Harpoon vs Sandgun
The verdict
With crit factored in, Sandgun puts out 117.0 DPS against 52.0 for Harpoon — about 125% more damage per second. Base hits are Harpoon 25 vs Sandgun 30, so the gap comes as much from attack speed and crit as from raw damage.
Sandgun swings faster at a 16-tick use time versus 30, 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, Harpoon hits with more knockback (6 vs 5), 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 | Sandgun |
|---|---|---|
| Damage | 25 | 30 |
| Use time | 30 ticks | 16 ticks |
| Crit chance | 4% | 4% |
| Knockback | 6 | 5 |
| Defense | 0 | 0 |
| Mana cost | 0 | 0 |
| Shoot speed | 15 | 12 |
| Sells for | 54 | 20 |
When to use which
open DPS calculator →- You want higher raw damage per hit (30 vs 25).
- You prefer faster use time (16 ticks vs 30).
- Pure DPS matters most — Sandgun wins by 65.0 DPS.
Frequently asked
Which deals more DPS: Harpoon or Sandgun? +
Harpoon averages 52.0 DPS with crit. Sandgun averages 117.0 DPS with crit. Sandgun is ahead by 65.0 DPS.
Is Harpoon or Sandgun faster to use? +
Sandgun has the shorter 16-tick use time, so it attacks faster than Harpoon at 30 ticks.
Do Harpoon and Sandgun use the same class build? +
Yes — both are Ranged weapons and share the same armor and accessory bonuses.
Are Harpoon and Sandgun from the same progression tier? +
Yes — both belong to the pre-hardmode tier.