Direct answer: Complete the Tourist's reported Endangered Fish exchange and keep the Carrot reward. Launch-era route evidence identifies that Carrot as the Pufferfish trigger. Enter prepared to maintain distance, reposition, and heal; in co-op, players can split attention and damage. After the fight, preserve the special progression item and complete the NPC hand-in before following the Radar.
Reviewed through the latest visible official Patch 1.0.8 on 2026-08-24. Tactics span the Patch 1.0.4 nerf window and are not current damage benchmarks.
What is official and what is reported?
| Claim | Evidence state | Important limit |
|---|---|---|
| Pufferfish was nerfed in Patch 1.0.4 | Official | The patch notes publish no health, damage, or scaling numbers |
| The Tourist exchange provides a Carrot used for Pufferfish | Launch-era reported route | Not directly tested here on Patch 1.0.8 |
| The encounter creates pressure in more than one stage | Creator and community observation | Exact phases and transitions are not officially documented |
| Uzi, shotgun, compensator, dynamite, and terrain tactics can work | Mixed player reports | None is a proven mandatory minimum; some terrain or explosive methods may be exploit-like |
Preparation checklist
- Finish the Tourist's Endangered Fish objective and keep the reported Carrot reward.
- Bring healing or recovery supplies you already understand; this guide does not claim an exact required amount.
- Choose a weapon you can use while moving. Community reports disagree on whether upgrades or a compensator are necessary.
- Leave enough inventory and attention for the special post-fight progression item.
- In co-op, decide who will create space and who will focus damage, while staying ready to switch roles.
Flexible fight plan
- Use the Carrot to begin the reported encounter. If you do not have it, return to the Tourist chain rather than trying ordinary lures.
- Keep moving and protect your escape space. Launch-window reports repeatedly recommend wide repositioning. Do not commit to a corner or terrain pocket that leaves no safe path out.
- Deal damage in safe windows. A Uzi or shotgun appears in player reports, but successful approaches vary. The dossier does not support a best weapon, exact upgrade level, or damage threshold.
- Treat new pressure as a reason to reset position. Creator footage shows a fight with multiple sources or stages of pressure. It does not establish fixed timings or a universal attack script.
- Use co-op roles without assuming fixed aggro. One player drawing attention while another attacks is a reported tactic, not a guaranteed targeting rule.
- Secure the quest item after victory. Keep the special drop and return it through the progression chain before expecting the next Radar update.
If the fight feels much harder than a guide suggests
Check the date and patch scope of that guide. The official Steam news feed says Patch 1.0.4 nerfed Pufferfish, but it gives no numbers. The Steam strategy discussion contains conflicting loadout advice across that balance window. A “required” compensator, exact explosive setup, or terrain lock should therefore be treated as a player report, not a rule.
The community route, progression walkthrough, OTTER GAMES footage, and KYRSP33DY footage support the prerequisite, encounter sequence, and post-fight progression. They do not establish Patch 1.0.8 health, damage, timers, scaling, drop rates, or a guaranteed solo or co-op method.