If you’re just starting out and aren’t sure what to do, my ultimate Roblox Abyss beginner’s guide is your best friend for kicking off your journey into the depths. This innovative Roblox fishing experience features some of the most complex gameplay mechanics ever seen in a fishing game, and we’re here to explain how everything works, including Races, Guns, Tubes, Artifacts, Oxygen, and more.
Roblox Abyss Beginner’s Guide - Everything You Need To Know
Abyss is a fishing and exploration game inspired by popular Roblox titles such as Fisch and Fish It, its sister game The Forge, and the indie title Dave the Diver. What the developers have created goes far beyond simple inspiration, however, as Abyss expands on those ideas and introduces more complex mechanics, gorgeous biomes, quest systems, and much more. So, without further ado, let’s dive deeper into the mechanics.
Core Gameplay Loop & Story
Let's start this Roblox Abyss Beginner’s Guide with the basics. Abyss is a game about diving and fishing. The basic premise goes like this. One sunny day, while enjoying your favourite pastime activity (fishing), the mighty Kraken appeared on the shore and dragged you down, deep into the abyss.
Somehow, you aren't dead. Rather, the Kraken has chosen you to join his lair with other NPCs at the bottom of the sea. This is a hub area, the only place where you will not need oxygen in order to survive.
The hub zone is also where you will find most of the basic NPC vendors and quest givers, including a Gun shop, a Tube shop, the Artifacts crafting station, and more. The area is protected from the sea by a big, massive bubble that shields you from the water. The moment you step outside of it, your oxygen will start depleting.
The core gameplay loop revolves around exploring the ocean depths, catching various fish, and then selling your catch to the Kraken (while completing quests along the way). This earns you cash and materials, which you can then use to catch higher-rarity fish and explore further regions of the open seas.
Basic Controls in Roblox Abyss
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| W, S, A, D | Basic Movement |
| F | Interaction with NPCs, open Chests, purchase Items, etc. |
| Q | Descend (When outside the bubble) |
| E | Ascend (When outside the bubble) |
| Left-Click (M1) | Shot the Harpoon |
| Left Shift | Tube Boost (You move faster, but Oxygen depletes faster as well) |
| G | Opens Backpack (Items inventory) |
| Numbers 1-0 | Quick Use Slots |
How Does Fishing Work in Abyss
The next step in our Roblox Abyss Beginner’s Guide is fishing. This is a core gameplay mechanic in Abyss, but unlike most other fishing Roblox games, in Abyss, you will be using guns (harpoons) to catch fish and quest items like Fish Bone. You can catch a fish the moment you leave the safe bubble (the Hub area Forgotten Dome), and the process of catching a fish consists of two parts. Here's how it works:
- First things first, you’ll need to have a gun equipped.
- To shoot at a fish, you’ll need to leave the safe bubble.
- When you see a fish you want to catch, aim at it and start shooting with the harpoon.
- Some fish will need to be shot several times before they can be caught, depending on the strength of your gun and their health.
- Once the catching process starts, you’ll need to complete a mini-game by keeping the moving fish icon inside the green area as much as possible while the bar next to it fills up.
- If completed successfully, you’ll catch the fish.
RELATED: Abyss Scientist’s Teleporter Quest – Find Toilet Paper, Toilet, Door & Power Relays
NOTE: Many fish will fight back when attacked, and others (such as sharks) may even attack you when you’re not trying to catch them but are in their near vicinity. Also, if a fish is too weak, you may kill it, in which case you can still grab it, but it won’t be as valuable as a live one (you'll get less cash).
Abyss Guns Explained - Dave the Diver Meets Fisch
Any Roblox Abyss beginner’s guide would be incomplete without explaining how guns work. Unlike most other fishing games, which use rods, Abyss has you using guns (harpoons) to catch fish. We’ve already explained how the mini-game for catching fish works, so let’s now take a closer look at the guns themselves.
There are more than a dozen gun types at launch, each with progressively stronger stats. Each gun in the game has three core stats that govern how good these guns are at catching fish. The stats are:
- Damage: This determines how much damage a gun deals to a fish per shot. The higher the damage, the fewer shots you’ll need before you can start catching the fish. Higher-tier guns also have a chance to instantly catch lower-level fish.
- Control: This stat determines how easy it is to complete the fishing mini-game. The higher the stat, the bigger the green bar will be (the area where you need to keep the fish icon), making it easier to catch even the most erratic, fast-moving fish.
- Cooldown: This stat means how much time passes before you can fire the gun again. Basically, the attack speed of a gun.
RELATED: All Roblox Abyss Guns List – Location, Price, Damage & Progression
Abyss Fish Types & Mutations
The fish in Abyss come in six rarities: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, and Mythical. The rarer the fish, the higher the price you’ll get for it. Of course, common types will appear frequently and everywhere, while spotting Legendary and Mythical fish will be quite difficult.
Aside from rarity, fish can also come with various mutations. These mutations can affect a fish’s price and are also important for completing quests, as some will require you to catch fish with specific mutations. Fish also come in different weights - the heavier the fish, the better the price you’ll get for it, but it will also take up more space in your limited inventory at the start of the game.
PRO TIP: Buy an item called Radar from Richard, the Bestiary NPC, as soon as you can. It’s very cheap ($450), and when used, it shows stats for every fish around you, including the fish type, rarity, any mutations it has, as well as its current and maximum hit points. It's a must for exploration!
Abyss Oxygen and Tubes - The Core Progression Mechanics
Maintaining your Oxygen levels while exploring the ocean depths is at the heart of Abyss’s gameplay, which is why I place a strong emphasis on it in my beginner’s guide. In short, as soon as you leave the safety of the large bubble, your Oxygen will start depleting. You can see your current Oxygen level in the bottom-left corner of the screen (a blue sphere that slowly depletes the longer you are underwater).
RELATED: All Roblox Abyss Tubes – Stats, Locations, Price & Progression
If you lose all your Oxygen while outside the bubble, you’ll drown immediately, losing a significant portion of your cash and a part of your currently held fish in the process, before respawning back at the base (unless a perk from your Abyss race saves you). This mechanic effectively gates progression, as you can’t venture farther and deeper from the bubble without upgrading your stats and gear to increase your Oxygen capacity. And that's where Tubes come into play.
Tube Types, Stats, and Boost
Aside from guns, which you’ll use to catch fish, tubes are your main tool in Abyss. They primarily govern your traversal capabilities, as better tubes allow you to travel farther (and deeper) from the base. Each tube has three main stats, and here’s what each one does:
- Oxygen: Your total Oxygen level. The higher the number, the more time you can spend outside the bubble, meaning reaching further parts of the seafloor.
- Weight: It governs how many kilos of items you can carry, including your gear and, more importantly, the fish you catch. A higher weight capacity allows you to carry more fish, as well as larger types of fish.
- Max Depth: Outside the bubble, at the top center of the screen, you will see your current depth. This stat governs how deep you can go before you start drowning. Hence, if you want to explore deeper parts of the ocean, you'll need a better tube.
You can purchase most of the starting tubes from David, the Tube NPC, at his shop inside the bubble. However, as you explore the depths, you’ll encounter other NPCs who sell even better tubes, as well as some hidden locations that house more of them. No spoilers, though; head outside and explore the ocean!
Each tube also has a Tube Boost, which you can activate by pressing the Left Shift key. While the boost is active, you move through the water significantly faster, but your Oxygen depletes rapidly while in boost mode, so watch out!
PRO TIP: Make sure to open chests scattered around the open sea, as they usually contain Oxygen Pods. These are consumable items that, when used, replenish your Oxygen level, helping you reach farther parts of the sea and get back to the bubble safely.
Artifacts & Geodes
To complete the trifecta of core items you’ll use in the game, it’s time to talk about Abyss Artifacts in our beginner’s guide. Artifacts are eqquipable items that provide various buffs and bonuses to your stats. You can equip up to three Artifacts at once, which opens up room for different loadouts and builds.
Artifacts can buff your Oxygen levels, carry capacity (increase max Weight), damage, XP gain, attack speed (cooldown reduction), and movement speed. Each Artifact has a rarity (Common, Uncommon, Rare, Legendary, or Mythic) and grants a specific combination of stat buffs. Additionally, Artifacts come in different tiers, ranging from Tier I up to Tier VII.
What Are Geodes and How to Get Them
To obtain an Artifact, you’ll first need to find a Geode and bring it to the Artifact NPC, Virelia. Geodes are a type of loot that can sometimes drop from fish while you’re catching them. You’ll immediately know a fish has a Geode attached because a chest icon will appear during the fish-catching mini-game.
- Just like with normal fish catching, you’ll need to keep the green bar aligned with the chest icon in order to collect the Geode.
- Once you do that, you can continue catching the fish.
- Now that you have a Geode (which comes in different rarities), head to Virelia.
- Crack it open and see which Artifact is inside.
Depending on its quality and rarity, opening a Geode usually takes some time, but the good news is that you don’t have to wait around; you can simply do other things while it’s opening.
Abyss NPC Quest Givers & Hidden Questlines
Aside from the main group of NPCs in the base area (Virelia, David, Richard, Henry, Scientist, Billy, and Mr. Black), there are also several other NPCs scattered throughout the open ocean. Each has unique questlines to complete, rewards to offer, and powerful gear to sell.
| NPC | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| The Duck Collector | Hidden behind a secret door | To talk to him, you must keep knocking until he opens the door. He tasks you with collecting Rubber Ducks hidden throughout the ocean. |
| Lost Captain | Roaming a shipwreck at the bottom of the ocean | A ghost NPC with an extremely difficult questline. Completing it unlocks a portal-like door leading to the Lightkeeper NPC, who sells the best gun and tube in Abyss. The area also contains additional ducks and some of the rarest fish in the game. |
| The Diver | Atop a sunken submarine, outside the safe zone | One of the first NPCs you’ll encounter outside the safe zone. His questline involves delivering heavy items to other NPCs, encouraging carry capacity upgrades. He sells the Zeline Tube and Plane Tube, both expensive but powerful. |
| Morveth | Hidden cave behind a waterfall | Completing his questline unlocks Morveth’s Treasure Gun for purchase. The quest involves powering nearby statues by finding and using red crystals. |
PRO TIP: Make sure to start all of these questlines as soon as you can! They will help your progression tremendously by giving you rewards, helping you complete achievements, and ultimately allowing you to get better gear and catch bigger fish. Steady questline progression is essential in the early and mid-game.
Now you know more about the Roblox Abyss, check out All Fish in Spirit Roots. And while you’re here, make sure to check out our Pro Game Guides Abyss hub for all the latest guides, tier lists, news, and walkthroughs!
Nikola is a Senior Staff Writer at Pro Game Guides with over 13 years of experience in gaming journalism. He has been playing video games since his father bought him an NES and a Sega Mega Drive in the early 1990s. Over the years, he has mainly become a PC gamer with a love for narrative-driven RPGs, real-time strategy games, and psychological/survival horror titles. Still, he enjoys any game that’s worth his time.