How to Fish Patch 1.0.9: Difficulty, Steam Relay & Saves
Read the official How to Fish Patch 1.0.9 changes: Easy/Normal/Hard modifiers, Steam Relay debug, attempted save fix, and what old guides still get wrong.
Patch 1.0.9 is the latest official update in the feed checked August 27, 2026. It changes combat difficulty and diagnostics; it does not remove the sequential island hand-ins.
Official difficulty modifiers
| Mode | Creature health | Creature damage |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | 25% less (75% of Normal) | 50% less |
| Normal | Previous default | Previous default |
| Hard | 25% more (125% of Normal) | 25% more |
Difficulty can be changed in the main menu or in-game. The bait, trophy and Radar chain remains the same.
Steam Relay debug
The main menu now shows a short Steam connection debug. Red Relay text means initialization failed. Before changing graphics settings, follow this complete first pass: (1) screenshot the Relay text and note the build; (2) fully exit Steam, reopen it in Online Mode and install updates; (3) verify game files on the host and failing client; (4) test without BepInEx, MelonLoader or other injected tools; (5) allow Steam and the game through the Windows firewall on Private networks; (6) disable VPN/proxy/accelerator and compare one alternate network; (7) restart the router and try a different host; (8) create a new two-player private lobby with a short ASCII name. These firewall, mod and network checks are standard/community diagnostics, not fixes promised by 1.0.9. For the detailed branch, use the multiplayer troubleshooting guide. Only after these steps fail should you open the official Dazed Games Community Discord and post in #common-bugs with the screenshot, build, region, connection type and completed steps.
Save status
The announcement says corrupted saves are “hopefully fixed.” That wording confirms fix intent, not guaranteed restoration. Back up the entire save folder before testing; use the save recovery guide for the local path, isolation steps and escalation details.
Recheck older guides
Patch 1.0.5 removed the old locked-island travel bug, added private invite-only lobbies, requires a restart after changing session type, and lowered the minimum locked-FPS option from 50 to 30. Patch 1.0.4 added up to 8-player lobbies and nerfed Pufferfish/Whale. Old guides that say four players maximum or that skip island hand-ins are outdated.
What is not in 1.0.9
No official universal fix is published for stutter, 8 kHz mouse hitching, fish-not-biting, audio duplication, every black screen, Drip odds, the $10 Radar route, Bean splits or a private-wallet toggle. Those pages retain community evidence and label it as such.
Sources: official Patch 1.0.9 announcement, Patch 1.0.4–1.0.6 announcements, checked 2026-08-28.