EveryStardew Valleyplayer has seen it: hold down the button to cast out the fishing line for the exact right amount of time, and the word “MAX” will pop up above the power bar with an extra-satisfying sound effect. It takes a fair bit of time to masterthisStardewfishing technique, but it’s intensely rewarding when it works. Many a player will strive to get that maxed-out cast whenever possible, until the timing becomes second nature.
Butit’s not immediately clear whether maxing out every cast actually does something for the farmer’s fishing skills. It doesn’t seem to make fish bite more consistently, or guarantee higher-quality catches. So the question remains: do max fishing casts actually do anything?
Maxing Out The Fishing Bar Doesn’t Make A Difference
Max Casts Are Just For Show
Unfortunately, as hard as a player might try,max fishing casts don’t have any actual effect on fishingin and of themselves. They don’t increase the bite rate, make it easier to reel fish in, or guarantee higher quality catches. Satisfying noise and visual effects aside, max casts are basically meaningless.
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That said,there’s some utility to the max cast popup. The entire purpose of the power bar is to allow players greater control over the distance of their casts. This may help them gauge their casts when they’re trying to hit a specific spot, like the bubbles on the surface that mark a feeding frenzy. There is some benefit to casting into deeper water, too, as rarer fish are more likely to spawn farther from shore. Still, far more important is the farmer’s position when casting, the quality of their bait, andwhat kind of tackle they use.
Max Casts Are Necessary For Certain Fish
Reaching Tight Spots
Although it may not be worth hitting a max cast every single time,catching certainunique and Legendary fishdoes require careful positioning of the bobber. For example, when fishing for theGoby, players will need to ensure that their casts can reliably land in a particular part of the waterfall south of the Cindersap Woods. Players will have to stand in the exact right spot, and time their casts carefully, quite possibly needing to hit max to land in the right spot.
The maximum distance of the farmer’s fishing casts starts at three tiles when casting up or town, and four tiles when casting left or right. This increases by one tile in each direction at levels 1, 5, and 8.
In addition,there are only certain spots in the lake where Legend may spawn. Each tile of water inStardew Valleyis assigned a zone based on its distance from the shore - if it’s right next to the shore, its zone is 1, two tiles away, it’s zone 2, and so on. Legend will only spawn on tiles with a zone of 5, which means players will have to aim their casts carefully to catch it.
So, while max casts may not have much benefit on their own, they’re an important part of gauging distance when going after rarer fish. They’re not totally useless to theStardew Valleyexperience, and are still worth mastering - if nothing else, think of them as practice for the Smashing Stone mini-game at the fair.
Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley is a charming indie farming scene that took the world by storm. After inheriting a run-down farm from their grandfather, the player moves to Stardew Valley to start a new life away from the city. Grow crops, raise animals, befriend the villagers, and discover the secrets the valley has to offer.
