Desert Tiger Staff

The Desert Tiger Staff is a post-Plantera summon weapon, which summons a Desert Tiger that deals contact damage to enemies. Every six seconds, the tiger can curl up and perform a pounce attack at nearby enemies, dealing  /   damage (1.5× the base damage), and passing through blocks to reach them. Additionally, it can deal critical hits with this attack. The Desert Tiger Staff can always be found inside the Dungeon's Desert Chest, which can only be unlocked by a Desert Key after Plantera has been defeated.



The Desert Tiger Staff is special in that if used more than once, multiple tigers do not spawn – instead, the spawned tiger becomes stronger ( + damage; 40% of the base damage / + damage; 33.33% of the base damage) and faster for each additional summon. The tiger will appear as a baby if summoned 1 to 3 times, an adult if summoned 4 to 6 times, and an armored adult if summoned 7 or more times. Other minions may be used in addition to the Desert Tiger.

Note that the minion does deal critical hits when pouncing, though this attack is performed rather infrequently, in comparison.

Tips

 * The reforge cost of this weapon is disproportionately high compared to other summon weapons.
 * The tiger kills any critters it comes in contact with. This may lead to a very surprising and unwanted Empress of Light summon, should the Prismatic Lacewing get pounced on by the tiger while it is engaging other enemies.
 * It is better suited for singular targets rather than crowds. This is because, unlike most other summon weapons, additional summons only strengthens the initial summon, rather than summon additional minions. As such, the player may wish to use a different summon weapon for events or farming, such as the Pygmy Staff.

Trivia

 * The Stardust Dragon Staff is the only other summon weapon that does not spawn a new minion but enhances the existing one.
 * The Desert Tiger is likely based off the very rare real life animals known as White Tigers.