Harpoon vs Musket
The verdict
With crit factored in, Musket puts out 62.8 DPS against 52.0 for Harpoon — about 21% more damage per second. Base hits are Harpoon 25 vs Musket 31, so the gap comes as much from attack speed and crit as from raw damage.
Harpoon swings faster at a 30-tick use time versus 32, so it lands on-hit debuffs like ichor, procs set bonuses, and reapplies knockback more often — an edge the flat DPS figure understates.
Musket also carries the higher base crit chance (8% vs 4%), which scales further with crit-boosting armor and accessories.
For crowd control, Harpoon hits with more knockback (6 vs 5.25), keeping enemies at range while you reposition.
Both are Ranged 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 | Harpoon | Musket |
|---|---|---|
| Damage | 25 | 31 |
| Use time | 30 ticks | 32 ticks |
| Crit chance | 4% | 8% |
| Knockback | 6 | 5.25 |
| Defense | 0 | 0 |
| Mana cost | 0 | 0 |
| Shoot speed | 15 | 9 |
| Sells for | 54 | — |
When to use which
open DPS calculator →- You prefer faster use time (30 ticks vs 32).
- You want higher raw damage per hit (31 vs 25).
- You're stacking crit-chance gear (+4% over Harpoon).
- Pure DPS matters most — Musket wins by 10.8 DPS.
Frequently asked
Which deals more DPS: Harpoon or Musket? +
Harpoon averages 52.0 DPS with crit. Musket averages 62.8 DPS with crit. Musket is ahead by 10.8 DPS.
Is Harpoon or Musket faster to use? +
Harpoon has the shorter 30-tick use time, so it attacks faster than Musket at 32 ticks.
Do Harpoon and Musket use the same class build? +
Yes — both are Ranged weapons and share the same armor and accessory bonuses.
Are Harpoon and Musket from the same progression tier? +
Yes — both belong to the pre-hardmode tier.