + 15% from Exquisitely Stuffed (from eating food).
  • + 10% from Wrath (from drinking a Wrath Potion).
  • + 45% from a 3-stack of Damage Booster buffs from Nebula armor (a teammate's, or see below).
• Expert Mode only:
  • +10% from the Cerebral Mindtrick debuff granted by dodging an attack with a Brain of Confusion. After getting the debuff, one can switch it out with another accessory and still retain the bonus.
  • +14% from a second accessory from the "10%" list above, likewise reforged to Menacing.
  • +15% from Cute Fishron Mount (riding the Cute Fishron in water and for 6 seconds afterwards).
  • +20% from the Feral Bite debuff (inflicted by Bats in Expert Mode).
• Master Mode only:

+14% from a third accessory from the "10%" list above, likewise reforged to Menacing.

Total maximum: +224% / +283% / +297%. On top of the bonus for a Ruthless weapon, this will yield approximately +282% / +352% / +368%.

Examples

• An ordinary Stardust Cell Staff would summon a Stardust Cell hitting for 60 summon damage. After reforging the staff to have the Ruthless modifier, the staff would summon a Stardust Cell hitting for 60 + 18% = 71 summon damage. After wearing the above gear, eating food, drinking a Wrath Potion, entering a body of water while riding the Cute Fishron, getting bitten by a bat (in Expert mode), and picking up a 3-stack of Damage Booster buffs in multiplayer, the staff would summon a Stardust Cell hitting for 229 / 264 / 274 damage.
• A Ruthless Stardust Dragon has a modified damage of 47. With a Summoning Potion and Bewitching Table, the above will allow up to six summons (188 base damage). With the above damage bonuses, the resulting dragon will do an average of 609 / 701 damage per hit.

(Old-gen console and 3DS versions) The procedure

To achieve "maximum minion power" in single-player, follow the following procedure:

1. All accessories being used to achieve maximum minion power must be reforged to Menacing, and all summoning weapons to Ruthless.
2. Arrange the desired summoning weapons on the hotbar.
3. Wear the following accessories: Papyrus Scarab, Hercules Beetle, Avenger Emblem, Necromantic Scroll, and the Celestial Stone. Keep a Pygmy Necklace handy for later.
4. Armor: Start off in Spooky Armor, and prepare a set of Tiki armor.
5. Use the potions: Food, Wrath Potion, and Summoning Potion.
6. Summon the desired minions. In total, there should be seven minions (or pairs of Twins) at the maximum of +173% damage.
   • Minion sources: Default, Spooky armor, Papyrus Scarab, Necromantic Scroll, Summoning Potion.
7. Now swap out the armor and an accessory to summon two more minions at slightly lower damage:
   1. Replace the Avenger Emblem with the Pygmy Necklace. This brings damage values down to +157% and summon another minion.
   2. Swap out the Spooky Armor for the Tiki Armor and summon another minion at +129% damage.
   3. Note: If the player later loses some of the many extra-slot bonuses in use (removing accessories or armor, letting buffs expire), the minion(s) that vanish will be chosen randomly. Each individual minion will keep the damage bonus in effect when it was summoned.

Trivia

• All minion-summoning items (with the exception of Abigail's Flower(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions), Houndius Shootius(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions), and the Terraprisma(Desktop, Console and Mobile versions)) and the Tavernkeep's tier three sentry summoning items have the word Staff in their names.
  • The Tavernkeep's tier two sentry summon items also all have the word Cane in their names. The same applies to the tier one items, 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.