Community-documented route · checked September 29, 2026
There are five story islands: Starter (Lighthouse), Forest, Desert, Rock, and Volcano. Each transition is tied to a boss quest and a hand-in. This route follows player-written Steam guides and a published island guide; it is not an official developer map.
Start at the lighthouse, then visit Forest, Desert, Rock, and Volcano in that order. The table gives the boss and hand-in that advances the story. Optional encounters are not presented as required steps.
| Order | Island | Story encounter | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Starter / Lighthouse | Spider Crab | Shell to lighthouse keeper → boat keys |
| 2 | Forest | Giant Piranha | Boss quest drop to woman by lake → Desert |
| 3 | Desert | Pufferfish | Fin to tourist → Rock |
| 4 | Rock | Albatross | Head to shopkeeper → Volcano |
| 5 | Volcano | Whale, then lava whale | Final tail to scientist → ending |
The shortest reliable route is to complete the island's main NPC request, retain the boss quest drop, and return it before sailing on. Use the steps below as a checklist, not as a claim that every optional fish or boss is mandatory.
Complete the opening quest, use the beer bait to summon the Spider Crab, and bring its shell to the lighthouse keeper for the boat keys. A radar helps you find Island 2.
Speak with the woman by the lake, find three leeches on the ground, and exchange them for the Piranha boss bait. Defeat the Giant Piranha and return its quest drop to her to continue toward Island 3. Published guides disagree on whether that drop is called a tail or skeleton; check the item and quest text in your version.
Find an endangered creature for the tourist to obtain carrot bait. Use it to fight the Pufferfish, then return the boss's fin to the tourist for the next island's coordinates.
Catch a tuna using a Professional Boss Lure and use it to draw out the Albatross. Defeat the bird and give its head to the shopkeeper to unlock Volcano Island coordinates.
Give five fish to the scientist for whale bait, defeat the whale, and throw it into the volcano to trigger the final boss. After defeating the lava whale, return its tail to the scientist for the ending boat keys.
The Steam achievement walkthrough calls the Giant Piranha drop a tail; Dexerto calls it a skeleton. Both describe returning the boss drop to the woman by the lake to progress. We cannot verify which inventory label appears in the current build, so check your in-game quest text and keep the item instead of relying on either name.
Five story islands: Starter (Lighthouse), Forest, Desert, Rock, and Volcano. The fifth is the endgame island.
The Giant Piranha is the Forest Island story boss. Trade three ground leeches to the woman by the lake for its bait, defeat it, then bring its quest drop back to her. Published guides disagree on the drop's exact name.
Defeat the Albatross on Rock Island and hand its head to the shopkeeper to receive the final island's coordinates. The tuna encounter supplies bait for the bird.