In Dazed Games’ Steam game How to Fish, the best assault rifle setup is Extended Mag, Laser Sight, Red Dot Sight, and Suppressor, with Compensator as the recoil-control swap if the weapon feels hard to handle.
How to Fish, the physics-based co-op game from Dazed Games on Steam, hides a full-blown shooter under the fishing rod, and the assault rifle is the weapon you build toward the endgame. Once you kit it out, it doubles as your boss-killer, so the attachment choices matter more than anything else you buy. The four slots below are the setup that carries you into the final fight.
The assault rifle loadout to build
| Slot | Best pick | Swap |
|---|---|---|
| Magazine | Extended Mag | — |
| Laser | Laser Sight | — |
| Optic | Red Dot Sight | Sniper Scope |
| Muzzle | Suppressor | Compensator |
Key This is the loadout that turns the assault rifle into the endgame boss weapon. The Laser Sight paired with the Suppressor gives you outstanding hip-fire DPS, which is exactly how you want to be shooting when a boss is charging at you and there is no time to aim down sights. Red Dot Sight keeps your target readable without narrowing your view, and Extended Mag means fewer reloads mid-fight. If the rifle’s kick is throwing your shots off, drop the Compensator into the muzzle slot instead of the Suppressor and trade a little hip-fire punch for control.
What each attachment slot does for you
| Attachment | Use |
|---|---|
| Extended Mag | More rounds before you have to reload mid-fight |
| Laser Sight | Tightens hip-fire; pairs with the Suppressor for the strongest DPS |
| Red Dot Sight | The practical AR optic for tracking a moving target |
| Sniper Scope | Long-range magnification, better suited to sniper play |
| Suppressor | Big hip-fire damage when paired with the Laser Sight |
| Compensator | Recoil control when the rifle feels hard to handle |
The assault rifle has four attachment slots, and each one is a small decision. Two of them are fixed picks — the magazine slot wants the Extended Mag and the laser slot wants the Laser Sight, with nothing to weigh against them. The other two are where you actually choose. The optic slot takes either a Red Dot Sight or a Sniper Scope, and the muzzle slot takes either a Compensator or a Suppressor.
For an assault rifle, the Red Dot Sight is the practical optic. The Sniper Scope belongs on a sniper rifle, where the long-range magnification earns its place; on an AR you are fighting up close and moving, and the scope only gets in the way. The muzzle choice is a genuine tradeoff: Suppressor for that laser-plus-suppressor hip-fire output, Compensator if recoil is fighting you and you would rather land every shot than squeeze out extra damage.
In both boss fights, hip-fire with the Laser Sight and Suppressor rather than aiming down sights — the DPS is excellent and it keeps you mobile enough to dodge stomps and lava.
When to invest in the assault rifle
You need a fully kitted assault rifle for the final boss regardless, so building one is not optional — it is the wall you have to clear to finish the game. It also happens to be the natural weapon for the Fully equipped achievement, which you pick up along the way. The rifle itself is a large money sink, and so is the full set of attachments on top of it, so the real question is when to start farming for it.
Using the rifle against the whale and lava whale
The kitted assault rifle is what carries both of the game’s big fights. The whale charges and launches itself into the sky to stomp you, and the pattern is simple to survive: dodge, shoot, and eat cooked fish to heal when your health dips. Killing it and throwing it into the volcano spawns the lava whale, the final boss — a harder version that rolls, stomps, and rains lava meteorites across the arena while you also dodge the lava pools it leaves behind. In phase two it turns far more aggressive, so keeping your distance and staying mobile matters as much as your damage output.
This is where the loadout pays off. Take the fight on Volcano Island, stay spread out, and lean on the hip-fire damage from the Laser Sight and Suppressor combination — one player can use the army tent as cover while the other works the opposite side of the shore. In co-op the assault rifle is your shared DPS, and you can revive each other if a stomp lands. Carry as many lava-cooked fish as you can hold going in, since eating them is your only heal during the fight.
The Fully equipped achievement
Applying all attachments to a single weapon unlocks Fully equipped. You do not have to chase it separately — the assault rifle is the weapon you were always going to max out for the final boss, so the achievement lands the moment you finish kitting it. Build the rifle for the ending and this one comes free with it.
Related How to Fish guides
Frequently Asked Questions
What attachments can you put on an Assault Rifle in How to Fish?
In How to Fish by Dazed Games on Steam, fully kit the Assault Rifle with Extended Mag, Laser Sight, Red Dot Sight, and Suppressor.
How do you unlock Fully equipped?
Fully equipped unlocks when you apply all attachments to a single weapon.
Which Assault Rifle attachments are recommended for boss fights?
For the final boss, use a maxed Assault Rifle with all attachments. Community source notes specifically call out Laser sight and suppressor as important Assault Rifle attachments.
When should you build a fully attached Assault Rifle?
A fully kitted assault rifle is technically possible from island 3, but the sources recommend waiting until island 5 because fish are worth far more there.
What does the Assault Rifle cost before upgrades?
The Assault Rifle costs $20000. Its listed upgrade total is $54250 for all Bullet, Extended Mag, Laser Sight, Red Dot Sight, and Supressor upgrades.
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