The Obsidian Trench holds two catches that sit above everything else in its bestiary: the Apex-rarity Veiled Charybdis, and the Exotic Skolopendra that only shows up once you have pulled enough Charybdis out of the trench rivers. They are the last two entries standing between you and 100% completion, and neither behaves like a normal hook.
Quick answer: Hook Veiled Charybdis in the Obsidian Trench rivers at night with Meteor or Stag Beetle bait, then land 4 to 6 of them to turn the trench crystals deep red and awaken Skolopendra.
Veiled Charybdis and Skolopendra catch preferences
Both fish have their own preferred bait and conditions, and matching them is the difference between a long grind and a handful of casts.
| Fish | Rarity | Preferred bait | Preferred conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veiled Charybdis | Apex | Meteor or Stag Beetle | Night cycle |
| Skolopendra | Exotic | Kraken Tentacle | Rain, Foggy |
Gear to bring into the Obsidian Trench
Both encounters lean on resilience and control rather than raw progress speed, since the minigames actively push your bar backwards. Build for the following:
- High Luck
- Piercing or Slash
- High Resilience
- Skill
- The preferred bait for whichever fish you are chasing
If you already own it, the Toxinburst Rod is worth equipping while you clear the rest of the trench bestiary. Its passive regularly pulls in extra catches alongside your main fish, which is how species like Ash-Cloud Angelfish and Basalt Behemoth fill in quickly.
Unlock the Obsidian Trench before you can fish it
Neither fish is reachable until the trench itself is open. Travel to Roslit Bay and speak with Vaelor, who sends you to investigate the glowing mineral veins appearing across all five layers of Mariana’s Veil. Each layer is guarded by one of his descendants, and each descendant has a specialized mutation quest you need to finish.
| Descendant | Layer |
|---|---|
| Ignis | Volcanic Vents |
| Glacius | Challenger’s Deep |
| Tenebris | Abyssal Zenith |
| Luminis | Calm Zone |
| Resonus | Veil of the Forsaken |
With those quests cleared, descend into the abyss to find the Crevice Wall, decipher its active riddle, and ignite all of the layer gems. That opens the Abyss Gate and the route into the trench. The related quests also hand you Gauntlets, so do not skip the objectives on the way through.
Manage Trench Suppression while you fish
Entering the Obsidian Trench applies Trench Suppression, an environmental debuff that starts automatically and makes long stays inside the layer dangerous. You cannot remove it permanently, but you can push it back down.
Glowing white crystals are scattered across the trench. Interacting with one temporarily purges your suppression level, so note where the nearest ones are before you settle into a fishing spot. Chasing a long Apex reel with suppression already stacked is how most runs end early.
Clear the other Obsidian Trench species first
The trench bestiary holds 12 species, two of which are hidden catches. Working through the regular entries first gets you to roughly 90% completion, leaving only the Apex and Exotic pair. The known species are:
- Obsidian Gaveltooth
- Cinder-Crust Gar
- Scoria Scorpionfish
- Shatter-Tooth Shark
- Magma-Glass Marlin
- Tectonic Toadfish
- Ash-Cloud Angelfish
- Shatterjaw Shark
- Pumice Puffer
- Basalt Behemoth
Some of these come in more easily through the harpoon minigame rather than a standard rod cast, which is a fast way to pick up entries like Tectonic Toadfish.
How to catch Veiled Charybdis
Veiled Charybdis lands at enormous weights, well over a million kilograms, so do not mistake a huge weight readout for a bugged catch.
How to awaken Skolopendra
Skolopendra cannot be hooked on demand. It is gated behind repeat Veiled Charybdis catches, and the trench tells you clearly when the threshold is met.
The Skolopendra Hunt minigame
Hooking Skolopendra starts a dedicated boss minigame called the Skolopendra Hunt, complete with its own environmental effects. It does not play like an ordinary catch, and standard reeling habits will cost you progress.
The main rule is positional. Red warning areas appear along the sides of the minigame, and drifting into them reduces your progress bar. Keep your control point away from the edges and ride out the effects until the bar fills.
How to confirm the catch and what it unlocks
A successful Skolopendra catch fires a “THE SKOLOPENDRA AWAKENS!” notification on screen. Alongside it you receive the Obsidian Chunk Bobber, and the Obsidian Trench bestiary flips to 100% completion once the rest of the layer’s species are already logged.
You can double-check both catches in your inventory, where the Skolopendra and Veiled Charybdis specimens sit with their recorded weights and any mutations they rolled.
Beating Skolopendra also opens up the Chasm-Stalker Rod for purchase, sold at the glowing crystal altar in the trench. It carries strong passive bonuses, a streak system exclusive to that rod, and access to the new Myriapodic mutation, which can then show up on catches such as a Myriapodic Basalt Behemoth.
One last thing worth doing before you start the hunt: redeem the code MarianaIsGoingCrazy in-game for the update reward, since Fisch codes eventually expire.
