*Disclaimer* No doubt countless suggestions has already been made for earlier summoning stuff, but searching proved pointless and these are all ideas I thought off, although if anyone has made suggestions similar to these please let me know and I will remove said suggestion if they can provide a link to theirs.
Just a small idea that struck me that might be a good path on early summoning weapons, given that the earliest possible one has the lowest drop chance in the game, and the next one is from crafting after killing Queen Bee, so not really a lot going for people that want to do summoning playthroughs without cheating in a Slime Staff. So, here are my suggestions for early craftable summoning weapons and minions. I know these all use Mana Crystals for their crafting, but they are easily available and are tied to Magic, so why not.
Treeant Staff
By combining Wood with a Mana Crystal at a Work Bench you get a Treeant Staff that summons a small Wood Treeant that protects you from enemies, with strength similar to that of the Slime from the Slime Staff, only without the piercing effect, but with higher knockback (maybe even roots an enemy in place for a short time)
Metal Orb
By combining Bars of Metal (Copper/Tin through Gold/Platinum) with a Mana Crystals at an Anvil you make Metal Orbs that summons an Orb of that type that orbits the character and flies towards enemies that come near, knocking them back. Damage, attack range and knockback vary and increases with the rarity of the metal
Antlion Staff
With Cactus, an Antlion Mandible and a Mana Crystal at an Anvil you create an Antlion Staff that summons an Antlion that spits sandballs at your enemies. Damage could be on par with the regular Antlions damage
As for summoning Armor, maybe make one out of Wood and Mana Crystals, or a Robe with Mana Crystals similar to the Magic Robes.
Just a small idea that struck me that might be a good path on early summoning weapons, given that the earliest possible one has the lowest drop chance in the game, and the next one is from crafting after killing Queen Bee, so not really a lot going for people that want to do summoning playthroughs without cheating in a Slime Staff. So, here are my suggestions for early craftable summoning weapons and minions. I know these all use Mana Crystals for their crafting, but they are easily available and are tied to Magic, so why not.
Treeant Staff
By combining Wood with a Mana Crystal at a Work Bench you get a Treeant Staff that summons a small Wood Treeant that protects you from enemies, with strength similar to that of the Slime from the Slime Staff, only without the piercing effect, but with higher knockback (maybe even roots an enemy in place for a short time)
Metal Orb
By combining Bars of Metal (Copper/Tin through Gold/Platinum) with a Mana Crystals at an Anvil you make Metal Orbs that summons an Orb of that type that orbits the character and flies towards enemies that come near, knocking them back. Damage, attack range and knockback vary and increases with the rarity of the metal
Antlion Staff
With Cactus, an Antlion Mandible and a Mana Crystal at an Anvil you create an Antlion Staff that summons an Antlion that spits sandballs at your enemies. Damage could be on par with the regular Antlions damage
As for summoning Armor, maybe make one out of Wood and Mana Crystals, or a Robe with Mana Crystals similar to the Magic Robes.
