There's no better time to start playing Genshin Impact than now, as there's actually more to do in the game other than Hilichurl depopulation or all kinds of roulette gambling. Now, thanks to update 2.1, fishing is a permanent addition to the game. It's also rather calm and can provide a respite from all the active grinding needed for progress.

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As with any new system or mechanic in Genshin Impact, fishing also has its complexities. There are techniques to be learned and knowledge to acquire in order to make fishing a painless and more relaxed activity. Here's what players ought to know about Genshin Impact's new pastime, which thankfully doesn't involve catching another Paimon.

Updated on January 14, 2022, by Scott Vengel: Entering the new area of Enkanomiya, Genshin Impact fans have seen a lot of unique sights in version 2.4's content. The water-based location offers plenty of new features, like puzzles that require players to use attacks at specific distances, interesting lighting mechanics, and other innovative features for adventure lovers. Yet, in addition to these innovations, Enkanomiya has also seen updates to older in-game features. For example, the new subregion also includes a few new varieties of fish in Genshin Impact's fishing system. Anticipating that some players may want to unlock the system to access these new fish types, this article will be updated to be more complete.

Gain Access to Fishing Through Katheryne from Mondstadt

katheryne in genshin impact

First up, how do players get started with fishing? That would be a simple as talking to Katheryne— the one in Mondstadt. If players are already doing commissions and claiming their daily rewards in Mondstadt's Adventurer's Guild, then chances are, they already have the Exploding Population quest offered by Katheryne.

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If she doesn't say anything about the quest or fishing, then players might want to check their Adventurer's Rank as the requirement is level 30 and above. Unlocking the Serenitea Pot housing system is also a must. Once all those conditions are met, the quest is pretty straightforward and serves as an adequate introduction.

Fishes are Either Ornamental for the Serenitea Pot or Currency for Items

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In case players missed it, fish in Genshin Impact have two main purposes. The first would be for currency. Fishes act as some sort of tokens that players can spend in order to get certain items or upgrade their fishing capabilities. The items are all different across the merchants or anglers from Mondstadt, Liyue, or Inazuma.

Then, there are also rare fishes that are mostly used as ornaments. These fishes fit best in the player's self-design home ponds in the Serenitea Pot. The game will usually indicate what type of fish the players have caught so it's easier to spot later on what they're looking for.

Each Class of Fish Responds to a Different Kind of Bait

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At the moment, there are four classes or main types of fish in Genshin Impact. One can theoretically classify them by size such as small, sharp-mouthed, flat, or large although the last three might have murkier classifications. This is important to note because each class of fish is attracted to a certain type of bait.

Most small fishes prefer the Fruit Paste Bait. Sharp-mouthed fishes might like Redrot Bait better. Flat and vertically wide fishes like the False Worm Bait. Finally, the large and long fishes— heavy-looking ones, love the Fake Fly Bait.

Players can find a complete table of bait information in Genshin Impact below:

Bait

Crafting Materials

Fish Type Advantages

Fruit Paste Bait

Wheat x1 Sunsettia x1

Medaka, Dawncatcher, Crystalfish

Redrot Bait

Fowl x1 Dendrobium x1

Lunged Stickleback, Betta, Venomspine Fish, Akai Maou, Snowstrider

False Worm Bait

Berry x1 Slime Condensate x1

Shirakodai, Angelfish

Fake Fly Bait

Horsetail x 1 Sakura Bloom x1

Koi, Pufferfish

Focus on Collecting All Kinds of Bait First

genshin impact bait

Since bait is the central resource required for fishing in Genshin Impact, it's best to focus the currency fish expenditures on obtaining them. Baits come in recipe form. Players can purchase these from Nantuck, the Mondstadt angler, and the person that will guide them through the fishing quest.

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Nantuck will give players the Fruit Paste Bait for free after the quest. Players will then have to spend a total of nine Medaka (small, red) fishes in order to obtain the other three bait formula. After that, they'll be able to craft their bait from the Crafting Stations.

Players Can Only Fish in Designated Fishing Spots

Genshin-Impact-Fishing-Points-Locations-and-Fish-Species

So, the quest is finally done but players are usually lost on what to do next. That's not alarming as the game actually only has a few select fishing spots. They're mostly far apart from one another and sometimes even located in unlikely or unexpected places.

That very well means players can't just walk up to any body of water and start fishing. Seeing some salmon or crabs in a pond also doesn't qualify those as fishing spots, oddly enough. The fishing prompt along with specific fish types will only appear in these designated spots below:

Mondstadt

mondstadt fishing spots

Liyue

liyue fishing spot

Inazuma

inazuma fishing spot 2

Before Fishing, It's Best to Stand Near the Edge of the Fishing Spot

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Now, once players have found their favorite fishing spots, it's time for some quick techniques. The game actually takes control of the camera once players have pressed the fishing spot prompt. The view can easily become limited afterward.

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That's why it's important to ensure that players have the most optimal camera view before they commit to fishing. It just so happens that near the edge of any body of land offers the best vantage point. This ensures that players will still see any fish that swims too close to the banks.

Don't Throw the Bait Too Near

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Speaking of being too close, some players might be wondering why some fishes are too shy or too panicked even if their favorite bait is thrown at their face. That's because that's not how it works. Players will only startle the fishes if they throw the bait at their faces or too near.

This will cause the fish to swim away. By then, players might have no choice but to recast the line and if they throw the bait too close again, then the frustrating cycle of timid fishes will repeat itself. For best results, it's best to throw the bait at least a foot away from the fish. Anywhere that's a foot away from their front or sides should catch their attention without startling them.

Fish Can Also Disappear if Not Caught

xiangling fishing

One good reason why players might not want to resort to too much trial-and-error is that the fishes have a limited time. After the players catch a fish's attention, an invisible timer will run. Once that invisible timer runs out, the fishes will start disappearing and the players will have to find another fishing spot or return later in the day for the fishes to respawn.

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Respawn time is apparently 24 hours more or less, per fishing spot. That's rather lengthy so it's best to maximize one's time and efforts in each fishing spot. If the players don't disturb them, then the fish in that spot will probably remain undisturbed.

The Kind of Fish that Spawn in a Fishing Spot is Random

genshin impact fishing animation

Another reason why players will want to make the most out of a fishing spot is that the kinds of fish that spawn there are typically randomized. One spot might hold small fish and then only produce flat fishes the next day. There's no pattern.

There is, however, an indication of what kind of fishes will spawn in certain spots. That's because specific items that can be bought from the anglers require different kinds of fish as currencies. So like in Genshin Impact's other endgame or late game activities, everything is dependent on RNG.

Players may want to pay special attention to the fishing spots where rare fish spawn. For example, Abiding Angelfish can only be obtained at the top of Mt. Aocang. In addition, some types of fish may only appear at certain times of the day or during specific types of weather.

Items Are Unlocked At The Fishing Association

split image of kujirai momiji, jiawei, and nantuck from genshin impact

In order to unlock items that relate to the fishing system in Genshin Impact, players will need to visit each nation's Fishing Association. The Fishing Association is a shop type in which fishing items are obtained in exchange for fish that the player obtains. The Mondstadt Fishing Association is unlocked in the quest "Exploring Population".

The Mondstadt Fishing Association can be opened by talking to Nantuck at the city's pier, with items like Redrot Bait and the Windtangler fishing rod. Likewise, Liyue's Fishing Association is located at their South Wharf with the NPC Jiawei, selling the Pool of Sapphire Grace furniture blueprint and Wishmaker fishing rod. On the other hand, Inazuma's Fishing Association will need to be opened by talking to Kujirai Momiji just outside Inazuma City.

Ignore the Better Fishing Rods & Collect The Catch First

genshin impact kujou sara fishing spot

What's not dependent on RNG when it comes to fishing is the act of reeling in a caught fish. The larger or rarer the fish, the more difficult it will be to wrestle it in. Still, it doesn't take much practice to get used to the reeling mechanic, just try to keep the meter at the center of the moving bracket.

It's more important to practice that because the upgraded fishing rods from each region are rather expensive. Players will do better in investing their caught fish for bait or in acquiring The Catch, which is a pretty good polearm that increases an elemental burst's damage and critical rate. If players have Raiden Shogun, The Catch can make for a decent polearm to have for her DPS builds.

The Catch can be a fairly intensive fishing reward to unlock, with the player needing to have the Inazuman Fishing Association unlocked. Once this organization is available, the player will need 6 Raimei Angelfish, and 20 Golden and Rusty Koi fish each. After unlocking the weapon, players will need Ako's Sake Vessel in order to refine the weapon.

Genshin Impact is available on mobile, PC, PS4, and PS5. A Switch version is also currently under development.

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