Fisch locks the Scavenger Rod, Meteoric Rod, and Rod of Singularity behind three different NPC chains. None of them sit in a shop. You finish the asked catches, hand the items back, and the rod is granted on the spot.
Quick answer: Finish Dr. Crookspine’s three-part laboratory quest for the Scavenger Rod, finish both of Astral Matthew’s Northern Expedition quests for the Meteoric Rod, then finish the Abyssal Zenith cavern quest, give Merlin the Dyson Sphere, and return his five secret-room fish for the Rod of Singularity.
Unlock conditions for each rod
Each rod has one start point and one turn-in. The quest log updates when an NPC accepts the next batch. You know it worked when that NPC gives you the rod and it appears in your equipment list.
| Rod | Start here | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| Scavenger Rod | Dr. Crookspine, laboratory on the oil rig off Rosslit Bay. Enter the top building and turn right. | He takes two Silver Rusty Bolts, five Scrap Metal, and one Lunar String, then gives the rod. |
| Meteoric Rod | Astral Matthew, up the elevated ice in the Northern Expedition. | He takes both quest batches, including ten broken meteors and the five gemstones, then gives the rod. |
| Rod of Singularity | The NPC inside the Abyssal Zenith Astral Cavern in Sea 3. Swim into the black hole portal on the floor. | That NPC gives a Dyson Sphere. Merlin then takes the Sphere plus five secret fish and gives the rod. |
The first Matthew hand-in plays a cutscene and drops meteors across the Northern Expedition. That is the trigger for his second quest. If the cutscene never plays, he still needs the Cosmic Relic, the Moonstone, and the Solar Blaze or Nova Frozen Walnut.
Mutation and event locks
Most of these catches fail if the mutation or event is wrong, even when you are in the right water. Appraise with a Mutation Totem or swap to a rod that forces the mutation when a normal catch keeps coming up clean.
| Required lock | What it applies to | Reliable setup |
|---|---|---|
| Silver mutation | Rusty Bolt for Crookspine | Mutated Sharky, or appraise with a Mutation Totem. |
| Lunar mutation | String for Crookspine | Moonlight Rod for a 100 percent Lunar roll. Mutated Sharky or a Mutation Totem also work. |
| Daytime | Scrap Metal and Celestial Scrap Metal in The Depths | Fish only while it is day. |
| Starfall | Cosmic Relic on the ground, Nova Frozen Walnut | Use a Starfall Totem. Walk to the pink beam for the Relic. Fish Overgrowth Canal with Cerulean Fang and Starlight Worm for Nova. |
| Eclipse | Solar Blaze Frozen Walnut, Solar Blaze Stalactite | Fan of the Eclipse is the strongest Solar Blaze roll. Wicked Fang is a 30 percent backup. Stalactites want Wicked Fang plus Garbage Bait. |
| Foggy weather | Quartz Glass | Magnet bait in the Cryogenic Canal Stone Cavern. |
| Aurora | Nova Hardened Glass | Cerulean Fang and Starlight Worm in the Abyssal Zenith secret room. |
| Celestial, plus Sparkling or Shiny | Celestial Crowned Anglerfish | Proc the Celestial Rod’s 15-fish buff, then swap to Requiem with a Rainbow Totem and a Sparkling Totem up. |
| Clear night, then Blue Moon | Stellar Wiring on Snow Cap | A Blue Moon Totem will not fire until the night is clear. Jump into the lit base of the peak after it starts. |
Note: Extra luck hurts the 12 Nova Gold Pieces. Skip Aurora and high-luck bait for that catch. The fish already shows up often in the Mine Shaft.
Shared farms in Mine Shaft, The Depths, and secret caverns
Four places feed more than one rod. Clear them in one trip so you are not sailing back later for Merlin.
| Spot | Pull these while you are there |
|---|---|
| Mine Shaft | Two Silver Rusty Bolts with the Titanium Rod and Garbage Bait. Twelve Nova Gold Pieces with Crab Cages and Starlight Worm. |
| The Depths (daytime) | Five Scrap Metal with Garbage Bait. Twelve Celestial Scrap Metal with the Celestial Rod and Garbage Bait. After the 15-catch Celestial buff, swap to a faster rod such as Plague River. |
| Cryogenic Canal Stone Cavern | Quartz Glass for Matthew, then the Singularity Control Unit for Merlin. Same dark door under the bridge. |
| Abyssal Zenith Astral Cavern | Sparkling or Shiny Celestial Crowned Anglerfish, Nova Hardened Glass, and later the Stabilizer Core. Same black hole portal. |
Tip: Toxin Burst is the fastest way to grind the Silver Rusty Bolts and the Scrap Metal because its extra catches create more rolls per session. Soul Reaper, Olympian Godbreaker, and other fast rods are fine for the Scrap Metal if you do not have Toxin Burst.
Item checklist by rod
Everything below is a hard requirement. If a row lists a mutation, a clean copy of that fish does not count.
| Hand this in | Rod | Where and how |
|---|---|---|
| Silver Rusty Bolt (x2) | Scavenger | Mine Shaft. Titanium Rod, Garbage Bait, Silver mutation. |
| Scrap Metal (x5) | Scavenger | The Depths during the day. Any rod, Garbage Bait. |
| Lunar String (x1) | Scavenger | Desolate Pocket in Desolate Deep. Low rarity, no bait or weather preference. Must be Lunar. |
| Cosmic Relic (x1) | Meteoric | Fire a Starfall Totem, walk to the pink beam, pick the Relic off the ground. |
| Moonstone (x1) | Meteoric | Aquarium, a Meteor Totem drop, or the Daily Shop when it is in stock. |
| Solar Blaze or Nova Frozen Walnut (x1) | Meteoric | Overgrowth Canal with Cerulean Fang and Starlight Worm. Eclipse for Solar Blaze. Starfall for Nova. |
| 10 fallen meteors broken | Meteoric | Northern Expedition after the cutscene. Equip the Pickaxe. Sites glow with a blue star. Work from the top of the island down. |
| Quartz Glass (x1) | Meteoric | Cryogenic Canal Stone Cavern. Exotic. Magnet bait in Foggy weather. |
| Solar Blaze Stalactite (x5) | Meteoric | Crimson Cave or Tidefall. Wicked Fang, Garbage Bait, active Eclipse. |
| Ruby, Amethyst, Opal, Lapis Lazuli, Moonstone (x1 each) | Meteoric | Meteor Totem events on Ancient Isle. The aquarium fills most of these over time. Moonstone is the slowest. |
| Sparkling or Shiny Celestial Crowned Anglerfish (x1) | Singularity | Abyssal Zenith Astral Cavern. Celestial Rod buff, then Requiem with Rainbow and Sparkling Totems. |
| Nova Hardened Glass (x1) | Singularity | Same cavern. Exotic. Cerulean Fang, Starlight Worm, Aurora. |
| Nova Gold Piece (x12) | Singularity | Mine Shaft. Crab Cages and Starlight Worm. Do not stack extra luck. |
| Celestial Scrap Metal (x12) | Singularity | The Depths during the day. Celestial Rod, then a faster rod while the buff lasts. Garbage Bait. |
| Dyson Sphere | Singularity | Awarded by the cavern NPC. Carry it to Merlin. It is not a fish. |
| Stabilizer Core, Unstable Crystal, Umbra Matrix, Singularity Control Unit, Stellar Wiring | Singularity | One secret room each. Use a high-luck rod such as Requiem or Plague River with high-luck bait. |
Hidden portal routes for Merlin
Merlin will not give the Rod of Singularity until all five secret fish are in his hands. Requiem or Plague River with high-luck bait is the expected setup at every door.
| Fish | Entrance |
|---|---|
| Stabilizer Core | Same black hole on the floor of Abyssal Zenith that opened the first quest. |
| Unstable Crystal | Ice lake in Boreal Pines. Swim to the exact center and enter the dark portal. |
| Umbra Matrix | Center pond in Everton Forest. The cave at the waterline teleports you in. |
| Singularity Control Unit | Bottom of the Cryogenic Canal bridge. Same dark door used for Quartz Glass. |
| Stellar Wiring | Snow Cap during a Blue Moon. After the totem lights the peak, jump into that lit area. |
The totem can also drop from a Treasure Chest. Fire it only where you can reach the impact, because the meteor can land anywhere nearby.
Scavenger, Meteoric, and Rod of Singularity stats
These numbers are what you should see after the NPC hands the rod over. If the stats do not match, you are still holding a different rod.
| Stat | Scavenger Rod | Meteoric Rod | Rod of Singularity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lure Speed | 75% | 75% | 618% |
| Luck | 100% | 175% | 287% |
| Control | 0.1 (+10%) | 0.05 (+5%) | 0.08 (+8%) |
| Resilience | 20% | 25% | 28% |
| Max Kg | 75,000 kg | 550,000 kg | Infinite |
| Line distance | — | — | 618m |
| Rod | Mutation rolls | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Scavenger Rod | 40% Scavenged (3x) | 3x chance for Rare Finds. |
| Meteoric Rod | 20% Cragged (7x) | A meteor hits the minigame every 4 to 6.5 seconds, up to 5 per catch. Dodge it for +10% progress. A hit on your control bar is -15% progress. |
| Rod of Singularity | 25.92% Nova (6x), 20% Umbra (9x), 18.54% Singularity (10.618x) | On the fish, +1% forced progress per second and the bar moves 90% slower. Off the fish, resilience drops to -infinite and the bar moves 50% faster. 10% chance to duplicate a catch, then a further 25% chance to duplicate again. Singularity or Umbra catches multiply final fish weight by 1.286x for money and XP. |
The Rod of Singularity reverses normal reeling. The bar crawls while you are on the fish and speeds up when you slip off. That is expected, not a bug. If Merlin takes the five fish and the new rod shows 618% lure, infinite max kg, and that inverted bar, the quest is finished.
