The Dredge Explosives needed to clear rocks are unlocked in Gale Cliffs, given to you by the Retired Whaler after you bring his brother the Family Crest, and available to buy from certain stores from that point on. It's a little bit of a long quest that'll take you through most of the Gale Cliffs area, but it's worth it, especially as explosives will allow you to access some of the special Relics that make up the game's primary objectives. We'll show you how to get explosives in Dredge below, as well as how to find the family Crest, and how to get past the one-eyed giant fish that'll try and bite you on the Hull as you go.
How to get Explosives in Dredge and the Family Crest's location
Explosives in Dredge are obtained from Ingfell’s Retired Whaler, in Gale Cliffs, Southeast of the starting area. You don't want to go there straight away, as you'll need a faster engine to safely cross the open ocean, but after you've upgraded once or twice you should be able to make the journey.
Once you reach Gale Cliffs, you need to complete a quest called Hermitage, which will end with explosives being sold around the map. Here's a basic how-to to take you through it.
- Head to Ingfell and talk to the Retired Whaler, then the Ruins to talk to the Hermit. Between the two of them, you'll learn that they're brothers, and while the hermit wants to see his brother, he can't without the Family Crest.
- Go to the open bay in the centre of Gale Cliffs. The obvious route is actually cut off by a string of rocks, marked in red on the map above. You'll deal with those later, but for now go around the island to the nameless dock at the South, then go up towards the green marker we've put down.
- Avoid the one-eyed giant fish while travelling. Exploring isn't as easy as it should be - beyond the falling rocks and sudden geysers, this is also the hunting ground for a giant one-eyed fish, visible beneath the water from the red glow its eye gives off. More details below if you want help with that.
- Dredge up the Family Crest. Obviously you'll need to know how to dredge in Dredge to do this, but by this point, that should be something you've got handled. The spot with the Crest is marked by a gold glow in the very centre of this open area - get it quick and get out of there!
- Bring it back to the Whaler in Ingfell. Show him the Crest and he'll ask you to blow up the target wall that obstructed you earlier. He won't give you any explosives for this, they're already set up and just need lighting.
- Blow up the target wall. This time you can approach from the North to do so, but remember to watch out for that bloody fish! Just approach and interact with the wall to get the option for demolition.
- Head back to the Whaler, then fetch the Hermit. The final stage of the process; at this point you can confirm that's all done with the Whaler, before he asks you to simply go fetch his brother, which'll take a couple of moments at most.
With this done, the Retired Whaler will give you a set of explosives for free, though keep in mind that they're single use, and use up cargo space too. That being said, both he and select merchants will sell explosives from that point on for $40 a piece - so you can either keep them in your hold for select occasions, or go and buy one if you find an obstruction you want cleared. While you're in the area, you should also go check out the merchant at the Rusty Pontoon, as you'll be able to buy the rare Dredge Refined Metal while you're there.
How to beat the giant one-eyed fish in Gale Cliffs
The giant cyclops fish in Gale Cliffs is a nightmare, as there's no way to damage or drive it off (at least that I know of). The best approach I can suggest is stealth and speed - use your boosted engines to escape if you have them, and try to conduct your business in Gale Cliffs as speedily as possible, so as to minimise your time in the danger zone.
It's worth pointing out that if the fish bites you, it does 2 Hull damage per bite - so on full health you shouldn't be destroyed instantly, plus it usually wanders off for a little while after an attack, giving you a chance to escape. Still, even if you do, you're losing money on repairs, plus you risk damaged equipment or lost cargo in the process.
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