// weapon comparison

Diamond Staff vs Unholy Trident

Magic weapons · pre-hardmode tier

The verdict

With crit factored in, Unholy Trident puts out 154.2 DPS against 55.2 for Diamond Staff — about 179% more damage per second. Base hits are Diamond Staff 23 vs Unholy Trident 42, so the gap comes as much from attack speed and crit as from raw damage.

Unholy Trident swings faster at a 17-tick use time versus 26, 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, Unholy Trident hits with more knockback (6.5 vs 5.5), 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
StatDiamond StaffUnholy Trident
Damage2342
Use time26 ticks17 ticks
Crit chance4%4%
Knockback5.56.5
Defense00
Mana cost89
Shoot speed9.513
Sells for 60 10

When to use which

open DPS calculator →
Pick Diamond Staff if…
Pick Unholy Trident if…
  • You want higher raw damage per hit (42 vs 23).
  • You prefer faster use time (17 ticks vs 26).
  • Pure DPS matters most — Unholy Trident wins by 99.0 DPS.

Frequently asked

Which deals more DPS: Diamond Staff or Unholy Trident? +

Diamond Staff averages 55.2 DPS with crit. Unholy Trident averages 154.2 DPS with crit. Unholy Trident is ahead by 99.0 DPS.

Is Diamond Staff or Unholy Trident faster to use? +

Unholy Trident has the shorter 17-tick use time, so it attacks faster than Diamond Staff at 26 ticks.

Do Diamond Staff and Unholy Trident use the same class build? +

Yes — both are Magic weapons and share the same armor and accessory bonuses.

Are Diamond Staff and Unholy Trident from the same progression tier? +

Yes — both belong to the pre-hardmode tier.