Dragon Traveler Operation Serpent Hunt Artifact Event Guide

Quick answer: Operation Serpent Hunt's Serpent Spear artifact boosts middle-row physical damage by 15%, but it only activates once all six pieces are collected, and that takes a very large number of pulls. Heavy spenders may find it worthwhile; F2P and low spenders should usually skip it and put gems into characters and weapons.

Key takeaways

• The artifact needs all six pieces before any effect applies; partial pieces give nothing.
• Summoning horns come from the battle pass (about 40), a limited daily gem pack (5 per day cap) and the golden leaf store.
• The banner has a 2.5% SSR+ rate with hard pity at 300 pulls, and duplicates are common before pity.
• Free resources usually net a F2P player only 1-2 pieces, which is not enough to activate it.
• Molnir from the golden leaf store is the easier, cheaper artifact option for casual players.

Operation Serpent Hunt: Your Complete Event Strategy Guide

Operation Serpent Hunt introduces a strong middle-row physical damage artifact, but completing it is expensive. This guide covers the artifact's effects, where summoning horns come from, the costs involved, and whether it is worth your gems at different spending levels.

Event details such as dates, rates, prices and rewards can change between patches and reruns, so check the in-game event page for the current numbers before planning your gems.

What Is Operation Serpent Hunt?

Operation Serpent Hunt is a limited-time event introducing a powerful middle-row physical damage artifact paired with a summoning system. The event runs for 9 days, giving players a limited window to accumulate resources and make summoning decisions. Unlike standard artifact acquisition, this event requires specific currency and strategic planning to obtain the pieces needed for activation.

The core mechanic revolves around summoning horns—the primary currency needed to pull for artifact pieces. You'll earn these horns through daily activities and various in-game purchases, then spend them on the specialized summoning banner exclusive to this event.

The Artifact Breakdown: Serpent Spear Stats & Effects

The featured artifact is a devastating middle-row physical damage weapon with the following base effects:

Effect	Details
Base Passive	Increases physical damage of middle-row luminaries by 15%
Active Ability	At battle start, deals 500% physical damage to enemy units in a straight line
Punishment Trigger	When activated, applies physical defense down to affected enemies
Upgrade Path (Plus 2)	Skill damage increased by 20%
Upgrade Path (Plus 5)	Physical damage increased by additional 5%

Who Benefits Most?

This artifact is aimed at middle-row physical damage luminaries; the community most often names Ifrit and Huginn & Muninn as users. Check each character's damage type on their page before committing, since the artifact only boosts physical damage. The combination of raw damage boost and defense debilitation creates strong synergy with your existing physical-focused team compositions.

Important Note: Unlike weapons that improve with ranking, this artifact requires all six pieces to activate. You can't use partial pieces or unlock incremental bonuses along the way.

Acquisition Methods: Where to Get Summoning Horns

You have multiple pathways to obtain the summoning horns needed for this event. Understanding each option helps you maximize your resources:

1. Battle Pass

The current battle pass contains a substantial quantity of summoning horns—approximately 40 horns available throughout the season. If you're already investing in the battle pass, you're getting some free pulls toward this artifact.

2. Treasure Hunt Pack (Gem Purchase)

Direct gem purchases offer summoning horns at a premium:

• Standard Price: 200 gems per horn
• Discounted Offer: 30% off promotion available
• Maximum Available: Limited quantity per day (5 maximum)

3. Golden Leaf Store

The golden leaf currency store also stocks summoning horns, though availability is limited. This provides an alternative path for players accumulating golden leaves through other activities.

The Hard Numbers: Cost Analysis for F2P vs. Whales

The figures below are community estimates from the event's first run; the totals in different sections do not fully agree, so treat them as rough orders of magnitude:

Summoning Horn Economy

Resource	Quantity Needed	Cost Per Unit	Total Cost
Summoning Horns (30 pulls)	30	200 gems	6,000 gems
Fate Horns (for banner)	100	10 points each	1,000 horns → 20,000 gems
Total First Round	—	—	26,000 gems
All Five Rounds	—	—	130,000 gems

The Pity System Reality Check

Here's where things get expensive. The banner features a 2.5% SSR+ rate with a hard pity at 300 pulls. However—and this is crucial—you can receive duplicate pieces repeatedly before hitting hard pity.

As a worst-case ceiling, if every one of the six pieces only arrived at hard pity:

• 6 pieces × 300 pity pulls = 1,800 total pulls
• At 10 points per pull = 18,000 fate horns
• At 200 gems per horn = 3,600,000 gems

In practice most players will not hit hard pity on every piece, but completion is still realistic mainly for heavy spenders.

Selection Pack Alternative (Slightly Better)

The event includes a 60-star selection pack allowing you to choose one SSR+ piece after accumulating 60 stars (roughly three pages of summoning). This reduces the randomness somewhat but still requires:

• Three pages of summoning (~900 gems per page)
• Multiple selection purchases to collect all six pieces
• A very large gem total for full completion

Free-to-Play Accessibility: What Can You Realistically Get?

If you're not spending, here's what the event actually offers:

Free Resources

• Battle pass summoning horns: 40 horns (4 free pulls)
• Daily event claims: Limited additional horns
• Store purchases with golden leaf currency: Minimal impact

Realistic F2P Outcome

A free-to-play player pulling casually with available horns might secure 1-2 artifact pieces if lucky with pity. This is insufficient for activation since you need all six pieces to unlock the artifact's effects.

Bottom Line for F2P: You won't be obtaining this artifact unless you dedicate significant free resources or sacrifice other summoning goals. It's designed as a whale incentive.

Is the Artifact Worth Pulling For?

This depends entirely on your spending capacity and goals:

Whale Perspective ✓ Worth Considering

• Massive 15% damage boost to your entire middle-row team
• Defense debilitation opens combo potential
• Positions you ahead in competitive content
• Investment cost: very high; worst-case estimates run into the millions of gems

Dolphin/Minnow Perspective ✗ Not Recommended

• Cost-to-benefit ratio is prohibitive
• Partial pieces provide zero benefit
• Better gem allocation exists for weapon acquisition
• Skip this and focus on character/weapon summoning

F2P Perspective ✗ Definitely Skip

• Impossible to complete without spending
• Your gems are better invested elsewhere
• Focus on character growth and weapons instead

Event Timeline & Duration

The event runs for 9 days total, which significantly impacts your strategy:

Phase	Duration	Action Items
Early Access	Days 1-3	Evaluate pulls, decide spending level
Mid Event	Days 4-6	Continue summoning if committed
Final Push	Days 7-9	Last-minute pulls, use selection packs

Critical: Daily summoning horn purchases are capped at 5 per day from the shop, meaning you can't front-load your summoning in the first few days. Plan your gem spending accordingly.

Optimization Strategy: Maximizing Your Event Value

Even if you're not going for the full artifact, here's how to extract maximum value:

Tier 1: Casual Spenders (5,000-15,000 gems)

1. Complete all free daily claims
2. Purchase 1-2 rounds of summoning horns from the shop
3. Use selection packs to secure 2-3 pieces
4. Stop and reallocate remaining gems to weapons

Tier 2: Moderate Spenders (30,000-50,000 gems)

1. Complete all free resources
2. Purchase multiple rounds of summoning horns
3. Commit to 2-3 pages of selection packs
4. Accept you won't complete the artifact
5. Use excess gems on weapon summoning

Tier 3: Whales (100,000+ gems)

1. Commit to full completion across all five rounds
2. Plan for a large fate horn budget (the worst-case estimate above is 18,000)
3. Budget for duplicate protection/selection packs
4. Expect the final cost to be very high; worst-case estimates run into the millions of gems

Power Gain Reality Check

One community report described roughly 20 summons (mixed free and purchased) giving about +7,000 power. If that is typical:

• Each pull averages ~350 power gain
• Full artifact completion might yield 50,000-100,000+ power
• Significant but not game-breaking for most players

Comparison: Molnir Alternative Artifact

The event also features Molnir (Thor's Hammer) available through the golden leaf store:

Feature	Molnir	Serpent Spear
Cost Type	Golden Leaf Currency	Gems (Summoning Horns)
Activation	Easier (one-time purchase)	Harder (six pieces required)
Effect Quality	Moderate (30-second cooldown)	High (always active)
Value Rating	Better for casual players	Better for committed whales

Molnir triggers every 30 seconds (twice per battle) and provides stun effects, but the cooldown limits its impact compared to Serpent Spear's constant 15% damage boost.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I use partial artifact pieces? A: No. You must collect all six pieces before the artifact activates. Partial pieces provide zero benefits.

Q: What if I get duplicates while summoning? A: Duplicates are common before hitting pity. You'll need significant gem reserves to guarantee all six unique pieces.

Q: Can I get this artifact after the event ends? A: Unknown. Limited-time event artifacts typically don't return for months or years. Plan accordingly.

Q: Should I skip this and pull for weapons instead? A: Most players benefit more from weapon summoning. Weapons have immediate impact and better cost-efficiency.

Q: How does this compare to other gacha games' limited artifacts? A: It is more expensive than most limited artifacts, since full completion can require a very large number of pulls.

Final Verdict: Should You Pull?

For Whales: Operation Serpent Hunt offers real power progression. If you're comfortable with a very large gem budget, the artifact increases your middle-row damage significantly.

For Everyone Else: Skip this event. Redirect your gems toward:

• Character summoning for new units
• Weapon acquisition and ranking
• Equipment enhancement materials
• More reliable power-gain investments

The 9-day window is short, the completion cost is astronomical, and partial progress yields zero benefit. Unless you're already a whale committed to maximum optimization, Operation Serpent Hunt is likely to drain gems you could use more efficiently elsewhere.

Power Progression Checklist

If you're feeling behind on power, these areas usually give steadier gains (estimates vary by account):

Priority	Action	Expected Power Gain
1st	Max tower levels to 100	20,000-30,000
2nd	Upgrade dragon to 4-5 stars	15,000-25,000
3rd	Unlock additional skill slots	10,000-15,000
4th	Acquire SSR weapons	25,000-40,000 per weapon
5th	Max healer (Chiron/Caligula)	15,000-20,000
6th	Red Star all luminaries	30,000-50,000

These methods provide reliable, consistent power growth without the gacha dependency.

Next Steps

1. Evaluate Your Spending: Be honest about your budget and commitment level
2. Claim Free Resources: Grab all available summoning horns from daily activities
3. Test Your Luck: If interested, pull once or twice to gauge your pity luck
4. Decide Your Tier: Commit to a spending level and stick to it
5. Focus Elsewhere: Redirect unused gems to weapons and character growth

The strongest team isn't built on single artifacts—it's built on consistent, strategic investment across multiple progression systems. Operation Serpent Hunt is tempting, but sustainable power comes from diversified development.

Related on DragonTraveler.gg

• Tier list
• Dream teams
• Character database
• Ifrit
• Huginn & Muninn