Splish splash, Warriors of Light! The Final Fantasy XIV streamer and content creator MrHappy1227 landed an interview with the team responsible for fishing in FFXIV. Answering his questions is Ryuta Suyama, the lead of the Non-Combat Content Design team. Read on to learn about the developers’ considerations surrounding legendary fish, spearfishing, and ocean fishing!
Make sure to listen to MrHappy’s video to learn his motivation behind the questions and his perspective! We’ve done our best to summarize the content, but it’s best to read MrHappy’s interview yourself!
The Purpose of Big Fish
Legendary fishes, or big fish, were designed to build upon the player’s immersion within the world of FFXIV. While the other gatherers collect materials used in crafting recipes, legendary fish don’t hold the same kind of practical value. Still, both real life and in game anglers feel great excitement when catching a particularly elusive or rare fish. The reward is in the catch itself!
When creating new big fish, the lore for the fish needs to be completely fleshed out first. Their habitat, preferred weather, active time windows, and diet are all planned out before they begin implementing it to FFXIV. Catch conditions and requirements within the game are tailored to fit to the lore rather than the other way around. Be sure to read the flavor text for the next big fish you catch! ✨
Big fishes added in later patches, like in x.4 and x.5, generally have harder catch conditions or less frequent windows. That way, players can feel a sense of progression both in their own growth as anglers and in the difficulty of big fishes.
Where are Big Fish for Spearfishing?
While adding big fish to spearfishing is a consideration, the developers want to be extra careful. Spearfishing is simpler when compared to regular fishing. You just aim to hit the fish as it swims across your screen, without many other considerations like bait or weather. Adding big fish to this system without sacrificing the feeling of accomplishment is difficult. They don’t want to make conditions that are unreasonable or frustrating to make up for the simpler system.
Speaking of spearfishing, it has been years since Stormblood and people are curious about potential upgrades to the spearfishing gig. The team wants to go beyond aesthetics or stat sticks when considering a new gig without breaking the gameplay balance. For example, adding a gig with a different shape or hitbox could inadvertently lead to brute forcing catches without utilizing spearfishing-specific actions. For now, we’ll have to stay tuned to see what they can cook up for new gigs!
What’s Next for Ocean Fishing?
The team has a lot of ideas that they’re mulling over for what big things they can add to ocean fishing. For example, what if a giant sea serpent appeared and the whole boat needed to work together to reel it in? How about secret or hidden boat routes that needed players to prepare for in a group beforehand?
However, they are currently working on the development of Evercold! And as such, ideas will need to wait for a later date. If you’re a fisher extraordinaire, you’re probably patient enough to wait for more. 🎣
An extra little tidbit from the interview was that new fish are coming in Patch 7.55, which releases July 28th, 2026! Scheduled for almost right after the conclusion of the Berlin Fan Festival, side content enjoyers are in for a veritable feast. We’ll be getting Hildibrand, Occult Crescent and Phantom Weapons, and now more fish!
Remember to keep an eye on Icy Veins for coverage of the Berlin Fan Festival’s keynote!
