Sandgun

The Sandgun is a ranged weapon that can use Sand, Pearlsand, Ebonsand, or Crimsand as its ammunition, which are affected by gravity. When the sand projectile hits any object, it will turn into a clump of Sand Blocks that will gather on the ground.

When Pearlsand, Ebonsand, or Crimsand are used as ammo, each have the added effect of piercing through enemies.

In contrast to most non-explosive weapons, it is possible for a player firing the Sandgun to hit themselves and cause damage. Falling sand will also cause damage to any and all players.

Tips

 * The Sandgun is affected by boosts that reduce ammo usage, making it possible to create more sand than what was used as ammo:
 * In 1.4, the player can stand next to a torch with a ceiling or wall handy above, and shoot the sand so that it hits the blocks and then falls onto the torch. The falling sand will be itemized and immediately picked up, and all the player needs to do is to hold down the fire button. (However, firing directly at the torch will simply destroy the sand.)
 * For pre-1.4 platforms, sand farming is more involved, requiring letting the Sandgun pile up the sand and then mining it. Farming a full stack of sand will fill a large part of the screen, and will take the better part of a day.
 * It may be worthwhile to set up a high drop over a flat area, say 30×70, for easier collection.
 * For the placing and multiplying of the sand, start with the Ammo Box and/or Ammo Reservation Potion, then add an armor that provides ammo reservation. The armor options improve over the course of the game, but the early options have changed in version 1.4, see below for details.
 * Using a modifier of Rapid or Frenzying can improve speed over Unreal.
 * Even with the better modifiers, a second Ammo Reservation Potion will likely be needed, and perhaps another visit to the Ammo Box.
 * For collection, a fast pickaxe is a must. (See also the Mining speed page for hints.)
 * Before Hardmode, the best is the Gravedigger's Shovel. Afterwards, use the Hardmode ore pickaxes until Plantera unlocks the Shroomite Digging Claw.
 * Any of the modifiers Legendary, Deadly, Agile, and Nasty, or Light will give the best mining speed (they vary in melee speed and other statistics).
 * A Mining Potion will speed up collecting the sand, as will Mining armor and a Sun/Moon/Celestial Stone or Celestial Shell.
 * Using Bombs or Dynamite to farm needed Sand can be less time-intensive, but expensive and less precise.
 * If a player manages to obtain the Drill Containment Unit, visiting the Desert of a newly-generated world and collecting the sand there will net large amounts of ammunition for the Sandgun.
 * The Sandgun is incredibly strong for when it can be obtained, outperforming the Phoenix Blaster in raw damage. However, the resulting sand can impede the player. Consider using a Featherfall Potion and shooting downwards to avoid the falling sand.
 * Because of this, using the Sandgun to fight against the Wall of Flesh can be effective because the boss forces the player to continually move away. However, fallen sand can disrupt placed stairs, meaning a hell bridge made of platforms might have to be repaired after the battle.
 * While regular sand can only hit one enemy before falling, the falling sand ball will deal considerable damage to enemies it strikes as it falls.
 * The Sandgun can function as a more reliable (albeit slower to spread) version of Thrown Water due to its ability to shoot sand of all types.
 * The ability to place sand can be useful in blocking tunnels or filling lava-filled gaps from a distance.
 * Shooting the Gun downward while on the ground will cause the player to automatically rise one block. This can be handy in reaching Space with low effort.

Ammo Reservation
Ammo reservation is a feature provided by two buffs and several armor sets, that lets a variety of weapons and tools have a chance to avoid consuming ammunition when they otherwise would do so. It affects not just guns, but arrows, rocket launchers, more eccentric weapons (including the Sandgun), and even tools such as the Clentaminator and The Grand Design.

For purposes of maximizing ammo reservation, start with the Ammo Box and/or Ammo Reservation Potion, each of which give 20%, stacking with each other and with armor. The earlier armor options have changed a bit in 1.4:


 * Before Hardmode, the only option is Fossil Armor or Necro armor (both 20%).
 * In Hardmode, Cobalt Armor (with Mask) and Mythril Armor (with Hat) share a 20% set bonus before or after 1.4.
 * Adamantite Armor (with Mask) improves that to 25%. Before 1.4,  so does Hallowed armor (with Helmet).
 * After defeating Plantera, the Shroomite Breastplate and Chlorophyte Helmet each give 20% as individual pieces, so combining them can beat any set bonus. With these plus the Ammo Box and the Ammo Reservation Potion, a player can double their sand in a single pass.
 * After the endgame, the Vortex Breastplate (25% bonus) can replace the Shroomite Breastplate.

Trivia

 * The Sandgun's sprite resembles the Illegal Gun Parts that are used to craft it.
 * This is because when the Sandgun was introduced, it was the only item to use Illegal Gun Parts in its recipe.
 * The Sandgun is the only weapon crafted at a Furnace.
 * Despite the large cost to obtain this weapon ( /   for Illegal Gun Parts, and getting 10 Antlion Mandibles can be tedious because of the low drop rate), its sell price is absurdly low, reducing the potential cost that a player will need to get a good modifier.
 * It is the only gun-styled weapon whose ammunition can be retrieved.
 * The gun works with the same mechanics that the Antlion uses. This is why antlion mandibles are used to craft the gun.

History
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