Runescape Dragonwilds' Fishing skill is finally here, and it's got a magical touch to it

Runescape Dragonwilds has been consistently pumping out content, and it’s already vastly improved from what Jagex initially offered up when the survival game entered early access this time last year. It’s not the perfect Runescape package just yet, of course, but today’s introduction of new skill Fishing is bringing it one step closer. But that’s not all that’s arriving with the fresh update, as three new quests, including two reimagined RS classics, two new activities, and some excellent quality-of-life improvements are also set to expand the experience.

Runescape Dragonwilds’ Fishing has a couple of extra bells and whistles added that give it some real zest. Nets and rods are so… old school, so arcane angling is now very much a thing. Here, you’ll gain access to three different spells: Fishing Frenzy, Infernal Rod, and Fishnado. Fishing Frenzy significantly increases the number of fish spawned by a node. Infernal Rod instantly cooks your catches; that’s efficiency, baby. Fishnado, meanwhile, fires out a burst of magic into the water, sending a flailing school of fish flying into your backpack. These all look like extremely handy spells to have, so definitely take some time to scrub up on your Magic.

Naturally, cooking up fish as a food source is going to be the best way to use them, so this should also help rack up some extra Cooking XP if you haven’t already snagged the skill cape. If you get lucky and pluck up a Pristine Fish, consider keeping it out of the stew, and instead turn it into a decorative Fishing Trophy for your home.

With today’s update, we’ve also got three new quests to enjoy. RS veterans should already be familiar with Cook’s Assistant and Animal Magnetism. While there’s no Cook-o-matic to help stop you from cremating your catches, Cook’s Assistant will instead reward you with a Victoria Sponge Cake recipe, which reduces your fatigue drain rate for five minutes upon consumption. By the looks of things, Ava’s Accumulator is back with Animal Magnetism, though I have a feeling it may have a new name based on the fact Draynor Manor is far, far away.

The new, original quest is called ‘A Room With Garou.’ Here, age has robbed Elder Garou of his eyesight. Seeking retirement in a “tranquil place,” your job is to build the elder’s forever home. Though the rewards for this quest haven’t been revealed in the patch notes, we do at least know that new activities Scarecrow Scavenging and Buried Treasure will remunerate your efforts with a Farmer Hat for the former, and a slew of rewards including new torches for the latter.

Now, onto QoL. The most important introduction here, by far, is that of an auto run toggle. My lazy, RSI-riddled self cannot be more thankful for this feature, and I feel it should be mandatory in all open-world games (please and thank you). Chickens, cows, and kebbits are awfully bold for common creatures, and are far more aggressive than one would like. Well, they’ve all taken a chill pill as they will no longer attack you unprovoked. There’s a new auto-magnetize feature that automatically pulls in nearby items, which saves spamming the interact button; a substantial win.

Elsewhere, the Rune stack cap has been upped to 9,999, so you’ll be able to take advantage of the Runecrafting changes that are expected to ship within the next couple of weeks. Black Metal drop rates have also been raised, so you won’t be scrounging around for the precious material as much. Finally, the Zamorakian Staff and Titan’s Wrath are getting new special attacks, so prepare to dish out dopamine-eliciting amounts of DPS.

All in all, the new patch is a bit of a banger. I was already excited enough to wile away the hours fishing, but I’ll certainly have to make some time to delve into the new quests. The quality-of-life changes are very much welcome, and should reduce some of the tedium that comes with open-world exploration. If you’ve yet to dabble in Dowdun Reach, now’s the perfect time to check out the latest expansion.