Upgrade Guide: What to Buy First
Five gear lines, three levels each, in the HowToFish.click fan-made browser game. All prices are original.
Full stat tables
| Gear | Lv1 | Lv2 | Lv3 | Effect per level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rod | $60 | $220 | $650 | Cast power 620 → 820 → 1050 → 1300 |
| Reel | $50 | $180 | $520 | Reel speed 90 → 140 → 190 → 250 |
| Line | $40 | $150 | $420 | Tension limit 100 → 135 → 175 → 230 |
| Harpoon Gun | $120 | $380 | $950 | Damage 25 / 45 / 80, range 180 / 240 / 300 |
| Boat | $80 | $300 | $800 | Speed 190 → 250 → 320 → 400, hull 100 → 140 → 180 → 220 |
Best purchase order
- Rod 1 ($60) - range is income. Far fish become reachable; skip shots become possible.
- Reel 1 ($50) - every fight ends faster, so you catch more per minute.
- Line 1 ($40) - insurance for surge misreads.
- Rocky Cove unlock ($150) - the best fish-per-minute upgrade in the game. Requires Rod 1, which you have.
- Harpoon 1 ($120) - unlocks defeats (1.6x) and makes the boss possible.
- Line 2 ($150) - the Volt Eel and Sunset Bass become comfortable.
- Boat 1 ($80) - hull for boss attempts and faster travel.
- Reel 2 ($180) → Rod 2 ($220) - efficiency before boss farming.
- Harpoon 2 ($380) → Line 3 ($420) - now you can kill the Tyrant without sweating.
- Rod 3, Reel 3, Harpoon 3, Boat 3 - endgame comfort for Golden Kingfish farming.
Why the harpoon is the biggest power spike
The Harpoon Gun is the only gear line that changes what fights are possible. Before it, every catch requires draining stamina to below 45% and getting the fish within 55 px. After it, anything within range can be killed outright for a 1.6x bonus - including fish whose surges would otherwise drag the fight out. The boss is balanced entirely around harpoon damage.
Boat upgrades are defense + economy
Boat speed matters more than it looks: faster repositioning means more casts per minute and easier pillar-to-pillar trick shot lines. Hull is pure boss insurance - level 2 (180 hull) survives five charges. Buy hull before your first serious Tyrant attempt, not after your first wreck.