Pearl Abyss may insist that Crimson Desertisn't an RPG, but the game sure plays like one in all the ways that count. Case in point: it has a full fishing minigame, and players are quickly finding out it's not as straightforward as dropping a line and waiting.
Getting the Rod Isn't the Hard Part
Early quests naturally funnel players toward the Nas River Fishing Dock, located southeast of Hernand. That's where they'll find Finley, the proprietor of the Hernand Fishing Shop. His inventory is laser-focused on fish and fishing gear, but the key purchase here is a Small Bag alongside the Fishing Rod itself. Both are available for a modest fee.
Finding Finley is easy. Equipping what you buy from him is where things get interesting.
The Equip Screen That Trips Everyone Up
Here's the thing: the fishing rod doesn't slot in like a typical item. Players need to open their inventory, equip the rod, then hold Left on the D-Pad to pull up the equipment radial. From there, hover over the bow slot and use RT or LT to tab across until the Fishing Rod is highlighted in its place.
Once that's done, the rod becomes accessible through the same button normally used for the bow, which is LT on controller. It's an unintuitive system that's caught a lot of players off guard, and it's worth knowing before you spend ten minutes wondering why nothing is working.
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Don't skip buying the Small Bag from Finley. It's easy to overlook next to the rod, but you'll want it before you start fishing in earnest.
Reading the Water, Reeling the Fish
With the rod properly equipped, players hold LT and aim at a body of water. The cursor color tells the whole story: blue means fishable, red means move on. Cast by releasing LT, then use the left analog stick while holding LT to move the lure and draw fish in.
Blue cursor confirms valid cast zone
Shadowed fish will visibly approach the lure in the water. When one bites, players hit RT to set the hook. Then comes the actual challenge.
The fish fights back, swimming left and right, and players have to angle the rod in the opposite direction to tire it out. Watch the splashing animation: when it calms down, that's the signal to reel in by rotating the right analog stick. Thrashing starts again? Stop reeling, wait it out, repeat the process. One extra wrinkle: the line will snap if it catches on obstacles or nearby NPCs, so positioning matters more than it might seem.
When the fish is close enough, protagonist Kliff pulls it from the lure automatically. Players then choose to keep it or throw it back.
A Minigame That Fits the World
Fishing in Crimson Desert is a small thing in a very large game, but it reflects how Pearl Abyss has approached the whole project. The developer has already noted it will work to make improvements quickly as player feedback rolls in after launch, and the fishing system is exactly the kind of layered side content that rewards players who take the time to figure it out. For players still working through everything else the game has to offer, browse more guides to keep pace with what's being discovered across the whole experience. Make sure to check out more:
