7 Tips & Tricks for DREDGE

DREDGE combines a meditative fishing loop, atmospheric exploration, and spooky undertones to become one of the most unique indies released this year. The game places you in the boots of a fisherman who is starting a new life in Greater Marrow. Tasked with paying off your debt to the town, you’ll find that getting started with fishing and selling is quick and easy. But soon, you’ll be catching mutated fish, dodging ghostly ships and monsters lurking in the night sea, and exploring the surrounding isles for mysterious relics. It’s a cosy yet sinister adventure that can seem tricky and scary at first. So here are some handy tips for making the most of the short day cycle, finding your way across the map, and much more!

#1 — Sell fresh fish

The first quest you’re sent out on is to pay off a small debt to the town of Greater Marrow by catching and selling fish to the local Fishmonger. It won’t take long to settle your debts, and you’ll move on to using your profits to buy new rods, engines, nets, and other upgrades (or repairs) for your boat. Things get pricey, so besides catching as many fish as you can, you’ll also want to make sure you’re selling your fish when it's still fresh.

As time passes in-game, fish in your cargo will go through four stages: fresh, stale, rotting, and rot. Merchants will still purchase stale and even rotting fish, but never for as much as fresh fish. Rot, on the other hand, has to be discarded. It’s surprisingly easy to forget about selling when you’re busy exploring, catching more fish, or dredging up supplies. If you want to get properly compensated for your efforts, don’t let too much time pass before you stop by the local merchant.

#2 — Use crab pots to mark points of interest

In DREDGE, you can research various rods that will help you catch different types of fish, but you’ll also use passive equipment like nets and crab pots, allowing you to rack up a sizable income without having to sacrifice time from exploring. Crab pots in particular come in different sizes and specialities, and you can drop them wherever you like.

Since you can place as many pots as you like across the archipelago, you might worry about forgetting them. Thankfully, they show up as little crab markers on your map so you can always find your way back to them. This means you can also leave the pots next to interesting things that you find, such as shipwrecks, weird stones, or characters you’d like to get back to! While they aren’t official map markers, it’s so easy to get lost that any sort of marker helps. Plus, there’s currently no limit on how many pots you can place, so you’re free to use as many as you like.

#3 — Organise your inventory

Your cargo is split up into tiles, and each fish you catch will come in various shapes and take up a certain amount of space. From L-shaped cod and five-tiled anglerfish to long barracudas, you’ll often be playing a Tetris-like game to get everything to fit in your inventory. Spending time organising your items will go a long way, so you know exactly what space you have left over, which will determine the type of fish you’ll spend time catching.

However, there will definitely be times when you catch a fish and it won’t be immediately apparent if you can fit it in your cargo. Not to worry! On the left side of your screen, there will be a small box where you can leave your fresh catch while you make space in your tiles. Don’t overlook the importance of planning and organising; the more you can fit in your cargo, the more money you’ll make!

#4 — Some quests are timed

Most of the side quests and even the main quest in DREDGE can be done at your own pace, but there are certain quests that have an invisible time limit attached to them. The game doesn’t tell you there’s a timer, so you’ll be a little surprised when you find out you failed.

These are the “hooded figures” pursuits that you can get when you talk to these mysterious characters out in the world. Each one requests a specific fish and if you get the fish to them on time, they’ll reward you with a book. You don’t need the books to complete the game, but completionists out there will definitely want to finish these quests in a timely manner.

#5 — Fish at night

This tip might seem risky at first. Fishing at night can put you in harm's way and raise your panic levels to the point where you’re seeing terrifying hallucinations. With that said, fishing at night has many perks.

There are different types of fish that only come out at night, and you have a higher chance of catching aberrations, which are corrupted fish that sell for more at the merchants. Sometimes you’ll need these fish to finish quests, but, overall, fishing at night will help you fill your encyclopaedia. Plus, if you find the game too easy, going out in the dark can provide some added difficulty to keep things interesting.

#6 — Remember to set active books

As you return family mementoes to grieving characters or help others navigate the difficulties of life in the archipelago, you’ll often be rewarded with books. You can read these books by setting them as active in your cabin, and then they’ll passively be read as you pass time fishing, dredging, or exploring.

Once you finish reading them, these books give you a buff to help you on your adventures. “Rods, Reels And Rigs” increases the effectiveness of your rods and “The Relaxed Mind” makes you more resilient to panic, for instance. Though they aren’t necessary to complete the game, they’ll definitely make your time in DREDGE a bit smoother.

#7 — Wake up earlier

Sometimes you’ll find yourself on one end of the map and you want to go to an island far away, or maybe you want to spend more time exploring tiny islands for supplies or secrets. But there’s only so much time in a day. Since time starts passing every moment you move your boat, and you’ll likely get distracted by fishing, it’ll probably be nightfall before you know it. So what do you do?

Well, the best way to make the most of your day is to wake up around 3am or 4am (rather than the usual 6am) before the sun comes up. That way, you can get some hours of travel in when it's still dark, and it’ll be light before your sanity meter can cause any hallucinations. This is one of the best ways to make the most of DREDGE’s short day cycle.

Enjoy your time sailing the spooky waters of this lovely game. If you have any other suggestions or if these tips helped you out, be sure to let us know in the comments below!