The Drylands is the biggest thing to land in Fisch in months, and it changes the routine in a real way. Instead of casting into water, you spend most of your time in a sprawling desert of dunes, claypans, and buried ruins, digging fish out of the sand and slowly piecing together the story of what is sleeping beneath it. There is a new questline, a new fishing tool, fresh rods and mutations, a prehistoric creature tunneling under your feet, and a limited-time Fourth of July celebration bolted on top.
Quick answer: Teleport to the Fischfest island, walk behind the sand castle, and step onto the new island at GPS (-24497, 2683, -5386). Talk to Paleontologist Petri to start the Mysterious Marrow questline, complete the first two quests, then craft the Marrow Rod to unlock Sand Fishing.
How to get to the Drylands
The Drylands sits right next to the Fischfest island, so you reach it on foot rather than through a dedicated portal.
Start the Mysterious Marrow quest with Paleontologist Petri
Your first stop should be Paleontologist Petri, found on the island at GPS (-23924, 2696, -6213). Petri hands you the Mysterious Marrow questline, which runs in stages. Each stage gates the next, so you cannot skip ahead.
The first two quests are the foundation for everything else, so clear those before anything else. They set up excavating fossils, and they point you toward the crafting materials you need for the Marrow Rod. The story itself hints at awakening something ancient buried under the sand.
Craft the Marrow Rod and unlock Sand Fishing
The signature mechanic here is Sand Fishing. Instead of casting into water, you fish directly in the desert, and that opens a whole set of catches you cannot get anywhere else. Sand Fishing is also how you dig up prehistoric fossils, which feed into their own collection and into the questline.
To fish the sand, you need the Marrow Rod paired with the Sand Sifter. The Marrow Rod is a quest reward, not a shop purchase, so it is a direct part of your progress. After the early Petri quests, gather your crafting materials, unlock the Ancient Archives on Ancient Isle, and craft the rod there.
Tip: If you would rather keep your favorite rod, the new Dune enchantment lets you Sand Fish with virtually any compatible rod, so you are not forced to swap gear constantly.
The priority order is simple. Finish the first Drylands quest, then the second, gather your Marrow Rod materials, unlock the Ancient Archives on Ancient Isle, and craft the rod. Water pools and torrential rainwater areas can be fished with your regular rods, but anything buried in the dunes needs the Marrow Rod and Sand Sifter combo.
Drylands bestiary
The Drylands has its own bestiary spread across the Claypans, the Drylands Sand, and the Sunken Reservoir. All of them count toward the same collection. Every catch here is a Summer-season fish, and most sit on Clear weather. The high-value standouts are the Reservoir Squalus and the Dune Relic at C$5,500 and C$5,000, followed closely by the Sun-Blistered Perch.
| Fish | Bait | Weather | Time | Avg C$ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bone-Plate Dace | Insect | Clear | — | 76.7 |
| Cactus-Feeder Barb | Cacti Pulp | Clear | — | 68.8 |
| Calcified Trilobite | — | Clear | — | 31.3 |
| Claypan Guppy | Bagel | Clear | — | 2312.5 |
| Dryskin Minnow | Insect | Clear | — | 27 |
| Dune Relic | — | — | — | 5000 |
| Dune-Stalker Eel | Shrimp | Clear | Night | 2330.3 |
| Duneseat Crustacean | Cacti Pulp | Clear | — | 210.8 |
| Dustveil Ray | — | Clear | — | 207 |
| Marrow Pike | Fish Head | Clear | — | 153.1 |
| Mirage Fin | Insect | Foggy | Night | 75.1 |
| Petrified Ammonite | — | Clear | — | 35.4 |
| Photic Terrosunder | Cacti Pulp | Clear | Day | 57500 |
| Prickly Gurnard | Shrimp | Clear | — | 2239.8 |
| Reservoir Squalus | Fish Head | Clear | Night | 5500 |
| Sandbar Loach | Worm | Clear | — | 28.8 |
| Shard-Tooth Salmon | Shrimp | Clear | — | 148.5 |
| Silt-Crusted Carp | Worm | Clear | — | 80 |
| Strata-Bound Bass | Worm | Clear | — | 223.1 |
| Sun-Blistered Perch | Shrimp | Clear | Day | 5460 |
| Terrosunder Skull | Fish Head | Clear | — | 5826.7 |
| Torrential Catfish | Worm | Clear | — | 205.8 |
Completing the bestiary rewards a Small Cactus bobber, 50,000 C$, and 50,000 XP.
Desert weather: dust storms and torrential rain
The Drylands runs its own weather system, and checking it before you head out saves time when you are chasing specific entries.
| Weather | What it does |
|---|---|
| Dust Storms | Cuts visibility but raises Luck, unlocks exclusive catches, and opens special fishing opportunities. Best window for rare species. |
| Torrential Rain | A rare event that floods the Claypans, temporarily making fish and collectibles available that you cannot find otherwise. |
The Terrosunder
The desert is not entirely safe. A huge prehistoric creature called the Terrosunder tunnels beneath the sand, and getting too close while you explore can put you in danger. Its true form can eventually be awakened, so there is clearly more to it than dodging. It also ties into some of the region’s most valuable catches, including the Photic Terrosunder, which has an average value of C$57,500 and only appears during its own hunt.
New rods, enchantments, and mutations
Three rods arrived with the update. The Marrow Rod is the quest reward tied to the Mysterious Marrow line, while the Liberty-Line and Terrotrapper round out the pool with their own stats. Alongside them are two new enchantments and four new mutations built around desert fishing.
| Type | Additions |
|---|---|
| Rods | Marrow Rod, Liberty-Line, Terrotrapper |
| Enchantments | Dune, Sifting |
| Mutations | Liberty, Marrow, Terro, Photical |
| Companion | Terroscuttler |
The Dune enchantment is the one to prioritize if you want to keep an existing rod, since it enables Sand Fishing without switching gear. You can also unlock the Terroscuttler companion to join you across the region.
Fourth of July event and rewards
Running alongside the desert expansion is a limited-time Independence Day celebration. It adds a patriotic event bestiary, Patriot Shark Hunts, exclusive seasonal catches, and event rewards handed out by Liberty Larry at Fischfest. Completing the Patriotic Seas bestiary awards the Small Cactus bobber, and the update also added a Patriot title. Because it is time-limited, clear it before it rotates out.
Drylands codes and how to redeem them
Two free codes dropped with the update. Redeem them quickly, since event codes tend to expire without warning.
| Code | Reward |
|---|---|
| DrylandsIsFire | Free rewards |
| HAPPY4TH | Free rewards |
Companion buffs and quality-of-life changes
If you already own certain companions, they perform noticeably better after the update.
| Companion | Changes |
|---|---|
| Beak Bill | Better overall performance and higher rain-related Luck bonuses |
| Penguin Pal | Freezes enemies more often, with a longer freeze duration |
| Silly Seal | Stronger and faster bites, and can consume more targets |
The update also added timers to every Venue Takeover character, shipped various bug fixes, and made general gameplay improvements. Going forward, balance adjustments will start showing up in public logs, so buffs and nerfs will be easier to track.
Between Sand Fishing, the fossil collection, the Mysterious Marrow questline, shifting desert weather, and a giant creature buried under the dunes, the Drylands has enough to keep you busy for a long stretch. Start with Petri, get the Marrow Rod, and work the questline at a steady pace while the Fourth of July rewards are still up for grabs.
