WoW Forever is Blizzard's new take on vanilla World of Warcraft. It launches on November 4, 2026, and its beta capped characters at level 30. We read every Forever fishing guide, video and forum thread we could find and boiled them down to one Horde route, the new camp gear, where the money is, and what's still unsettled.
The beta capped characters at level 30, and Artisan fishing (the rank that takes you from 225 to 300) needs level 35. Everything from 225 to 300, including Nat Pagle's quest that unlocks Artisan, comes from Classic data and datamined tooltips. Confirm it when Forever launches on November 4.
Sources: WoW4Ever News · Icy Veins
You gain one skill point per fish you land, at the same rate in any water. Harder water only adds fish that get away.
Starter-zone water stops letting fish escape at skill 25, and capital-city ponds at 75. So you can sit in an Orgrimmar, Thunder Bluff or Undercity pond from 75 all the way to 300 and lose nothing on skill. Picking a zone is about which fish you want: cooking fish, gold, gems, or the four fish for Nat Pagle's quest. Speed doesn't change.
Sources: Icy Veins · Wowhead Forever guide · Zockify
Fishing has four ranks. Each one raises your skill cap, and each has a skill and character-level requirement.
| Rank | Cap | Needs | Where (Horde) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | 75 | About level 5 | Any fishing trainer. Starting zones: Lau'Tiki (Durotar, south of Sen'jin), Uthan Stillwater (Stonebull Lake, Mulgore), Clyde Kellen (Brightwater Lake, Tirisfal). |
| Journeyman | 150 | Skill 50 and character level 10 | Any trainer, 5s. Lumak (Orgrimmar, Valley of Honor dock), Kah Mistrunner (Thunder Bluff), Armand Cromwell (Undercity, Magic Quarter). |
| Expert | 225 | Skill 125 and level 20 | Book "Expert Fishing – The Bass and You" from Old Man Heming, Booty Bay (27.4, 77.0). 1g. It doesn't bind, so one person can buy for the group. Take the boat from Ratchet. |
| Artisan | 300 | Skill 225 and level 35 | Lumak's Horde-only quest "You Too Good." sends you to Nat Pagle on his island off Dustwallow (58.6, 60.0). His quest "Nat Pagle, Angler Extreme" asks for the four rare fish below. |
Sources: Icy Veins (trainers, book, Nat Pagle) · Graysfordays (level gates) · VezyRPG (Journeyman trainer window) · Classic WoW Forever (book doesn't bind) · "You Too Good." is from the Wowhead Forever database.
Sources: Dave The Gamer (coordinates) · Quissy and Wowhead Classic guide (raid-group rule)
Plan on about 1,000 to 1,250 catches from 1 to 300, about half of them after 225. A late-beta tester on the Blizzard forums timed 1–75 at 25–30 minutes, 75–150 at 45–60 minutes and 150–225 at 3–5 hours.
Fishing skill from gear stacks on top of your trained skill. Poles add a permanent bonus while equipped. Lures attach to the pole for 10 minutes (the Attractor for 5) and need a minimum skill to use.
Forever's tooltips show the Strong Fishing Pole at +45 and the Big Iron Fishing Pole at +42 (wofwforever). In Classic they were +5 and +20, and a beta tester in the Wowhead guide's comments says the tooltips don't match what the game actually gave. Plan with the Classic numbers below. If the big numbers turn out to be real, a 9-silver Strong pole beats everything until the Arcanite pole.
| Item | Bonus | Needs | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strong Fishing Pole | +5 | Skill 10 | Fishing vendors, about 9s, limited stock (Old Man Heming, Gritta Chumwater, most fishing suppliers) |
| Big Iron Fishing Pole | +20 | Skill 100, level 25 | Shellfish Traps underwater off Shadowprey Village, Desolace (about 5% in Classic). Beta reports disagree on whether the traps can be opened (see Disputes); the auction house had it for about 125g |
| Nat Pagle's Extreme Angler FC-5000 | +25 | Level 44 | Horde quest "Snapjaws, Mon!" from Katoom the Angler, Revantusk Village, Hinterlands |
| Arcanite Fishing Pole | +35 | Skill 300 | Prize for winning the Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza, the Sunday fishing contest |
| Shiny Bauble (lure) | +25 | Skill 1 | Fishing vendors, 50c. 10 minutes |
| Nightcrawlers (lure) | +50 | Skill 50 | Fishing vendors, 1s. 10 minutes |
| Bright Baubles (lure) | +75 | Skill 100 | Old Man Heming (Booty Bay), Kilxx (Ratchet), Gritta Chumwater (Riverglades); about 2s 50c. 10 minutes |
| Aquadynamic Fish Attractor (lure) | +100 | Skill 100 | Vendors, about 2s 50c, limited stock; or Engineering. 5 minutes |
| Wide-Brimmed Fishing Hat new | +25 | Skill 1 | A hat whose on-use puts a +25 lure on your pole every 10 minutes, plus 13 Stamina and 13 Spirit. Source unknown |
| Lucky Fishing Hat / Anglin' Boots / Eternium Line | +5 each | Turn in rare fish caught in Stranglethorn during the Extravaganza (Keefer's Angelfish, Brownell's Blue Striped Racer, Dezian Queenfish). You don't need to win the contest |
Sources: Icy Veins · Wowhead Forever guide · Classic WoW Forever (prices) · We Ding Again (hat) · VezyRPG (Big Iron on the auction house) · Wowhead Classic guide (trap drop rate)
Forever adds camps. Someone lights a campfire, and players place profession objects next to it that buff everyone sitting nearby for an hour. Fishing's three objects are crafted from the Bait and Tackle tab of the Professions window. All camp objects share a one-hour cooldown, and you lose camp buffs when you die.
Sources: Blizzard's campfire article · VezyRPG (Bait and Tackle)
The first fishing camp object. Made from 1 Raw Brilliant Smallfish and 1 Empty Vial. Everyone sitting nearby gets +8% to all stats; it doesn't stack with Blessing of Kings (the paladin buff) and needs a campfire. You learn it from the level-6 quest "Camping 101: Fishing". This is why everyone levels fishing to at least 20. Keep your Smallfish.
The second fishing camp object. Made from 2 Simple Wood, a Crystal Vial and 2 Raw Mithril Head Trout. Placing it gives you a one-hour buff that lets you catch bloated fish (green versions of the local fish that you open for gems and sometimes rings), plus lures and the Fish Bowl bonus. It needs a campfire nearby, replaces a Fish Bowl instead of stacking with it, and shares the one-hour cooldown of all camp items. Blueprint: Gelihast in Blackfathom Deeps, 1.21% on live Wowhead, or buy it on the auction house. To get the buff from someone else's rack, cast your line near it; sitting at their fire only gives the Fish Bowl buff. You lose the buff when you die; going back near any active rack, even the other faction's, refreshes it. The free lure and the bundled Fish Bowl buff failed for some players through the end of beta.
Wowhead · Wowhead (blueprint) · Blizzard forums · Blizzard forums (lure bug) · VezyRPG (Gelihast) · VezyRPG (death) · Blizzard forums (bug)
The third and top fishing camp object. Made from 5 Simple Wood, 2 Bolts of Runecloth and Seasonal Fish Steaks, which you cut from seasonal fish with the Chef's Knife. Lets you catch rare fish for an hour, gives lures and the Fish Bowl buff, and needs a campfire. The blueprint has no known source yet, even on live (Nov 7).
A new fishing tool that needs Fishing 275 and level 35. About 3s from most fishing vendors (82c from Katoom and Gritta). It turns Winter Squid and Summer Bass, seasonal fish that bite in winter and summer, into Seasonal Fish Steaks for the Fishing Hut. Reddit's "Fish Cleaver" is this knife.
Legacy is Forever's account-wide progression: challenges earn Legacy points, and points buy perks. Luremaster is the fishing perk, a chance at an extra fish while a lure is active: 25% at rank 1, 50% at rank 2. It was broken for most of the beta, then gave too many extras after a fix. Fishing itself earns no Legacy points.
Blizzard · Wowhead · GitHub #310 · Reddit
A fishing contest in Stranglethorn every Sunday, 2–4 pm server time. During it you fish up Speckled Tastyfish. The first 50 to bring Riggle Bassbait in Booty Bay 40 Tastyfish win the Arcanite pole and a coin for Jang's prize shop: Surfer Shoes (walk on water), the Hook trinket (turns you into a fish), cosmetics or a pet. Rare contest fish trade in for Tastyfish, and 20 Tastyfish bought a Message in a Bottle (a box with one random recipe) in beta.
Fishing pays in four ways: fish people need (oils, eels, cooking fish), trunks from wreckage and pools, bloated fish full of gems, and the Sunday Extravaganza. Which water you fish decides all four, and water is gated by fishing skill, not character level. That's the whole trick to making money before 40.
Live status, Nov 8: the Fishing Rack is broken for most players. Since launch, most people who place a Rack get no "Uncommon Fishing" buff, no lures, and no bloated fish even with the buff up. One player only got the buff once at 225 skill; another got one bloated fish in an hour. Until Blizzard fixes it, earn from pools, wreckage and sellable fish, and don't buy a Rack blueprint for gold. On Reddit, one player got the buff and caught about 140 fish in an hour at Booty Bay, the Savage Coast and Stonetalon, with zero bloated fish. Fixes people are trying: walk away from the camp and back, or unequip and re-equip your pole (that fixed it in beta for one player). Blizzard forums, Nov 7 · Nov 8 · Nov 8 · Reddit, Nov 8 · Reddit (re-equip tip)
Also on launch day, a player reported Tanaris pools not spawning. Check before you fly down. Blizzard forums, Nov 5
Each zone's water has a cast skill (below it you can't fish there) and a no-escape skill (from there, nothing gets away). Counting starter zones as tier 1, there are six tiers, the same numbering the bloated fish use. Tiers 5 and 6 are where the gem fish, the Mithril Bound trunks and the money fish live.
| Tier | Cast / no-escape | Zones | Pools there | Bloated fish (with the Rack) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 / 25 | Durotar, Mulgore, Tirisfal (starter zones) | Nothing worth farming | Brilliant Smallfish |
| 2 | 1 / 75 | Orgrimmar, Thunder Bluff, Undercity, Barrens, Silverpine, Darkshore | Deviate Fish (Barrens oases), Oily Blackmouth (Darkshore), Floating Debris | Mud Snapper |
| 3 | 55 / 150 | Ashenvale, Stonetalon, Hillsbrad, Wetlands, Redridge, Duskwood | Sagefish, Firefin (Hillsbrad, Wetlands, Stonetalon), Oily Blackmouth, Schooner Wreckage (Watertight trunks) | Bristle Whisker Catfish |
| 4 | 130 / 225 | Desolace, Dustwallow, Stranglethorn, Arathi, Alterac Mountains, Swamp of Sorrows, Thousand Needles | Waterlogged Wreckage (Iron Bound trunks), Floating and Bloodsail Wreckage in Stranglethorn (Mithril Bound trunks), Greater Sagefish, Oily Blackmouth, Stonescale Eel (Swamp, Thousand Needles) | Mithril Head Trout, Rockscale Cod |
| 5 | 205 / 300 | Feralas, Tanaris, Azshara (most of it), Hinterlands, Felwood, Un'Goro, Western Plaguelands, Moonglade, Jaguero Isle off Stranglethorn | Stonescale Eel Swarm (Tanaris, Azshara, Feralas), Waterlogged Wreckage (Feralas, WPL), Floating Wreckage (Tanaris), Oily Blackmouth and Firefin (Tanaris, Azshara), Greater Sagefish (WPL, Un'Goro), Patch of Elemental Water (Azshara) | Bloated Redgill, Bloated Glossy Mightfish: Aquamarine, Star Ruby, Citrine, sometimes Blue Sapphire and Large Opal Trunks: Mithril Bound |
| 6 | 330 / 425 | Winterspring, Eastern Plaguelands, Silithus, Burning Steppes, Deadwind Pass, and three pockets inside tier-5 zones: Jademir Lake (Feralas), Bay of Storms, Hetaera's Clutch and Scalebeard's Cave (Azshara) | Greater Sagefish (EPL), Floating Wreckage (EPL). Open water here is the prize: Plated Armorfish, Darkclaw Lobster, Large Raw Mightfish, Lightning Eel | Bloated Whitescale Salmon: Large Opal, Blue Sapphire, Huge Emerald, Azerothian Diamond Trunks: Mithril Bound is the top trunk; no tier-6 trunk exists |
Fishing only cares about your skill. Expert (225) needs level 20; Artisan (300) needs level 35. Everything else is gear and lures, and lures add skill, so a level-20 character can fish water most players only see at 50.
| Your setup | Effective skill | What it opens |
|---|---|---|
| Level 20, Expert 225 + Aquadynamic Fish Attractor (+100, 5 min) | 325 | All of tier 5 with no escapes (needs 300). Tier 6 stays shut (needs 330). |
| Same + Big Iron Fishing Pole (+20) | 345 | Classic says you can cast in tier 6 from 330. Forever testers at 330 and 340 couldn't. Treat tier 6 as closed until someone posts a catch. |
| Level 35+, Artisan 300 + Attractor + Big Iron | 420 | Tier 6, but some fish still get away (no-escape is 425). |
| Level 44+, Horde: Nat Pagle's Extreme Angler FC-5000 (+25) instead of Big Iron | 425 | Tier 6 with no escapes. In Classic only Horde could reach 425 before the Arcanite pole, thanks to this pole from "Snapjaws, Mon!" in the Hinterlands. |
Pools (schools and wreckage) never give junk, and most money fish only come from pools. Wowhead's pool pages are empty for Forever, so this is the Classic list. Prices are Classic's, from Classic guides, so check your own auction house. warcraft.wiki.gg pool list · Frostadamus (Classic) · Wowhead Classic comments · Legacy-WoW (Classic)
| Pool | Tier | What you get | Where (Horde-friendly first) | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stonescale Eel Swarm | 4–5 | Stonescale Eel → Stonescale Oil (alchemy, including flasks). Argent Dawn turn-ins later. | Steamwheedle Port shore in Tanaris; Azshara and Feralas coasts. Swamp of Sorrows and Thousand Needles are the low-level ones. Best at night. | Needs 205. 15–30g a stack in Classic; 1g75 each on one Classic Era server. |
| Firefin Snapper School | 3–5 | Firefin Snapper → Fire Oil for alchemists | Coasts of Hillsbrad, Wetlands, Arathi, Desolace, Dustwallow, Stranglethorn, Tanaris, Azshara, Feralas. The only inland one: Stonetalon's oil-spill pools | 0.8–3g a stack in Classic |
| Oily Blackmouth School | 2–5 | Oily Blackmouth → Blackmouth Oil for alchemists | Most level 10–40 coasts, plus Desolace, Swamp, Tanaris, Azshara | Steady seller; alchemists level on it |
| Sagefish / Greater Sagefish | 3–6 | Sagefish and Greater Sagefish: mana-regen foods for cooks | Sagefish: Ashenvale, Stonetalon (Mirkfallon Lake), Hillsbrad, Silverpine, Stranglethorn. Greater: Alterac Mountains, Stranglethorn, WPL, EPL, Un'Goro | Greater Sagefish 5–10g a stack in Classic |
| Deviate Fish school | 2 | Deviate Fish for cooks | Barrens oasis ponds and the Wailing Caverns pool | Horde-side, cheap to reach |
| Patch of Elemental Water | 5 | Elemental Water → Essence of Water | Azshara | Sells to crafters |
| Wreckage (four kinds) | 1–6 | Trunks and crates, no fish. Floating Debris = Tightly Sealed, Schooner = Watertight, Waterlogged = Iron Bound, Floating/Bloodsail = Mithril Bound | See the tier table; Bloodsail Wreckage on the Stranglethorn coast is Mithril Bound in tier-4 water | Bags, cloth, leather, greens. See Trunks |
One tester's two-day Rack test, inland water near the tier, sold on the beta auction house. Higher tier, much more money: tier 5 paid about ten times tier 3. Ocean water gave nothing. Wowhead comment, Oct 5
| Where | Tier | Time | Bloated fish | Sold for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elwynn pond | 1 (starter) | 20 min | 2 Smallfish → 2 Malachite | 46c |
| Redridge, Lake Everstill | 3 | 20 min | 6 Catfish → Moss Agate, Shadowgem, Jade, Moonstone | 29s |
| Duskwood, Darkened Bank | 3 | 47 min | 10 Catfish → Moss Agate, Moonstone, a level-22 green ring | 1g07 |
| Dustwallow, by Theramore's first bridge | 4 | 120 min | 13 Trout → mostly Moss Agate, two green rings | 2g42 |
| Moonglade, Nighthaven | 5 | 60 min | 5 Redgill → Aquamarine, 2 Citrine, Large Opal, a level-37 necklace | 9g27 |
| Riverglades, Farholde Keep south pier (night) | 5? | 60 min | 11 Redgill → 5 Star Ruby, 3 Aquamarine, Blue Sapphire, two greens | 15g95 |
| Ocean: Ratchet, Booty Bay, Steamwheedle piers | 1–5 | 20–35 min each | none | 0 |
| Your level | What to fish | Why it pays |
|---|---|---|
| 10–25 | Pools at Mirkfallon Lake, Stonetalon (two Sagefish pools always up), Stonetalon's oil-spill Firefin pools | Watertight trunks: Silk, Heavy Leather, 10-slot bags. Sagefish feed cooking, Firefin sells to alchemists. Graysfordays · VezyRPG |
| 15–30 | Ratchet's south coast; Barrens oasis ponds | Iron Bound trunks at the south end, and Kilxx sells lures. Deviate Fish sell to alchemists and cooks. VezyRPG |
| 20+ (225 skill) | Tier-5 water with an Attractor: Stonescale Eel pools off Steamwheedle Port; Moonglade if you can get there | 325 skill means no escapes in tier 5. Eels are the money fish; Moonglade is the safest tier-5 water. Skill math |
| 30–40 | Waterlogged Wreckage and Firefin/Blackmouth pools in Desolace and Dustwallow; inland water with the Rack, once it works | Iron Bound trunks, bloated Trout. With a working Rack: 8–18 bloated fish an hour in beta. One hour below Camp Mojache, Feralas gave 11 Redgill with 4 Star Rubies. Blizzard forums |
| 35–45 (before mount) | Floating and Bloodsail Wreckage on the Stranglethorn coast; wreckage and pools on the Tanaris coast | Mithril Bound trunks: Mageweave, Runecloth, Thick and Rugged Leather, the 14-slot backpack. Vendor it all for mount gold. Graysfordays · VezyRPG |
| 44+ (Horde) | Get the FC-5000 from Katoom in the Hinterlands, then tier-6 water: Jademir Lake, Bay of Storms (best at night), Winterspring | Bloated Whitescale Salmon (Huge Emerald, Azerothian Diamond), Plated Armorfish, Darkclaw Lobster. Graysfordays works out roughly 15g an hour just vendoring tier-5/6 gems. Graysfordays |
| Sundays 2–4 pm | Fishing Extravaganza, Stranglethorn | Even if you miss the first 50, Speckled Tastyfish trade in 20 at a time for a Message in a Bottle: random hard-to-farm recipes. On Nov 8 the EU tournament ended early for some players once the first winner was called. Graysfordays · Blizzard forums |
Trunks are fishing loot chests. They come only from fish pools and Floating Wreckage, never open water, at about 5% of catches. There are four tiers and the zone's level picks the tier. Graysfordays
| Tier | Trunk | Cloth, leather, potions (chance each) | Bags | Gems and gear | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tightly Sealed Trunk | Bolt of Linen Cloth 51.59% Light Leather 51.4% Medium Leather 31.28% Bolt of Woolen Cloth 30.59% Minor Mana Potion 21.25% Lesser Healing Potion 20.55% | Blue Leather Bag 0.31% White Leather Bag 0.26% Green Leather Bag 0.23% Red Leather Bag 0.21% | Shadowgem, Tigerseye (each under 0.5%). 13 different greens, each 0.15–0.35%. Level 5–15 gear. | Starter-zone pools and wreckage Wowhead "fished in": The Barrens (4.92%), Darkshore (2.49%), Westfall (8.37%), Silverpine Forest (7.96%), Loch Modan (2.88%) |
| 2 | Watertight Trunk | Medium Leather 44.11% Bolt of Woolen Cloth 43.71% Bolt of Silk Cloth 33% Heavy Leather 31.96% Healing Potion 21.94% Lesser Mana Potion 21.07% | Large Brown Sack 0.39% Large Blue Sack 0.34% Large Green Sack 0.22% Large Red Sack 0.18% | Lesser Moonstone, Moss Agate (each under 0.5%). 12 different greens, each 0.15–0.35%. Level 15–25 gear. | Mirkfallon Lake in Stonetalon is the Horde favourite: pools need 150 skill, which you can have at level 10 Wowhead "fished in": Hillsbrad Foothills (6.68%), Wetlands (2.97%), Stonetalon Mountains (3.33%), Ashenvale (0.52%) |
| 3 | Iron Bound Trunk | Heavy Leather 43.64% Bolt of Silk Cloth 42.73% Thick Leather 32.59% Bolt of Mageweave 31.38% Greater Healing Potion 21.95% Mana Potion 21.49% | Large Knapsack 1.16% | Jade, Citrine (each under 0.5%). 11 different greens, each 0.15–0.35%. Level 25–35 gear. | Ratchet's south coast, Dustwallow, Desolace, Stranglethorn Wowhead "fished in": Stranglethorn Vale (4.93%), Dustwallow Marsh (2.74%), Desolace (4.23%), Alterac Mountains (8.38%), The Barrens (0.36%), Arathi Highlands (2.06%) |
| 4 | Mithril Bound Trunk | Bolt of Mageweave 43.01% Thick Leather 42.73% Rugged Leather 32.53% Bolt of Runecloth 31.85% Superior Healing Potion 22.33% Greater Mana Potion 21.58% | Journeyman's Backpack 1.01% | Aquamarine, Star Ruby (each under 0.5%). 3 different greens, each 0.15–0.35%. Level 35–45 gear. | Tanaris coast, south Stranglethorn, Feralas, Azshara, Riverglades Wowhead "fished in": Stranglethorn Vale (5.13%), Tanaris (6.04%), Azshara (1.45%), Feralas (2.41%) |
How pools work decides where it's easy. Each coast or lake has a fixed set of spots where pools can appear. Only some are up at a time, and any spot can roll any pool type for that water, including wreckage. Wreckage gives about 1.6 trunks a pool; Firefin, Blackmouth, Sagefish and eel pools give 0.2–0.4. Legacy-WoW pool guide
| Tier | Where | Why it works | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Iron Bound | Faldir's Cove, Arathi Highlands coast | One of the smallest pool sets in the game: only 5–6 possible spots, so a lap is quick and you always know where to look. That's the closest thing to Mirkfallon for this tier. | Small sets also mean fewer pools up at once. Nobody has posted a Forever report yet. Legacy-WoW pool guide |
| 3 Iron Bound | Lordamere Lake, Alterac Mountains shore | Inland pools here are Greater Sagefish or wreckage, and a Wowhead commenter pulled "a lot" of Iron Bound trunks along this shore. The only mobs at the water are non-aggro Snapjaws. Quiet, and close to Undercity. | Stay on the Alterac side: the Silverpine side of the same lake gives Floating Debris (tier-1 Tightly Sealed). Two lakeside houses hold level 36–40 Syndicate. Wowhead comments · Legacy-WoW pool guide · Wowhead comment |
| 3 Iron Bound | North Stranglethorn coast, from Grom'gol northward | Right next to the Horde flight path. North of Grom'gol, coastal pools give Iron Bound; Greater Sagefish pools also spawn inland at Lake Nazferiti. | Stranglethorn is the busiest fishing zone there is, so expect competition. South of Grom'gol switches to Mithril Bound. Legacy-WoW pool guide · Wowhead comments |
| 3 Iron Bound | Desolace and Dustwallow coasts | Both give Iron Bound from Firefin, Blackmouth and wreckage pools. Desolace has Horde-friendly Shadowprey Village right on the water. | Long coastlines; nobody has published how many pool spots they have. Legacy-WoW pool guide · Warcraft Tavern |
| 4 Mithril Bound | South Stranglethorn coast: Grom'gol → Booty Bay → past the Zanzil ruins | The famous route. Fish every pool, not just wreckage, then run it a second time. Wreckage averaged 2–3 trunks, fish pools about 0.5. One player got 5 trunks on the first lap and 30 on the second; another took 1.5 hours for two laps of the Savage Coast and Crystal Shore. | This is the biggest set, over 50 spots, so it's long, not compact, and full of level 40+ pirates, nagas and gankers. The guide who posted it says to carry swim-speed and water-breathing potions to escape into the sea. Wowhead comments · Legacy-WoW pool guide |
| 4 Mithril Bound | Tanaris coast around Steamwheedle Port | In Classic about 1 in 5 pool catches was a trunk, and wreckage almost always gave one. A neutral town to sell and bank in. | Live warnings: on launch day a player reported no pools spawning in Tanaris, and a Forever player on Nov 8 sees less wreckage and more Stranglekelp than in Classic. Wowhead comments · Blizzard forums, Nov 5 · Wowhead Forever comment, Nov 8 |
| 4 Mithril Bound | Feralas coast | A Classic player found 4–5 wreckage pools close together near the dock on the mainland shore. | 25–30 possible spots along the coast, so it's a big loop overall. Wowhead comments · Legacy-WoW pool guide |
| 4 Mithril Bound | Azshara coast | Mithril Bound, plus Ironbound Locked Chests on the coast. The Patch of Elemental Water spots are nearby if your skill is high enough. | A level 42–55 zone. Legacy-WoW pool guide · Warcraft Tavern SoD guide |
With the Fishing Rack buff (and, most testers say, a lure) you catch the bloated version of the zone's most common fish. You open each one for a gem, sometimes a green ring or necklace for the zone's level, and usually the plain fish back. In vanilla they were about 0.1% catches; Forever made them a real gem farm. Rates and spots are in Getting bloated fish. Graysfordays
| Tier | Fish | Gems inside (chance each) | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bloated Brilliant Smallfish | Malachite 77.61%, Tigerseye 19.94% (from 326 opened) | Starter zones |
| 1 | Bloated Mackerel | No loot data on Wowhead yet | Starter coasts |
| 2 | Bloated Mud Snapper | Shadowgem 44.4%, Tigerseye 41.81%, Malachite 5.6%, Moss Agate 5.6% (from 232 opened) | Capital ponds, Barrens |
| 2 | Bloated Albacore | No loot data on Wowhead yet | Low coasts |
| 2 | Bloated Oily Blackmouth | No loot data on Wowhead yet | Low coasts |
| 3 | Bloated Bristle Whisker Catfish | Moss Agate 34.38%, Lesser Moonstone 29.17%, Shadowgem 20.83%. 9 rings and necklaces, each 0.3–4% (from 96 opened) | Ashenvale, Stonetalon, Hillsbrad rivers |
| 3 | Bloated Firefin Snapper | No loot data on Wowhead yet | Mid coasts |
| 4 | Bloated Mithril Head Trout | Jade 27.27%, Citrine 18.18%, Lesser Moonstone 14.29%, Moss Agate 11.69%, Shadowgem 9.09%, Aquamarine 2.6%. 7 rings and necklaces, each 0.3–4% (from 77 opened) | Dustwallow, Thousand Needles, Arathi, Alterac rivers |
| 4 | Bloated Rockscale Cod | Jade 56.25%, Lesser Moonstone 12.5%, Citrine 12.5%, Aquamarine 6.25%. 1 rings and necklaces, each 0.3–4% (from 16 opened) | North Stranglethorn, mid coasts |
| 5 | Bloated Redgill | Aquamarine 38.62%, Star Ruby 30.26%, Citrine 10.37%, Blue Sapphire 3.75%, Large Opal 2.02%. 18 rings and necklaces, each 0.3–4% (from 347 opened) | Feralas lake below Camp Mojache, Darrowmere, Riverglades |
| 5 | Bloated Glossy Mightfish | Aquamarine 35.29%, Star Ruby 35.29%, Citrine 9.8%, Large Opal 7.84%, Blue Sapphire 1.96%. 3 rings and necklaces, each 0.3–4% (from 51 opened) | High coasts |
| 6 | Bloated Whitescale Salmon | Large Opal 33.33%, Blue Sapphire 19.44%, Huge Emerald 16.67%, Azerothian Diamond 13.89%, Star Ruby 8.33%. 3 rings and necklaces, each 0.3–4% (from 36 opened) | Winterspring, Eastern Plaguelands, Western Plaguelands rivers |
| Topic | One side | Other side | Best read |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pole bonuses: how much skill each fishing pole adds | Classic numbers, Strong +5 and Big Iron +20. Nearly every guide uses them: Icy Veins · Wowhead guide | Forever's item tooltips: Strong +45, Blump (an Alliance quest pole) +27, Big Iron +42: wofwforever | A beta tester in the Wowhead comments says the tooltips are wrong. Plan with Classic numbers and check at launch. If +45 is real, a 9-silver vendor pole beats every quest pole. |
| Big Iron Fishing Pole (+20): it drops from underwater Shellfish Traps off Shadowprey Village, Desolace | An Alliance tester couldn't open the traps, so Horde may be the only ones who can: Blizzard forums | The traps couldn't be clicked at all in mid-October: VezyRPG | Unclear. If the traps don't work, buy the pole on the auction house (about 125g in beta, VezyRPG). |
| Journeyman rank (raises your cap from 75 to 150) | Skill 50 and character level 10: Icy Veins · WoW-Professions · trainer window in VezyRPG's video | "At 75": Wowhead guide · wofwforever · RankedBoost · Sportskeeda. Skill 50 with no level gate: Zockify · Worst Guides Ever | Train at 50 once you're level 10. The beta trainer window listed both requirements. |
| Expert book ("The Bass and You", raises your cap from 150 to 225) | Usable at skill 125 and level 20, per the item tooltip: Graysfordays · Icy Veins | Skill 150: mixail_apra (Russian) · Playcore (German) · section headings in Wowhead's Classic guide | 125. Buy it early; you just can't pass 150 without it. |
| Luremaster (the Legacy perk that can give an extra fish while a lure is on) | 2 ranks, 25% and 50%: Wowhead spell data | 5 ranks: Wowhead guide. "Bugged, no extra fish": Warcraft Forever Gold · Reddit | 2 ranks. A mid-October build fixed it (GitHub #310); launch behaviour unknown. |
| Bloated fish (green fish with gems inside, caught while the Fishing Rack buff is on): what you need | The Rack buff, a lure and inland water: Blizzard forums · Graysfordays | A per-zone fishing-skill threshold, and pools give them too: Loru Gaming · Loru Gaming (pools). Pools and no lure needed: Reddit | Rack plus inland water, in a zone near your character level. |
| Is the Fishing Rack worth placing? Each one costs 2 Raw Mithril Head Trout | 11–18 bloated fish an hour, with gems and rings: Blizzard forums · Wowhead comments | "A waste": no clear difference over an hour on the Azshara coast: Wowhead comments | Inland yes, ocean no. |
| Skill-up speed: how long fishing 1 to 225 takes | About 90 minutes to 225 in early beta: Blizzard forums. "1–300 fishing and cooking in a day": Reddit | 3–5 hours for 150–225 alone in late beta, after what the same tester calls a nerf: Blizzard forums | Plan for the slower numbers. |
| Skill at which fish stop escaping in starting zones and capital cities | 25 in starting zones, 75 in capitals: Wowhead Forever guide · WoW-Professions | 96 for both: Warcraft Tavern's Classic guide | 25 and 75. |
| Best Horde water for 150–225 (tier-3 water: cast from 130, no escapes from 225) | Stranglethorn's Savage Coast, the islands by Grom'gol: Classic WoW Forever · Wowhead guide | Inland Dustwallow: WoW-Professions · GoldGoblin. Lordamere Lake: Loru Gaming. Thousand Needles (most trout in Wowhead's catch data) | Any tier-3 water. Pick by the fish you want. |
| Best water for 225–300 (tier-4 water: cast from 205, no escapes from 300) | Feralas, the lake below Camp Mojache: Blizzard forums · WoW-Professions | Tanaris, Steamwheedle Port: Classic WoW Forever. Tanaris or Azshara: D2460N | Feralas for cooking fish and gems, Tanaris for gold. |
| What winners of the Sunday Extravaganza get | The Arcanite pole and a coin for Jang's prize shop: Wowhead guide · WoW Forever Guides · reward panel in VezyRPG's video | The pole or the Hook trinket, as in Classic: Classic WoW Forever · wofwforever | Pole and coin. The reward panel shows both. |
| Message in a Bottle (a box with one random crafting recipe) | Jang sells it for 20 Tastyfish: Icy Veins · VezyRPG. One gave the Lionheart Helm plans: Reddit | Removed from his shop a week later: VezyRPG | Unknown at launch. |
| Legacy points (the account-wide currency that buys perks like Luremaster) from fishing | None. Only crafting professions count: Blizzard's Legacy article | At skill 150, 225 and 300: Kami-Labs | None. |