Don't Sleep With The Fishes Night Event Counters
Night events in Don't Sleep With The Fishes interrupt your sleep and force you to choose an item, stay awake, signal for help, or risk going back to sleep. This guide lists the safest known counters for each major event, updated for v1.1.2, with source labels for official notes, verified tests, and community reports.
Quick Answer
Night events interrupt your sleep and force you to choose an item, stay awake, signal for help, or risk going back to sleep. This guide lists known counters for major events and labels each answer as Official, Verified, Community, or Unverified.
Night events are one of the most important survival checks in Don't Sleep With The Fishes. The official game page explains that if your sleep is interrupted, you must use an item you brought to handle the situation, or try going back to sleep when you have no better answer. In practice, each night event tests a different part of your inventory: Anchor protects against boat-loss threats, Flare Gun and Flashlight help with rescue events, Duct Tape and Bucket solve certain hazard events, and staying awake can sometimes protect a shipmate.
Because many event solutions are still being tested by the community, this guide separates official patch notes, verified route testing, and community-reported counters. If a counter is marked Community or Unverified, treat it as useful but not final.
Night Event Counter Table
| Event | Best Counter | Src |
|---|---|---|
| Giant Squid | Anchor for survival; completed Heart of the Sea for true ending route | Community |
| Hope | Flashlight or Flare Gun | Community |
| Seagull | Shoo it away if avoiding bad ending | Community |
| Eerie Melody | Duct Tape | Community |
| Eyes | Stay awake | Community |
| Whirlpool | Anchor | Community |
What's Confirmed vs Community-Reported
Official: The game has night events that interrupt sleep and require items to handle. v1.1.2 added 3 new night events and slightly increased rescue ending chances.
Community: Specific item counters (Anchor for Squid, Duct Tape for Eerie Melody, Stay Awake for Eyes, etc.) are based on player reports from Reddit, Fandom, and itch comments. These have not all been independently verified.
Unverified: Some theories (giving fish to squid, exact bad ending triggers, solo run outcomes) are player speculation without confirmed results.
Event FAQ
What do you do with the Giant Squid?
Community reports say use the Anchor for survival. The Heart of the Sea may open a true ending route, but this is not independently verified. See the Giant Squid Guide for details.
How do you make yourself visible?
During the Hope event, use Flashlight or Flare Gun to signal passing aircraft. Rescue is chance-based. Official v1.1.2 notes confirm rescue chances were slightly increased.
How do you avoid the Seagull ending?
Shoo seagulls away instead of feeding too many. Community reports say letting too many seagulls stay can lead to a bad ending. See the Seagull Guide.
What do you use for Eerie Melody?
Use Duct Tape, Bucket, or Umbrella. Avoid Flashlight and Spyglass — community reports say they trigger a dangerous siren reaction.
Should you stay awake during Eyes?
Yes, if you have a shipmate. Staying awake protects your companion but leaves you with low energy. Going to sleep may result in shipmate death.
What do you use for Whirlpool?
Use Anchor. Without Anchor, the boat takes heavy damage. Anchor is an S-tier item because it counters both Whirlpool and Giant Squid.