Topaz Staff

Second rung of the gem staff ladder, and it handles like the rest of them: one bolt, no piercing, and a mana bill that an early mage cannot pay for long. Against scattered small enemies it is fine, because every shot picks a target and hits it.

Against anything segmented it falls apart. A worm eats the bolt on its first segment and the rest of the body walks through untouched, so cave exploration with this in hand means avoiding the things it is worst at.

Do not climb the ladder one rung at a time. Digging deeper for the Ruby or Diamond version is usually faster than upgrading through every gem, since the deeper veins sit in the same caves you are already tunneling through.