In earlier versions of the smash hit action-adventure sandbox game Terraria, the Summoner Class was one of the worst classes available. There were barely any Summoner Minions to use, which made it pretty much impossible to be purely a Summoner and still make it through the whole game.
But, the latest game updates changed this so that there are plenty of different possible minions to choose from. While this makes it easier for players to either incorporate elements from the class or fully be a Summoner throughout a playthrough, it can be hard to know which minions are the best.
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Imp
Out of all the pre-hardmode minions, the Imp’s single attacks deal the most damage. Since it can fly anywhere and through anything, it can usually hit most enemies unless they are underwater. With the Imp’s attacks causing the target to lose some extra health due to the “On Fire!” debuff, the Imp is a great damage dealer before the Wall of Flesh.
But, the Imp’s attacks are also much slower compared to other minions. Also, in order to have the Imp Staff, the player needs to either get it from one of the Shadow Chests or by crafting 17 Hellstone Bars. If the player has been going full Summoner up to this point and has either the Vampire Frog Staff or the Flinx Staff, then this extra work is unnecessary because the player is about to enter hardmode, which means the player will need new weapons anyway.
Vampire Frog
Vampire Frog minions are arguably the best pre-hardmode minions in Terraria because they deal plenty of quick damage to enemies. Because they are fast, can jump, and deal contact damage, Vampire Frogs will quickly decimate even some early hardmode enemies, which means that this minion is a good long-term investment in pre-hardmode.
The only problem is that the Vampire Frog is difficult to obtain. Players will need to use a survival skill, fishing, to get this staff during a Blood Moon and kill either a Zombie Merman or a Wandering Eye Fish. While the minion is worth the struggle, the player may not even get a Blood Moon during pre-hardmode.
Flinx
While the Flinx minions do not deal as much damage with their singular attacks as the Imps or the Vampire Frogs, these fuzzy minions make up for it in other ways. Unlike the other pre-hardmode minions which are somewhat difficult to obtain, players need only six Flinx furs and 10 Gold or Platinum Bars to craft a Flinx Staff at a Work Bench. These minions are quick and agile, which means they cause plenty of damage over time.
Unlike Vampire Frogs that easily get stuck behind walls, the Flinx minions are able to keep up with players. The one problem is that players will have to enter the Ice Biome to get the Flinx Fur, which can be a dangerous biome early in a playthrough.
Spider
After a Summoner player enters hardmode, the first thing they should do is try to find a Spider Biome if they haven’t already. If the player kills enough Spiders and gets 16 spider fangs, they can craft a Spider Staff at an Iron or Lead Anvil. Since it does not require any of the new ores and it is easy to craft, it is a great weapon to have during the beginning of hardmode.
Spiders deal much more damage than any of the pre-hardmode minions, and they can climb on walls. Their attacks also cause the “Venom” debuff, which adds even more damage. These minions, however, don’t always work the best against bosses since they tend to behave weirdly on platforms.
Desert Tiger
After defeating Plantera, players can finally use Biome Keys to open the Biome Chests in the Dungeon. In the Desert Chest, the player will get a Desert Tiger Staff. Unlike other Summoner minions that are summoned as multiple creatures, this staff only summons one Desert Tiger, and each additional summon makes the Desert Tiger stronger and faster.
Depending on how many minions a player can summon at once, the Desert Tiger can become an extremely powerful ally. But, the fact that it is only one minion and it cannot fly makes it a less viable option compared to other post-Plantera minions. Plus, it is extremely rare to get a Desert Key, so the player may not get it until after they already have better alternatives.
Raven
After defeating Plantera, there is a chance that the player will encounter a Pumpkin Moon. During this event, there is a mini-boss called the Pumpking, which can possibly drop a Raven Staff if defeated. This lovable flying minion is capable of dealing high amounts of damage.
Similarly to the Vampire Frog Staff, however, this minion has the disadvantage of only being attainable during a random event, which the player may not even get. Also, the A.I. can be a little unreliable since the bird likes returning to the player before killing the enemies. But, if the player likes to attack bosses at close range, then this minion is perfect.
Stardust Cell
Once the Lunatic Cultist and Stardust Pillar are defeated, the player can use 18 Stardust Fragments at the Ancient Manipulator to create the science-fiction weapon: Stardust Cell Staff. This staff summons a Stardust Cell that will teleport to enemies and fire a mini version of itself at them, which will then stick to the enemy and deal damage over time.
If this staff is combined with the Summoner’s whips, then these minions can do an extraordinary amount of damage to other enemies. The only downsides are that it’s a bit hard to get used to how it works, and it is only available right before the final boss. If the player learns to use it properly, however, it can be a devastating weapon that can easily kill every boss in the game.
Sanguine Bat
If the player fishes during a Blood Moon during hardmode, there is a chance the player will encounter a Dreadnautilus, which can drop a Sanguine Staff when defeated. Along with the high amounts of damage and fast speed, Sanguine Bats are great minions because they have one of the best A.I.s out of all the minions in the game.
Even towards the end of a playthrough, Sanguine Bats can still hold their own and are great companions to the player. While the player will need to fish for it and the Dreadnautilus is sort of rare, the Sanguine Staff has a high drop rate and the player will likely be prepared to look for it during the Blood Moons in hardmode.
Enchanted Dagger
The Queen Slime is an optional boss that many players tend to skip during their playthroughs, but this enemy has a high chance of dropping one of the best staves in the game: the Blade Staff. Similar to the Sanguine Bat, the Enchanted Dagger minion from the Blade Staff is incredibly fast and has one of the best A.I.s in the game. The Enchanted Dagger, however, is even faster and can stunlock enemies easily. Sometimes, it even defends the player from enemy attacks.
While it seems to deal less damage according to its stats, it ignores a large percentage of an enemy’s defense, which makes it much stronger. Although the player will need to fight an extra boss to get the Blade Staff, the Queen Slime is easy to summon and not as difficult as other hardmode bosses.
Stardust Dragon
Instead of creating the Stardust Cell Staff, players can create the Stardust Dragon Staff using the same materials. Like the Desert Tiger Staff, the Stardust Dragon Staff does not summon multiple minions. Each additional summon makes the singular Stardust Dragon minion longer, stronger, and faster.
With the proper equipment, the Stardust Dragon can easily defeat the Moon Lord. The only downsides to this powerful minion are that it only appears at the end of the game and that it is very easy to accidentally kill enemies the player does not want to kill.