Fishing Guide
| Fishing Guide | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Occupations |
| Type | Occupation |
| Points | -2 |
| Skill Boosts |
|
The Fishing Guide brings the best fishing start in the game, with foraging and butchering skill to match. It suits a survivor who plans to live near water and eat from it.
The occupation costs 2 points from the trait budget. It starts with three levels of Fishing. It also starts with one level each in Foraging and Butchering. The Fishing Guide knows how to make and fix fishing rods, make and dismantle fishing nets and make chum base.
Fish are a food supply that never runs out. A lake or river beside a safehouse can feed a survivor for months. The Fishing Guide turns that water into reliable meals from the first cast. The foraging and butchering starts fill in the rest of the chain, from finding bait to cleaning the catch.
Fishing Guide Skills
Three levels of Fishing bring better catches from the first cast. Larger, heavier fish come up more often, and trash comes up less. Fishing gear is also less likely to break. The head start makes fishing a reliable way to eat early in a run.
Bigger fish matter for more than size. They are more filling and carry more fat.
Fishing experience comes mainly from landing a catch. Heavier fish give much more experience. Training therefore speeds up as the skill rises, because big fish turn up more often. Setting and checking a fishing net give a little experience too, and so does harvesting roe.
One level of Foraging widens the search radius a little. Wild food, bait and materials are easier to find.
One level of Butchering raises the quality of meat cut from fish and animals. Slicing fish into fillets trains the skill further. A fillet gives the same experience as butchering a small animal.
Each starting level shows as an experience boost at character creation. Fishing gets the largest boost of the three.
A new Fishing Guide starts with these skill levels.
| Skill | Levels | Skill Group |
|---|---|---|
| Fishing | +3 | Survival |
| Foraging | +1 | Survival |
| Butchering | +1 | Farming |
Fishing Guide Recipes
The Fishing Guide can make a fishing rod from scratch and fix one when the line breaks. Fishing nets can be made and dismantled. Nets catch bait fish without any work at the rod.
Chum base is also on the list of known recipes.
A rod with a lost line can be relined with a nail or paperclip and twine or fishing line. That keeps the Fishing Guide fishing even after a bad fight with a big catch.
A Fishing Guide knows these recipes from the start, with no book or magazine needed.
| Name | Image | Recipe | Crafting Materials | Tools | Skill | Station | Learned | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wire | 
|
Dismantle Fishing Net | 1x Fishing Net (Broken) | - | None | In Hand | Yes | /additem Base.Wire
|
| Fishing Rod | 
|
Fix Fishing Rod |
|
- | None | In Hand | Yes | /additem Base.FishingRod
|
| Chum | 
|
Make Chum Base | 1x Sack of Sand | - | None | In Hand | Yes | /additem Base.Chum
|
| Fishing Net | 
|
Make Fishing Net |
|
- | None | In Hand | Yes | /additem Base.FishingNet
|
| Makeshift Fishing Rod | 
|
Make Fishing Rod |
|
Large Knife | Carving: 0 | In Hand | Yes | /additem Base.CraftedFishingRod
|
How to Play Fishing Guide
A Fishing Guide plays best near a lake or river. A safehouse by the water gives an endless supply of food. Large lakes and rivers hold the best fish.
Good habits raise the catch rate. Casting at ripples in the water gives the best chance of a bite. Bait is needed to catch fish at all, since an unbaited line only brings up trash. Each kind of fish has its own taste in bait. Worms, insects, leeches, small bait fish and artificial lures all work.
Distance from the shore matters a great deal. A bobber close to the bank halves the chance of medium and large fish. It also doubles the wait for a bite. Casting at least eight tiles out gives the best results. Piers count as open water, so they make fine fishing spots.
Weather and time of day shape the bite. Fishing at dawn and dusk helps. Rain makes fish bite faster, while fog and wind slow them down. Temperature, the hook used and the local fish population also play a part.
Landing a fish takes some care. Reeling is a contest of line tension, and sloppy reeling can lose the catch. The Fishing skill makes snapped lines rarer.
The foraging start helps find bait, worms and insects. The Fishing Guide also has a strong foraging bonus for insects and handles weather and darkness better while foraging. Insects are more common at night. Worms and other bait show up more during and after rain.
Early goals include a rod, a supply of bait and a safe fishing spot. Zombies should be cleared from the shore before casting, since fishing holds the character in one place.
Pairing the Fishing Guide with the Angler trait adds another level of Fishing. Former Scout also adds a level of Fishing, along with Foraging and First Aid. Cooking skill turns the catch into better meals, so Keen Cook fits the plan too.
Notes
- Live near water to make the most of the Fishing start.
- Cast at least eight tiles from shore for the best fish.
- Fish at dawn, at dusk or in the rain for faster bites.
- Fishing nets gather bait while the character does other work.
- Slice fish into fillets to train Butchering.
All Character Categories
All Occupations
| Occupation | Image | Points | Skills |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blacksmith | 
|
-6 | Blacksmithing +4, Maintenance +1, Short Blunt +1 |
| Burger Flipper | 
|
+2 | Cooking +2, Maintenance +1, Short Blade +1 |
| Burglar | 
|
-6 | Nimble +2, Sneaking +2, Lightfooted +2 |
| Carpenter | 
|
-2 | Carpentry +4, Carving +1, Short Blunt +1, Masonry +1, Maintenance +1 |
| Chef | 
|
-2 | Cooking +4, Maintenance +1, Short Blade +1, Butchering +2 |
| Construction Worker | 
|
-2 | Short Blunt +2, Long Blunt +1, Masonry +2, Carpentry +1, Maintenance +1 |
| Custom Occupation | 
|
+8 | - |
| DIY Expert | 
|
-2 | Carpentry +1, Maintenance +2, Short Blunt +1, Masonry +1 |
| Doctor | 
|
0 | First Aid +6, Short Blade +1 |
| Electrician | 
|
-2 | Electrical +5 |
| Engineer | 
|
-4 | Electrical +1, Carpentry +1, Masonry +1 |
| Farmer | 
|
0 | Agriculture +4, Animal Care +1, Strength +1 |
| Firefighter | 
|
0 | Running +1, Strength +1, Fitness +1, Axe +1 |
| Fishing Guide | 
|
-2 | Fishing +3, Foraging +1, Butchering +1 |
| Fitness Instructor | 
|
-6 | Fitness +3, Running +2, Strength +1 |
| Lumberjack | 
|
0 | Axe +2, Strength +1, Maintenance +1 |
| Mechanic | 
|
-4 | Mechanics +4, Welding +1 |
| Nurse | 
|
0 | First Aid +3, Lightfooted +1, Fitness +1 |
| Park Ranger | 
|
-4 | Trapping +1, First Aid +1, Foraging +1, Knapping +1, Carving +1 |
| Police Officer | 
|
-4 | Aiming +4, Reloading +1, Nimble +1 |
| Rancher | 
|
0 | Animal Care +4, Butchering +3, Fitness +1 |
| Security Guard | 
|
-2 | Running +2, Lightfooted +1, Short Blunt +1 |
| Tailor | 
|
+2 | Tailoring +4 |
| Veteran | 
|
-8 | Aiming +2, Reloading +2 |
| Welder | 
|
-4 | Welding +4 |