Spinal Tap is probably the first summoner item you’ll get in Terraria. You can make it relatively quickly, as soon as you get some Cobweb and Bones from Dungeon. Although not that powerful, it helps you focus on minions’ attacks. The item is especially strong when paired with Obsidian Armor.
The item works well against hordes of enemies that come at you in lines. In that regard, it can be nice for defending your base during events. It is also a great tool for battling opponents who have several parts (Wall of Flesh, Brain of Cthulhu, and Eater of Worlds).
Spinal Tap basic stats and features
Here are the weapon’s basic stats:
| Damage | 36 (melee) |
| Knockback | 2 |
| Use time | 30 |
| Velocity | 10 |
| Rarity | Green |
| Sell price | 1 gold, 50 silver |
| Research | 1 item necessary |
Like with any whip, when you hit an enemy with Spinal Tap, all your minions start attacking the same target. If you strike several opponents at once, the minions will focus on the last enemy hit by the weapon. The weapon also causes 7 summon tag damage.
The thing unique about this item is that it loses very little damage as it passes through enemies. By comparison, other whips have a major reduction with each enemy struck. Spinal Tap only loses 10% per enemy hit, making it ideal against pre-Hardmode bosses such as Wall of Flesh, Brain of Cthulhu, and Eater of Worlds.
How to make Spinal Tap?
To assemble the weapon, you’ll need the following items:
- Bone (90)
- Cobweb (55)
- Work Bench (crafting station)
You can create this whip early on in the game. Cobweb is a resource that you can find just about anywhere. It is mostly procured from underground Spider Caverns, but you can also acquire it from regular chests. Most people acquire the resource randomly as they dig into the ground or collect ores.
As for the Bones, you’ll have to struggle a bit to get this material. You can only get it from Angry Bones, Dark Casters, Skeleton, and Cursed Skull, all of which are residents of the Dungeon. Although Bones have a high drop rate, you need a lot of them to assemble the weapon.
How does Spinal Tap compare to other whips?
Whips are one of the rarest weapons in Terraria. Melee characters usually prefer going with Swords, Yo-yos, and Spears. Whips’ main value is that you can use them to hit several enemies in a line. A lot of them also have a status effect allowing you to burn or poison several opponents simultaneously.
They have a nice range for melee weapons, and help focus the minion attacks. Having that in mind, it doesn’t make much sense to use whips if you’re not a summoner.
As for the Spinal Tap, it is the second weakest weapon in this category. The only worse whip is Leather Whip, which you can buy from Zoologist. However, if this is your first playthrough, there is a chance you won’t even encounter this vendor. So, Spinal Tap is probably the first whip you’ll have access to.
Even if you start using the weapon, there is a good chance you’ll replace it soon enough. Snapthorn is a higher-tier whip you can assemble from Jungle biome materials and is available before Spinal Tap. Upon killing Wall of Flesh, you gain Firecracker, which is better than both of them.
