Guide:Pumpkin Moon strategies

The Pumpkin Moon is a difficult, post-Plantera Hardmode event activated by consuming the Pumpkin Moon Medallion. While the event can be a bit difficult, it's very rewarding as it gives very good items and a lot of Money if done right.

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 Waves, only weak enemies like or  will appear. A weapon with good crowd control abilities will easily deal with them.

Mourning Woods will start appearing on Wave 4. This boss enemy can't jump, but it will shoot Flaming Wood at the player, and leave Greek Fire on the ground. From Wave 5 the and  will also appear. These are weaker than the boss enemies, but much stronger than the average ones.

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. It will also shoot Flame Scythes, which behave like Demon Scythes and shoot Greek Fire.

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

General Tips
An arena is extremely useful for the event. A flat, long surface with a platform above ground will make the event simpler. A Lava pit and Lihzard Traps are optional, but will easily kill the weaker enemies while the player focuses on the bosses.

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

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
 * 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 Pumpkings 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.

Ranged

 * 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.

Magic

 * 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.

Summoner

 * , 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.