While Dredge is billed as a fishing RPG, there are definitely a few ARPG elements you’ll need to get on top of if you want to succeed. This includes when you have to fish in some of the more dangerous areas of the map, especially at night, when you can find yourself hunted by all manner of Lovecraftian beasties. The best way to get out of a scrape is with a fast boat. Below, we talk about the best engine build setups in Dredge.
Dredge: Fastest engine setup Summary
If you use theFloating Dockto reach the maximum possible Engine Spaces, you’ll have a total of10 Engine slotsto play with. If you fully research all possibleEngine Technologies, you’ll have engines raising in size from the single-spaceJet Drive Engineto the massive six-slotEngine Stack.
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As these are the two engine types at the end of the engine tech tree, it won’t be a surprise that a combination of the two will be best for outright speed. But it isn’t quite as simple as that.Damage is a key elementwhile sailing in Dredge, and one unlucky swipe from a tentacle can see you hobbling back to shore. And in addition, you may not want to go all-out on theresearch and floating docks elements, meaning something a little smaller and lower tech will suit you just fine.
Dredge: Best Engine Setup with Engine Stack
The absoluteking of set-ups for speedin Dredge is anEngine Stack with four Jet Drive Enginesfilling in the spaces around it. To do this you’ll need to max out all three tech tree paths for engines.
Speed
The full Engine Stack setup will give you the following base speed:
This is the base speed, not adding any other bonuses.
Scalability
Using an Engine Stack isclunking up six spacesof your boat in a3x2 lumpthat can’t be edited or oriented. It’s also a big old chunk to drop into your storage if you do want to remove it for a while, so if you go down this route, you’re also slightlycompromising flexibilityfor top-end speed.
Damage
One potential issue with this strategy is that most of your speed is put into the Engine Stack, so if it getsknocked out of commission, you’rerelying on a few Jet Drivesto get you to shore. A speed of close to 40 knots is still pretty quick, but another option may be preferable if you want a more reliable if slightly slower top speed.
Research Parts
To do this, you’ll need to use20 Research Parts. If you’re struggling tofind enough Research Parts, make sure you’ve completed theCatch Rare Fishpursuits for the Travelling Merchant, as each of the rare fish you find for them gets you two Research Parts. Also, remember that the Travelling Merchant often sells Research Parts in theMiscellaneous tab of the Shipyardat any of the four Pontoons.
Dredge: Best Engine Setup with Jet Drive Engines
Going down a purely Jet Drive route has some distinct advantages over the Engine Stack option. Before we get to the positives, one negative is price. You’ll have to pay$300 per Jet Drive, which is an eye-watering$3,000 for a full 10-space set-up. However, you can work up to this over time and spread the payments while you do other things.
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Once you have a full set of10 Jet Drive Engines, you be enjoying a top speed of90 knots. This is still one of the fastest engine set-ups in the game and will comfortably get you from any corner of the map back to The Marrows before sundown.
This is where the Jet Drive Engines setup really shines, asevery engine just takes up a single space. Need to pick up some extra cargo? Not a problem. Just pop a could of engines into storage until you have the room to refit them later.
Another advantage of this setup is that anydamageyou take to your engines isonly going to take out a single engine. This means that yourspeed shouldn’t really be compromisedeven if you lose a few engines to hits, although again money may be an issue as the repair bills could mount up.
This is probably the biggest advantage of all, as youonly need to research Improved Outboard Engine before the Jet Drive Enginebecomes researchable. This means that rather than needing 20Research Parts you’ll only need six. It’s a huge difference, giving you all that extra capital to put into the rods, nets, and pots you’ll need to find those rare and exotic fish.
Dredge: Fastest Engine Setup with no Engine Stack
While the above set-ups are the two extremes, it is very possible to complete the game without using either of these options. These options also offervery high speedswhilemixing up the cash versus Research Parts breakdown.
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Twin Jet Drive Engine
TheTwin Jet Drive Enginesaves you five Research Parts by not maxing out the engine’s tech tree, but it still gives you50 knots from five spaces. Even without maxing out your engine space via the Floating Dock, you may get a base speed of77 knots(see achievement below) from this and three Jet Drive Engines, or95 knotswith five.
Refined Outboards doubled-up
The final option we’ll give you is cheap on cash and Research Parts, while still giving you solid speeds. You can fixtwo Refine Outboard enginesfor just $600 which will give you50 knotsof speed acrosssix engine spacesfor justthree Research Parts. You can then add Improved Outboard engines in the four remaining spaces if you max them out via the Floating Dock, giving a top speed of80 knots for very little outlay. Or spend five more Research Parts to up that to86 knotswith four Jet Drive Engines.
Dredge Achievement: No Time to Linger
Ultimately, how much you feel the need for speed is going todepend on your particular playstylein Dredge. There is no particular reason to hit particular speeds unless you are going for all the achievements. If that’s the case you’ll need to equip your boar with engines that have a combined speed of75 knotsto get theNo Time to Linger achievement.
For more on Dredge, check outDredge Humming Stones, Explained, andHow to make money fast in Dredgehere at Pro Game Guides!
