Terraria 1.4.5 Summoner Updates: New Whips, New Summons & How to Use Them

TL;DR

Terraria dedicated servers 1.4.5 adds a full mini-progression of new whips (including two new endgame tag-crit options) plus several new summon weapons from the Dead Cells and Palworld crossover content. If you play Summoner, your biggest wins come from (1) upgrading your whip earlier than you used to, (2) keeping tag effects active on the target you actually want dead, and (3) using the new minions for utility and consistency, not just raw damage.

What actually changed for Summoners in 1.4.5

If you have not touched Summoner in a while, 1.4.5 quietly fixes a common pain point: early and midgame whip options used to feel sparse, so you would sit on the same whip longer than you wanted. Now you get new whips that plug gaps across pre-Hardmode, early Hardmode, and late-game.

On top of that, the crossover content is not just vanity. You get new summon weapons with distinct behavior:

• A new post-evil-boss minion that stays relevant because it can reliably stick to targets.
• A new Hardmode sentry that adds safe, persistent chip damage in fights where you want to keep your distance.
• New Palworld-themed summons that double as utility or flexible damage (one even helps with mining while it follows you).

Two whip mechanics to understand before you pick “the best one”

A whip is not just a melee swing. It does two Summoner-specific jobs:

1) It sets your target.
The last enemy you hit becomes the priority target for minions and sentries. In real fights, that matters more than people expect. It lets you delete the most dangerous enemy first instead of watching your summons chase whatever is closest.

2) It applies a tag effect.
Tag effects last a short time and add extra damage to your minions’ and sentries’ hits against that tagged enemy. Some whips also add an extra effect (debuffs, bonus projectiles, or a fixed crit chance for summons).

You will also see a stat called multihit penalty on whips. In plain terms: if your whip swing hits multiple enemies, later hits in that same swing get reduced. Early whips tend to have harsher penalties, while late whips are much friendlier for crowds. That is why some whips feel amazing in invasions and others feel single-target only.

TIP

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All new whips in 1.4.5 (stats + why you would use them)

Below is a compact table so you can scan quickly, then I’ll explain the practical takeaways.

Quick table of the 1.4.5 whips

How to choose among them (the practical version)

Cobwhip and Slime Whip are not baby whips anymore, they are real stepping stones. If you start a fresh world, either one lets you play true Summoner earlier without feeling under-armed. Slime Whip’s debuffs help a lot in messy early fights where enemies survive longer than you want.

Soulscourge and Vasculash are your evil-boss follow-ups. The important part is not which one is “better”, it is that you can now craft a meaningful upgrade right after you commit to Corruption or Crimson materials, instead of waiting for a totally different milestone.

Starcrash is the first whip in this list that noticeably changes how fights look. The priming mechanic means your minions get bonus burst via meteors. It is especially satisfying when your minions hit fast, because you see the payoff constantly.

Vulgar Display of Flower is where Summoner starts to feel like it has real mid-Hardmode crowd control. The multihit penalty is low enough that you can swing into groups without the whip feeling neutered, and the petal effect rewards you for simply keeping enemies tagged.

Electric Eel is one of the most complete whips in the update. The penalty is tiny, it adds a fixed crit chance for your summons (so your minions can actually crit without you doing anything fancy), and the chaining lightning effect helps when enemies cluster.

Constellation is your crafted late-game whip that also grants a higher fixed summon crit chance. If you like a more predictable, build-friendly path (farm fragments, craft the upgrade), this is the cleanest upgrade line in the list.

Possession is a Moon Lord drop, so it is the I am here to finish the game whip. The tag damage is massive, and the low multihit penalty means it stays useful even when the screen is full of targets.

New summon weapons that matter for Summoner builds

Mushroom Staff (Dead Cells crossover)

This is a post-evil-boss pre-Hardmode summon weapon that calls a Mushroom Boi minion. In use, it behaves like a chase minion with a built-in solution to a classic Summoner problem: when a target gets too far, it can teleport onto them instead of getting lost pathing around terrain. If you like aggressive minions that stay on task, it is a strong addition to the pre-Hardmode pool.

Barnacle Staff (Dead Cells crossover)

This is a Hardmode summon weapon that creates a Barnacle sentry. It attacks by firing poison spit and can inflict Poisoned. It is also a good example of a sentry that rewards positioning: you can place it in spots where it has clean lines to targets, then focus on staying alive while your minions and the sentry do steady work.

If you are not used to sentries: they are stationary, and they exist to add safe damage while you keep moving. They are especially helpful in fights where you do not want to stand still to whip nonstop.

Palworld summons (Cattiva, Foxparks, plus the rarer pals)

The Palworld crossover adds several new pals that function as summon weapons. Two that matter immediately for Summoner players are:

• Cattiva: a pre-Hardmode minion that fights up close and also mines alongside you at roughly iron-pickaxe level. That is not a gimmick. It can meaningfully smooth out early resource gathering while still being a real combat minion.
• Foxparks: a pre-Hardmode minion that attacks at range with fireballs (inflicting On Fire!), and it has a special held-down attack where it teleports to you and acts like a flamethrower without consuming ammo. That makes it unusually flexible for exploring and for early events where you want consistent ranged pressure.

The other pals are more hunt them down style finds. If you are struggling to get them to appear, do not assume you are doing something wrong. Some players report much better luck in newly generated 1.4.5 worlds compared to older saves, so starting a fresh world for pal hunting can save time.

Summoner tips that make 1.4.5 content feel easier

Keep tag uptime, not perfect whip DPS

Most Summoner damage comes from your minions hitting a tagged target. In practice, you do not need to swing constantly. You need to refresh the tag and keep the right enemy selected as the priority target.

A simple rhythm works well:

• tag the target you want dead,
• reposition so your minions can keep hitting,
• retag when the tag is about to fall off or when the fight changes.
  

Use whips differently in single-target vs crowds

This is where multihit penalty matters.

• In single-target boss fights, even early whips feel fine because you rarely hit multiple enemies in one swing.
• In invasions and events, low-penalty whips (like Electric Eel and Possession) feel dramatically better because your swing stays effective across multiple hits.
  

So do not judge a whip only by its raw tag damage. Think about what kind of fight you are actually in.

TIP

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Watch your buff bar if your minions “randomly disappear”

Minions are tied to buff slots. If your buff/debuff list gets crowded, it is possible to lose minions mid-fight. If you notice summons dropping off, look at what else you are stacking (food, potions, candles, mount buffs, event debuffs) and trim where you can.

One quick micro-scenario (early boss)

You are fighting your first big boss and your minions keep swapping targets to random adds or flying eyes.
Try this:

• Use your whip once to tag the boss and lock minion focus.
• Back up and fight defensively for a few seconds while minions do their work.
• Retag the boss whenever it dashes away or the arena gets cluttered.
  

That single habit often feels like a bigger upgrade than swapping gear.

Quick picks by progression (only new or newly relevant in 1.4.5)

• Fresh world Summoner start: Cobwhip or Slime Whip for early tag damage and control
• Post-evil boss: Mushroom Staff if you want a minion that reliably stays on targets
• Pre-Hardmode upgrade: Starcrash if you want extra burst on minion hits
• Mid-Hardmode: Vulgar Display of Flower for events, Electric Eel for strong all-around fights
• Late-game: Constellation if you want a craftable crit-focused whip, Possession if you want the endgame tag-damage spike