Guide:Pumpkin Moon strategies

The Pumpkin Moon is a post-Plantera Hardmode event activated by consuming the Pumpkin Moon Medallion. The event is very rewarding if done right, as the player can get a high amount of Money and good weapons by the end of the night.

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

The Event
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, and  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 and  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 9, 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, high 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.

Terrain Preparation
An arena should be made for the event. A flat, long surface with a platform above ground will make the event a lot simpler. A Lava pit and Lihzahrd Traps are optional, but will easily kill the weaker enemies while the player focuses on the bosses.

A Bed can be placed somewhere near the arena, so it's much easier to get back to it in case of death.

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

Armor

 * For Melee, with scale mail for offense. The Beetle Shell isn't too useful, as it is better to maximize DPS when doing the event.
 * Rangers should use the with the Helmet that suits their weapon. Its set bonus can be extremely powerful with the right arena.
 * For a Mage, The should be used with the Spectre Mask. The Spectre Hood should only be used to heal when at low health.
 * Summoners should use.

Weapons

 * For Melee users:
 * The is a very strong weapon, being good for both crowd control and single targets.
 * and are very strong swords. The former should only be used against the bosses, as the latter has better crowd control.
 * The is very good for crowds and decent against bosses.
 * 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 can deal an extreme amount of damage if used right.
 * can be used to quickly heal in critical situations, but overall they are less effective in combat in terms of DPS.


 * For Ranged users:
 * is one of the best weapons to use. With s, they can deal massive damage to all enemies.
 * The, or  are very effective for crowd control.
 * The paired with  is very strong against the bosses.


 * For Magic users:
 * The  excels against both enemies and bosses.
 * The, or  are good against the bosses.
 * The, , and  are all very good secondary weapons.
 * or are decent for crowd control.


 * For Summoners:
 * , or  are the best minions available.
 * is the best sentry available.

Accessories
Accessories should be modified to Lucky or Menacing for the event.
 * Wings are important for every boss fight. The best ones available are the . The 's hover ability may also come in handy.
 * The makes all wings significantly faster, making dodging his attacks easier.
 * The greatly helps in dodging the attacks and is recommended for all classes.
 * Damage increasing accessories such as any Emblem, the, , the or the  are extremely important for the Moon events.
 * The will quickly regenerate mana when hit.

Mounts
The use of mounts can save accessory slots that would've been used for mobility.
 * The is very helpful, as the Scutlix has very high movement speed, a very high jump and extra laser attacks.
 * The or  provide permanent but slower flight.

Potions

 * ,, , and will greatly increase survivability.
 * Any food item that provides the buff is good.
 * is incredibly useful when picking up the hearts dropped by Mourning Woods or Pumpkings.
 * is a must for mages.
 * will increase mobility.
 * and will improve DPS.
 * ,, or  and  will further improve it for Mages, Rangers, Melee, and Summoner users respectively.