Exploding Population
Last updated 2026-06-22
Exploding Population is a World Quest in Mondstadt. Completing this quest unlocks the Fishing system.
Steps
- Talk to Katheryne in Mondstadt
- Talk to Nantuck
- Meet Nantuck at Cider Lake
- After the Fishing tutorial, you will receive Wilderness Rod ×1, Fruit Paste Bait ×10, Redrot Bait ×10, False Worm Bait ×10, Fake Fly Bait ×10, and Formula: Fruit Paste Bait ×1
- Fish in Cider Lake
- Talk to Nantuck
- Catch an Ornamental Fish in the Stormbearer Mountains
- Co-Op Mode is locked during this step
- Show Nantuck the Ornamental Fish
Gameplay Notes
- Step 4 does not progress if the player has only caught Ornamental Fish.
- Steps 6 and 7 are skipped if an Ornamental Fish is caught prior to completing Step 5.
- During this quest, the player will earn the following Achievements in Teyvat Fishing Guide: Series I:
- Amateurs Hammer Nails Into Hooks - catch your first fish
- "Do you need a fishtank to go with that?" - catch your first Ornamental Fish
Dialogue
- (Talk to Katheryne in Mondstadt)
- Katheryne: Ad astra abyssosque! Welcome to the Adventurers' Guild.
- Katheryne: We've recently received a commission from the Fishing Association, claiming that the fish activity in the nearby waters has been abnormal.
- Katheryne: Unfortunately, their report does not mention any specifics. Could you help us check in on the situation?
- Katheryne: I have full faith that no matter what the problem is, you will overcome it with ease.
Fishing Association? Is it that fishing?- Katheryne: Huh? "That fishing"? I'm not sure I understand... Is there any other kind of fishing to speak of?
- Paimon: Ooh, the Fishing Association... The Fishing Association... Sure sounds like they're in the business of catching delicious fish!
- Paimon: Well, there's no time to lose — let's go check this out! Hehehe...
- (Talk to Nantuck outside the city)
- Nantuck: The fish have been really active these days...
- Do you need help?
- Nantuck: Yes, and here comes my help now, I suppose! Good day to you!
- Nantuck: Ahem. My name is Nantuck, senior fisherman of the Mondstadt Fishing Association.
- Nantuck: Recently, many new fish species have suddenly appeared in nearby waters.
- Nantuck: I immediately contacted my friends in other regions, and sure enough, this has been happening everywhere.
- Nantuck: Some people say that this must be the Teyvat fish outbreak of the century!
- Nantuck: Actually, the reason hasn't been fully investigated, but I guess it has something to do with the improvement of the ecological environment...
- Paimon: Oh, so you guys are in trouble because there are too many fish, right?
- Paimon: Don't worry, Paimon will take care of it! As long as they don't taste bad...
- Nantuck: Haha, it's no trouble. In fact, the more fish, the better as far the Fishing Association is concerned. However, we need enough manpower.
- Nantuck: And to be honest, with the manpower we have available...
- Nantuck: We'd be hard-pressed to catch all the new fish species for research in a short time.
- Nantuck: But on the flip side, I thought, isn't this also a great opportunity for the Fishing Association to grow?
- Nantuck: So I put up a commission with the Adventurers' Guild. Well, how about it? Interested in joining us?
- Nantuck: Fishing is a lot of fun, you know!
- No problem, I'm good at fishing.
- Nantuck: Great, what an energetic youngster you are!
- Can I just go down and catch them straight?
- Nantuck: Isn't it really dangerous to dive straight in? You adventurers sure are bold...
- Nantuck: Unfortunately, those fish are not as brave as you. All of them will be scared away if they see such a huge being jump into the water.
- Nantuck: Best you refrain from doing such a thing.
- Nantuck: So... Let's start by going to Cider Lake.
- Nantuck: That's where the fishing grounds I prepared for newcomers is, I'll teach you the basics first.
- (Talk to Nantuck at Cider Lake)
- Nantuck: This place will do! See those little fish in the water? They're so beautiful...
- Nantuck: Here, take some of these tools. We have fishing rods, bait, and formulas for making bait.
- Nantuck: First, place the bait on the hook, then aim for where the fish are gathering... then cast your rod! Then, dutifully wait for the fish to take the bait.
- Nantuck: I've heard that newcomers have something called "beginner's luck." I caught a large bass that was more than half a meter long back then! Well, go on then, give it a go!
- Here's to catching another Paimon.
- Paimon: Hey! You shall have no other Paimon before this Paimon!
- Nantuck: Paimon? What a strange name, is it a kind of fish?
- It's a sort of "wonderous seafood" that I managed to catch last time.
- Paimon: Hey! When did Paimon go from "emergency food" to "wondrous seafood"!?
- Nantuck: Ah, I see! I didn't realize that you were already an experienced angler.
- Nantuck: Well, that just makes me even more excited to see what you'll catch!
- (Talk to Nantuck again, optional)
- Nantuck: Start once you're ready. I'm looking forward to seeing what you might catch!
- (Talk to Nantuck after catching a fish, if no Ornamental Fish were caught)
-
- Nantuck: How did it go? By the look on your face, I suppose you got a pretty good haul! Let me see.
- Nantuck: Oh? It's a newly discovered species of fish! That's wonderful!
- Nantuck: You're almost catching up with me back when I was in my glory days, hahaha!
- Can you also catch fish with your bare hands?
- Nantuck: Ahem... Seems like these ordinary little fish are a walk in the park for you. I should consider giving you something more challenging...
- Nantuck: You might not know this, but even fish from the same species can have huge differences between individuals because of differences in living environment and food.
- Nantuck: Even though they all look the same, some individuals are particularly active and energetic. They jump out of the water from time to time and are very eye-catching.
- Nantuck: These individuals are superior by far in terms of both commercial and aesthetic value.
- Nantuck: Many hobbyists buy them at high prices and keep them at home in their tanks for ornamental purposes. This is why such fish are also called "ornamental fish."
- So that means, apart from "Emergency Paimon"...
- There's also "Ornamental Paimon"!
- Paimon: No, there isn't! How can there be so many kinds of Paimons!?
- Nantuck: Yes, that's precisely how it works. Looks like you've gotten it already!
- Nantuck: Recently, there have been many "ornamental fish" active in the waters near the Stormbearer Mountains, which I have marked on your map.
- Nantuck: Let's go over and check it out.
- (Continue to next section)
- (Talk to Nantuck after catching a fish, if an Ornamental Fish was caught)
-
- Nantuck: How did it go? By the look on your face, I suppose you got a pretty good haul! Let me see.
- Nantuck: Oh? It's a newly discovered species of fish! Most stupendous... Hey, wait, what's that other fish in your bag?
- Nantuck: Wow— That's amazing! Do you know what this is? It's an "ornamental fish"!
- Nantuck: You might not know this, but even fish from the same species can have huge differences between individuals because of differences in living environment and food.
- Nantuck: Even though they all look the same, some individuals are particularly active and energetic. They jump out of the water from time to time and are very eye-catching.
- Nantuck: These individuals are superior by far in terms of both commercial and aesthetic value.
- Nantuck: Many hobbyists buy them at high prices and keep them at home in their tanks for ornamental purposes.
- Nantuck: This one in your bag is a true-blue "ornamental fish."
- So that means, apart from "Emergency Paimon"...
- There's also "Ornamental Paimon"!
- Paimon: No, there isn't! How can there be so many kinds of Paimons!?
- Nantuck: Yes, that's precisely how it works. Looks like you've gotten it already!
- Nantuck: I'm really sorry I underestimated you before... no! I underestimated the elites of the Adventurers' Guild!
- Nantuck: Guess I should hurry up and put up more commissions. I have got to attract talent like you to join the Fishing Association, if that's the last thing I do!
- Nantuck: By the way, if you need fishing gear in the future, you can drop by our Fishing Association to have a look. Our prices are very affordable!
- Nantuck: Hehe, not to brag or anything, but we do have a good collection of fine goods!
- (Quest ends)
- (Talk to Nantuck after catching an Ornamental Fish in the Stormbearer Mountains)
- Nantuck: Back so soon, youngster? You're pretty quick, huh?
- Nantuck: Let me take a look... Wow! This one here is a true-blue "ornamental fish"!
- Nantuck: Y—You're definitely a first-class angler!
- Nantuck: I'm really sorry, it seems like I underestimated you before... No! I underestimated the elites of the Adventurers' Guild!
- Nantuck: Guess I should hurry up and put up more commissions. I've got to attract talent like you to join the Fishing Association, if that's the last thing I do!
- Nantuck: By the way, if you need fishing gear in the future, you can just swing by our Fishing Association to have a look. Our prices are pretty reasonable!
- Nantuck: Hehe, not to brag or anything, but we do have a good collection of fine goods!
Tutorials
- Fishing
If you should see ripples in a nearby water body, this means that it is a Fishing Point. Get close to this Fishing Point and interact with it to start fishing.
Fish are quite sensitive to their surroundings. If you stand too close or perform combat actions, the fish will be frightened and will scatter, and they will take a while to calm down and come closer to the water body again.
Different water bodies contain different species of fish. While preparing to fish, you can view the species that can be found here and select the appropriate rod and bait.
You can obtain blueprints for making bait from the Mondstadt Fishing Association. Learning them will allow you to make bait at any Crafting Bench.
Note that different fish are attracted to different kinds of bait~
Hold the Cast Rod button to enter aiming mode: let go of said button to flick your bait and hook out.
If your hook lands too far from the fish, its ability to attract them will greatly decrease.
If it lands too close by, the fish will be startled and will flee the scene.
When the fish are on the hook, (tap/click/press) the Raise Hook button, or the fish might finish eating the bait and flee.
Once you've successfully raised your hook, the fish will start to struggle.
When the fish enters a struggling state, you can hold and release the Fish button to adjust your fishing line tension and keep it in the yellow Ideal Tension Zone. Fishing progress will only increase if you stay in the Ideal Tension Zone. Otherwise, progress will drop.
Once progress is full, you will have successfully caught this fish.
Fish on the hook will sometimes enter periods of intense struggle. At this time, the speed at which line tension may change will be affected, and the Ideal Tension Zone will turn orange and start to fluctuate slightly.
If your fishing progress hits 0, the fish will try to escape. The Tension Zone will then turn red and start to fluctuate.
- Capacities of the Catch
You can exchange caught fish at Fishing Associations in various regions for various materials.
You can also use them as meat in cooking.
- Ornamental Fish
There are certain lively and more valuable specimens of each fish species known as Ornamental Fish, and Fishing Areas with such fish at them will have more obvious ripples effects.
Ornamental Fish can be raised in a Pool of Sapphire Grace within your Serenitea Pot. You can obtain the blueprint for building the Pool at the Fishing Association in Liyue.
Video Guides
Other Languages
| Language | Official Name | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| English | Exploding Population | — |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 鱼群大爆发 Yúqún Dà Bàofā | Fish Explosion |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 魚群大爆發 Yúqún Dà Bàofā | |
| Japanese | 魚群大発生 Gyogun Daihassei | Explosive Increase of Fish |
| Korean | 고기떼 대폭발 Gogitte Daepokbal | Superexplosion of a Shoal of Fish |
| Spanish | Boom acuático | Aquatic Boom |
| French | Espèces en recrudescence | Species in Resurgence |
| Russian | Взрывной рост популяции Vzryvnoy rost populyatsii | Explosive Increase in Population |
| Thai | การระเบิดปลาครั้งใหญ่ Kār rabeid plā khrậng h̄ıỵ̀ | Big Fish Explosion |
| Vietnamese | Đàn Cá Ồ Ạt | Flock of Fishes |
| German | Fische in der Überzahl | Fish in the Superiority |
| Indonesian | Ledakan Populasi Ikan | Fish Population Exploding |
| Portuguese | Grande Surto de Peixes | Great Fish Outbreak |
| Turkish | Patlayan Balık Popülasyonu | Exploding Fish Population |
| Italian | popolazione che esplode | Exploding Population |
Change History
Released in Version 2.1