How to dredge up salvage and treasure in Dredge

Dredge how to dredge
(Image credit: Team17)

How to dredge in Dredge? Sounds silly to say, but dredging up treasure and salvage from "Shapes in the Deep", is an integral part of the game. The dredge function is attached to a special crane, but you can't buy it from the Shipyard or Dry Dock, nor does it appear in the Research Menu, meaning you can go for the best part of an in-game week or more, unable to do anything but grab fish and deliver packages. We can show you how to change that though, and what you need to do to unlock the Dredge function in Dredge.

How to unlock the Dredge function

Dredge how to dredge

(Image credit: Team17)

To dredge up treasure and salvage in Dredge from Shapes in the Deep hotspots, players need to do the following:

  1. Keep fishing until you get a mutated, or aberrant fish. There are many versions of mutated fish, but any one will do. Fishing spots with a green glow and particle effect will have a much higher chance of granting them.
  2. Take the mutated fish to the Fishmonger at Greater Marrow. He'll pay a greater price for it than normal, and also pull a special handkerchief from its innards. Afterwards, you'll get some dialogue with a character who invited you to Blackstone Isle.
  3. Go to Blackstone Isle and take the Handkerchief. Blackstone Isle isn't far, though at this point in the game it might have been the farthest you've gone. In the water between Greater Marrow and Lesser Marrow, turn South and head towards the little island past the rocks with the mansion on it.
  4. Dock at the Island's North side and speak to the Collector. He's in the mansion, and will explain that he wants you to find five different relics across the game's map. To do this, he'll outfit your boat with a Dredge Crane - an upgrade that allows you to dredge all the Shapes in the Deep spots.

Dredge how to dredge

(Image credit: Team17)

Unlike other upgrades, the Dredge Crane doesn't take up any space in your cargo hold, and can't be broken. To use it, just head to any of the Shapes in the Deep hotspots and trigger it like fishing - at that point you'll get a minigame wherein you make a little indicator jump between two channels to avoid hitting obstacles (hitting one delays how long it takes to dredge up the loot below). 

Get it right, and you'll get your treasure! It might be raw salvage used to make upgrades, similar to the Dredge Refined Metal, Relics you can bring back to the Collector for new abilities, research parts you can use to unlock new purchases, or treasure you can sell to traders for money.

© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission

Joel Franey
Guides Writer

Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and raconteur with a Masters from Sussex University, none of which has actually equipped him for anything in real life. As a result he chooses to spend most of his time playing video games, reading old books and ingesting chemically-risky levels of caffeine. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at USgamer, Gfinity, Eurogamer and more besides.

Read more
A player holding the snorkel in Hello Kitty Island Adventure.
How to dive in Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Fortnite Gold Veins
Fortnite Gold Veins: How to mine them for Bars
A player carrying a potion in horror game REPO.
REPO Strength explained and how to upgrade it
Assassin's Creed Shadows Hideout Resources
How to farm Assassin's Creed Shadows' hideout resources
Monster Hunter Wilds
I've played Monster Hunter Wilds for almost 60 hours and somehow missed this game-changing gathering tip
Assassin's Creed Shadows upgrade Naoe Tanto weapon
How to upgrade weapons and armor in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Latest in Adventure
Putting cigarettes in fish mouths in Thank Goodness You're Here
Thank Goodness You're Here's developer says it was trying to design a game normally before realizing "we're s**t at video game design"
Pokemon TCG Pocket Shiny Cards
How to get Shiny Pokemon in Pokemon TCG Pocket
Pokemon Legends: Z-A screenshot
Pokemon Legends: Z-A's director appears to be a Xenoblade Chronicles fan, and I'm now feeling very validated about a tiny detail I spotted in the upcoming RPG's gameplay trailer
Pokemon TCG Pocket
Pokemon TCG Pocket is getting yet another new expansion as the addition of shinies and Gen 9 Pokemon keep free-to-play players drowning in new cards to collect
Pokemon TCG Pocket Shining Revelry
Pokemon TCG Pocket Shining Revelry release date and details
Europa
Dev behind cozy mashup of Ghibli and Zelda says working on Diablo and Overwatch taught him "storytelling isn't just an enhancement to world-building – it's what gives it meaning"
Latest in Guides
FC 25
FC 25 Dreamchasers tracker and full UEFA promo guide
Assassin's Creed Shadows Naoe "justice must be served" or "killing them isn't justice" Yaya and Mistumune choice
Should you side with Mitsumune or Yaya in Assassin's Creed Shadows?
Pokemon TCG Pocket Shiny Cards
How to get Shiny Pokemon in Pokemon TCG Pocket
Assassin's Creed Shadows money naoe and merchant
How to get money in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Pokemon TCG Pocket Shining Revelry
Pokemon TCG Pocket Shining Revelry release date and details
Assassin's Creed Shadows Naoe in outfit
Best Assassin’s Creed Shadows armor for Naoe and Yasuke