How Good is the Rainbow Gun in Terraria? A Comprehensive Guide

The Rainbow Gun in Terraria is a unique and somewhat controversial magic weapon. Its performance can be described as situational, but undeniably powerful under the right circumstances. The Rainbow Gun fires a beam that pierces infinitely, hitting multiple enemies within its range. This makes it exceptionally effective against segmented enemies, like worms, and can devastate large clusters of foes. However, its damage, while sustained, is not incredibly high compared to some other late-game options. Ultimately, the Rainbow Gun’s viability depends heavily on the player’s situation and chosen strategies. It is a decent weapon, but not without its drawbacks. Let’s delve into why.

The Rainbow Gun’s Strengths and Weaknesses

The core strength of the Rainbow Gun lies in its infinite piercing ability. This feature allows it to hit every segment of a multi-part enemy like the Destroyer or Eater of Worlds simultaneously, dealing significant damage. This also makes it exceptionally good at crowd control. The beam itself is continuous, meaning once fired, it deals damage consistently for roughly 40 seconds without needing to be re-fired.

However, the weapon’s main downfall is its relatively low base damage of 45. While it hits rapidly, this damage is not enough to trivialize late-game bosses, making it less effective against single, powerful targets with high defense. Another notable downside is that it has zero knockback. This means you cannot use it to push enemies away, which can be dangerous when surrounded. The Rainbow Gun’s performance is very dependent on your positioning and the environment.

Ideal Scenarios for the Rainbow Gun

The Rainbow Gun truly shines in specific situations. Here are some of its best uses:

• Segmented Bosses: As mentioned, its infinite piercing makes it incredible against bosses like the Destroyer. The continuous beam shreds through the numerous segments, making quick work of these typically troublesome foes.

• Golem: Golem, confined to a small area, is highly vulnerable to the Rainbow Gun. The beam effectively pierces through him and any spawned minions, resulting in substantial damage.

• Crowd Control: Any encounter with a large group of enemies is a chance for the Rainbow Gun to excel. It can clear rooms of monsters quickly, providing safety and making resource farming far easier. It’s very good in the Dungeon for clearing dense mobs of post-Plantera enemies (excluding Paladins).

Where the Rainbow Gun Falls Short

Despite its strengths, the Rainbow Gun does have limitations.

• Single, Strong Targets: Bosses with single hitboxes are where this weapon struggles. Its relatively low base damage is not enough to compete with other high-damage weapons, especially when the bosses have high defense.

• Open Spaces: In open areas, enemies have more space to dodge the beam, negating the gun’s strength.

• Defense: Enemies with high defense will also lessen the effectiveness of the gun’s damage.

Enhancing the Rainbow Gun

While the Rainbow Gun has a fixed damage output, there are ways to optimize it, with modifiers being the primary method. The best modifier for the Rainbow Gun is Mythical. Though its inherent lack of knockback means the modifier’s knockback bonus is wasted, Mythical provides the highest boost to damage, critical hit chance, and other relevant stats.

Other accessories that boost magic damage and critical hit chance will also improve the effectiveness of the weapon. Experimenting with different setups will yield optimal results.

Conclusion

The Rainbow Gun is a unique weapon with both strengths and weaknesses. Its infinite piercing and continuous beam make it powerful in specific scenarios, particularly against segmented bosses and large crowds of enemies. However, its low base damage and lack of knockback make it less effective against single, strong targets with high defense. With the right strategies and proper modifiers, the Rainbow Gun can be a valuable addition to your arsenal. Understanding where it excels and where it falls short is key to utilizing its full potential.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the best gun in Terraria?

While preferences vary, the Sniper Rifle generally ranks highly due to its immense damage per shot. Other notable guns include the S.D.M.G (Space Dolphin Machine Gun), Venus Magnum, Vortex Beater and Chain Gun, each with their own niche uses.

2. What is the fastest hitting weapon in Terraria?

The Fetid Baghnakhs are the fastest melee weapons in the game, alongside the Psycho Knife, but the Psycho Knife can reach higher speeds, though these are melee weapons, not guns. The Chain Gun is the fastest firing gun in the game.

3. How much damage does the Rainbow Gun do?

The Rainbow Gun deals a base damage of 45. This damage is applied repeatedly for 40 seconds without needing to be re-fired, provided the beam remains on a target.

4. What is the best modifier for the Rainbow Gun?

The best modifier for the Rainbow Gun is Mythical, which provides boosts to damage, critical hit chance, and other stats, even though the knockback increase is wasted due to the weapon having a base knockback of zero.

5. How rare is the Rainbow Cursor in Terraria?

The Rainbow Cursor is a vanity accessory that has a 1/20 (5%) drop chance from the Empress of Light.

6. Is the Rainbow Rod a good weapon?

Yes, the Rainbow Rod is a good weapon, especially against Hardmode bosses like Plantera and Golem, due to its high damage output and homing effect.

7. What is the best fishing rod in Terraria?

The Golden Fishing Rod is considered the best fishing rod due to its high fishing power.

8. What is the strongest bullet in Terraria?

Crystal Bullets are often preferred for their high damage per second output, while Chlorophyte Bullets are favored for their homing capabilities. Luminite bullets are very powerful, but require end-game materials.

9. How good is the Piranha Gun?

The Piranha Gun can do massive damage over time with a sustained DPS of approximately 15,000 total damage over the course of a minute. This makes it great for continuous damage output.

10. Is the Slime Gun rare?

The Slime Gun has a 2/3 (66.67%) drop chance from King Slime, making it not particularly rare. It also cannot be reforged.

11. Is the Uzi rare in Terraria?

The Uzi has a 1/100 (1%) chance to drop from Angry Trappers in normal mode, and a 1/200 (0.5%) chance to drop in expert/master mode, making it quite rare.

12. Are Rainbow Slimes rare in Terraria?

Rainbow Slimes are rare Hardmode slimes that spawn in The Hallow during rain. They only spawn on non-hallowed blocks.

13. What is the rarest sword in Terraria?

The Arkhalis and Terragrim are the only swords that cannot obtain the Legendary modifier, with the Arkhalis being the only pre-Hardmode weapon to have the highest rarity of purple.

14. What is the best universal modifier in Terraria?

The best universal modifier is either Godly or Demonic. These modifiers offer the highest damage boost. However, Godly has a small knockback increase, while Demonic does not, which may be preferable depending on a player’s needs.

15. What is the rarest loot in Terraria?

The Slime Staff is often considered the rarest drop in Terraria, due to its low drop rate. Other rare items include the Nymph Banner, Blessed Apple, Rod of Discord, Biome Keys, Lucky Coin, Coin Gun and the Discount Card.