Fishing is a relaxing and rewarding activity in The Elder Scrolls Online that allows you to catch various types of fish and other items. You can use fishing as a way to explore the world, earn Achievements, collect rare ingredients, or just have fun with your friends. If you are interested in fishing, then CozyCaster's guide is what you need.
Finding Fishing Holes
There are four types of fishing waters: saltwater, lake, river, and foul. It's easy to tell where they are by looking at the map, with the exception of foul. If you're on PC, you can use add-ons to show fishing holes, but for those on console, it's best to look up a fishing map for the zone that you're in.
It can be challenging to find certain bodies of water in different areas, and sometimes, areas that seem perfect for fishing may not have any fishing holes at all. For instance, Summerset has over 150 saltwater fishing holes but only ten fouls. In contrast, Cyrodiil has just five saltwater fishing holes on the entire map.
What to Do at a Fishing Hole
Once you find the fishing hole, open the bait wheel and select the matching bait type. To avoid catching more junk than fish, use the type matches.
Saltwater Bait: Worms and Chub
Catches: Dhufish, Longfin, and Minnow
River Bait: Insect Parts and Shad
Catches: Salmon, River Betty, Fish Roe
Late Bait: Guts and Minnow
Catches: Silverside Perch, Spadetail, and Shad
Foul Bait: Fish Roe and Crawlers
Catches: Slaughterfish, Trodh, and Chub
What Can I Catch
Fishing in the game can yield different items when a fish bites. You may get a regular fish, a trophy fish (12 available per zone), sacks of materials, or bait and junk. If you catch regular fish, you can take them to a Provisioning station and filet them. This gives you a chance to get a profitable Provisioning material called Perfect Roe.
Trophy fish are available in every zone, and catching them can earn you in-game Achievements and the Master Angler title. If you catch all the trophy fish in all 20 base game zones, you'll earn the title of Master Angler.
Fishing Buffs
If you're aiming to catch trophy fish in the game, there are several buffs that can speed up the process:
1. Fishing with Friends
Each person you're actively fishing with can increase the drop rate of trophy fish, and the person doesn't have to be in your group.
2. Champion Points
Two skills in the green craft tree - Reel Technique and Angler's Instincts - can help you catch trophy fish faster. Reel Technique reduces the time for a bite by 25%, while Angler's Instincts increases your chances of catching trophy fish. You need at least 195 points in the green Craft tree to use both skills.
3. Artaeum Pickled Fish Bowl (Summerset)
If you have the Summerset chapter, you can fish on Artaeum to get Waterlogged Psijic Satchels that can drop the Artaeum Pickled Fish Bowl recipe. This recipe is account-bound and cannot be traded or sold. When consumed, it grants the passive Lure Allure, which attracts fish and shortens the time needed for them to bite. You can also buy Waterlogged Psijic Satchels from guild traders with gold if you don't own the Summerset chapter.
Water in Artaeum is Mystic water, which is different from the four types of water found elsewhere. You can use any type of bait to fish here.
4. Companion: Sharp-as-Night
Sharp-as-Night is one of the two companions that you can unlock in the Necrom chapter. As every other Companion, he also has his unique non-combat perk – Sharp's Patience. This perk will increase the bite rate of fish, and the fish will also have a chance of being trophy fish. The increase in trophy fish is offset by a reduction in the chance to catch bait, so your regular fish catch rate is not reduced. Sharp loves fishing and can become your best friend in no time if you bring him along.
Trophy Fishing
Fishing in the game has been significantly improved with the addition of buffs that allow for trophy fish collection in each zone within 30 minutes to an hour. However, fishing still heavily relies on random chance, and even with these buffs, it is possible that some trophy fish may prove elusive and take more than 2 hours to catch. Nevertheless, persistence and patience will eventually lead to success. It is important to keep in mind that the amount of time required for each zone may vary due to the unpredictable nature of RNG.
Cyrodiil Trophy Fishing
If you're looking to catch trophy fish in Cyrodiil, it's best to choose an unpopulated campaign and go fishing during off-peak hours. While other players fishing will typically leave you alone, you should still keep an eye out for PvP players who may pose a threat. Bringing invisibility potions with you can also be helpful.
If you're in an unpopulated area, a PvP build isn't necessary, although it could be helpful. All of the fishing buffs, except for Sharp-as-Night, can still be used. It's important to remain aware of your surroundings and take necessary precautions to ensure a successful and safe fishing experience.
Perfect Roe Fishing
When trying to catch Perfect Roe, it is advised not to use the Angler's Instinct CP passive, and fishing alone can be more efficient than fishing with other players. To increase the number of fish caught, you can use the buffs Reel Technique, Artaeum Pickled Fish Bowl, and Sharp-as-Night.
Since Perfect Roe usually has a 1% drop rate, catching more regular fish will increase your chances of getting some. To catch more fish, you'd better use a character with maximum mount speed and the Continuous Attack passive. The faster you can move from one fishing hole to another, the more fish you'll catch.
Total Amount of Fish Caught for Master Angler
The total amount of fish that CozyCaster caught while completing Master Angler is 2,249:
• 308 Dhufish
• 301 Longfin
• 178 River Betty
• 166 Salmon
• 318 Silverside Perch
• 316 Slaughterfish
• 323 Spadetail
• 339 Trodh
When filleted, she walked away with 26 Perfect Roe, demonstrating the typical 1% drop chance, which equals out to 1.15%.
Conclusion
Zenimax has also started including new unlocks for fishing with the Necrom Master Angler Achievement, which is part of the Savior of Necrom Achievement and unlocks a glowing Nix Ox mount. It is awesome to see them giving collectible rewards for the amount of time that these Achievements require.
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