Octopus

The Octopus is a fish that can be caught in the ocean at The Beach or on the Beach Farm during Summer, and in the ocean on Ginger Island West during any season. It can also appear randomly in Garbage Cans during Summer, be sold by the Traveling Cart, or be hooked during the deep-sea submarine ride at the Night Market on Winter 15–17. Using Magic Bait allows it to be caught at any time of day and in any season.

Along with the Stonefish, the Octopus is one of the only fish caught with a fishing rod that cannot be eaten unless it is used in a recipe. It is also one of the hardest fish to catch in the game; among non-Legendary Fish, it is the most difficult. Its bite rate and catch window are both very small, making it a demanding target even for experienced players.

A few tools and buffs make the catch more manageable:

• The Blessing of Waters buff halves the Octopus’s difficulty, though it only applies to the first three fish hooked, even if they escape.
• Octopus Bait greatly increases the chance of hooking an Octopus on each cast, making it likely that one of the first three fish will be an Octopus.
• If the player does not have a Statue of Blessings, the most efficient setup is generally an Iridium Rod or Advanced Iridium Rod, a fishing buff food, and a Trap Bobber and/or Cork Bobber.
• Deluxe Bait can slightly enlarge the fishing bar, which helps prevent escapes.

The Octopus can be placed in a Fish Pond, where it reproduces every 4 days. A pond starts with a capacity of 3 fish and can be expanded to 10 by completing three quests. Its main output is orange Octopus Roe, and once the population reaches 9, Omni Geodes can also be produced.

Fish Pond quests for Octopus request the following items as the pond grows:

• From 3 to 5 capacity: 3 Coral, 1 Honey, 1 Oyster, or 3 Refined Quartz
• From 5 to 7 capacity: 1 Dried Starfish, 2 Emerald, 2–3 Omni Geode, or 2–3 Purple Mushroom
• From 7 to 10 capacity: 1 Green Tea

Octopus is also used in tailoring to create the dyeable Blue Buttoned Vest, and it serves as an orange dye ingredient at the dye pots in Emily and Haley’s house. It may be requested on the Help Wanted board in Summer: one Octopus can be requested for a delivery quest, and Demetrius or Willy may ask for 1–4 Octopi in a fishing quest.