DREDGE Guide

Developed by Black Salt Games and published by Team17 in March 2023, DREDGE combines fishing with Lovecraftian horror exploration. Travel by small boat, sell catches by day and uncover mysteries amid nighttime threats. Explore The Marrows, Gale Cliffs, Stellar Basin, Twisted Strand and Devil’s Spine while collecting five relics. The retained Steam snapshot is Overwhelmingly Positive.

Panic increases during night travel, narrow passages and unsettling encounters. High panic brings hallucinations and hull danger. Improve lights such as Halogen Spotlight, favor daytime travel and dock to rest when needed. Manifest offers an emergency return to base.

That is Leviathan, a threat near the map edge and in open water, including at high panic. Turn toward shallow water after its fin warning. Do not rely on speed or Banish; Manifest offers an emergency return. Avoid treating high panic as its only possible trigger.

Fish require the appropriate water type. Hydraulic Rod covers Oceanic, while Versatile Rod covers Coastal, Shallow, Mangrove and Volcanic. Abyssal and Hadal access involves the Research Assistant’s equipment progression; Fathomless Winch is another deep-water option. Regional Rock Slab shrines also reward special equipment. Check coverage before sailing.

Give the Collector five relics for the standard ending. For the other ending, collect them, speak to the Old Mayor near P-10 and Greater Marrow’s Lighthouse Keeper, then return the Book of the Deep to the sea at G-8. The Collector is implied to be the fisherman’s reflection.

Ordinary spots offer a low chance. Look for green shimmering disturbed water and match the base fish’s time, water type and method. Universal depleted-stock, nighttime and reinforced-pot bonuses are unverified. Aberrations generally sell for more than regular fish.

Fish and equipment occupy different shapes, including 1×1, 1×2, 2×2 and irregular forms. Place large or awkward fish first, then fit smaller catches into gaps. Remove overlapping equipment coverage when appropriate. Compare a valuable aberration’s price against its occupied space, and expand hull and cargo when capacity becomes the limiting factor.

A useful general order is cargo/hull capacity → engine speed → fishing coverage. More cargo improves each trip’s return; speed makes returning before night easier and reduces panic risk. Prioritize rods or nets that cover fish you can currently reach and use.

Use a loop of sail → fish → organize cargo → sell and return before night. Staying too long can raise panic and cost fish or repairs. When panic rises, docking and resting can save more money and time than pushing on to one more spot.