A detailed guide to completing all the story missions in the game
During the introductory video, the protagonist’s boat will fall into thick fog and crash against the rocks. You will find yourself on the coast of the coastal town of Bolshaya Sol. Listen to the mayor, who brings you up to date. Immediately after that, you will receive your first quest “A New Beginning”.
Year
Press the TAB key to view the ship’s menu. The cargo tab contains basic information about your vessel and inventory. It is here that you will install lamps, fishing rods, engines. Here you will store fish and other items that you find in the sea. Pay attention to several important characteristics: above the inventory there is information about the speed of movement and fishing, the range of lighting and what fish you can catch with the current equipment. In addition, the “Damage” column indicates how much damage you can take before the boat sinks. At the beginning of the game, there can be three such damages (on the fourth ship will sink).
Go to the “Cabin” tab. There are four separate categories here. By far the most important is the Orders. Both story and side quests are called “errands” in DREDGE. Another thing is that the side ones are highlighted in blue, and all the rest are story ones. You can now study the description of the story quest “A New Beginning”. The Map tab speaks for itself. I will add that the entire game world is divided into 5 main sections:
- Year
- Storm rocks
- star bay
- Shaggy Braid
- Devil’s Backbone
It is in this order that we will visit these places in order to complete the story missions. In addition, each of these places has “black dots” – these are marinas where you can moor.
Basic information
On the Messages tab, small notes will appear that you find in bottles. With their help, you will learn more about the game world and the plot of the game. There are 12 such notes in total, and we will talk about them in a separate guide. For collecting all the notes you will receive an achievement. Finally, the “Encyclopedia” contains information about all the inhabitants of the sea. The fish that you managed to catch get there. Just below there is a black “Bookshelf” screen. Books will fall here, when reading which you will receive passive bonuses.
A new beginning
For now, leave the pier and sail the boat forward to the divorces on the water. This is how Dredge marks places where you can fish. In each of these places, only a certain type of fish is caught. In addition, mutated fish may be caught. Fishing takes time. You can not press anything, do not hook the fish, but in this case it will take more time to catch one. To speed up the process, you need to fulfill the conditions of the mini-game. In the case of catching blue mackerel (and some other varieties of fish), you need to press the F key when the slider passes through the “green areas”.
Gradually stocks of fish in fishing areas will decrease. They recover over time, but not as fast as you would like. Now you can only catch coastal fish. Swim a little further and catch all the cod. There are rays on the right, eels on the left, but you can’t catch them without a fishing rod for shallow-water fish. You can buy such a fishing rod from the Shipmaster, but there is another option.
If you swim around the set of islands near Great Salt, then you can find an altar with a bowl near the northern island. Five cods must be placed here, after which you will be rewarded with a “Squishy Spindle”. This tackle occupies 2 cells, allows you to catch both coastal and shallow-water fish, increases fishing speed by 5%.
Do not forget that time only passes when you are fishing or traveling by boat. At the port, or if you stand still, time does not pass. In addition, you will probably see a yellow zone on the fishing scale on the first day. If you press F when the slider is in it, you will catch trophy fish. It differs from the usual one only in weight and a slightly increased selling price. When you get bored, in the late afternoon return to the Big Salt.
The mayor will say that you have to pay off a loan for a new ship in the amount of $50. Go to the merchant and hold the F key to sell all the fish at once. After that, the mayor will give a component for improvements and talk about the shipmaster. Visit a girl who will explain how her shop works. There are four tabs where you can purchase fishing rods. Currently only two are open, but in the future it will be possible to unlock upgrades with which the Shipmaster’s shop will be expanded. There are also tabs with engines (only the speed of the vessel depends on them), trawl nets (we will talk about them later) and lamps. Finally, there is a column “Repair all …”. If you hit rocks and the ship gets damaged, go back to Big Salt (later you can do it with a traveling merchant) and fix it. By the way,
Side quest “A Fish to Order” (plot related)
For the first side quest, visit the fishmonger. He will inform you that there is a special order for you. This will begin the “Fish to Order” quest, which will consist of several stages. To start, you must catch 1 flounder and 1 eel. The fact is that we are talking about shallow-water fish. So keep fishing for coastal, cod and blue mackerel. Also at night, after 18:00 you can catch squid. Sell until you can buy one of two rods designed for catching shallow water fish from the Shipmaster. When comparing rods, pay attention not only to the type of fish that you can catch with the help of gear, but also to the speed of fishing.
In addition, after several visits to different characters, they will give you books. For example, I received my first book called “Engine Manual” when I visited the Shipmaster. After you get any book, open the menu on TAB and click on the title of that book. You will begin to read it, and the book is read by analogy with the passage of time – only when you are fishing or moving on a boat. No one will read a book for you while you sleep! Read Bonus: Engines increase travel speed by 5% above the indicated speed.
Returning to the “Fish to order” side mission, during daylight hours, if you have a fishing rod for shallow fish, swim forward from the pier. After leaving the Bolshaya Salt Bay, look for a place to catch flounder on the right side, and eel on the left. All this is close. Once you’ve caught at least one fish each (but try to fill the cargo hold every time to earn money), return to the fishmonger in Big Salt and hand over one copy. As a reward, the merchant will give you about $50.
The next step in the Fish to Order quest is to catch two Squid and one Black Grouper. Both creatures appear in the sea only at night. Wait until dark or dusk and after 18:00 sail out of the bay. Squid live in the same place as the blue mackerel, when leaving the bay. Look for black groupers on the right side after leaving Bolshaya Salt Bay. I repeat, you need to catch them only at night! After doing this, return to the merchant, and you will receive a reward of about $100. In any case, he will pay more than you would receive by selling sea creatures directly.
Continue to complete the side quest “Fish to Order”. At the third stage, you will receive a crab trap, which you can immediately repair at the Shipmaster by clicking on the appropriate button under the sections of the store. Then move away from the pier, hold down the E key and select the crab trap in the equipment wheel. A hint will appear in the lower left corner about how deep you are now and how many crabs are there. There are a lot of crabs everywhere in Big Salt, so drop the trap next to the pier by clicking on the right mouse button. Return to the city and sleep. Or go fishing for regular fish. When air bubbles and splashes of water appear around the traps, this will indicate that a crab is sitting inside. You need to catch one common crab and one fiddler crab. Check traps periodically. By the way, you do not have to carry all the crabs or fish at once.
To continue this assignment, advance through the storyline. As soon as you catch the first mutated fish and show it to the merchant, return to the man, and he will turn to you with one last request. He needs any mutated fish. Continue fishing in the area until you catch a fish, squid or a mutated crab. When you do, return to the merchant. He will pay for the captured creature and give 2 components for improvements. After that, the merchant’s shop will be closed for a couple of days. Order completed.
Sooner or later, the Big Salt fishmonger will also hand you a book called “Rods, Reels, Tackles.” Open the inventory on TAB, go to the cabin and click on the title of the book to start reading it. The book is read only when you are traveling by boat or fishing. It takes about 50-60 hours of in-game time. Books are not read during sleep. Read this book to get a bonus: rods pull fish 10% faster.
Side quest “Courier Service” (important for the plot)
To start this quest, you need to talk to the mayor of Big Salt after completing the first few mini-objectives (fishing, getting to know the rest of the island). As soon as a green exclamation mark appears in the lower left corner when visiting Great Salt, click on the mayor icon. He will hand over a small bundle to be delivered to Malaya Sol. Swim in a straight line from Bolshaya Salt Bay to get to Malaya, located in the east. When you find yourself in Malaya Salt, Docker will immediately come to you.
He will take the package, reward you with $25 and the book “Sparse Fishing”. Open the inventory on TAB, go to the cabin and click on the title of the book to start reading it. The book is read only when you are traveling by boat or fishing. It takes about 50-60 hours of in-game time. Books are not read during sleep. Read this book to receive a bonus: 10% chance to not reduce fish stocks when fishing with a rod.
The salts consist of four main ports – Big Salt, Little Salt (to the east, there is a merchant to whom you can sell jewelry and other valuables – this is the only NPC in the game that performs this function), Basalt Island (on it you will find a Collector associated with storyline) and the Cape of Steel (later you will get there as part of one of the side quests).
Grotesque fish
To continue the story part, keep fishing until you catch any mutated ones. All of these fish look different from normal ones and are highlighted with a purple background. The story quest “Grotex Fish” will begin immediately. Return to Big Salt and talk to the merchant about this fish. You will receive the “Handkerchief” story item. A mysterious man will look at you through the cabin window, who will say that he knows about the artifact obtained from the fish, and will offer to visit the Basalt Island. Swim there and talk to the Collector to complete the quest. You will receive a new quest.
Collector
In fact, you will complete this quest throughout the game. You need to find five relics. As you understand, there are also five regions in the game, that is, one relic must be found at each set of islands. The order in which you visit them is not up to you: the Collector himself will give clues about each next relic. You will also receive a dredge, an important plot tool that will allow you to get relics, treasures and building materials from the bottom. Be sure to check out the workshop to find two grotesque details – an engine and a symbol of doom, which increase the likelihood of catching mutated sea creatures.
Return to Big Salt and talk to the Lighthouse Keeper, whose icon is on the bottom left. She will say that on the other side of the island there is a shipwreck, and a bright glow comes from there. Follow the marker to the indicated place and use the dredge to fish out the key. After that, together with the key, return to Basalt Island. The key should not be in the hold, but in the cargo hold. Talk to the Collector to complete the first part of the quest. He will tell you that the next place with another relic is located in the southeast, in the Storm Rocks area. In addition, you will receive the first supernatural ability – Haste. Select it in the weapon wheel by holding down the E key. Then, every time you hold RMB, the ship will accelerate. Watch for panic levels and engine overheating.
Storm rocks
Travel to a new region, Stormfall, which will be marked with a “red X” on the map. The first thing you should pay attention to is the dusty pontoon with the Traveling Trader. Chat with a girl. She performs all the same functions as the fishmonger along with the ship’s master in Big Salt. That is, each new region has such pontoons, with the exception of Soleil, and here you can sell fish, buy tackle, repair the ship, upgrade the ship, and so on.
Hermitage
There are three main docks in the Storm Rocks area. We have already dealt with the pontoon. There is also the main jetty of Ingfell and the Hermit’s Habitat. First, chat with the Hermit to start the corresponding quest. Swim along the marker on the map. Among the Storm Rocks in the fountain area, there will be a treasure highlighted with a golden glow. Fish him out of the water to get the family crest. Show the item to the Hermit, and he will ask you to return it to his brother, a whaler from Ingfell. Swim there and hand over the coat of arms. While the whaler is preparing the ground for the arrival of his younger brother, you will have to blow up the stones marked with a “red cross”.
Like last time, I recommend sailing around the Storm Rocks from the merchant’s pontoon, take the second turn to the right and get into the area with the waterfall. Swim into the passage opposite the waterfall and you will see the stones you need (they are highlighted with yellow flags). Swim closer and interact. After the explosion, return to the whaler and report the completion of the mission. Swim to the Hermit, take it with you and deliver it to the whaler. The mission will end, you will receive the first explosive. From now on, you can buy explosives from the whaler and merchant.
Before we continue, let’s activate the Stormrock Altar. To find the altar itself, you need to swim around the Storm Rocks from the merchant and somewhere after the fourth turn to the right, deeper into the location, there will be an altar on the outside. It has crabs on it. You need to catch one Decorator Crab and two Coastal Crabs. Buy traps and place around the pontoon at a shallow depth so that “A lot” (amount of prey) is written in the lower left corner of the screen. Sleep on the pontoon and check the traps until you have the right amount of crabs. Return to the altar, arrange all the crabs so that they fit (place the decorator crab in the center), and get a reward – the Maw of the Deeps trap.
As for the relic, then, having explosives on hand, swim to the place where the Hermit lived. There are rocks in the bay that you can blow up. Do so, and then fish out the box from the point marked with a red glow. Return to the Collector and hand over the box. The second relic has been found, it remains to get three more. In addition, you will unlock the new supernatural skill “Appearance”, which will allow you to teleport to Basalt Island from anywhere in the game world.
star bay
When you’re ready, swim west to the bottom left corner of the map to find Star Bay. There are three main points where you can moor. In the Old Fort there is a Scientist, who is connected with the main mission. In the old laboratory, you can find two components for improvements. This place will come in handy later. Finally, there is an old pontoon with a merchant, like it was at Storm Rocks. When you’re ready, talk to the Scientist to start the story mission for that region.
Once you’ve got the equipment for catching deep and deep fish, swim to the area on the map between H3 and G3 and look for a sabertooth during the day. After catching a small fish, return to the Golden Figure and pass the food. It remains to catch the blue crab, and this must be done exclusively with the help of crab traps. The easiest way is to sail to the merchant on the pontoon in Star Bay and scatter a few traps around him. Sleep and check. When you bring the crab, you can complete the task. As a reward, the Golden Figure will give the book “Secrets of the Master Angler”. Open the inventory on TAB, go to the cabin and click on the title of the book to start reading it. The book is read only when you are traveling by boat or fishing. It takes about 50-60 hours of in-game time. Books are not read during sleep. Read this book to get a bonus:
Scientific work
Use the services of a merchant to buy (if not already) a trawl net. Without it, catching a jellyfish will not work. In addition, around this time or earlier, you should receive the book “The Art of Eloquence” from the merchant. Open the inventory on TAB, go to the cabin and click on the title of the book to start reading it. The book is read only when you are traveling by boat or fishing. It takes about 50-60 hours of in-game time. Books are not read during sleep. Read this book to receive a bonus: Increases sales prices by 10% and decreases purchase prices by 10%.
You need to catch firefly squid, jellyfish and octopus. All these inhabitants of the Star Bay should be looked for exclusively at night. At the same time, you can catch squid and octopus with the appropriate fishing rods. Both sea creatures glow blue in the dark. I found squids outside the bay, and octopuses are full in its center. As for the jellyfish, you need to use a trawl net to catch coastal sea creatures. After installing such a net, select it in the equipment wheel while holding E, and click on the right mouse button to open it. Navigate the starry bay with the net open as you float above the glowing algae. Sooner or later you will catch a jellyfish. Give the scientist all three creatures to complete the first part of the quest.
Talk to the scientist and sail to the research base in Star Bay. Look into the laboratory, inspect the equipment. Deliver it to the scientist. She will give out equipment for catching deep fish. From now on, you will also be able to invest upgrade components to unlock gear for catching deep and deep fish (and other sea creatures). You will also receive special equipment that you need to install on the research base generator. Use it to scare away the monster in the middle of Star Bay (just select the generator in the base).
As for the Scientist, she asks to catch four kinds of fish for her. The most controversial fish is the needlefish. Stern to Old Fort Scholar and swim forward. At night, you will see red lights indicating the location of the Iglorot. Catch one fish and take the Scientist to the Old Fort. All other creatures must be caught directly at the cavity where the monster is located. Scare him away with a new device installed at the research base. An anglerfish swims near the base, and two other creatures are directly above the pit. After catching them, take them to the scientist to complete the “Scientific Work” quest. As a reward, you will receive the book “Background for the Future”. Open the inventory on TAB, go to the cabin and click on the title of the book to start reading it. The book is read only when you are traveling by boat or fishing. It takes about 50-60 hours of in-game time. Books are not read during sleep. Read this book to receive a bonus: 15% chance to not reduce fish stocks when fishing with a rod.
To continue the story, find a place with a red glow in the center of the Star Bay, after scaring away the monster. Use the dredge to fish out the ring. This is the third relic to deliver to the Collector. So do it, and you can use the new ability with teleportation. After giving the ring, you will receive a new goal – you need to go to Shaggy Scythe. In addition, the Collector unlocks another supernatural skill, Banish, which allows you to drive away fear (for example, if you are being chased by a monster that appeared at night due to a high level of panic).
Shaggy Braid
Swim to the indicated place to find the islands in the thickets. Don’t crash into the mushrooms, beware of thick fog. Here you will need tackle for catching mangrove fish. As always, there is a merchant’s pontoon near the islands. Swim deep into the “red cross” on the map and talk to the Aviator. The man will tell you how he got here and ask you to collect two parts of the mortar. This is how the task will begin. In addition, the Aviator is willing to pay 1 upgrade component for all tokens found.
Location of tokens:
- The first token can be found at the crashed plane on the island east of Shaggy Scythe. Just take it out with a dredge.
- Look for the second token Shaggy Scythe. There will be a plane crashed on the shore. Unlike the previous time, you need to interact with the plane itself and “go inside”.
- Another wrecked plane to search is in D12, inside Shaggy Scythe.
Sad ending
The main story quest on Shaggy Spit. After talking with the Aviator, you need to visit two marked places and collect two parts of the mortar. Everything is quite simple – you have to fish them out with the help of a dredge. When you bring both parts to the Aviator, he will make a mortar. Find out the details of making baits. Opposite the pier with the Aviator there is a place for catching long-finned eels. Two of these are needed for the third trap. There will be no problems with the capture of mullet and pike. However, I did not experience problems with the search for catfish, although this fish is the least on Shaggy Spit.
When you have made all the traps (although you can take turns), go to the three marked places. Set baits and swim away. The brain-eater will swim, fall into a trap, and the Aviator will shoot him. Be sure to search the carcass and pick up the remains of the Brain Eater. Bring the remains of three Mind Eaters to the Aviator and he will give you the fourth relic, a necklace. He will also give one bait, and the ability of the same name will open. Now you can order baits from the Aviator, but instead of money, you will have to pay with any fish. Return to the Collector and hand over the item to receive the supernatural ability “Depletion”. With it, you can catch the whole school of fish at once. It remains to visit the last place!
Devil’s Backbone
Head to the last location right after you give the Collector the Aviator’s Shaggy Scythe amulet. There are three main ports in this place. As always, there is a merchant’s pontoon. According to the story, swim to the Ancient Temple and chat with the Fanatic. He will say that you need to find an unquenchable flame and light three statues. This will begin the main task of this location “Flame of the Abyss”.
Abyssal Flame
Three additional markers will appear on the map. Swim to the merchant’s pontoon, rest and make all the necessary preparations. Buy a couple of crab traps and set them up near the pontoon. You need to catch one lobster and one spider crab. If you look at the pontoon, around the corner of the cliff on the left, among the ruins will be the first altar with a flame. To get it, you need to place the two creatures mentioned above. Both are caught at shallow depths (bottom left when choosing a trap should be the inscription “Many”) crab traps. Take the flame and other loot, set the flame on any statue near the Ancient Temple.
Examine two more altars. The area of one of the altars will not have any outlines, but will be colored lilac. You need to catch any two mutated fish and place on the altar. In addition to the Inextinguishable Flames and other loot, you’ll find the Bone Talisman here, which increases your fishing speed by an incredible 375%.
Finally, on the last altar, you need to place an elephant shark and a white stingray (similar to a stingray). All of these creatures are on Devil’s Backbone. Move around and look for their habitats. After that, place on the altar and take the last flame. Light up all three statues at the Ancient Temple and talk to the Fanatic. You cannot influence the ritual that ends with his death. Search the fire pit and take the last relic. Return to the Collector to complete his main task.
Endings – good and bad
So, to get the normal ending, take the pocket watch, the last relic, to the Collector. Talk to the man and say that you are ready to hit the road. Do not worry, the game will not save the progress of the final part. Therefore, feel free to study the bad ending, and after that you can load the save and get a good one. All you need to do is get to the indicated place and perform the ritual.
To get a good ending, albeit with tragic consequences, head to square P10. There are small islands south of Devil’s Backbone where you will meet the Old Mayor. Talk to him and he will say that you should contact the Lighthouse Keeper. Travel to Big Salt and talk to the old woman to learn more about the book. Return to the Collector, do not agree to go. If the relic has just been handed over, end the conversation and start over. Start arguing with the Collector and take the book away from him to find out who it really is. After that, return to the Lighthouse Keeper in Big Salt and report that you are ready to end it all. Swim to the indicated place and throw away the book.
