Although Dredge may seem like a simple fishing simulator, it holds a deep secret, just like the endless ocean. During the day, as you collect fish, sell them, and upgrade your boat, you will learn the story of the protagonist piece by piece. If you’ve reached the end or completed the game once, then you must be wondering what that means. To help you, we will explain the ending of Dredge and also tell you how to get the good ending.
Note: major spoilers ahead
How to get a good ending in Dredge
For players who have completed Dredge or are in the last phase and want a good ending, here is how you can get it:
- Once you have collected all five relics, head to the island below the Devil’s Backbone area.
- Moor the boat and talk to the old mayor.
- Once he tells the whole story, visit the Big Brain and talk to the lighthouse keeper.
- She will tell you a story and ask you to collect the Collector’s book.
- Go to Blackstone Island and talk to the Collector. Make sure you select the “Hide Relic”option.
- Choose options that disagree with the Collector, which will result in you finally hitting him.
- Once you do that, a shocking twist will open up.
- Then make sure you leave without handing over the book and head to the Lighthouse Keeper.
- She will help you get to the end point by holding the Beacon beam (G-8 on the map) on it.
- Once you get to the location, select the option to throw the book into the water.
This will trigger the end scene and credits at the end. We have not yet explained all the parts, as there are players who would like to experience it for themselves.
How to get a bad ending
Getting a bad ending in this Dredge is very easy.
- Once you have collected the relics, approach the collector and hand them over.
- He will ask you to accompany him to a place on the map.
- Follow the red beam of light and you will get there.
- Then press the suggested button when you see the question mark.
- This will trigger the final bad ending scene.
Since you know how to get both endings in Dredge, we will explain their meaning.
Explanation of all Dredge endings
Bad end
In the bad ending of Dredge, the woman is resurrected along with the elder god. During the credits, we notice that the town of Bone Marrow lies in ruins. Many players are wondering who this woman is and how she is connected to the story. In order to understand this ending, we must learn about the protagonist’s backstory.
At the beginning of the game, we don’t know anything about the main character. As the game progresses, you can collect messages in a bottle floating on the sea. These bottles tell the story of a couple on a boat trip.
Before the couple got married, the husband performed a ritual by renaming the boat after his wife. As part of this ritual, he threw away all the things that were named after the old boat. However, the wife held on to one object that brought misfortune on them.
During the journey, the couple, along with several crew members, found a chest containing the Crimson Book. This is the same book carried by the Collector, which states that he is the husband in this story. While returning from this expedition, the boat was attacked. During this attack, the wife was thrown overboard and the mayor lost his mind.
According to the Crimson Book, if you collect all the relics and throw them back, the wife will be resurrected. This explains the Collector’s request to collect all the relics from the ocean. Once the protagonist gives him all the relics, the Collector takes him on his last journey.
When they reach the location, the Collector throws all the relics and the Crimson Book into the ocean. This results in his wife being resurrected along with the elder god in a Cthulu style. From this we understand that the Crimson Book was the instrument of god to resurrect himself back. He used the Collector’s love for his wife to do his bidding. When the elder god is resurrected, you will see that the Marrow lies in ruins.
good ending
In the final scene of the good ending, the giant fish devours the boat along with the main character. While this may not seem like a “good”ending, we assure you that it is. In this ending, the protagonist encounters the Collector and does not give him the relics. When the protagonist tries to get the book, he punches him only to show that the Collector is a manifestation of his mind. That is, the Collector and the main character are one and the same.
After losing his wife, the protagonist creates a fictional Collector and asks him to erase his memory. The Collector with the power of the Scarlet Book does it. However, the manifested Collector yearns for his dead wife and tries to get her back.
When the protagonist realizes this, he visits the old mayor and lighthouse keeper. They tell him about that fateful night and the power of the Crimson Book.
Realizing the book’s power, the protagonist stops the elder god’s resurrection by throwing the book into the ocean. As soon as he does so, a giant fish rises from the ocean and devours him. In my opinion, this giant fish may have been the first to attack the couple’s boat. And since the main character did not complete the ritual, he appeared to pick up the book and wait for his next victim. However, the city of Marrow is safe.
We hope this explains all of the Dredge endings and how to get them.