Guide:The Flaming Pumpkin strategies

The Flaming Pumpkin is the second boss in Shadows of Abaddon progression, meant to be fought between the Queen Bee and Skeletron. The following are some hints, tips, and strategies to help you defeat this boss.

Terrain Preparation
Preparing an arena isn't very hard; a flat piece of land with 1-2 platforms about 80-100 blocks long and at least 8 blocks high should suffice. It would also be a good idea to have a Campfire and Heart Lantern nearby for life regen purposes. An addition to this, having a Star in a Bottle can help when nearby for mana regen purpose. A Sunflower may also help to reduce enemy spawns and distractions. Possibly the most useful block you could have here is either Water or Honey, as almost all of the Pumpkin's attacks inflict the On Fire! debuff. A small pool of either should be useful, as you can easily duck in and out of the pool.

Armor

 * Lapis armor, Shadow/Crimson armor, and Jungle armor are some of the best sets you can get for this fight. Jungle armor would be best for offense, as some magic weapons are very good for this fight. Lapis armor and Shadow/Crimson armor is best for defensive types.
 * For summoners, the Bee armor or Eerie armor would be best for this fight.

Accessories

 * Hermes Boots and any of its upgrades would be a good idea for this fight, as it will help you when running back and forth to dodge the seed projectiles.
 * Band of Regeneration will help with life regen during the fight, and may be useful.
 * Cloud in a Bottle and its counterparts will help with jumping over the boss when needed.
 * Having a Grappling Hook of any kind will help you get around the arena easily, and help you evade when turning around.
 * For Expert mode players, a Shield of Cthulhu will help when turning around, and a Worm Scarf will help thanks to its damage reduction. The Hive Pack is a must have for expert mode players attempting this fight, as all of the Queen Bee's weapon drops will be very useful for this fight.

Weapons
In general, long-range crowd-control weapons are very good for this fight.

Melee
Playing melee for this fight is probably the hardest. There are a couple of good weapons for it, however.
 * The Enchanted Sword and Arkhalis are good choices for this fight. The Enchanted Sword is long-range and can help when evading the boss' many projectiles. The Arkhalis, on the other hand, is good for shredding through the Pumpkin Flames that must be defeated for the boss to progress.
 * Many yoyos will help during this fight, such as the Pandolare and the Amazon, due to their long range which will help hit the boss while dodging at the same time.

Ranged
Using ranged weapons is generally a good idea for this fight, rather than the limited uses of melee.
 * The Bee's Knees is a great choice for this fight, especially with the Hive Pack. Its crowd control style projectiles are perfect for killing off the Pumpkin Flames, and even for hitting the boss itself.
 * If you can't get the Bee's Knees, other good options include the Cold Front and the Lapis Bow.
 * If you prefer guns, the Boomstick and Minishark would be good for this fight. The Boomstick would be good for dealing with the Pumpkin Flames, while the Minishark would be good for dealing with the boss itself.

Magic
Magic is also a good idea for this fight, with it being just as useful as ranged.
 * The Frost Scythe or Demon Scythe is great for this fight, both being great for crowd control of the flames and damaging the boss itself.
 * The Bee Gun is also great for this fight, with the same crowd control power of the Bee's Knees.

Summoner
Summoner is also a significant good idea for this fight but will probably be hard. There are a couple of good weapons for it, however.
 * The Bee Staff and Imp Staff is also great for this fight, both are inflicting their respective debuff, however, the boss itself is immune to this so it's more likely to be the hardest thing.
 * Eerie Cane is a great addition to the fight, as it can charge at enemies, dealing good damage.
 * The Tavernkeep Rods can be used for extra firepower, especially against the Dread Flames spawned by the boss.

Throwing
Throwing is also a good class for this fight, but not quite as good as other classes.
 * Beenades are possibly one of the best weapons for this fight, right beside the Bee's Knees and for the same reasons.
 * Molotov Cocktails are also good due to crowd control abilities.
 * Otherwise, there isn't too much else. The Underbrush, or even Grenades will work well.

Potions
Lesser Healing Potions or, preferably, Healing Potions will be good for this fight if you get too low on health. For normal buff potions, Regeneration Potions, Ironskin Potions, and Swiftness Potions will be good. If you can, Obsidian Skin Potions are fantastic for this fight, as they make you immune to the On Fire! debuff.

The Battle
When the battle begins, the Pumpkin will spawn on top of you. Use this to your advantage and spawn him in a lower area. When the fight begins, he will throw the seeds that spawn the Pumpkin Flames into the air. After that, he will immediately start shooting burning seeds at the player. to avoid these, run back and forth across the top platform of your arena whilst shooting your crowd-control weapon at the flames. He will also shoot fireballs, but those aren't too big a problem unless you're fighting on the same level as him. Once the flames are down, start focusing on the boss himself. Once he reaches 75% HP, he will shoot more Pumpkin Flame seeds into the air, and start firing faster. He will repeat this at 50% HP and at 25% HP. Just repeat this process until you get to the second phase. Once The Pumpkin reaches 0 HP, he will change his look to a more cracked and beaten-up sprite and start jumping to follow the player. If you set up the arena right, the Pumpkin shouldn't be able to reach you. If he does, just try to lure him off the platform down to the bottom again. When the Pumpkin lands from a jump, he will create a row of spikes in either direction. Melee players should be cautious of this, but otherwise, it shouldn't be too much of a problem. otherwise, he will repeat his pattern of firing burning seeds and fireballs at you. Just repeat the strategy of running back and forth to avoid these. However, he will also shoot a barrage pumpkin flame-spawning seeds into the air. These flames are slightly different, however, as they don't make the boss invincible, and they despawn after about 5 seconds. Be cautious when avoiding these, and try to weave through the projectiles and flames (The Shield of Cthulhu can really help with this.)

General Tips

 * Having a Grappling Hook of any kind will help you get around the arena easily, and help you evade when turning around.

Redux
The Flaming Pumpkin is a very difficult boss, but once you fight it one or two times, it becomes easier. It also drops Dread Flames, which are used to craft powerful Pre-Hardmode items, such as the Pumpkin Flare and Pumpkin Carver.