Blood Thorn vs Ice Rod
The verdict
With crit factored in, Ice Rod puts out 194.1 DPS against 192.9 for Blood Thorn — about 1% more damage per second. Base hits are Blood Thorn 34 vs Ice Rod 28, so the gap comes as much from attack speed and crit as from raw damage.
Ice Rod swings faster at a 9-tick use time versus 11, so it lands on-hit debuffs like ichor, procs set bonuses, and reapplies knockback more often — an edge the flat DPS figure understates.
For crowd control, Ice Rod hits with more knockback (2 vs 1), keeping enemies at range while you reposition.
Both are Magic weapons, so the same armor set and class accessories buff either one — you can swap between them without rebuilding your loadout.
Stat-by-stat
computed| Stat | Blood Thorn | Ice Rod |
|---|---|---|
| Damage | 34 | 28 |
| Use time | 11 ticks | 9 ticks |
| Crit chance | 4% | 4% |
| Knockback | 1 | 2 |
| Defense | 0 | 0 |
| Mana cost | 20 | 6 |
| Shoot speed | 32 | 12 |
| Sells for | 80 | — |
When to use which
open DPS calculator →- You want higher raw damage per hit (34 vs 28).
- You prefer faster use time (9 ticks vs 11).
- Pure DPS matters most — Ice Rod wins by 1.3 DPS.
Frequently asked
Which deals more DPS: Blood Thorn or Ice Rod? +
Blood Thorn averages 192.9 DPS with crit. Ice Rod averages 194.1 DPS with crit. Ice Rod is ahead by 1.3 DPS.
Is Blood Thorn or Ice Rod faster to use? +
Ice Rod has the shorter 9-tick use time, so it attacks faster than Blood Thorn at 11 ticks.
Do Blood Thorn and Ice Rod use the same class build? +
Yes — both are Magic weapons and share the same armor and accessory bonuses.
Are Blood Thorn and Ice Rod from the same progression tier? +
Yes — both belong to the early-hardmode tier.