Fishing is surprisingly fun!

Picked up fishing after you guys recommended it, and... I have to say, I'm actually having a lot of fun! I admit, I had a lot of trepidation when you guys told me to give it a shot; I'd been looking at some stuff about it online, and the way a lot of these guides talked about it made it seem much more complicated than it actually was. Thankfully, that wasn't the case; it was surprisingly easy to pick up and learn, and while I still have quite a way to go - grinding through Ocean Voyages, I'm mostly just catching fish, occasionally using Chum when I can - so far, I'm seriously considering keeping this job after I get it up to 80.

Speaking of Ocean Voyages; these things are a lot of fun! Only three Ocean Voyages, and a few hours grinding, and I'm already at level 43; going to try and go on two, possibly three more today if I can, using guides and food to get as much exp as I can. On top of this, the class quests - while not always the easiest for a meat-headed individual such as myself - do a pretty good job of teaching you how to fish properly and give you a good grasp on the mechanics.

I think the only major complaint I have right now is on Ocean Fishing, ironically. Each area requires a different bait, and there are three times of day, but I can't seem to find a consistent list of what baits are used under what conditions. Other than that, though, I'm currently feeling really good about this job; I've read that level 50 is something of a roadblock, but I'll try and burn that bridge when I get to it.

Unless you are after a specific fish, all ocean baits work in all zones to catch the vast majority of fish.
Very few Ocean Fishing fish have a specific bait requirement. Most people recommend a chance as all fish seem to have a preferred bait which will lower it's hook time.

Don't forget to do the FSH class quests!

Oh and to add some resources for you, for Ocean Fishing this is a nice website to help keep track of everything you can do.
https://ffxiv.pf-n.co/ocean-fishing

And if you get into Big Fishing, there's a nice checklist for that as well.
https://ff14fish.carbuncleplushy.com/

Happy hooking!

Glad to hear you're enjoying it!

Thanks for the encouragement, guys! I am doing the quests - they provide great exp - though I have noticed that the levels are certainly slowing down now; completed two Voyages since I made the first post, now I'm level 54. Gonna keep going, see if I can get some Commercial Survival Manuals to help me get to 70.

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Originally Posted by Travel

and the way a lot of these guides talked about it made it seem much more complicated than it actually was

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This is really only true of Big Fishing, which is where most of the crazy RNG that people like to complain about comes into play.

Yeah, big fishing or specifically seeking to fill the fishing log. Those are the activities that the guides speak of when they talk of crazy RNG and complications. Ocean Fishing is easy mode. Most fish you would need for a quest or recipe are fairly easy too.

Little bit of an update; at the risk of sounding like I'm bragging - I'm not, just really, REALLY happy - I managed to reach level 80 just under an hour ago! Was able to go to Endwalker and do the first Quest for that Beast Tribe I mentioned; have to say, really looking forward to what the rest of the story for it is going to be like!

Thank you, guys, so much for all of your help; I really don't think I could have made it here, this quickly at least, without your help!

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Originally Posted by Canadane

Oh and to add some resources for you, for Ocean Fishing this is a nice website to help keep track of everything you can do.
https://ffxiv.pf-n.co/ocean-fishing

And if you get into Big Fishing, there's a nice checklist for that as well.
https://ff14fish.carbuncleplushy.com/

Happy hooking!

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I... was gonna link Caimie's guide as well, handy if you wanna chase points (the mount is pretty attainable, imo), but... looks like that whole domain is down... and looks like this seems to regularly happen in October.. Ah well.

As for big fishing, I don't really think I'd say it's all that bad. I mean, yeah, there's layers of RNG involved, there's not a whole lot else they can do to introduce "challenge" to fishing. But, it's totally feasible to steadily work through it without too much frustration.

I've just been going one expansion at a time. I can't really remember if ARR had anything truly bothersome. Definitely there were a couple HW fish that took some persistence. And feels like I've just blazed through StB in about a month or two. Only thing left is the Ruby Dragon...

Congrats and enjoy! :)

I'm always somewhat a bit sad when I read that new players level Fisher solely through Ocean Fishing. I for myself always found it interesting to go on the maps and explore all the possible fishing spots and fish a few times to get some new fishes in every spot. That way I got to see a lot of different fishes. The XP weren't that bad either I think. And every new fish gives some bonus XP. I don't know though if they changed something on the XP for huge fishes (formerly HQ), that also gave 3 or 4 times as much XP.

Actually, I spent plenty of time leveling it through other avenues as well; while I do admit, I really did power-level it through Ocean Fishing so I could get the EW Beast Tribe unlocked, I also spent plenty of time doing the quests, as well as just running around to random spots and just fishing for whatever. It's actually really cathartic, funnily enough; there's something that I really just kinda enjoy about wandering around, sitting down and engaging in a small mini-game while taking in the sights.

Welcome to one of the best parts of the game!

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Originally Posted by Hasrat

I've just been going one expansion at a time. I can't really remember if ARR had anything truly bothersome. Definitely there were a couple HW fish that took some persistence. And feels like I've just blazed through StB in about a month or two. Only thing left is the Ruby Dragon...

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Gotta say, and I might be biased right now, but, catching some of the really rare big fish might just be on the same hype level as clearing a tough fight. Maybe.. idk, I suppose I haven't done really any savages/extremes at-level... Baldesion Arsenal comes to mind. But yeah. Catching that big boy was a rush. And sure, it mostly all comes down to layers of RNG. But still. That moment of anticipation when you cast out a Mooch, the buildup as the seconds tick by, the excitement when your timer macro sounds, indicating you've got it on the line, and the absolute rush as the reeling animation plays out. It's a satisfying payoff for putting in the time and work.

The only major downside is the mild crash shortly after, while in the midst of the hype, you finally say "Welp.. guess I just desynth this now." Not sure what else they could really do with big fish, tho. Besides, for the really frustrating fish, it almost feels a bit cathartic to finally catch them and instantly destroy them. >_>

I agree. I've had a very satisfying week, checking off a number of fish and completing some spots.