Please, PLEASE overhaul fishing

MissDismal

I know fishing is probably the last thing on everyone's minds, what with all the discussion about Update 35 and what's going to happen with the combat system. I thought maybe the forums could use a break on that front.

I'm just trying to add to the squeaky wheel because it seems an overhaul for fishing has been requested for a long time, with little to no signs of this request ever coming to fruition. I think it's a shame because there are so many things that could be done to make fishing a more enjoyable experience in ESO. Honestly, I could see a fishing skill line being the flagship feature for a future expansion like Tales of Tribute was to High Isle.

I've thought a lot about this subject since I've been working to earn the "Master Fisher" achievement, and while idly pressing "E" and watching Youtube Videos, a few things came to mind that I believe would make this experience much more fun and rewarding. Here is my list of possible improvements/additions that could be made, and let me know your thoughts and opinions because I'm curious about how else fishing could be improved.

1). Fishing Skill Line.

This is the most glaringly obvious request, and of course, I didn't come up with this suggestion first. I just fail to see why we don't have a dedicated skill line for fishing yet. There is "Reel Technique" and "Angler's Instincts" in the Thief Tree of the Champion Point system, but that doesn't make much sense to me since you only unlock Champion Points at level 50 and you need a LOT of Champion Points to even fill up those skills, whereas, for a skill line, you would just need a single skill point to unlock it, and skill points are easily obtainable by farming Skyshards.

Some possible fishing skills, aside from the aforementioned ones, could be:

- Making fishing spots easier to spot
- Make fishing spots last longer if you're fishing alone
- Make it more obvious when you get a bite (Seriously, I need an add-on for this)
- Increased likelihood of receiving two or more fish (to fillet) when you reel in successfully (get that fish roe bro)
- Make higher quality bait (Minnow, Fish Roe, Shad, Chub) to increase the chances of obtaining a rare (blue) fish.

Share your own ideas for new skills!

2). Make it FUN!

I think fishing is easily the most boring activity you can do in ESO. Standing in front of a fishing spot for two hours idly pressing 'E' is not a good time. I would rather waste 2 hours of my life wiping in a trial. That being said, I think making it more interractive is the way to go. Adding more animations or especially quick-time events when you cast or reel in a fish. Plus it would be so cool to actually SEE the fish you're reeling in. Make it like a mini-game or something!

3). More rewards.

Granted, if I'm going to go through the trouble of playing a mini-game to fish, I would expect more rewards for the extra effort. Yes, we do have wet gunny sacks/pyandonean bottles and the occasional kelp and fish furnishings (which either end up getting deleted or shoved in my bank until the end of time). We also have certain antiquity leads and recipes and motifs that will drop (though that's mostly contained to Artaeum which isn't even accessible if you don't have ESO+). I think there's definitely room for improvement here. These are my ideas for what could be added:

- Furnishing Plans (possibly more unique ocean/water-themed furnishings like corals or special water effects, or just regular furnishing plans in general)
- Collectible Pets (We already farm Public Dungeons for pet parts, why not make those parts drop from fishing too?)
- More exclusive motif pages/recipes and recipe fragments
- More unique fish furnishings (Maybe a fish furnishing for every rare blue fish you can catch).
- Treasure chest loot (10k+ in gold. there could be a skill that increases the likelihood of reeling in bigger loot)

4) Fish Collection System.

This is just more of a pipe dream than anything, but nothing is more satisfying to me than filling out my collections by gathering motif and style pages. I think the same idea could be applied to fishing, with the fish you catch having a "spot" to fill in your collections journal so you can properly flex about catching a particularly rare fish. Not only that but as previously mentioned, if not expanded on; there could be the reward of having the fish you catch as an animated furnishing. With aquarium furnishings being a thing, it would be so cool to fill one of them with the fish you personally caught.

5) Fish In Style!

I've seen this one suggested quite a lot, and I would be lying if I said I didn't want to look cool while fishing in the various zones of Tamriel. I absolutely think fishing rod motifs could make for a great addition, as long as fishing becomes an activity worthy of repeated play to make it worth it. As it stands now, once I get this fishing achievement I probably won't come back to it, unless I want a certain antiquity lead or want to complete the Pyandonean style.

And that's about all of the suggestions that have come to mind thus far. I'm certainly not claiming to be original with these concepts- I'm sure others have come up with the same or similar ideas and have voiced them, I just don't have the time to go rummaging through the forums to find them, so I thought I'd create my own discussion.

Let me know your thoughts and if you have any ideas of your own to add! While we probably can't do anything about the route that combat is taking, at least maybe... just maybe... ZOS could take our pleas for better fishing to heart, so I can accomplish my long-awaited goal of becoming a fishing main.

Heartrage

Don’t forget fishing daily quest!

Ragnarok0130

I want to be able to throw my Aedric spear into the water, stun all of the fish at once and get them all at once lol. **Nervously looks around for Tamriel game warden.** Actually that sounds like an interesting new PVP mode now that I think of it.

MissDismal

Heartrage wrote: »

Don’t forget fishing daily quest!

YES! I think that could be really fun as well. Just more opportunities to get coffers w/ more rewards.

whitecrow

I would love to see more done with fishing.

A skill line would be interesting. It might make the special fish food superfluous though. They already did that with the one that shows you what kind of hole you are at.

I don't mind the actual action of fishing as is. It's slow and relaxing and a change of pace.

Better loot would be great. Put something better than 1 beginner material in the gunny sacks. I'd rather get a whole pet than pet parts. Personally I'd like a mud hopper. It could be rare like the crab-slaughter-crane.

There is at least one fishing outfit (something fisherfolk) but I favor the Budi-Shirt and Galligaskins.

MissDismal

whitecrow wrote: »

I would love to see more done with fishing.

A skill line would be interesting. It might make the special fish food superfluous though. They already did that with the one that shows you what kind of hole you are at.

I don't mind the actual action of fishing as is. It's slow and relaxing and a change of pace.

Better loot would be great. Put something better than 1 beginner material in the gunny sacks. I'd rather get a whole pet than pet parts. Personally I'd like a mud hopper. It could be rare like the crab-slaughter-crane.

There is at least one fishing outfit (something fisherfolk) but I favor the Budi-Shirt and Galligaskins.

I honestly am not sure what the "special" fish food is even supposed to be for aside from showing you what type of fishing hole you're at but if you're using add-ons it almost seems pointless to use it. So I figured it would make the most sense for it to lure in better fish. Now that I think about it, maybe fish weight and size could be a factor of some kind. Like, a heavier fish could increase the chance of getting fish roe or other valuable mats by a small percentage. Though that might be digging in a bit too deep.

I don't mind the slow pace at times either but I do find myself growing bored of it rather quickly- it gets rather mundane but I can see why some players like it that way haha.

And yes I definitely think there's a lot of room to add more rewards. I would prefer a whole pet too, but I feel like this would be unlikely and we would just end up fishing out the pet parts to combine them instead. I guess that would create more incentive to keep fishing.

And more fishing outfits would be nice!

MissDismal

Ragnarok0130 wrote: »

I want to be able to throw my Aedric spear into the water, stun all of the fish at once and get them all at once lol. **Nervously looks around for Tamriel game warden.** Actually that sounds like an interesting new PVP mode now that I think of it.

New Templar skill unlocked: Aedric Spear Fishing.

Drammanoth

Wouldn't we all wish for fishing to be overhauled... I doubt ZOS will introduce it, as they haven't done much in terms of tiny QoL changes. Those that they have introduced were, ofc, great (stickerbook, anti-RNG, and a few more) BUT things that WE would ask for - no.

And seeing what is going on, they will never do that

MissDismal

Drammanoth wrote: »

Wouldn't we all wish for fishing to be overhauled... I doubt ZOS will introduce it, as they haven't done much in terms of tiny QoL changes. Those that they have introduced were, ofc, great (stickerbook, anti-RNG, and a few more) BUT things that WE would ask for - no.

And seeing what is going on, they will never do that

That is probable, though I have heard that they are rethinking the whole "Let's nuke DPS lol" update, based on the endless negative feedback on the forums and even YT. So maybe there's a slim chance they'll start actually embracing our feedback rather than ignore it. Again, it's a slim chance, but possible I think.

I just really like to speculate even if nothing ever comes from it.

Saucy_Jack

I thought New World had a GREAT fishing system, where rarity of fish and ease of fishing were factors on your fishing pole's stats and even your worn gear, and ease of reeling in was determined by distance to fishing hole...all sorts of things made it good.

I mean, don't get me wrong; I LIKE that I can get Master Angler while watching a movie or whatnot, because hey, movie. But I'm assuming that's not the overall playstyle the devs are shooting for, so yeah, it could use an upgrade.

Necrotech_Master

i just wish they made fishing like every other material harvest action lol

you push E to cast, then it just auto reels in and gives you a fish, to work like literally every other material harvest in the game

you dont have to do some hassle of a minigame to harvest enchanting runes, or mine ore, etc

bathynomusESO

Trophy Bass 2 and New World were my favorite fishing games. Also, that's the only thing New World had. Fighting the fish with drag, bait, etc. Seeing what you catch, epic.

spartaxoxo

I would like the fishing to be similar to the fishing in FFXV, that was fun fishing.

Prof_Bawbag

I won't lie, i knew 2 mins into fishing i was never gonna plat this game. Even the emp achievement is more obtainable to me and i suck at pvp.

Scaletho

Just helping to keep this thread on the first page. Fishing been unbelievable boring and annoying; the importance of Perfect Roe in many receipts and its absurd low chance to get is one of the most unbalanced/neglected problems in ESO.

This thread need to be taken seriously, because the claim to fix fishing is OLD and until now nothing was made.

Your ideas are very, very good. Please, ZOS, take them seriously.

Amottica

MissDismal wrote: »

2). Make it FUN!

I think fishing is easily the most boring activity you can do in ESO. Standing in front of a fishing spot for two hours idly pressing 'E' is not a good time. I would rather waste 2 hours of my life wiping in a trial. That being said, I think making it more interractive is the way to go. Adding more animations or especially quick-time events when you cast or reel in a fish. Plus it would be so cool to actually SEE the fish you're reeling in. Make it like a mini-game or something.

Fishing is boring for a reason. That reason is that nothing can be done to make it more interesting outside of making a player have to work to reel in that fish without breaking the line. Even then, it is still boring.

spartaxoxo

Amottica wrote: »

MissDismal wrote: »

2). Make it FUN!

I think fishing is easily the most boring activity you can do in ESO. Standing in front of a fishing spot for two hours idly pressing 'E' is not a good time. I would rather waste 2 hours of my life wiping in a trial. That being said, I think making it more interractive is the way to go. Adding more animations or especially quick-time events when you cast or reel in a fish. Plus it would be so cool to actually SEE the fish you're reeling in. Make it like a mini-game or something.

Fishing is boring for a reason. That reason is that nothing can be done to make it more interesting outside of making a player have to work to reel in that fish without breaking the line. Even then, it is still boring.

Boring is subjective. Many other games have more involved fishing mini games. There are also objectively games dedicated only to fishing gameplay that people buy. It's niche but successful. So, to say there's nothing that can be done to make it more interesting is just not accurate. Perhaps there's nothing that could be done to draw your interest, but there's objectively stuff that can be done to make fishing more enjoyable and interesting to the kinds of people who enjoy fishing. And the developers would be aware of that. Most likely, nothing's been done simply because it's a low priority activity not a lot of people engage in, rather than the devs intentionally designing content to be dull.

whitecrow

MissDismal wrote: »

I honestly am not sure what the "special" fish food is even supposed to be for aside from showing you what type of fishing hole you're at but if you're using add-ons it almost seems pointless to use it.

The Hissmir Fish Eye Rye makes the holes easier to spot (similar to the keen eye for harvesting) and used to tell you what kind of water it was, but now we get that for free.

Artaeum Pickled Fish Broth increases the chance of getting rare fish, equivalent to having an additional person at the hole.

spartaxoxo

whitecrow wrote: »

MissDismal wrote: »

I honestly am not sure what the "special" fish food is even supposed to be for aside from showing you what type of fishing hole you're at but if you're using add-ons it almost seems pointless to use it.

The Hissmir Fish Eye Rye makes the holes easier to spot (similar to the keen eye for harvesting) and used to tell you what kind of water it was, but now we get that for free.

Artaeum Pickled Fish Broth increases the chance of getting rare fish, equivalent to having an additional person at the hole.

I wish they'd add something else to Fisheye Rye, perhaps make it so trophy fish are repulsed by it, so that you only get white fish. The keen eye alone really isn't enough to justify its use, and the devs knew that at time of design which is why it also had the secondary effect of telling you the fishing hole. But they broke that functionality when they made it part of the basic features of the game.

whitecrow

spartaxoxo wrote: »

I wish they'd add something else to Fisheye Rye, perhaps make it so trophy fish are repulsed by it, so that you only get white fish. The keen eye alone really isn't enough to justify its use, and the devs knew that at time of design which is why it also had the secondary effect of telling you the fishing hole. But they broke that functionality when they made it part of the basic features of the game.

Well, sometimes it is hard to see the holes, especially at night, so I could see it having some use. (I have a really hard time seeing the fishing spots in Deadlands.) But I don't think they ever changed the description!

Living_Tribunal

This is probably why people bot fish. It's boring.

MissDismal

Necrotech_Master wrote: »

i just wish they made fishing like every other material harvest action lol

you push E to cast, then it just auto reels in and gives you a fish, to work like literally every other material harvest in the game

you dont have to do some hassle of a minigame to harvest enchanting runes, or mine ore, etc

I can see your point and I could see how this could be a preferred system for some players, but for me personally and others who actually enjoy fishing as an activity, I'd prefer more involvement, especially if that involvement reaps greater rewards.

MissDismal

whitecrow wrote: »

MissDismal wrote: »

I honestly am not sure what the "special" fish food is even supposed to be for aside from showing you what type of fishing hole you're at but if you're using add-ons it almost seems pointless to use it.

The Hissmir Fish Eye Rye makes the holes easier to spot (similar to the keen eye for harvesting) and used to tell you what kind of water it was, but now we get that for free.

Artaeum Pickled Fish Broth increases the chance of getting rare fish, equivalent to having an additional person at the hole.

Ohhh I totally got confused on that! I didn't actually know Hissmir Fish Eye Rye did that, but I knew about Artaeum Pickled Fish Broth and I use it frequently for that purpose. I was talking about the extra fish bait you get from just fishing at the various holes (Minnows, Shad, etc). I wish they had an actual purpose.

Amottica

spartaxoxo wrote: »

Amottica wrote: »

MissDismal wrote: »

2). Make it FUN!

I think fishing is easily the most boring activity you can do in ESO. Standing in front of a fishing spot for two hours idly pressing 'E' is not a good time. I would rather waste 2 hours of my life wiping in a trial. That being said, I think making it more interractive is the way to go. Adding more animations or especially quick-time events when you cast or reel in a fish. Plus it would be so cool to actually SEE the fish you're reeling in. Make it like a mini-game or something.

Fishing is boring for a reason. That reason is that nothing can be done to make it more interesting outside of making a player have to work to reel in that fish without breaking the line. Even then, it is still boring.

Boring is subjective.

Doing the same simplistic task over and over is objectively boring. Doing dailies each day over and over is boring as well. We tend to do these things to pass the time and sometimes a feeling of being compelled to do them for various reasons. That somehow makes them bearable but that is not the same as them being interesting.

Ashryn

They could have done this (things to improve fishing) easier instead of a card game and it would have been appreciated more by (probably) more people!

Inject some danger in it too...perhaps if you caught a slaughter fish?

I find fishing can be enjoyable, but its way too boring the way it has been implemented...and its nothing that cannot be changed if the powers-that-be just had a little more imagination and will!

Prof_Bawbag

spartaxoxo wrote: »

Amottica wrote: »

MissDismal wrote: »

2). Make it FUN!

I think fishing is easily the most boring activity you can do in ESO. Standing in front of a fishing spot for two hours idly pressing 'E' is not a good time. I would rather waste 2 hours of my life wiping in a trial. That being said, I think making it more interractive is the way to go. Adding more animations or especially quick-time events when you cast or reel in a fish. Plus it would be so cool to actually SEE the fish you're reeling in. Make it like a mini-game or something.

Fishing is boring for a reason. That reason is that nothing can be done to make it more interesting outside of making a player have to work to reel in that fish without breaking the line. Even then, it is still boring.

Boring is subjective. Many other games have more involved fishing mini games. There are also objectively games dedicated only to fishing gameplay that people buy. It's niche but successful. So, to say there's nothing that can be done to make it more interesting is just not accurate. Perhaps there's nothing that could be done to draw your interest, but there's objectively stuff that can be done to make fishing more enjoyable and interesting to the kinds of people who enjoy fishing. And the developers would be aware of that. Most likely, nothing's been done simply because it's a low priority activity not a lot of people engage in, rather than the devs intentionally designing content to be dull.

I never understand this argument when arguing the toss by bringing other games into the equation. What happens in say, Skyrim, any other mmo or even a dedicated fishing simulator has no bearing to what we have got in ESO. ESO's fishing should be judged on its own merits. It is bad/boring for many people. Just because another game does it worse or is more involved doesn't take anything away from what people are complaining about in ESO.

berunhieyes

I think you missed an important improvement: Let us fillet fish stacks instead of one at a time.

I think most people would accept it if it were restricted to being done at cookfires like refining materials for equipment. Even if each type of fish had to be filleted separately, it would still be better than mindlessly pressing E or using an add-on to do it for you while you take a nap.

bathynomusESO

We have a most beautiful world in ESO, stunning graphics. Please give us better fishing. As I mentioned earlier, Trophy Bass 2, New World. We could have that here.

Parasaurolophus

It is important to keep in mind that eso is not a sandbox. The game does not have any interesting and complex system of crafting, trading, fishing. ESO is 90% combat content.

bathynomusESO

Parasaurolophus wrote: »

It is important to keep in mind that eso is not a sandbox. The game does not have any interesting and complex system of crafting, trading, fishing. ESO is 90% combat content.

Not to late to make improvements, polishing the game. These devs resurrected a game that many considered lost. These devs are fighting hard for this game. They did not give up, they made things better.

nb_rich

You know I totally forgot you can fish in the game lol. Think i only did it once for a mythic lead and thats it. What do you get out of fishing ? If your able to cook the fish and make some really good buff food then thats cool