Did you know that August is National Fishing Month? We’re sure you Explorers have been doing lots of fishing since the arrival of The Sunken Sea Biome, and there are over 20 individual fish to catch in Core Keeper so far, plus lots of other fishable loot. We wanted to celebrate our fishing system, which wouldn’t exist at all without our amazing community, so read on to find out how it all works.
Where Did Core Keeper’s Fishing Mini Game Come From?
We hadn’t always planned to include fishing in Core Keeper, though it was something we were considering in the early stages of development. Initially, we were focusing a lot more on balancing the game and developing features like boss scanners and the skills system, but the community began asking whether or not there would be a fishing system in the game after we showed off some images of water in the Dirt Biome.
There was such a strong interest from the community, and this made us realise it was something we wanted to start working on right away. Things were going according to schedule, so we were able to allocate a little time to developing the fishing mini game, and we announced this in October 2021!
How Does Fishing Work in Core Keeper?
Fishing is a mini game that requires a fishing rod and a body of water. The basic mechanics are as follows…
- Equip the fishing rod, approach a body of water, then hold the right mouse button to cast your lure. If you come across a patch of water with lots of ripples, you might just have found a fishing spot, which will lower the waiting time on fishing and increase your chance of catching a fish instead of an item!
- Wait for the lure to wiggle, indicating that there is a fish (or item!) on the hook.
- Click the right mouse button to reel your line in.
- If there is an item on the end, this will automatically be added to your inventory. If there is a fish on the end, this will start the fishing mini game!
At the start of the mini game, you will notice two bars appear on the screen. The top one is a progress bar that shows how close you are to reeling the fish in, and the bottom one is the line tension bar; this shows how close the line is to breaking. The aim of the game is to reel the fish in towards the left-hand side of the top progress bar (by right clicking) without breaking the line.
Line tension increases whenever the fish tries to break free. This is indicated by the fish turning red and pulling towards the right-hand side of the progress bar. When the fish is trying to escape, you should stop reeling it in and allow it some slack, otherwise the line will snap. When the fish turns orange again, you can start to reel it back in. A successful catch requires the player to get the fish icon all the way to the left-hand side of the progress bar.
You’ll notice different fish have different patterns that will impact the tension bar, and you’ll have to familiarise yourself with these patterns in order to successfully catch each individual fish.
How do Fishing Rods and Bait Work?
Until you have a high enough fishing skill, certain biomes may require a higher level of rod in order to fish. You’ll know your skill level isn’t up to snuff when you begin to fish, nothing happens for a while, and you get the “I need better tools for these waters” message. So far, there are five fishing rod types in the game, ranging from Wood to Octarine!
We also added a brand-new Bait feature as part of The Sunken Sea Update! This allows players to craft Bait using the new Bait Workbench. Each Bait type has a unique effect on your fishing experience. Some make you more likely to catch fish over loot, others attract rarer types of fish, and there’s an aquatic creature in The Sunken Sea Biome that can only be summoned with a particular kind of bait…
What Kind of Loot Can I Fish Up?
That’s for you to find out! We want to encourage you to cast your rod in as many different biomes as possible, as each comes with its own unique fish and unique loot for the taking. You may fish up minerals, such as ores or valuable crystals; you might find useful resources such as scrap metal or fiber; you may even fish up accessories that’ll give you a little buff. Of course, there’s always the chance you’ll pull up a load of kelp. It’s anybody’s guess!
We hope you enjoy fishing as much as we enjoyed developing this feature. As we mentioned at the start of this post, it wouldn’t exist at all without your suggestions and enthusiasm! We’re always keen to hear more feedback from our community, and you can share your thoughts with us on the official Core Keeper Discord!