To complete the Lighthouse Keeper’s beer quest in How to Fish, buy a Beer for $12, give it to him for the Empty Beer Can, use that can as bait to hook the Spider Crab, kill it during stun windows, then bring back its Spider Crab Solo to get the Boat Keys.
The Lighthouse Keeper on the starting island can’t sleep — a long-legged creature keeps swiping his beer, and dealing with it is the first real quest in How to Fish. The catch is that the culprit is the Spider Crab, an early boss you can only lure out with an empty beer can and only wear down during its stun windows. Clear it and the keeper hands over the Boat Keys, which is what actually lets you leave the starting rock.
Who stole my beer at a glance
| Quest part | What |
|---|---|
| Starting NPC | Lighthouse Keeper, on the starting island |
| Required item | Beer ($12), handed to him for the Empty Beer Can |
| Bait | Empty Beer Can, cast from the dock |
| Boss | Spider Crab, the long-legged thief |
| Drop | Spider Crab Solo |
| Reward | Boat Keys |
Key This quest runs on a simple chain of items: a beer becomes bait, the bait summons a boss, and the boss drops the one thing the keeper actually wants. The long-legged thief is the Spider Crab, the Lighthouse Keeper’s early progression boss, and everything below is just getting it to the surface and back to him.
How to complete the Who stole my beer quest in How to Fish
Talk to the keeper, turn a bought beer into bait, and you’re set up for the fight in a couple of minutes.
STEP 1/4
Take the quest from the Lighthouse Keeper
Speak to him on the starting island to hear that a long-legged creature has been stealing his beer while he sleeps.
STEP 2/4
Buy a Beer for $12
Grab a Beer from the lighthouse door for $12, and sell a few early crabs or shrimp to the keeper first if you’re short on cash.
STEP 3/4
Hand the Beer over with Q
Give the full Beer to the keeper by pressing Q so he drinks it and empties the can.
STEP 4/4
Take the Empty Beer Can
Collect the Empty Beer Can he hands back — this is your bait, not trash, so don’t sell or drop it.
Video help
Gear and healing to bring first
Before you cast, sort out your weapon, because the Spider Crab cannot be finished with bare fists — plenty of players have tried, died, and lost their money doing exactly that. Bring a melee option (a knife or brass knuckles both work) and stop at the anvil to sharpen it to the island’s max before the fight.
Also carry a couple of fish in your inventory. The Spider Crab hits hard for a first boss, and eating a fish mid-fight is your only heal, so going in with none is a fast way to get dragged into the water. Co-op makes the whole thing far easier — a partner can hold the boss’s attention while you swing — but everything here works solo as long as you respect its stun windows.
Hooking and defeating the Spider Crab boss
With the Empty Beer Can equipped, this is a rhythm fight — bait the boss out, then only strike when it stuns itself.
- Cast the Empty Beer Can from the dock — Equip the Empty Beer Can as your bait and cast off the dock; this specific lure hooks the Spider Crab, and normal fishing will never spawn it.
- Strike only during the yellow-swirl stun — Wait for the yellow swirls to appear over the Spider Crab’s head, then rush in for two or three quick hits.
- Back away between windows — Retreat the instant your hits land, because staying close gets you caught by its jump attacks — keep circling the rocks and dock until it stuns again.
- Repeat until it dies — Keep trading stun windows for hits, eating a fish whenever your health dips, until the Spider Crab goes down.
Only attack during the yellow-swirl stun — land two or three hits, then back off. Trading blows with the Spider Crab while it’s still active is what kills most solo players.
Turning in the shell for the Boat Keys
The fight isn’t over until you carry the drop back — the reward is a handoff, not a shop purchase.
- Pick up the Spider Crab Solo — Grab the Spider Crab Solo the boss leaves behind before you move off the spot.
- Return it to the Lighthouse Keeper — Bring the shell back to the keeper and talk to him to close out the Who stole my beer quest.
- Take the Boat Keys — Collect the Boat Keys he gives you — this is the progression reward that unlocks your boat and lets you leave the starting island.
Common mistakes that stall the quest
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| You drank or wasted the Beer | Buy another for $12 and hand it to the keeper with Q to get the Empty Beer Can. |
| Empty Beer Can isn’t equipped | Set it as your rod’s bait — plain fishing never summons the Spider Crab. |
| You start the fight with no weapon | Bring a knife or brass knuckles and max it at the anvil before casting. |
| You trade blows the whole fight | Attack only during the yellow-swirl stun, then back off and wait for the next one. |
| You’re hunting the Boat Keys in the shop | They come from the keeper after you return the Spider Crab Solo, not from the store. |
Most failed runs come down to a handful of avoidable slips, and nearly all of them happen before the fight even starts. The big three are wasting the beer, forgetting to actually equip the bait, and swinging at the Spider Crab while it’s still moving.
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