To get the Goliath Siphonophore, sail to Boreal Pines in the Northern Expedition, enter the hidden Boreal Hollow cave behind the reinforced crab cages, build disturbance in the main outdoor pool to trigger the hunt, then move inside and reel it from the cave pool while managing its progress-bar freeze.
The Goliath Siphonophore is the new Exotic hunt fish added with the Astral Observatory update, and it is one of the trickier catches in the game right now because you can’t simply cast for it. You have to find a hidden cave, kick off its hunt from a different pool, and then survive a reel that fights back. Here is the full route from arriving at Boreal Pines to landing the catch.
- What the Goliath Siphonophore is
- Where Boreal Hollow sits on Boreal Pines
- How to catch the Goliath Siphonophore in Fisch
- Bait, weather and season the Goliath Siphonophore prefers
- Handling the progress-bar freeze during the reel
- Mistakes that keep the hunt from starting
- Where to head next in the Astral Observatory update
- Frequently Asked Questions
What the Goliath Siphonophore is
Key The Goliath Siphonophore is an Exotic-tier hunt fish tied to the Astral Observatory update. One thing throws people off immediately: open its bestiary entry and the listed location reads Astral Observatory, yet the fish is actually hooked inside Boreal Hollow. That mismatch is expected, not a display error, so ignore the bestiary label and head for Boreal Hollow.
Where Boreal Hollow sits on Boreal Pines
Boreal Hollow is a hidden cave on Boreal Pines, part of the Northern Expedition. It isn’t out in the open water — the entrance is a bright glowing opening set into the snowy cliffside, tucked behind the area with the reinforced crab cages, which makes it easy to run straight past if you only fish the obvious spots.
The nearby Merchant NPC is the cleanest landmark to orient from: from the merchant, climb uphill to the northeast until the glowing opening appears in the rock wall. If you want an exact reference, the entrance sits at roughly GPS (21385, 249, 3816). The climb runs up cold, snowy cliffs, so a Winter Cloak helps you get up there comfortably — it’s a convenience, not a hard requirement, so don’t skip the trip if you haven’t got one.
How to catch the Goliath Siphonophore in Fisch
Follow this route in order — the catch only works if you trigger the hunt outside before fishing the cave pool inside.
STEP 1/5
Travel to Boreal Pines
Sail into the Northern Expedition and dock at the snowy Boreal Pines island.
STEP 2/5
Climb northeast from the merchant
Use the Merchant NPC as your landmark and head uphill to the northeast toward the rocky cliffs.
STEP 3/5
Enter the glowing green portal
Step through the bright opening in the rock wall to load into the Boreal Hollow cave.
STEP 4/5
Build disturbance in the outdoor pool
Head back out and fish the main pool near the reinforced crab cages until the Goliath Siphonophore hunt activates.
STEP 5/5
Hook it inside Boreal Hollow
Return into the cave and fish the inside pool to hook and land the Goliath Siphonophore.
Trigger the hunt in the outdoor pool first. Standing in Boreal Hollow and casting will never spawn the fish — you must build disturbance in the main pool outside, then move inside once the hunt goes active.
Video help
Bait, weather and season the Goliath Siphonophore prefers
| Requirement | Value |
|---|---|
| Rarity | Exotic |
| Preferred Bait | Squid |
| Preferred Weather | Clear |
| Season | Winter |
| Time | Night |
| Location | Boreal Hollow (Boreal Pines, Northern Expedition) |
The in-game bestiary lists a specific set of conditions the Goliath Siphonophore favors. These are preferences that improve your odds rather than locked gates, but lining them up makes the hunt far more reliable.
Handling the progress-bar freeze during the reel
Once you hook one, expect the fight to behave differently from a normal Exotic. Mid-reel, your progress bar can suddenly freeze, temporarily stopping any progress, and the fish can also cut your resilience, making the catch harder to control. Both of those are deliberate parts of the hunt, not a bug.
The reaction that loses the catch is panic. When the bar stalls, hold your position rather than overcorrecting, ride out the freeze, and push progress hard in the open windows when it starts moving again. Stay focused on managing the reel and it will eventually give.
Mistakes that keep the hunt from starting
Most failed attempts come down to fishing in the wrong place at the wrong time. The big one is only casting inside the cave and never building disturbance in the outdoor pool — do that and the hunt simply never begins. The opposite mistake matters too: once the hunt triggers, staying in the main pool means you’re fishing the wrong spot, since the actual catch only happens inside Boreal Hollow. Beyond that, players run right past the glowing portal without climbing far enough above the crab cages, and they treat the progress-bar freeze as a glitch and thrash the reel instead of holding steady.
Where to head next in the Astral Observatory update
The Goliath Siphonophore is one piece of a larger update. Talk to Astronomer Vega to start the questline and unlock Astral Anomalies, new rods, and server-wide buffs. There’s also the Comet, a roaming Astral companion that grants passive Astral Luck and can shoot stars at targeted fish. From there, filling out the full Astral Observatory bestiary — with the Goliath Siphonophore among its high-rarity entries — is the natural long-term goal.
Related Fisch guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a Winter Cloak to reach Boreal Hollow?
No. A Winter Cloak makes the cold cliff climb up to the entrance more comfortable, so it’s worth equipping if you have one, but it isn’t a strict requirement to get in and start the hunt.
What rod or Luck setup gives the best chance at the Goliath Siphonophore?
Bring your highest-tier rod, since this is an Exotic hunt fish. On bait the advice splits: the bestiary lists Squid as the preferred bait, while some players push a high-Luck loadout — around 10% Luck with Magnet bait — to speed up the spawn. Treat the high-Luck Magnet route as an optimization tip; if you want to follow the in-game listing, use Squid.
Why isn’t the Goliath Siphonophore spawning even though I’m in Boreal Hollow?
Because standing in the cave doesn’t spawn it. The hunt only starts once you’ve built enough disturbance in the main outdoor pool behind the reinforced crab cages. Fish there until the hunt goes active, and only then move inside Boreal Hollow to make the catch.
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