Gastropod

The Gastropod is a flying Hardmode slime that spawns frequently at the surface of The Hallow at night, and fires pink lasers which emit a faint light.

The also feature the exclusive Spectral Gastropod variant. The Spectral Gastropod fires a slow-moving orb that disappears after a short time.

Tips

 * The Royal Gel allows easily and safely farming Gastropods for the Blessed Apple, as they will not attack the player and can be attacked freely once the accessory is equipped.
 * Newer Hardmode players may want to avoid the Hallow's surface at night entirely, as Gastropods fire frequently, spawn often, and their lasers are difficult to dodge – especially when more than one Gastropod is on the screen (and there usually are). In, the Hallow is less dangerous at night as players can equip the Royal Gel.
 * Gastropods drop much more Gel than any other non-boss slime, making them useful for gathering Flamethrower ammo. Using the Flamethrower to kill Gastropods is fast and will yield more Gel than the weapon consumes.
 * The Bee Gun and similar weapons are effective at preventing Gastropods from firing, as its bees can attack continuously, leaving no pause for Gastropods to fire.

Trivia

 * Real-life are a class of mollusk that includes snails and slugs.
 * Sometimes Gastropods can be seen flying in the Hallow background at night as ambience.


 * This entry explains that the Gastropods are Hallow-enhanced nocturnal slimes, though it is not clear what connection these have with real-life gastropods. Two possible reasons are that both have very soft and jelly-like bodies, and that both are said to leave behind a trail of ooze-like substances as they move.

Gallery
  Sprite of ambience Gastropod from.   Gastropod depicted on pre-1.4 Hallow splash screen from.   Gastropod on Hallow splash screen from Console and 1.4.  

History
Gastropode 복족류 Brzuchonóg Gastrópode Брюхоног 腹足怪