To beat the spider crab in Dazed Games’ How to Fish on Steam, bait your rod with a beer can on the first island, dodge its charge, get behind it during the stun window, and hit it with upgraded brass knuckles until it drops the shell.
How to Fish, the physics-based co-op fishing game from Dazed Games on Steam, is also a shooter with quests and bosses, and the spider crab is the wall most players hit first. It’s the boss that unlocks travel off the starting island, so you can’t leave until it’s dead. The fight itself is short once you know the pattern — the real work is the prep beforehand.
What the spider crab is and why you have to kill it
The spider crab is the first island’s boss, and it’s tied to the lighthouse keeper’s quest about his stolen beer. He’s been kept awake for a week by a long-legged creature raiding his supply, and he asks you to hunt it down. That creature is the spider crab, and you rage-bait it out of the water with an empty beer can.
Key Killing it drops a shell, and that shell is the whole point of the fight. It’s the quest item the lighthouse keeper wants, and handing it over is what gets you the boat keys — the item that actually unlocks travel to the next island. No shell, no keys, no progress.
Prep to do before you summon the crab
| Need | Use |
|---|---|
| Beer can | Equip as rod bait to summon the spider crab |
| Brass knuckles | Your melee weapon for the fight |
| Max sharpness upgrade | Applied to the knuckles for higher damage per hit |
| Shell (drops on kill) | The quest item the lighthouse keeper trades for the boat keys |
Do not fish the crab up the moment you find a beer can. Spend a little time first killing the ordinary creatures around the starting island to build up some money — punching fish and selling them is enough early on. Use that cash to buy brass knuckles, which are the melee upgrade you’ll actually fight with, and then sharpen them to max before you start. The sharpness upgrade is a straight damage boost, and going in with unsharpened knuckles is the main reason the fight drags long enough to get you killed.
The last thing you need is the beer can itself, which you equip as rod bait to trigger the encounter. Get everything below squared away before you cast.
Sharpen your brass knuckles to max before you cast the beer can. The damage difference is what turns a messy, deadly fight into a few clean stun-window punches.
Bait the rod with beer
Equip the empty beer can as your rod bait and cast to draw the spider crab out.
Fish up the spider crab
Reel it in like any catch to bring the boss onto land where you can fight it.
Keep moving
Don’t stand still — circle and reposition so the crab can’t line up a clean hit on you.
Dodge the charge
The crab winds up and charges at you; sidestep it as it commits.
Get behind it during the stun
After a whiffed charge the crab stunlocks for a few seconds — swing around to its back while it’s frozen.
Punch through the stun window
Hit it with your upgraded brass knuckles for the whole stun, then back off and wait for the next charge.
Repeat until the shell drops
Cycle dodge-and-punch until its health is gone and it drops the shell.
One thing worth knowing so you don’t build a bad habit: that stun window is unique to this first boss. Later bosses on the other islands don’t freeze after a charge, so the “dodge, get behind, free hits” rhythm you learn here won’t carry forward — treat it as a spider-crab-only trick.
Turn the shell into the boat keys
Once the crab is down, pick up the shell it dropped and carry it back to the lighthouse keeper. Hand it over and he gives you the boat keys, which is the progression payoff — you can now sail to the next island.
If his dialogue won’t advance, check what you’re actually holding. Every boss drops a distinct trophy item, and the quest giver only responds to that exact item — carrying the wrong thing is the usual reason the conversation stalls out.
Come back for the fast-kill achievement later
There’s an optional reason to fight this crab a second time, but only much later. After you finish the game you wake back up on island 1 with all your gear and every island unlocked, which is the safe place to clean up achievements. Summon the island 1 spider crab again with a beer can, then mag-dump it with a maxed assault rifle to drop it in under 10 seconds for the Easy achievement. There’s no need to rush this on your first pass — save it for when you’re properly geared.
Related How to Fish guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you start the spider crab fight in How to Fish?
In How to Fish by Dazed Games on Steam, bait your rod with a beer to fish up the spider crab on island 1.
What should you upgrade before fighting the spider crab?
Upgrade your brass knuckles to max sharpness before the fight so you can hit the spider crab effectively.
How do you beat the spider crab?
Dodge its charge, get behind it, and hit it during the short stun window.
What does the spider crab drop?
The spider crab drops a shell, which is the trophy item needed for the quest.
What do you do after killing the spider crab?
Take the shell to the lighthouse keeper to get the boat keys, which unlock travel.
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