History

First introduced in Build 104 nearly 10 years ago, the Huntress wields a bow and wears leather armor. Her ability is the trap, which damages and debuffs the first enemy to run across it. With the same stat caps as the Archer but a significantly different ability, she is a powerful class that excels at taking down groups of enemies or running dungeons. She is unlocked by reaching level 20 on the Rogue and Archer. To see her stat gains, caps, and averages, click here.

Stats and Equipment

Along with the [Archer](/wiki/archer), the Huntress uses the bow and wears leather armor. Both classes share similar stats: they have pretty decent bulk (due to HP & leather armor), but middling or average stats otherwise. Compared to the Archer, the Huntress deals slightly more DPS and has more MP, but is slightly slower. *Many sections are identical to the Archer; weapons and armor are described in the [Archer Class Guide](/wiki/archer-class-guide) in more detail.*

Tiered bows are a unique weapon class, most notable for their 3-shot spread. The [Bow of Covert Havens](/wiki/bow-of-covert-havens), [Bow of Mystical Energy](/wiki/bow-of-mystical-energy), and [Bow of Deep Enchantment](/wiki/bow-of-deep-enchantment) {{template-soulbound}} fire 3 shots; one deals the majority of damage, and two are weak armor-piercing shots. Their wide spread and enemy-pierce gives them unmatched minion-clearing potential, but in order to hit all three shots on a single target, you must stand fairly close (4.07 tiles) to them. It is recommended to keep a UT bow on hand for higher effective range. The [Coral Bow (CBow)](/wiki/coral-bow) from [Thessal the Mermaid Goddess](/wiki/thessal-the-mermaid-goddess) is a sidegrade, featuring 2 shots and a superior true range (6.35 tiles). All that's really lacking is lategame viability; just under the Covert Haven's 3-shot damage output.

The [Doom Bow (DBow)](/wiki/doom-bow) shoots slowly and hits brutally hard. Its high (true) range makes it easy to get soulbound, but its overall DPS is quite low, being an original drop from [Septavius the Ghost God](/wiki/septavius-the-ghost-god) (in addition to being tradable).

These single shot bows are quite effective against single targets. * The [Leaf Bow (LBow)](/wiki/leaf-bow) fires one, non-piercing, wavy shot - but fires faster, and has far more DPS than most other bows from a good true range. The +5 SPD is a nice bonus. It is dropped by the [Murderous Megamoth](/wiki/murderous-megamoth). * The [Thousand Shot (TShot)](/wiki/thousand-shot) has a massive *200%* rate of fire modifier. Though it is outdamaged by the LBow, TShot is effective whenever piercing. It can be dropped by [The Puppet Master (Encore)](/wiki/the-puppet-master-encore). * The [Bergenia Bow](/wiki/bergenia-bow) pierces armor but not multiple enemies; its DPS is better than TShot while completely outdamaging the Doom Bow at all defenses from a great 8-tile range.

The [Bow of the Void (VBow)](/wiki/bow-of-the-void) and the [Deathless Crossbow](/wiki/deathless-crossbow) are single-shooting, very rare bows that boast extraordinary DPS at dagger range. The Void Bow sports endgame damage from an endgame boss (the [Void Entity](/wiki/void-entity)), though its shots are slightly wavy. Deathless deals ~10% less damage in all cases, but is from the much more completable [Cursed Library](/wiki/cursed-library). Unlike other UT bows, these do not compromise much for their amazing damage.

The [Warmonger](/wiki/warmonger) shoots like a Coral Bow, with endgame damage and an 8 tile (true) range. However, getting In Combat decreases DEX massively. For easy content, or when you can just dodge, the Warmonger is a very strong drop from [The Shatters](/wiki/the-shatters).

Ability

The Huntress's ability is the Trap. Traps are a persistent, debuffing, AoE attack that take 1 second to deploy, but last up to 20 seconds on the ground; most traps activate only once. Like poisons, they can be thrown into unseen/black tiled areas. Traps are unique in the number of statuses and other effects they provide.

The [Giantcatcher Trap](/wiki/giantcatcher-trap) and [Depthchaser Trap](/wiki/depthchaser-trap) {{template-soulbound}} have the biggest radius, most damage, best slow, and highest stats of the tiered traps. While weaker than other classes, traps can still net you a soulbound bonus, working on all gods. These traps cost quite a bit of MP, so they should not be wasted on weak enemies.

The starting Hunting Trap is useful for being a spammable slow, technically being the best Slow/MP of the tiered traps (though harder to chain-slow). It has a large amount of flexibility, able to slow multiple separate targets with ease. For example, you can peek and throw the trap around corners and other blind spots, Slowing before you'll even see enemies.

The [Coral Venom Trap (CTrap)](/wiki/coral-venom-trap) inflicts Paralyze instead of Slow, replicating the Archer's stronger debuff. While dealing the same damage as the T6 Giantcatcher trap (for slightly less MP), it has lower stat boosts and a small radius (equal to T0).

These rare traps focus on damage, sacrificing any status effect in the process. * The [Trap of the Vile Spirit](/wiki/trap-of-the-vile-spirit) focuses purely on damage. Instead of a status, it deals 800 armor-piercing damage with a cheaper mana cost. However, it is quite a rare drop from the [Ghost Ship](/wiki/ghost-ship), so be careful with it. * The [Cave Dweller Trap](/wiki/cave-dweller-trap) spawns a 5-second Crystal Sentry that attacks a single enemy. Another statusless trap, this one works best for single targets (bosses, preferably stationary). It also gives +6 ATT, which is 2 more than the Vile Spirit.

The [Honeytomb Snare](/wiki/honeytomb-snare) fires stationary pulses for 6 seconds, damaging and Slowing enemies each time. It can Slow enemies for a long time, assuming they are in range; it's best against massive hordes chasing after you. While dealing pretty good damage (875 total), it has a cooldown of 3 seconds.

The [Lifebringing Lotus](/wiki/lifebringing-lotus) *buffs* players in range with {{template-healing}} and {{template-berserk}}, mostly useful if there's no Warriors or Priests around. It is particularly useful in activating the powerful [Centaur's Shielding](/wiki/centaur-s-shielding) proc by yourself.

Armor

The leather armors worn by the Huntress amplify her protection against enemy attacks and enhance her attack speed through increased dexterity. Leather Armor allows her to take a bit more punishment than Robe classes but less than Heavy Armor.

The [Hydra Skin Armor](/wiki/hydra-skin-armor), [Wyrmhide Armor](/wiki/wyrmhide-armor) and [Leviathan Armor](/wiki/leviathan-armor) {{template-soulbound}} are the primary armors for the Huntress, providing ample defense and great dexterity boosts. You can never go wrong with a tiered armor.

These relatively cheap, tradable leather armors provide a slight variation of stats (compared to the T13 hide). - The [Coral Silk Armor (CSilk)](/wiki/coral-silk-armor) is as strong as the T11 Hippogriff Hide Armor, with +1 DEX and 3 additional speed. It is dropped by [Thessal the Mermaid Goddess](/wiki/thessal-the-mermaid-goddess). - The [Spectral Cloth Armor](/wiki/spectral-cloth-armor), compared to the T13 Hydra Skin, has a slight DEF drop and a small SPD boost, while trading 2 DEX for the same amount of ATT. Dropped by [Davy Jones](/wiki/davy-jones). - The [Beehemoth Armors](/wiki/beehemoth-armor) (of 3 colors) have the same DEF as a T13 Hydra Skin Armor, a +5 SPD boost, but no offensive stats. They drop from their respective Beehemoths.

The [Hirejou Tenne](/wiki/hirejou-tenne) and [Centaur's Shielding](/wiki/centaur-s-shielding) sacrifice the majority of their DEF boost for an unrivaled increase in damage. Tenne gives a huge, unconditional +16 DPS stats, while the Centaur's gives even more if you have the {{template-healing}} status. Centaur's Shielding is especially effective with the aforementioned Lifebringing Lotus.

Ring

Huntresses are a mid-range class, though tiered bows often require them to get close. Therefore, they are a fairly standard class when it comes to ring choice. They will want to either increase offense or defense, or both.

The [Ring of Exalted Health](/wiki/ring-of-exalted-health), [Ring of Unbound Health](/wiki/ring-of-unbound-health), and [Ring of Decades](/wiki/ring-of-decades), as with any other class, remain excellent generalist options for increasing endurance. The [Ring of Unbound Defense](/wiki/ring-of-unbound-defense) works, but is less desirable, as health on a ring is typically valued more than defense.

The [Experimental Ring (Expo)](/wiki/experimental-ring) and [Ring of the Pyramid (Pyra)](/wiki/ring-of-the-pyramid) are good generalist rings, increasing HP and offense at the same time. The Experimental Ring is much more common and gives MP, but the Ring of the Pyramid offers more HP and attack as well as Defense.

The [Chancellor's Cranium](/wiki/chancellor-s-cranium) and [Exalted God's Horn](/wiki/exalted-god-s-horn) are both great endgame rings that balance DPS with survivability. Chancellor's Cranium helps short ranged classes, like a Huntress with a tiered bow. The Exalted God's Horn is the more popular choice, as it rewards DPS to classes that can take less damage - like a Huntress with a *not* tiered bow.

These rings give some of the best offensive stats in the game along with some nice defensive stats. - [The Forgotten Crown](/wiki/the-forgotten-crown) is another excellent offensive ring. It provides one of the best offensive boosts (+12 stats) unconditionally, while also giving a great boost in HP. It drops from [The Shatters](/wiki/the-shatters) - The [Chrysalis of Eternity](/wiki/chrysalis-of-eternity) is the stronger, hardmode-exclusive variant of Crown. - The [Magical Lodestone](/wiki/magical-lodestone) has the same DPS stats as Crown, but boosts DEF and SPD rather than HP. While most would prefer HP in general, DEF would also be beneficial to the Huntress's average DEF cap.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Huntresses, like Archers, are masters of crowd control. Bows are fairly nice for their 3 shots, piercing, and range; Huntress improves on that by having an AOE ability that Slows. Traps are very easy to hit for most enemies that you'd want to Slow, lasting for 20 whole seconds. Huntresses may struggle in the endgame, where Slowed, Paralyzed and mob control are unecessary. Traps are generally worse than their comparible Quiver for both damage and MP cost, with the only upsides being AOE and ease of aiming. Even that is lost when considering the trap throw time, meaning that the trap can land right when the boss is {{template-invulnerable}}. Finally, certain other classes like [Sorcerer](/wiki/sorcerer) and [Necromancer](/wiki/necromancer) have [certain](/wiki/scepter-of-fulmination) [UTs](/wiki/skullish-remains-of-esben) that Slow if needed. Note that endgame means *endgame*; Huntress is still very useful during some Exaltation dungeons, and everything below. Compared to the Archer, the Huntress focuses on Slowing over raw damage. Slow is a more applicable status, but weaker than Paralyzed. If unsure, just try both classes out for yourself, and see how they feel.

Group & Dungeon Role

Slow is very nice for fast enemies immune to Paralyzed, such as the [Killer Bee Queen](/wiki/killer-bee-queen) and [Crystal Worm Mother](/wiki/crystal-worm-mother). Traps and Bows are especially effective against the large horde of minions alongside a [Cube God](/wiki/cube-god) or [Skull Shrine](/wiki/skull-shrine), being much better than the Archer in this regard. Huntresses don't offer much (besides damage) when enemies are either Para-vulnerable or Slow-immune, though the Coral Trap can at least mean the Huntress can paralyze.

Summary

Huntresses are obviously very similar to Archers; and are generally safer / more useful in the Godlands and Godlands dungeons thanks to their unique traps. With a medium range and the unique properties of the Bow, they are very good at the aforementioned content, and don't taper off *that* badly.

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