Gone Fission: Fallout 76’s new update lets players fish
Fallout 76’s “Gone Fission” update has arrived on PC (via Steam and Microsoft Store), Xbox, and PlayStation. And the new update has brought in fishing, a sweeping combat rebalance, Season 21 content, and dozens of quality-of-life fixes.
As the title suggests, the highlight of this update is fishing. Players can now head to Fisherman’s Rest in The Mire to begin the “Casting Off” questline. There, Captain Raymond Clark (the Fisherman) and his pet hermit crab, Linda-Lee, hand you a new fishing rod. After this, whenever players stand near any swimmable water, the “Fish” prompt appears.
Further, players can upgrade rod styles, bobbers, and reels, which can be earned by completing fishing challenges and daily quests. To add to that, some rare fish won’t bite until the rod is sufficiently upgraded.
As far as baits are concerned, players can obtain them by purchasing, trading, or looting. The baits are of different tiers -
- Common Bait (purchasable; yields generic junk and regional fish)
- Improved Bait (trade or loot; boosts chance for uncommon fish)
- Superb Bait (earned in Season 21; best chance for very rare fish)
As mentioned earlier, the Gone Fission update has also added weather effects, which will have an impact on players’ catches. Here’s a quick overview of how the in-game weather works -
- Clear: Ideal for common fish
- Rainy: Better odds for regional fish and monthly Axolotls
- Radstorm/Nuke: Increases the chance for Glowing Fish
The fish that players catch can be eaten for Hunger and Health or converted into Fish Bits at a cooking station. Plus, Grilled Fish (unlocked after the main fishing quest) grants a 20-minute “Fast Hook” buff, and additional recipes (Fish & Tatos, Fish Chowder) drop from daily quests. Feeding Fish Bits to Linda-Lee yields a random Legendary item. Further, 12 Axolotls spawn monthly at rotating locations. Players can unlock the “Local Legends” trophy fish and display it in their C.A.M.P.
Other Season 21 updates - Weapon balances, perk changes, and more
In addition to fishing, Season 21 has brought in new gear, cosmetics, and Gold Bullion. Further, unused Season Tickets from the last three seasons convert to Gold Bullion upon login.
As mentioned earlier, the new patch has also introduced some combat rebalances. After Skyline Valley and subsequent patches, this release finalises many weapon and perk adjustments. Here’s a quick overview of some of the adjustments -
- Weapon Balances: Base damage buffed for Harpoon Gun, Assault Rifle, Combat Rifle, Laser and Plasma weapons, and dozens of melee weapons. Out-of-range multipliers for weapons like Black Powder Rifle and Pump-Action Shotgun now retain 50% damage at distance. The AP Costs have been lowered for select firearms. The automatic receivers for semi-autos now carry a 30% damage penalty.
- Perk and Limb Changes: Perks like Enforcer, One Gun Army, and Bone Shatterer now deliver consistent limb-damage bonuses instead of chance-based crippling. The Tormentor moves from Luck to Perception with simplified ranks. Ghoul and Human Perk restrictions have been enforced. And many Perk Cards have been renamed (e.g., Rifleman > Down Ranger, Science > Science!).
- Legendary Mod Tweaks: Conductor’s mod now restores health and AP to allies. Nocturnal weapons gain +50% damage while Cloaked. Two Shot damage buff increases to 75%, and Bloodied peak bonus jumps to 130%.
- Miscellaneous: Fusion Cores has been moved to the Tinker Bench. Quick Heal priorities and Fast Travel costs (−25%) are adjustable. Speech-to-Text and Text-to-Speech have been re-enabled. Further, there are dozens of UI, apparel, and C.A.M.P. fixes, the details of which you can find in the official patch notes.
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