+8 Pumpkin Weapon: Actual Hunting Performance and Investment Value

As the Scarecrow Baru event kicks off, interest is hot over whether it is worth aiming for permanent Scarecrow weapons. The threshold for exchanging for a permanent weapon is +8 enhancement, which requires an average of 5.76 million Adena to reach. Since that amount is enough to purchase standard +8 or +9 weapons, it is worth examining whether the performance justifies the cost.

To test this, we ran auto-hunting directly in the Land of the Abandoned (hereafter referred to as Land of Abandoned) to compare hunting efficiency across weapons. Since the monsters in Land of Abandoned are undead, weapon material advantages must be considered, so we also included the Mail Breaker—which carries bonus undead damage—in our comparison group.

Summary of +8 Pumpkin Longsword Test Results

Test LocationLand of the Abandoned ATSTest CharacterLevel 42 Knight, 20 min huntvs. +6 DamascusHunting efficiency ~19% highervs. +9 Damascus (projected)Hunting efficiency ~7% higher (estimate)vs. +6 Mail BreakerHunting efficiency ~13% lower (vs. Undead)vs. +9 Mail Breaker (projected)Hunting efficiency ~22% lower (vs. Undead, estimate)

Good to Know

CostReaching +8, the threshold for a permanent Pumpkin weapon exchange, costs an average of 5.76 million Adena.

EstimateThe projected figures for +9 weapons are estimates calculated by applying an ~11% firepower difference between +6 and +9 (assuming +15 bonus damage) to the measured values. Detailed data is explained below.

Test Conditions

Level 42 Knight, fully buffed, auto-hunting in ATS for 20 minutes

The test was conducted with a Level 42 Knight. The buffs maintained during hunting were as follows:

Buffs Used on Test Character
· 2-Stage Haste
· Scarecrow Polymorph
· Breath of Fire (Melee Damage +3)
· Bless Weapon (Melee Damage +2, Melee Accuracy +2)
· Wolf Doll (Melee Damage +1)
· Enchant Mighty (STR +5)
· Bless of Earth · Blessed Armor · Shield

The three weapons compared were the +6 Damascus Sword (hereafter +6 Damascus), +8 Pumpkin Longsword (hereafter +8 Pumpkin), and +6 Mail Breaker (hereafter +6 Mail Breaker). Each weapon was used for approximately 20 minutes of hunting in ATS, with EXP gain recorded every 5 minutes. Because +6 Damascus hunted for 10 seconds longer than the other two weapons, efficiency comparisons were calculated based on EXP gained per minute.

Test Results

+8 Pumpkin was ~19% higher than +6 Damascus and ~13% lower than +6 Mail Breaker

The 20-minute hunting results are as follows. Figures vs. +6 Damascus are based on EXP gain per minute.

WeaponHunting TimeEXP Gainedvs. +6 Damascus+6 Damascus19 min 40 sec0.5861%Baseline+8 Pumpkin Longsword19 min 30 sec0.6916%~19% higher+6 Mail Breaker19 min 30 sec0.7978%~37% higher

Even when broken down into 5-minute intervals, the ranking of the three weapons never changed. In every interval, +6 Mail Breaker ranked highest, followed by +8 Pumpkin, and +6 Damascus ranked lowest.

Interval+6 Damascus+8 Pumpkin Longsword+6 Mail Breaker0–5 min0.1555%0.1782%0.2120%5–10 min0.1582%0.1888%0.1982%10–15 min0.1451%0.1762%0.2084%15 min–End0.1273%
(4 min 40 sec)0.1484%
(4 min 30 sec)0.1792%
(4 min 30 sec)

Comparison with +6 Damascus

Mathematically, it has the potential to outperform +9 Damascus

+8 Pumpkin showed ~19% higher hunting efficiency than +6 Damascus, a general-purpose weapon without bonus damage against undead. Considering the expected cost of crafting +8 Pumpkin, comparing it against +9 Damascus or +9 Japanese Sword would be more appropriate. However, lacking those weapons, we tested with +6 Damascus instead and used that data as the basis for our calculations.

For the Damascus Sword, the DPS difference between +6 and +9 is about 26% for small targets and 25% for large targets, with weapon accuracy widening the gap slightly further. However, this applies when there is zero bonus damage. In practice, as bonus damage from STR stats, character level, and various buffs accumulates, the proportion of overall firepower contributed by enhancement decreases, narrowing the gap accordingly.

Bonus Damage Owned051015+9 Damascus Difference
vs. +6 Damascus25%17.6%13.6%11.1%

The sum of melee damage buffs used in the test was +6, while a Level 42 Knight with 25 STR (including STR buff) is known to gain around 10 bonus damage from level and stats. Combined, this yields a bonus damage level of 15 to 16, under which the difference between +6 Damascus and +9 Damascus is close to ~11%.

Under the same conditions, +8 Pumpkin performed ~19% better than +6 Damascus. If +9 Damascus is assumed to lead +6 Damascus by ~11%, +8 Pumpkin can be projected to deliver around 7% higher hunting efficiency than +9 Damascus.

Points to Keep in Mind Regarding Calculation Results
· The figures for +9 Damascus are not directly measured values, but calculated by applying DPS differences per enhancement level to the +6 Damascus test results
· +9 Damascus has 3 higher weapon accuracy, which may slightly narrow the actual gap in practice
· This should not be taken as a definitive conclusion that it is strictly superior to +9 weapons, but rather as a reference point

Comparison with +6 Mail Breaker

The wall of bonus undead damage proved high

Although +6 Mail Breaker is far below +8 Pumpkin in both enhancement level and price, its high accuracy bonus combined with bonus damage against undead makes it the top choice for low-level players in Land of the Abandoned ATS. Indeed, in a past test comparing +6 weapons when the Saury Longsword was distributed via an event, Mail Breaker comfortably outperformed the Saury Longsword in hunting speed for a Level 30s Knight.

Once again, the outcome favored +6 Mail Breaker. Even +8 Pumpkin, which sits two enhancement levels higher, could not surpass +6 Mail Breaker. The EXP gain per minute for +6 Mail Breaker was ~15% higher than +8 Pumpkin, meaning +8 Pumpkin was ~13% less efficient relative to +6 Mail Breaker. In Land of the Abandoned where undead predominate, a two-stage advantage in enhancement was not enough to overcome the material advantage.

Of course, there are variables. One of the key strengths of Mail Breaker is its high accuracy bonus, but as a character levels up and gains sufficient base accuracy, the impact of that bonus diminishes. In such cases, Mail Breaker's performance could potentially fall behind +8 Pumpkin.

However, that does not mean +8 Pumpkin surpasses material bonus damage. At levels where the accuracy bonus becomes less critical, alternative options like the Rapier exist without needing high-priced weapons like the Crystal Dagger. Had the comparison involved +8 or +9 Mail Breakers or +8 or +9 Rapiers instead of +6 Mail Breaker, the gap likely would have widened even further.

+6 Mail Breaker Comparison Summary
· In actual tests at Land of the Abandoned ATS, +6 Mail Breaker—despite being two enhancement levels lower—was ~15% faster than +8 Pumpkin
· Estimating +9 Mail Breaker using the same method widens the gap with +8 Pumpkin to ~22% (an estimate applying the ~11% firepower difference between +6 and +9)
· As level increases and accuracy bonuses lose value, Mail Breaker may fall behind
· However, if accuracy is not needed, alternatives like Rapier exist, making it difficult for +8 Pumpkin to overcome material bonus damage in undead hunting grounds

Conclusion

If you already own a +9 weapon, aim for +9 or higher; otherwise, settling with +8 Pumpkin is also an option

To summarize the test results, +8 Pumpkin is clearly stronger than +6 Damascus as a general-purpose weapon and mathematically can outperform +9 Damascus. However, in the undead hunting ground of Land of the Abandoned, it failed to catch up to +6 Mail Breaker with its bonus damage against undead. A more precise comparison would require weapons like +9 Damascus, +9 Mail Breaker, or +9 Rapier, which we unfortunately could not test directly due to lack of ownership.

Apart from the test, player consensus is that switching to +8 Pumpkin is questionable if one is already using weapons like +9 Damascus or +9 Crossbow. While the average expected cost of a +8 Pumpkin weapon exceeds 5 million Adena, prices for weapons like +9 Japanese Sword have dropped below 4 million Adena on some servers, raising concerns that the investment cost is excessive relative to the performance difference.

It must also be taken into account that Pumpkin weapons trigger magic spells, similar to the Thunder Sword or Moonlight Bow. Higher enhancement levels increase spell trigger probability, yielding significantly greater gains in weapon efficiency as enhancement ascends. Many suggest that players who already own a +9 weapon should avoid entering the event altogether if they intend to stop at +8, and instead aim for +9 or higher if they decide to try.

On the other hand, some argue that even a +8 Pumpkin weapon delivers solid performance. Given that event weapons can trade at relatively low player-to-player market prices, acquiring a +8 Pumpkin weapon through trade to settle down rather than pushing risky enhancements is seen as a reasonable choice.

Decision Guide by Scenario

Based on test results and current player evaluations

1

Already own a +9 or higher general weapon Caution

If you plan to stop at +8, it is better not to participate. Only consider attempting if your goal is +9 or higher.

2

Currently using a +6 to +7 general weapon Consider

An efficiency increase of ~19% compared to +6 Damascus was confirmed. Instead of enhancing directly, acquiring a +8 Pumpkin weapon via trade to settle down is an option, so compare market prices for +8 Pumpkin and standard +9 weapons on your server.

3

Low-level hunting primarily in Land of the Abandoned Note

In Land of the Abandoned ATS where undead monsters predominate, the Mail Breaker with its bonus damage against undead remains more efficient.

However, investment is ultimately a personal choice. Due to the RNG nature of enhancement, heavy losses are possible, so overextending is strongly discouraged.

Bottom Line
+8 Pumpkin is ~19% stronger than +6 Damascus among general weapons. If you already own a +9 weapon, challenge the event only if aiming for +9 or higher; otherwise, buying a +8 Pumpkin via trade to settle down is also a solid path. Originally written in Korean, this article was translated with AI assistance and edited by a native English-speaking editor. Every translation is reviewed by our editorial team before publication. [Read Original]