Sunday's Fishing Extravaganza: what broke last time, and how to prepare
WoW Forever changed the Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza in a big way. Instead of one winner per realm, the first 50 anglers to hand Riggle Bassbait 40 Speckled Tastyfish all win. Each gets the Arcanite Fishing Pole and an Extravagant Extravaganza Coin, which Jang in Booty Bay trades for one prize: the Hook of the Master Angler, Surfer Shoes, the Master Angler's Fishing Hat, the Empty Fish Bucket, or the Bitter Baitling pet.
What went wrong on November 8
The first Sunday didn't go to plan. Anglers reported that the Tastyfish schools stopped spawning roughly 20 to 30 minutes in, and in at least some cases only the very first angler finished. Anglers who were partway to 40 couldn't finish, and Speckled Tastyfish disappear from your bags after about four hours, so they couldn't hold them for later either.
As of Friday, November 13, Blizzard hasn't announced a fix for the contest. Their November 11 hotfixes did fix Fishing Racks that sometimes failed to hand out lures, and Blizzard said it's aware of other Fishing Rack problems, including "There is no loot" errors.
How to give yourself the best chance this Sunday
- Be at the water before 2 p.m. realm time. If the schools dry up early again, the first half hour is everything. Check our countdown for the start time in your own time zone.
- Bring enough skill that nothing gets away. Stranglethorn water needs at least 130 effective skill, and about 225 to land every catch. Use the skill calculator and pack lures.
- Pick a quiet stretch of coast. The pools closest to Booty Bay draw the biggest crowds, so it can pay to work a stretch of coast further from town.
- Keep your rare fish. Keefer's Angelfish, Brownell's Blue Striped Racer and Dezian Queenfish still trade for fishing gear on contest day, win or lose.
We'll update this post if Blizzard fixes the event or says anything about the November 8 winners. Good luck, and tight lines.