Terraria: Best Summoner Weapons

The best weapons for the Summoner class (called summon weapons broadly) got a big update with Terraria 1.4 thanks to the introduction of Whips. Before 1.4, playing as a summoner was difficult. But better armor sets, better weapons, and generally more utility for the class have made it easier to play.

This list covers some of the best weapons for summoners during the early game, the best weapons in general for the late-game and how to most effectively utilize them.

Updated on November X, 2024 by Roland Martinez: Terraria has gotten a ton of new content since the original publishing of the article and this update aims to reflect that. Summoners have been made much more viable for all phases of the game with new weapons, armor, and summons to utilize. That being said, let’s take a look at a revitalized and up-to-date list of the best Summoner weapons.

Finch Staff

Melee and Ranged classes tend to dominate the early game since there’s such a wide variety of weapons to choose from. That has since been rectified since there have been a lot of Summoner weapons added to pre-Hardmode. The Finch Staff has long been a staple in early-game Summoner builds.

• The Finch Staff deals a measly seven damage.
• Can be found in Living Wood chests.

The staff simply summons a baby finch that perches itself adorably on top of your head and attacks when enemies get close. It deals little damage, but it’s enough to get you started on the long road to being the ultimate Summoner.

Imp Staff

Although it’s noticeably more difficult to obtain than the Finch Staff, it’s well worth the extra effort and inevitable deaths it takes to get. You’ll need Obsidian Skin potions, a Deathbringer/Nightmare pickaxe, and a Hellforge.

• The Imp Staff deals 17 damage per hit and inflicts the On Fire! debuff.
• Crafted with Hellstone bars at a Hellforge.

It has to be crafted with 17 Hellstone bars, but it’s well worth the hassle. The Imps are also able to set most enemies ablaze, giving you an extra bit of damage over time. After crafting the staff, you have one of the best means of summoning damage in pre-Hardmode.

Spinal Tap

Spinal Tap easily takes the cake as the best whip available for Summoners in Pre-Hardmode. The only way to obtain the whip is to have defeated Skeletron to gain access to the dungeon so you can farm for 90 bones.

• Spinal Tap deals 27 damage per hit.
• Damage decreases by 10 percent per enemy hit in one swing.

Along with that, you’ll need 55 cobwebs to get your hands on the most effective Summoner weapon in Pre-Hardmode. It’s fantastic when paired with the Imp Staff, since the Imps and Spinal Tap both do good damage at such an early stage in the game.

Spider Staff

This is where the Summoner class branches out into a wider variety of weaponry. Starting with a staff, since that’s the primary damage source, you’ll want to head underground to find the Black Recluse areas in order to farm for 16 Spider Fangs.

• The Spider Staff deals 26 damage per hit and inflicts Acid Poison on hit.
• It is difficult to obtain as soon as you enter Hardmode due to Black Recluse difficulty.

The Spider staff does a respectable 26 damage, which will greatly help in early Hardmode. The spider summons inflict the Acid Poison debuff, which halts health regeneration as well as causes 6 points of damage per second.

Pygmy Staff

This Plantera drop is great since it’s got good damage and isn’t the most difficult of weapons to obtain. Dealing 40 damage per hit, the Pygmy followers you’ll gain also inflict the Acid Poison debuff.

• The Pygmy Staff deals 40 damage per hit and inflicts Acid Poison
• Works as a great post-Plantera starter summon weapon

It’s a fantastic mid-game weapon for summoners that has a 1/4 drop chance from Plantera on normal mode. In Expert mode, it has a 50 percent drop rate. The Pygmy minions only perform a ranged attack and cannot pierce targets with their spears.

Firecracker

The Firecracker is potentially the first whip you’ll get in Hardmode, as it drops from the Wall of Flesh. It applies the Hellfire debuff, furthering its damage output by an additional 15 health per second.

• Firecracker deals 37 damage per hit and inflicts Hellfire on hit.
• Easily obtained as soon as you enter Hardmode due to it being a Wall of Flesh drop.

The Firecracker also causes a small explosion centered on your target after hitting them with the whip and then being struck by a minion. This small explosion deals 2.75x damage and can only be activated by striking the enemy with the whip once more.

Durendal

Durendal is a powerful summoner weapon that is crafted from Hallowed Bars and increases weapon swing speed by 25 percent after striking an enemy with Durendal’s Blessing buff.

• Durendal deals 55 damage per hit and grants a sizeable attack speed increase upon landing a hit.
• It’s named after the sword from a French epic where the weapon was supposedly indestructible and could cut through boulders.

The whip deals 55 summon damage and 9 tag damage, making it extremely useful when used with the attack speed buff. To craft it, you’ll need 12 Hallowed bars at an Orichalcum or Mythril anvil. If you’re quick enough, you can even cause the buff to apply to other melee weapons.

Pirate Staff

The Pirate Staff is well worth the grind it takes to actually get your hands on it. By far being the rarest weapon on this list due to a meager 0.5 percent drop rate, the staff summons a pirate minion to fight for you with surprising ferocity.

• The Pirate Staff minions deal 40 damage per hit.
• The staff is one of the rarest items in the game.

The summoned pirate minions don’t activate invincibility frames, meaning they’ll shred through most enemies relatively quickly. The staff sees most success against ground-based foes since they’re unable to jump very high or fly.

Kaleidoscope

The ultimate endgame whip is the Kaleidoscope, but it’s also a pain to get since you’ll have to hope it drops after defeating the Empress of Light. The whip is unique since it’s one of two in the entire game that allow summons to land critical hits.

• The Kaleidoscope deals 180 damage per hit.
• It’s one of two whips that enable minions to land critical hits.

It also has the highest base damage, range, and tag damage of all whips. Minions will be noticeably more powerful with this colorful whip in hand thanks to the 20 tag damage.

Terraprisma

The Terraprisma is by far the most difficult to obtain since you have to beat the Empress of Light during the day. That means dodging every attack she does because every maneuver she performs during the day is an instant kill.

• The Terraprisma deals 90 damage per hit by a minion.
• It’s the strongest out of all summoner items, including whips, and is only rivaled by the Kaleidoscope.

Despite the immense challenge, it’s by far the best Summoner item of all. It summons a copy of the sword and rapidly attacks the nearest target with immense damage. It’s a challenging feat but one that will show your status as a veteran Terrarian if you pull it off.