If you’d told me back in the Red War days that I’d be spending my precious Guardian hours dangling a line into a tiny pond on Nessus, I’d have probably nova-bombed you on principle. But here we are in 2026, and fishing in Destiny 2 is still one of the most hilariously rewarding side gigs Bungie ever dreamed up. It all started way back in Season of the Deep, but the mechanic hasn’t vanished into the vault of forgotten content — thank the Traveler. So grab your tackle box and let’s talk about how to snag Exotic fish, break some blades, and guilt-trip a Tormentor into handing over the Wicked Implement Scout Rifle.

First things first: you’re not just going to waltz up to a pond and start reeling in Exotics like a Saturday morning cartoon. No, no — you need bait, and lots of it. Your Fishing Tackle box lives under the Consumables tab in your inventory, and filling it up is the name of the game. You’ll earn bait by running just about any activity: Salvage and Deep Dive are the go-tos, but public events, patrols, and playlist strikes all drop it too. I’ve found that speed-running public events on the EDZ while blasting Vex with a fusion rifle is a great way to stockpile a few hundred bait in a hot minute. Word of advice: don’t hoard like a dragon. The bait cap isn’t infinite, and letting your tackle sit full while doing a raid is just wasting potential catches.

Once you’ve got a healthy stash, head to any of the three original fishing spots: the EDZ, Nessus, or Savathûn’s Throne World. Look for a beam of light shooting into the sky — that’s your landing beacon. The ponds are circular and surrounded by rickety docks, which is honestly the most relaxing aesthetic this game has ever offered. Now, the goal isn’t just any catch; you’re hunting four specific Exotic fish. Their names read like a bizarre cocktail menu: the Whispering Mothcarp, Vexing Pacoderm, Aeonian Alpha-Betta, and the Kheprian Axehead. The first three are tied to specific destinations — Throne World, Nessus, and EDZ respectively — while the Axehead can bite anywhere, just to keep you on your toes.

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The real kicker? Catching each of these slippery legends is a matter of both patience and peer pressure. You need to use the right bait (the kind that matches the planet’s "hot spot" which rotates, so check the star map), and you absolutely want to fish with a full fireteam. Not because the drop rate skyrockets, but because Bungie in their infinite wisdom made public event participation affect the fishing frenzy meter. When that meter is maxed out, your chances of pulling an Exotic go from "laughable" to "okay, maybe this time." I’ve spent entire afternoons bobbing next to a Warlock buddy, sharing our last braincell while watching that meter fill, only to have a random blueberry pull a Mothcarp on their first cast. The RNG gods are cruel, but the camaraderie? Top tier.

So what do these fish actually get you? Well, you don’t cook them, sadly. Instead, you turn them in at the H.E.L.M.’s aquarium (yes, we have an aquarium — it’s 2026, keep up). Depositing the three destination-specific Exotic fish rewards you with three Broken Blades — jagged little relics that look like they’d give you tetanus just by thinking about them. These blades are the key to starting the secret mission known as Whetstone, and here’s where things get spicy. You don’t even need to collect all three blades yourself; only one person in a fireteam needs to have them to kick off the mission. This design choice is an absolute chef’s kiss for LFG groups, because it means the squad can carry the one friend who’d rather shoot things than fish (and we all have that friend).

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Now, the Whetstone mission itself is no leisurely stroll. You’ll dive into the Deep Dive activity and need to interact with three creepy Hive statues. The first one is chilling before the first major encounter, while the second and third hang out later like gothic garden gnomes. You’ll want a video guide handy — I still have one bookmarked from back in the day — because missing a statue means replaying the whole thing, and nobody has time for that. Once you’ve touched all three statues (which is as gross as it sounds), the mission morphs into something far more punishing. Minotaurs will try to turn you into a fine purple mist, and then a Tormentor descends like an angry grandparent who caught you stealing cookies. Tormentors are no joke; they suppress, they grab, they generally ruin your day. Bring a solid Strand build or a god-roll linear fusion rifle because you’ll need to dish out damage while dodging their soul-crushing glaives.

After you’ve sweated through the encounter, the reward is the Wicked Implement, an Exotic Scout Rifle that slows and freezes enemies with Stasis. It’s an absolute beast for controlling crowds in high-end content, and it’s still perfectly viable in the 2026 meta. Plus, the flex value of owning a weapon tied to a fishing side quest is immeasurable. When someone asks, "Hey, where’d you get that gun?" you get to say, "Oh, I literally fished it out of a pond on Titan’s cousin moon. No big deal."

A few cheeky tips from my own trials:

  • 🎣 Don’t sleep on the Focused Fishing buff. The meter resets if a public event starts and nobody completes it, so you and your fireteam better hustle.

  • 🔁 Rotate planets. If one pond is feeling stingy, hop to another. The Axehead can bite in any destination, so you might get lucky while hunting the others.

  • 📌 The Fishing Tackle box tracks your progress. If you’re not sure which Exotic fish you’ve already caught, just check the details in your inventory. No need to keep a handwritten list like some kind of cryptarch.

  • 🤝 LFG is your best friend. Post a group with the keyword “Broken Blade needed” and watch the fireteam fill up. The Destiny community still loves helping with these quirky quests.

It’s worth noting that while some seasonal content gets sunset, fishing and the Whetstone mission have stuck around because they’re part of the core Deep Dive experience. In 2026, you can still hop into Savathûn’s Throne World, bait up, and chase that Exotic dragon (fish). The gear might not be pinnacle anymore, but the experience is pure, ridiculous Destiny magic. So next time you’re burnt out on grandmaster nightfalls, remember: a pond and a dream can net you a Stasis scout rifle. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a date with a Mothcarp — and this time, it’s personal.