Piranha Gun



The Piranha Gun is a Hardmode post-Plantera ranged weapon that fires three / a single  returning Mechanical Piranha projectile(s) that costs no ammunition. The mechanical fish will stick onto an enemy to do continuous damage while the button is held. Each can target different enemies, or the same one, if there are too few nearby. If the initial target is killed and the button is still held, the projectiles will seek out nearby enemies. It returns to the gun once no other enemies are in the vicinity, when the button is released, or after one minute of continuous use. The Piranha Gun is found in the Dungeon's Jungle Chest, which requires the Jungle Key to open, and only after Plantera has been defeated.

The first enemy the piranha attaches to must be in direct line of sight. However, any other nearby enemy besides the first target will not require a line of sight. It hits 7.5 times per second and deals damage in a very small area, meaning that if other enemies get too close they can also be damaged simultaneously.

Because its attack speed is unaffected by modifiers, Godly and Demonic can also be considered the best modifiers for a Piranha Gun.

Tips

 * The Piranha Gun is great for eliminating swarms of enemies as the player can hide behind walls while the piranha jumps between enemies in a wide open space. It is especially good for eliminating Paladins and teleporting enemies, since the piranha will lock onto and follow the target with each teleport and pass through solid blocks in the process. Also, since Paladins do not attack without direct line of sight, they will just receive damage and eventually be defeated if the player hides.
 * Its high attack rate, ability to remain on top of a target, and weak knockback, combine to slow or stun-lock many enemies. Certain enemies and bosses, or boss parts (like Golem's fists), cannot attack or fire while being damaged; thus, the Piranha Gun prevents them from attacking.
 * It can be used to constantly damage bosses without having to focus on aiming or going in close for melee attacks. This can allow the player to focus on dodging and hold out for any debuffs to clear, such as Potion Sickness. However, in compensation for its homing ability, the damage is comparatively low.
 * The Piranha Gun can also be used against Dungeon Guardians because of its ability to cause continuous damage while following its target. It also does not consume ammunition, making fights against it less costly.

Trivia

 * The piranha travels slower in water, despite being based on a fish.
 * The weapon's sprite seems to squint after it latches on to a target.
 * The piranha will return to the gun after reaching certain distance from the player. If the player can keep up with the piranha, and there are no obstacles, it will continue for the duration of its despawn timer.
 * It shares a color scheme with the Rocket Launcher, another post-Plantera ranged weapon.
 * Although not a bullet-firing weapon, it does continue the trend of ranged weapons being based off of aquatic life set by the Minishark, Megashark, Gatligator and S.D.M.G.