The skies are full of fish!
The Diadem has returned to Final Fantasy XIV as a gatherer’s paradise used to assist the ongoing Ishgardian Restoration, which means Diadem fishers. Unlike botanists and miners, who farm materials directly, fishers have to pluck fish out of the sky and pull materials from their de-synthesized corpses. This includes the rare mats that pop up during Umbral storms, which fishers can retrieve from certain fish during these periods. In this Diadem fishers’ guide I’ll tell you all you need to know to become the best angler in the sky.
Diadem Fishers have unique bait, though they’ll rely on Versatile lures until level 80.
Diadem fishers can enter the zone as soon as they reach level 10. To best prepare for the farming ahead Diadem fishers should pack some Versatile lures, which can be purchased from the Ocean Fishing vendor. With these in hand they’ll find their job is simple: fish! There are four primary fishing holes in the Diadem, and they are:
- Blustery Cloudtop in the Northeastern Pavilion(X:32.5, Y:9.2)
- Windswept Cloudtop in the Northeastern Pavilion (X:27 , Y:15.7)
- Swirling Cloudtop in the Southwestern Pavilion (X:12.2 , Y:24.2)
- Calm Cloudtop in the Southeastern Pavilion (X:29.5 , Y:33.4)
Cloud Cutters and Vampiric Tapestries can be found in each location, with a light tug and medium tug respectively. Tupuxuara can be found in the Blustery Cloudtop (medium tug; can be mooched from Cloud Cutters), as are the Rhoma-Leosauruses (medium tug Cloud Cutter mooch worth 40 scrips). The Windswept Cloudtop is where you’ll find Skyfish (light tug with the level 80 Diadem Hoverworm bait), and the Blind Manta (normal bait medium tug that can be mooched with Cloud Cutters).
The Swirling Cloudtop hosts the Tupuxuara as well, and it is caught the same way as the Blustery Tupuxuara. Pterodactyls can be fished up here as medium tugs, but will require either the Diadem Crane Fly bait, or Diadem Balloon Bug (which are both level 80 baits). The Calm Cloudtop has the light tug Gobbie Mask, but it requires a successful mooch with a Cloud Cutter.
Once you are level 80 ditch the Versatile lures in favor of the Diadem bait, which you’ll want to use in accordance with the island you are fishing on. That bait is associated with what rare fish appears appears on that island during Umbral storms. The Diadem bait can be purchased from the Merchant within the Diadem at The Bounty.
As for the rare fish, there is one per area, and each requires a specific level 80 Diadem fisher bait to reel in. Each is a “!!!” Heavy Tug, and they are:
- Cometfish (Blustery Cloudtop during Umbral Flare, with the Diadem Balloon Bug).
- Dragon’s Soul (Windswept Cloudtop during Umbral Tempest with the Diadem Hoverworm).
- Rhamphor-hynchus (Swirling Cloudtop during Umbral Levin with the Diadem Crane Fly).
- Anomalocaris (Calm Cloudtop during Umbral Duststorm with the Diadem Red Balloon).
Each will give the material that corresponds to their storm that the other gatherers are collecting during this period. Aside from these moments it is best advised Diadem fishers stick to the Calm Cloudtop and farm the Gobbie Mask: it is easy to catch with Patience and Mooch, and it awards 40 scrips (also 1580 points for those chasing the leaderboards).
That’s all there is to Diadem fishing in Final Fantasy XIV. Pack some Versatile lures until you are level 80, then go wild with the exclusive bait to reel in some truly massive hauls (and oodles of scrips).
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