Like many cozy farm simulation games,Coral Islandputs quite the emphasis on in-game collections. As you create your farm and adventure across the island, you will come across many cute collectibles including a vast array of fish, critters, insects, and artifacts.

Some collectibles are easier to come by than others. Fossils and museum artifacts will unlock as you open coffers and fossil nodes, and are easily dug up through exploration with the hoe and scythe. Others, like bugs and critters, will require careful planning and finesse to catch. Luckily, traps take the trouble out of catching and let you sit back and relax while you fill in your collection pages.

Coral Island: An image of the player character next to two Ground Critter Traps

What Are Traps?

Traps are a hands-off way to collect bugs and critters around the island and ocean. As you level up your catching skill in your player journal, you will gain access to trap crafting recipes.

There arefour types of traps, one for each type of catchable critter. Knowing which trap to use for the critter you are trying to catch will save you valuable time and effort as you fill in your critter collection.

Coral Island: an image of the two types of Insect Traps

Knowing where to place your traps also gives you an edge when it comes to filling not only yourjournal collection, but your Temple Offerings, and Museum collectionsas well. Depending on the critter you are trying to catch, you may need to catch the critter up to three times to fill out all the necessary collections (temple offerings, museum, quests).

Luckily,traps are multi-use, passive objectsthat, when placed,will continue catching crittersuntil you change their placement.

Coral Island: An image of the two kinds of Critter Traps

Traps also come in two categories:Insect traps and Critter traps. Knowing which traps to use for each location is vital to planning the best critter yield.

Insect Traps

There are two types of Insect Traps:Flying Insect Traps and Ground Insect Traps. As the names suggest, Flying Insect Traps are used to lure and catch Flying Insects, while Ground Insect Traps are used to lure and catch Ground Insects.Insect Traps can only be used on Coral Islandand cannot be used in the ocean.

Flying Insect Traps willonlycatch flying insects, and Ground Insect Traps will only catch Ground Insects.

Coral Island: The player character placing a trap

The placement of each type of trap will vary depending on the known locations of each insect. If you know you need a Luna Moth, you should place a Flying Insect Trap in the location you know the Luna Moth will frequent.

Critter Traps

Just like Insect Traps, Critter Traps also come in two categories:Float Traps and Crawler Traps. Float Traps will catch floating critters like Jelly Fish and Seahorses, while Crawler Traps will catch crawling critters like Starfish, Anemone, and shellfish.Critter Traps cannot be used to catch Insectson Coral Island, and can only be used in the Ocean.

Just like with Island Traps,Float Traps will not catch Crawling Critters, nor will Crawler Traps catch Floating Critters. Plan your placements accordingly.

Coral Island: The player character collecting from a trap

How To Place Traps

Trapscan only be placed in non-occupied 1x1 squaresand affect aradius of nine tiles (3x3).

Trapscanbe placed directly next to each other. The radius of each trap will still only be a total grid of nine tiles. Thus, it’s best to spread your traps out in a way that does not overlap the affected radius if you are hoping to cover the most effective area. However, this side-by-side placement option allows you toplace a Flying Insect Trap directly beside a Ground Insect Trapin locations you know both flying and ground insects share.

Coral Island: The player character standing beside a trap bearing the Monarch Caterpillar

Not all tiles are trap-friendly. You will only be able to place a trap in locations where the trap radius lights up green. If the radius lights up red, it means that theplacement is unsuitable.

How To Collect From Traps

When a trap is ready for collection, the captured insect or critter will show up in a square bubble above the trap. Clicking on the trap or using your console’s action button will harvest the captured creature. Traps can only have one type of creature in them at a time. You cannot collect two different types of insects in the same trap at the same time.

Tips On Using Traps

Filling out yourJournal, Temple,andMuseum Collectionscan get frustrating in a game where your attention is being pulled in so many different directions at once. It can get a little overwhelming to keep track of where and when to be to catch certain insects and critters.

What happens when you need an insect that only appears on rainy evenings, but you also have to catch a fish during the same time? Obviously, you can’t be in both places, right? Here is where knowing how to use your traps well will come in handy.

Coral Island: the player character standing beside a Flying Critter trap

Ideal Placement

Sometimes, the right critter or insect appears at the wrong time, and you aren’t prepared to catch it.

Whether you can’t get your bug net out in time, you scare the critter off, or you just don’t have an upgraded bug net, critters may elude your grasp in the most frustrating ways. Luckily, if you know where and when to find the critter you need - whether it was a missed connection or some well-researched planning - you can place your traps in that location.

Coral Island: The player character baiting a crawler trap

Placing a trap in the known location of a critteryou need is thebestway to ensure that you are maximizing your chances of collecting that critter. Certain areas create natural bottlenecks for critters, and you will find that you see more insects or critters in these locations.

For example,many rare insects can be found in the first section of the deep forestby your farm. Others can be found in the shortcut paths ofGarden Lane, The Lake, and The Woodlands.

Coral Island: the Catching Component in Ling’s Lab menu

Try to place your traps inlocations you know you have seen crittersthat you need. If you need the Monarch Caterpillar and have encountered one in Garden Lane, place your trap in the location where you last saw it. You may find that in a few days, the Monarch Caterpillar will catch itself.

Bait Your Traps

If you’ve already placed your trap in the best location possible, but are still struggling to lure or catch the insect or critter that you need,trap bait can help your odds. Insect and Critter Bait isn’t just useful when you’re actively hunting for critters. You can equip bait in your hotbar andselect a placed trap to add that bait to the trap.

Equipping a trap with bait willraise the likelihood that your trap is successful, and can alsoincrease the possible rarity of the insects or crittersthat you catch. Some insects and critters are virtually impossible to catch with an unbaited trap, so if you know you need a super rare critter, craft some bait and bait your traps preemptively.

Coral Island: An image of the Double catch Skill

A successfully baited trap will shimmer with a halo of sparkles. If your trap has caught an insect and is no longer shimmering, it means you’re out of bait.Bait is used up upon a successful catch.

The Sturdy Computer And Catching Components

If you’re struggling to find the right places to put your traps, don’t panic. For starters, we have an entirecatching guideto walk you through where each critter can be caught and when. If you want to take the in-game route, you can head toLing’s Lab and pick up the Sturdy Computer recipe.

The Sturdy Computer allows you to attach special Computer Components whichshow you the locations and times that certain collectibles can be found.TheCatching Componentin particular is helpful when determining the best placement for your Critter Traps.

Equipping the Catching Component will give you a full breakdown ofwhat critters and insects can be found around the island at what times of day, and will even highlight their locations on your player map.

Reference the catching component when planning your trap placement to get the most accurate location information when catching.

The Double Catch Skill

While not directly tied to trap usage, the Double Catch Skill upgrade will help you finish your different collections more quickly. Enabling Double Catch means that every time you catch a critter or insect with your bug net or a trap, you have achance to catch two of those creatures. This is especially useful when using traps.

If you know you need two Monarch Caterpillars - one for the Temple and one for the Museum - it’s to your benefit to pick up this skill. You may find that you get lucky when harvesting a caterpillar from your traps and be rewarded with one caterpillar per collection type.

This skill also helps you use creature catching to make a better profit. Certain insects and critters sell for more than others. Knowing where these insects pop up and placing a regularly monitored trap in those locations can help youboost the profit you make off of that creature. Plus, it’s a passive action, and you lose nothing but the time it takes to check the trap.