How to Fish: Strategies for beating the Spider Crab

How to Fish is the name of the game, but defeating its first crabby encounter is less about your rod-and-reel technique and more about your skills with a pair of brass knuckles. I'll spare you the play-by-play, but I ran at the Spider Crab boss multiple times with my bare fists, and it didn't end well. To spare you from the same trial and error, here's how to beat the Spider Crab in How to Fish.

Finish the tutorial quest for the sailor

Your first goal in How to Fish is to complete the sailor's tutorial quest for a quick and easy onboarding, but being the goody-two-shoes student I am, I'm recommending you follow a few extra steps to prepare for the Spider Crab boss:

1. Feed clams (~$3 per clam) to the sailor; don't buy his beer immediately
2. Buy the Fishing Rod ($3) first
3. Feed the sailor more clams or fish with the rod for more profitable meals
4. Make a Knife ($45) or Brass Knuckles ($24) your second purchase
5. Buy the Beer ($12), and have the sailor drink it
6. Take the empty can and use it as bait to reel in the Spider Crab boss

The Spider Crab boss

So there I was, fistfighting a giant, somersaulting crab with my bare hands, as you do, before it knocked me out twice. It's a bit of a pain, since every time you lose, you'll have to gather enough cash to buy another beer. I'm too familiar with that grind, but I graduated from university almost a decade ago, and I'm over that life.

The Spider Crab is easy to take down using only your fists in co-op play, but my first How to Fish run was solo, so that's why I recommend buying a melee weapon—preferably the knife. The added damage is a game-changer, so with that in mind, heed my few extra tips before reeling the critter in again:

Tips for beating the Spider Crab

• Eat enough seafood before the fight to top off your hunger and health
• The Spider Crab hurts; 3-4 quick hits from its claws are enough to kill you
• If it's giving you trouble, grab a clam or two for quick healing
• After the crab attacks, it's temporarily dazed. Run in and hit it while it's incapacitated
• When you're done, I recommend buying the radar ($10) before leaving the island

Even the easiest difficulty takes a few rounds of running in and out for a few hits while the Spider Crab is dizzy, so be patient. How to Fish is all about using the terrain and physics to your advantage, so make the boss work harder to reach you and dodge its attacks while standing on higher ground.

When you're done, pick up what remains of the Spider Crab and deliver it to the old fisherman. He'll give you the keys to his boat as a thank you. Now it's time to load up and head to the next island, where piranha is on the menu.