Is fishing worth it in WoW: Forever? Seven reasons to pick it up

In Classic, fishing was the profession most players skipped. In WoW: Forever it gets a big upgrade, and our short answer to "should I pick it up straight away?" is: yes. Fishing is a secondary profession, so it doesn't cost you one of your two main professions, and the sooner you start, the sooner you reach the good parts.

YouTube channel Unoptimized Builds lists seven reasons. Here they are, in our own words.

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1. Gold in open water

This is the biggest change. At 140 fishing you unlock the Fishing Rack, a camp feature. For an hour it lets you catch uncommon fish in open water, so you no longer have to hunt for fishing pools.

• Some of these fish contain gems, rings and necklaces, like Star Rubies and Blue Sapphires.
• Beta players made around 15 gold an hour this way in higher level zones.
• You need the Fishing Rack buff and a fishing lure. The recipe comes from the Auction House, or from a murloc boss in Blackfathom Deeps.
• Waiting for a dungeon group or a boat? Throw out a line.

2. Fishing trunks

The treasure chests from fishing pools are back, in four tiers, with cloth, leather, potions, weapons, armour, recipes and even bags. The best one is the Mithril Bound Trunk, which can hold 14 slot bags. Anything you don't need sells well to a vendor. In Classic, plenty of players paid for their first mount this way.

3. The Legacy System

Two account wide Legacy perks help fishing:
- Working Overtime: your professions level faster on your alts.
- Luremaster: a chance to catch an extra fish, up to 50%.

4. Raid and PvP materials

Fishing for Stonescale Eels or Oily Blackmouth for raid and PvP consumables used to take a whole evening. Now some catches give you several fish at once. Together with Luremaster you gather your own supplies much faster.

5. The Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza

The weekly fishing tournament in Stranglethorn gets a lot better:
- Up to 50 winners a week instead of one.
- New rewards: cosmetics, a pet and Surfer Shoes that let you walk on water for five minutes.
- Didn't make the top 50? Trade your tournament fish for other rewards, like a message in a bottle that can hold rare recipes.

6. Convenience

• Cooking certain fish now also raises your fishing skill, so level both together.
• You can cast and reel in with a controller.
• At just 20 fishing you get the Fish Bowl camp feature: 8% more stats for everyone at your campfire (it doesn't stack with Blessing of Kings).

7. A new tier of rare fish

The Fishing Rack is only tier two. At 300 fishing you unlock the Fishing Hut (the recipe costs 12 gold), and with it rare fish in open water. What's inside them is still a mystery, so there is something new to chase at max skill.

Our advice

1. Learn fishing and cooking right away and level them together.
2. Go for the Fish Bowl at 20. It's an easy buff for the whole group at the campfire.
3. Your first real goal is 140 and the Fishing Rack: that's where the gold starts.
4. Then work towards 300 and the Fishing Hut.

Most of this comes from the beta, so details can still change at launch.

What this means for Legends of Azeroth

A few dedicated fishers in the guild mean Fish Bowls at every campfire, our own raid consumables and a nice extra stack of gold. Tell us in the profession forums if you're going to fish, so we can see who covers what!

Video: Unoptimized Builds on YouTube.