Buy a reliable ranged weapon first, keep one main weapon upgraded instead of spreading attachments, and improve the boat engine when travel takes longer than combat. Before a boss, reserve money for food, ammunition and the required lure.
What each weapon type is good for
| Equipment | Best use | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Knife or basic close-range tool | Finishing weak ordinary catches cheaply | Dangerous against fast or crowded enemies. |
| Pistol | Learning aim and safe spacing | Lower sustained pressure in long fights. |
| Compact automatic weapon / Uzi | Damaging while moving and maintaining pressure | Can waste ammunition if fired without a clear line. |
| Shotgun | Strong close windows and groups of smaller enemies | Requires controlled distance and safe reload timing. |
| Sniper rifle | Long-range finishing shots and achievement practice | Awkward when a fast boss stays close. |
| Dynamite | Planned explosive setups and specific achievement attempts | Expensive or unreliable when thrown in panic. |
There is no single best weapon for every encounter. Choose the weapon that still works while you perform the movement the fight requires.
Recommended buying order
- Replace the weakest starting option with a ranged weapon you can aim reliably.
- Keep a cash reserve instead of buying every weapon on display.
- Improve one main weapon with attachments.
- Buy an engine when repeated island travel becomes the largest time cost.
- Add specialised weapons for boss patterns or achievements only after the core loadout is stable.
Boss loadout examples
- Piranha: a shotgun helps control smaller piranhas when they crowd the arena; keep moving between close damage windows.
- Pufferfish: an Uzi or other mobile ranged weapon is easier to use while circling trees. A shotgun can work if terrain creates a safe close opening.
- Magma whale: take the strongest weapon you can reload and aim without losing the volcano route. Do not choose solely by price.
- Co-op: let one player carry a mobile weapon and manage attention while teammates use higher-damage windows from separate angles.
Attachments and Fully equipped
The achievement requires all attachments on one weapon. Choose the weapon you already use most, inspect its available slots and complete that set before buying attachments across several weapons. If the achievement does not unlock, check that every attachment belongs to the same weapon.
Engines and I am speed
The engine path has two official goals: upgrade the engine once and eventually buy the best engine. Create a separate engine fund if you want the final achievement. Buy combat power first only when a current boss is blocking progress; otherwise the engine saves time on every later quest and return trip.
Before spending your last money
- Is a boss lure required next?
- Do you still need food or ammunition?
- Does the purchase solve the current failure?
- Are you abandoning progress toward a full attachment set or best engine?
See the Pufferfish Boss guide or practise Trick Shots after the main loadout is ready.
Sources
- How to Fish on Steam — Dazed Games / Valve — https://store.steampowered.com/app/4001890/How_to_Fish/ — visible equipment families, upgrades, engines and gameplay loop.
- How to Fish Global Achievements — Steam Community / Valve — https://steamcommunity.com/stats/4001890/achievements/?l=english — attachment and engine requirements.
- How to Fish General Discussions — Steam Community / Valve — https://steamcommunity.com/app/4001890/discussions/ — current boss loadout reports.