SkItZo1041
Terrarian
Hey guys, this is actually my first post so cut me some slack.
So I was a console player, swapped to PC to enjoy the Journey's End update, and decided to start as a Ranged player. It was fun, but then I got bored in early hardmode. Slapped on a Blade staff and my world was rocked. Tried to keep this part short and sweet. Anyways, point is, I had a LOT of fun as a summoner, but almost all the guides and tips were outdated. Saying summoners suck, whips suck, staves suck, etc. Why? Summoners are fun! So I'm here to make my own, not super in depth summoners guide for Terraria, 1.4.1. (granted, 1.4.1 came out recently, so a lot of this information will be fairly new)
EDIT: Added spoiler clickers, I typed a LOT of information, so hopefully this helps keep it organized, especially if you're playing through and not trying to read through 5 essays to find what you need
Starting out:
Early Hardmode:
Post Plantera:
Post Golem/Moon Lord:
Quick Breakdown of each minion, and how they act:
Boss Fights/Setup and Strategies:
I'll try to help a little bit with Master Mode boss fight tips here. Spoiler clickers for each boss fight, will be updating more when I have more time off of work!
Potions - Summoning, Ironskin, Regeneration, Endurance, Swiftness, Lifeforce (Hardmode only), Wrath (Corruption), Heartreach (Crimson). Health Potions should be prioritized as such: Super - Greater - Restoration
Flasks - Ichor (Single Target), Cursed Flames (Area of Effect/Crowd Control), Venom (Post Plantera)
Consumables - I recommend the Pumpkin Pie as food, as it is easy to farm a ton of them, and they provide a medium bonus for a decent 8 minutes. Although any food that does a Major Improvement is fine too, just be careful to watch their durations.
Other Buffs - Bewitching Table, Sharpening Station, Slice of Cake, Heart Lanterns, Campfires, Bast, Sunflower
Arena - I use a 3 Layer platform arena (about 10-15 blocks between each layer) set in the Hallow, slightly above ground level with the above buffs for pretty much every encounter. There are certainly more intricate arenas out there, this is just what I use. A solid ground layer of asphalt will help tremendously as well. You can be creative with your arenas, alter it to your playstyle!
Queen Slime:
Hopefully this guide helps a little when trying out summoners. I'm a pretty casual player myself, so if I'm misinformed on any of these self proclaimed bests, don't shoot me. I'm just trying to help people that don't know what path to take when starting out, much like myself. Have fun, and whip some Terrarian butt
So I was a console player, swapped to PC to enjoy the Journey's End update, and decided to start as a Ranged player. It was fun, but then I got bored in early hardmode. Slapped on a Blade staff and my world was rocked. Tried to keep this part short and sweet. Anyways, point is, I had a LOT of fun as a summoner, but almost all the guides and tips were outdated. Saying summoners suck, whips suck, staves suck, etc. Why? Summoners are fun! So I'm here to make my own, not super in depth summoners guide for Terraria, 1.4.1. (granted, 1.4.1 came out recently, so a lot of this information will be fairly new)
EDIT: Added spoiler clickers, I typed a LOT of information, so hopefully this helps keep it organized, especially if you're playing through and not trying to read through 5 essays to find what you need
Starting out:
General rule of thumb: Whips with Tag Damage = best with fast hitting minions. Firecracker = best with strong, single minions (desert tiger, stardust dragon).
If you're playing journey mode, you start with a Finch Staff, cool stuff. But if not, smack a couple tree's with an axe until you get one, loot some living wood chests, or kill some slimes until you get a Slime Staff. These aren't that great, but unless you wanna just play a different class until you get to the good stuff, it's what you gotta do. However, if you're a decent player, you can just rush on down to the snow biome underground and kill some Flinx until you get enough fur for a Flinx Robe and a Flinx staff. Ultimately, you're going to want to be fishing during every blood moon however, as IMO, the Vampire Frog Staff will be your strongest summon pre-Hardmode. That is obviously up for debate, but against fast enemies (and bosses) and regular mobs, I personally think it is the most consistent. Other great options are the Hornet Staff and the Imp staff, with both of these weapons getting a buff as of Journey's End.
Weapons? Kill as much stuff as you can until you get your Zoologist at 10% Bestiary completion, then buy a Leather Whip. Use this until you can craft a Snapthorn from the Jungle, then use Snapthorn and Spinal Tap for various situations. My recommendation is slap your enemies a few times with Snapthorn, then swap and use Spinal Tap until the Melee speed bonus goes away. Spinal Tap is most useful against multiple enemies, with one of the lowest damage reductions per enemy hit in the game. In other words, great for blood moons, wall of flesh, cthulu's eyes, etc..
Use the Flinx robe until you get your Obsidian armor, which is still good WELL into hardmode if you're good at dodging. A 43% damage bonus and 50% whip speed and size bonus? YES PLEASE. Ultimately, Obsidian armor, Snapthorn and Spinal Tap, and your choice of VF staff or Hornet/Imp staff will be good enough to beat every boss in pre Hardmode, even on master. Just make sure to grind out a Feral Claw from the jungle, as you'll wanna use those and it's variants throughout the rest of the game.
Also, soon as you kill the Queen Bee, you open up the Witch Doctor, giving you access to flasks. Not many pre-hardmode options for flasks, but soon as you get into hardmode, I recommend constantly using either Ichor or Cursed Flames! (Ichor for bosses and single target, Cursed Flames for large amounts of mobs like blood moons and Eternia Crystals)
If you're playing journey mode, you start with a Finch Staff, cool stuff. But if not, smack a couple tree's with an axe until you get one, loot some living wood chests, or kill some slimes until you get a Slime Staff. These aren't that great, but unless you wanna just play a different class until you get to the good stuff, it's what you gotta do. However, if you're a decent player, you can just rush on down to the snow biome underground and kill some Flinx until you get enough fur for a Flinx Robe and a Flinx staff. Ultimately, you're going to want to be fishing during every blood moon however, as IMO, the Vampire Frog Staff will be your strongest summon pre-Hardmode. That is obviously up for debate, but against fast enemies (and bosses) and regular mobs, I personally think it is the most consistent. Other great options are the Hornet Staff and the Imp staff, with both of these weapons getting a buff as of Journey's End.
Weapons? Kill as much stuff as you can until you get your Zoologist at 10% Bestiary completion, then buy a Leather Whip. Use this until you can craft a Snapthorn from the Jungle, then use Snapthorn and Spinal Tap for various situations. My recommendation is slap your enemies a few times with Snapthorn, then swap and use Spinal Tap until the Melee speed bonus goes away. Spinal Tap is most useful against multiple enemies, with one of the lowest damage reductions per enemy hit in the game. In other words, great for blood moons, wall of flesh, cthulu's eyes, etc..
Use the Flinx robe until you get your Obsidian armor, which is still good WELL into hardmode if you're good at dodging. A 43% damage bonus and 50% whip speed and size bonus? YES PLEASE. Ultimately, Obsidian armor, Snapthorn and Spinal Tap, and your choice of VF staff or Hornet/Imp staff will be good enough to beat every boss in pre Hardmode, even on master. Just make sure to grind out a Feral Claw from the jungle, as you'll wanna use those and it's variants throughout the rest of the game.
Also, soon as you kill the Queen Bee, you open up the Witch Doctor, giving you access to flasks. Not many pre-hardmode options for flasks, but soon as you get into hardmode, I recommend constantly using either Ichor or Cursed Flames! (Ichor for bosses and single target, Cursed Flames for large amounts of mobs like blood moons and Eternia Crystals)
Early Hardmode:
This first stage is tricky, but doable. Kill some spiders until you get enough for a Spider Staff and Queen Spider Staff. Queen spider will be your sentry until you get your Frost Hydra, unless you want to try some Tavernkeep sentries, in which case Flameburst will be most versatile and reliable for general play. Not the best at anything except targets with high mobility, which is most threats in hardmode. The Spider Staff will be your immediate hardmode summon, being replaced shortly after by the Blade Staff or Sanguine Staff. If you're lucky enough to get a Pirate Staff early on, you can use this instead. Spider staff is useless without walls, and pirates are useless against fast moving/high flying enemies (again, most actual threats in hardmode.) Use these staves to help you get the Blade Staff from queen slime early, and use either of those three to kill a Dreadnautilus for the SANGUINE STAFF. Such a phenomenal staff. A lot of people underrate this weapon, but it's worth the grind. In my opinion it is one of the best staves until Xeno. Though if you can somehow manage to get a Tempest staff from Fishron (VERY doable once you've got a sanguine staff and a Queen Slime mount), you'll also be in good shape. You can also swap in Blade Staff at most points during hardmode, as it ignores 25 armor. Stack this with an Ichor flask on your whips and some decent tag damage (Durendal) and you have a very fun and effective minion. I do however recommend trying to get a Tempest staff before Plantera, as the sharkrons absolutely wreck plantera if kited properly.
As far as whips, you'll want the Firecracker for sure. Firecracker will pair well with hard hitting minions, so not so well with blade staff. Although if you happen to get a Desert Tiger Staff (post plantera), here is it's time to shine as it will TRIPLE the damage of the summon that hits the enemy (aka hard hitting minions). Keep your snapthorn until you can craft a Durendal, using both the same way as mentioned above, gaining your speed bonus and swapping to Firecracker instead. Cool Whip is another options, but not the greatest. It's best used to just use it every couple seconds to get the snowflake out, but other than that it's not very helpful, and requires a lot of weapon swapping. The snowflake is best used against single targets and segmented (worm, DESTROYER) enemies, though still being useless after the snowflake is out.
You get a couple choices for armor, but I recommend sticking with the Obsidian armor for a while. Will out DPS the other available sets by a decent amount. The Defense is very lack luster, however, and you'll basically be a glass cannon. The Whip size increase helps to keep you out of danger though. Other available sets that are still very good are the spider armor and Forbidden armor, whereas my preference is the Forbidden armor. The Sand Tornado is very powerful, I just always forget to use it lol. Crystal Assassin is a decent choice, but doesn't bring much good to the table, only to be used if you're rocking multiple weapon types. Ultimately, your best bet is to swap to the Hallowed Armor after defeating a couple Mechanical Bosses, as it will still give a decent damage and minion bonus, while drastically increasing your survivability. Obisidian Armor is still really fun!
I'm leaving accessories up to you, as they ultimately depend on your style of play. Some good accessories to remember though include: Feral Claws(up to either beserker glove or fire gauntlet), Summoner Emblem, Avenger Emblem, Pygmy Necklace, and the Ogre accessories. Warding is decent since summoners have such low defense, but I LOVE to play Menacing and max out that damage. Violent is good as well, since melee speed still affects whips.
As far as whips, you'll want the Firecracker for sure. Firecracker will pair well with hard hitting minions, so not so well with blade staff. Although if you happen to get a Desert Tiger Staff (post plantera), here is it's time to shine as it will TRIPLE the damage of the summon that hits the enemy (aka hard hitting minions). Keep your snapthorn until you can craft a Durendal, using both the same way as mentioned above, gaining your speed bonus and swapping to Firecracker instead. Cool Whip is another options, but not the greatest. It's best used to just use it every couple seconds to get the snowflake out, but other than that it's not very helpful, and requires a lot of weapon swapping. The snowflake is best used against single targets and segmented (worm, DESTROYER) enemies, though still being useless after the snowflake is out.
You get a couple choices for armor, but I recommend sticking with the Obsidian armor for a while. Will out DPS the other available sets by a decent amount. The Defense is very lack luster, however, and you'll basically be a glass cannon. The Whip size increase helps to keep you out of danger though. Other available sets that are still very good are the spider armor and Forbidden armor, whereas my preference is the Forbidden armor. The Sand Tornado is very powerful, I just always forget to use it lol. Crystal Assassin is a decent choice, but doesn't bring much good to the table, only to be used if you're rocking multiple weapon types. Ultimately, your best bet is to swap to the Hallowed Armor after defeating a couple Mechanical Bosses, as it will still give a decent damage and minion bonus, while drastically increasing your survivability. Obisidian Armor is still really fun!
I'm leaving accessories up to you, as they ultimately depend on your style of play. Some good accessories to remember though include: Feral Claws(up to either beserker glove or fire gauntlet), Summoner Emblem, Avenger Emblem, Pygmy Necklace, and the Ogre accessories. Warding is decent since summoners have such low defense, but I LOVE to play Menacing and max out that damage. Violent is good as well, since melee speed still affects whips.
Post Plantera:
After Plantera, there's always a whole new world of options for you.
Raven, Pygmy, Desert Tiger, and Deadly Sphere staff become available. Pygmy's inflict venom, and do decent damage themselves. worth having at least one of them summoned. Ravens are very strong, but a little inconsistent. Sphere's are terrible, but you can still try them! Ultimately, I still think the Sanguine staff is the best all around staff. However, it's not good against Golem or anything past him. The armor just gets too high. Use Tempest Staff, Raven, Tiger, or Pygmy for Golem. Tempest will probably put in the most work. Don't forget to farm that frozen key and get your Frost Hydra sentry! If you manage to nab a Tiger staff, you will absolutely destroy single targets with the Firecracker, with each explosion hitting for near or more than 1000 damage depending on your current armor set/accessories!
As far as whips, Dark Harvest will replace your Durendal, and Morning Star can replace the firecracker. Morning Star is your hardmode Spinal Tap, so if you were a fan of it, it's back and better than ever! Slow swing speed but massive damage. Dark Harvest can fulfill the same purpose of mob clearing on it's own, but tagging enemies with Dark Harvest and swapping to Morning Star is a great way to annihilate mobs (especially with fast hitting minions, proccing Dark Harvests free damage over and over). Kaleidoscope becomes available at this point as well, albeit the Empress of Light has a very good chance steamrolling you at this point. Kaleidoscope will be hands down Best in Slot. Can replace the Morning Star completely with it's massive Tag damage and crit, but still worth it to combine with Dark Harvests melee speed bonus.
Tiki Armor becomes available here right away, and is a solid armor choice. You don't have to swap off of Hallowed armor for it just yet, as it's not too much better than it. However, Tiki armor is incredibly easy to get (purchased through Witch Doctor), and will give you quite a damage increase, along with a little armor. In the end, Spooky armor will be your best armor slot until Moon Lord, giving a massive damage increase, and just as many minions as Tiki.
You do have freedom of accessories, but the Papyrus Scarab is a must no matter what route you take. It should ultimately replace your pygmy necklace (unless you have a free slot or just want an extra minion,) and you can stack a Necromantic Scroll on top of that if you so choose. The theme here, is that the Pumpkin Moon event is a summoners dream. Post Golem, it's also worth it to nab a Celestial shell, though not a necessity. The damage and melee speed bonuses are quite nice, along with the other plethora of bonuses as well.
Raven, Pygmy, Desert Tiger, and Deadly Sphere staff become available. Pygmy's inflict venom, and do decent damage themselves. worth having at least one of them summoned. Ravens are very strong, but a little inconsistent. Sphere's are terrible, but you can still try them! Ultimately, I still think the Sanguine staff is the best all around staff. However, it's not good against Golem or anything past him. The armor just gets too high. Use Tempest Staff, Raven, Tiger, or Pygmy for Golem. Tempest will probably put in the most work. Don't forget to farm that frozen key and get your Frost Hydra sentry! If you manage to nab a Tiger staff, you will absolutely destroy single targets with the Firecracker, with each explosion hitting for near or more than 1000 damage depending on your current armor set/accessories!
As far as whips, Dark Harvest will replace your Durendal, and Morning Star can replace the firecracker. Morning Star is your hardmode Spinal Tap, so if you were a fan of it, it's back and better than ever! Slow swing speed but massive damage. Dark Harvest can fulfill the same purpose of mob clearing on it's own, but tagging enemies with Dark Harvest and swapping to Morning Star is a great way to annihilate mobs (especially with fast hitting minions, proccing Dark Harvests free damage over and over). Kaleidoscope becomes available at this point as well, albeit the Empress of Light has a very good chance steamrolling you at this point. Kaleidoscope will be hands down Best in Slot. Can replace the Morning Star completely with it's massive Tag damage and crit, but still worth it to combine with Dark Harvests melee speed bonus.
Tiki Armor becomes available here right away, and is a solid armor choice. You don't have to swap off of Hallowed armor for it just yet, as it's not too much better than it. However, Tiki armor is incredibly easy to get (purchased through Witch Doctor), and will give you quite a damage increase, along with a little armor. In the end, Spooky armor will be your best armor slot until Moon Lord, giving a massive damage increase, and just as many minions as Tiki.
You do have freedom of accessories, but the Papyrus Scarab is a must no matter what route you take. It should ultimately replace your pygmy necklace (unless you have a free slot or just want an extra minion,) and you can stack a Necromantic Scroll on top of that if you so choose. The theme here, is that the Pumpkin Moon event is a summoners dream. Post Golem, it's also worth it to nab a Celestial shell, though not a necessity. The damage and melee speed bonuses are quite nice, along with the other plethora of bonuses as well.
Post Golem/Moon Lord:
Combining these changes because there's not a lot left, and at this point you should know your class very well.
Xeno Staff replaces whatever summon you've been using until this point, unless you like the Terraprisma (which doesn't follow your whipped target, but is still very strong, and highly unlikely to get.) In the end, Stardust Dragon and the Stardust Cell are both great. Dragon does MASSIVE damage and Cell's are instantaneous, hardly missing and applying a nice little DoT to hit targets. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what you pick, but the Dragon will hit harder, while the Cell will be better for fast battles.
Your choice of Sentries at this point as well, with both Moon Lord Staves being very good. I personally like the Lunar Portal as it's a little more consistent and versatile, but the Rainbow Crystal puts out some DEEPS in the right situations.
Your whips are already chosen by now! Dark Harvest and Kaleidoscope. Possibly Morning Star, but not needed.
You'll now also have access to the Tavernkeep's armor sets, including Shinobi and Valhalla Knight. Both are great options if you're tired of being so squishy, and give huge bonuses to your minions, plus a little movement speed. Neither give any bonus to your minion count though. Shinobi also gives a nice bonus to your melee speed, while Valhalla will give more armor and a decent health regeneration bonus. Stardust Armor replaces Spooky, a no brainer. The Guardian got a VERY nice buff and is no longer absolutely useless, attacking anything that comes near you, even through walls, and at a RIDICULOUS speed (abusing the heck out of things like Dark Harvests AOE damage)
Xeno Staff replaces whatever summon you've been using until this point, unless you like the Terraprisma (which doesn't follow your whipped target, but is still very strong, and highly unlikely to get.) In the end, Stardust Dragon and the Stardust Cell are both great. Dragon does MASSIVE damage and Cell's are instantaneous, hardly missing and applying a nice little DoT to hit targets. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what you pick, but the Dragon will hit harder, while the Cell will be better for fast battles.
Your choice of Sentries at this point as well, with both Moon Lord Staves being very good. I personally like the Lunar Portal as it's a little more consistent and versatile, but the Rainbow Crystal puts out some DEEPS in the right situations.
Your whips are already chosen by now! Dark Harvest and Kaleidoscope. Possibly Morning Star, but not needed.
You'll now also have access to the Tavernkeep's armor sets, including Shinobi and Valhalla Knight. Both are great options if you're tired of being so squishy, and give huge bonuses to your minions, plus a little movement speed. Neither give any bonus to your minion count though. Shinobi also gives a nice bonus to your melee speed, while Valhalla will give more armor and a decent health regeneration bonus. Stardust Armor replaces Spooky, a no brainer. The Guardian got a VERY nice buff and is no longer absolutely useless, attacking anything that comes near you, even through walls, and at a RIDICULOUS speed (abusing the heck out of things like Dark Harvests AOE damage)
Quick Breakdown of each minion, and how they act:
Finch - Slow bird, easy to get in Journey mode, otherwise kind of random chance to acquire. Good for defending yourself early game, but kind of a dumb AI, and will run circles around enemies a lot.
Slime - Solid beginning minion, though requires a ridiculous amount of luck (I think 1/2000 chance to drop from slimes??) best chance to get this is going to come from King Slimes minions or the slime rain prior. Either way, not a priority, though really good late game for AFK farming for gold with a Greedy Ring (will only do 1 damage per hit, giving massive payout)
Flinx - Best choice early game, should honestly just shoot straight for this as you'll also need the robe early on. Very good for protecting yourself, and surprisingly decent against flyers. They kind of cling to whatever they hit, just kind of bouncing off of them. Can get stuck on walls and doors fairly easily though, but most staves early game will do the same.
Hornet - A flying minion, usually a bonus because they won't just randomly jump at flying enemies and waste most of their summon time. Will also inflict a poison debuff, shooting a stinger at enemies. Solid choice, may be worth using at least one of just for the poison.
Fire Imp - Same as hornet basically. Used to be much the inferior choice, but is fairly consistent now. Will inflict the On Fire! debuff, and the projectiles are a bit faster than the Hornet staff. Useless against enemies in the water though, and I hear they don't deal damage to enemies that cant be inflicted with the On Fire! debuff? I can't confirm or deny this one (help me out in the replies!) It can glitch out while shooting an enemy offscreen though, firing shots over and over like a machine gun and inflicting massive damage!
Vampire Frog - Kind of annoying to grind, but very worth. Recently buffed to deal damage with tongue attack and just coming into contact with enemies. Will end up doing the most damage, in almost all scenarios, but suffers the same fate of most ground minions as it can struggle against flyers. They have a nice jump though, and can jump from the top of lava and water to hit most things. I'd say the biggest drawback to this summon is that if you're flying or jumping high, they will just fly with you instead of attacking anything around you.
Spiders - Solid minion, easily available early on in hardmode. Will inflict a venom debuff, and cling to the enemy that they are hitting until they die or you drift too far away from them. Problem is without background walls, it may be kind of hard for them to connect with the enemies as they use background walls for most of their movement. Stronger than most other available staves at this point in the game, but heavily reliant on walls, and too many spiders will make the invincibility frames so constant that you cannot deal other damage.
Blades - Very smart AI, hovers above your character, attacks your enemies, and returns above your head. They ignore a massive 25 armor on all enemies, making up for their abysmal summon damage. Very fast hitters however, stacking very well with whips that apply summon tag damage (like Durendal or Snapthorn). Fast and precise, but not very good with Firecracker or against enemies with too much health or armor. No invincibility frames, which will help you deal more damage with your whips and other sources. Can also attack through walls if used properly.
Pirates - RIDICULOUS damage and no invincibility frames, making them a very nice choice in the proper situation. Gets stuck on walls and sometimes just go AWOL?? I swear some of them just run away after a while, or just get stuck and cant figure out how to fix it. They are phenomenal for AFK farming, blood moons, and Eternia Crystals though. Can get stuck a lot around the base and when mining. They will reposition with a flying parrot if you go too far though, which can help with the stuck problem. They also poop all over the place, like ALL over the place. Honestly a very fun summon.
Sanguine Bats - VERY smart and attacks almost never miss. Will float above you, attack the enemy, and return to their position. Attacks even faster than the blades. Can attack through walls in the right situation. You won't see any massive numbers with this summon, but the sheer consistency will make up for it tenfold. Can handle Duke Fishron with just Hallowed Armor, helping to get powerful staves early on. They have HUGE knockback, and will certainly increase your survivability in general play. I am very biased towards this weapon if you couldn't tell.
Optic Staff (Mini Twins) - Honestly, this staff used to be one of the best. Now unfortunately a little overrated. Best against things like Destroyer and segmented enemies, where one of the eyes charges through and hits multiple times, but can miss a lot. Does have the bonus of being a flying summon however, and can be consistent in general play.
Tempest Staff (Sharknados and Sharkrons) - Got a decent buff recently. Can be very strong in a lot of situations. Floating sharknados are now faster, chasing enemies more and dealing more damaage with the actual tornado. They also fire more frequently and the sharkrons travel faster as well. Summon a bunch of these guys and you can see some massive damage numbers. Can help kill Plantera with ease, annihilating his health if you smack him with durendal then firecracker, and kite him into the barrage of sharks. Used to be a very lack luster reward from a very challenging boss, now quite the opposite! Can replace Sanguine Staff efffectively.
Pygmy Staff (little tiki dudes) - Also got a decent buff. Can be very worth using, I'm just not a fan personally. Will throw spears that cause the VENOM debuff though, making having at least 1 a very viable option, not so much if you are using Venom Flasks on your whip though. Decent staff for directly after Plantera.
Desert Tiger - VERY fun summon, and incredibly smart AI. Doesn't care about walls, pouncing through them and defending you as much as possible. Downside is it's only one summon, so it can't defend you from all angles at once. Upside is, it's only one summon, so it's damage is huge, and makes the firecracker one of your best single target options for a long time! Definitely worth using if you get a Desert Key, though not the end of the world if you do not. The only reason you should still be using Firecracker at this stage.
Ravens - Good damage and doesn't trigger invincibility frames, but suffers a similar fate to the early game Finch. Can sometimes get stuck flying in circles and reducing damage concurrently. Can be quite strong though, and works well with the Dark Harvest.
Deadly Sphere - With a name like that, and with how cool they look, you would think this staff is very strong. And it is! But! It dashes through enemies, often times hitting them once and taking forever to hit them again. Not worth the waiting and RNG required to use, IMO. Can't remember if it attacks or floats through walls even, in desperate need of a buff (though will most likely not receive one, as we are supposed to have received our last update)
XENO (UFO'S) - Very strong summon! Attacks are fairly instantaneous and are almost impossible to dodge. The go-to post golem staff that will most likely only be replaced by the stardust weapons. Incredibly strong and will make short work of most enemies.
Terraprisma - Good luck getting this one. Unless you're on Journey, you probably won't be getting this summon until after it is useful. I wouldn't know, never got it. But it looks like it will be incredibly strong. Downside is, they will ignore your whip targets, but they will defend you better than any other summon as all swords sit directly beside you and attack nearest enemy even through walls.
Stardust Cell - One of the best options, little floating orbs that teleport to where you need them and instantly start attacking your target. Will also stick enemies with stardust orbs, ticking for a big 10 damage per second, per orb (doesn't seem to be a limit, besides one stick per minion). Used in your more mobile fights like Pillar Invasions and Empress of Light.
Stardust Dragon - My personal favorite. Will attack whatever you whip, or will prioritize the furthest enemy on it's own. Can and will attack through walls, and gets more segments per minion summoned (and also more damage). Does ridiculous damage with the firecracker, and will fly in circles on stationary enemies (like moon lord if you can hold him still) dealing an absolutely stupid amount of damage.
Slime - Solid beginning minion, though requires a ridiculous amount of luck (I think 1/2000 chance to drop from slimes??) best chance to get this is going to come from King Slimes minions or the slime rain prior. Either way, not a priority, though really good late game for AFK farming for gold with a Greedy Ring (will only do 1 damage per hit, giving massive payout)
Flinx - Best choice early game, should honestly just shoot straight for this as you'll also need the robe early on. Very good for protecting yourself, and surprisingly decent against flyers. They kind of cling to whatever they hit, just kind of bouncing off of them. Can get stuck on walls and doors fairly easily though, but most staves early game will do the same.
Hornet - A flying minion, usually a bonus because they won't just randomly jump at flying enemies and waste most of their summon time. Will also inflict a poison debuff, shooting a stinger at enemies. Solid choice, may be worth using at least one of just for the poison.
Fire Imp - Same as hornet basically. Used to be much the inferior choice, but is fairly consistent now. Will inflict the On Fire! debuff, and the projectiles are a bit faster than the Hornet staff. Useless against enemies in the water though, and I hear they don't deal damage to enemies that cant be inflicted with the On Fire! debuff? I can't confirm or deny this one (help me out in the replies!) It can glitch out while shooting an enemy offscreen though, firing shots over and over like a machine gun and inflicting massive damage!
Vampire Frog - Kind of annoying to grind, but very worth. Recently buffed to deal damage with tongue attack and just coming into contact with enemies. Will end up doing the most damage, in almost all scenarios, but suffers the same fate of most ground minions as it can struggle against flyers. They have a nice jump though, and can jump from the top of lava and water to hit most things. I'd say the biggest drawback to this summon is that if you're flying or jumping high, they will just fly with you instead of attacking anything around you.
Spiders - Solid minion, easily available early on in hardmode. Will inflict a venom debuff, and cling to the enemy that they are hitting until they die or you drift too far away from them. Problem is without background walls, it may be kind of hard for them to connect with the enemies as they use background walls for most of their movement. Stronger than most other available staves at this point in the game, but heavily reliant on walls, and too many spiders will make the invincibility frames so constant that you cannot deal other damage.
Blades - Very smart AI, hovers above your character, attacks your enemies, and returns above your head. They ignore a massive 25 armor on all enemies, making up for their abysmal summon damage. Very fast hitters however, stacking very well with whips that apply summon tag damage (like Durendal or Snapthorn). Fast and precise, but not very good with Firecracker or against enemies with too much health or armor. No invincibility frames, which will help you deal more damage with your whips and other sources. Can also attack through walls if used properly.
Pirates - RIDICULOUS damage and no invincibility frames, making them a very nice choice in the proper situation. Gets stuck on walls and sometimes just go AWOL?? I swear some of them just run away after a while, or just get stuck and cant figure out how to fix it. They are phenomenal for AFK farming, blood moons, and Eternia Crystals though. Can get stuck a lot around the base and when mining. They will reposition with a flying parrot if you go too far though, which can help with the stuck problem. They also poop all over the place, like ALL over the place. Honestly a very fun summon.
Sanguine Bats - VERY smart and attacks almost never miss. Will float above you, attack the enemy, and return to their position. Attacks even faster than the blades. Can attack through walls in the right situation. You won't see any massive numbers with this summon, but the sheer consistency will make up for it tenfold. Can handle Duke Fishron with just Hallowed Armor, helping to get powerful staves early on. They have HUGE knockback, and will certainly increase your survivability in general play. I am very biased towards this weapon if you couldn't tell.
Optic Staff (Mini Twins) - Honestly, this staff used to be one of the best. Now unfortunately a little overrated. Best against things like Destroyer and segmented enemies, where one of the eyes charges through and hits multiple times, but can miss a lot. Does have the bonus of being a flying summon however, and can be consistent in general play.
Tempest Staff (Sharknados and Sharkrons) - Got a decent buff recently. Can be very strong in a lot of situations. Floating sharknados are now faster, chasing enemies more and dealing more damaage with the actual tornado. They also fire more frequently and the sharkrons travel faster as well. Summon a bunch of these guys and you can see some massive damage numbers. Can help kill Plantera with ease, annihilating his health if you smack him with durendal then firecracker, and kite him into the barrage of sharks. Used to be a very lack luster reward from a very challenging boss, now quite the opposite! Can replace Sanguine Staff efffectively.
Pygmy Staff (little tiki dudes) - Also got a decent buff. Can be very worth using, I'm just not a fan personally. Will throw spears that cause the VENOM debuff though, making having at least 1 a very viable option, not so much if you are using Venom Flasks on your whip though. Decent staff for directly after Plantera.
Desert Tiger - VERY fun summon, and incredibly smart AI. Doesn't care about walls, pouncing through them and defending you as much as possible. Downside is it's only one summon, so it can't defend you from all angles at once. Upside is, it's only one summon, so it's damage is huge, and makes the firecracker one of your best single target options for a long time! Definitely worth using if you get a Desert Key, though not the end of the world if you do not. The only reason you should still be using Firecracker at this stage.
Ravens - Good damage and doesn't trigger invincibility frames, but suffers a similar fate to the early game Finch. Can sometimes get stuck flying in circles and reducing damage concurrently. Can be quite strong though, and works well with the Dark Harvest.
XENO (UFO'S) - Very strong summon! Attacks are fairly instantaneous and are almost impossible to dodge. The go-to post golem staff that will most likely only be replaced by the stardust weapons. Incredibly strong and will make short work of most enemies.
Terraprisma - Good luck getting this one. Unless you're on Journey, you probably won't be getting this summon until after it is useful. I wouldn't know, never got it. But it looks like it will be incredibly strong. Downside is, they will ignore your whip targets, but they will defend you better than any other summon as all swords sit directly beside you and attack nearest enemy even through walls.
Stardust Cell - One of the best options, little floating orbs that teleport to where you need them and instantly start attacking your target. Will also stick enemies with stardust orbs, ticking for a big 10 damage per second, per orb (doesn't seem to be a limit, besides one stick per minion). Used in your more mobile fights like Pillar Invasions and Empress of Light.
Stardust Dragon - My personal favorite. Will attack whatever you whip, or will prioritize the furthest enemy on it's own. Can and will attack through walls, and gets more segments per minion summoned (and also more damage). Does ridiculous damage with the firecracker, and will fly in circles on stationary enemies (like moon lord if you can hold him still) dealing an absolutely stupid amount of damage.
Boss Fights/Setup and Strategies:
I'll try to help a little bit with Master Mode boss fight tips here. Spoiler clickers for each boss fight, will be updating more when I have more time off of work!
Potions - Summoning, Ironskin, Regeneration, Endurance, Swiftness, Lifeforce (Hardmode only), Wrath (Corruption), Heartreach (Crimson). Health Potions should be prioritized as such: Super - Greater - Restoration
Flasks - Ichor (Single Target), Cursed Flames (Area of Effect/Crowd Control), Venom (Post Plantera)
Consumables - I recommend the Pumpkin Pie as food, as it is easy to farm a ton of them, and they provide a medium bonus for a decent 8 minutes. Although any food that does a Major Improvement is fine too, just be careful to watch their durations.
Other Buffs - Bewitching Table, Sharpening Station, Slice of Cake, Heart Lanterns, Campfires, Bast, Sunflower
Arena - I use a 3 Layer platform arena (about 10-15 blocks between each layer) set in the Hallow, slightly above ground level with the above buffs for pretty much every encounter. There are certainly more intricate arenas out there, this is just what I use. A solid ground layer of asphalt will help tremendously as well. You can be creative with your arenas, alter it to your playstyle!
Queen Slime:
This is a tricky boss, especially since it's available early on in hardmode, and will tempt you to fight her asap for that sweet loot. I recommend killing at least one mechanical boss first, however. This grants access to a couple key tools you can use against her: asphalt and Hallowed Bars. Asphalt will help to dodge a lot of her attacks with pure speed in combination with the Cthulu's Shield/Terraspark Boots. The Hallowed Bars will give you access to Durendal, a huge upgrade to your snapthorn. They can also give access to the hallowed armor set if you grind a mechanical boss enough, which will make this fight a lot easier, and the Optic Staff, an option if you don't like using a walled arena. It will also unlock Life Fruit (although fairly rare) in the Jungle, extra health never hurt nobody!
RECOMMENDED SETUP -
Durendal(or snapthorn), Firecracker
Spider Staff (Sanguine if available, Optic Staff also a decent choice, Pirate Staff can work too if you keep her low to the ground)
Queen Spider Staff (doesn't add much, but the spiderlings can help with the slime mobs she drops)
Forbidden Threads armor (Though Obsidian can work well if using Durendal)
(All accessories - Menacing, can have 1-2 Violent. Warding is fine too if you prefer a defensive playstyle)
Cthulu's Shield, Terraspark Boots, any post-hardmode wings, Pygmy Necklace, Berserker's Glove,
**Last two spots flexible, here's some choices, listed in order of what I'd recommend most** - Brain of Cthulu, Worm Scarf, Frog Gear, Charm of Myths, Star Veil
THE FIGHT -
Start as low as you can, on an asphalt paved sky bridge with 2-3 platforms to manuever with above you. Walls covering at least most of the background if using the spider staff. Pop your buffs and throw a queen spider either on the ground by you, or one platform up. Focus all mobs 100% soon as they spawn, or they WILL kill you. The flying slimes will chase you down and are a decent threat if you are up high or off to the side. The spike slimes are your biggest threat if you're above them or not moving enough. One other slime will shoot bouncy projectiles at you, and are your biggest threat from the queen's sides, aside from her actual gelatin attack. You should be able to kite the queen around in a circle, whipping her from your furthest distance possible, but again, your focus NEEDS to be the mobs. The forbidden armor shines in this fight, giving you the opportunity to throw sand tornadoes to cut the slimes off from you (like a wall), or damage the slimes from a distance your whips cannot reach. At 50% health, she will begin to fly, this is where the real battle begins, but your technique doesn't need to change, stay focusing mobs. Although she will be more dangerous, she will also follow you much faster than the mobs she spawns. You can take advantage of this in two ways: flying up high and taking the battle to the sky as much as possible, or running along the asphalt, using speed and distance to stay clear of her attacks and the mobs she spawns.
The mount she drops can be used to fight many bosses, Queen Slime included! It's very fast, has a beautiful jump, and gives you more falling speed. One of the best mounts in the game. If you have a Sanguine staff while fighting her, it should be very easy!
RECOMMENDED SETUP -
Durendal(or snapthorn), Firecracker
Spider Staff (Sanguine if available, Optic Staff also a decent choice, Pirate Staff can work too if you keep her low to the ground)
Queen Spider Staff (doesn't add much, but the spiderlings can help with the slime mobs she drops)
Forbidden Threads armor (Though Obsidian can work well if using Durendal)
(All accessories - Menacing, can have 1-2 Violent. Warding is fine too if you prefer a defensive playstyle)
Cthulu's Shield, Terraspark Boots, any post-hardmode wings, Pygmy Necklace, Berserker's Glove,
**Last two spots flexible, here's some choices, listed in order of what I'd recommend most** - Brain of Cthulu, Worm Scarf, Frog Gear, Charm of Myths, Star Veil
THE FIGHT -
Start as low as you can, on an asphalt paved sky bridge with 2-3 platforms to manuever with above you. Walls covering at least most of the background if using the spider staff. Pop your buffs and throw a queen spider either on the ground by you, or one platform up. Focus all mobs 100% soon as they spawn, or they WILL kill you. The flying slimes will chase you down and are a decent threat if you are up high or off to the side. The spike slimes are your biggest threat if you're above them or not moving enough. One other slime will shoot bouncy projectiles at you, and are your biggest threat from the queen's sides, aside from her actual gelatin attack. You should be able to kite the queen around in a circle, whipping her from your furthest distance possible, but again, your focus NEEDS to be the mobs. The forbidden armor shines in this fight, giving you the opportunity to throw sand tornadoes to cut the slimes off from you (like a wall), or damage the slimes from a distance your whips cannot reach. At 50% health, she will begin to fly, this is where the real battle begins, but your technique doesn't need to change, stay focusing mobs. Although she will be more dangerous, she will also follow you much faster than the mobs she spawns. You can take advantage of this in two ways: flying up high and taking the battle to the sky as much as possible, or running along the asphalt, using speed and distance to stay clear of her attacks and the mobs she spawns.
The mount she drops can be used to fight many bosses, Queen Slime included! It's very fast, has a beautiful jump, and gives you more falling speed. One of the best mounts in the game. If you have a Sanguine staff while fighting her, it should be very easy!
THANKS FOR READING
Hopefully this guide helps a little when trying out summoners. I'm a pretty casual player myself, so if I'm misinformed on any of these self proclaimed bests, don't shoot me. I'm just trying to help people that don't know what path to take when starting out, much like myself. Have fun, and whip some Terrarian butt
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