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Deep Squid Grow a Garden – Guide, Passive & Tips
The Deep Squid Grow a Garden occupies an interesting position among ocean-type pets — unlike Tide Crab's Tidal Surge which boosts Wet mutations, Deep Squid's Abyssal Ink passive targets Abyssal and Deep mutation variants that appear during Coral Reef and deep ocean content specifically. If you've pulled a Deep Squid and aren't sure what it actually does in practice, or you're considering acquiring one for ocean event farming, this guide covers the full picture without the guesswork.
What Is the Deep Squid in Grow a Garden?
Passive overview, rarity, and what separates it from other ocean pets.
⚡ Quick Answer
Deep Squid is a Rare+ pet with Abyssal Ink — a passive that increases Abyssal and Deep mutation probability on ocean-affinity crops. It's most effective during Coral Reef events and Deep Ocean content. Unlike Tide Crab which boosts Wet mutations, Deep Squid targets a different set of ocean mutation types entirely, making them complementary rather than competing pets for ocean content players.
Deep Squid in Grow a Garden — Abyssal Ink passive, ocean event strategy, and crop pairings.
Abyssal Ink Passive – Full Breakdown
What Abyssal Ink Does
Abyssal Ink boosts the probability of Abyssal and Deep mutations triggering on ocean-affinity crops at harvest. It functions similarly to other type-specific mutation passives — adding a probability increment on top of the base rate that the crop naturally carries for those mutation types. During standard non-event farming, Abyssal and Deep mutations appear infrequently enough that the boost produces incremental rather than dramatic gains.
During Coral Reef events and deep ocean content, the event engine elevates the base occurrence of these specific mutation types above standard frequency — and Abyssal Ink stacks directly on this elevation to compound the total output. This event-window compound is where Deep Squid genuinely outperforms alternatives for ocean-focused farmers.
The Tide Crab Relationship
Players who farm ocean content regularly often ask whether to use Deep Squid or Tide Crab. The honest answer is that they're not competing — they target different mutation types within the same event context. Tide Crab's Tidal Surge boosts Wet and Tidal mutations while Abyssal Ink boosts Abyssal and Deep mutations. In multi-slot setups during Coral Reef events, running both simultaneously covers a wider range of the ocean mutation spectrum than either pet provides alone, producing compound income that exceeds single-pet configurations during the event window.
Crop Selection Matters
Abyssal Ink interacts most strongly with ocean-affinity crops — Coral Blossom, Deep Sea Kelp, and Aqua Mint carry naturally elevated Abyssal mutation base rates that Abyssal Ink stacks on top of. Running generic non-ocean crops during Coral Reef events while using Deep Squid captures the event elevation but misses the additional crop-type base rate contribution that ocean-affinity crops provide per harvest cycle.
Event: Coral Reef / Deep Ocean events | Crops: Coral Blossom, Deep Sea Kelp, Aqua Mint
Multi-slot tip: Run with Tide Crab during Coral Reef for full ocean mutation coverage | Rotate to Golem outside ocean events
When to Use Deep Squid vs Alternatives
🦑 Best: Coral Reef + Ocean Crops
Coral Reef events with Coral Blossom or Deep Sea Kelp plots. Abyssal Ink compounds with both event elevation and crop-type base rate simultaneously for peak output. Pre-plant ocean crops before the event activates for first-wave delivery at event start.
🦀 Stronger with Tide Crab Multi-Slot
If your farming setup allows multiple pet slots, running Deep Squid alongside Tide Crab during Coral Reef events covers both Abyssal/Deep and Wet/Tidal mutation types — the combined ocean mutation coverage produces significantly more total ocean mutation output than either pet alone.
🔄 Rotate Out for Non-Ocean Content
During thunder, frost, fire, or void events, Abyssal Ink doesn't interact with the elevated mutation types those events produce. Rotate to Golem or the type-matched specialist for those event windows and return Deep Squid to the slot when ocean content is next on the calendar.
🎪 Acquisition Window
Deep Squid drops from ocean-themed eggs — availability increases during Coral Reef events. Timing acquisition attempts around these events rather than between them can reduce the total resource cost of obtaining one compared to peak-demand off-event purchasing from other players.
For more ocean and event-type pet guides, see the Lava Toad guide, the Storm Raven guide, and the Shadow Cat guide.
- Deep Squid passive: Abyssal Ink — Abyssal and Deep mutation boost on ocean-affinity crops
- Best during: Coral Reef events and Deep Ocean content
- Best crops: Coral Blossom, Deep Sea Kelp, Aqua Mint
- Complementary with Tide Crab — different ocean mutation targets, combine for full coverage
- Rotate to Golem during non-ocean event types
- Acquire during Coral Reef events for lower cost from elevated ocean egg drop rates
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Deep Squid do in Grow a Garden?
What is Abyssal Ink?
Is Deep Squid better than Tide Crab?
What crops work best with Deep Squid?
How do I get a Deep Squid?
When should I use Deep Squid vs Golem?
Does Deep Squid work during Blood Moon events?
Official Resources
Trusted Grow a Garden references.