Magic Missile vs Unholy Trident
The verdict
With crit factored in, Unholy Trident puts out 154.2 DPS against 99.3 for Magic Missile — about 55% more damage per second. Base hits are Magic Missile 35 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 22, 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, Magic Missile hits with more knockback (7.5 vs 6.5), 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| Stat | Magic Missile | Unholy Trident |
|---|---|---|
| Damage | 35 | 42 |
| Use time | 22 ticks | 17 ticks |
| Crit chance | 4% | 4% |
| Knockback | 7.5 | 6.5 |
| Defense | 0 | 0 |
| Mana cost | 14 | 9 |
| Shoot speed | 6 | 13 |
| Sells for | — | 10 |
When to use which
open DPS calculator →- You want higher raw damage per hit (42 vs 35).
- You prefer faster use time (17 ticks vs 22).
- Pure DPS matters most — Unholy Trident wins by 54.9 DPS.
Frequently asked
Which deals more DPS: Magic Missile or Unholy Trident? +
Magic Missile averages 99.3 DPS with crit. Unholy Trident averages 154.2 DPS with crit. Unholy Trident is ahead by 54.9 DPS.
Is Magic Missile or Unholy Trident faster to use? +
Unholy Trident has the shorter 17-tick use time, so it attacks faster than Magic Missile at 22 ticks.
Do Magic Missile and Unholy Trident use the same class build? +
Yes — both are Magic weapons and share the same armor and accessory bonuses.
Are Magic Missile and Unholy Trident from the same progression tier? +
Yes — both belong to the pre-hardmode tier.