The Everturn Forest update, which arrived on March 28, 2026, added a small but dense island to Fisch's map — and with it, two exclusive rods that are intertwined in a multi-step questline. The Splitbranch Twig is a Stage 2 rod you buy after completing a nighttime fishing challenge, while the Spirit of the Forest is a Stage 4 rod earned by finishing the NPC Thalor Virewood's quests. You need the first rod to realistically obtain the second, so tackling them in order matters.
Quick answer: Catch five fish at night in Everturn Forest to spawn the Splitbranch Twig (costs C$25,000), then complete Thalor Virewood's three quests — the final one requires catching a Rotting Sturgeon using the Splitbranch Twig — to receive the Spirit of the Forest.
Reaching Everturn Forest
Everturn Forest sits northwest of Moosewood Village, between Mushgrove Swamp and Castaway Cliffs. Spawn a boat from the Shipwright at Moosewood's shore, leave the docks, and turn right heading northwest. The island is small but populated with hostile Oaklings that will attack you on the ground. If you haven't yet earned the Everturn Cloak (a reward from Thalor Virewood's first quest), fish from elevated terrain or on top of trees to stay safe.
Splitbranch Twig — Spawn conditions and purchase
Step 1: Wait for nighttime in-game. The Splitbranch Twig can only be triggered during the night cycle.
Step 2: Catch five fish at Everturn Forest during the night. You can use any rod you already own. Once all five catches are complete, the Splitbranch Twig spawns near a tree trunk close to the shore at GPS coordinates (2446, 154, -2368).
Step 3: Walk up to the rod and purchase it for C$25,000. It's immediately added to your equipment.
Splitbranch Twig stats and passives
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Lure Speed | 85% |
| Luck | 100% |
| Control | -0.1 |
| Resilience | 45% |
| Max Kg | 10,000 kg |
| Line Distance | 20 m |
The rod's key passive is a 35% chance to apply the Rotting mutation (0.7× value multiplier) to any fish you catch. It also displays two fish options each time you cast your line, giving you five seconds to pick which one you want. Perfect catches at night grant either fish automatically. This dual-choice mechanic makes it easier to target specific species, which becomes critical for the Spirit of the Forest questline.
Spirit of the Forest — Thalor Virewood's quest chain
The Spirit of the Forest is the real prize of Everturn Forest. It's awarded after completing the quests given by Thalor Virewood, an NPC located at the entrance of the island at GPS (2386, 145, -2436). Speak to him to begin.
Quest 1 — Catch 5 unique fish at Everturn Forest
Step 1: Equip any rod and head to the central pond area or the waterfall near the Shipwright on the island.
Step 2: Catch five different species of fish. The island has 20 unique species total, so variety shouldn't be difficult — most players finish within 5 to 10 minutes.
Step 3: Return to Thalor Virewood. He rewards you with the Everturn Cloak, an equippable item that prevents Oaklings from attacking you. This makes all future fishing on the island much safer.
Quest 2 (final quest) — Catch and return a Rotting Sturgeon
This is where the Splitbranch Twig becomes essential. Thalor Virewood asks you to catch and return one of the following fish with the Rotting mutation:
- Glaciaseer Sturgeon
- Floraseer Sturgeon
- Solarseer Sturgeon
- Umbraleaf Sturgeon
Step 1: Equip the Splitbranch Twig rod. Its 35% Rotting mutation chance is by far the most reliable way to land a Rotting Sturgeon.
Step 2: Use high-luck bait such as Gold Worm or Obsidian Bone to improve your odds of hooking one of the four Sturgeon species.
Step 3: Fish until you catch any one of the four Sturgeon with the Rotting mutation applied. This can take some time depending on luck, so be patient.
Step 4: Return the Rotting Sturgeon to Thalor Virewood. He awards you the Spirit of the Forest rod and 5,000 XP in the Rod Journal.
Spirit of the Forest stats and spirit leveling system
| Stat | Base Value |
|---|---|
| Lure Speed | 40% (+8%) |
| Luck | 70% |
| Control | -0.02 |
| Resilience | 10% |
| Max Kg | Infinite |
| Line Distance | 60 m |
At first glance, the Spirit of the Forest looks modest compared to higher-stage rods. Its real strength is the spirit leveling system — a passive that permanently improves the rod's stats the more you use it. Every fish you catch has a 5% chance to level up a spirit that matches the current in-game season. At night, there's a 50% chance the level-up goes to the Nightly Spirit instead of the seasonal one.
Spirit types and stat boosts per level
| Spirit | Season/Timing | Boost per Level | Max Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Spirit | Winter | +2 Resilience | +30 |
| Spring Spirit | Spring | +4 Lure Speed | +60 |
| Summer Spirit | Summer | +5 Luck | +150 |
| Autumn Spirit | Autumn | +0.005 Control | +0.15 |
| Nightly Spirit | Night | +5 Progress Speed | +50 |
Once all five spirits are maxed out, the rod gains three powerful bonuses: a 10% chance to apply Forest Spirit (a 7.5× multiplier), a +50% natural Mutation chance, and a 60% chance for slashes that fill 1% of your reeling progress every 0.3 seconds. Maxed spirits also grow visually larger on the rod.
Enchanting recommendations for Spirit of the Forest
While you're grinding spirit levels, the Momentum enchantment is a strong choice — it gradually increases Lure Speed, Resilience, and Progress Speed as you fish, complementing the rod's own scaling. Once all spirits are fully leveled, switching to the Mutated enchantment synergizes well with the rod's +50% natural Mutation chance passive, stacking even more mutation potential onto every catch.
The two Everturn Forest rods form a deliberate progression loop: the Splitbranch Twig is the tool you need to complete the Spirit of the Forest questline, and the Spirit of the Forest is the long-term payoff that grows stronger the more you fish across every season. Plan to spend some time on the island, bring good bait, and fish through the night cycles to knock out both rods efficiently.