Hooks



Hooks are a class of tools that aid the player in traversing terrain. When used, a chain is fired that latches a surface and hoists the player towards it. A Hook becomes an essential tool, as it offers significant freedom from terrain height restrictions, and will often be the first major mobility aid a player acquires. Hooks are acquired in various ways depending on their type (see table below).

The Grapple hotkey (PC: E • Xbox 360: LT • PS3: L1) activates the first Hook in the player's inventory (reading it from left→right, top→bottom), without requiring that the Hook be in the player's hotbar. On the iOS version, dragging quickly from the player outwards casts the Hook in the drag direction.

Several higher-tier Hooks, like the Ivy Whip, allow the player to grapple multiple surfaces simultaneously. If the character grapples one surface, then fires the Hook a second time, another chain extends from the player without dislodging the first. Upon grappling a second surface, the player will be suspended in midair at a point midway between the two surfaces. This allows players more freedom during construction, or for negotiating hazardous areas, such as those above lava.

Types
Hooks vary in their range, velocity, number of deployable hooks, and number of hooks that can remain latched simultaneously.


 * All crafted Hooks are crafted at the Iron Anvil or Lead Anvil.
 * Single Hooks dislodge immediately when firing again while already latched to a surface.
 * Multi-Hooks without simultaneous latching (Fish Hook, Dual Hook) can fire a second chain, but will dislodge the first chain when the second latches a surface.
 * A Multi-Hook can be fired again only after the previous chain latched a surface or fully retracted. The Dual Hook and Web Slinger are exceptions, and can be fired very rapidly &mdash; nearly as fast as the player can hit the button.

Hardmode
These Hooks can only be acquired in worlds where the Wall of Flesh has been defeated and Hardmode has begun.

Tips

 * When sprinting accessories are equipped, the burst of speed provided by a Hook upon latching a surface can be used to accelerate a player to sprinting speed instantly.
 * The Ice Rod can be exploited in conjunction with the ability to reset flight/jumping accessories, by placing a block that can be grappled mid-flight, resetting flight time, and allowing functionally indefinite flight time for as long as the player can successfully manage to place blocks and grapple them accurately.
 * Characters that have hooked a block are immune to gravity and knockback. Grappling the ground in dangerous locations, such as near lava, can ensure you don't fall in when taking damage from an enemy.
 * Players can also exploit immunity to gravity by "grappling the ground" to prevent fall damage. Be careful of using this trick recklessly, as the grappling hook will not function if it reaches the extent of its chain without hitting a block (the game counts it as a "miss" and doesn't check for collision with blocks on the return,) and - depending on the hook used - may prevent you from firing another hook to save yourself until the chain has fully retracted.
 * Grappling a door and then opening it dislodges the hook, and flings the player towards the door at grapple speeds. This can similarly be exploited to "kickstart" Hermes Boots.
 * Simultaneous-latch multi-hooks are more useful for utility purposes, but when fast travel is preferred, they require more user input: the user must jump to dislodge one hook before firing again, or else they are suspended midway between two points and must negotiate the gap again. Individually-latching multi-hooks allow easier fast-transit, since they immediately sling the player across gaps, rather than automatically suspending them midway first -- though they aren't as useful for intricate maneuvers.
 * Hooks that can be fired in rapid succession (Dual Hook and Web Slinger) provide more security during falls, since if the first firing fails to latch a surface, another chain can be fired immediately to try again.
 * The Dual Hook may be preferred once a player has Wings (in Hardmode), as midair suspension and fall damage are less concerning than simply having something quick and long to hit a surface for the purpose of resetting flight time.

Trivia

 * The Grappling Hook's tooltip, "Get over here!", is a quote from the Mortal Kombat character Scorpion, when he throws a kunai attached to a rope (grappling hook) at opponents and drags them over to him.
 * The Web Slinger is likely a reference to Spider-Man.
 * The fish hook may be wordplay, as a fish hook in real life is a tool used to catch fish while the fish hook item is used to grapple onto blocks, yet they both have the same name.