How to Beat the Pufferfish Boss — How to Fish Guide

How do you beat the Pufferfish boss?

This How to Fish Pufferfish boss guide starts with the Desert tourist or swimmer quest that supplies custom carrot bait. Once the encounter begins, move continuously, use trees and shop geometry to shape a wide route, and fire during movement. PC Gamer succeeded with an upgraded SMG after a Shotgun proved unreliable for that run.

Pufferfish is one of the required encounters in the complete boss route. Its safest pattern is movement and controlled damage, not a stationary trade.

What is the safest Pufferfish movement route?

Circle around trees and shop geometry while keeping the route wide enough to reload. Shoot during movement, then extend the loop before the boss closes the gap. The terrain should buy time, not become a claimed permanent trap.

1. Start with room to circle instead of fighting beside a dead end.
2. Keep moving while firing short SMG bursts.
3. Use obstacles to interrupt the direct path.
4. Widen the route before reloading.
5. Resume damage quickly enough that the encounter does not drag on.

Steam players report that the Pufferfish may leave when the fight lasts too long. That supports improving damage for consistency, but it does not establish an exact timer or a guaranteed trap.

Is an SMG better than a Shotgun for Pufferfish?

An upgraded SMG is the clearest supported recommendation because it lets the player keep firing while moving. PC Gamer’s documented run switched away from a Shotgun that was unreliable in that attempt. This does not prove the Shotgun can never work; it shows why movement-friendly damage is safer here.

Compare the wider weapon roles in the best weapons guide. The recommendation is about this arena, not a claim that the SMG is best for every boss.

Does the bait quest require Bowlfish or Needlefish?

The published sources conflict. One walkthrough describes an endangered Bowlfish exchange, while another summary names Needlefish in the chain. Merging both into a single fixed instruction would create a step that no source actually confirms.

Follow the live NPC request and treat the exact exchange as Pending verification (待核实). If the request names Bowlfish, the Bowlfish catch page covers that target. The beginner walkthrough keeps the encounter in story order without resolving the disputed wording.

Sources

• Official How to Fish Steam store — confirms boss-led island progression.
• PC Gamer Pufferfish guide — documents the Desert quest chain and upgraded SMG movement strategy.
• Destructoid all-bosses guide — cross-checks the encounter and conflicting bait-chain summary.
• Steam boss-difficulty discussion — supplies qualified player reports, including escape concerns.
• Zhain all-bosses route — visual route cross-check; no exact stats were taken from unavailable captions.