Leechfin Fishing & Where We're At

Now that the Leechfin opinion poll has wrapped up, we’d like to talk a little bit more about our plans and next steps for Vampyrium's new fishing activity. If you haven’t already, check out the overview blog and rewards blog for more details. Thus, the question: What should the Leechfin fishing activity offer instead? If you can’t see the image above, click here! After reviewing the opinion poll results and discussions around Leechfin in general, it became clear that simply swapping in another reward was not as straightforward as it might sound. Rather than rushing into a replacement that players had not clearly rallied behind, we've taken a step back and looked again at the activity itself, where it sits, and what would make it feel worthwhile going forward. That led us toward an updated, XP-focused version of Leechfin fishing that rewards for higher levels of engagement. We know this will be welcome news for some and disappointing for others, so we want to explain how we reached this point and why we think it is the right direction based on what we’ve heard from you so far.

Results from our opinion poll helped us better understand what you wanted from the fishing activity, and showed that there wasn't a strong push towards any one replacement. When asked which direction the reward should take:

• •33.6% preferred non-food
• •32.9% preferred no reward and higher XP
• •29.8% preferred a revised niche food

When asked which reward categories were most interesting to you, responses were similarly split across the board. This showed us that no single replacement had earned a sufficient consensus for us to treat it as the obvious next step. The survey also reinforced something we'd already seen in wider discussion around the reward itself: highly specialised food mechanics are not where most players want this reward space to go. Only 4.2% of respondents said they preferred highly specialised food mechanics, and foods tied to a specific combat style drew strong dislike. The survey also showed strong opposition to preparation stations for complex foods, which would have made it harder to revisit this kind of reward without running into many of the same concerns again. As a result, we don't believe the right response here is to continue iterating or to attempt to rush out a replacement for the Leechfin sandwich. Rather, we believe the next step is to revisit the activity itself and ask what Leechfin fishing would need to stand on its own.

While XP-only was not an overwhelming majority outcome, it was nearly level with the most popular alternative and clearly ahead of a revised niche food reward. That told us there was enough support for Leechfin fishing to stand more firmly as an activity in its own right, rather than on another attempt to replace or iterate on a failed reward players had not clearly rallied behind. However, if Leechfin fishing is to move forward as an XP-focused activity, we need to be clear about what that would mean in practice and ensure players are comfortable with that direction. When Leechfin fishing was first pitched, it was described as a medium-intensity fishing activity offering a flatter XP per hour of around 60k. With the Leechfin sandwich no longer moving forward, we do not think that the original positioning is strong enough as it stands. The updated version we’re now proposing would lean much more into opt-in intensity. Simply put, the more effort and attention you give the activity, the more rewarding it becomes. At lower levels of engagement, you should expect other fishing methods (like Tempoross) to outperform it. At higher levels of engagement, however, we would expect Leechfin fishing to compete with similar high-intensity/high-xp fishing training methods (such as 3-tick Barbarian fishing). The goal here is to give Leechfin a clearer niche in the wider fishing meta: an activity that can scale with the amount of attention you want to give it, while still falling within the mid-to-high 70s fishing bracket as originally proposed, and feeling familiar in style to the fishing activity seen in Perilous Moons. However, instead of being defined by a single flat XP rate, Leechfin would offer a wide range of XP per hour based on how actively you choose to engage with it. This updated proposal is about giving players a fishing activity with flexibility and a choice of play in mind, while ensuring that higher engagement is rewarded appropriately. As this revised proposal would be a meaningful change to the activity that originally passed the poll, we believe it's only right to put the decision back in your hands via a re-poll. Question #1:Should Leechfin fishing be added as an updated, more active XP-focused fishing method in Vampyrium? With XP rewards that scale based on the level of activity and engagement you put into it, as described in the blog.

We also want to acknowledge the other conversation we've seen around Leechfin fishing, both before and after this updated direction: Why couldn't this reward have been an alternative source of Blood vials? We know this is something players have been asking for. Currently, Blood vials only come from the Theatre of Blood, and we've seen feedback from those who want a greater variety in how they're obtained, rather than having Scythe upkeep tied solely to a single piece of content. With that in mind, however, we do not think Leechfin fishing is the right place to deliver this in its current format. That is not because the idea is inherently bad, or that we're dismissing it entirely, but rather because Blood vials sit in a much more sensitive part of the game than they might immediately appear. Blood vials being directly tied to Scythe charges means that any change to how they enter the game will have a knock-on effect on altering the Theatre of Blood's profitability, Scythe upkeep costs, and, by extension, the wider economy. We’ve run the numbers on this one - using more passive activities like Sacred Eels as a point of comparison. The data showed that even a relatively small increase in Blood vial supply could affect prices, and, on the flip side, if the supply were kept low enough to avoid that, it would likely feel too weak to serve as a meaningful reward for the Leechfin fishing activity itself. This interlaced complexity makes this more than just a simple reward swap, and any changes would need to strike the right balance between protecting the value of existing content, supporting the wider economy, and addressing players' desire for greater variety in how Blood vials are obtained. All of these points are valid, and all of them matter. Which is why we do not want to rush into a change here, simply because it thematically makes sense. If we make changes in this space, they need to be approached with proper care, balancing, and design work.

Although Blood vials will not replace the Leechfin Sandwich reward, we are actively looking at this matter and exploring what a better long-term solution might look like. Currently, we're iterating on an idea for a separate, untradeable Blood vial source (or a system close to it). We feel this could be an avenue to offer something for players who want greater variety in how they obtain Blood vials, while still limiting the impact on and protecting the wider game economy. However, this would not be a small amount of work. Supporting this system would involve separating the Vyre well into tradable and untradable charges, which would require deeper technical work than simply adding a drop elsewhere. We’d expect to look at this after Vampyrium launches, once we’ve had time to properly review its release and ensure any immediate post-launch issues are addressed. Assuming things land in a good place, we’d look to poll, tackle, and deliver this work within a few months of launch. Additionally, we do acknowledge that players expect Vampyrium to offer at least some supply of, or a connection to, Blood vials. Thematically, it makes too much sense not to have this integrated into the ecosystem's drops in at least some form. Hence, we will implement a deliberately very limited amount of Blood vial supply across Vampyrium’s wider ecosystem at launch. This is not intended to act as a full reward replacement for Leechfin fishing, nor as a meaningful new farming method in its own right. Rather, as a small thematic stopgap, spread across a range of Vampyrium creatures and activities, while we continue investigating a more concrete long-term solution.

With the Leechfin Sandwich no longer moving forward, we’re revisiting Leechfin fishing itself to make sure we’re aligned with you on its role as an XP-focused activity that more clearly rewards the level of engagement you put into it. For Blood vials, we don't want a rushed solution to this that creates more long-term problems than it solves, so we'll treat it with the care it needs rather than attaching a quick fix to Leechfin fishing simply because it is the nearest, most obvious hook. We appreciate that some of you may be disappointed by this, but we would rather be direct now than overpromise. Even when the result isn't what every player wants, we appreciate all the feedback you've shared so far, and we will continue to review it as we go. Until next time, and thank you for hearing us out on this one.