Fishers in Final Fantasy XIV likely feel similar to a bastard step-child when compared to their Botanist and Miner peers, but patch 5.2 aims to change that. Exclusive to Fishers of all levels, Ocean Fishing is a great way to catch rare fish, level-up, and maybe even earn a mount.
Ocean Fishing is unlocked after completing the Fisher intro quest in Limsa Lominsa.
You are reading that correctly: all you need to do is unlock the Fisher gathering class in Limsa. Once you have done so and equipped your first fishing rod return to the the Fishermen’s Guild and talk to Fhilsnoe (X:7.8 Y:14.5). He will unlock the new Ocean Fishing for you, but you need to know this isn’t content you can jump into whenever you want.
Every two hours (Earth time) you will have a 15 minute window to register with Dryskthota at the Lower Decks near the Arcanists’ Guild aetheryte (X;3.0 Y:12.7). You can enter as a party (Ocean Fishing supports 24 players), but the party leader has to be the one that talks to Dryskthota. Whenever the feature is available the ship icon on the map for the NPC will add an exclamation mark. If you enter solo, or with a party smaller than eight players, you will be matchmade with other players. The ship will eventually leave even if you don’t reach the 24 player cap, though it will leave sooner once this cap is reached, so get there early.
The time slot you choose will alter the route and time of arrival, but speaking with Dryskthota will allow you to “View Sailing Schedule.” You can even set an alarm for the route you wish to sail. Once you have queued and the voyage is underway you’ll find yourself participating in a fishing mini-game of sorts.
There are special lures that can be bought on the Endeavor (the ship) or from the Merchant & Mender in the Lower Decks near Dryskthota(X3.2 Y12.8). These are not required, and other lures can be used, but these specialty lures were built with Ocean Fishing in mind (and allow lower level Fishers a chance to grab what they need in the middle of the activity if they happen to forget lures of their own).
The general idea is this: you will stop by key locations and have seven-minutes to fish up as much as you can. You will be rewarded points for each successful catch, and experience will scale to your level (making this a great way to level Fisher). You can earn bonuses by completing certain conditions – solo or as a group – and these will affect the final rewards at the end. There will also be glowing “Spectral Currents” that can be triggered, and for a limited time you can catch a greater number of fish (namely rare fish, so Patience is best used during these events).
After three locations have been visited the event will conclude with the final results posted for all to see, roughly thirty minutes after starting the voyage. The more points you have the greater your rewards, and the bonuses you earned will be applied to your total (and, if you get over 10,000 points at the end you can net the shark mount).
Fishers level 1-49 will get experience, those level 50 to 79 will earn experience and Yellow Gatherer’s Scrip, and max-level Fishers will earn only Yellow and White Gatherer’s Scrips (though, any scrip rewards require completion of the quest Inscrutable Tastes). Also note that if you leave Ocean Fishing before completing the event you will receive no rewards whatsoever.
That’s all there is to it. Soak up the sun, catch some fish, and level that Fisher who has been gathering dust for six years. Mine certainly has….
