Opti-caltrop

Plant file · Mysterious Swamp — Front

Opti-caltrop

Aims a laser, then refracts it through other orbs.

Sun75
Recharge20s
Attack interval1.5s
Durability400

Lore

Invited by Hurriclover, Opti-caltrop joins the team in the Mysterious Swamp with a rapid briefing on reinforcements, mud, and fireflies. Complaints about poor preparation leave little room for anyone else to speak. Yet help is already arranged, including a friend who can address the terrain.

The glowing orb fires lasers and draws cold fireflies toward its owner. Opti-caltrop knows the limits of that light and bluntly corrects ideas borrowed from science fiction. Familiarity with local paths and notes about mechanisms are further contributions to the journey.

Corchid has a very different temperament but can stop an outburst with a few words. Red Stinger's diary records another revealing habit: when Homing Thistle asks for the light to be switched off at bedtime, Opti-caltrop grumbles but does it promptly. Words and actions deserve separate attention here.

Mechanics

Role

Laser attacker · Refraction damage

  • Base data: 75 sun; 20s recharge; 1.5s attack interval; 400 HP.

  • Fires a persistent laser ray from its light orb; clicking saves the firing angle.

  • The laser has a maximum range, and each segment meets the nearest valid target first; ordinary hits do not pierce a whole lane of zombies.

  • Passing through another Opti-caltrop orb refracts the beam and multiplies raw pulse damage.

  • Corchid platforms raise base damage and refraction multipliers; passing through a filled CocoBottle Shine can add its liquid effect to the final hit.

  • Cold fireflies prioritize the orb; Magnet-shroom can pass a stolen firefly lamp to trigger temporary laser-cannon fire.

The beam follows its saved angle to the nearest collision. Orbs, reflectors, and liquids then modify its path. Length, pulse damage, and carried liquid have separate limits.

Saved angle and nearest collision

The direction from the orb center to the clicked point becomes the saved firing angle. Each refresh traces from the orb with a total length budget of about 1600 px, handling the nearest valid collision first.

An ordinary target ends that segment’s hit resolution. Relays, reflectors, or medium nodes modify direction or state before tracing the remaining length. Damage pulses about every 150 cs; this is not a traveling projectile.

θ=atan2⁡(yclick−y0,xclick−x0),pi+1=pi+di(cos⁡θi,sin⁡θi)\theta=\operatorname{atan2}(y_{\text{click}}-y_0,x_{\text{click}}-x_0),\quad p_{i+1}=p_i+d_i(\cos\theta_i,\sin\theta_i)
Each segment handles its nearest collision first.

Refraction angle and damage multiplier

Another Opti-caltrop orb acts as a relay instead of taking an ordinary hit. The outgoing angle is the incoming angle plus the relay’s saved angle plus 1 rad.

Base pulse damage is 20, or 40 for a Corchid-supported source. Each ordinary relay multiplies by 1.125; each supported relay by 1.25. Raw chain damage is capped at 300 before liquid post-processing.

θi+1=θi+αi+1 rad,Draw=min⁡ ⁣(300,D0∏i=1nmi)\theta_{i+1}=\theta_i+\alpha_i+1\text{ rad},\quad D_{\text{raw}}=\min\!\left(300,D_0\prod_{i=1}^{n}m_i\right)
Cap raw chain damage before liquid processing.

Reflection and liquid replacement

A reflector changes direction according to its orientation without granting an orb multiplier. A filled CocoBottle Shine assigns liquid type k and adds (k+1)/16 rad of deflection.

Passing through another filled bottle replaces the carried liquid. The final hit uses the last type: water adds cold and lowers damage, lava increases damage, mud and swamp fluid provide low-damage control, and honeydew types change lanes.

θ′=2ϕ+π−θ(reflection),θ′=θ+k+116 rad(liquid bottle)\theta'=2\phi+\pi-\theta\quad(\text{reflection}),\qquad \theta'=\theta+\frac{k+1}{16}\text{ rad}\quad(\text{liquid bottle})
The last bottle replaces the carried liquid.

Fireflies and the temporary laser cannon

Cold fireflies may select the orb as a light source. Their cold affects the plant, while the existing beam continues using ray-collision rules.

Magnet-shroom can deliver a captured firefly lamp to a nearby Opti-caltrop, triggering a temporary laser cannon. The lamp changes firing mode; it is not an ordinary relay and does not itself inherit the refraction-chain multiplier.

The lamp changes temporary firing mode.

Journey notes

Opti-caltrop and Corchid appear together in Mysterious Swamp. The treasured orb is also a firing origin, relay, and lamp interface; Corchid support strengthens its beam parameters.

Interactions & counters

  • Opti-caltrop

    Acts as a relay orb, refracting the laser and multiplying raw pulse damage.

  • Corchid

    Raises emitter base damage and upgrades supported relay multiplier to 1.25.

  • Magnet-shroom

    Can transfer a stolen firefly lamp to nearby Opti-caltrops for temporary laser-cannon fire.

  • Firefly Zombie

    The orb attracts cold fireflies; attached fireflies take gradual heat damage from Opti-caltrop’s lamp.

  • CocoBottle Shine

    Laser through a filled bottle carries liquid state and rewrites the final hit.

In-game tooltip

Emits laser through a light orb. The laser’s angle can be manually adjusted by clicking. The laser can refract off certain objects and orbs of other Opti-caltrops.