# In a fascinating use of free will, Old School RuneScape player spent 4,304 hours catching 275,196 shrimp and 257,064 anchovies to max out his fishing skill in the worst way possible

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-a-fascinating-use-of-free-will-old-school-runescape-player-spent-4304-hours-catching-275196-shrimp-and-257064-anchovies-to-max-out-his-fishing-skill-in-the-worst-way-possible/
- Published: 2026-08-11T17:02:09+00:00
- Updated: 2026-08-11T23:12:29+00:00
- Original publisher: PC Gamer
- Original article: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/in-a-fascinating-use-of-free-will-old-school-runescape-player-spent-4-304-hours-catching-catching-275-196-shrimp-and-257-064-anchovies-to-max-out-his-fishing-skill-in-the-worst-way-possible/
- Topics: Gaming

## Key points

- Player hit level 99 Fishing via the slowest method possible
- Took 4,304 hours and over two years to complete
- Caught 275,196 shrimp and 257,064 anchovies in total

## Summary

An Old School RuneScape player known as Bosby has reached the maximum level 99 in Fishing by relying on the game's least efficient possible method, spending over 4,300 hours doing so. Playing on an account named OnlyShrimp99, Bosby spent more than two years exclusively catching shrimp and anchovies at the lowest-level fishing spots, deliberately bypassing every conventional shortcut available for levelling the skill.

The feat has caught the gaming community's attention precisely because it inverts the usual logic of online games, where players typically chase the fastest route to a goal. Bosby amassed roughly 275,196 shrimp and 257,064 anchovies over the course of the challenge, illustrating how some players find satisfaction in self-imposed constraints and personal narratives rather than efficient progression.

## Coverage

- [PC Gamer: In a fascinating use of free will, Old School RuneScape player spent 4,304 hours catching 275,196 shrimp and 257,064 anchovies to max out his fishing skill in the worst way possible](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/in-a-fascinating-use-of-free-will-old-school-runescape-player-spent-4-304-hours-catching-catching-275-196-shrimp-and-257-064-anchovies-to-max-out-his-fishing-skill-in-the-worst-way-possible/)
- [GamesRadar+: One of the first Animal Crossing speedrunners spent 4,300 hours catching shrimp in an MMO "just to see if I could," and he might even "do it again"](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/mmo/one-of-the-first-animal-crossing-speedrunners-spent-4-300-hours-catching-shrimp-in-an-mmo-just-to-see-if-i-could-and-he-might-even-do-it-again/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.