¶ Overview
Krillson, Master Fisherman is an extraordinarily rare and random spawn found in acts or map zones voiced by Chris Wilson. There is no known way to force a Krillson spawn.
- Only one person in a party can see Krillson.
- If the exile who spawned Krillson moves too far away (a full screen or more) he leaves the instance.
- If the exile who spawned Krillson leaves the instance (Town Portal/Waypoint) so does Krillson.
- A fishing rod is needed to start his quest line.
¶ Questline
The first time Krillson is encountered, he requires a 'gear check' of the exile. Equipping a fishing rod will pass this gear check. After passing the gear check the fishing quest starts. There have been two observed fishing quests.
- Fish up a pair of Rainbowstride boots
- Catch [2, 3, 4 or 5] [Exotic Fish, Rare Fish, Red Herrings]
- Example: Catch 3 Red Herrings
There are no verified records of a completed Krillson quest; although, There are plenty of theories about the quests. You can read more about attempting to 'fish up a pair of Rainbowstrides' here.
¶ What should I do if I find Krillson?
If you encounter Krillson and want to document your sighting, consider including the following information:
- If you have video showing your actions prior to the sighting, this is extremely valuable to include.
- Take detailed screenshots/video of the sighting and your character's full information, including:
- Area, area level, league, realm, and map modifiers (take at least one screenshot with the full area and map information UI showing)
- Time encountered (a screenshot with the UI clock enabled)
- Party information at the time of your initial sighting
- All of your equipped gear and inventory, including weapon swap
- Your Character Screen (default hotkey C)
- A POB export of your character (pastebin link)
- A screenshot or description of your zone showing other area activities (e.g. master missions, Abysses, Breach, etc.)
- A written description of your recent activities (e.g. actions taken in the past ~30 minutes prior to the sighting)
- Anything else you can think of to include!
If you need to help or want to submit this information, please do so to the Fishcord #t002-krillson channel.
¶ Krillson Sightings
tikiheme and CronoExile on the Fishcord have created a spreadsheet detailing the 100+ documented Krillson encounters and all the information related to each spawn. Here is a link to that spreadsheet.
Here's some key takeaways from the data so far:
- Krillson appears in both story zones and maps.
- The lowest-level zone in which Krillson has been observed is Level 6 (The Ledge).
- The highest-level zone in which Krillson has been observed is Level 83 (Lair of the Hydra map).
- Krillson can appear in white maps affected by no sextants.
- Krillson can appear in magic, rare, and corrupted maps affected by sextants or fragments.
- Both low-level and high-level characters can find Krillson.
- Krillson was once spotted by a Lv93 character in a Lv83 map. We do not know if the Area/Character level delta matters for story zones.
- At least some Masters do not preclude Krillson's appearance. He can appear alongside Niko, Zana, Jun, Cassia, etc.
- At least some area events do not preclude Krillson's appearance. He can appear alongside Breach, Abyss, Essence, Perandus, Domination, etc.
- At least some events which "consume" map tile slots do not preclude Krillson's appearance. He can appear alongside Betrayal Foritification, for example.
- At least some area-trigger prophecies do not preclude Krillson's appearance.
- Players have found Krillson while wearing (1) all unique items; (2) some unique items; and (3) zero unique items.
- Krillson can appear even if a zone has no water. He arrives with his own fishing hole.
We do not have many video examples of Krillson sightings which include player time spent before finding Krillson. Some examples at least show the "map setup" part, such as this very old clip by Willywonka_HC. But there may be important information we're missing about prior steps players take before entering an area which contains Krillson. Unluckily, Twitch does not autosave full vods longer than 60 days. If you are aware of any longer videos which record a lot of time before Krillson is spotted, please contact us!
¶ His Fishy Materials
¶ Fishing Holes
When Krillson appears in zones, he always appears alongside a fishing hole. Here are a few example Krillson fishing holes. The fishing holes always use the same asset, but vary in texture/colour based on the area's tileset.
When someone spots Krillson, his fishing hole asset remains in the area even if Krillson vanishes. Moreover, other party members who cannot see Krillson are nevertheless able to see the fishing hole asset.
Some of our perceptive researchers have discovered that this same fishing hole asset appears in other areas as well.
- A Krillson-style fishing hole always appears in the interstitial cave in Tropical Island map.
- A Krillson-style fishing hole always appears near the far exit of A6 Cavern of Anger.
This same asset also appears in other areas.
Is this merely another example of GGG's habit of asset reuse? Or could these consistently occurring fishing holes be hints to something deeper?
¶ Anglers 'Round the World (just for fun)
On the topic of asset reuse: there are Krillson "clones" in some areas as well. These NPCs use the same fisherman model which Krillson employs (although they do not have Krillson's fish or fancy throne).
- Do you remember the tale of Mohawk Man from Issue #1? Chris's original one_fish_missing.jpg teaser screenshot showcases the Act 3 NPC Fisherman, who uses the same model as Krillson.
- An astute researcher named Asomal noticed that Song of the Sirens also appears in a few towns.
- A fair-haired NPC fisherman can be seen in Act 6 Lioneye's Watch.
- An NPC fisherman perches precariously in Karui Shores.
There are more references to spot as well!
¶ The Hunt Continues
On Oct 30 2017, Bex wrote "Chris Wilson voiced Krillson, Master Fisherman. Some of the dialogue recorded has not yet been triggered in-game." Has that dialogue since been triggered? Will it ever be? Time will tell. Incidentally, that hint from Bex was juxtaposed with a comment on Innsbury Edge, an Insanity item. If that intrigues you, take a look at the Insanity page.
We wish you all the best luck in your hunt for Krillson. Will you be the exile who delivers Krillson's requested "choicest specimens", thus completing his final quest? Perhaps someday you will see those elusive words: "Mission complete. Krillson is impressed."
¶ Media
Here's a full video of a Krillson encounter by theuberelite on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqlEP6miRPo&t=45s
¶ Krillson Dialogue
¶ Introduction
Hi, I'm Krillson of Winding Pier fame.
For years, people have been asking me to teach them how to fish. Many question whether fishing is even possible in a harsh, unforgiving continent like Wraeclast.
¶ Captain Fairgraves
It is relatively well known that Captain Sigmund Fairgraves was an explorer and sometimes a pirate.
What's less known is that Fairgraves was a whaler of some significance. This is interesting, of course, because whales make up only one percent of all sea life. When you catch one, however, it pays for all the rest of the fish in your net.
¶ Vorici, Master Assassin
The only difference between me and Vorici is what we decide to call a 'fish'.
¶ Tora, Master of the Hunt
Tora tells me that she wants to free the land from corrupted fish. I would like that. Red Herrings annoy me.
¶ Catarina, Master of the Dead
Unlike Catarina, I prefer my fish to be fresh.
¶ Vagan, Weaponmaster
Vagan and I agree that it's very important that a fish puts up a good fight.
¶ Elreon, Loremaster
Elreon tells me that God created the fish. Thank God for that.
¶ Haku, Armourmaster
Haku claims that long ago, one of his ancestors fished up an entire island. Quite the catch, if true.
¶ Zana, Master Cartographer
Zana has offered to take me to every corner of Wraeclast. I declined. I would miss my fish too much.
¶ Fishing
¶ Without Rod Equipped
To become a Master Fisherman, one thing is for certain: you're going to need a rod, preferably one with good cast speed.
So if you happen to see a fishing rod on your travels, then bring it back to me. I'll be here as long as the fish are biting.
¶ With Rod Equipped
Excellent. You have passed the gear check and appear to have a fishing rod. A rather nice one, too. Now you are ready to catch some of Wraeclast's finest fish.
The next step on your journey to becoming a Master Fisherman worthy of the Winding Pier is to actually catch some fish. Fishing is the simplest thing in the world. With your rod equipped, just approach a pool of water and cast away. It's really intuitive.
Soon, you'll find yourself overburdened with fish of various types. Before you rush off to trade your haul for a better rod though, bring me back a few of the choicest specimens to demonstrate your skill.
¶ Claim Fish Reward
You... managed to catch the fish I wanted? Congratulations! Let's keep this a secret between the two of us, shall we?
In the meantime, take this. It should be useful in the future.