Companions in Fisch are collectible pets that ride along on your fishing trips and hand out passive buffs instead of just looking cute. Each one has its own home location, its own unlock trigger, and a passive ability that scales as you level it. They live in the Companion Satchel, and you can only have one active at a time.
Quick answer: Reach Level 30 to automatically receive the Companion Satchel, press C to open it, then travel to each companion’s location and meet its requirement. Level any companion from 1 to 10 by catching fish, walking, interacting with it, or feeding it Companion Candy.
Unlock the Companion Satchel at Level 30
There is no quest or purchase to open the system. Hitting Level 30 grants the Companion Satchel automatically. Once you have it, press C to open the satchel menu, where you can view every companion you own, switch the active one, and equip Companion Skins.
You know it worked when the satchel appears, and the C key opens the menu. If you are still short of Level 30, focus on easy fish and early quests to close the gap before hunting any companions.
Note: Owning every companion is possible, but only one can be equipped and give its passive at a time. There is currently a single active slot.
How companion leveling and XP work
Every companion starts at Level 1 and caps at Level 10, and higher levels strengthen its passive ability. Levels come from Companion XP, which you earn simply by playing with a companion equipped. The XP needed for the next level follows the formula 107.59 * (1.82 ^ (current level - 1)), and reaching Level 10 takes a total of 52,076 XP.
| Action | Companion XP |
|---|---|
| Catch a fish | +10 |
| Interact with the companion | +5 (up to 10 between catches) |
| Walk it for 10 seconds | +1 (up to 20 between catches) |
| Use a Companion Candy | +1,500 |
| Collect Shady Scrips (Smudge only) | Counts toward XP |
The XP cost climbs steeply at the top end, so early levels feel fast, and Levels 8 through 10 take the bulk of the grind.
| Level | XP for level | Total XP |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 195 | 195 |
| 3 | 356 | 551 |
| 4 | 648 | 1,199 |
| 5 | 1,180 | 2,379 |
| 6 | 2,148 | 4,527 |
| 7 | 3,910 | 8,437 |
| 8 | 7,116 | 15,553 |
| 9 | 12,951 | 28,504 |
| 10 | 23,572 | 52,076 |
The fastest routine is to keep a companion equipped while actively catching fish, walk between spots, tap the interact prompt, and drop a Companion Candy whenever you have one for an instant 1,500 XP.
Every companion and how to unlock it
There are 16 companions, each tied to a location and an obtainment method. Some are handed out by quests, some are fed a specific item, some are caught during events, and one is purchased. The table below covers where to go and what to do.
| Companion | Location | How to unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Nico | Underground Music Venue | Complete the Crazy Cat Lady questline; also rewards Nico’s Yarncaster Rod |
| Beak Bill | Ocean / island docks | Feed it a small fish (spawns during night or rain) |
| Tropical Toucan | Lost Jungle | Gift it any Lost Jungle bait |
| Ollie Otter | Terrapin Island | Feed it a small fish |
| Gary ‘Gator | Mushgrove Swamp | Fish near it with Fish Head bait at sunrise |
| Smudge | The Shady Bazaar | Buy from the Companion Dealer for 25 S$ |
| Silly Seal | Northern Expedition | Approach slowly and feed it a fish |
| Penguin Pal | Snowcap Island | Fish with Krill bait in the hidden Snowburrow area |
| Plunderbeak | Forsaken Shores | Own the Scurvy Rod, open 10 treasure maps, and finish the Forsaken Shores bestiary |
| Flopping Salmon | Open ocean | Fish during rain (use a Tempest Totem to force it) |
| Little Meg | Ancient Isle | Trigger a Megalodon Hunt and catch the baby Meg |
| Mutated Sharky | The Depths | Fish during Absolute Darkness with Shark Head bait |
| Mosswaddler | Ocean (Mosslurker Hunt) | Wait for the hunt pool to despawn, then interact with a Mosswaddler in the water |
| Relic Construct | Keeper’s Altar | Feed it an Enchant Relic (or a Sovereign Relic for 100% success) |
| Sunhat Starfish | Fischfest 2 | Complete all Captain Conch quests |
| Terroscuttler | Drylands | Complete its quest |
Event-based pets need patience and the right tools. Totems help a lot here. A Sundial Totem controls time for Gary ‘Gator, a Tempest Totem forces rain for Flopping Salmon and Beak Bill, and Megalodon Hunt totems speed up Little Meg. Dock and ice-platform spawns are server-sided, so a low-population or private server makes Beak Bill and Silly Seal easier to catch.
Best companions to get first
If you just crossed Level 30, chase the low-effort unlocks before the event-locked ones. These require nothing more than a quest, a common fish, or currency you already collect.
- Nico — free from the Underground Music Venue questline, and it throws in the Yarncaster Rod.
- Beak Bill — feed it a small fish; during rain it returns baits and swoops for extra fish.
- Tropical Toucan — only needs Lost Jungle bait, and it generates bait plus luck while fishing.
- Ollie Otter — another simple small-fish feed on Terrapin Island that reveals where the fish is moving.
- Gary ‘Gator — an early fishing companion that boosts progress and can trigger instant bites.
- Smudge — buy it for 25 S$ at the Shady Bazaar for passive trash farming, free Shady Scrips, and a 20% fish slowdown.
Smudge uses a unique leveling system tied to Shady Scrips you personally earn. One catch matters here: scripts you buy through cash-to-script conversion do not grant Smudge XP. Only naturally earned scripts from Bazaar activity count, so grind the Bazaar rather than converting money if you want it to level.
Once the satchel is open, the loop is straightforward. Pick an easy companion, meet its trigger, keep it equipped while you fish, and let the XP stack toward Level 10 where each passive is strongest. Save the RNG- and event-locked pets like Little Meg, Mutated Sharky, and Mosswaddler for when you have the totems and time to farm them properly.
