Blacksalt Games' much anticipated indie-fishing-horror titleDredgeis finally here. As a Captain of a small fishing vessel, players must take the wheel and scour the strange and supernatural waters of ‘The Marrows’ in search of potential hauls, treasures, and mysteries — all the while remaining on guard against mechanical failures andLovecraftian horrorsthat dwell beneath the water’s surface.
While the gameplay itself will not be immensely challenging for most gamers, it can be useful to know some beginner’s tips. These helpful hints otherwise might go unknown among the chaos and confusion ofDredge’sunique and well-imagined world.
5Efficient Inventory Management
One of the central skills required to succeed inDredgeis the ability to manage and arrange an inventory efficiently. Failing to do this may result in having to abandon valuable catches and therefore losing out on important earnings. Each fish has a unique shape and way in which they occupy space in the inventory, meaning players have to arrange them in atetris-likemanner to maximize carrying capacity. Having a general idea of how much inventory space a fish will take up before setting out to catch it will help to avoid this problem, so ensure that any excess catches or treasures are sold before departing on another excursion.
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It is important to get these arrangements right as soon as possible. Players will soon notice how quickly the night, and itsaccompanying terrors, will set in if too much time is spent on tasks such as this. Always leave a small amount of room before returning home, since any number of unique treasures and fish might be encountered along the way.
4Make Use Of Boat Upgrades
Initially, certain fish types will be impossible to catch without the requisite boat upgrades. Upgrades, such as different fishing poles to catch these different fish types, can be purchased different Shipyards in the game’s towns. Shipyards will also offer engine, net, and lighting upgrades.
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Engine upgrades are a sensible early investment since they increase the ship’s movement speed, which is particularly important when trying to evade larger predators and reach safety at night. Given how quicklyin-game dayspass, speed is of great necessity. Nets will allow players to catch more fish, and lighting will help keep the Captain’s sanity meter in check during those lonely, treacherous nights. Keep in mind that some upgrades will take time to install, so it is often best to do this at nighttime in order not to miss out on catches during the day — unless of course, players are hunting a nocturnal species of fish.
3Stick To The Coast At Night
As will quickly become evident to all seafarers in The Marrows, the fish that come out at night are very different and much more menacing than those present during the day. For newer players, it would be a suicide mission to attempt to fish the depths of theopen oceanwithout properly upgrading the boat. Many fishing spots will be locked at first and will require upgrades to access. Fortunately, coastal waters will be available from the start, meaning that players can fish these even during the night.
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Staying close to the shore will also prevent too much damage from occurring. Even with a slow-moving ship, many of the game’s larger predators can be avoided by steering into the shallows. This way, upgrades and supplies will also be close by, providing the coastline has some habitation. Ports can be useful if the creatures of the night are just becoming too much, enabling players to sleep and wait until the next day cycle. Alternatively, this can be used to exclusively hunt fish at night, but this is not recommended for beginners.
2Talk To Townsfolk
When entering a port, there will often be NPC’s that players can converse with via the bottom-left of the screen. These can go unnoticed given the array of other options, but these interactions will often grant players access to new quests and rare items that they may otherwise miss. Additionally, these charactersbuild the loreand atmosphere of the game, and will reveal a lot about the mysterious archipelago in which players find themselves immersed.
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Some of these NPCs will simply offer their comments toward the Captain, letting him know that he is unwanted and unwelcome in these parts, but try not to take this personally. Living in a world in which the ocean harbors such Cthulu-esque monstrosities is bound to induce a degree of paranoia.
1Use Lights To Maintain Sanity
One of the core gameplay mechanics when it comes to nighttime and avoiding a watery grave is the panic meter. Prolonged stretches spent out on the water in darkness will increase the panic meter and thereby increase the rapidity andcomplexity of hallucinations. These hallucinations can still deliver real damage. Being attacked by a fish or crashing into a rock, even in a fever-dream, will still have genuine consequences. This phenomenon seems to be a feature of the air itself in this region, rather than the instability of the Captain himself
The antidote to this maddening problem is lighting. Upgrading the lighting on the boat and ensuring that all lights are switched on during night voyages will at least mitigate this problem. Bu there are still the very real dangers of the nighttime creatures to look out for as well.
