Guide:Pumpkin Moon strategies

The Pumpkin Moon is a difficult, post-Plantera Hardmode event activated by consuming the Pumpkin Moon Medallion. This guide will tell you how to survive it.

Arena Preparation
An arena is very useful during the game. A simple, long (but shallow) pool of lava is basically enough for the first few waves. Using traps is optional. The player can build a little bridge about 20 blocks above the lava pool, just to avoid fire damage from it. It isn't needed if the player has got a Cosmic Car Key or Shrimpy Truffle. Campfires, Heart Lanterns and a Star in a bottle might be useful during the event. Get rid of any holes or structures that might allow enemies to spawn there. It will increase the amount of enemies on the screen. It's best to make this arena on a flat ledge.

If you have defeated some Pumpkings and you got The Horseman's Blade, it will be extremely easy with a kind of statue farm. Just put some mob statues (don't use enemies such as Mimics because the projectiles may target them, lowering the effectiveness of this farm). Heart and star statues are useful too.

You can put a bed somewhere near the arena, so you won't waste much time in case if you die.

Once you're ready, summon the moon at 7:30 PM.

Gearing up
Since post-Lunar gear makes these events very easy, this guide will show only post-Plantera and post-Golem gear.

Armor

 * Beetle Armor with shell for defense. Use it if you haven't got a kind of farm.
 * Beetle Armor with scale mail for offense. It increases the effectiveness of mob farms, such as the one posted above.

Weapons

 * Terra Blade or Influx Waver for swords. They will make quick work of enemies, but might be less effective against bosses.
 * Possessed Hatchet for bosses if you don't want to aim and would rather focus on maneuverability. It is fast and deals decent damage, but it becomes ineffective around wave 13.
 * If you are confident enough, you can tank the bosses and start a DPS race with the Fetid Baghnakhs.
 * Vampire Knives may help you in critical situations, but overall they are less effective in combat in terms of DPS, even with a Flask of Ichor.
 * The Flairon might be powerful against bosses if you learn to use it wisely.

Accessories

 * Any kind of emblem that increases melee damage. (Avenger Emblem, Mechanical Glove, Celestial Stone, etc.)
 * Star Veil.
 * A shield might be useful when using statue farms (Grappling into a block prevents knockback as well, but cripples movement).
 * Celestial Shell for the stat bonuses. Since it's night, it also gives the Werewolf buff.
 * Frozen Turtle Shell if you're playing as a tank.
 * Eye of the Golem or anything that increases critical chance.
 * A Mechanical Glove or similar accessory might help due to buffed damage and knockback.
 * Worm Scarf for damage reduction (Expert only).
 * Master Ninja Gear in case if you get lucky and manage to dodge an enemy.
 * Charm of Myths if you're unsure about your health, but if you don't have it or can't get one, Heartreach Potions will do.

When playing melee, try to focus more on Pumpkings. There is a small chance that they will drop the blade. It's basically the only melee weapon from the moon, so you can ignore Mourning Woods until you want ranged weapons too.

Armor
Shroomite Armor with the helmet matching your class type. There aren't many rocket launchers, so it'd be better to use the bow or gun helmets.

Weapons

 * Tsunami is a great bow against these enemies. The player can easily kill bosses with it by using fast, non-piercing arrows (such as Venom Arrows).
 * Using any bow (especially the Tsunami), Holy Arrows can be used effectively. When targeting Pumpkings, the falling stars kill Mourning Woods and other weak enemies that are below the player.
 * The Candy Corn Rifle can be used effectively on the early waves if you are lucky enough for it to drop.
 * If you manage to get the Stake Launcher, it might do pretty high damage to multiple mobs.
 * The Electrosphere Launcher may be effective for crowd control. It's also useful for taking down Mourning Woods.
 * The Stynger or Nail Gun are pretty good against Pumpkings.
 * The Tactical Shotgun paired with Chlorophyte Bullets may be effective.

Accessories

 * Any emblem that increases ranged damage.
 * Sniper Scope for more damage and longer reach for guns.
 * Celestial Shell
 * Cross Necklace or Star Veil
 * Magic Quiver if you use bows.
 * Anything that increases critical chance.

Stealth mode will give you a big advantage due to the 40% damage buff, but due to the extreme amount of enemies, it will be difficult to stay in place without taking serious damage. Use it only when you have done a kind of farm.

Armor

 * Spectre Armor with hood if you want to regenerate yourself. Remember that the hood reduces magic damage by 40%, so better use powerful weapons or get some good buffs.
 * The mask will be better for damage, but the lack of defense and regeneration may be fatal. Use it only when you have some good sources of regeneration.

Weapons

 * Anything fast and powerful, such as Bubble Gun or Leaf Blower.
 * The Laser Machinegun can easily take down bosses if used correctly.
 * The Magnet Sphere is useful for crowd control.
 * Razorblade Typhoon for bosses and large groups of enemies. It's also a great source of regeneration.
 * The Rainbow Gun is a very effective weapon for crowd control. It's also a good source of regeneration.
 * If you manage to get it, the Bat Scepter is very effective, since it deals decent damage, homes and consumes little mana.

Accessories

 * The Mana Flower isn't a good idea, because potions reduce magic damage. It's a no-no when you use the hood, as it makes weapons pretty much ineffective.
 * Celestial Shell
 * Any emblem that increases magic damage.
 * Celestial Emblem or Celestial Cuffs for extra mana.
 * Anything that increases magic damage.
 * Mana Regeneration Band for higher mana regen.

Watch out when you use the mask, as both the low defense provided by the Spectre armor and the lack of health regeneration that the hood would offer means your health will drain quickly if you are not careful.

Armor

 * Tiki Armor for the highest (so far) amount of minions and decent damage.
 * Spooky Armor if you fought the moon already. It gives more extra damage than Tiki Armor, but in cost of one minion.

Weapons

 * Xeno Staff is really useful against enemies. UFO's deal quick, ranged damage, making them useful against the moon.
 * If you managed to kill some Pumpkings, the Raven Staff is another good one. The ravens have medium speed, but they deal pretty good damage.
 * Staff of the Frost Hydra is decent against some enemies, but it isn't fast enough to take out bosses.

Accessories

 * Any emblem that increases minion damage.
 * Any item that increases minion count.
 * Celestial Shell
 * Necromantic Scroll or Papyrus Scarab if you have defeated some Mourning Woods.
 * Anything that reduces damage, because summoners have very low defense.

Potions

 * Ironskin Potions for extra defense. Two or three will work.
 * Regeneration Potions for increased regen. Take 2-3 with you.
 * Endurance Potions for lowered damage. Also take 2-3 of them.
 * Swiftness Potions for extra speed. Take 2-3 of them.
 * Well Fed for extra stats. They will help with all classes. One will stay for the whole event.
 * Heartreach Potions will help you A LOT when you fight with bosses. Two will work.
 * Ale or Sake for buffed melee stats. Take 3-4 of them.
 * A Flask of Ichor will help a lot. One is enough for the whole fight, also it doesn't vanish in case if you die.
 * Thorns Potions will damage some enemies if you get struck. Take four of them with you.
 * One or two Mana Regeneration Potions for casters.
 * About four Magic Power Potions also for casters.
 * If you can't see anything, you can take some Shine Potions with you.
 * Archery Potions if you use bows. Three will last for the entire fight.
 * Wrath Potions or Rage Potions for extra damage. 2-3 will be enough.
 * Summoning Potions for an extra minion. Take two with you.
 * Ammo Reservation Potions for rangers. Two will work, but one is okay too if you have lots of ammo.

If you're afraid of touching the lava underneath, drink an Obsidian Skin Potion.

Other

 * Bewitching Table, especially for summoners.
 * A Crystal Ball for the buff. It buffs magic stats, but they're mostly minor.
 * Ammo Box for rangers. It reduces ammo usage.
 * Honey for extra regeneration.
 * A light pet.

Tips

 * Summon the moon on 7:30 to avoid wasting time, since it finishes at dawn. It also gives you more time to reach higher waves.
 * If you have got a flying mount, wings won't be needed.
 * Grappling yourself to a block will prevent knockback. This may be useful for mob farming.
 * Take some Greater Healing Potions with you. Use them only in critical situations. Ten will be enough.
 * Modifiers also give a significant change to stats. While Warding prefixes increase some damage reduction, Menacing/Lucky prefixes will make weapons even more powerful.
 * If you manage to make a statue farm, use the offense Beetle Armor, damage buffs and prefixes, and summon as many pumpkin heads as possible with these. Huge amounts of them might cause some lag, though. It's only possible if you've got the Horseman's Blade from Pumpking.
 * Excessive amounts of Mourning Woods and Pumpkings can cause a projectile spam, resulting in lag. Frost Moon's projectiles are less common and less laggy.
 * It's not recommended to summon this event on Multiplayer servers if there are several players. Without a limit of enemies, mobs will spawn close to every player, resulting in severe lag and eventually, in a server crash. Use it only on very powerful machines.
 * You can take two types of ammo for different situations. You can focus mainly on melee, but if you get low on health, you can switch quickly to mage and use spells for quick regeneration, then revert to melee gear again.