Storm Spear

Every thrust throws a short electric bolt along the same line as the spear, and the jab rate is quick, so you land two sources of damage for one input. Pulled out of the Underground Desert it will carry a fresh character through the whole pre-boss stretch, and it is one of the very few early weapons with a projectile attached at all.

The bolt lives for a fraction of a second, which caps your reach at a handful of tiles. That is not much, but it is enough to sit outside the contact range of most things you will point it at. Melee speed helps twice over: the spear jabs faster and the bolt travels further before it fades, so speed accessories change how the weapon feels more than damage accessories do.

• Stand against a thin wall and the bolt can slip through to the other side. With enough melee speed that works through two or three tiles of stone, which is a safe way to deal with something cornered.
• Chests deeper in the desert carry a different loot pool. If you are pulling Thunder Zappers or Bast Statues you are low enough for this to appear; if not, dig further before you give up on the biome.
• Remix worlds put the same chests below the desert walls, which is a far less dangerous trip.