Like just about every JRPG these days, Tales of Arise includes a fishing minigame. When you fancy a change of pace from liberating the land, you can head to a fishing spot and cast a line into the water in search of rare and delicious creatures.
It’s actually one of the more in-depth RPG variations of fishing out there, so you’d be forgiven for missing a few of the finer points. Here’s our full guide to fishing in Tales of Arise, featuring our key tips along with the locations of all fish, rods and lures.
- RELATED: Tales of Arise review (spoiler-free)
How to unlock fishing in Tales of Arise
Fishing is first introduced when the party encounters the Fishing Expert on Talka Pond Road, just after passing Viscint and acquiring all six playable party members. This is unlocked automatically so don’t worry if you have spotted blatant fishing locations throughout your travels but been unable to interact with them. Your time to fish will come.
How to fish in Tales of Arise
There are three main phases to fishing in Tales of Arise, which are fully explained in turn.
Casting
When Kisara looks out into the water, you will see bubbly areas along with occasional fish jumping out of the water. Move the cursor to one of these spots and it will change from blue to a yellow/golden colour. Cast with R2 in these spots to attract the most fish, though it’s worth noting that you can actually catch fish elsewhere and sometimes this may even be preferable if you are after a specific fish and don’t want others getting in your way.
Before casting, you can change your rod and lure with triangle – doing this will also bring up the list of fish available in the fishing spot. The ones you’ve caught previously will be highlighted in green.
Baiting
Once your line is cast, a new screen will show a series of fish that can be lured to your bait along a line where the fish start on the right hand side. You’ll have to press buttons to perform a soft shake, a hard shake or reel in your line.
Every fish has specific buttons and baits to lure them, so you will have to decide whether to start with a soft shake, hard shake or just reel in. Pressing one of these buttons once will cause a ring to appear and move towards a circular target. Pressing again will cause the fish to react, potentially drawing them closer to the bait. If you press the button when the ring is within the target, it will cause a bigger reaction and potentially attract the fish closer. Once a fish reaches the line on the left hand side, you’ve snagged them onto your bait and move onto the next phase.
Now here’s the thing that isn’t really explained that well – there are specific combinations that lure certain fish. Sometimes you’ll need a soft shake followed by a hard shake. Sometimes you just need to reel in. Try a few combinations and see what draws in the biggest crowd. It also doesn’t necessarily matter if you keep mistiming and pressing outside of the circular target. You’ll often still somewhat attract a fish.
Reeling in
When the dramatic music kicks in, things start to get serious. Your line’s health bar will appear near Kisara, along with the fish’s own health bar within the water. Your line’s health bar will deplete gradually over time but can be restored when you correctly press certain buttons when prompted.
The prompts will demand you either hold a directional button, which are always left or right, or perform one-off shoulder-button presses. When directions appear, holding down the signified direction will reduce the fish’s health bar and boost your line’s health in the progress.
Every now and then, the camera will slightly zoom in towards the fish which is where the shoulder button prompts appear, considerably depleting the fish’s health if you hit it in time. Get it wrong, or fail to press in time and your health bar will take a hit. If the health bar of the fish is depleted entirely before your line’s health bar, you’ll successfully catch it. If your own health bar runs out first, you’ll lose the fish.
Note that there is no punishment for failing – if a fish gets away at any point, you don’t expend any items. The only thing you lose is your opportunity.
Tales of Arise fishing tips to catch fish every time
With the basics covered, here’s how to actually succeed in catching a fish every time.
Guess directional prompts in advance
This is the most important tip. Once I cottoned onto this, I can honestly say I never ever missed a fish. The key here is to always have Kisara pulling one side or the other, and never leave her in a neutral position. There is no penalty for doing this unless you linger on the wrong direction after a prompt has appeared.
You will naturally sometimes guess wrong as the fish can change direction quickly, but when this happens Kisara can change directions very swiftly herself, so quickly press the opposite button to recover, before guessing again for next time.
For instance, lean to the right and if the directional prompt also goes right you will gain a large bonus that will massively push you towards the green. If you guessed wrong, simply move to the other side immediately, like you would anyway. You may lose slightly more ground this way but the huge gains you make when you guess correctly will more than make up for this.
With your initial rod (Migal’s Rod) you may get unlucky and miss out on a few fish, but after acquiring the Novice Tackle you should be able to catch everything.
Always pick the best lure for the job
Every lure has a particular set of fish that will be more easily attracted. As soon as you start fishing, press the Triangle button and check which fish are available at the spot. At this point, scroll through each lure you have in your possession and simply pick one that corresponds with the fish available in the spot. Before long, you’ll probably have multiple lures that will attract different fish in each area, so decide which fish you’re aiming for (most likely the ones not highlighted in green) and cast away. It’s very common to change lures all the time, and there is no need to get attached to any specific one.
Manipulate the bait accordingly
The baiting segment is actually important to understand if you want to catch every fish.
Firstly, the fish have individual graphics which will indicate which type they are, so take note of which fish you have caught so you know which fish you are trying to avoid.
Secondly, it is often possible to manipulate which fish you can catch, even when this doesn’t seem obvious. When aiming for the circular target, there are six outcome possibilities for each button press (based on Playstation controls):
- Cross inside the target circle
- Cross outside the target circle
- Square inside the target circle
- Square outside the target circle
- Triangle inside the target circle
- Triangle outside the target circle
Now, each of these may cause the fish to behave differently and some will cause no reaction at all. The most complicated scenario is that the fish you’re aiming for will be attracted by the bait at the same time as a fish you have already caught. Once they’ve both zoomed towards the left, next try landing each button outside of the circular target. You may find that there’s a button that pushes the fish you don’t want back whilst not affecting your desired fish as much.
When this happens, attract both fish together, then spam the button that repels the fish you don’t want before attracting them again. Repeat until your desired fish is close enough to catch whilst the other fish is far enough behind to avoid. With some careful tactics, even if it seems impossible you may indeed be able to lure the right fish.
Note: sometimes it is simply impossible to catch certain fish without the correct lure.
Can you change characters whilst Fishing?
No. The only character able to fish in Tales of Arise is Kisara. I suspect most people won’t mind – Kisara is awesome.
Where are all Tales of Arise fishing spots?
There are 12 different fishing spots in total. Most are hard to miss, but there are also some tough ones to reach. For the sake of completeness, here are all 12 fishing spot locations in Tales of Arise:
Calaglia: Cave of Solitude – This location is connected to Kyrd Garrison, on the Western side of the map. Like the next few locations, it can be found early in the game but you cannot fish there until you have spoken to the Fishing Expert outside Viscint.
Cyslodia: Nevira Snowplains – This one’s down a narrow pathway in between Rudhir Forest and the Fountain Plaza of Cysloden.
Cyslodia: Frozen Valley – Just before crossing the bridge towards the Safar Sea Cave, head to the left to a small enclosed area that contains a fishing spot.
Menancia: Overseer Hill – After reaching the realm of Menancia, simply head down the mountain where you should easily see this fishing spot.
Menancia: Talka Pond Road – You can’t miss this one. When walking down the road after Kisara and Dohalim have joined your party, you’ll be approached by the Fishing Expert who will explain the fishing mini-game and reveal the fishing spot.
Mahag Saar: Adan Lake – This is an optional area connected to Aqfotle Hills. Once you’ve found it, head to the Southern end of the map where there is a campsite and fishing spot into the vast lake.
Mahag Saar: Adan Ruins – This is towards the bottom of the map on the Western side, relatively near the Hidden Wharf but before the campsite.
Mahag Saar: Hidden Wharf – This won’t be available when you first reach the Hidden Wharf, but don’t panic. Once you have cleared Mahag Saar and Ganath Haros, return here and speak to Mahavar, who will give you the option of visiting a specific fishing spot out at sea.
Ganath Haros: Shinefall Woods – As you journey up the hill, the path branches off numerous times. From the direction you leave Thistlym, head towards the right hand side to find another fishing spot.
Ganath Haros: Lavtu Marshlands – Find this by heading right into the corner of the map on the upper level. It’s fairly close to the entrance to Pelegion, but you’ll have to cross the water to the South.
Ganath Haros: Fogwharl Limestone Caverns – This fishing spot is unlocked by completing the “Untamable Rage” quest, which becomes available shortly after clearing the main dungeon of Ganath Haros (but not immediately after). The quest is available from a man in Thistlym, which entails you going into a cavern in the water at the Southern corner of Shinefall Woods.
You’ll need to make your way through the caverns and beat a difficult boss to reach the fishing spot. At the point this quest is available, it can be very tricky to complete. There is a campfire and a fast travel spot just before the boss, so if you manage to reach this you can always return easily when you’re stronger.
Uninhabited Island – If you’re missing a spot in your Records, it’s likely this one. Once you have unlocked the final area of the game (you’ll know when you’re there), backtrack to Tuah Seashore in Ganath Haros which will automatically trigger a scene and start the quest “Beyond the Grave”. After this, speak to Mahavar at the Hidden Wharf and the Uninhabited Island will now be available. On this island is the final fishing spot. You don’t actually need to complete the quest in order to find the fishing location.
All Tales of Arise fish locations
There are 44 different fish in total scattered around the various fishing spots. Here are details of which fish are found in each spot. Note that numerous fish can be caught in multiple locations.
Calaglia – Cave of Solitude
- Cave Sea Bass
- Amber Mackerel
- Coral Flatfish
- Karasuba Sea Bream
- Lacerda Salmon
Cyslodia – Nevira Snowplains
- Pond Tilapia
- Berserker Piranha
- Tricolored Catfish
- Polar Bass
- Nevira Piranha
- Armored Sturgeon
Cyslodia – Frozen Valley
- Hawksbill Trout
- Pearly Pike
- Polar Bass
- Azure Tilapia
- Cyslodian Salmon
Menancia – Overseer Hill
- Pond Tilapia
- Berserker Piranha
- Hawksbill Trout
- Menancian Bass
- Traslida Arowana
- Golden Catfish
Menancia – Talka Pond Road
- Dahnan Bass
- Pond Tilapia
- Hawksbill Trout
- Menancian Catfish
- Talka Trout
Mahag Saar – Adan Lake
- Dahnan Bass
- Berserker Piranha
- Tricolored Catfish
- Azure Tilapia
- Muddy Piracuru
- Aureum Arowana
Mahag Saar – Adan Ruins
- Hawksbill Trout
- Cave Sea Bass
- Emerald Salmon
- Lesser Piracuru
- Aqfotle Arowana
Mahag Saar – Hidden Wharf
- Vesper Sea Bass
- Sardonyx Grouper
- Garnet Sea Bream
- Blueback Tuna
- Mahag Saar Barracuda
- Silver Marlin
Ganath Haros – Shinefall Woods
- Dahnan Bass
- Ganath Haros Piranha
- Tricolored Catfish
- Ganath Haros Catfish
- Green Pike
Ganath Haros – Lavtu Marshlands
- Dahnan Bass
- Tricolored Catfish
- Lavtu Tilapia
- Lavtu Arowana
- Lesser Piracuru
- Cobalt Trout
Ganath Haros – Fogwharl Limestone Caverns
- Ganath Haros Piranha
- Pearly Pike
- Azure Tilapia
- Ganath Haros Catfish
- Fogwharl Pike
- Cygni Piracuru
Uninhabited Island
- Vesper Sea Bass
- Tsuyukasa Mackerel
- Mahag Saar Flatfish
- Zesti Grouper
- Gluttonous Barracuda
All Tales of Arise fishing rods and their locations
There are only five rods to find, which are mostly rewarded by the Fishing Expert:
- Migal’s Fishing Rod – the default rod you will obtain automatically
- Novice Tackle – rewarded by the Fishing Expert after catching 10 different types of fish
- Fish Sniper – rewarded by the Fishing Expert after catching 20 different types of fish
- Tenebrae Mk. III – rewarded by the Fishing Expert after catching all 44 different types of fish
- Alliance Marine Rod – obtained by clearing Kisara’s Ultimate Solo challenge at the Viscint Training Grounds
Note that Kisara is actually one of the easier Training Grounds to clear, since she can spam Guardian Field to heal herself. It is recommended to be level 60, but I was personally able to clear this at a significantly lower level. If you are underleveled you will likely end up in overlimit state regularly, meaning your Guardian Field won’t be interrupted. It’ll take a while but it’s possible.
All Tales of Arise fishing lures and their locations
There are significantly more lures than rods, with a grand total of 20 to find in Tales of Arise including some that have references to previous Tales games. Here is where you can find them all:
- Beginner’s Popper – the default lure you will obtain automatically
- Disarming Lure – Can be purchased from the inn in Cysloden
- Trembling Lure – Can be purchased from the inn in Viscint
- Charming Lure – Can be purchased from the inn in Niez
- Rock Slapper – Can be purchased from the inn in Pelegion
- Flaptrap – Found in a chest in Adan Lake
- Subsurface Mirage – Found in a chest in Adan Ruins
- Stick Lure – Found in a chest in Latvu Marshlands
- Bienfu Lure – Found in a chest in Forland Mountains Southern Hiking Trail
- Rappig Minnow – Rewarded for completing the quest “In-Sync”, found in the Fountain Plaza in Cysloden
- Zapie Doppleganger – Found in a chest in Fogwharl Limestone Caverns
- Celestial Whale – Rewarded for beating Kisara’s Novice Solo battle in the Viscint Training Grounds
- Mieu Sinker – Rewarded for beating Kisara’s Advanced Solo battle in the Viscint Training Grounds
- Elegant Swimmer – Given by the Fishing Expert for catching 3 different types of fish
- Portly Mudslinger – Given by the Fishing Expert for catching 5 different types of fish
- Round Popper – Given by the Fishing Expert for catching 15 different types of fish
- Marine Floater – Given by the Fishing Expert for catching 25 different types of fish
- Uber Spinner – Given by the Fishing Expert for catching 30 different types of fish
- Teepo Lure – Given by the Fishing Expert for catching 35 different types of fish
- Silver Fang – Given by the Fishing Expert for catching 40 different types of fish
Boss fish
There isn’t any notable difference when it comes to boss fish, except they have a health bar that’s twice as big as a regular fish and cause Kisara a bit of a shock when they take the bait! The actual process of catching them is exactly the same – it just takes a bit longer.
The following 6 fish are classed as boss fish, which have a different category in the Records section of the menu:
- Aureum Arowana
- Armored Sturgeon
- Cobalt Trout
- Cygni Piracuru
- Golden Catfish
- Silver Marlin
How to catch the Silver Marlin
Unlike most other fish, the Silver Marlin requires a unique approach.
This is a boss fish who can be caught in the fishing spot accessed via the Hidden Wharf. However, you will specifically require the Silver Fang lure to catch it, which unfortunately requires 40 (!) different types of fish to be caught before it’s gifted by the Fishing Expert.
This is one of the few fish that may require a stronger rod, but thankfully you’ll at least have the Fish Sniper by now which will definitely be able to do it. This is rewarded by the Fishing Expert after 20 fish so you’ll always get it before the Silver Marlin is available.
What are the rewards for fishing in Tales of Arise?
Catching all fish will reward you with the Godly Angler trophy. Along the way, these fish can usually be used as cooking ingredients for some decent recipes, and others can be sold for sizeable amounts of Gold. Boss Fish can ship for 3,000 Gald, which is a handy amount once you’ve got the hang of catching them.
Truthfully, by the very end of the game these rewards aren’t particularly worth going out of your way for unless you are aiming for the platinum trophy.
That’s just about everything you need to know about the fishing minigame in Tales of Arise, which should allow you to snag the Godly Angler trophy.
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