A huge progression update: Caverns, Pets, Islands, Missions and much more

Patient Angler has grown quite a bit since I first added the game to PixelPicked, so it is time for a proper update on what has been added.

The original progression ended around the Trench. That is no longer the case.

After stabilizing the Maelstrom, players can now enter a completely new cavern progression path consisting of 10 zones:

Emerald Cavern Amber Cavern Amethyst Cavern Ruby Cavern Aquamarine Cavern Opal Cavern Obsidian Cavern Topaz Cavern Sapphire Cavern Blue Diamond Cavern

Every cavern has its own fish, crystals, automation, storage, requirements and Tribe. Players complete Tribe requests, increase their reputation and eventually unlock a unique Tribe Bobber. Equipping it allows the player to manually discover that Tribe’s rare Mythic fish.

Cavern progression also introduces Crystal Storage, Geodes, Crystal Enhancements, Crystal Resonance and Crystal Surveys. Crystal Surveys allow expedition vessels to continuously search for Genesis Shard progress while also producing cavern resources.

Expeditions have become a much larger part of the game. The fleet can now take part in Ghost Ship expeditions, Discovery Voyages, Kraken Hunts, Crystal Surveys, Maelstrom expeditions and Abyss expeditions. Expedition Automation can manage much of this system for players who have progressed far enough.

Treasure Maps and island exploration are also available. Players can assemble and use maps to discover the Forgotten Island and Kraken Vault Island. These islands include relics, vault puzzles, unique rewards, new collection content and further permanent progression.

Kraken progression now leads into a proper Kraken boss fight with its own mechanics and rewards.

A new Missions tab has been added alongside the existing quests and achievements. It contains a long sequential progression track with objectives connected to the player’s current zones, fishing, automation, storage, expeditions, islands and other unlocked systems. Mission requirements are generated from the player’s progress so that later missions remain meaningful instead of completing instantly.

The game now also has a Pet system with six different pets: Siamese Cat catches fish and manual-only fishing loot for the player. Pet Rock improves parts of manual fishing, including bait waiting time and catch opportunities. Ghost Dog supports expeditions with faster journeys, improved rewards and Ghost Ship bonuses. Treasure Goblin gathers crystals in cavern zones and improves Sunken Treasure and crystal-related systems. Treasure Hunter Seagull improves flagship income, flying screen rewards and Treasure Map Fragment gains. Mini Kraken assists with Kraken Vault discovery, vault puzzles, vault rewards and Relic gains.

Only one pet can be active at a time. Every pet has its own way of earning XP, its own upgrade branches and a different role in the wider progression system.

Recurring Event Islands have also been introduced. These events use a separate temporary progression path where everyone begins from the start and works toward event rewards and exclusive cosmetic bobbers. Event progress does not replace the main save, and the rewards are transferred back to the main game.

Other additions include Archaeology, Fishdex and Mastery expansions, more bobber cosmetics, additional achievements, improved offline progress, portrait mode, many balance improvements and a large amount of quality-of-life work based directly on player feedback.

The game now contains months of progression, with different systems opening gradually instead of everything being presented at once.

Patient Angler is currently available on Android and through Google Play Games on PC. The iOS version is presently in Apple review and should hopefully become available soon.

Thanks to everyone who has played, reported issues, shared strategies and helped improve the balancing. The game would be in a very different state without that feedback.

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.henlygames.patientangler

Discord: https://discord.gg/t3sASNPevg