Harpoon vs Star Cannon
The verdict
With crit factored in, Star Cannon puts out 286.0 DPS against 52.0 for Harpoon — about 450% more damage per second. Base hits are Harpoon 25 vs Star Cannon 55, so the gap comes as much from attack speed and crit as from raw damage.
Star Cannon swings faster at a 12-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 3), 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 | Star Cannon |
|---|---|---|
| Damage | 25 | 55 |
| Use time | 30 ticks | 12 ticks |
| Crit chance | 4% | 4% |
| Knockback | 6 | 3 |
| Defense | 0 | 0 |
| Mana cost | 0 | 0 |
| Shoot speed | 15 | 14 |
| Sells for | 54 | 10 |
When to use which
open DPS calculator →- You want higher raw damage per hit (55 vs 25).
- You prefer faster use time (12 ticks vs 30).
- Pure DPS matters most — Star Cannon wins by 234 DPS.
Frequently asked
Which deals more DPS: Harpoon or Star Cannon? +
Harpoon averages 52.0 DPS with crit. Star Cannon averages 286.0 DPS with crit. Star Cannon is ahead by 234.0 DPS.
Is Harpoon or Star Cannon faster to use? +
Star Cannon has the shorter 12-tick use time, so it attacks faster than Harpoon at 30 ticks.
Do Harpoon and Star Cannon use the same class build? +
Yes — both are Ranged weapons and share the same armor and accessory bonuses.
Are Harpoon and Star Cannon from the same progression tier? +
Yes — both belong to the pre-hardmode tier.