Prepare a weapon setup you can use while moving, choose a broad route that leaves room to turn, and use terrain to create space rather than depending on a repeatable trap. In co-op, one player can reportedly hold the boss's attention while another attacks, but the current arena and team situation should decide whether that is workable. Follow the current in-game objective and inventory for the next step after the encounter.
Current Steam reports favor continuous movement and using trees or other terrain to maintain space during the pufferfish fight. They do not establish boss health, movement speed, a fixed safe spot, or a guaranteed completion time.
Published: August 22, 2026 Last reviewed: August 22, 2026 Game state checked: Steam release build available on the review date.
Prepare for movement, not a promised build
Players report Uzi and shotgun setups, including an account of changing weapons during the fight. The discussions disagree about upgrades and do not supply comparative testing, so they do not identify a mandatory or universally best weapon.
Check the options available in your current game, then favor a setup you can keep using while leaving space to reposition.
Create space with terrain
Several reports describe circling trees or running a wide loop while shooting. This supports spacing as a general approach, but not an exact route: a player can still lose room by backing into terrain or by relying on a physics interaction that changes in a later build.
Another thread describes the boss becoming caught behind the item seller and a dynamite setup near a shed. Those are single terrain reports, not stable strategies to plan around.
Community guidance: This page summarizes currently available player findings and has not been independently reproduced by our editorial team. Game updates may change quests, item requirements, spawn behavior, balance, or achievement conditions. Follow the current in-game objective and interface when they differ from this guide.
Solo and co-op considerations
Solo reports focus on keeping a route open while dealing damage. A co-op reply instead suggests that one player draw the boss's attention while another attacks from a raised position. Both accounts are version-sensitive observations; they do not prove that the boss always targets one player predictably or that a particular terrain position stays safe.
Agree on movement space and a fallback direction before committing to a co-op attempt, then adapt to what the current fight is doing.
For general progress context, see Island Progression. Return to How to Fish Boss Guides for the piranha encounter.
Sources
- S009: how do i beat pufferfish? third boss
Publisher: Steam Community Direct URL: https://steamcommunity.com/app/4001890/discussions/0/582805931178533097/ Accessed: 2026-08-22 Supports: player-reported tree-circling, Uzi and shotgun loadouts, and a co-op attention-and-attack role split.
- S010: How to kill pufferfish?
Publisher: Steam Community Direct URL: https://steamcommunity.com/app/4001890/discussions/0/582805931178514814/ Accessed: 2026-08-22 Supports: single player reports about item-seller terrain behavior and a dynamite setup near a shed.
- S001: How to Fish on Steam
Publisher: Dazed Games / Valve Direct URL: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4001890/How_to_Fish/ Accessed: 2026-08-22 Supports: official statement that boss fights are part of progression.
This guide reflects the game state and public information available on the dates shown above. It may become inaccurate after patches or content updates. In-game instructions and official developer announcements take priority.