The new update for 99 Nights in the Forest just came out, and it adds a fishing mechanic that’s way more helpful than players might think at first. In this guide, I’m gonna go over all of the basics that you need to know in order to start fishing, as well as what to expect as you try to check out the new content!
There’s also a video version of this guide below if you prefer that format. Subscribe if you want to stay up-to-date as well, cause I make these as often as I can!
Getting Started – How to Find a Rod & Start Fishing
In order to start fishing, you’ll need to find a fishing rod first. You’ll need to look for a building that’s above a small body of water. It’ll have a sign above the door that has a fish logo on it, so it’s pretty hard to miss.
There, you’ll find a set of old rods, just enough for a full team of five. You’ll also find the index board and crafting bench here, but we’ll get to those a little later.
Grab one of the old rods, which you spawn with if you’re using the fisherman class, and then walk towards any body of water, including the one just outside the building.
Cast your rod by clicking on the water, and then just wait for the minigame to start. Once a fish has taken the bait, you can try to reel it in through the minigame that appears. All you need to do is click whenever the red bar is in the green box. Keep doing that until the fish is yours!
There are also hotspots that will occasionally appear on a random pool of water in the map, indicated by constant ripples on the surface. You’ll know a hotspot when you see it, as it’ll look like this:
Completing the Fish Index/Catching Sharks
If you want to complete the fish index board, you will need to max out your campfire and explore the map. Excluding the snow biome, each of the other zones will have their own distinct bodies of water.
In the snow zone, you’ll have to look for those structures that have a small hole in the middle of its interior. Just know that these things do not have any warmth generation inside, so you’ll need warm clothes if you wanna stay here long without losing your ability to sprint!
In the starting zones, you’ll find the “low level” bodies of water that give mackerel and other kinds of junk, and I mean literal junk, as in items that you’ll just throw in the grinder for a bit of scrap.
Each type of fish, which there are currently 9 of, have a much higher chance to show up in certain places. If you wanna start fishing for sharks, which is required for another badge, you will need to go to the max level spots of the map, where bears are likely to attack you.
If you pay close attention to any body of water in the game, you’ll even notice the shadows of stuff that you can potentially catch there. For example, in the “max level” pools occasionally have shark silhouettes floating around.
Upgrading Your Fishing Rod
In order to upgrade your rod, you’ll just have to keep catching stuff until the exp bar on your screen gets full. A fisherman can do this quite easily because of its perks, but the class itself can be a pain in the rear to grind.
Once the EXP bar is full, the rod will briefly glow, and the game will notify you that you can now upgrade it. Luckily, the process is seemingly free. You just need to interact with the workbench in the building where you got the old rods.
It goes all the way up to “Strong Rod”, just like the axes, so you can’t get lost in the progression path!
Why Fish Anyway?
The importance of fishing extends far beyond the need for food. You see, fishing in this game also lets you get various items, including those that can and should be used for upgrading your camp.
Aside from just fish, here is a brief list of things I’ve managed to reel in while playing a single run:
- Revolver Ammo
- Lots of Scrap
- Bandages & Medkits
- Cultist Gems
- Gem of the Forest Fragment
As you can see, it’s essentially a source of infinite healing and a potential way to keep your stock of metal at base all topped up. The fish themselves are fine stamina regeneration options too, especially if you just got out of a hotspot! Overall, this new mechanic makes getting the 500-day badge so much easier with virtually endless supplies.
And that’s a wrap for my guide! Fishing itself isn’t all that complicated, but WOW the event is tiring to grind because it requires constant attention and, occasionally, forces you to try fishing in dangerous spots.