How to make Dredge less scary

Dredge is one of my favourite indie games in recent years, but I’ve had several messages from some of you telling me you found it too scary to complete. But what if I told you you could make it less scary?

In this guide, I’m going to show how you can make Dredge less scary, helping you to complete one of the best indie games ever. 

1. Enable passive mode

You can disable the monsters that show up to attack you in Dredge by enabling Passive Mode, allowing you to sail freely throughout the night and day without having to worry about being attacked. Enabling Passive Mode can be done both before loading your game and while playing. 

To enable Passive Mode:

1. Start Dredge or pause the game.
2. Head to the ‘Options’ menu.
3. Under Game Mode, change it to ‘Passive’

This will stop random scary events and stop all monsters – including the Unseeing Mother at Devil’s Spine – from chasing you.

Enabling Passive Mode has no effect on trophies and achievements, so you’re free to complete the game and sweep up all achievements for 100%. Panic still matters though, as high panic will still spawn rocks, jet streams, and other dangers – so keep your eyes peeled.

2. Banish

If you still want to deal with Dredge’s scary monsters, you’ll want to use Banish; one of the many abilities you’ll unlock while completing Dredge’s main Pursuit, The Collector. With this ability, you’ll be able to scare off any of the monsters by producing a red light that protects you for several seconds. 

The ability has recharge though, so use it sparingly and only when you’re in real danger. 

3. Avoid nighttime sailing and use your Spyglass

You have to fish at night to complete certain Pursuits, including some early ones, but for the most part, you can avoid sailing at night by planning routes to docks and sleeping until daylight. When you do need to sail overnight, use your Spyglass from a nearby dock to search for the fish you need, and sail there, grab the fish, and then come back. 

By doing this, you won’t need to spend excessive amounts of time sailing through the night and endangering yourself. 

4. Upgrade your boat

If you immediately start putting in the research and money into upgrading your boat, you’ll quickly find your fear disappears. Upgrade your engine to speed away from threats easier, increase the Hull’s durability, and upgrade your lights to illuminate your surroundings, too.

All of this should help make the game easier to play and much less scary. 

5. Monitor your panic

One of the best ways of keeping Dredge scare-free is by managing your panic effectively.

Sleep as often as you to prevent panic from building up, and try to avoid sailing overnight. If you need to, switch your lights off as you approach red mist. It adds to your panic quickly but the red mist disappears if you switch your lights off. 

I also recommend leaving the dock around 5 am. You’ll gain an extra hour of playtime and, although you’ll gain some panic, it stops increasing by 6 am and shouldn’t affect anything while you continue playing throughout daylight. 

6. Play during the day

If you find Dredge really frightening, consider playing during the day or in a brightly lit room. Doing so can drastically reduce the game’s fear factor and allow you to make split-second decisions to avoid the game’s different threats. 

7. Avoid the map’s edge

If you truly want to avoid the scares, avoid sailing to the map’s edge. If you think you’re brave enough to do so, you’ll be in for a very frightening surprise.

Those are my tips for making Dredge less scary. I hope they help, and let me know any of your tips for making Dredge a little more cosy to play. Happy fishing!