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This is a Guide page.
This is a Guide page.
This means the page will walk you through a specific task, strategy, or enemy/boss fight.
Status: Subject to revision (This Guide does not meet certain quality standards and may be heavily outdated.)
  • Issues:
     • Most likely outdated since 1.4. Remember not to delete pre-1.4 content; use {{eicons}} and {{eversions}}!
  • The Pumpkin Moon is a post-Plantera Hardmode event triggered by activating the Pumpkin Moon Medallion. The event is very rewarding if you can successfully keep pace, providing a large amounts of money and good weapons by the end of the night.

    However, the event is also difficult and requires a lot of preparation.

    The Event[]

    Mourning WoodHardmode exclusive
    Mourning Wood
    Map Icon Mourning Wood
    Map Icon
    Classic mode icon Classic
    Expert mode icon Expert
    Master mode icon Master
    Statistics
    Type
    Environment
    AI TypeMourning Wood AI
    Damage120/180/270 (melee) [1]
    100200300 (Flaming Wood, health ≥ 25%)
    150300450 (Flaming Wood, health < 25%)
    80160240 (Greek Fire, health ≥ 25%)
    100200300 (Greek Fire, health < 25%)
    Max Life 14000 / 12000
    Defense 34 / 28
    KB Resist100%
    Immune toShimmeringConfusedPoisoned
    Drops
    Coins1250

    The event consists of 14 waves, with a final Wave 15 which will last until the end of the night. As the event goes on, stronger enemies and unique bosses will appear.

    During the first few Waves, a large number of ScarecrowScarecrows, HellhoundHellhounds and SplinterlingSplinterlings will appear. These enemies only have average stats, so a weapon with good crowd control abilities will clear the first waves fairly fast.

    The first miniboss, the Mourning Wood will start appearing on Wave 4. This enemy will walk towards the player, and then shoot Flaming Wood when it stops moving. It can also leave Greek Fire on the ground. While it can prove to be rather easy to kill, on later waves many of them will spawn, so one can easily get overwhelmed by their projectiles.

    From Wave 5 the PoltergeistPoltergeists and Headless HorsemanHeadless Horsemen will start appearing. These are weaker than the Boss enemies, but much stronger than the average ones. Even if they are not a threat by themselves, they can be very dangerous combined with the minibosses.

    On Wave 7, the main Boss of the Event will appear, the Pumpking. It behaves similarly to Skeletron; attempting to stay above the player and attacking with the blades on its arms. The most dangerous attack it has are its Flame Scythes: a large, highly damaging projectile that speeds up over time, similar to Demon Scythes. It's rather slow for a boss enemy, so it can be easily outran and dodged by moving in wide circles.

    The further the player has progressed, the more boss enemies will be able to spawn at once, and their chance to drop an item will also increase. On the Final Wave, up to seven of each boss can appear, and they will always drop an item and their respective trophy.

    Preparation[]

    General Tips[]

    This content is transcluded from Guide:Practical tips § Combat.

    Terrain Preparation[]

    This content is transcluded from Guide:Arena.

    Moon events arena

    Extensive arena for the Moon Events, making heavy use of platforms, Asphalt and passive healing tiles.

    Moon Arena

    Example of an arena, making heavy use of Traps. Note that on higher difficulties, Traps are hardly useful.

    The Pumpkin and Frost Moons are much easier to handle with the proper arena.

    A flat surface about 168 blocks wide (See NPC spawning) will focus all spawns on the arena. Above it there should be a long platform of the same width, high above the ground in order to keep grounded enemies out of reach.

    Since the player will mostly focus on the Bosses on the later waves, Lava pit and Traps may be helpful to take out the weaker enemies more easily. However, on higher difficulties the Traps' low damage is practically useless against the higher-health enemies, making them almost a liability due to the invincibility frames they provide and the risk of being hit by them and taking massive damage in the process.

    It's also a good idea to make a room with a BedBed near the Arena, so in case of death you can quickly get back to it.

    Gearing up[]

    The event can be summoned at any time post-Plantera, but it is usually done after Golem and Duke Fishron have been defeated, and before the Frost Moon.

    Armor[]

    Weapons[]

    For Melee users
    • The FlaironFlairon is a very strong weapon for both crowd control and single targets. Scourge of the CorruptorScourge of the Corruptor works similarly.
    • Influx WaverInflux Waver and Terra BladeTerra Blade are very strong swords. The former should only be used against the bosses, as the latter has better crowd control.
    • The Paladin's HammerPaladin's Hammer is very good for crowds and decent against bosses.
    • Possessed HatchetPossessed Hatchet is fast and deals decent damage, but it becomes ineffective in the later waves, as there will be too many boss enemies for it to handle.
    • The Fetid BaghnakhsFetid Baghnakhs deal extreme damage to Mourning Woods and other grounded enemies.
    • Vampire KnivesVampire Knives can be used to quickly heal in critical situations, but have lower DPS than most other options.
    • Once you've killed your first few Pumpkings, the event can be made a cakewalk by using The Horseman's Blade with any type of Statue that summons a hostile mob on a timer in a enclosed safe space above the ground. Using this method will cause the blades effect to activate upon hitting the entity spawned by the statue safe distance allowing the Flaming Jacks summoned by the sword to do all the damage, while allowing the player to remain in safety. This will become troublesome after wave 4 as Mourning Woods will attempt to shoot the player between intervals with their Flaming Wood projectile being able to pass through solid ground. In this time it is recommended to leave the statue chamber, wait for the barrage to end and then retreat back to the statue chamber. This can also be applied to the Frost Moon before wave 11 when the Ice Queen spawns.
    For Ranged users
    For Magic users
    For Summoners

    Accessories[]

    Accessories should be modified to Lucky or Menacing for the event.

    Mounts[]

    The use of mounts can save accessory slots that would've been used for mobility.

    Potions[]

    Specific strategies[]

    • Do not use weapons applying debuffs as most enemies are immune to all debuffs making them inefficient.
    • A very good way to go through waves, until any Pumpkings arrive at wave 7, and even kill some if aiming correctly, is to use a Cannon at a platform 37 blocks high from the ground (where the enemies are) as each Cannonball deals 300 damage, which is devastating for the early waves even for Mourning Woods. In addition, most attacks cannot hit the player.
    • Using Dynamite with an explosion-proof arena causes splash damage that can demolish early waves. During the later waves, with Mourning Woods and/or Pumpking
    • With the Cosmic Car Key, an effective technique against Pumpking is to move in a diamond formation around him while targeting him. This is especially effective if you place sentries such as the Frost Hydra or Queen Spider to deal with enemies below.
      • While the Martian Saucer which you must defeat to obtain the car key are just as difficult or more than the Pumpking, you can cheese them by staying in a house and attacking via minions, sentries, or a yo-yo.
    • Both Pumpkings and Mourning Wood drop some hearts upon being defeated. In later waves (especially the final one), when you're swarmed by several of these monsters at once, a player with a Cross Necklace, Heartreach Potion, high Defense and a damaging weapon can potentially heal from killing them faster than they can damage you.
    1. Information taken from the PC version PC 1.4.0.5 source code, method AI() in Terraria.NPC.cs (under aiStyle == 57) There may be inaccuracies, as the current PC version PC version is 1.4.4.9.
    2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Pumpkin Moon enemies have a greater chance of dropping loot in later waves than in earlier waves (except for guaranteed drops such as Spooky Wood, and except for trophies – which never drop except in Wave 15 when they will always drop). Information taken from the PC version PC 1.4.0.5 source code, RegisterBoss_PumpkinMoon() in Terraria.GameContent.ItemDropRules.ItemDropDatabase.cs. There may be inaccuracies, as the current PC version PC version is 1.4.4.9.
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