How to Fish Leeches: Locations, Quest & Modified Leech Bait

Leeches spawn only on Island 2, the Forest island. They are physical items lying on the ground, so you will never reel one in, and no boss drops them. The known search areas are all around the quest NPC and the lake: the ground right next to the NPC herself, around the settlement, along the lakeshore, and in the grassy patches nearby.

Because they sit at ground level in grass and dirt, leeches are easy to walk past. Slow down, look downward, and sweep each area in a circle around the lake rather than running a straight line. If you are still early in the game and have not reached this island yet, our walkthrough covers the route there, and the Island 2 page gives an overview of everything else on the island.

The quest giver is a female NPC sitting on the rocks by the Island 2 lake. You must talk to her before collecting leeches counts — interacting with her sets the quest tracker to 0/3. If you pick up leeches before speaking to her, do not panic: the important thing is that the quest is active when you turn the items in, so always confirm the 0/3 counter appears in your quest log before you start searching.

This step matters most in co-op. Multiple players have reported leech problems in multiplayer lobbies, and the usual culprit is the quest not being properly activated on the host's save. Before anyone hunts for leeches in a multiplayer session, have the lobby host talk to the NPC and confirm the quest counter is visible.

Once the quest shows 0/3, the collection loop is simple:

1. Walk the area around the NPC, the settlement, the lakeshore, and the grassy ground near the lake.
2. Keep your camera angled down — leeches are small ground items, not swimming creatures.
3. When an interact prompt appears over a leech, press E to pick it up.
4. Watch the quest counter tick up to 1/3, 2/3, and 3/3.

The quest requires exactly 3 leeches, which the quest text itself confirms. If your counter does not increase after a pickup, re-check that the quest is active and that you picked up an actual leech rather than another ground item.

With 3 leeches in hand, return to the same NPC on the rocks. She takes the leeches and converts them into the Father's Favorite Bait, also known as the Modified Leech. This converted bait is what summons the Giant Piranha boss — it is not optional flavor, it is the key that starts that fight.

One critical rule: a raw leech cannot be used in place of the Modified Leech. Even if you have spare leeches in your inventory, the Giant Piranha summon only works with the bait the NPC gives you after the conversion. If the summon is not working, the first thing to check is whether you actually completed the turn-in.

A number of players report that leeches do not spawn at all, or that fewer than 3 appear, making the quest impossible to finish in that session. Reports point at a mix of game version, save state, and multiplayer lobby issues. Work through these fixes in order:

• Reload your save and return to Island 2; several players got leeches to appear after a fresh load.
• In co-op, have the lobby host verify the quest is actually activated (the 0/3 counter) before searching.
• Check that you are on the current patch — the game is updated frequently, and older builds may behave differently. See our updates page for the latest patch notes.
• Do not wait around expecting leeches to respawn on a timer.

• Trying to fish for leeches. They are ground pickups, so casting a rod for them wastes time.
• Searching before talking to the NPC. Without the quest active, you cannot complete the turn-in.
• Hunting on the wrong island. Leeches only spawn on Island 2; other islands do not have them.
• Using a raw leech as boss bait. Only the NPC-converted Father's Favorite Bait / Modified Leech summons the Giant Piranha.
• Assuming the spawn bug is permanent. In most reported cases a save reload or a host quest check resolves it.

If you are brand new and this is one of your first quests, the beginner guide covers the basics of movement, interaction, and quest tracking that make this hunt much faster.