Destiny Rising Fishing - Best Spots & Minigame Guide

Fishing in Destiny Rising is a funny fleshed-out system that rewards you with gear, tokens, and even hidden lore. And in this Destiny Rising Fishing Guide breaks down everything you need to know: how to unlock fishing, where the best spots are, and how to catch those elusive rare fish. It's time to fish!

How to Unlock Fishing in Destiny Rising

Fishing isn’t unlocked right from the start, and that’s a good thing. It gives you time to get familiar with core combat and story before adding a slower, progression-based activity. You’ll gain access once you clear Chapter 2-3 of the main campaign. At that point, a new side quest pops up: “Hook, Line, and Lightbearer.”

• Quest NPC: The Old Angler, an NPC you’ll find leaning by the pond in the Heaven Hub. He introduces the basics and provides your first gear.
• Requirement: Complete the story step “Echoes of the River” to unlock his quest.
• Quest rewards: A Wooden Rod (the starter tool) and 10 Standard Bait, just enough to get you hooked on the system.

After completing the quest, the fishing icon is permanently added to your activity wheel. You can now approach water with ripples in it and start fishing. Your very first fishing holes will be the small starter ponds scattered around Heaven.

Mechanics in Minigame

This minigame is easy enough to chill with, but has some tricks if you want to master it. Timing and patience matter a lot, especially when you go for rare fish. Here’s the full loop explained step by step:

• Casting: You’ll see faint ripples in the water where fish are active. Aim your cast and hold down to charge throw distance. Distance matters! Some fish only appear further from shore.
• Bobber phase: Once cast, watch your bobber closely. It will bob lightly, then dip sharply when a fish bites. Pulling too early = instant fail, pulling too late = lost fish.
• Reeling phase: After hooking, hold the reel button. A stamina bar appears on screen, green is safe, yellow is tense, and red means you’re about to snap the line. The trick is to stop reeling when it flashes red and resume once it cools down.
• Rare fish phase: Exotic or rare catches often enter a “struggle mode.” Quick-time prompts (like pressing directions) appear. Miss too many, and the fish escapes. Nail them, and you secure some of the rarest catches in the game.

The deeper the water, the higher the chance you’ll enter a rare fish phase. If you’re farming for exotics, skip shallow ponds and target deeper lakes or late-game fishing locations.

Fishing Gear & Bait

Fishing progression in Destiny Rising relies on gear upgrades just like combat, though here it’s more about efficiency and rare-catch probability.

Rods:

• Wooden Rod - starter gear; breaks easily.
• Iron Rod - more durability, slightly higher rare fish chance.
• Steel Rod - durable enough for heavy farming; unlocks at mid-level fishing.
• Exotic Rods - event or late-game unlocks, with the highest exotic fish chance.

Bait:

• Standard Bait - works everywhere but has the lowest exotic chance.
• Glowworms - increases rare/exotic fish chance, especially in deep water.
• Void Minnows - specialized bait for event-exclusive or late-game exotic fish.

Durability: Each catch attempt consumes a little rod durability. If durability runs out mid-session, the rod breaks and you’ll need to repair or replace it. Repairs can be done with the Old Angler in Heaven Hub for a token fee.

Save special bait for late-game or event zones. Use standard bait in starter ponds to grind Angler Tokens and EXP without wasting rare materials.

Fishing Progression

There’s a clear sense of progression tied to your Fishing Skill Level. Every fish you catch grants EXP, and as your level rises, you’ll unlock new perks in the Fishing Ability Tree.

Here are the main perks you can unlock as you level:

• Faster reel recovery: reduces downtime when the stamina bar overheats.
• Lower bait consumption: sometimes lets you keep bait after a catch attempt.
• Higher rare fish chance: boosts the odds of entering the special “struggle phase.”
• Reduced rod durability loss: lets you fish longer before needing repairs.

Your current Fishing Level and perks can be tracked in the Handbook - Professions tab.

Don’t rush only for rare fish early. Grinding common catches still builds EXP, and those levels unlock perks that make exotic fishing much less frustrating later on.

Best Fishing Spots

Not every body of water in Destiny Rising is created equal. Some are just for beginners, while others hide rare species and exotic loot.

• Heaven Ponds (Starter Zone): Your first fishing spots. They’re safe, easy, and perfect for practicing timing. You won’t find exotic fish here, but it’s a good place to farm Angler Tokens and build your early Fishing Skill Levels.
• Twilight River: Unlocked around Chapter 4 of the story. These waters grant more EXP per catch and have a chance at uncommon fish types. A strong step up from starter ponds, and worth farming until you can handle Harandar.
• Sunken Gardens: Found in the fungal jungles of Harandar, the Sunken Gardens are home to rare fish species and even drops of exotic bait. You’ll want a stronger rod here, as fish are tougher and lines snap more easily.
• Stormshore (Seasonal Event Zone): Appears only during specific events. While dangerous due to nearby mobs, it’s also one of the best Destiny Rising fishing locations in the game. Exotic catch rates skyrocket here, and many event-only species can’t be found elsewhere.

As you progress through the campaign, more fishing holes will naturally unlock, often tied to new zones or story arcs.

Where to get bait: If you’re running low, Pandora-7 in Heaven sells daily packs of Standard and specialty bait. Fishing itself can sometimes reward extra bait, and seasonal events often hand out premium types like Void Minnows.

Final Thoughts

Between Proficiency perks, rod progression, and location scaling, it rewards both casual players who just want a break from raids and grinders looking to squeeze every bit of value out of the system.

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