Dredge has a number of mysteries littered throughout the game, many of which have different rewards such as books, or in other cases powerful gear. This guide will explain where you can pick up best-in-class gear to make your fishing even easier!
If you're someone who likes to min/max your build, I'll also share what I've got equipped for maximum effect after 100%'ing the game!
Breaking down the Best Gear in Dredge
There's a few categories that I'll break this into, each one has at least one "Special" item you can get by completing Pursuits or exploring the map.
Best Light - Flame of the Sky
Unlocked by doing the Stone Tablets Pursuit, this light offers +3,000 Lumens at 25m Range. Combo it with 2 Cloudy Lens for a max lumens of 3,150!
Best Fishing Pole - Versatile Rod
Unlocked by researching poles, this Rod will let you fish in Coastal, Shallow, Mangrove, and Volcanic with a high fishing speed. With a fully maxed boat, this will fit in the right slots with an Anti-Tangle Rod to add additional Fishing Speed.
Note: if you want to fish in Ice, you'll still need the Glacial Lance, unlocked in the Pale Reach DLC.
Best Trawling Net - Radiant Trawl Net
Allow you to trawl in Ice, Coastal, Oceanic, and Shallow Regions, with ~18 fish per day and a +5% aberration bonus. This is a super versatile net that you can unlock by completing the Main Pursuit in the Pale Reach DLC!
Best Engine - Engine Stack
Unlocked by researching Engines, this 6-slot engine on a maxed out boat will let you add 4 additional Jet Drive Engines (Purchased at the Trader), for a max Speed of 112.4kn.
Best Winch - Fathomless Winch
Unlocked by maxing Winches in Research, this Winch will let you fish all of the main deep sections of the ocean: Abyssal, Hadal, and Oceanic!
Best Crab Pot - Mouth of the Deep
Unlocked by completing the Rock Slab with the clue "Three Crab-Like Creatures" - this Pot has the best Aberration bonus, with a slightly lower catch speed. Carrying this + 3 Reinforced Crab Pots will have you generating money like crazy!
Best Dredge Boat Build
With every piece of gear above + collecting and reading every book in the game, you can really min/max your boat config. With Pale Reach DLC, my preferred boat gear gives me the following bonuses:
- Boat Speed: 123.8kn
- Fishing Speed: 312%
- Lights: 5,000 lm
- Aberration Bonus: +9%
See the image below for the layout I have for the gear, as well as the full details of my bonuses. Note: I've also collected all books in the game!
With that, I'll wrap up this guide. You don't have to perfectly follow what I've done, but hopefully it gives you a good idea of what gear to go after next in the game!