How to Fish: Beginner Guide

Requirements

• A save with a fresh character (this covers the very start of the game).

Step by step

1. 1. Eat clams and buy the Crab Fishing Rod

   Clams are free food worth about $1 each. Sell them (press Q, into the NPC's mouth) to build up cash fast. Once you have a few dollars, buy the Crab Fishing Rod so you can catch better creatures than the default gear allows.

2. 2. Get better bait and the Knife

   Higher-tier bait catches better, more expensive fish. Sell what you catch (press F to check value) and save toward the Knife. It makes the first boss fight much easier than fighting bare-handed.

3. 3. Complete the beer quest

   Give a beer to the NPC stuck with you on the island. They'll give you an Empty Beer Can, which is used to summon the island's boss (Spidercrab).

4. 4. Fight the boss correctly

   Watch the secondary bar below the boss's health bar. It needs to fully deplete before your hits will land. Don't waste attacks before it's "done." A few solid strikes per opening is enough; you don't need to rush.

5. 5. Get the Key and Rudder, then sail to Island 2

   The boss fight leads to a Shell, which gets you a Key for the boat. Sell what you don't need, then buy a Rudder to be able to travel to the next island.

Tips

• You don't need to start fishing immediately. Clams alone can fund your first rod.
• In multiplayer, only one player needs to buy the Rudder for the group to use it.