Fishing needs a total overhaul

[MellowMink]

Minor thing, but I feel like the nine Gulleye traits are unnecessary and also make the traits window needlessly overcrowded; for example, why would it make sense that you would have to be level 55 in order to see fishing holes between levels 50 and 55? Why wouldn't you just say automatically have access to a level 54 hole once you reach level 54?

[TaleraRistain]

Fisher is unique; always has been, and always should be.

This mentality is exactly why fishing is largely ignored. There are good QoL suggestions in this thread to help streamline fishing, especially if they pair them with an increased usage of the spoils from fishing. These QoL don't have to remove fisher identity, just streamline pain points.

Like the requirements for some big fish appearing only when weather in a location changes from one type to another. I don't remember the exact time range, but isn't there one that takes literal real life *weeks* for that exact combination of weather changes to happen again? And it's been a while since I tried it, but I don't think it's a guaranteed bite in the window either. That's absolutely ridiculous. If they want to have a mechanic like that, they need to adjust the weather in the area so that appears more often, or make the bite rate guaranteed, or some other QoL they come up with.

I would like to see fishing not just be relegated to a forgotten minigame but become a valued gatherer class like MIN and BTN are. Fishing can still retain its unique identity without remaining as an afterthought.

[Fruity_Snacks]

-snip for char length-

The thing is the fish that do take days to weeks to have a chance at, aren't meant to have a use. Their purpose is to be a rare fish to fill the collection log. Not all 1,181 fish need a use. Many of them do have a use, their use just isn't well known. Glams, cooking/alchemy ingredients, aquariums, furnishings, quests, turn-ins, minions; there's a list a few hundred deep of fish that are useful. The game just... doesn't tell you. Again, there's a knowledge gap that leads people to think fishing (or fish) are useless.

I don't think it's ridiculous for rare fish to be down for days or weeks and thus mean it has to be caught in that window. I will agree that the frustration of getting unlucky on when those windows spawn, and missing them because you're at work, sleeping, what-have-you IS frustrating. This is where the Fish Eyes change is nice, as it opens up more possibilities for fish to be caught.

ALL THAT SAID, of the 1,181 fish in the game, I can only think of FIVE that regularly are down for a week+ on average, if that. (Those fish being Bobgoblin Bass, Duskfish (which holds the downtime record), Ruby Dragon, Cinder Surprise, and Ealad Skaan... for those keeping track at home.) So even IF you're just focusing on the other 244 Big Fish in the game, you can see them weekly. No different than a weekly attempt at a Savage, with PUGs... or a meh Static. Expecting a fish to be a guaranteed bite just because it takes forever to come up, especially when most of those fish are LEGENDARY fish shows a lack of understanding of how fishing difficulty works. People don't walk into Savages and Ultimates and go "damn, this is gonna take weeks maybe longer to clear, I really just want to clear it in a single lockout" and then not do it because they can't do it in under 2 hours.

I'm not denying the QoL suggestions in this thread. Some of them I have acknowledged are good. It's just that some of them are just really bad suggestions.

[KageTokage]

Welp, at least spearfishing is getting an overhaul to make it more engaging instead of "gathering nodes but RNG and with a timing aspect".

Hopefully it also screws over the botters because seeing those guys flooding the lake in Il Mheg was annoying.

[TaleraRistain]

Welp, at least spearfishing is getting an overhaul to make it more engaging instead of "gathering nodes but RNG and with a timing aspect".

Hopefully it also screws over the botters because seeing those guys flooding the lake in Il Mheg was annoying.

That minigame looks like a lot of fun.

[Fruity_Snacks]

The spearfishing minigame looks very good.

[Mat13295]

It'll screw them over for about a week (Or even less) before the bot programs are changed. Sadly, it's an arms race with them. Still, more engaging mechanics for actual players is welcomed.

[SaricStar]

Call me crazy if you will, but honestly I very much enjoy fishing where it is. It feels infinitely more engaging than the other DoL jobs and pays well when you find the right fish. Beyond that it is simply incredibly relaxing, and do not think it needs to be much beyond that. It is fishing, after all!
They even streamlined leveling the skill, so for anyone just looking to max out your level, you really do not have to try hard.
Catching the Nepto was a thrill, and filling out my Log has hardly felt a chore. But hey, maybe I am the crazy one?

[KageTokage]

FSH got a lot of changes that seem like they're going to make the experience much more comfortable overall; the most notable being the stacking Angler's Art buff that's gained by catching large fish then burned to regain GP or the ability to mooch fish of any size for a long duration (Which will make those chain-mooching legendary fish much easier) and an ability that allows you to guarantee that the next catch specifically is a large fish.

[sincity1976]

Bait shouldn't be an inventory item at all. Instead it should be more like the minion or mounts. Once you unlock it you have it.

The fun part of that is they can put the unlocks in certain achievements, crafter items, special catches, etc. Which gives a bit more point to fishing.