How to Fish: Unlock Every Island and Boat Keys
Killing a boss is not enough. You must keep the unique drop, hand it to the right NPC, then use the Radar. Here is the full Lighthouse to Volcano chain and the mistakes that leave players stranded.
Core goal: Get off the Lighthouse, then open every later island. Killing a boss is not enough. You must keep the unique drop, hand it to the right NPC, then use the Radar. Players get stuck because they sell the shell, skeleton, or fin, skip the $10 Radar, or look for leeches in the water.
1Lighthouse - Boat Keys
- 1Eat clams so you don't starve. Feed clams and fish to the keeper for cash.
- 2Buy the $3 Crab Fishing Rod.
Catch and kill crabs and shrimp, sell or feed them.
- 3Buy a weapon before the boss.
Knife ($45) or Brass Knuckles ($24). Sharpen on the anvil by the lighthouse.
- 4Save $12, buy Beer, feed it to the keeper (Q).
Do this only when you are ready to fight. He returns the Empty Beer Can.
- 5Equip the empty can as bait. Cast near shore.
Full beer is the wrong item.
- 6Fight: let it charge, sidestep, wait for stars or swirls over its head, hit a few times from behind, back off.
Don't run far or it jumps. Watch the white escape bar under its health. If it empties, it leaves and you recast.
- 7Pick up the Shell, not only meat chunks. Hand the Shell to the keeper.
That is what gives Boat Keys.
- 8Buy the $10 handheld Radar before you sail. Equip it on the boat.
Forest is the green marker northwest. No Radar means no visible next island.
2Forest - Desert Coordinates
- 1Follow the green Radar dot. Land and talk to the woman by the lake first so the leech counter appears.
- 2Collect 3 leeches on the ground, not in water.
They are tiny. Camera low, walk paths and grass. Counter is 3/3.
- 3Hand them in. She gives Modified Leech bait.
Shop-bought boss lures do not summon this fight.
- 4Buy a gun first, pistol minimum, shotgun is what a lot of players grab.
Eat to full. Leave an inventory slot.
- 5Cast Modified Leech. Clear small piranhas when they swarm, they are also mid-fight food.
Shoot the Giant Piranha otherwise. Keep moving. Watch the white timer.
- 6Keep the Giant Piranha Skeleton. Give it to the woman.
She gives Island 3 coordinates, yellow or orange Radar.
3Desert - Rocks Coordinates
- 1Follow the new Radar color west or northwest of Forest.
- 2Do the tourist's request, endangered or local creature. He gives a Carrot.
- 3Use Carrot to summon Pufferfish. It rolls, dodge, don't tank.
Keep the fin or trophy.
- 4Hand the fin to the tourist. Island 4 appears, red Radar.
4Rocks - Volcano Coordinates
- 1Buy the boat Radar mount if you can so you don't have to stop and hold the handheld unit.
- 2Buy Professional Boss Lure, catch Tuna, place or use Tuna to summon Albatross.
- 3Keep the Albatross Head. Hand it in for Volcano coordinates.
5Volcano - Military Boat Key
- 1Talk to the hazmat scientist. Catch five native Volcano fish with the Scientific Lure and feed them.
You get a Fish Bucket.
- 2Catch Bowhead Whale with the bucket. Carry the body to the crater or lava.
- 3Fight Mutated Bowhead. Keep the fin. Hand it to the scientist for the military boat key.
That is the end of the story route.
Rules That Keep Showing Up in Player Talk
- Boss dead does not equal island unlocked. Unique drop plus NPC dialogue does.
- Radar is a separate $10 buy after keys. Equip it on the boat or you sail blind.
- Don't sell named trophies. Shell, Skeleton, Fin, Head, Whale Fin all unlock the next step.
- If a marker is missing, inventory-check the last boss item and talk to the island NPC again.
- Easy mode (1.0.9) cuts creature damage if a boss is brick-walling you.