How to Counter/Defeat Every Monster in Dredge

Dredge allows players to wander the seas and complete all sorts of tasks and quests. But the seas are dangerous, and you’ll often come across an assortment of monsters. Many of these are extremely lethal and will take you down fast.

So, it’s best that you know the best way to deal with each of them. In this guide, we’ll show you how each of the monsters work. Additionally, we’ll go through how you can counter and deal with them. With that said, let’s dive in!

How to Counter/Defeat Every Monster

There are a total of 16 monsters in Dredge that you’ll come across. Each of them are divided into three categories: General, Area Specific and Pale Reach monsters.

Before we get into the guide, it’s important you understand that we will be diving into spoilers for the game, especially for some of the later monsters. So, if you don’t want spoilers, we suggest you only stick to the general monsters.

Feel free to use the Table of Contents if you’re only interested in a specific monster.

General Monsters

General monsters are those that you’ll come across in most areas of Dredge. They are the most common ones that you’ll always have to be wary of.

The Leviathan

The Leviathan is a terrifying monster that can kill you very easily. It will only show up when you go outside the map or in the open ocean. 

Generally speaking, if you stay in Uncharted Waters too long, you can expect this creature to make an appearance. You can tell it’s on the way when you hear a rumble and some splashing.

It’s a large creature and you can spot its fins under the water too. When it spots you, it will kill you.

The only way to survive this monster is by returning to shallow water. A convenient way to do this is by using Manifest, to instantly return to Blackstone Isle.

Be warned that Banish will not work against this monster!

Mimic Crab

The Mimic Crab is a monster that will disguise itself as shipwrecks and rocks to bait you in. When you get close, it will show its real form and try to attack you.

You do have a few seconds to get away while it’s transforming. So, we suggest you simply back away when you see it to counter it. It will not chase after you.

Phantom Sharks

These monsters are incredibly annoying as they can pop out of nowhere. Typically, you’ll get almost no warning when the shark is attacking. Your only indicator is a red outline on your screen.

If you detect the attack in time, you can use Haste to barely strafe just enough to dodge its attack. So, you’ll always need to be vigilant for this monster.

Miasma (Red Fog)

Miasma, or red fog, will increase your panic when you are inside it. When you see a Miasma attacking you, all you need to do is turn off your lights.

This will prevent it from attacking you.

If you’re new to the game, you’ll find them quite annoying. But after some experience, they will become trivial to deal with.

Monster Ray

As with the sharks, the only warning you’ll get for the Monster Ray attacking you is a red outline on your screen. It only appears in shallow waters and will follow you to damage your boat.

It does look intimidating, but is actually very slow and easy to dodge. Just keep going ahead and it will give up following you after a few seconds.

Crows

Crows are incredibly annoying as they can attack you and steal your fish. They attack during the day when you have high Panic.

The easiest way to deal with them is to simply use the Foghorn. It will scare them away.

Kraken

The Kraken is a huge monster that will summon its tentacles from underneath the water. It will then try to swipe at you when you pass by. 

Simply going straight past him should allow you to avoid the attack.

Interestingly, the Kraken’s tentacle can also be taken down by other monsters.

Water Spouts

Water spouts are incredibly fast and can catch you by surprise in the sea. However, they generally only move in a straight line. 

You can treat them as slower Phantom Sharks, and can utilize Haste if they’re too close to you. You can also use Banish to remove them.

Area Specific Monsters

These monsters are the ones that will only appear in specific areas or biomes in Dredge. We’ll be looking at the monsters in the order of progression.

Most of these monsters are linked to story spoilers, so you’ve been warned!

Night Angler – The Marrows

Night Anglers will only appear in The Marrows. This monster will disguise itself as a moving ship, baiting you in. It will be attracted to your horn and lights as well.

However, when you shine a light on the ship, you’ll see the Angler’s true form. We recommend you turn off your lights when it sees you so that you can lose it fast. After that, just sail away as quickly as possible!

Serpent – Gale Cliffs

While you’re in the Gale Cliffs, the Serpent can make an appearance at times. You’ll know of its arrival when the cliffs around you start shaking. 

If you’re in the early game, you will not be able to outrun it. As a result, using Banish is your only option.

However, if you’ve got a good engine and are experienced, you can outrun it. Be sure to even use Haste for some added speed.

If you do manage to outrun it, you’ll have some time before it appears again. So, conclude your business in the Gale Cliffs as soon as you can.

Jelly Bomb – Stellar Basin

When you’re in the Stellar Basin and you spot Jellyfish, do not drive into them. This is because they will explode on contact and damage you. They will also slowly swim towards you.

If you have a fast enough ship, you might be able to drive by them pretty easily. 

The Stellar Basin Creature

The Stellar Basin also holds more dangers in Dredge. When you’re here, look underwater and you’ll see a strange glowing monster there. When it’s calm, the monster will glow blue.

When you are just above the creature, it will start to turn red. This is your warning to get away before it attacks you. If you’re fast enough, you should be able to outrun its attacks.

There is a great way to counter it if you’re having trouble with it. To do this, you’ll need to complete Research Assistant’s Pursuit. Once it’s done, you’ll get access to the Repulsion Machine. 

Activating this machine will keep away the monster for some time. 

Mind Sucker – Twisted Strand

The Mind Sucker is a monster that will increase your panic when it spots you in the Twisted Strand. If you see the monster, simply stop moving. 

This is because this monster will only attack and spot you when you are moving.

If you want to get rid of them, you can do so permanently. Completing The Bitter End Pursuit for the Airman will cause all the Mind Suckers to die. 

As a result, you will never have to deal with them again!

Unseeing Mother – Devil’s Spine

The Unseeing Mother is a giant piranha that has some baby piranhas around it. When these baby piranhas spot you in the Devil’s Spine, they’ll start swarming your ship and slowing you down. 

They will also yell out to bring their mother.

To get rid of them, you can simply drive your ship over a hydrothermal vents that are plentiful in Devil’s Spine.

For the most part, the Unseeing Mother will not attack you when you are near her. She will only do so when the baby piranhas alert her. So, keeping away the babies is key!

Pale Reach Monsters

The Pale Reach is a DLC for Dredge, so we’ll be looking at the specific monsters here separately. You will need to have this DLC downloaded for you to be able to see these monsters.

Monster Narwhal

This monster can be found in the center of Pale Reach. To spot it, you will need to be on the lookout for its glowing horn.

One way to get rid of it is to interact with the Feeding Station that can be found all over the area. However, this will only work temporarily.

For a more long term solution, we suggest you fill the Feeding Station with any fish. The Narwhal will then happily approach it and eat the food you left it.

After that, it will not appear for around one in game day in Dredge.

Mimic Crab

The Pale Reach also has its own version of the Mimic Crab. It works exactly the same, acting like a shipwreck or rock. The only difference is aesthetic as it has ice on it.

So, be careful when approaching broken down ships when you see them in the Pale Reach. Get away fast before the monster transforms and you’ll be safe.

That’s everything you need to know for countering and defeating every monster in Dredge. With another DLC on the horizon, it remains to be seen what other monsters the game will add. All we know is that they’ll be terrifying!

If you do end up playing The Iron Rig DLC, be sure to check out our how to catch all exotic fish aberrations guide.