SquidFest
| SquidFest | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Festival |
SquidFest is a two-day squid fishing challenge on the winter beach, and it is the one event that turns a difficult catch into an easy one. Squid normally only bite after dark, but the visiting fishermen throw special bait into the water, so for two days they can be hooked at any hour. The reward structure is a ladder of four tiers, copper through to iridium, and each day has its own catch targets and its own prizes. Hitting the top tier on both days earns the 'Squid Kid' wall piece, a Squid Hat, a Pearl, a Treasure Chest and a fishing book, which is a very good haul for two days of casting into one spot.
Event
SquidFest runs on the twelfth and thirteenth of every Winter at The Beach, opening at ten past six in the morning and closing at two the following morning on both days.
It is a mini festival rather than a village one, and the valley carries on around it. Shops and homes stay open, including the ones at the beach, the clock keeps running, and farm animals are not treated as fed, so the hay still has to be put out before the rod comes out.
The squid are the whole event. A counter in the top-left corner of the screen tracks how many have been caught, and that counter resets between the two days, so neither day's effort carries into the other. A sign to the left of the booth lists the catch targets for each tier.
A crowd of outsiders fishes alongside the farmer, and their comments are worth a lap of the beach. A Fisherman explains that the special bait is what has the squid active in daylight. A Mariner says the cold makes him feel tough, like a piece of jerky, and that warm air makes him feel like a pudding. A Fishing Pro asks for quiet because squid are shy, then invites the farmer to fish there anyway. A Squid Chef admits he is only there for the bulk prices.
Shop
The booth is a prize counter rather than a shop. Talking to the fisherman behind it offers either an explanation of the event or a chance to claim whatever has been earned. Everything available can be claimed in one go, and if the bag is full the unclaimed prizes drop on the sand around the farmer.
On the twelfth the targets are low. One squid secures the copper tier and twenty Deluxe Bait. Three reaches iron, which guarantees a Dish O' The Sea and then gives either ten Winter Seeds or two Mystery Boxes, chosen at even odds. Five reaches gold for a Pearl and three Coffees, both guaranteed. Eight reaches iridium for the 'Squid Kid' picture, plus The Art O' Crabbing if it has not already been handed over, and three Mystery Boxes and a Seafoam Pudding if it has.
On the thirteenth every target rises. Two squid earns copper and a Trap Bobber. Five earns iron, a guaranteed Dish O' The Sea plus either fifteen Winter Seeds or three Mystery Boxes. Seven earns gold, a Treasure Chest and three Triple Shot Espressos. Ten earns iridium and the Squid Hat, again with The Art O' Crabbing on a first run and the Mystery Boxes and Seafoam Pudding afterwards.
The Pearl on the first day and the hat on the second are the prizes worth chasing. A Pearl is one of the game's few universally loved gifts and sells high, and the Squid Hat and the 'Squid Kid' picture cannot be had anywhere else.
Notes
Squid Bait makes the whole thing straightforward. Crafting a Bait Maker before Winter and feeding it a squid produces bait aimed squarely at squid, which cuts the time needed to reach the iridium target to a fraction. The machine can be carried down to the beach as well, so more bait can be made out of the day's catch, and using a squid that way does not reduce the counter.
Wild Bait is the alternative, since it gives a chance of pulling two squid from a single catch and both of them count towards the target.
The beach map is not swapped out for this event, which is unusual and useful. A chest left on the sand beforehand or placed during the festival stays put and is not cleared away afterwards, so it works as an overflow bag for a long day's fishing.
All Festivals
Every entry in this group, with its key details.
