5 MMORPGs That Offer The Ideal Fishing Experience

MMORPGs are known for a lot of things: grand stories and adventure, offering something to do with your friends, raids and dungeons, and ever-changing combat mechanics. Of course, there’s a more relaxing side too. All that crafting and gathering and making as much in-game money as possible.

And then, of course, there’s the fishing. Yes, it’s generally one of the gathering types. But it’s not the same. You’re not walking up to a node and grabbing items. You’re heading to a body of water, choosing the right bait, maybe the right time, and spending hours trying to catch that big catch. For some, it can make or break the game.

The good news is, there are plenty of options out there. And we’re going to cover them here. Just remember, in most cases, you will still have to play the rest of the game, at least a little, in order to really take advantage of the fishing. But that’s the way these things go. You can’t just run off and live by a lake. You have to play hero too.

These are in no particular order because honestly, it depends on your taste.

World of Warcraft

If you hit up Reddit and ask around, people are going to suggest World of Warcraft. Some called it “comfy” and others have said it’s what keeps them in, or coming back to the game. It’s part of the game’s professional system and it’s pretty easy. You just cast and wait. If you’re just wanting to chill while watching a show or something, it’s a solid option.

Palia

As Palia is a cozy survival game, it only makes sense that fishing would be a bit part of it. It’s also a good way to make money, which is always helpful in games where there’s a lot of gardening, house building, and the like going on. The fishing system requires players to be selective about their casting locating, holding left-click until they’ve found the spot they want the cast to land. Once the fish bites, there’s the matter of reeling it in, which requires keeping the fish within green lines and filling a meter.

Lord of the Rings Online

For players of LotRO, it’s apparently all about the scenery. That’s it. Just nice, relaxing scenery. Sometimes that’s really all you need.

Final Fantasy XIV

And then there’s fishing in Final Fantasy XIV. One of the game’s gathering jobs, it requires just as many buttons as a combat job. However, some of those buttons are for the underwater spearfishing that players will be able to take part in later in the game. XIV’s fishing somewhat about timing as well. Some fish will only pop up at the right time of day and in the right weather. Or, you’ll need to fish up one fish to catch a bigger fish with. And then, of course, there’s the ocean fishing that runs every two hours and rewards players for hitting certain milestones.

Black Desert Online

BDO has fishing for two kinds of people, the kind that wants to go do something else and let the game do the work, and “hotspot fishing” which requires players to navigate a boat to specific locations to get the better fishing. This requires a fishing mini-game as well.

All of these are good options depending on what your own style is. And many of them are good ways to make a bit of extra in-game cash. Of course, if you’re only looking to play an MMORPG for fishing, it might be worth checking to see if it has a subscription or not.