Gastropod

Type	Enemy
Damage	45
Max Life	250
Defense	5
Banner	Spectral Gastropod Banner
Coins	6
Attack	https://terraria.gamepedia.com/File:Item_12.wav

Type	Slime
Environment	The Hallow + Night
AI Type	Hovering AI
Damage	60/120/180 (melee); 50100150 (ranged)
Max Life	220/440/660
Defense	22
KB Resist	20%/28%/36%
Banner	Gastropod Banner
Immune to
Coins	615
Hurt	https://terraria.gamepedia.com/File:NPC_Hit_1.wav
Killed	https://terraria.gamepedia.com/File:NPC_Killed_1.wav
Attack	https://terraria.gamepedia.com/File:Item_12.wav

The Gastropod is a flying Hardmode slime that spawns frequently at the surface of The Hallow at night, and fires pink lasers which emit a faint light.

The Old-gen console version and 3DS version also feature the exclusive Spectral Gastropod variant. The Spectral Gastropod fires a slow-moving orb that disappears after a short time.

Notes[edit | edit source]

Gastropods will enter water to chase the player, and can continue flying and firing while submerged, unlike many other flying enemies.
Gastropod lasers will keep traveling as long as they are in sight.
Striking the Gastropod while it is preparing its laser will interrupt the attack and prevent it from firing.
Gastropods do not look like Slimes, despite technically being considered slimes.
- While they are considered slimes, they do not drop the Slime Staff.

Tips[edit | edit source]

Like all slimes, Gastropods become harmless when the Royal Gel is equipped.
Newer Hardmode players may want to avoid the Hallow's surface at night entirely, as Gastropods fire frequently, spawn often, and their lasers are difficult to dodge – especially when more than one Gastropod is on the screen (and there usually are). In Expert mode, the Hallow is less dangerous at night as players can equip Royal Gel.
Gastropods drop much more Gel than any other non-boss slime, making them useful for gathering Flamethrower ammo. Using the Flamethrower to kill Gastropods is fast and will yield more Gel than the weapon consumes.
The Bee Gun and similar weapons are effective at preventing Gastropods from firing, as its bees can attack continuously, leaving no pause for Gastropods to fire.

Trivia[edit | edit source]

Real-life gastropoda are a class of mollusk that includes snails and slugs.
Sometimes Gastropods can be seen flying in the Hallow background at night as ambience.

The Bestiary entry for the Gastropod: "Touched by the blessing, these nocturnal slimes evolved into a levitating snail-like creature which spits powerful beams of light."

- The bestiary explains that the Gastropods are Hallow-enhanced nocturnal slimes, though it is not clear what connection these have with real-life gastropods.