Fish Fighting Guide: From Common to Forsaken

Common fish teach the foundation of fishing: keeping your white marker inside the target while holding LMB.

The target offers room to steer, and strain is managed automatically at this rank. You can focus on following the zone without needing to repeatedly release the reel to protect the line. SPACE is not part of a Common fight.

Common fish can still escape. Leaving the target for too long weakens hook hold, and simply waiting without reeling will eventually lose the fish.

How to Catch Common Fish

1. Move your white marker inside the target.
2. Hold LMB when the opening begins.
3. Use short steering adjustments to follow the target as it moves.
4. Keep reeling inside the zone until Landing reaches 100%.

Avoid holding one steering direction longer than necessary. If your marker passes through the target, correct it instead of continuing toward the edge of the track.

The skill to learn: move your marker with the target while keeping the reel active.

Uncommon fish introduce visible line strain while keeping the basic controls familiar.

Compared with Common, the target is slightly narrower, movement is faster, and reeling brings the fish closer less quickly. Accurate tracking becomes more valuable because reeling outside the zone builds strain much faster.

Clean tracking can still allow long periods of continuous reeling. You do not need to release LMB on a fixed schedule. Watch the zone colour and strain warning, and rest when the fight calls for it.

How to Catch Uncommon Fish

1. Begin reeling inside the target during the opening.
2. Follow the zone with controlled steering adjustments.
3. Watch strain while holding LMB.
4. Release LMB if the reel warning appears, but keep steering.
5. Resume reeling once strain settles and the zone returns to green.

If you drift outside the target, correct your position promptly. Holding the reel while remaining outside adds pressure for relatively little progress.

The skill to learn: recognise when continued reeling is productive and when the line needs a short rest.

Rare fish increase the demand for steady control.

The target becomes slightly narrower again, movement speeds up, and direction changes leave less preparation time. Landing progress is harder to earn, and recovery openings are shorter than those offered by Uncommon fish.

The controls remain the same. There is no SPACE requirement and no surge mechanic at this rank. Success comes from reducing unnecessary mistakes and making better use of safe reeling opportunities.

How to Catch Rare Fish

1. Use the first opening to bank useful Landing progress.
2. Keep your marker comfortably inside the target as the run develops.
3. Reel during safe tracking instead of waiting for recovery alone.
4. Release LMB when strain requires it, maintaining your position throughout the rest.
5. Take advantage of recovery openings before the next run begins.

Aim to make small corrections early. Large, late movements can carry your marker straight through the target and create another tracking mistake.

The skill to learn: maintain accurate control across repeated movements while managing the reel calmly.

Epic introduces the optional Counterstroke and makes strain management more demanding.

Epic’s base target is wider than Rare’s. That extra steering room accompanies stronger line pressure, meaningful slack risk, and the additional timing opportunity offered by SPACE. Difficulty grows through the combination of these demands.

From this rank onward, the target also gradually tightens during normal runs as Landing progresses beyond 60%. Continue paying attention near the end of the catch.

The Turn meter helps you judge how well you are controlling the fish. Filling it earns a better recovery opening, while a correctly timed Counterstroke can immediately complete the Turn.

How to Catch Epic Fish

1. Track accurately and reel while strain is safe.
2. Release LMB when the warning appears, continuing to follow the target.
3. Keep the line controlled during rests; drifting away can create slack and weaken hook hold.
4. Build Turn through sustained tracking.
5. If the SPACE prompt becomes ready, tap SPACE once to attempt a Counterstroke.
6. Reel through the resulting recovery while staying inside the wider target.

Counterstroke remains optional. You can successfully catch Epic fish through tracking, safe reeling, and ordinary Turns.

The skill to learn: combine angle control and strain management, then add SPACE timing when you can recognise the opening.

Legendary keeps the Epic controls while increasing their demands.

The target is narrower, movement is faster, and the fish pauses for less time before reversing. Reeling adds more strain, and recovery openings give you less time to regain control and bring the fish closer.

There is no surge mechanic at Legendary. Your challenge is to perform the established actions more accurately and consistently.

How to Catch Legendary Fish

1. Establish good tracking before committing to sustained reeling.
2. Watch the approaching movement changes and correct your steering promptly.
3. Release LMB before strain becomes dangerous.
4. Keep following the target during every rest.
5. Earn Turns where possible and use their recovery openings immediately.
6. Attempt Counterstroke only when the ready prompt appears.

A missed SPACE attempt adds strain and removes Turn progress. If you are already struggling to maintain the zone, concentrate on steering and safe reeling.

The skill to learn: perform the existing fight mechanics with fewer wasted movements and fewer avoidable strain spikes.

Mythic introduces surges.

A surge warning turns the target red and displays “SURGE INCOMING / RELEASE LMB.” Release the reel immediately while continuing to track the zone.

Under the current balance, Mythic gives approximately 0.60 seconds of warning, followed by an active surge lasting approximately 0.75 seconds. A run has one scheduled surge if it continues long enough to reach it.

During the active surge, Landing and Turn gain pause. Holding LMB adds extra strain without bringing the fish closer. Accurate steering remains essential throughout.

Mythic also has a narrower target, faster movement, and more strain pressure than Legendary.

How to Catch Mythic Fish

1. Reel accurately during the initial opening and safe portions of the run.
2. Respond to the surge warning by releasing LMB.
3. Keep the white marker inside the target during the warning and active surge.
4. Wait for the surge to finish.
5. Resume reeling when the zone and strain cues permit it.
6. Use Turns and recovery openings to make up ground between periods of pressure.

SPACE readiness is disabled during surge warnings and active surges. Follow the release instruction and maintain your angle.

The skill to learn: stop reeling promptly without letting the interruption break your tracking.

Cursed retains Mythic’s surge mechanic and adds temporary target compression.

The target starts considerably narrower than Mythic’s. During the surge warning and active surge, it smoothly tightens further, reaching up to 20% narrower than its current normal width before easing back.

The warning lasts approximately 0.60 seconds, followed by an active surge of approximately 0.80 seconds.

This creates a combined task: release the reel in time while keeping your marker inside a target that is becoming smaller.

How to Catch Cursed Fish

1. Aim nearer the centre of the target during safe tracking.
2. Release LMB as soon as the surge warning appears.
3. Continue steering as the zone contracts.
4. Make small corrections to remain inside the tighter target.
5. Resume reeling after the surge when the zone and strain cues allow it.
6. Use recovery to gain Landing progress and restore weakened hook hold.

A position that was inside the zone before the warning may become outside it as the target narrows. Prepare by maintaining a central position before the surge begins.

The skill to learn: preserve precise control while both the reel instruction and available steering space change.

Abyssal adds moving recovery openings.

At earlier ranks, recovery movement settles toward a calmer position. Abyssal’s recovery target sweeps smoothly, requiring continued steering while you reel.

Recovery still offers a wider target and valuable opportunities to gain Landing, reduce strain, and restore hook hold. You must follow that moving opening to collect its full benefit.

Abyssal also increases surge compression to up to 25%, shortens the warning to approximately 0.55 seconds, and extends the active surge to approximately 0.85 seconds.

How to Catch Abyssal Fish

1. Maintain precise tracking through the faster run.
2. Release LMB promptly for each surge warning.
3. Follow the compressed target throughout the surge.
4. When recovery begins, stay engaged with your steering controls.
5. Reel inside the moving green opening as it sweeps.
6. Prepare for the next pull as recovery ends.

Treat “MOVING OPENING / REEL IN GREEN” as your opportunity to combine accurate steering with productive reeling.

The skill to learn: carry your tracking discipline into recovery, where strong progress now requires continued movement.

Forsaken combines the earlier mechanics with repeated surges during a run.

The target is the most precise of the rank baselines, movement is fastest, and direction-change pauses are shortest. Surge compression reaches up to 30%, and recovery includes a stronger moving sweep.

The warning lasts approximately 0.50 seconds, followed by an active surge lasting approximately 0.90 seconds. While a run continues, surge warnings repeat approximately every 2.4 seconds.

These timings leave brief opportunities to reel between surges. Your strain still matters during those gaps: ending a surge does not automatically make a heavily loaded line safe to reel.

How to Catch Forsaken Fish

1. Enter the run with controlled strain and accurate tracking.
2. Reel during safe gaps, keeping your marker near the target’s centre.
3. Release LMB immediately when a surge warning appears.
4. Follow the compressed zone throughout the active surge.
5. Check strain before resuming the reel.
6. Respond again when the next warning arrives.
7. Use earned Turns, optional Counterstrokes, and moving recovery openings to gain ground.
8. Maintain concentration through the final tightening of the target.

A successful Counterstroke can create a valuable recovery opening, but it remains optional. Consistent tracking and correct reel decisions can still land the fish.

The skill to learn: sustain accurate execution through repeated interruptions and make productive use of every safe opening.