Grappling hooks, referred to as “hooks” from now, are incredible pieces of equipment. I wager every experience Terraria player knows exactly what I’m talking about. And the in-experienced players? Once they get a hold of a hook, they won’t ever want to let go.
Hooks allow the player to grab onto walls or ceilings. They can be used in many different ways and for many different purposes. You can prevent yourself from taking fall damage by hooking onto a wall before hitting the ground. Or you can climb out of a hole by consecutively grabbing onto walls.
In addition, hooks can help you evade enemies or evade players. They can also play an important role in positioning yourself correctly for boss battles and tricky situations. Before we continue with our complete Grappling Hook Terraria guide, here’s brief information on the key details you’ll learn in this guide.
Embark on a boundless adventure in the pixelated sandbox world of Terraria, where you can dig, build, and explore to your heart's content. With endless possibilities for creativity and discovery, join millions of players in crafting your own epic journey.
Key Details Up Front
There are many hooks available for purchase, crafting or finding in Terraria. That being said, generally speaking, the harder the hook is to obtain, the better its properties. After unlocking Hardmode, there will be many amazing hooks that the player can obtain by battling a variety of bosses and enemies.
The overall best hook is the one crafted from Fragments obtained by destroying a Pillar during Lunar Events. This hook can only be obtained near the end of the game.
What is a Grappling Hook, and why Do I Need One?
Grappling hooks are items that have a corresponding Hook slot in your inventory. After placing a hook into that slot, pressing E will immediately dispense a hook towards the direction your mouse is pointing. The hook starts from the player and travels either the maximum distance allowed by its stats or until it hits a solid block.
Upon hitting a solid block, the hook will become attached to the wall, and in most cases, will pull the player towards that location. Once the player arrives at the attachment point, the player will be suspended there until the player cancels the hook or hooks to a new location.
There are three types of hooks categorized by the way they function and what they allow the user to do.
Single Hooks
These types of hooks are the most basic hooks. They fire a single hook shot, and will immediately dislodge the player from a hooked surface if they choose to fire another hook. This creates a situation where the player is forced to rapidly deploy hooks with accuracy to be able to climb up a wall.
Simultaneous Hooks
The most common, and more advanced typed of hooks are the simultaneous ones. These hooks allow the player to fire another hook while remaining attached to their previous hook point.
This allows for the player to slowly maneuver themselves without risking falling. The position of the player will be the middle point of all of the attachment points. Each Simultaneous type hook will have its amount of hooks associated with it. Some can allow you to have three attachment points and some can have more!
Individual Hooks
These are the most uncommon type of hooks and are sort of a hybrid between simultaneous hooks and single hooks. They allow the player to fire a second hook without being dislodged from their existing attachment point.
Hook Varieties & Their Nuances
Grappling Hook
- How to Acquire: Crafted by combining three chains with a hook or purchased from Goblin Tinkerer for 2 gold.
- Traits: Standard single hook with a reach of 18.75 tiles and 11.5 velocity
Amethyst Hook
- How to Acquire: Crafted by combining 15 amethysts. You can find amethysts embedded into rock underground.
- Traits: Purple-colored single hook with a reach of 18.75 tiles and 10 velocity.
Squirrel Hook
- How to Acquire: Purchased from the Zoologist for 2 gold.
- Traits: Single hook with a reach of 19 tiles and 11.5 velocity. The added benefit is that this hook allows you to hook onto trees.
Topaz Hook
- How to Acquire: Crafted by combining 15 topazes. You can find topazes embedded into rock underground.
- Traits: Orange-colored single hook with a reach of 20.625 tiles and a slightly slower velocity of 10.5.
Sapphire Hook
- How to Acquire: Crafted by combining 15 sapphires. You can find sapphires embedded into rock underground.
- Traits: A blue-coloured single hook with a reach of 22.5 tiles and 11 velocity.
Emerald Hook
- How to Acquire: Crafted by combining 15 emeralds. You can find emeralds embedded into rock underground.
- Traits: A green-coloured single hook with a reach of 24.375 tiles and 11.5 velocity.
Ruby Hook
- How to Acquire: Crafted by combining 15 rubies. You can find rubies embedded into rock underground.
- Traits: A red-coloured single hook with a reach of 26.25 tiles and 12 velocity.
Amber Hook
- How to Acquire: Crafted by combining 15 ambers. You can find amber underground below desert biomes or from an Amber Gem Tree.
- Traits: A yellow-coloured single hook with a reach of 27.5 tiles and 12.5 velocity.
Diamond Hook
- How to Acquire: Crafted by combining 15 diamonds. You can find diamonds embedded into rock underground.
- Traits: A white-coloured single hook with a reach of 29.125 tiles and 12.5 velocity.
Web Slinger
- How to Acquire: Can be looted from a Web Covered Chest. These chests can be found underground surrounded by cobwebs.
- Traits: The first and most accessible simultaneous hook, allowing you to fire all 8 hooks in quick succession. The Web Slinger has a range of 22.625 tiles and a velocity of 10.
Skeletron Hand
- How to Acquire: Has a 12.24% chance of dropping from Skeletron, the boss found outside the Dungeon far to either the east or west from your spawn.
- Traits: A 2-part simultaneous hook. It has a fairly low reach value of 21.875 tiles and 15 velocity, making it the fastest pre-hard mode hook.
Slime Hook
- How to Acquire: Has a 33.33% chance of dropping from the King Slime. You can summon the King Slime by killing 150 slimes during a “slime rain” event or by using the Slime Crown. The crown can be crafted by combining a gold crown with 20 gel.
- Traits: It is a 3-part simultaneous hook. It has a reach of 18.75 and a velocity of 13.
Fish Hook
- How to Acquire: Given as a potential reward by the Angler. The Angler will assign a fish that you must bring him and reward you with one of a variety of items upon completion. The hook has a 1.67% chance of being rewarded.
- Traits: It is a 2-part simultaneous hook. It has a reach of 25 and a velocity of 13. The added benefit with this hook is that it can be fired 3 times in quick succession.
Here’s a complete Terraria Fishing Guide.
Ivy Whip
- How to Acquire: Crafted by combining 12 jungle spores with 3 vines. Both of these items can be found in the jungle biome.
- Traits: It is a 3-part simultaneous hook. It has a reach of 28 and a velocity of 13.
Bat Hook
- How to Acquire: This can be found inside Halloween Goodie Bags which are dropped by any monster during the Halloween Seasonal Event. There is a 0.67% chance of getting this hook from the Goodie Bag.
- Traits: It is a single hook. It has a reach of 31.25 and a velocity of 13.5.
Candy Cane Hook
- How to Acquire: Can be found inside Christmas Present Boxes which are dropped by any monster during the Christmas Seasonal Event. There is a 0.63% chance of getting this hook from the Present Box.
- Traits: It is a single hook. It has a reach of 25 and a velocity of 11.5
Dual Hook (Hardmode Only)
- How to Acquire: This hook can be dropped by a Mimic, which can be found all around the world as soon as Hardmode is initiated. There is a 14.29% chance of getting one of these hooks upon killing any Mimic.
- Traits: It is a 2-part individual hook. It has a reach of 27.5 and a velocity of 14. Each end of this hook glows a different color, it’s very fancy!
Hook of Dissonance (Hardmode Only)
- How to Acquire: This hook is dropped by The Queen Slime, which can be spawned by using a Gelatin Crystal inside the Hallow biome. This crystal can be found in pearlstone or pink ice blocks in underground Hallow biomes. There is a 33.33% chance that the Queen Slime will drop this hook upon being vanquished.
- Traits: It is a single hook. It has a reach of 30 and a velocity of 16. Additionally, this hook will teleport the player to the hooked location. Lots of fun can be had with this one, especially in PvP.
Thorn Hook (Hardmode Only)
- How to Acquire: This hook has a 10% chance of being dropped by Plantera, the jungle boss. To summon Plantera, you will need to defeat all three Mechanical Hardmode bosses first, and then find a Plantera Bulb in the jungle. Upon breaking one of these bulbs, Plantera will spawn.
- Traits: It is a 3-part simultaneous hook. It has a reach of 30 and a velocity of 16.
Illuminant Hook (Hardmode Only)
- How to Acquire: This hook is dropped by specifically Hallowed Mimics. There is a 25% chance of a Hallowed Mimic dropping this hook.
- Traits: It is a 3-part simultaneous hook. It has a reach of 30 and a velocity of 15. Additionally, the end of the hook glows, which is entirely cosmetic.
Worm Hook (Hardmode Only)
- How to Acquire: This hook is dropped by specifically Corrupt Mimics. There is a 20% chance of a Corrupt Mimic dropping this hook.
- Traits: It is a 3-part simultaneous hook. It has a reach of 30 and a velocity of 15.
Tendon Hook (Hardmode Only)
- How to Acquire: This hook is dropped by specifically Crimson Mimics. There is a 20% chance of a Crimson Mimic dropping this hook.
- Traits: It is a 3-part simultaneous hook. It has a reach of 30 and a velocity of 15.
Anti-Gravity Hook (Hardmode Only)
- How to Acquire: This hook is dropped by either the Martian Saucer or any other Martian Madness enemy. The Martian Madness event can be initiated by encountering a Martian Scout. These will appear in the outer atmosphere of the world. If you let it escape upon seeing you, it will initiate the Martian Madness event.
- Traits: It is a 3-part simultaneous hook. It has a reach of 31.25 and a velocity of 14. This hook also allows the user to orbit around the contact point. This gives you amazing manageability without having to re-hook a surface.
Spooky Hook (Hardmode Only)
- How to Acquire: This hook is dropped by a seasonal Boss monster called Mourning Wood. This boss will appear periodically during the Pumpkin Moon event. This event can be started by using the Pumpkin Moon Medallion at night time. The drop rate changes based on the wave you’re on, so there is a 2-20% chance you will get this hook upon killing a Mourning Wood.
- Traits: It is a 3-part simultaneous hook. It has a reach of 34.375 and a velocity of 15.5.
Christmas Hook (Hardmode Only)
- How to Acquire: This hook is dropped by a seasonal Boss monster called Everscream. This boss will appear periodically during the Frost Moon event. This event can be started by using the Naughty Present at night time. The drop rate changes based on the wave you’re on, so there is a 5.19-7.78% chance you will get this hook upon killing an Everscream.
- Traits: It is a 3-part simultaneous hook. It has a reach of 34.375 and a velocity of 15.5.
Lunar Hook (Hardmode Only)
- How to Acquire: Crafted with 6 of each fragment type: Nebula, Solar, Stardust, and Vortex. You will also need to do this crafting at an Ancient Manipulator, not a regular crafting station.
- Traits: It is a 4-part simultaneous hook. It has a reach of 34.375 and a velocity of 18. The hooks can all be fired rapidly even if they don’t make contact with anything, this makes it easier to use and the greatest flexibility.
Static Hook (Hardmode Only)
- How to Acquire: Purchased from the Steampunker NPC for 50 gold.
- Traits: It is a 2-part individual hook. It has a reach of 37.5 and a velocity of 16. This hook works completely differently from the other hooks, it doesn’t automatically pull the player towards the hooked location. The player can slide along the hook freely by using the movement keys.
FAQs
Question: How Many Hooks are There?
Answer: There are 27 unique hooks in Terraria. Roughly half of which can only be obtained after unlocking Hardmode, by defeating the Wall of Flesh.
Question: What is the Best Hook?
Answer: Well, that depends. They have a few factors to consider. There is reach, there is velocity and there is the hook type. If you want the hook with the furthest reach, get the Static Hook.
If you want the hook with the fastest velocity, get the Lunar Hook. And if you want the easier to use or most useful overall hook, go with the Lunar Hook. Although it doesn’t have the greatest reach, it is by far the most comfortable to use.
Question: Are there Other Items that Serve a Similar Purpose?
Answer: Well, it depends on what purpose you’re using the hooks for. If you’re looking for something to help cushion your falls, you can try a Cloud in a Bottle, which allows you to double jump, preventing you from taking fall damage if timed correctly.
If you’re using hooks to reposition yourself in a boss fight, you can simply maneuver by jumping and moving. Constructing a proper battle arena will help you navigate on foot much easier.
Conclusion
A hook can be your best friend if you find yourself falling down a deep hole or when trying to dodge projectiles in a tight environment. Players can also create environments that allow them to fight bosses much easier, and leverage the power of their hooks.
If you haven’t had a chance to use a hook in Terraria yet, I strongly recommend it. And if you haven’t bothered upgrading your existing ones, I recommend you do that as well. A good hook can make a huge difference.
Embark on a boundless adventure in the pixelated sandbox world of Terraria, where you can dig, build, and explore to your heart's content. With endless possibilities for creativity and discovery, join millions of players in crafting your own epic journey.
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