How to Fish walkthrough: Complete Story Route

The main story route is Lighthouse → Forest → Island 3/Desert → Island 4/Rocks → Island 5/Volcano → mainland. At every stage, speak to the current quest NPC, obtain the required summon item, defeat the target, collect the unique quest trophy, and complete the hand-in before following the next Radar marker. If progress stops, the missing step is more likely to be a trophy or unfinished conversation than a lack of damage.

How the story progression works

How to Fish repeats one clear progression chain across the islands, but each link must be completed in order. A normal catch or a pile of meat does not replace a Boss's distinctive story item, even when both came from the same fight. Keep the special drop separate, return it to the NPC who assigned the objective, and check Radar only after the hand-in finishes.

Use this checkpoint at every location. The sequence stays consistent even when the requested creature or summon item changes. Confirm every item before leaving for the next Radar marker.

• Finish the quest NPC's current dialogue and request.
• Obtain or create the story-specific bait or summon item.
• Prepare food, ammunition, and a reliable firearm before consuming that item.
• Defeat the Boss or satisfy the requested catch objective.
• Pick up the unique trophy, not only ordinary meat.
• Return the trophy and confirm that the next coordinates appear in Radar.

Lighthouse: open the sea route

The Lighthouse is the starting location and teaches the catch, kill, sell, and upgrade loop. Resolve the Lighthouse Keeper's stolen-beer task, use the Empty Beer Can to summon Spider Crab, and defeat it. Bring back the required special drop to complete the request, receive the boat key, and gain access to boat progression.

Buy Radar before searching the open sea because later destinations are followed through colored direction markers. An early reliable firearm is more useful than spreading money across several unfinished weapon setups. Once the hand-in, boat key, and Radar are all handled, follow the new marker toward Forest.

Forest: Leeches and Giant Piranha

Speak to the Forest NPC before searching so the Leech objective is active. Collect three Leeches from the ground, return them, and receive the story bait used for Giant Piranha. These Leeches are small land pickups, so lower the camera and walk slowly through grass near the NPC area when the prompt is difficult to see.

Reload and prepare healing before using the bait because the Boss encounter also brings smaller piranhas. Keep moving, create a clear firing lane on flatter ground, and avoid lingering at the water's edge. After Giant Piranha dies, search the remains for the distinctive exposed-skeleton trophy and return the item accepted by the Forest NPC to obtain Island 3 coordinates.

Island 3 / Desert: Endangered catch and Pufferfish

The Island 3 route includes the Tourist's Endangered-creature request. Inspect eligible catches for the Endangered tag and give the complete qualifying creature to the Tourist, who provides the Carrot. A Drip appearance alone does not prove that a catch qualifies, so rely on the active tag and the NPC's acceptance.

Use the Carrot to summon Pufferfish only after food, ammunition, and an escape route around the terrain are ready. Trees and other obstacles can help manage the Boss's speed, while later attacks may leave purple toxic clouds that should be avoided. Collect the distinctive tail-, fin-, or bone-shaped quest trophy after the kill, return it to the NPC beside the tree, and confirm that Radar receives the next coordinate.

Island 4 / Rocks: Tuna and the bird

At the fourth location, use the Professional Boss Lure for Tuna and bring the Tuna onto land. The placed Tuna attracts the Terrorizing Bird, also identified in the source material as Albatross. This is a story trigger, so do not sell or discard the Tuna before the bird event begins.

Defeat the bird and collect its unique head trophy rather than leaving with ordinary drops. Give that trophy to the shop NPC to unlock the Volcano route. Check the red-to-next-marker transition in Radar before departing, and preserve enough food and ammunition for the harder final sequence.

Island 5 / Volcano: Whale sequence and ending

The Volcano route first develops through the Scientist's request for five creatures. Use the Scientific Lure as required, complete the collection, and receive the Fish Bucket that summons Bowhead Whale. The objective then involves moving the required whale target into the Volcano so the sequence can advance to Mutated Bowhead Whale.

Prepare a strong ranged setup, ammunition upgrades, and healing before committing to this chain. The white bar beneath a Boss health bar is its escape timer, so damage must be dealt within the available window while movement remains safe. After Mutated Bowhead Whale is defeated, collect the correct final fin or unique trophy, follow Radar toward the mainland, and deliver the item to the correct NPC to trigger the ending.

Equipment and route priorities

The fishing rod brings creatures within reach, but firearms handle most Boss kills on the documented route. One dependable early firearm and its ammunition upgrades usually contribute more than several partially upgraded choices. The first boat-engine improvement becomes valuable once repeated crossings begin, but buying travel speed before being able to clear the next Boss can stall progression.

A practical preparation order keeps story resources from being wasted. Finish the checks before consuming a summon item. Use the following sequence for each Boss attempt.

• Secure Radar and the next required story bait.
• Build one reliable firearm setup instead of several incomplete ones.
• Carry food and reload before every summon.
• Add the first engine upgrade when sea travel becomes frequent.
• Prepare stronger Assault Rifle upgrades before the Bowhead Whale sequence.

If the next island does not unlock

Return to the last battle area and search every drop before assuming the route is broken. The Giant Piranha and Pufferfish trophy names vary across guide text or localization, so appearance and NPC acceptance are safer checks than one inventory label. Ordinary meat does not advance these quests, and merely defeating the Boss does not complete the hand-in.

Also speak to the assigning NPC again and wait for the reward or coordinate step to finish. Open Radar after that conversation and look for the newly unlocked color marker. If a consumed summon item led to a failed fight, rebuild food and ammunition before creating or obtaining another instead of entering immediately with the same weak setup.

After the first completion

The first story finish is the efficient point to begin optional cleanup. The same save can continue with ordinary creature collection, Drip variants, Reel of Fortune, Roulette, cosmetics, boat-flight or speed goals, special-kill tasks, and remaining achievements. These objectives are not required to unlock the five-location story chain, so separating them from the first run keeps progression easier to diagnose.