Magic Missile vs Water Bolt
The verdict
With crit factored in, Magic Missile puts out 99.3 DPS against 69.7 for Water Bolt — about 42% more damage per second. Base hits are Magic Missile 35 vs Water Bolt 19, so the gap comes as much from attack speed and crit as from raw damage.
Water Bolt 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 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 | Water Bolt |
|---|---|---|
| Damage | 35 | 19 |
| Use time | 22 ticks | 17 ticks |
| Crit chance | 4% | 4% |
| Knockback | 7.5 | 5 |
| Defense | 0 | 0 |
| Mana cost | 14 | 10 |
| Shoot speed | 6 | 4.5 |
| Sells for | — | 30 |
When to use which
open DPS calculator →- You want higher raw damage per hit (35 vs 19).
- Pure DPS matters most — Magic Missile wins by 29.5 DPS.
- You prefer faster use time (17 ticks vs 22).
Frequently asked
Which deals more DPS: Magic Missile or Water Bolt? +
Magic Missile averages 99.3 DPS with crit. Water Bolt averages 69.7 DPS with crit. Magic Missile is ahead by 29.5 DPS.
Is Magic Missile or Water Bolt faster to use? +
Water Bolt has the shorter 17-tick use time, so it attacks faster than Magic Missile at 22 ticks.
Do Magic Missile and Water Bolt use the same class build? +
Yes — both are Magic weapons and share the same armor and accessory bonuses.
Are Magic Missile and Water Bolt from the same progression tier? +
Yes — both belong to the pre-hardmode tier.