Quick Link: Get the FFXIV Ocean Fishing Spreadsheet guide here!
Quick Link: Get Empty Box's Ocean Fishing Macros (Indigo) or Ocean Fishing Macros (Ruby) resources!
So one of the newest features released in patch 5.2 was all for Fishers — the ocean voyage! This is for ANY level of Fisher. You could have just unlocked the job, be level 1 and do this. It’s fantastic for leveling, and for those at a higher level, there are rewards like a minion and a mount.
You unlock ocean fishing in Limsa Lominsa with a quest at the Fishing Guild. You then go to the docks next to the Arcanist Guild to talk to an NPC… and you’re ready to go. That NPC will tell you when the next ship is set to arrive — boats come in every two hours. They also will let you know what route to expect on the next voyage.
When it’s time to go, a quest marker will appear over the NPC’s head. You click it and are automatically put into a group and a boat of 24 people. You can also go in as a party, so you can bring your friends, or group up with other people on the dock!
Things to Know
Here’s a few things to know and do before you start:
- Each fish you catch is worth points – these points are added up at the end of your voyage and can earn you the achievement for the minion (5,000 points) and the mount (10,000 points)
- If you’re over level 50 and have scrips unlocked, you will get yellow scrips as well as XP
- The fish you catch go into your inventory like normal fish, so make sure you have plenty of inventory space before setting out!
- Buy at least one stack of 99 of the three bait that’s on sale from the merchant right next to the dock: Krill, Plump Worm, and Ragworm – only use these bait on the ship.
Spectral Currents
Here’s where it gets interesting. Each location the ship stops at (there will be three per voyage) has a different kind of bait that’s best to catch what’s called a Spectral fish (it will be a !!! fish). Each time you catch a Spectral fish, there’s a chance to proc what’s called a Spectral Current.
You REALLY want this! This is where you score the big points.
If you’re shooting for the minion and mount, the only way you’re going to get it is by procing the Spectral Current.
This appears to happen completely random. I’ve caught many Spectrals and have never personally procced a current.
Here’s the bait that you use in each area to have the best chance at catching Spectral fish:
- Southern Straits – Krill
- Galadion Bay – Plump Worm
- Northern Straits – Ragworm
- Rhotano Sea – Plump Worm
I’ve seen some debate about what to use at Galadion Bay, but for the most part, the community has settled on this. Sometimes someone on the ship will be calling out the bait, and sometimes not. So it’s good to have this list on a sticky note somewhere.
Your level and gear do not effect catching a Spectral or proccing. A friend of mine was only level 18 when she procced a current. It appears to be completely RNG.
You can also proc Intuition on a personal level based on the fish you catch, which allows you to catch a special green fish in each area for an additional achievement. If you’re level 80, you can also get white scrips for these fish.
I know there’s also a point where you can proc Intuition during a Spectral Current for a chance to catch a very special fish, but I’ve never done it. All of those details are in the spreadsheet I linked at the top.
I did manage to get the mount on two of my characters — but they were both level 80 fishers with Double Hook and tons of Hi Cordials to blow. Even then, it took some time, many voyages, and a lot of luck to get those mounts.
At this point, I’m just using it to level alts, so I’m taking a much more laid back approach to the voyages. Even in the 60+ levels, it’s very good experience! Much faster than any other route to level Fisher, and certainly pretty fun!
So even if you’ve never fished before, give it a shot. It’s a neat experience and I hope it’s a system they add to in the future. It certainly seems to be getting a lot of attention by the players!
