With a bunch of additions such as mechanics, technologies, and activities added to No Man's Sky thanks to the Aquarius update, players will be spending a considerable amount of time fishing for the rarest fish out there in the universe. And while collecting your 160+ fish collection with your Lost Angler's Rig sounds like a herculean task, the average player will probably end up spending hours aiming for a particular one.

Out of them all, the mysterious fish that makes up the Scales of Fire Milestone during Phase 5 of the Aquarius Expedition in No Man's Sky has given players more headaches than any other fish. And while the task is RNG-based, there are still many things you can do to boost your chances of completing the Scales of Fire milestone. Today's guide will focus on how to complete this milestone without breaking a sweat.

How to Complete Scales of Fire Milestone in No Man's Sky

No Man's Sky Exo-Skiff

The objective of the Scales of Fire milestone can be a bit cryptic as it states you need to "find the fiery scales of the Angler's legacy" and that you'll need a "suitable body of water" to cast your line in order to get it – with the help of the Exo-Skiff. What No Man's Sky is referring to in this case is a specific specimen called "The Angler", which is a legendary fish – it is labeled as such, but it is actually an octopus.

Using Bait to Boost Fish Rarity in No Man's Sky

No Man's Sky Bait Box

Therefore, you will need a bait that will significantly boost your chances of encountering legendary fish via rarity increase. Only using the base baits, the Bionic Lure is the best one you can use as it provides a 64% rarity boost while fishing. That said, there are other items besides traditional bait that you can use and players have found several items you can cook with the Nutrient Processor that work even better but might take a while to get:

  • Caramel Ice Cream (76% rarity boost):
    • 1x Viscous Custard + 1x Frozen Tubers + 1x Crunchy Caramel

  • Cheese-and-Flesh Stew (74% rarity boost):
    • 1x Mystery Meat Stew + 1x Partially-Liquid Cheese

  • Mucal Doughnut (72% rarity boost):
    • 1x Lumpen Doughnut + 1x Sweetened Mucous

Finding a Suitable Body of Water in No Man's Sky

No Man's Sky Exo-Skiff 2

Regarding the "suitable body of water" part, No Man's Sky refers to deep waters, with players finding relative success while fishing in bodies of water 50 to 70u+ deep. There are water worlds with deep oceans that encompass the majority of their surface, but you can also artificially create sea depth by using the Terrain Manipulator – which can also help you with the Freediving milestone in Phase 3.

By fishing at this water depth by using your best baits and the Exo-Skiff, all that is left for you to do is to fish until The Angler bites – which could take a while regardless.

Using Automated Traps in No Man's Sky

No Man's Sky Automated Trap

Finally, if you feel like you are spending too much time fishing for The Angler, then you can opt to use Automated Traps in No Man's Sky to get the job done while you focus on other Aquarius Expedition milestones. You can unlock these by spending one Salvaged Data at the Construction Research Station in the Space Anomaly or by completing the Tales of the Waves milestone in Phase 3 – which happens right after getting the Gone Fishing: 3 milestone. Build an Automated Trap by using the following materials:

  • 50x Salt: Found as a secondary element in some minerals, as a primary element in underwater minerals, or inside Resource Deposits. You can also craft it by using the Refiner with the following ingredients:
    • 1x Chlorine
    • 1x Di-hydrogen + 1x Oxygen

  • 3x Metal Plating: Build it using 50x Ferrite Dust.
  • 1x Ion Battery: Build it using 5x Ferrite Dust and 10x Cobalt.
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7 /10

No Man's Sky
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Adventure
Action
Survival
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Systems
PlayStation-1 Xbox-1 super greyscale 8-bit logo PC-1
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Top Critic Avg: 71 /100 Critics Rec: 36%
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Released
August 9, 2016
ESRB
T for Teen: Fantasy Violence, Animated Blood
Developer(s)
Hello Games
Publisher(s)
Hello Games
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5 Images
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A Group of Players on a Mountain in No Man's Sky
The Player on a Planet With a Ship and Building in the Distance
Flying Through an Asteroid Field in No Man's Sky
A Cruiser in Space From No Man's Sky
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WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info

Engine
Proprietary
Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
Cross-Platform Play
PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC
Steam Deck Compatibility
Verified
How Long To Beat
30.5 Hours
How Long To Beat (Completionist Runs)
150 hours
X|S Optimized
Yes
PS Plus Availability
N/A
Supported VR Headsets
Sony PlayStation VR, Sony PlayStation VR2, Valve Index, HP Reverb G2, HTC Vive Pro 2, HTC VIVE Cosmos, Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest Pro
File Size Xbox Series
20.36 GB (September 2024)