Some summon weapons in Necesse display the tooltip “Does not use summon slots.” This is a benefit, not a restriction.
Minions summoned by these weapons do not consume your normal summon limit. You can fill all of your regular summon slots with your main minions, then summon these extra minions on top of them.
This guide explains how the mechanic works, which four weapons use it, and why they are valuable even outside a dedicated summon build.
Information in this guide was checked against Necesse v0.23.7.1.
What “Does Not Use Summon Slots” Actually Means
The tooltip means exactly what it says: the minions created by that weapon do not take up any of your normal summon slots.
You can still hold and use the weapon normally. The only difference is how its minions are counted. Instead of competing with your main minions for limited slots, they have a separate weapon-specific limit.
The screenshot uses the Japanese interface, where the localized tooltip can be misread as a restriction. The English tooltip states the mechanic directly.
What Are Summon Slots?
Summon slots determine how many regular minions you can maintain at once. Most summon weapons consume part of this limit each time you summon a minion.
The cost depends on the weapon. These are examples, not a complete list:
| Example weapon | Summon-slot cost per minion |
|---|---|
| Spider Staff | 1 slot |
| Sentient Sword | 2 slots |
| Crystallized Skull | 2 slots |
Your maximum summons can be increased with effects such as the Minion Potion, which adds one maximum summon, as well as certain armor set bonuses and accessories.
For a summon build, these slots are a limited resource. A weapon that does not use them adds damage without forcing you to remove a regular minion.
All 4 Weapons That Do Not Use Summon Slots
The following four weapons display the tooltip and use their own fixed minion limit:
| Weapon | Damage | Attack time | Weapon-specific maximum | How to get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Stabby Bush |
18.0 | 300 ms | 3, or 5 when upgraded | Dropped by the Stabby Bush enemy |
 Frost Piercer |
26.0 | 400 ms | 8 | Unique drop from Queen Spider |
 Slime Canister |
40.0 | 400 ms | 10; minions expire over time | Found in underground Swamp Biome chests |
 Reapers Call |
75.0 | 400 ms | 5 | Crafted at a Fallen Anvil after defeating Reaper; can also be a unique Reaper drop |
These limits belong to the weapons themselves. A Minion Potion or a bonus to maximum summons does not increase them. The advantage is that none of these minions consume your normal summon slots.
Reapers Call can maintain up to five guardian spirits separately from your regular minions.
Detailed Acquisition Methods
- Stabby Bush: Dropped by the enemy of the same name. Stabby Bush enemies appear in the Forest Biome, remain still while disguised as bushes, and attack when you approach. This weapon is available early in progression.
- Frost Piercer: One of Queen Spider’s four rotating unique rewards: Spider Charm, Spider Claw, Webbed Gun with Simple Bullets, and Frost Piercer. Each kill advances the fixed reward rotation, so it takes at most four kills to collect all four rewards.
- Slime Canister: Found in chests in the underground Swamp Biome. The main chest reward rotates among Swamp Tome, Slime Canister, Stink Flask, Gauntlet, and Overgrown Fishing Rod, so opening additional chests progresses through the rewards.
- Reapers Call: Defeat Reaper to gain access to its materials. You can craft Reapers Call at a Fallen Anvil with 20 Shadow Essence. It is also included in Reaper’s rotating unique rewards, so it may drop directly after a kill.
Because these minions are separate from your regular summon limit, you can deploy them after your main summon setup is already full.
Why This Effect Is Valuable
The main benefit is simple: it raises the damage ceiling of a summon build.
Regular summon weapons eventually hit the maximum-summon limit. These four weapons add another source of summon damage beyond that limit. For example, you can maintain your full regular minion lineup and then add all five Reapers Call spirits.
Their attacks still deal summon damage, so bonuses to summon damage, attack speed, and critical chance apply to them. They are not weak utility minions; they add another layer of damage that benefits from your summon bonuses.
They can also work as secondary damage in melee, ranged, or magic builds. Since they do not consume normal summon slots, using them does not interfere with any regular minion you may already have.
Among the four, Reapers Call has the highest listed damage at 75.0 and can maintain five spirits. It is the strongest late-game option when you want additional summon damage without changing your main minion setup.
Quick Summary
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What does the tooltip mean? | The weapon’s minions do not consume normal summon slots. |
| Can the weapon still be used normally? | Yes. The tooltip describes a benefit, not an equipment restriction. |
| Which weapons have the effect? | Stabby Bush, Frost Piercer, Slime Canister, and Reapers Call. |
| Why use them? | They add minions and summon damage on top of a full regular summon setup. |
| Do maximum-summon bonuses raise their limits? | No. Each weapon has its own fixed maximum. |
Do not discard one of these weapons because the tooltip looks unusual. Fill your regular summon slots first, then use the appropriate secondary summon weapon as extra damage.