Chapter 65: New Territory Expansion

Chapter 65: New Territory Expansion

[Guide] Darklands New Mechanics: Fishing Mastery

Poster: Shuai Yi Gan

Content:

Before diving into the new mechanics, let me briefly introduce myself.

In real life, I'm an experienced angler who loves casting a few lines during holidays.

However, I live in Yunwu City, which was hit by the Mechanized Legion's mutation bombs. Many fish species in our waters underwent mutations. In recent years, these fish seem to have developed intelligence and avoid biting hooks entirely, making fishing much less enjoyable.

So I decided to experience the thrill of fishing in a virtual game.

Fortunately, I managed to secure one of Darklands' second wave of purchase rights and entered the Monster World.

My initial attempts at fishing in the game didn't go smoothly.

My biggest obstacle was my low combat level.

Even the weakest monsters in Monster World are stronger than my basic human form. Aquatic creatures can't be pulled ashore without a strong physique - I'd just get dragged underwater.

To solve this, I joined guild friends for hunting and leveling up.

Today, my Gargoyle class has reached level 12, so I've decided to start my fishing journey.

With my strength issue resolved, let me share detailed information about how to fish in this game.

The game's marketplace has no fishing equipment for sale, so all fishing gear must be crafted manually.

After a week of experimentation, I've created a set of basic fishing tools I'd like to share. If you have better ideas, please post them in the comments - I'll respond when I see them.

Here's my 1.0 version of fishing gear crafting:

- For fishing line, I use threads from Iron Shellworm silk, which has proven extremely strong through testing.
- For the rod, I use bamboo from the forests near Dizhong Mountain Range's Spirit Forge Valley. It's very flexible and perfect for beginners. In the future, I'll consider using stronger spirit plants wood, but I haven't found suitable materials yet (map coordinates marked).
- For hooks, I take broken weapons from the Ancient Battlefield and shape them with an axe (this was exhausting work). The strength reaches equipment quality level 3, which is sufficient for fishing (at least for my fishing spot where the aquatic life's hunting level is low).
- For floats, I use reeds growing near Turtleback Lake. The light, buoyant texture makes them ideal for fishing floats. Players can try using hollow reeds of appropriate thickness and length - they work great.
- For bait, I use a mixture of water and Offering Ration Can bought from the marketplace. I'm considering mixing fish meat with Offering Ration Can, but the cost is higher.

As for fishing spots, there are currently two confirmed locations: Stormwhisper Pond northwest of Ancient Battlefield (map coordinates attached) and Turtleback Lake (coordinates attached). Both locations have aquatic creatures that can be fished. I'll share more details about the aquatic species in these waters in future guides.

...

With the fishing gear guide complete, here are my successful fishing video and screenshots of my catch.

(Video attached)

(Red-scaled Fish Analysis Info screenshot)

(Red-scaled Fish - Fish Meat Analysis Info screenshot)

Just one last note - the fish meat is incredibly delicious. Once you taste it, you'll be hooked. I keep thinking about its flavor, and I'll catch another one later to try the grilled version (happy.jpg).

To summarize, fishing can provide Sacrificial Power benefits, physical enhancement Experience Points, and Evolution Points to upgrade monster levels.

While writing this guide, I'm already imagining fishing up hundred-meter-long creatures and even stronger aquatic monsters.

To me, fishing mechanics are incredibly fascinating with plenty of room for future expansion.

Most importantly, Monster World's aquatic life is incredibly diverse. Besides fish, there are various underwater monsters. Each fishing attempt is full of anticipation. I'm considering creating an underwater creature encyclopedia.

This is a gameplay mechanic discovered by an angler, and I'm sharing it with everyone.

...

Wu Quan's fishing guide quickly gained momentum on the forum and soon topped the 24-hour popularity list.

This was exactly what Wu Quan wanted to see.

He posted this guide specifically to attract more players to the fishing mechanic.

When writing the guide, he went into great detail, emphasizing the benefits fishing provides and describing the extraordinary taste experience of the fish meat.

After posting on the forum, it attracted a large number of players to discuss.

Nightfallapproach: No wonder this is a super high-freedom game world. It seems like every possible gameplay style can emerge. The appearance of an arms dealer already seemed crazy to me, and now we have a professional angler. I can't imagine what strange growth styles might appear in the future.

Beaverbeats: Bro, you're amazing! You handcrafted a full set of fishing gear. Paying 128,888 for Darklands feels like a total rip-off when the game has such high freedom. You're really treating this as a truly open world... Reading your description of the fish meat made me hungry! Are you interested in selling me one? The Offering Ration Can in the game has become tasteless to me. As a foodie, I'm really looking forward to tasting in-game delicacies. I've been thinking about trying some spirit plants before, and your description has raised my expectations. If interested, we can private message. I can pay cash for some fish meat.

Cute Kid: Although I'm not interested in fishing personally, I'm certain your guide will attract many players to try fishing. I can even imagine a hilarious scene - a muscular hunk standing on an endless sea, fishing for a sea beast kilometers long, then engaging in an intense battle when it surfaces. Theoretically, to fish powerful aquatic creatures, you need even greater strength as a foundation. Otherwise, it might be unclear who's fishing for who.

Game Bricklayer: Oops, you clearly haven't realized the impact of your guide. You mentioned in your post that the fishing line is made from Iron Shellworm silk. I had a lot of that and sacrificed it all to Imperial Omen. I expect this material will soon see a price surge. Players from the Hamster Faction must be ecstatic while I've suffered significant losses (Cai Shen Ye red-faced.jpg).

Shield Sword Power: Haha, thanks for the guide. While I still prefer monster hunting, I'm very interested in fishing. Like you, I'm a real-life angler. I've bookmarked your guide and will go fishing when I want to relax. Looking forward to tasting the fish meat you described. By the way, what fishing method do you use?

Shuai Yi Gan (Thread Starter) replies to Shield Sword Power: Basic rod fishing. If you're interested, you can develop other fishing methods.

Shield Sword Power replies to Shuai Yi Gan: How about using Psi-Blast Charges to blast fish (winking)?

Fishing Alone Through Eternity: Thanks for the guide. It's because of players like you who generously share knowledge that us newbies can learn and grow. I've decided to follow in your footsteps and become a fishing player. I'll start making fishing gear right away!

The Cat Who Seeks Delicacies: This is why I love browsing forums. You always find innovative gameplay styles. It's amazing to see your creativity. While I play in normal mode, you're playing in creative mode. I look forward to the growth of this new style. As a Hamster Faction member, I love collecting all sorts of oddities. By the way, my spatial satchel stores lots of Iron Shellworm silk. I've been reluctant to sell it until now, hehe.

...

Wu Quan's guide continued to gain popularity on the forum, attracting many fishing enthusiasts to discuss.

After learning they could grow stronger through fishing in Monster World, many players asked questions in the comments section.

Wu Quan patiently answered these questions while continuing to fish.

During this time, some players also offered opinions on rod material choices, mentioning they had seen better plants that could serve as fishing rod materials while exploring Monster World.

The subsequent influence of this thread exceeded Wu Quan's expectations.

The first to be affected was the market price of "Iron Shellworm silk", which skyrocketed.

Many players followed Wu Quan's guide to make fishing gear. The fishing line crafting required Iron Shellworm silk.

This previously low-tier material, which most players immediately sacrificed to Imperial Omen after obtaining, now experienced a price surge due to the emergence of the fishing style.

There were few players with stockpiles of this material.

All Iron Shellworms in Gloomspire Caverns were now slaughtered, leaving no way to obtain more. Each use of silk meant one less portion available.

Only a few "Hamster Faction players" who liked stockpiling goods still had these resources.

Players who had sacrificed their Iron Shellworm silk earlier were slapping their thighs in regret, cursing themselves for choosing to sacrifice when storing it would have brought at least tenfold returns.

At least until alternative fishing line materials were found, the price of Iron Shellworm silk would continue to rise.

This was the first time players realized that monster-dropped materials had other uses besides sacrificing them to Imperial Omen.

This made many players consider stockpiling materials, thinking that seemingly insignificant materials today might find new uses in the future and experience price surges.

Besides the fishing mechanic, the most discussed topic on the forum was the curious taste of fish meat. Many players in the comments section offered high prices for fish meat just to try it themselves.

This made many Grindstone Worker players see business opportunities.

As Wu Quan had hoped, his guide successfully opened up a brand new gameplay style in the game.

Although this style was still in its infancy with no professional advice available from other players, it was foreseeable that with the collective wisdom of the fishing community, the fishing mechanics would undergo wave after wave of upgrades, especially regarding fishing equipment.

As popularity continued to rise, many players flooded into Wu Quan's live stream. The previously empty live stream now had a rapidly growing audience.

During this time, Wu Quan caught an aquatic creature with hunting level 3.

It looked like a cross between a fish and a turtle, with a shell on its back.

The analysis information showed:

[Turtle Ray (Monster)]

Hunting Level: 3

Monster Introduction: A relatively common low-level aquatic creature in the Dizhong Mountain Range area of Pale Continent. This omnivore has wide food sources, using its acute sense of smell to search for aquatic prey. It primarily feeds on aquatic plants and algae, preferring to inhabit deep lake areas and favoring dark, quiet waters. During the day, Turtle Rays often hide in underwater caves or rock crevices, blending with their surroundings using camouflage abilities to avoid predators. They frequently emerge at night to forage.

...

Although the Turtle Ray looked strange, Wu Quan still chose to dissect it into meat. In front of the live audience, he skewered the meat strips on a wooden stick and grilled them over a torch.

The grilled fish meat had an enticing golden-yellow exterior.

Although the audience couldn't smell the aroma through the screen, the sizzling, oil-dripping meat made their mouths water.

Immediately, players started sending live chat messages wanting to buy some fish meat to taste.

Wu Quan ignored these requests.

In front of the live audience, Wu Quan took big bites while commenting on the fish meat's flavor.

During this time, Wu Quan was once again captivated by the delicious taste of the spirit-infused fish meat.

Although the fish preparation was simple - just grilled over fire without complex processes.

The fish meat maintained its natural tenderness and juiciness. The perfect cooking temperature locked in all the freshness and flavor. With each bite, he first tasted the crispy, slightly charred skin, followed by the delicate, sweet flesh. Indescribable deliciousness danced on his tongue, bringing endless satisfaction and pleasure to his taste buds.

After quickly devouring the grilled fish meat, Wu Quan gave a thumbs-up to the live camera (Guide's clone):

"Absolutely amazing! This is an experience you can't get in real life. You guys must try it."

...

Primordial Altar.

Qi Sheng naturally saw the guide Wu Quan posted.

This was exactly the result he wanted to see.

Like monster hunting, whether players fished for aquatic creatures to break down for food or killed them for Evolution Points and Sacrificial Power feedback, Qi Sheng could extract 30% of the benefits. Fundamentally, fishing was just another form of hunting.

His income suffered no loss.

More importantly, the birth of the fishing style opened up a brand new territory for containing Primordial Monsters.

Imperial Omen's self-creation had produced a vast number of Primordial Monsters. Besides the land and flying creatures, there were massive numbers of Primordial Monsters hiding in various waters and oceans of Monster World.

Compared to land-based Primordial Monsters, underwater Primordial Monsters were much harder to locate. Currently, there were no Primordial Monster Life Souls that provided underwater combat capabilities.

The emergence of fishing players undoubtedly filled the gap in containing underwater Primordial Monsters, opening up new territory.

This development brought only benefits to the player army's growth.

The development of fish meat also touched on Qi Sheng's considerations for future plans involving crafting spirit-infused foods to gain growth attributes as a secondary profession.

In Qi Sheng's vision, the player army needed not only strong combat capability but also a large group of functional support players specializing in innovative development in other fields to provide side growth assistance for the player army.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end