Harpoon



The Harpoon is a unique pre-Hardmode ranged weapon. It auto-fires an arcing projectile which is connected to the player via a chain, and returns after reaching a maximum distance or impacting. Its physics are similar to launched flails, though it is highly affected by gravity. The Harpoon is dropped by most enemies during a Goblin Army with a chance of.

The Harpoon has no cooldown period; its auto-fire rate dependent only on the distance to its impact, meaning that an enemy or object in close range will cause a faster auto-fire rate. The projectile also deals damage and knockback to multiple enemies on its return trip, similar to a flail or boomerang, making it effective for crowd control.

Tips

 * As the Harpoon is one of the few sources of ranged damage that does not consume ammo, this weapon makes a decent (albeit weak later in the game) backup weapon for characters specializing in ranged weapons and armor. Eventually, however, it is eclipsed by Hardmode weapons like the Piranha Gun and the Toxikarp.
 * Once launched, the player is unable to switch away from the Harpoon before the projectile returns, making distant shots risky as it will leave the user vulnerable if they miss. It should be optimally used for close to mid-range combat.
 * When surrounded by weaker enemies, it may be a good idea to fire over the crowd, hitting them all on the return trip, rather than firing straight in front of the player and only hitting one enemy at at time.
 * The auto-fire rate of the Harpoon is greater the closer an enemy is. It can deal large amounts of damage against strong Fighter AI enemies like the Nymph or even the Chaos Elemental at very close range.

Trivia

 * The Harpoon was originally called Harpoonitron prior to release.
 * The Anchor can be considered the Harpoon's Hardmode upgrade because of its similar mechanics. It is a melee weapon, however.