Dredge: A Fresh Start Walkthrough

A Fresh Start is the first Pursuit you’ll complete in Dredge, serving as the tutorial and starting the game. Our walkthrough will cover how to complete the Pursuit, starting your journey with the game.

A Fresh Start Dredge Guide

After starting a new game, a cutscene of a fisherman crashing into rocks will play. When you awaken, you’ll be in Greater Marrow and will be greeted by the Mayor of the town.

Explaining that your vessel is no longer operational, the Mayor offers you one of his in exchange for paying off your debts by selling caught fish in town. Before you set off, however, he warns you to get back in town by sundown before “the fog rolls in”.

Catch fish

Once the dialogue has finished, leave the dock and sail towards the first patch of Disturbed Water, where you can fish some Blue Mackerel. Catch as many as possible, and then continue sailing forward.

To the right will be a pool you can dredge later, but ahead will be a pool of Cod. Fish as much as you can from all available pools, but when it turns dark, sail back to Greater Marrow to avoid the dangers of night.

When you return, the Mayor will remind you of your $50 loan, and he suggests you sell your catch to the local Fishmonger to make repayments.

Sell Your Fish

After the dialogue, your next objective will be to meet the Fishmonger and sell your catch. You can do this by speaking with him, accessed by going to the far right when highlighting Greater Marrow, and then individually selling the fish or selling all fish in one go.

If you caught enough fish before returning to town, you should have made enough money to pay off your debt. This triggers a conversation with the Mayor, where he rewards you with a Research Part he found by the docks and then asks you to introduce yourself to the Shipwright, who can upgrade your boat.

Meet the Shipwright

You can meet the Shipwright by navigating to the top of the Greater Marrow town screen and hitting the ‘Shipwright’. When speaking to her, the Shipwright will explain that she can make modifications to your boat and repair anything.

At this time, you’ll have two rods (Simple Skimmer and Weighted Line) available, two Rusty Outboard Engines, and two Cracked Bulbs and two Cloudy Lens lights. If you can purchase anything, do it and install the item.

After speaking with the Shipwright, your main objective will be to continue catching fish and selling it to pay off your debt. At some point during this, the cryptic Lighthouse Keeper will introduce herself.

When this happens, you’ll trigger these two optional Pursuits:

• Caught to Order
• Packaged Delivery

Once you’ve paid off the debt, the Mayor will speak with you once more, announcing that the Dry Dock – a service that allows you to further upgrade your boat – is open.

To continue, keep sailing around Greater Marrow and fish until you catch your first aberration, triggering the next Pursuit: Grotesque Fish. Check our guide to Grotesque Fish, our full list of every Pursuit in Dredge for other quests, and our Dredge hub for other useful guides.