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10 Insider Tips for Airheart’s Colorful Airplane World Above the Clouds

In Airheart, your goal is to get to the top of the skies and catch the legendary skywhale. To succeed, you’ll need to battle pirates and drones, catch lots of fish and most importantly: stay alive!

You play as Amelia, a young pilot, and fisherwoman wishing to reach the edge of the world and make the big catch. But since you’re living on the poor underside of Granaria, a flying city in the clouds, your way to the top will be especially hard.

I played a couple of hundred hours of Airheart during development and I think I’ve got some nice tips for you for making the life of a fisherwoman easier.

Don’t shoot the friendlies, or don’t be caught doing it

On the first few levels, there are a lot of neutral NPCs, fishermen and -women that are just making a living by catching fish. They are not armed, so it may be tempting to shoot them down for loot, but I’d advise against it. Shooting them will call the police, and they are not kidding around. There is no prison or fine for being hostile to the friendlies but being shot down and thus losing all your catches is probably punishment enough.

Better safe than sorry

It’s easy to get greedy with all the fish and loot, but at one point you must return to Granaria to craft some new weapons or buy better gear. Lots of times I got shot down because I just wanted to catch the next extremely valuable fish while already having low health. So, this one is very important and will help you a lot: when you see the warning of low health on the screen, return back home as soon as possible. Just do it. You’ll thank me.

Listen well when looking for a big catch

While the legendary skywhale is at the very top of Airheart’s world, there may be smaller whales in the skies between Granaria and the top. But how can you find one? I can tell you that there will not always be one of them flying around, but if there is, you’ll hear it, so listen well!

A little boost would be nice

There is a fixed speed to most of the airplanes in Airheart, but there are times when you want to fly a little bit faster – for example when you want to catch the speedy valuable skyfish. Do you see that weapon on top of your airplane? How about using its recoil? Of course, some guns give you a little bit more of it and some none. Personally, I use the machine gun for this all the time.

Good fisherwomen use the harpoon

Fast fish are maybe too fast for your airplane, but just use your harpoon and they will not be able to escape you. Also, when you get to the higher layers of Airheart’s world there will be much bigger fish which can’t be caught by just flying into them – but if you harpoon & drag them down to Granaria, you’ll get a nice reward.

A harpoon is not only made for fishing: Part 1

At the beginning of Airheart, your airplane will only have a small and pretty weak Bolt Caster as its main weapon. But it also has a very useful tool: the harpoon! While you can’t destroy enemies with it, it can make it a lot easier. Small enemies care stunned when harpooned and become very vulnerable. If you’re returning to Granaria with them, you can drag them down and will get part of their weapon as material for crafting!

A harpoon is not only made for fishing: Part 2

While most of the airplanes in Airheart are always in motion, the harpoon can be used to slow down the momentum. Whenever I need a moment to figure things out or I want to take a clean, precise shot at enemies, I just harpoon a rock and stand still. Be aware that this will also make you an easier target for your enemies!

The additional skins for the airplanes are very pricey, but…

If you’re short on cash, but really want one of the expensive skins for your airplane, you could try to shoot down some of your competition. Sometimes you’ll see airplanes which look like yours flying around. These are neutral NPCs we call Fortune Hunters. They have the same goal as you but are usually better equipped. There’s a small chance you’ll get a nice skin from them as loot if you ask them nicely…

Take a photo if you’re feeling lost

Sometimes during playtesting, we used this little trick when we badly needed to find the next portal but forgot where it was; taking a photo with the photo mode. It sounds strange but once you try it, you’ll understand.

Don’t get too greedy

There is a lot of fish in Airheart’s skies, and you could catch all of them for a lot of money. But when you do this, like in real life, there probably won’t be any new fish anymore – which means no new money. Make sure to let some fish life on every layer to be able to get more money on your next run. Personally, I make sure to not to fish more than about half of the fish on any layer to have enough fish every time.

With these tips, you should be good on your way to become a legend and get lots of gear and money in the world above the clouds. Good fishing and good luck with catching the skywhale! Pick up Airheart today on Xbox One here on the Microsoft Store.