A survival game can't possibly be a survival game without some sort of fishing mechanic. Fortunately, Valheim, a Viking-themed game that drops players in the middle of a world infused with Norse cosmology, ticks that box off.
Fish are one of the many food sources in Valheim, extremely useful when it comes to restoring both health and stamina. The game's fishing mechanic is one of the more realistic out there, and unlike other survival titles like Minecraft, the requisite fishing rod cannot be crafted.
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Here's how to get the Fishing Rod in Valheim, and some tips for catching fish.
The Fishing Rod can only be purchased from Haldor, a small, blue-colored traveling merchant. He can be found randomly in the Black Forest, a particularly dangerous area, and he will sell useful items in exchange for Coins. Haldor will also buy precious items like Rubies and Amber.
His camp is pretty easy to spot from afar, as his cart and large cart-pulling beast stand out from the surrounding forestry. The Fishing Rod itself will run players 350 Coins. Players will also need to buy Bait from Haldor, as there's no other way to acquire it at this point. It costs 10 Coins for 50 Bait.
Once a player has bought a Fishing Rod and a good amount of bait, they will be able to fish at any body of water. It's easy to build a dock near a settlement if a Workbench is present, which will allow for further casts, which can net bigger fish.
Left-clicking with the Fishing Rod will send out a cast. Holding down left-click will send the cast further out into the water. There are a few cues to easily tell whether or not a fish is on the line.
- Sometimes it's possible to see a fish approach the Bait underwater
- There is a visible bobber. It will get pulled under the water when a fish is on the line, causing a distinct ripple.
- The water will make-- for lack of a better term-- a distinctive "bloop" noise when the bobber is dragged under.
Once a fish has taken to the Bait, then a player must quickly right-click to hook it, which, if done correctly, will bring up a "Hooked" prompt on the screen. At this point, holding down right-click will reel the fish in. It should be noted that stamina is used, quite rapidly, when reeling in a fish, so long casts can be hard to get a hang of.
To counteract this, it's possible to cast closer to the dock. 10-15 meters is the ideal length, as it's not too far to use up stamina, but it's far enough to attract bigger fish. Fishing is one of the more convenient ways to gather food, along with planting seeds or hunting boar, so it's well worth a little time investment.
Valheim is available in Steam Early Access now on PC.