Dated shop reference
Compare the purchase, price and job before you spend
Early prices have multiple community route checks; late-shop prices are a dated community snapshot, not a developer-published Patch 1.0.12 price list.
| Purchase | Price | First available | Effect or damage | Upgrade or best use | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brass KnucklesMelee | $24 | Lighthouse | Exact current damage: needs live check | Early catches or an alternative melee choice before Spider Crab. | Community cross-check |
| KnifeMelee | $45 | Lighthouse | Exact current damage: needs live check | Recommended solo melee option for the opening Spider Crab route. | Community cross-check |
| PistolRanged | $50 | Forest — dated community snapshot | Exact current damage and upgrade path: needs live check | Optional early ranged choice; compare it with Shotgun first. | Needs live check |
| ShotgunRanged | $150 | Forest | Bullet upgrades are a separate damage path | Early ranged bridge and reported Giant Piranha pressure. | Community cross-check |
| DynamiteThrowable utility | $25 | Forest | Bulk water collection; own blasts can kill the player | Fast fish, food or quest-material collection, not default combat. | Official + community |
| SMGRanged | $650 | Desert — dated community snapshot | Exact current damage and upgrade path: needs live check | Later ranged option once an actual combat problem calls for it. | Needs live check |
| Sniper RifleRanged | $3,800 | Rocks — dated community snapshot | Exact current damage and upgrade path: needs live check | Long-range option; assess the current encounter before buying. | Needs live check |
| Assault RifleRanged | $20,000 | Volcano — dated community snapshot | Exact current damage and required modules: needs live check | Late-route option, not a substitute for a missing quest hand-in. | Needs live check |
“Needs live check” means the current shop screen is the decision source. It is not a blank row or a claim that the item does not exist.
An evidence label applies to the row’s stated facts, not to an unsupported universal tier list.
01Recommended weapon path across the five islands
For an optimal progression run, equip the $45 Knife on Lighthouse Island to solo the Spider Crab encounter cleanly. Transition immediately to the $150 Shotgun once Forest Island unlocks, as its spread damage breaks early boss barriers. Prioritize sequential bullet damage upgrades on your equipped firearms rather than hoarding funds for untested late-tier rifles.
Save the $25 Dynamite strictly for rapid schools of fish and material harvesting rather than high-stakes combat. Mid-game encounters like Desert Island’s Blue Shark favor the high fire rate of an upgraded SMG. Keep your currency focused on weapons that solve your immediate progression blocker before buying luxury late-game gear.
02Lighthouse: pick the melee tool you will actually use
Brass Knuckles are listed at $24 and the Knife at $45 in multiple early-route reports. Both are opening-shop melee options, so the useful question is whether you need a cheap tool now or prefer the Knife for the solo Spider Crab plan. PC Gamer’s route guide specifically recommends a melee weapon, preferably the Knife, for a solo attempt after the crab is baited. If the boss has not appeared, finish the Empty Beer Can trigger before buying more damage.
Do not buy both simply to follow a shopping script. The community sources do not provide a current-build, developer-published damage comparison that would justify a permanent winner. Use the cheaper option for early ordinary catches, or take the Knife when you want the documented solo-boss recommendation. Recheck the live shop if a balance update changes either price.
03Forest: the Shotgun and Dynamite solve different problems
Forest is the first documented shop stage for the $150 Shotgun and $25 Dynamite. The Shotgun is the practical choice when the next blocker is sustained ranged pressure, including the reported Giant Piranha route. Dynamite gathers multiple fish from water quickly, which makes it useful for food, sales or named collection tasks. Blasted fish can sell for less, so it is a collection shortcut rather than a complete money strategy.
The first documented Shotgun bullet purchases are $20, $30 and $40, with later community-reported steps becoming much more expensive. Buy only the next damage step you can support with the current income loop, then test the fight instead of pre-buying unrelated equipment. Patch 1.0.11 confirms that a player can still die to their own explosives even when friendly fire is disabled. Keep Dynamite for water collection and give a close-range boss enough room before throwing it.
04Keep bullet upgrades and attachments as separate decisions
Bullet upgrades change a weapon’s damage path, while attachments occupy a different set of equipment choices. Upgrade the gun you are actually carrying into the current encounter instead of splitting early money across every available weapon. The community Shotgun path supports gradual bullet spending, but it does not establish one mandatory build for every boss or co-op group. A weapon that clears the current objective is more valuable than a theoretical loadout you cannot yet afford.
Patch 1.0.11 removed Iron Sight as a purchasable item together with its expensive attachments and stopped Suppressor-to-Compensator downgrades. Check the live attachment screen for compatibility and price before planning a Fully Equipped run. Treat the achievement as a separate completion goal rather than proof that four attachments are the right combat build. This is the one place where the official patch record overrides older shop screenshots.
05Use late-shop snapshots as a budget, not a promise
Dated community shop snapshots place the SMG at $650 in Desert, the Sniper Rifle at $3,800 in Rocks and the Assault Rifle at $20,000 in Volcano. Those rows are useful for deciding how much cash to reserve before travelling, but they are not presented as permanent official prices. Their damage, attachment compatibility and boss-specific value remain a live-shop decision until they are individually checked on the current build. A price snapshot is still better than hiding the item completely when its status is visible at the point of use.
Choose a later weapon for a named need such as range, a difficult fight or a safer shot window, then keep enough currency for recovery, bait and the next hand-in. Do not assume the Assault Rifle unlocks a stalled final route; unfinished quest dialogue and a missing return item are more common blockers. If the shop differs from the reference, trust the game screen and report the date and price so this table can be revised. That gives readers a concrete answer while preserving a clear correction path.
Next verified routes
Continue with the exact next question
Evidence boundary
What this guide can confirm
- Community shop cross-check: early melee, Shotgun and Dynamite prices agree across dated August–September 2026 walkthroughs; later prices are labeled as snapshots pending live verification.
- Official Patch 1.0.11 confirms the self-explosive rule and attachment-store changes used in the relevant table rows.
- The table shows “Needs live check” for individual unknown damage, attachment or late-shop fields instead of removing the item or repeating a page-wide disclaimer.
Sources
Sources for this guide
- How to Fish on Steam
Primary source for the released Dazed Games title and its gear-based progression loop.
- Spider Crab strategy guide — PC Gamer, August 25, 2026
Community-guide cross-check for the $24 Brass Knuckles, $45 Knife and the solo Spider Crab melee recommendation.
- Upgrades and weapons purchase guide — All Things How, August 22, 2026
Community-guide cross-check for the $25 Dynamite, $150 Shotgun and their stated route roles.
- Shotgun build and bullet-cost guide — NerdsChalk, August 24, 2026
Community route record for the Shotgun price, initial bullet steps and separation of attachments from bullet upgrades.
- Weapon shops and prices snapshot — September 4, 2026
Dated community snapshot for Pistol, SMG, Sniper Rifle and Assault Rifle shop prices; each remains marked for current-build confirmation.
- Official Steam announcement — Patch 1.0.11
Primary source for self-explosive safety, Iron Sight removal and Suppressor-to-Compensator downgrade changes.