Highlights
• New fish species found in Golden Ridge Reserve!
We've populated the expansive waterways with eight new fish species on Golden Ridge Reserve! Introducing the Black Crappie, Tiger Muskie, Shovelnose Sturgeon, Green Sunfish, Brook Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Ohrid Trout, and last but certainly not least, the Walleye. You’ll also find that Burbot has taken a trip all the way from Norway.
Dev Team’s Notes: Golden Ridge Reserve is where everyone starts their fishing adventure in The Angler and we wanted to make their experience on this map as exciting as possible. With more fish comes more fun!
• Breathtaking water!
Accompanying several other visual updates, we can’t help but gush about the new water surface. Just look at those ripples!
Dev Team’s Notes: The water bodies got a big visual overhaul. We've updated their movement and reflections to look better than ever.
• Now that’s a happy Angler!
Your Angler will now react depending on how big your catch is on the catch screen. Just look at that smile :)
Dev Team’s Notes: Previously characters had one fixed neutral facial expression, meaning that even after making the best catch of your life they'd react the same. Now characters will look increasingly pleased relative to the rank of the fish caught. Big fish = happy Angler!
• Introducing our new and improved progression system!
We’ve got lots in store in our new and improved progression system. Its goal is to make leveling up, fishing, and growing your reputation feel more meaningful. Read the full patch notes below to learn more!
Dev Team’s Notes: Overhauling the progression system also means changes to the XP numbers for all players. But worry not as no XP has been lost! It’s all been converted to the new system.
• Features and QoL Improvements
Gameplay
- The majority of fish now have a stronger preference for day or night. Dev Team’s Notes: Day fish will now very rarely appear at night and vice versa. To make sure that you can still catch nocturnal fish, the night time has been made to last longer. Embrace the darkness!
- Fish spawning rates have been adjusted on Golden Ridge Reserve. Dev Team’s Notes: Adding new species meant taking another look at the spawning of all fish available in GRR. We've made some adjustments to the spawn rates of diamonds and golds across the reserve and updated some fish spawn locations.
- You can now expand your backpack. Dev Team’s Notes: Wanna carry more gear? We’ve got you covered! With this update, you’ll be able to buy backpack expansions in the shop so you can take more things with you on your travels.
- Missions have been reworked to accommodate the new fish species. Dev Team’s Notes: Missions now more accurately reflect spawning conditions for fish including the new species in Golden Ridge Reserve. We’ve also added 12 new missions (three per outpost) for you to enjoy.
- Controller haptics and rumble improvements. Dev Team’s Notes: We’ve added a host of new effects to provide tactile feedback during gameplay as well as adding support for more controllers and more platforms.
Progression
- The tutorial has been revamped. Dev Team’s Notes: First impressions matter, so we’ve updated the tutorial to make it easier to understand and quicker to get through. It will now teach you the basics of becoming a successful Angler better than before!
- New feature: Taylor’s Tackle Academy. Dev Team’s Notes: Taylor’s Tackle Academy is a tool for new players that includes four missions and challenges providing more in-depth information than the tutorial. It will teach you how to float fish, what hook size means, and everything in-between. Completing these missions will reward you with useful items to give you a head start!
- Credits are now earned through catching fish. Dev Team’s Notes: Originally, you earned credits by leveling up. We’ve listened to your feedback and we agree that getting money by catching fish feels much better!
Visuals
- Improved color grading on Golden Ridge Reserve Dev Team’s Notes: We made our original reserve pop a lot more visually now! Taking a casual stroll through Golden Ridge should be even more enjoyable.
- Reserve intro videos have been updated. Dev Team’s Notes: Now they include all visual improvements added to the game since its launch and better represent its current state.
- Brighter night time on Golden Ridge Reserve Dev Team’s Notes: With night lasting longer and fish having stronger day and night preferences, the reserve has been brightened up to make for a better night-time fishing experience. Enjoy your dark vision, Anglers!
UI
- Item images now show up in the UI. Dev Team’s Notes: You will now see images of the items you received as a reward in the UI and know exactly what you’re getting.
- Error messaging improvements. Dev Team’s Notes: We’ve added more details to error messages to better inform you of possible issues should they occur.
Multiplayer
- Session Players List is now available. Dev Team’s Notes: Previously, it was quite difficult to quickly identify all online players in your session. That's why we've introduced a new Session Players List that allows you to easily see everyone in your current multiplayer game. Via the map, you’ll now be able to view the full list of players and add them as friends, mute, report, or block them.
- Additional anti-exploits mechanics Dev Team’s Notes: No one likes cheaters, so we’ve introduced extra measures to prevent some players from manipulating the game to gain unfair advantage.
Performance
- General performance improvements Dev Team’s Notes: The performance gains may vary based upon your hardware, settings, and circumstances in-game, but most players should see a nice bump up in their FPS.
We hope that you enjoy this major update and look forward to hearing what you think!
Thank you so much for all your support and happy fishing!
