Worlds Part I, an update to No Man’s Sky released in July, made the game’s water more sensitive to wind, depth, and weather. After the update was released, an artist drew fan art of a character perched on the wing of a boat fishing, which inspired Hello Games to add fishing mechanics to No Man’s Sky. If you look at the No Man’s Sky community online, you’ll see a lot of people talking about wanting fishing functionality. If you’re one of them, keep an eye out for the game’s latest update, Aquarius, releasing today.
Aquarius is packed with new features centered around fishing. You can fish alone or with friends if you feel more comfortable waiting for the fish to bite. You can sit on the shore and cast your line and wait for the fish to bite, but you can also set up automatic traps. You can also fish in the deep sea from the “Exo-Skiff” platform, which can be customized with colors and comes with an inventory to store the fish you catch. Occasionally, you can get items that don’t live in the water, such as messages in bottles or technology upgrades. The Aquarius update also includes a new expedition, Expedition 15. Completing various quests over the six weeks of the expedition will unlock customization options such as a deep sea diving suit, a special fishing rod, and the ocean-themed Aquarius jetpack.
According to the developers, the game will feature a wide variety of fish, “ranging from common small fish to wild alien prey,” some of which can only be caught using a fishing pot, which allows players to bait rare fish. Fishing can be enjoyed as a relaxing experience, but players can also challenge themselves by completing a fishing log or going on an exploration quest to find the biggest catch of the day.
Finally, you can cook up any fish you catch using new recipes that you can discover in the world of No Man’s Sky. However, it seems Hello Games plans to expand the game’s fishing mechanics, so more gear, competitions, and fish species may be added in the future. For now, if you love fishing mini-games as much as I do, you might want to pack a snack and get ready for hours of virtual fishing fun.
Update, Sept. 4, 5:50 p.m.: This story has been updated since publication with more details about the Aquarius update and Expedition unlocks.
