Since Terraria is a game that players need to figure out on their own as they play, it can be difficult to know what equipment to use and where to get it. The game doesn't even say if a certain piece of equipment is useful to certain classes or play styles.
With many new and old players choosing the Summoner class after it was reworked in the latest updates, it is especially helpful now to know what works the best. Whether the player is going pure Summoner or a hybrid with other classes, there are some things they should use.
Summoner Emblem
After defeating the Wall of Flesh, there is a possibility that the Summoner Emblem will be a drop. Unlike the Sorcerer, Ranger, or Warrior Emblem, the Summoner Emblem increases minion damage by 15%. This is especially helpful for the start of hardmode since the player will need all the extra power they can get to survive the difficulty spike.
Later, the player can use five souls of might, sight, and fright with the Summoner Emblem to create the Avenger Emblem, which grants 12% increased damage to all weapons. But, this is only recommended if the player is focusing more on the whips rather than their army of animal sidekicks. This upgraded emblem, however, is useful for another possible item.
Flask of Fire
Once the player has the Witch Doctor NPC, they can purchase the Imbuing Station for seven gold. While many of the flasks made from this need hardmode materials, there are a couple of flasks that can be made in pre-hardmode. One of them is the Flask of Fire, which is made from Bottled Water and three Hellstone.
If the player uses the Flask of Fire on one of their whips, the whip will gain the ability to inflict the "On Fire!" debuff on enemies. Although some whips in hardmode already have better debuffs, this extra debuff is definitely useful in pre-hardmode.
Flask of Venom
Another useful flask that can be made at the Imbuing Station is the Flask of Venom. After Plantera is defeated, the player can buy Vials of Venom from the Witch Doctor for 15 silver coins each. If five of these vials are combined with a Bottled Water, then the player will make a Flask of Venom, which can be used to give whips the ability to inflict the "Venom" debuff on enemies.
Since this debuff prevents health regeneration and deals 30 damage to the enemy's health per second, it is an incredibly useful ability. Also, the effect on the weapon lasts for 20 minutes and doesn't go away when the player dies. With how easy it is to make and how cheap the materials are, it is worthwhile to have this if the whip doesn't have other debuffs.
Summoning Potion
After defeating Skeletron in pre-hardmode, the player can finally enter the Dungeon. One of the many things that can be found in the Dungeon is the Alchemy Table, which is used to make potions and has a 33% chance of not consuming the ingredients.
If the player combines a Bottled Water, a Variegated Lardfish, and a Moonglow flower, then they will make a Summoning Potion. This potion lasts for eight minutes and gives the player one extra minion slot. Although this is incredibly useful for Summoners, it can be difficult to get the ingredients and it does not last long.
Bewitching Table
Another item that can be found in the Dungeon that is useful for Summoners is the Bewitching Table. If the player right-clicks this piece of furniture, then they will get the Bewitched buff, which increases the minion capacity by one and lasts for 10 minutes.
With both the Bewitching Table and Summoning Potions, the Summoner can have an army of minions along with the slots given to them by their armor and other accessories. This piece of furniture is also great because the player does not have to do anything to get the buff besides having the furniture and clicking it.
Pygmy Necklace
If it is nighttime and the player has at least 20 gold, then they can buy the Pygmy Necklace from the Witch Doctor. While there used to be other limitations on getting this item such as the player needing the Pygmy Staff in their inventory or Plantera being already defeated, the Witch Doctor now sells this at any stage of the game and the player doesn't need the Pygmy Staff.
The Pygmy Necklace is an accessory that gives the player an extra minion slot. Unlike the Bewitching Table and Summoning Potion, this item gives the player this ability forever as long as the player is wearing it and it is in an accessory slot.
Feral Claws
Similar to other open-world games like Rust, searching around the environment can lead players to some great items. Within some Jungle Crates, Bramble Crates, and Ivy Chests in the Jungle Biome, the player can find the Feral Claws accessory. When a Summoner puts this item in an accessory slot, their whip's speed increases by 12%, and the whip now auto swings when used. This means the player can just hold down the mouse button to continuously use their whip rather than clicking it each time.
As a pre-hardmode accessory that can easily be found in the Jungle biome, this is an absolutely necessary item for Summoners to get as soon as possible. Over the course of the game, this simple accessory can be used to craft better accessories, which will help players beat the game.
Papyrus Scarab
If the Witch Doctor is in the Jungle post-Plantera, then the player can buy the Hercules Beetle accessory for 40 gold. This accessory gives 15% more minion damage and increases minion knockback, which makes it helpful on its own. But, if the player also combines it with another accessory, then it becomes even more useful. During the Pumpkin Moon event, the Summoner can get the Necromantic Scroll accessory as a drop from Mourning Wood enemies, which gives 10% more minion damage and an extra minion slot.
When these two items are combined at the Tinkerer's Workshop, they become the Papyrus Scarab accessory, which gives the player 15% more minion damage, one extra minion slot, and more minion knockback. Since there is a limited amount of accessory slots, this combination helps free up space for other accessories.
Celestial Stone
Another helpful accessory that comes from a combination of items is the Celestial Shell. When a Vampire is defeated during a Solar Eclipse event, they can possibly drop a Moon Stone, which increases all weapons damage by 10%, increases whip speed by 10%, and increases minion knockback. But, this only works at night. To get the same stats during the day, the player will need to get the Sun Stone by defeating the Golem boss in the Jungle Temple. These two items can be combined to make the Celestial Stone, which takes away the time component.
If the player has a Moon Shell, which is an accessory created by combining the Moon Charm and Neptune's Shell, then the player can combine the Moon Shell with the Celestial Stone to create the Celestial Shell. While this adds a couple of extra abilities, they only work in Werewolf form or when it is dark in the overworld, which makes it probably not worth the extra effort.
Fire Gauntlet
The Fire Gauntlet accessory is the ultimate version of the Feral Claws accessory. If the player combines the Feral Claws with the Titan Glove accessory, which is dropped by Mimics in hardmode, then they will get the Power Glove that has everything the Feral Claws has plus increased range. Then, the Summoner can combine the Power Glove accessory with the Avenger Emblem to create the Mechanical Glove, which increases melee damage and knockback along with all the previous stat growths.
Finally, the Mechanical Glove can be combined with the Magma Stone accessory, which is a possible drop from bats in the Underworld, to create the Fire Gauntlet. Along with everything the Mechanical Glove had, this also inflicts the "Hellfire" debuff on enemies. Although this requires all these steps to make it, this accessory is worth the extra work.