NPCs & Enemies Reworking the Angler quest system

652Graystripe

Plantera
Right now, the Angler's quests are some of the most mindlessly grindy things in the game, to the point where a lot of people will just refuse to ever deal with them. Really, I don't blame them, because I get fed up with their RNG pretty often.

This is a pretty heavy-handed solution, I recognize that, but it takes a village to make a suggestion, and God knows this is more workable than what we've got now. With feedback, I can fix things I've missed and improve the suggestion.

Basic mechanics
As of right now, the quests are pretty much random, aside from the Hardmode-only rewards. This would change that, so that certain fish always/more often give a certain reward, and some are gated at various points throughout the game.

  • At any given time, the Angler has a cycling list of quests for specific fish. More get added as you progress through the game, giving different kinds of loot.
  • Besides that, all the things that are currently given alongside the major prizes (e.g. bait, potions) can come at any time. I'm also choosing to add all the decorative items and Coralstone Blocks to that list, because getting one of those instead of something proper just feels like a cheat.
  • In addition, any of these items maintains its current drop chance, so you can sometimes get it alongside another item (as long as its qualifications for dropping are completed). As per usual, that chance increases as you complete more quests.
  • Note that if you don't do a quest, it'll activate the next one on the next day as normal. This means you don't have to grind through everything every day to get what you want. However, if you do get the fish for him, he'll be happy to give the next quest right away.

Fish and corresponding rewards
1-4: Slimefish, Bunnyfish, Zombie Fish, Dirtfish
6: Batfish
8-9: Clownfish, Spiderfish
14: Harpyfish
17-18: Mudfish, Angelfish
Slimefish.png
Bunnyfish.png
Zombie_Fish.png
Dirtfish.png
Batfish.png
Clownfish.png
Spiderfish.png
Harpyfish.png
Mudfish.png
Angelfish.png
Cloudfish.png
Bonefish.png

Give no special loot

5: Fish of Cthulhu
The_Fish_of_Cthulhu.png

Grants
Fuzzy_Carrot.png
Fuzzy Carrot

7: Tundra Trout
13: Tropical Barracuda
19: Bumblebee Tuna
Tundra_Trout.png
Tropical_Barracuda.png
Bumblebee_Tuna.png

Grants
High_Test_Fishing_Line.png
High Test Fishing Line (33%),
Angler_Earring.png
Angler Earring (33%), or
Tackle_Box.png
Tackle Box (33%)

10: Infected Scabbardfish/Bloody Manowar
Infected_Scabbardfish.png
/
Bloody_Manowar.png

Grants
Angler_Hat.png
Angler Hat

11: Dynamite Fish
Dynamite_Fish.png

Grants
Angler_Vest.png
Angler Vest

12: Pengfish
Pengfish.png

Grants
Angler_Pants.png
Angler Pants

15: Fishotron
Fishotron.png

Grants
Fish_Hook.png
Fish Hook

16: Mutant Flinxfin
22: Fallen Starfish
28: Amanitia Fungifin
Mutant_Flinxfin.png
Fallen_Starfish.png
Amanitia_Fungifin.png

Grants
Fisherman%27s_Pocket_Guide.png
Fisherman's Pocket Guide (33%),
Sextant.png
Sextant (33%), or
Weather_Radio.png
Weather Radio (33%)

20: Jewelfish
Jewelfish.png

Grants
Golden_Bug_Net.png
Golden Bug Net

21: Catfish
Catfish.png

Grants Golden Fishing Line (see my associated thread)

24: Guide Voodoo Fish
Guide_Voodoo_Fish.png

Grants
Golden_Fishing_Rod.png
Golden Fishing Rod
Added to the quest list after Hardmode is unlocked.
25: Eater of Plankton/Crimson equivalent
32: Fishron
Eater_of_Plankton.png
Fishron.png

Grants
Bottomless_Water_Bucket.png
Bottomless Water Bucket (50%) or
Super_Absorbant_Sponge.png
Super Absorbent Sponge (50%)

26-29: Cap'n Tunabeard, Hungerfish, Pixiefish
31: Wyverntail
33-34: Derpfish, Mirage Fish
Cap%27n_Tunabeard.png
Hungerfish.png
Pixiefish.png
Wyverntail.png
Derpfish.png
Mirage_Fish.png

Give no special loot

30: Unicorn Fish
Unicorn_Fish.png

Grants
Fin_Wings.png
Fin Wings

35: Cursedfish/Ichorfish
Cursedfish.png
Ichorfish.png


36: Demonic Hellfish
Demonic_Hellfish.png

Grants
Hotline_Fishing_Hook.png
Hotline Fishing Hook

I understand that this is pretty complex and more than a little confusing, so if you have questions/comments/concerns, I'll be happy to address them.
 
This is an extremely necessary rework, but do note that the way you've worded items like accessories and utilities means that it's possible to, say, get 3 earrings in a row. These quests should be guaranteed to grant all the items, so for instance start at 33/33/33 then move to 50/50 then 100% for the last item in that section. Same thing with the water bucket and sponge.

I do hope this gets incorporated, because the addition of fishing was personally something I considered extremely poorly thought-out. Such changes are a good start to re-balancing fishing into a fun alternate path and not a dominant, RNG-rampant way to skip half the game.
 
This is an extremely necessary rework, but do note that the way you've worded items like accessories and utilities means that it's possible to, say, get 3 earrings in a row. These quests should be guaranteed to grant all the items, so for instance start at 33/33/33 then move to 50/50 then 100% for the last item in that section. Same thing with the water bucket and sponge.
Yeah, that's something that still bothers me. I didn't implement it like that because I wasn't sure how that would be coded; while I'd like to have them drop in no particular order without repeats, I also don't know if that works. This is my next-best solution.
 
Yeah, that's something that still bothers me. I didn't implement it like that because I wasn't sure how that would be coded; while I'd like to have them drop in no particular order without repeats, I also don't know if that works. This is my next-best solution.
I spent a small amount of time over the summer learning how to code mods (but I've since lost all my progress and have been too busy with school to re-learn everything), and while I personally never learned how to do that specific thing, I know that it's not too terribly difficult to accomplish. Love the suggestion, by the way!
 
This rework needs to happen. I hate farming for the Angler Quests. Especially when you want to get the Cell Phone. I support!
 
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