Fisch Headless Horseman has three Halloween quests in the October 24, 2026 update, leading to the Baby Nessie companion. You’ll rescue the frightened pet from a flickering chapel, land five consecutive event-mutated catches, and show the Horseman Plush Nessie, Ghoul Nessie and Zombie Nessie.
The Fisch Headless Horseman questline is part of FischFright 3 on Caustic Hallow. It isn’t the old Halloween quest that awarded the Jack-o-Blazer rod. This walkthrough covers where to find the NPC, how each stage works, the most common reasons a stage fails and what Baby Nessie does once you unlock it.
Where to find the Headless Horseman
To start Fisch Headless Horseman, travel to Caustic Hallow by speaking to the Flying Dutchman near Moosewood’s docks. Once on the island, head right from Pumpkin King, cross the river towards the Ritual site and climb towards the chapel behind it. The Headless Horseman waits outside the church gate, near GPS -15176.6, 167.1, -9623.5. Our Caustic Hallow guide covers the wider island and the other event NPCs.
Quest 1: The Rescue Run
The Rescue Run is the first Fisch Headless Horseman objective. Go into the chapel, interact with Baby Nessie and carry the pet towards the entrance. Watch the flickering lights: when a flash starts, stop moving. When the lights settle, move towards the door again. If you keep moving during the flicker, Nessie gets scared and returns to its hiding place, so you must collect it again. The challenge is about patience and timing, not speed.
Quest 2: Stabilizing the Chapel
After completing the rescue, Fisch Headless Horseman asks you to stabilize the chapel. The requirement is five consecutive catches bearing a FischFright mutation, each landed while the chapel lights flicker. Fish in the Chapel Pool and watch both the mutation on the catch and the light state. A regular fish or one landed outside the flicker window can break the sequence. The quest counter, not simply the number of fish in your inventory, tells you whether a catch counted.
How to land five mutated fish in a row
For Stabilizing the Chapel, rods that increase event-mutation odds help. The Eldritch Rod can apply an Eldritch mutation from the relevant event pool; our Eldritch Rod walkthrough explains how to unlock it. Timing still matters even with a suitable rod. Have your catch ready as the lights flicker, and aim to finish reeling during the flash. If the counter goes back to zero, check whether your latest fish had an eligible mutation or the landing happened outside the light window.
Quest 3: Nessie Expertise
Once the chapel is stable, Fisch Headless Horseman moves into the chapel for Nessie Expertise. He needs to see Plush Nessie, Ghoul Nessie and Zombie Nessie. All three are distinct fish. If you already caught them during FischFright 3 and still have them available, you can show those rather than catching them again. If you’re missing them, gather the variants before returning to finish the conversation.
How to get Plush, Ghoul and Zombie Nessie
| Nessie variant | Preferred bait | Weather | Time | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plush Nessie | Sour Jelly Candy | Any | Any | Autumn |
| Ghoul Nessie | Sour Jelly Candy | Jack-o-Moon | Night | Autumn |
| Zombie Nessie | Black Licorice | Jack-o-Moon | Night | Autumn |
The Plush Nessie guide covers the Halloween acquisition methods and the Witch’s Cauldron reward at 470 Hex Energy. The Ghoul Nessie guide and Zombie Nessie guide explain those other two catches, including their Haunted Cemetery and ritual requirements. The Haunted Cemetery walkthrough is useful because the cemetery unlock process is separate from carrying Baby Nessie out of the chapel.
Baby Nessie companion abilities and skins
The reward for Fisch Headless Horseman is the Baby Nessie companion, which you can equip using your Satchel after finishing the full questline. Its passive improves FischFright mutation chances and applies a dynamic fishing-progress speed bonus that depends on fish size and resilience. Those bonuses get stronger at night and are slightly weaker during the day. The questline also unlocks Baby Plush, Baby Ghoul and Baby Zombie Nessie appearances; additional Shiny and Skeletal-related skins can be earned by showing the corresponding variants.
Why a quest stage isn’t completing
A failed Rescue Run normally means you moved during the flicker. For Stabilizing the Chapel, make sure all five catches have an eligible event mutation and that each one lands during a flicker, without another catch interrupting the streak. If Nessie Expertise won’t complete, check that you have the correct three fish variants and speak to the Horseman in his new position inside the chapel, not at the original entrance.
Quest deadline and older rewards
The Fisch Headless Horseman update arrived on October 24, while the FischFright 3 event listing runs through November 9, 2026 at 17:00 UTC. Check the in-game event timer for any changes. Don’t follow older 2025 instructions expecting the retired Jack-o-Blazer reward: Baby Nessie is the relevant 2026 companion prize.
More FischFright 3 guides
For more Halloween progression, the FischFright 3 quest order and ritual recipes explain the wider event. Both complement the Fisch Headless Horseman requirements without replacing the three stages.
Official source: Fisch’s official developer updates.
