Now that Final Fantasy 15 is finally out, you’ll want to explore every nook and cranny of its densely-packed world. If you want all your achievements, you’ll need to master fishing, Noctis’s royal skill. Here’s our tips and tricks guide for how to fish in Final Fantasy XV.

Basics

First of all, Noctis starts off with everything he needs to get started fishing so you don’t need to buy anything. Position yourself at a fishing spot and use these basic commands:

• L to aim, and then after casting, to pull the line in any direction

• X (PS4) or A to cast

• R2 (PS4) or right trigger to reel in

• Circle (PS4) or B to quit

• The start pad (PS4) or the menu button to open the Tackle menu and change your equipment

When you’re aiming, a blue marker indicates where your lure hits the water. Use the minimap in the top right corner of the screen, which is marked with colorful dots where you’ll find fish. Yellow dots indicate edible fish that provide ingredients Ignis can use in his meals, while blue are prize fish that yield treasures.

Cast your line and reel in with R2 or right trigger. Don’t just drag the line back in a straight line; you want to twitch the line around with L, tap R2/RT and pause every once in awhile to provoke a fish’s attentions.

The game actually measures a fish’s interest using a red bar at the top of the screen. You want to adapt the way you move and pause your line so that you build up the interest bar. Once that bar stretches to the whole length of the screen horizontally, the fish will bite.

Once the fish bites, you and your piscine enemy begin a delicate dance. While your goal is to reel in the fish, you’ll have to watch your line’s durability to do so. Here’s how:

When you get a bite, tilt L in the direction the screen instructs. If you don’t, the fish will just swim away. Then reel in with R2/RT, causing the fish’s stamina to decrease. The stamina can be seen on the top of the screen. Once the horizontal gauge is empty, you win the fish.

The fish will swim around randomly with your line suffering as a result, so you need to take aim. Tilt L to the left or right, wherever the fish is swimming, to keep your line intact. If you just fart around as the fish flails on your line, a hidden tension gauge will fill slowly , but if you aim in the wrong direction entirely, the gauge will start filling up fast. You can tell this is happening because your control will vibrate heavily. Tilting the stick in the right direction keeps the tension bar empty.

The tension causes damage to your line and when the line’s durability reaches zero, it breaks. That means you’ll lose both the line and the lure you had equipped. The key is to manage this tension by pushing constantly in the right direction, tweaking your aim sharply and quickly, and reeling in fish with short bursts while releasing tension the rest of the time so your line stays intact.

If a fish jumps in the air, it “attacks” you. Tilt L right away in the direction the screen says to cancel out the damage to your line as well as lower the fish’s stamina.

Fishing Equipment

Lures : There’s lots of lures in the game. You’ll need to swap out which lure you use based on what fish you’re hoping to hook and where. Popper lures let you seek fish near the surface, pencil lures let you fish more effectively at dawn or dusk, swisher lures make boring fishing spots more lively, crankbait lures help you in rocky or littered waters, minnow lures work in clear waters, and vibration lures are best for wide areas.

• Lure Weight : The heavier the lure, the deeper underwater it goes, and the bigger the fish it catches.

• Lure Color : Fish like colors close to their own. Get a red lure for a red fish.

There are many lure possibilities, but pick the one best for the environment you’re hoping to catch the fish.

Lines: With only three types of line, you’ll mostly be purchasing these from shops. The higher the durability, the longer it can hold out against tension (aka damage) inflicted by fish.

Rods: Rods provide defense, which determines how much tension damage on your line they cancel out. You can get better rods from shops and by completing sidequests for Nayth.

Reels: Reels determine how fast you knock out a fish’s stamina bar as you reel it in - basically your fish attack stat. Tackle shops have high-quality reels, but the very best reel is called Llymlaen and is a reward in the Totomostro mini-game.

Locations

Here’s what fish you can find and where in the world of Altissia you can find them.

• Gondola Marina : Cygillan Sea Bass, Lucinian Sea Bass, Tide Grouper

• Vannath Coast: Giant Trevally, Galdin Trevally, Murk GRouper, GLowing Barrelfish

• Crestholm Reservoir : Horned Bluegill, Lucian Catfish, Alstor Bass, Golden Catfish

• Neeglyss Pond : Horned Bluegill, Chipped Bluegill, Lucian Catfish, Alstor Bass, Crag Barramundi, King Catfish

• Swainsmere: Horned Bluegill, Chipped Bluegill, Lucian Catfish, Alstor Bass

• Malacchi Pond: Alstor Bass, Lucian Catfish, Snakehead, Garnet SNakehead

• Forgotten Pool : Horned Bluegill, Chipped Bluegill, Rainbow Trout

• Daurell Spring: Snakehead, Garnet Snakehead, Jade Snakehead, Alstor Bass, Phoenix Bass, Pink Jade Gar

• River Wennath: Cherrycomb Trout, Rainbow Trout, Callatein Brook Trout, Chrome Rainbow Trout

• Rachsia Bridge: Chipped Bluegill, ZIpper Barramundi, Alstor Bass, Nebula Salmon

• The Maidenwater: Rainbow Trout, Maiden Brook Trout, Nebula Salmon

• Caem Shore: Striped Barramundi, Tide Grouper, Dark Allural Sea Bass

• The Vesperpool - East Bank: Glimmering Bluegill, Phoenix Bass, Crag Barramundi, Golden Catfish, Sapphire Snakehead, Noble Arapaima

• The Vesperpool - West Bank: Glimmering Bluegill, Fan Bluegill, Golden Catfish, Garnet Snakehead, Sapphire Snakehead, Vesper Gar

• Myrlwood Falls: Cleigne Brown Trout, Platinum Myrltrout, Maiden Brook Trout, Callatein Brook Trout, Chrome Rainbow Trout

Bonuses

So what do you get in return for all this work?

• Skill Level 2: Fishing line wear down 25 percent less quickly when fish struggle

• Skill Level 3: Tackle shops offer 10 percent discount on all items

• Skill Level 4: Chances of hooking fish are increased by 25 percent

• Skill Level 5: Ability to catch fish up 31.5 inches

• Skill Level 6: Tackle shops offer 30 percent discount on all items

• Skill Level 7: Fishing line wears down 50 percent less when fish struggle

• Skill Level 8: Chances of hooking a fish increased by 50 percent

• Skill Level 9: Tackle shops offer 50 percent discount

• Skill Level 10: Catch fish up to 59 inches

And never forget, Bluegill fish are garbage who will throw themselves on your hook even without a lure, so they’re great to practice with.

Pumped about getting your hands on this long-anticipated game? Feel free to talk Final Fantasy 15 in our comments section below.

Want more FF15? Check out some of our guides:

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