Goldfish Scooping
Goldfish Scooping is a mini-game that is featured as part of the Sunbreeze Festival. It is a special type of fishing game which lasts for the full duration of the festival. The objective is to accumulate goldfish points by catching, and trading captured goldfish to quest NPCs.
Locations
There are four locations throughout Vana'diel where you can participate in the event. At each location is an NPC who sells event-related items and hands out rewards. Each NPC is sitting near the edge of a small body of water in which the goldfish may be caught.
| Location | Event NPC | Body of Water |
|---|---|---|
| West Ronfaure (G-10) | Saradorial | Knightswell |
| South Gustaberg (E-8) | Fish Eyes | The Fumaroles |
| East Sarutabaruta (H-8) | Kesha Shopehllok | Nompipi River |
| Rabao (F-7) | Mei | Rabao Spring |
Equipment
When you arrive, you'll need to get the proper scooping gear from the event NPC: a Goldfish Basket and several Super Scoops.
- The Goldfish Basket is obtained for free by choosing the "I'd like a bowl" option.
- Super Scoops can be purchased for 100 gil each by choosing the "I want to buy a scoop" option, or in exchange for points obtained from trading fish (see below).
Equip the Goldfish Basket in your Range slot, and Super Scoops in your Ammo slot.
Additionally, the festival offers yukata that improve your goldfish-scooping abilities.
- These improve the type of goldfish you encounter:
- Lord's Yukata (males)
- Lady's Yukata (females)
These items may be available as event rewards, or purchasable from select Moogles selling event equipment. Be sure to equip it before you begin.
Scooping
Once you're properly equipped, it's time to get your feet wet. Walk out into one of the shallow bodies of water, and use the /fish command (or Fish menu command) to begin a goldfish-scooping cutscene.
After several seconds, a message will appear, of the form, "A goldfish approaches!" Once this message appears, you will have a limited time to press the confirm button, or Enter on your keyboard, and scoop up a goldfish.
If you wait a while, you'll get a second message, "Hurry, before the goldfish sees you!". Waiting too long after this second message will allow the goldfish to escape, ending your attempt.
If you succeed, you'll receive one of the five types of goldfish as a reward:
| Goldfish Caught | Sighting Message | Goldfish Points | Optimal Catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiny Goldfish | A tiny goldfish approaches! | 1 | 1-2 second after first message |
| Black Bubble-Eye | A plump, black goldfish approaches! | 2 | 2-3 seconds after first message |
| Lionhead | A fat, juicy goldfish approaches! | 10 | 1-2 seconds after "Hurry!" message |
| Pearlscale | A fat, juicy goldfish approaches! | 30 | 2-3 seconds after "Hurry!" message |
| Calico Comet | A fat, juicy goldfish approaches! | 30 | 2-3 seconds after "Hurry!" message |
There are four possible results for each iteration of the goldfish-scooping cutscene:
- Success: "Player caught a goldfish!"
- Occurs at random when you try to scoop a fish. A goldfish of the appropriate type is added to your inventory.
- Failure: "The goldfish slipped off your scoop."
- Occurs at random when you try to scoop a fish. You don't lose anything, but you don't pick up a fish, either. This outcome seems more likely if you don't wait long enough before trying to scoop.
- Failure: "You lost your catch."
- Occurs at random when you try to scoop a fish.
- Failure: "The paper on your super scoop ripped."
- Occurs at random when you try to scoop a fish. In addition to missing out on the goldfish, you also lose one of the Super Scoops. This outcome seems more likely if you wait too long before trying to scoop.
You might also receive the message "There are no goldfish to be found..." a few seconds after using the /fish command. This may occur after several scooping attempts, similar to fishing fatigue.
Your success rate for scooping goldfish will vary. Equipping a goldfish-scooping yukata seems to widen the interval during which your attempt will be successful, but there is some disagreement about how important the timing of your scooping attempt really is. For those of low motivation, waiting 1-2 seconds works as a general rule, especially if you wear one of the yukatas, and involves less concentration.
Rewards
Once you have accumulated some goldfish, you trade them to one of the event NPCs. The NPC will then tell you how many points you gained from your catches. It's this good fortune you will trade back to one of the event NPCs in exchange for the event rewards.
Note that you can trade in any of the five types of goldfish even if obtained via other methods such as via the Auction House or the Mog Garden's Pond Dredger.
Talk to the NPC and select the topic "I'm ready for my prize." You can then select any of the event rewards for which you have sufficient points.
If you want a specific reward for 70 points, do not go to Mei, for she will give you 1 of the 3 rewards at random.
| Description | Reward | Event Points |
|---|---|---|
| A super scoop | Super Scoop | 5 |
| A bag o' fireworks | Random assortment of fireworks | 15 |
| Large fans | Summer Fan or Festive Fan | 25 |
| A colored drop | Any colored drop, such as a Red Drop | 30 |
| The mystery box | 12x Spirit Masque | 50 |
| A stellar surprise | RSE Swimsuit Bottoms | 60 |
| The other mystery box | Goldfish Set | 65 |
| Yet another mystery box |
|
70 |
