A minimal-spoiler guide for acquiring artifact fishing rod

I wrote this for a friend. Thought somebody might find it useful.

This guide will help you acquire the Underlight Angler artifact fishing rod, while minimizing "spoliers". Acquiring this item is clearly supposed to be mysterious, and while you need some information, the online guides typically reveal more details than needed.

The first thing to cover is why try to get the Underlight Angler. This is up to you, of course, but I can tell you this:

1. Acquiring is proof of your fishing skill and dedication
2. It has powers. Powerful powers that you'll want.
3. After you get it, there is more fishing in your future.

To get the Angler, you need to complete the achievement "Bigger Fish to Fry" which requires you call all 18 rare fish in the Broken Isles. There are three rare fish in each zone, and three for the ocean.

To do this, first you'll need a big stack of Arcane Lures.You can find these on the Auction House for around 50 gold a piece, or you can get them from Conjurer Margoss in Dalaran. He'll sell you them for one Drowned Mana, which you can fish up from his pond with relative ease. You'll want at least 20.

Arcane Lures help you catch the "rare lures". There are (approximately) 18 different rare lures, each one matching one of the rare fish. Arcane Lures work in all zones, but will only find the rare lures appropriate for the zone you are in. The rare lures will only work in the appropriate zone. For example, using an Arcane Lure in Stormheim gives you a chance to catch the three rare Stormheim lures. You might find the "oodlefjisk lure" which then can be used to catch oodlefjisk, but only while in Stormheim, more on that later. One interesting note, the rare lures are unique, which means if you have one in your inventory (or maybe bank too) you cannot find another copy.

Then, you go from zone to zone looking to catch all three rare fish.

Here's the basic flow:

1. Find a good fishing spot. At least one fishing node, ideally more.
2. Use an arcane lure, this effect last for 10 minutes
3. Fish out of the nodes
4. Find more nodes, keep fishing

You are looking for the rare lures. Once you find one read it carefully. Most rare lures follow the basic pattern of "gives you a chance to catch the rare so-and-so fish". In this case, find a good fishing spot, pop the rare lure and get to work. These typically last btw 2 and 5 minutes, so you need to be quick. In this basic case, if you run out of nodes with a rare lure active, keep fishing in open water until the lure wears off. You still have a good chance.

However, some lures are little more tricky than this. Some let you see special schools you could never see before, you'll need to run around like crazy looking for these schools. Some do strange things like summon a beast that will give you another lure, or even weirder things. Play around with it, they typically aren't that tricky. Expect some lures to give you more lures. Just keep using the new one you'll eventually get to a fish. And don't worry if you mess up, they aren't too hard to find. Finally, if you want, you can buy the rare lures on the AH. They aren't cheap (~500g).

Once you get the achievement, you're almost there! Except... nothing happens. When in doubt just keep fishing (from nodes). You'll eventually find an item which starts a quest chain.

Follow the quest chain, but there is one really tricky (buggy) part I have to tell you about. If it appears like the chain just dead ends, log out, and log back in "somebody" should find you and move on to the next part of the quest.

The quest ends and you get the artfiact. Huzzah!

Now what?

Like other artifacts it needs artifact power to unlock it's abilities. Unlike other artifacts you cannot simply use the (artifact knowledge boosted) artifact power items. Instead you have to...fish. Each rare fish you catch while using the Underlight Angler will provide artifact power to the rod. Unlock you first ability to see the whole tree. You won't be disappointed.

A few key tips:

• "Open ocean" fish can be found in any Black Barracuda school
• If you ever catch and Angry, Stunned Shark, use it quickly, but OMG be careful. This guy will kill you. You must defeat him to complete your quest.
• The "forge" to upgrade the Angler is not your standard place.