Stardust Summons: Dragon vs. Cells?

I've used the dragon, but not the cells... at least not very much.

I think the dragon is useful against single targets like bosses. If used correctly, it can deal very high DPS. The cells are probably better for invasions and swarms of enemies, because the dragon sometimes gets distracted by other enemies around.

EDIT: I think the Stardust Dragon is better against Moon Lord. If you create a good automatic arena, you can beat him with no effort, a 9 segments long dragon and stuff to regenerate yourself.
 
As far as I could work out with most damage orientated summoner setup you could possibly build the dragon does 1227 damage per segment per tick. Not sure what the dps on that would be because the head does extra damage and the tail does less damage, don't know how fast the dragon ticks damage either but assuming it can fly through a single target in 1 second it would do roughly 13.5k dps against a single target.

Edit: I once got incredibly lucky and the dragon curled into a ball on each segment of the moon lord one at time. This essentially insta-gibbed them one by one and killed him in about 4 seconds.
 
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I have both out while I take on the celestial towers. I max out my cells and then summon the dragon and make it 2-3 segments long depending on the situation.
 
Cells have more mobility and tend to swarm over massive groups and leave damage over time cells on everything, it really adds up over time.
 
I think the usefulness of the two depends on the situation. I've found the cells to be better in most cases, though I tend to use the dragon because, well, it's a :red:ing dragon. Basically, though, use both as needed.
I also combine the usage of cells/dragon with the Lunar Portal Staff and Rainbow Crystal Staff, as well as either Meowmere or the S.D.M.G.

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I never really have a problem with taking much damage. Combined with Frostspark Boots and Stardust Wings, I can usually wiggle around any attacks. I've found that I much prefer summoner over anything else.
 
Here's a loadout that I'm using, because I'm on the pillars right now:

Tiki Armor - less damage than Spooky Armor, but the bonus minion helps out a TON
Papyrus Scarab - because it's really essential to a Summoner, but it took me forEVER to get it
Ankh Shield - do I really need to explain?
Celestial Shell - again, self explanatory
Steampunk Wings - they're very good, and to be honest, worth it to have just for the fall damage immunity
Master Ninja Gear - REQUIRED. Not everyone really wants it, but the quick-dodge is more lifesaving than Frostspark Boots, which I also have, but not equipped
Cosmic Car Key - better than wings. You can dismount then quick-dodge and just troll enemies like Duke Fishron. It's SOO good
Stardust Cell Staff - you need this for just everyday life, and for taking on the pillars because the multiple enemies is super good
Stardust Dragon - good for bosses, or single enemies.

The really essential thing is speed and maneuverability, because if you can dodge, who needs defense? And a good Sentry Summon helps out a lot. I can't really get the Frozen Key because the Solar Pillar is RIGHT ON TOP OF MY SNOW BIOME but honestly, the Queen Spider is really good. Some people allow the Nimbus Rod. I think it's OK, but I don't have one so... yeah. I haven't been playing Summoner very long, but I really like it.

Oh, and my final tip? If you're ok with doing this, CONSTANTLY SWING YOUR PICKAXE. Helps keep enemies off of you while not doing any really significant damage.
 
If you are playing any class and you are not doing well. Well that is probably because you are playing without arenas and over all structures that helps you defeat large number of mobs.
(this building is the best thing ever ... started as small trap (the middle part only) than i added another layer of 20 block wide lava pit and than another one just because i was bored and i was waiting for my friend to get his food done, obviously after Golem i added some traps and stuff. and what was this structure good for... well almost everything from dropping rare items like Moon Charm to defeating whole pack of events (Goblins, Pirates, Blood/Pumpkin/Frost moons, solar eclipse and even Martian invasions) you get the idea.
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But when i go back to the main question (and i will ignore those who are saying that summoner isn't a good class) i think its good to use both dragon and cell (mostly 70% cells to 30% dragon ratio). and it really depends on situation.
A good example is farming those f**king pillars (god dammit i hate this part of the game) if you use only dragon he will fly away to kill one enemy and you will be surrounded by like 15 mobs in no-time and when you are using only cells you wont have enough dmg to actually kill all of them faster (and still be alive) then when you are using 4 cells and 2 dragons.
but mainly ..... always have Rod of Discord.
 
Stardust Cell -- Very effective when you are just travelling about. They do not get easily distracted, can layer multiple DOTs, and almost stunlock multiple enemies. This creates a good defensive zone as you wander around.

Stardust Dragon -- Very effective against bosses, and deals some pretty absurd DPS against them in combination with your own weapon attacks. But he is not good for travelling about, since he gets distracted and often leaves you with no defensive zone as you wander around.

I don't like swapping accessories that much (which is optimal), so I run:

Summoner Emblem / Ankh Shield (the one item I DO swap)
Celestial Shell
Celestial Stone
Papyrus Scarab
Necromancer Scroll
Pygmy Necklace
 
nathanalwalls said:
you know what? my summoning build (Vordren the overseer) has 11 total minions, and so i like to use BOTH! i make my dragon short and have a small platoon of orbs. the dragon can go through walls, and on first look seems to travel much faster- the orbs are like a plague-bouncing around in front of my, latching on leaving bits of themselves behind as a dot. its a beautiful thing. i think they are made to work in tandem. the dragon has pierce which give him advantages over large enemies, but less effective against enemies who get invulnerability after being hit (moon lord) or have ridiculous defense (what good is a 3 segment dragon if they only hit for like 11 dmg each)

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thats where the cells balance it out- they don't get distracted like the dragon so the tend to go after more imminent threats, they target multiple targets and leave behind dots- so even if they are out numbered they are still hurting everything around them.

it seems to me like the dragon chases down shadows while my cells fill out the room, if theres an enemy they have difficulty wearing down- the stardust dragon zips right through them to finish them off.

stardust guardian- i haven't been able to test him out because i ALWAYS forget to deploy him during tough times, and i always forget to pay attention after i send him out. fun fact, dye in your pet slot will change his color, and some dyes can be really amazing.

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the sad part about end game is- whats the point in grinding when you already have everything you want? so my end game builds are not min maxed out for DPS, and i cant back up my claims with numbers, but i recommend trying out both of them- if your limit is 3, make one dragon and two cells, if you've got a summoner build, with 9 minions- try a three piece dragon and 6 cells. hell go for a summoner combo meal- 2 piece stardust dragon, a trio of cells, two deadly sphere staffs and a pirate! it offers a lot of versatility because each minion has its own AI and covers the area in a unique way. i also just love having a lonely pirate with me
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I feel the same. I like to use both. I actually think they were meant to work together as each makes up for what the other lacks. I don't like guardian though. He is highly underpowered, especially for hardmode. As for the farming thing, there are plenty of things you can farm. Here's a good one: go for the Nymph banner. If your just looking for something to farm this is awesome because the nymph is hard enough to find as it is much less getting the banner.
 
I just made the dragon, he misses SOMETIMES but he does kill the enemy, and it shreds unicorns.

i literally made it like a minute ago and i love it
 
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