LOW COST Fishing + Cooking

Level cooking from 0 to 60 spending almost nothing. Fish provide free ingredients, cooking produces fishing bait, and the cycle feeds itself. The only costs are crystals and a few vendor staples like salt, flour, and water.

The Feedback Loop

The core of this guide: cooking recipes that produce fishing bait. Fish for free, cook for skill-ups, use the product as bait to catch more fish. The only ongoing cost is crystals and cheap vendor materials like flour and salt.

Catch Fish
Free — just need bait
→
Cook Fish
Skill-ups + product
→
🎣
Produce Bait
Use it to catch more
↩
RecipeCook LvLoop
Peeled Crayfish3Crayfish → Wind Crystal → bait
Slice of Sardine11Sardine → Wind Crystal → bait (x2)
Slice of Cod13Tiger Cod → Wind Crystal → bait (x6)
Slice of Bluetail15Bluetail → Wind Crystal → bait (x4)
Slice of Moat Carp17Moat Carp → Wind Crystal → bait (x2)
Insect Paste29Millioncorn + Worm + Water → bait (x12)
Sardine Paste31Sardine + Horo Flour + Water → bait (x12)
Trout Paste33Trout + Rye Flour + Water → bait (x12)
Meatball35Hare Meat + Flour + Water → bait (x12)
Crayfish Paste52Crayfish + Flour + Water → bait (x12)

Before You Start

  • Get a rod: Start with a Willow Fishing Rod from the Fishermen's Guild in Windurst or Selbina. Upgrade to a Composite Rod when your skill allows.
  • Buy starter bait: Little Worms (4 gil each) and Lugworms (9 gil) are dirt cheap from the guild. Use these until you start producing your own bait.
  • Stock crystals: Wind, Fire, Earth, and Dark crystals are the main ones you'll need. Signet + farming mobs keeps these free.
  • Vendor staples: Rock Salt, Distilled Water, and flour (Horo, Rye, San d'Orian) cost a few hundred gil per stack from vendors. This is your only real expense.
  • Skill-up rules: You only gain cooking skill when the recipe level is above your current skill. Below skill 50, the base rate is 60%. At 50+, it drops to 25%.
  • Guild rank: Remember to rank up at the Cooking Guild when your skill reaches each tier. Your cap is (rank + 1) × 10.

Tier 1: Getting Started Cook 0 → 9

Start with the cheapest fish in the game. Crayfish are everywhere in freshwater zones. Wind crystals slice them into Peeled Crayfish — your first fishing bait you can make yourself.

Lv 3 Peeled Crayfish Wind Crystal Produces Bait
Ingredients:
Crayfish (Fish Lv 7)
Where to fish:
Phanauet Channel — Whole Zone Carpenters Landing — South Landing Carpenters Landing — Other Waterside South Carpenters Landing — Other Waterside Center
Best baits:
Slice of Moat Carp pwr 3 bait — 350 (or craft it!) Little Worm pwr 2 bait — 4 (or craft it!) Peeled Crayfish pwr 2 bait — 71 (or craft it!)
Produces fishing bait! Use Peeled Crayfish to catch bigger fish later.
Lv 9 Boiled Crayfish Fire Crystal
Ingredients:
Crayfish (Fish Lv 7) Rock Salt — 15 Distilled Water — 12
Where to fish:
Phanauet Channel — Whole Zone Carpenters Landing — South Landing Carpenters Landing — Other Waterside South Carpenters Landing — Other Waterside Center
Best baits:
Slice of Moat Carp pwr 3 bait — 350 (or craft it!) Little Worm pwr 2 bait — 4 (or craft it!) Peeled Crayfish pwr 2 bait — 71 (or craft it!)
A step up. The salt and water cost a few gil from vendors but the crayfish are free.

Tier 2: Sardines & Slicing Cook 9 → 19

Move to sardines — abundant in any seaside zone. Slicing them produces Slice of Sardine (x2 per fish!), another fishing bait. This is where the feedback loop begins.

Lv 11 Slice Of Sardine Wind Crystal Produces Bait
Ingredients:
Bastore Sardine (Fish Lv 9) or Hamsi (Fish Lv 9)
Where to fish:
Manaclipper — Dhalmel Rock Bibiki Bay — PI - North Beach Bibiki Bay — PI - West Beach Bibiki Bay — PI - East Beach
Best baits:
Sabiki Rig pwr 3 lure — 15,960 (or craft it!) Lugworm pwr 2 bait — 9 (or craft it!) Robber Rig pwr 1 lure (craft it!)
Makes 2x Slice of Sardine per fish — fishing bait worth 1,425 gil each from vendors. Keep these for later tiers.
Lv 13 Slice Of Cod Wind Crystal Produces Bait
Ingredients:
Tiger Cod (Fish Lv 29)
Where to fish:
Batallia Downs — North Seaside Batallia Downs — South Seaside Beaucedine Glacier — Seaside Sauromugue Champaign — Whole Zone
Best baits:
Lugworm pwr 2 bait — 9 (or craft it!) Shrimp Lure pwr 2 lure — 5,730 (or craft it!) Robber Rig pwr 1 lure (craft it!)
Makes 6x Slice of Cod per fish — even more bait per synth.
Lv 15 Slice Of Bluetail Wind Crystal Produces Bait
Ingredients:
Bluetail (Fish Lv 55)
Where to fish:
Manaclipper — Dhalmel Rock Bibiki Bay — PI - North Beach Bibiki Bay — PI - West Beach Bibiki Bay — PI - East Beach
Best baits:
Minnow pwr 3 lure — 2,025 (or craft it!) Peeled Lobster pwr 2 bait — 1,475 (or craft it!) Slice of Sardine pwr 2 bait — 1,425 (or craft it!)
Makes 4x Slice of Bluetail per fish.
Lv 17 Slice Of Moat Carp Wind Crystal Produces Bait
Ingredients:
Moat Carp (Fish Lv 11) or Forest Carp (Fish Lv 20)
Where to fish:
Misareaux Coast — Cascade Edellaine Al Zahbi — Whole Zone West Ronfaure — Knightwell La Theine Plateau — Whole Zone
Best baits:
Ball of Insect Paste pwr 3 bait — 40 (or craft it!) Little Worm pwr 2 bait — 4 (or craft it!) Robber Rig pwr 1 lure (craft it!)
Makes 2x Slice of Moat Carp — yet another bait type for your growing supply.

Tier 3: Roasting & First Meals Cook 19 → 31

Now you're cooking actual meals. Roasted fish recipes use a Fire Crystal and Rock Salt with the fish you catch. These produce food items players actually use.

Lv 19 Roast Carp Fire Crystal
Ingredients:
Moat Carp (Fish Lv 11) or Forest Carp (Fish Lv 20) Rock Salt — 15
Where to fish:
Misareaux Coast — Cascade Edellaine Al Zahbi — Whole Zone West Ronfaure — Knightwell La Theine Plateau — Whole Zone
Best baits:
Ball of Insect Paste pwr 3 bait — 40 (or craft it!) Little Worm pwr 2 bait — 4 (or craft it!) Robber Rig pwr 1 lure (craft it!)
HQ: Broiled Carp. Both fish caught easily in freshwater.
Lv 21 Roast Pipira Fire Crystal
Ingredients:
Pipira (Fish Lv 29) Rock Salt — 15
Where to fish:
East Sarutabaruta — Lake Tepokalipuka Yuhtunga Jungle — Southwest Pond Yuhtunga Jungle — Southwest Waterfall - South Yuhtunga Jungle — Southwest Waterfall - North
Best baits:
Minnow pwr 3 lure — 2,025 (or craft it!) Frog Lure pwr 2 lure — 2,500 (or craft it!) Lizard Lure pwr 2 lure — 4,590 (or craft it!)
Pipira are found in Sarutabaruta and Yuhtunga.
Lv 29 Smoked Salmon Fire Crystal
Ingredients:
Cheval Salmon (Fish Lv 21) Rock Salt — 15 Walnut Log — 1,300
Where to fish:
East Ronfaure — Whole Zone Jugner Forest — River Ghelsba Outpost — River
Best baits:
Fly Lure pwr 3 lure — 3,600 (or craft it!) Ball of Sardine Paste pwr 2 bait — 350 (or craft it!) Ball of Trout Paste pwr 2 bait — 348 (or craft it!)
Walnut Logs are a small cost. Salmon are in Ronfaure and Jugner.

Tier 4: Paste Mastery Cook 31 → 40

The paste recipes are the heart of the feedback loop. Each one produces 12x fishing bait from a single fish + flour + water. You'll never need to buy bait again.

Lv 29 Insect Paste Earth Crystal Produces Bait
Ingredients:
Millioncorn — 48 Distilled Water — 12 Little Worm — 4
Not a fish recipe, but makes 12x Insect Paste — cheap bait. Little Worms are 4 gil each from vendors.
Lv 31 Sardine Paste Earth Crystal Produces Bait
Ingredients:
Bastore Sardine (Fish Lv 9) or Hamsi (Fish Lv 9) Horo Flour — 40 Distilled Water — 12
Where to fish:
Manaclipper — Dhalmel Rock Bibiki Bay — PI - North Beach Bibiki Bay — PI - West Beach Bibiki Bay — PI - East Beach
Best baits:
Sabiki Rig pwr 3 lure — 15,960 (or craft it!) Lugworm pwr 2 bait — 9 (or craft it!) Robber Rig pwr 1 lure (craft it!)
Makes 12x Sardine Paste per synth — premium fishing bait.
Lv 32 Roast Trout Fire Crystal
Ingredients:
Shining Trout (Fish Lv 37) or Alabaligi (Fish Lv 37) Rock Salt — 15
Where to fish:
Phanauet Channel — Whole Zone Carpenters Landing — South Landing Carpenters Landing — North Landing East Ronfaure — Whole Zone
Best baits:
Fly Lure pwr 3 lure — 3,600 (or craft it!) Minnow pwr 3 lure — 2,025 (or craft it!) Sinking Minnow pwr 3 lure — 5,160 (or craft it!)
HQ: Broiled Trout. Good bridging recipe if you have extra trout.
Lv 33 Trout Paste Earth Crystal Produces Bait
Ingredients:
Shining Trout (Fish Lv 37) or Alabaligi (Fish Lv 37) Rye Flour — 40 Distilled Water — 12
Where to fish:
Phanauet Channel — Whole Zone Carpenters Landing — South Landing Carpenters Landing — North Landing East Ronfaure — Whole Zone
Best baits:
Fly Lure pwr 3 lure — 3,600 (or craft it!) Minnow pwr 3 lure — 2,025 (or craft it!) Sinking Minnow pwr 3 lure — 5,160 (or craft it!)
Makes 12x Trout Paste — bait for mid-level fish.
Lv 35 Meatball Earth Crystal Produces Bait
Ingredients:
San d'Orian Flour — 60 Hare Meat — 160 Distilled Water — 12
Makes 12x Meatball — fishing bait for mid/high fish. Hare Meat drops from rabbits.

Tier 5: Mid-Level Cooking Cook 40 → 55

You now have a stockpile of free bait. Time to cook more complex fish dishes. Fish Mithkabob is a server staple — everyone needs them.

Lv 46 Pickled Herring Ice Crystal
Ingredients:
Nosteau Herring (Fish Lv 39) Dried Marjoram — 48 Rock Salt — 15
Where to fish:
Batallia Downs — North Seaside Batallia Downs — South Seaside Beaucedine Glacier — Seaside Qufim Island — Northwest Seaside
Best baits:
Ball of Sardine Paste pwr 2 bait — 350 (or craft it!) Lugworm pwr 2 bait — 9 (or craft it!) Shrimp Lure pwr 2 lure — 5,730 (or craft it!)
Herring are plentiful in Batallia and seaside zones.
Lv 49 Fish Mithkabob Fire Crystal
Ingredients:
Bastore Sardine (Fish Lv 9)
Where to fish:
Manaclipper — Dhalmel Rock Bibiki Bay — PI - North Beach Bibiki Bay — PI - West Beach Bibiki Bay — PI - East Beach
Best baits:
Sabiki Rig pwr 3 lure — 15,960 (or craft it!) Lugworm pwr 2 bait — 9 (or craft it!) Robber Rig pwr 1 lure (craft it!)
Uses multiple fish types: sardine/hamsi + nebimonite/uskumru + bluetail/cone calamary + shall shell/istiridye. All catchable.
Lv 52 Crayfish Paste Earth Crystal Produces Bait
Ingredients:
Crayfish (Fish Lv 7) or Istakoz (Fish Lv 46) or Gold Lobster (Fish Lv 46) San d'Orian Flour — 60 Distilled Water — 12
Where to fish:
Phanauet Channel — Whole Zone Carpenters Landing — South Landing Carpenters Landing — Other Waterside South Carpenters Landing — Other Waterside Center
Best baits:
Slice of Moat Carp pwr 3 bait — 350 (or craft it!) Little Worm pwr 2 bait — 4 (or craft it!) Peeled Crayfish pwr 2 bait — 71 (or craft it!)
Makes 12x Crayfish Paste — the highest-tier craftable paste bait. Full circle back to crayfish!
Lv 53 Eel Kabob Fire Crystal
Ingredients:
Black Eel (Fish Lv 47) or Yilanbaligi (Fish Lv 47) Olive Oil
Where to fish:
Oldton Movalpolos — Whole Zone North Gustaberg — Basin of Waterfall North Gustaberg — River Palborough Mines — Whole Zone
Best baits:
Ball of Crayfish Paste pwr 3 bait — 350 (or craft it!) Shell Bug pwr 3 bait (craft it!) Ball of Sardine Paste pwr 2 bait — 350 (or craft it!)
HQ: Broiled Eel. Eels found in Movalpolos and Gustaberg.
Lv 54 Carp Sushi Dark Crystal
Ingredients:
Moat Carp (Fish Lv 11) or Forest Carp (Fish Lv 20) Tarutaru Rice — 300 Rock Salt — 15
Where to fish:
Misareaux Coast — Cascade Edellaine Al Zahbi — Whole Zone West Ronfaure — Knightwell La Theine Plateau — Whole Zone
Best baits:
Ball of Insect Paste pwr 3 bait — 40 (or craft it!) Little Worm pwr 2 bait — 4 (or craft it!) Robber Rig pwr 1 lure (craft it!)
HQ: Yahata-style Carp Sushi. Your moat carp supply keeps giving.

Tier 6: Approaching Cap Cook 55 → 60

The home stretch to skill 60. These recipes use the fish and bait you've been building up throughout the guide.

Lv 64 Blackened Frog Fire Crystal
Ingredients:
Copper Frog (Fish Lv 16) Dried Marjoram — 48 Rock Salt — 15
Where to fish:
Oldton Movalpolos — Whole Zone North Gustaberg — Basin of Waterfall North Gustaberg — River Pashhow Marshlands — Whole Zone
Best baits:
Fly Lure pwr 3 lure — 3,600 (or craft it!) Giant Shell Bug pwr 2 bait (craft it!) Lufaise Fly pwr 2 bait (craft it!)
Cook 64 but gives skill-ups from 55+. Copper frogs are in Gustaberg and Movalpolos. HQ: Frog Flambe.
Lv 23 Goblin Chocolate Dark Crystal
Ingredients:
Cobalt Jellyfish (Fish Lv 5) Kukuru Bean x3 — 120 Wijnruit — 120 Honey — 200 Selbina Milk — 60 Sunflower Seeds
Where to fish:
Manaclipper — Dhalmel Rock Bibiki Bay — PI - South Beach Bibiki Bay — PI - North Beach Bibiki Bay — PI - West Beach
Best baits:
Fly Lure pwr 3 lure — 3,600 (or craft it!) Little Worm pwr 3 bait — 4 (or craft it!) Meatball pwr 3 bait — 350 (or craft it!)
Alternative path if you stocked up jellyfish. Many vendor ingredients but jellyfish are free.

Summary: Total Cost Breakdown

  • Fish: Free. All caught by you.
  • Crystals: Free if farmed with Signet, or cheap on AH.
  • Vendor materials: Rock Salt (~12 gil), Distilled Water (~12 gil), Horo/Rye/San d'Orian Flour (~80-130 gil each). Maybe 5,000-10,000 gil total over the entire 0-60 journey.
  • Starting bait: A few hundred gil worth of Little Worms to get started, then you produce your own.
  • Total estimate: Under 15,000 gil to cap cooking at 60, compared to 100,000+ gil buying all ingredients from AH.