Fun fact: The Pumpkin armor set is superior to Gold and Platinum armor despite the two being technically harder to obtain. Here’s another one: you’re at a significant advantage if it’s October (in real life) since you’re skipping less cutthroat choices like every Wooden armor variant.
If you’re not bought by the idea of having Pumpkins at your disposal, we have more good news. But first, we’ll guide you on how to get them in the first place!
What is a Pumpkin?
By default, a Pumpkin is a naturally-growing plant and a crafting material in Terraria. It matures on Pure and Hallowed surface biomes as long as the Dirt block is grassy. This crop also grows in background blocks. Like all farms, you can automate the process, but that’s for another story.
A Pumpkin is an ingredient in 30 different items in Terraria, primarily for decorative purposes.
How to Get Pumpkins
There are two current ways of obtaining this orange plant. We’ll break it down for you.
During Halloween (all Terraria versions) and Oktoberfest (3DS) seasonal events
The method you’ll take is the waiting game, although we recommend doing this simple trick:
1. Create a new world to your liking.
2. Explore the world and gather.
Remember that Pumpkins in Terraria grow if at most other five of them are within 100 tiles. In most cases, this isn’t an issue. But if it’s the opposite, you should cut grass for them to have a growing space.
If you have Dart Traps, place them on the ground and activate them. The fired projectile will destroy grass, mushrooms, and herbs. Play the waiting game again, and you’ll get those crops after a couple of hours.
Purchasing Pumpkin Seeds from the Dryad
This method may take a while, but it’s still worth it. Consider following these steps to secure your first few Pumpkin Seeds:
1. Prepare suitable housing. As the Dryad isn’t the first NPC to arrive in your Town, you must opt to build multiple free spaces. Your setup can be as cheap as a Wooden House.
2. Defeat Eye of Cthulhu, Brain of Cthulhu / Eater of Worlds, Skeletron (Lepus if 3DS). Assuming it’s not a Halloween event, we suggest getting the Cactus armor set for a nice damage reflection and knockback. Don’t forget to loot Living Trees, as they contain valuable goods! We’ll leave the preparation to you.
3. Buy and sow your Pumpkin Seeds. Now that the Dryad is in your Town, remember the 2×2 rule when planting. If you have a Ruler or Mechanical Ruler from other characters, turn it on for extra convenience. Remember: the crop won’t mature on Dirt blocks unless you use a Staff of Regrowth to put back grass.
An indication to harvest is when your Pumpkins are orange-colored. However, you’ll get seven to eight pieces if you wait for it to be bigger than normal. Weapons and tools will destroy mature ones (except the 3DS Terraria version). So if you accidentally swing while they’re still green, rest assured your crops are safe. Harvesting can be automated with Dart Traps.
Advantages of Getting Pumpkins
1. Free cute pet
Bad news: Seeds don’t come free after harvesting your Pumpkins. However, there’s a slim chance to get the Magical Pumpkin Seed! Once you equip the item, an adorable Squashling will follow you. Albeit being a Halloween exclusive, it’s still worth the shot.
2. Superior vs. Early Pre-Hardmode armors
As mentioned earlier, the Pumpkin armor set is better than the Gold and Platinum ore variants because of the tankiness it offers. The former equipment lasts until the Eye of Cthulhu, after which you may opt for Shadow or Crimson armor.
3. Profiting
Of all craftable items, we recommend Candelabras for accessibility. The price averages around 2 Silver Coins and 50 Copper Coins, but it’ll still depend on the NPC. Alternatively, you may opt for Chandeliers, but you must mine some ingredients. Note that this strategy is good during Halloween.
4. Pumpkin Moon Medallion farming
The Pumpkin Moon in Terraria is one of the most challenging events but comes with good loot. Because of its rarity, we recommend crafting its event-summoning item to bring the battle to your doorstep.
Enemies like the Mourning Wood can drop Stake Launchers – a ranged weapon with impressive damage and multi-piercing capability. Pumpking, meanwhile, may drop the infamous The Horseman’s Blade and Jack O’ Lantern Launcher. Moreover, you’ll never run out of supplies. Talk about a return on investment!
