In the captivating world of Dreadmoor, you’ll step into the shoes of Malcolm, an angler navigating a flooded realm infested with bizarre creatures due to a catastrophic event known as the blight. As you explore this strange aquatic world, you’ll tell stories, upgrade your boat, and catch an array of unusual fish. The game emphasizes adventure and exploration, but it can easily catch you off guard if you’re unprepared.
You’ll find plenty of crafting opportunities and the need to balance upgrades with resource management, which can lead to some frustrating moments if you’re not careful. Take my advice: stay focused on your story quests at the beginning, as they provide vital upgrades and a clear path through the chaos of the game.
Before diving deeper, just remember to loot everything you can find and keep an eye on your fuel levels early on—these small details make all the difference in your survival and success.
In this guide, we’ll give you seven handy tips and tricks to help you master the treacherous world of Dreadmoor.
This article is part of our Dreadmoor Walkthrough & Guides Hub.
For more information about the game, check out its Steam page here.
- Focus on the Story Quests
- Loot Everything
- Use the Map and Map Markers
- Night Exploration is Dangerous
- Keep Note of The Fuel
- Maintaining and Upgrading the Trawler
- Some Handy Fishing Tips
- Upgrade the Fishing Rod and Baits
- Know the Fishing Spots
- Separate the Predatory and Peaceful Fish
- Processing vs Selling
Focus on the Story Quests Exploration is a fundamental aspect of Dreadmoor , particularly after you unlock the gate to Big Hollow . You’ll have the freedom to venture into various areas without major restrictions, but your equipment will dictate your limits. Although the temptation to explore is strong, prioritizing story quests in the early game pays off by naturally improving your boat and fishing rod while giving you a clearer sense of the world.
One of the best parts of Dreadmoor is how it doesn’t really hold you back when it comes to exploring. Once you open the gate to the Big Hollow, the game opens up a lot and lets you explore most areas without restrictions. Your only limit is the level of equipment you carry.
While it’s tempting to get lost in the vast watery world of the game, focusing on the story quests early on is better. You’ll naturally upgrade a lot of aspects of your boat and fishing rod, and you’ll also get a better idea of what to expect from different areas.
Loot Everything The game heavily incorporates crafting, meaning loot is essential—don’t skip on it! Whenever you dock at an island, you’ll see tons of resources lying around just waiting for you. Additionally, things like barrels and fuel cans often float by while sailing. Use your Hook Gun to collect these valuable items. Inventory limits don’t hold you back here, so loot thoroughly when you visit new areas. Everything you gather contributes to crafting upgrades or completing quests.
Crafting is a core part of the experience, and in Dreadmoor, you’ll find a ton of loot to pick up as you progress through the game. The game is pretty generous when it comes to just giving you crafting components. Whenever you moor at an island, you’ll find a bunch of loot just sitting around, ripe for the taking.
On top of that, you’ll also find items like barrels, fuel cans, or even containers floating on the water as you sail across. You can use your Hook Gun to reel them in and collect the crafting component. Since you’ll need these components not only to craft upgrades, but also to complete quests, you’ll want to collect as much as possible.
Even if you don’t want to stop your boat each time you find loot floating around, make sure you’re looting an island thoroughly when you moor at the dock. There are no inventory limits, so there’s no reason to leave anything behind.
Use the Map and Map Markers With vast rivers to navigate, your Map becomes essential. For main quests, waypoints help you find your destination, but the map sketch on each island gives additional context. When searching for fishing spots, the map shows a range of locations around you—place markers for easier navigation.
The river is vast, and the Map is your best friend when it comes to navigating it. For story quests, you’ll have waypoints and quest markers that will help you find the way, but the islands themselves aren’t marked on your compass. However, when you open the Map, you’ll find a sketch on most islands to tell you what there is.
The Map can also come in handy when you’re looking for Fishing Spots. When you’re sailing out in the open, open your Map to get a quick glimpse of all the Fishing Spots around you. You can also place a Marker on the map so that you can find it on your compass and use it as your guide while exploring.
Night Exploration is Dangerous
Night Exploration is Dangerous
As night descends, danger lurks on the water. Visibility drops, and hostile creatures emerge, including tentacle beasts eager to attack.
Yet, some essential resources like Swamp Lilies can only be collected at night. To tackle nocturnal challenges, upgrade your boat with a stronger Spotlight and consider boosting your Engine and Afterburner for swift escapes.
This doesn’t mean, however, that you should avoid fishing at night entirely. Crafting materials such as Swamp Lilies and Leeches, or Mutant Fish, can only be found while exploring during the night.
To make nighttime easier, upgrade your boat with a better Spotlight, Engine, and Afterburner. A better Spotlight will cut through the darkness and the fog, while an upgraded Engine and Afterburner will help you make a quick getaway.
Keep Note of The Fuel
Keep Note of The Fuel
Fuel management is critical—running out can leave you stranded. Although your starting Fuel Tank is decent, upgrading it expands your exploration time without constant returns to the Trading Post for refueling.
Equip the Canister Rack to store extra fuel tanks for emergencies. When exploring, conserve fuel by limiting use of the Afterburner, which drains your reserves fast.
You should also get the Canister Rack upgrades, as they let you store extra Fuel Tanks on your boat in case of an emergency. To conserve Fuel while exploring, avoid using the Afterburner. It’s great for a quick speed boost, but it burns through your Fuel reserve very quickly.
Maintaining and Upgrading the Trawler
As you progress through Dreadmoor’s Story Quests, you’ll be pushed toward a few basic upgrades for your boat, such as the Hull Protection and the Upgraded Engine. However, you also want to get some upgrades done in your own spare time to make exploration easier. The core components of the boat and what they do are as follows:
Maintaining and Upgrading the Trawler
As you push through Dreadmoor’s Story Quests, you’ll be led toward critical boat upgrades. However, spending your spare time on enhancements is equally beneficial. Key upgrades worth prioritizing include:
| Upgrade Type | What it does |
|---|---|
| Engine | Affects boat speed |
| Propeller | Affects handling while turning |
| Fuel Tank | Affects total fuel capacity |
| Spotlight | Affects visibility during dark weather |
| Fish Hold | Affects catch capacity |
| Canister Rack | Stores additional fuel tanks |
| Afterburner | Engages speed boost; consumes extra fuel |
| Hull Protection | Affects hull damage absorption |
Consistent upgrades pave the way for effective exploration—never neglect your vessel.
In terms of priority, I suggest focusing on the Engine, Fuel Tank, Propeller, and Hull Protection first. Upgrading the Spotlight is also good if you plan on doing a lot of nighttime exploration. In any case, you’ll want to consistently upgrade your boat whenever you can.
Maintenance in the game is split into two primary tasks: cleaning the boat and repairing the hull. As you explore and take damage from hostile creatures or bump into rocks, the hull of your boat takes damage. You’ll have to use the Repair Gun in the Dry Dock to nurse your boat back to peak condition.
Cleaning, on the other hand, requires using the Water Gun. Over time, Polyps start to grow at the bottom of your boat. If left unchecked, Polyps can drastically reduce the speed of your boat.
Some Handy Fishing Tips Catching fish is integral to gameplay, and while the mechanics are well explained, a few pointers can improve success. Start with the free Simple Fishing Rod but upgrade it as you encounter tougher fish. The rod’s effectiveness hinges on upgrading its three components: Rod: Affects exhaustion during fights Reel: Affects thrust during catches Line: Affects line strength Keep in mind that different baits work for varying fish types— Rainbow Fin for predatory and Wind-Up Tins for peaceful species.
Catching fish is the main activity you’ll be doing for the most part in Dreadmoor. The game does a good job of explaining how fishing works, but there are a few additional things you should know about:
Upgrade the Fishing Rod and Baits
At the start of your adventure, you’ll get a Simple Fishing Rod for free the first time you reach the Trading Post. It’s equipped with a Simple Line and Reel, which is fine for the early stage. However, as you step into bigger areas with stronger fish, you’ll need to upgrade your Fishing Rod.
Upgrading the Fishing Rod involves upgrading its three core components:
- Rod: Affects Exhaustion
- Reel: Affects Thrust
- Line: Affects Line Strength
Later on, as you come across Fishing Spots that won’t let you cast your line, you’ll have to upgrade one of the three core components to enhance your Fishing Rod.
The same applies to the Baits. In general, Rainbow Fin baits are used for Predatory Fish, and Wind-Up Tins are used for Peaceful Fish. However, later on you’ll come across fish that require more powerful baits to catch.
Know the Fishing Spots
One of the things that Dreadmoor could do better, in my opinion, is the Fishing Spots. In the current condition of the game, Fishing Spots show up in a large radius around you whenever you open the map. But to see which fish can be caught in a specific Fishing Spot, you have to physically be there on your boat.
That means it’s important to have a general idea of the type of Fish you can find in each area. For example, the immediate area around the Trading Post in the Big Hollow contains Bellybulge and Toadlings as Peaceful Fish and Rivetback as Predatory Fish.
Make a mental note of the location of different Fish so that you can farm them later for crafting materials or Coins.
Separate the Predatory and Peaceful Fish
Separate the Predatory and Peaceful Fish
With up to three distinct Fish Holds, it’s crucial to segregate predatory from peaceful fish. Otherwise, predatory species may consume their peaceful counterparts. This mishap can be avoided by monitoring red indicators above containers.
The reason is that the Predatory Fish has a chance to eat the Peaceful Fish inside the container the longer they are together. You can see a red sign above the container if there’s a chance of this happening.
Processing vs Selling
Processing vs Selling
You have the option to process your catches or sell them at Gill and Bozur’s shop. Processing fish yields essential crafting materials like Fish Meat for fueling your boat. Early on, selling is advisable for coins to buy upgrades, but don’t neglect processing for rarer components.
Ideally, you’ll want to sell most of your fish early on so that you can buy out all the Blueprints from Gill and Bozur. That way, you’ll get access to all the upgrades. Processing fish is important, as this is the only way to get rarer components such as Leeches or Jaws.
Mastering these tips will significantly enhance your journey through Dreadmoor. Happy fishing!
Muhit Rahman lives off two things: gaming marathons and endless cups of tea. He writes guides, reviews, and occasionally forgets that real life doesn’t come with checkpoints. His favorite genres are Soulslike and Metroidvania, with Dark Souls III, Hollow Knight, and Dota 2 forever holding top spots on his all-time list.