How to Survive Anglerfish
Survive anglerfish in Drain the Lake Update 1: deep-lake routing, shark vs anglerfish differences, movement upgrades, and safe Phone Ending pushes.
What Update 1 Changes
Update 1 (July 11, 2026, live) adds anglerfish past Checkpoint 8 in Drain the Lake. The shark beaches on rocks at CP8; anglerfish patrol below with lure antennae and faster bites that drain your stamina bar aggressively. This guide covers routing, gear, and habits for Phone Ending and Hidden Treasure runs.
Read the full Lake Enemies page and Update 1 breakdown first.
Shark vs Anglerfish
Shark (Cavern through CP8): patrols underwater; disappears as lake drains; beached at Checkpoint 8. Awards Plunge and Shark Bait badges. Anglerfish (CP8+): faster bites drain stamina bar faster; guards Hidden Treasure fish pool. Easy mode = two lives; Hard = tighter margins.
Survival Checklist
- Upgrade movement speed before deep pushes
- Drain from shorelines — never AFK swim in deep zones
- Use F teleport to recover drain position (PC controls)
- Unlock in-game Auto-collect for safe shallow farming
- Claim UPD LOG after Update 1 for bonus rewards
Checkpoint Strategy
Farm Shipwreck and Cavern until movement and bucket tier match community benchmarks on the tools tier list. Enter Mineshaft only after reading post-patch enemy reports. The Find Your Phone walkthrough remains the endgame route — anglerfish add timing pressure, not new ending steps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do anglerfish spawn?
Past Checkpoint 8 — shark beached on rocks; anglerfish patrol deeper water and the Hidden Treasure pool.
Are anglerfish worse than sharks?
Yes — faster bites drain stamina more aggressively. Easy mode grants two lives before drowning.
Can I still get Plunge badge?
Yes — shark still spawns in Cavern independently of anglerfish.
Do I need Robux buckets?
No — Ancient Bucket and Toxic from Wheel Spin remain viable F2P paths.