Diablo IV: How to Go Fishing – Season of Infernal Chaos Guide

Fishing in Diablo IV confuses a lot of players because they go looking in the wrong place. It is not a Season of Infernal Chaos seasonal feature, and you will not find it in a seasonal quest tab. Fishing arrived with the Lord of Hatred expansion (Season 13), so you unlock it by progressing the expansion campaign, reaching the dock in Skovos near Philios, talking to Shi Yugong, and casting from your emote wheel near any liquid surface.

The short version

• Where it lives: Fishing is a Lord of Hatred (Season 13) expansion mechanic, not a Season of Infernal Chaos seasonal activity.
• How to unlock it: Progress the expansion until you reach the dock in Skovos (the Philios area), then complete the priority quest named Fishing from Shi Yugong.
• How to cast: Open the emote/action wheel, pick Cast Fishing Line, and cast near any liquid.
• How to reel: Reel in when you hear a splash or see a blue fish icon above your character.
• Where you can fish: Nearly any liquid works, including lava. Lava spots are flagged as high-value.
• Tracking: Use Add to Collection on a catch, then check progress under Collection > Challenges > Fishing.

Fishing is a Lord of Hatred feature, not a Season of Infernal Chaos one

This is the first trap to avoid. If you came in expecting fishing to be bolted onto the Season of Infernal Chaos progression loop, you will waste time digging through seasonal menus. Fishing was added with the Lord of Hatred expansion in Season 13, and it lives on the expansion path, not the seasonal one. Treat it as an optional side activity you unlock through the newer region, not as something you flip on from a seasonal quest tab.

That distinction also tells you how to use it. Fishing is downtime content. It is a low-pressure loot generator with collection progress on top, best slotted between harder endgame pushes rather than treated as a power farm. If you are chasing maximum seasonal power per minute, it is not the centerpiece. If you want collectibles, small loot bursts, and a break from constant combat, it earns its place.

How to unlock fishing and find Shi Yugong

The unlock is tied to the expansion campaign. Push the Lord of Hatred story until it takes you to the Skovos region, then head to the dock in the Philios area and speak to Shi Yugong. A priority quest simply called Fishing appears early in the expansion campaign and walks you through your first cast.

• Advance the Lord of Hatred campaign until you reach Skovos.
• Go to the dock in the Philios area and find Shi Yugong.
• Accept and complete the priority quest Fishing.
• Add the Cast Fishing Line action to your emote/action wheel.

Fishing behaves like an emote-style action, not a separate full-screen minigame. So stop hunting the map for a fixed fishing icon the way you would in an MMO. There are no marked fishing nodes to find. Once Shi Yugong has set you up, you can fish anywhere the liquid-detection works. For the full quest path and every catch tied to Shi Yugong, see how to find all Shi Yugong fish.

How to actually cast and reel

Once it is unlocked, the loop is short. Open the emote/action wheel, select Cast Fishing Line, and cast while standing near a liquid surface. Then wait for the cue: you reel in when you hear a splash or see a blue fish icon appear above your character. Press the reel input when that cue lands.

React to the cue instead of pre-inputting. Mashing the reel the instant you cast is the most common self-inflicted mistake. The clean rhythm is: cast, hold the camera steady, watch for the blue fish icon, listen for the splash, then reel once.

Where you can fish

Fishing is far more permissive than players expect because it is a surface-detection system, not a fixed-node one. You can fish in nearly any liquid in the game, and that explicitly includes lava. Lava fishing spots are called out as high-value locations, so they are worth seeking out rather than avoiding.

If a cast does not trigger, the location is not the problem nearly as often as your positioning. Step closer to the edge, rotate the camera, or move to a different patch of liquid. Because the system reads surfaces rather than placed nodes, small repositioning fixes most failed casts.

Catches, collection, and tracking progress

The most common point of confusion is what to do after you reel something in. When you land a catch, use Add to Collection, then track your progress under Collection > Challenges > Fishing. That is where the fishing roster lives, so if your progress is not moving, look there rather than assuming the catch was bugged.

If you are playing for completion rather than loot, this is about coverage, not repetition. Fish across different regions and different liquid surfaces instead of grinding one pool. For the full reward picture and what the catches are actually worth, see how fishing works in Lord of Hatred, and for the specific challenge catches, how to find all fish for The One That Got Away.

Common mistakes

• Searching seasonal menus. Fishing is a Lord of Hatred feature on the expansion path, not a Season of Infernal Chaos seasonal unlock.
• Hunting for fixed fishing nodes. There are none. You cast at any liquid surface, not at a map marker.
• Standing too far from the edge. If a cast feels inconsistent, step closer and retry before assuming the spot is invalid.
• Reeling too early. Wait for the splash or the blue fish icon. Early presses are the most common mistake.
• Skipping lava. Lava is a valid surface and is flagged as a high-value spot, so do not ignore it.
• Not adding catches to your collection. Use Add to Collection and check Collection > Challenges > Fishing if your tracker looks stuck.

Practical takeaway

Treat fishing as a Lord of Hatred (Season 13) mechanic you happen to use during Season of Infernal Chaos, not a seasonal feature you somehow missed. Progress the expansion to the dock in Skovos, complete Shi Yugong‘s Fishing quest, cast from the emote wheel near any liquid (lava included), and reel on the splash or blue fish icon. Then add catches to your collection and track them under Collection > Challenges > Fishing. Unlock it if you enjoy collectibles and a calmer break between endgame runs; skip it if your only metric is seasonal power per minute.