How to Fish Weapons & Upgrades – What to Buy First
Updated Aug 22, 2026 · based on the official Steam store page and launch-week community reports
What is the best weapon in How to Fish? There is no published damage table, so the right answer is: buy for the obstacle in front of you. A dependable ranged weapon when fights drag on, attachments on one weapon when you can afford a focused build, and an engine when travel time is the bigger bottleneck.
Every Weapon Family Seen in the Game
Official Steam media and launch-week footage show several equipment families: fishing rods, a knife, pistol, compact automatic weapon, shotgun, sniper rifle, dynamite and weapon attachments. The game also includes boat engine upgrades and multiple lure tiers for larger encounters. Those items are visible; the official store page does not publish a damage-per-second table.
That is why this guide focuses on use cases — range, safe damage windows, crowding and travel — instead of presenting guessed numbers as facts.
| Family | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fishing rod | The core catch loop | Your first tool; fights pull in the catch. |
| Knife / melee | Close, low-value creatures | Cheap and safe when nothing reaches you. |
| Pistol | Early reliable ranged damage | The baseline "fights take too long" fix. |
| Compact automatic | Sustained fire in short windows | Good rhythm pick once you can manage reloads. |
| Shotgun | Crowded or close encounters | High close-range impact, slower cycles. |
| Sniper rifle | Distance and trick shots | Enables 360 no-scope and other skill kills. |
| Dynamite (25 coins) | Cross-boss burst option | Standard pick for the Easy achievement. |
| Attachments | Focused single-weapon builds | All slots on one weapon feed "Fully equipped". |
| Boat engine upgrades | Travel time | Two tiers map to "Getting an upgrade" and "I am speed". |
A Problem-First Buying Order
Match the purchase to the problem you are actually hitting (snapshot: Aug 2026):
| Current problem | Best kind of purchase | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The creature reaches you before it dies | Reliable ranged damage | Distance creates more safe attempts than a novelty purchase. |
| Reload or handling ruins boss windows | A weapon you can control consistently | Practical uptime matters more than theoretical power. |
| Quest travel is eating the session | Boat engine upgrade | Faster travel benefits every future loop. |
| You already have a main weapon | Attachments on that one weapon | A focused build also advances "Fully equipped". |
| You are about to summon a boss | Cash reserve, food, ammunition | Do not enter a difficulty spike right after emptying your wallet. |
Attachments and "Fully Equipped"
The official achievement wording is exact: apply all attachments to a single weapon. That makes scattered purchases inefficient if achievement completion is a goal. Choose one weapon that already fits your boss and normal-catch rhythm, then complete its attachment set before branching into a second build.
Do not assume attachment icons transfer between weapons. Check the purchase interface and the currently selected weapon before spending. If the achievement does not pop, recheck that every slot belongs to the same weapon rather than counting attachments across your inventory.
Boat Engines and "I am Speed"
Two official achievements define the engine path: "Getting an upgrade" for upgrading the engine, and "I am speed" for buying the best engine. An early engine purchase is sensible when island travel dominates your playtime, but the top engine is a longer savings target — keep a separate engine fund instead of treating every new weapon as urgent.
The best engine is not a substitute for preparation. Faster travel helps you reach the arena and return quest items; it does not shorten a boss's damage phase.
Loadouts for Fast Bosses
For the pufferfish and later encounters, choose equipment around the safe window you can consistently create. If the boss forces constant movement, a weapon with awkward timing underperforms even if it looks powerful. Use terrain to create a predictable path, fire during the opening, and move before the boss re-establishes contact.
In co-op, different roles beat duplicate positioning: one player draws the route while the others hold angles. Dynamite is tied to the "Everyone's dream" seagull achievement, but explosives should not be assumed to solve every boss without testing the encounter safely.