The best ghost farming setup in Hypixel SkyBlock is usually a high-HP Mastiff + Pooch Sword setup , with damage tuned through crit damage and pet support to one- to three-shot ghosts efficiently.

Best setup

A strong, commonly recommended core is:

  • Full Mastiff armor, ideally with Ancient and Bank V where possible.
  • Pooch Sword, preferably with good enchantments such as Looting IV ; One For All is usable but not optimal for ghost drops.
  • A Mithril Golem pet for extra combat stats on mining islands, or a Golden Dragon later on if you want stronger long-term scaling and better overall efficiency.
  • High magical power with a crit-damage-focused tuning, because more crit damage increases your damage via the Pooch Sword’s health-scaling effect.

Why this works

Ghosts have very high health and deal true damage, so the setup needs both survivability and burst damage. Mastiff gives a huge health pool, which directly boosts Pooch Sword damage, while Ancient and crit-damage tuning help you finish ghosts much faster. That’s why this combo is often favored over generic melee gear for ghost grinding.

Budget vs stronger

For a cheaper setup, full Mastiff with a basic Pooch Sword is the classic entry option and has been used successfully in multiple guides. For a stronger setup, players often move toward better accessories, higher magical power, stronger pets, and optimized enchants like Looting IV, which improves drop rates. Some newer guides also cover more advanced ghost grinding methods, but the Mastiff/Pooch Sword core remains the standard reference point.

Practical recommendation

If you want the simplest answer, go with:

  1. Full Mastiff armor.
  2. Pooch Sword with solid enchants.
  3. Crit-damage tuning and high magical power.
  4. Mithril Golem early, stronger scaling pet later.

That is the most reliable ghost farming setup cited across the guides and community discussion I found.

TL;DR

Best overall: Full Mastiff + Pooch Sword + crit-damage tuning + high magical power.

Best budget version: the same setup, but with cheaper enchants and a modest pet.