Summary
Dredge: The Iron Rigis content that you are free to engage with whenever you like. And hey, by all means, knock yourself out. However, if you are just jumping into the world of Dredge you - and your ship - are going to be woefully unprepared. Let us suggest a few things you may want to have squared away before you delve into this briny adventure.
Some of the suggestions here will be necessary to progress through The Iron Rig missions, others aren’t entirely necessary but will make your adventure a far smoother one.
6Live Out Your Deadliest Catch Dreams And Research Crab Pots
The primary quest you’ll engage with in The Iron Rig will have you hunting five separate groups of fish. Each group will include one fish that can only be caught using crab pots (though these “crabs” come in many shapes and sizes). So, you will literally not be able to progress in the DLC until you have spent a few Research Parts on crab pots.
While you may be able to make do with some of the smaller crab pots, I’d strongly recommend you obtain something that has more space than the 3x3 grid provided by the Basic Crab Pot. The bigger, the better, really.
5Acquiring Some Pieces Of Fishing Equipment Is Non-Negotiable
Every non-crab type of fish in The Iron Rig requires an “Infused” piece of fishing equipment to catch. The regular stuff quite simply won’t cut it.
Whilethe Infused Fireproof Rod, Infused Coiling Rod, and Infused Hoist will all be sold to you at the Factory on the rig, they will use the Heat-Resistant Line, Anti-Tangle Line, and Fathomless Winch as materials. This means that you will have to research those three pieces of fishing equipment before you can progress beyond a certain point in The Iron Rig.
4You Need To Complete The Stellar Basin Quests
While The Iron Rig content will have you sailing across the entire world map,this DLC is most closely attached to the Stellar Basin.In fact, the Researcher positioned in the Stellar Basin is a key player in the Iron Rig’s narrative.
However, I’m not telling you that you need to play through The Stellar Basin content for narrative enrichment. I’m telling you that you need to complete this content because it is the only way you’ll unlock the ability to research winches. As mentioned in the section above this one, you will need that Fathomless Winch to progress at a certain point, and you won’t have it unless you complete this section of the game.
3Make Sure To Upgrade Your Ship’s Motor
One of the key features of The Iron Rig expansion content is how it will send you ricocheting around the entire Dredge map. In order to complete the content, you will need to visit all five of the main islands found in the base game. Naturally, if you are puttering around with the Rusty Outboard Engine still, progress is going to be painfully slow.
Could you technically do it? Probably, but it seems like a bad way to live your life. I was rocking a 106 kn engine during my run, but you don’t necessarily have to go that far. I’d aim for something in the 50 kn range at a minimum, though.
2Unlock The Haste Ability
You will be granted the Haste ability after giving the collector a relic. So, this ability will be unlockedprettyearly in the game. While all the abilities in Dredge are pretty dang useful, Haste is easily the most important of them all. It allows your boat to boost. Not only is this important for dodging dangers, but it is also extremely effective for traveling long distances in an abbreviated amount of time.
The one thing to keep in mind is that if you don’t keep an eye on the haste meter, you will blow out your engine, which is extremely counter-intuitive if you are looking to move quickly. Also,using it does have a negative effect on your psyche, so, after you reach any particular region, find the pontoon and have a rest.
1Pair The Aurous Anchor With The Manifest Ability To Make Life A Breeze
Okay, before I start, let me say right from the beginning: this is a big ask. Many players who work through The Iron Rig content will not have access to the Aurous Anchor, as it is the reward you’ll receive for completing the primary objective in The Pale Reach DLC. That being said, if you are planning to work through all the DLC anyway, I can’t stress how useful this arcane object is.
So what does it do? Well,it creates a permanent two-way portal between Blackstone Isle(where the Collector lives) and wherever you drop the anchor. That’s already useful, but pair it with the Manifest ability, and it becomesan incredibletool for zipping around the world. Manifest takes you back to the Blackstone Isle, so dropping the anchor beside the rig will mean that you return to the rig fromanywherein the world. That means that every excursion will only be a one-way trip, as once you have done what you’ve set out to do, you may use Manifest to zip back to Blackstone Isle, and then take the portal from there to the rig.
You will obtain the Manifest ability by turning in your second relic.
