I adored the Pale Reach’s satisfying final filling of content. Between smashing the region’s ruinous icebergs and attaining an enriching Eldritch trawl net, there are plenty of powerful and profitable finds in the icy region.
Even if the amount of things to do is short-lived and we can quickly finish it all in a single sitting, the region’s dangerous Narwhal and set of blizzards and icebergs can make exploring the Pale Reach a costly and lethal endeavor. If we want to safely explore the region without risking our catch to a frozen fate, we’ll have to put on our thickest artic jacket and prepare our vessel for some frosty finds.
In this Dredge The Pale Reach Pursuits guide, I’ll review all of the icy region’s new story and quest content and where to find each Icebreaker piece, Ice Shaper, and Frozen Heart quest item. As a bonus, I’ll detail how to safely complete each quest and minimize the Narwhal’s influence on our frosty fishing adventures.
Dredge is a gripping, post-apocalyptic survival adventure that challenges you to navigate a desolate world filled with danger and despair. With its immersive atmosphere and intense gameplay, forge alliances, scavenge for resources, and fight for survival against the relentless horrors that lurk in the shadows.
Bottom Line Up Front: Enter the region from the Northern Narrows entrance and open passages by filling the Narwhal feeding spots with enough fish while fishing from golden puddles in each region to obtain items for advancing the story.
After using the four Ice axes on each of the region’s ice shards, we can deposit the Frozen Hearts in a Fish Shrine to the region’s Northeast, complete a fish fetch quest on the Western edge of the Pale Reach, and find the Ice Shaper on the region’s east side to complete the Pale Reach’s pursuits.
Quick Facts
- Quest Locations: The Pale Reach
- Quest Givers: The Photographer, Traveling Merchant, Figure in White Robes
- Requirements: Glacial Lance, Complex Crab Pot, Radiant Trawl Net
- Length of Quest: 2.5 hours
- Difficulty: Medium
The Pale Reach Pursuits
Composed of 5 quests, with 3 governing the main quest, the Pale Reach’s pursuits are a series of fetch quests and fishing ventures that gradually open up more of the region and offer increasingly valuable fishing equipment. Though we can effortlessly find each item by following the golden puzzles scattered throughout the map, the Narwhal that roams the Central Camp region effectively deters attempts to methodically proceed through the treacherous region.
For lower-tier dredge boats or captains that struggle with navigating the region’s icy narrows, the Pale Reach’s pursuits can prove challenging and fatal for each expedition into the region’s center. Even so, completing the Pale Reach’s quests earns us increasingly valuable abilities and equipment and is required to obtain four Dredge achievements of Feeding Time, Icebreaker, and Under the Ice, with the last one also earning us the achievement Frozen Favors.
Whether we’re in it to 100% the frozen DLC for completion’s sake or obtain the game-changing teleport ability to bail out of any situation safely, the Pale Reach has a host of frosty escapades waiting for us to sink our rods into.
The Narwhal
- Time: 5 Minutes
- Difficulty: Easy
- Requirements: N/A
- Achievement Unlocked: Feeding Time
In the opening quest to the Pale Reach, the Narwhal pursuit follows the destruction of the inner region’s barrier and the marine adversary’s introduction. We’ll begin by arriving at the traveling merchant at I-2, talking to the mechanics, and learning about the photographer at the other end of the narrow passage.
After learning about her whereabouts and receiving the pursuit, we can proceed through the icy narrows to find the photographer excited to document the region’s evil Narwhal. To attract the creature, she requires us to obtain enough fish to place on a live preserver (about eight Icefish, or two Toothfish and two Icefish), which we can find plentifully placed throughout the narrows.
I advise starting during the day and prioritizing Toothfish over Icefish, as once we feed the Narwhal, we’ll have a limited window to explore the region before the sea creature pursues us. Regardless, once we return to the photographer, we can place the fish down and trigger a minor time skip, showing a yeti-narwhal jump out of the water to destroy the ice wall.
After spooking the photographer and opening access to the region, we can now explore the interior of the Pale Reach! I recommend quickly heading inside and fishing for the Icebreaker pieces. The Narwhal will soon grow hungry again, and likewise taking too much time can increase our madness, making us face more hallucinations.
Icebreaker
- Time: 20 Minutes
- Difficulty: Hard
- Requirements: Completed Narwhal Pursuit
- Achievement Unlocked: Icebreaker
Once we’ve gained access to the interior of the Pale Reach, we can now work towards building an Icebreaker to smash through the region’s miniature icebergs. Though it’s fantastic for removing the tension when navigating the small obstacles, the Icebreaker also grants us access to more lucrative areas of the Pale Reach with quest items and several escape routes if we need a repair.
To begin our pursuit, we can talk to the Traveling Mercant, interacting with the work shack to learn about collecting the three pieces needed to construct the Icebreaker.
Step 1: The Conniving Camp
- 1st Anchor Piece: I-4
Once we break through the wall blocking the Pale Reach’s interior path, we can find the first anchor piece in a golden puddle at I-4 right in front of the Central Camp. I advise going for this piece as soon as we break the interior wall to take advantage of the Narwhal’s temporary satiation.
After completing the dredging minigame, we can take a brief detour to the Central Camp and send the piece to storage if we have room, then catch Icefish and Toothfish to destroy the remaining walls to the East and West.
Step 2: The Erie East
- Wall: I-5
- 2nd Anchor Piece: J-6
With the first piece in storage, we should have had time to catch enough fish to destroy the Eastern Wall. After watching the brief animation of the Narwhal diving into their meal, we can continue to the right to find the next icebreaker piece in a golden puddle beside the hand of a giant frozen sea creature.
Once we send the piece to storage, we can return to Central Camp and prepare to open the Western Wall. Though we should rest up if we’ve gone too mad, doing so will make the Narwhal pursue us the next day, so I recommend heading back into the narrows to catch the next batch of fish to take down the next wall safely.
Step 3: The Wicked West
- Wall: G-5
- 3rd Anchor Piece: F-4
With one final ice wall, we can take any fish we safely catch in the narrows and spend them on the Western Wall to finish breaking apart the region. From here, we can take the rightwards exit to find yet another golden puddle in front of a giant frozen hand. After dredging up the pieces, we can finally return to the Traveling Merchant through the icy passage and place the pieces in the Work Shack, creating the Icebreaker.
With this piece in tow, we can work towards collecting the axes we might have seen earlier in the golden puddles behind the icebergs. We can also reach these regions from outside of Pale Reach’s Frozen Island if we want to fish for these pieces safely without fear of the Narwhal.
Under the Ice
- Time: 30 Minutes
- Difficulty: Medium
- Requirements: Icebreaker
- Achievement Unlocked: Under the Ice
After breaking all the walls and crafting the Icebreaker, we can now work towards freeing the frozen sailors trapped in the ice and defeating the giant sea monster at the Pale Reach’s end. While this quest marks the definitive end to the Pale Reach’s story, it also grants the Radiant Trawl net for catching more valuable aberrations and the Aurous Anchor for creating a three-way teleport with Manifest.
Between late-game players looking for an easier time grinding money for the final upgrades or beginning anglers who want a panic button back to shore to repair their boat, I highly recommend both rewards to enrich our dredging experience.
Step 1 Central and West
To begin, we’ll start by going after the axe by the central Camp behind the set of icebergs. While we could b-line straight for the golden puddle at I-4, the Narwhal could interrupt our fishing, so it would be safer to catch a fill of fish in the narrows and then fill the Narwhal feeding spot to satiate the creature safely.
Alternatively, if we’ve delivered the third artifact in Dredge’s main story, we can leverage the banish ability to send the Narwhal away and safely dig out the first axe. Regardless, with the weapon in our possession, we can proceed to the Central Camp’s Ice Shard to find the soul of a sailor from the 1800s encased in the ice.
Specifically, these sailors tried to liberate the eldritch horror buried beneath the ice but were encased in icy prisons, frozen for decades. Luckily, we can free these prisoners by interacting with them and leveraging the Ice Axes we find to break them apart. After watching a brief scene of a giant sea creature closing one of its eyes, we’re rewarded with a Frozen Heart that we should send to storage.
Step 2 West and South
The following two axes and ice shards are relatively easy to obtain. Located at K-4 and G-7, respectively, even if the Narwhal Pursues us. We can rest at the Ice shards to reset the Narwhal location, then head to the nearby glowing puddles and ice shards.
Alternatively, to avoid the Narwhal altogether, we can go around the Pale Reach’s island and enter from the outer passages. I recommend the external path to avoid risks and the inner to save time.
Once you’ve freed both ice shards with the two axes and collected their Frozen Hearts, we can work towards the final Ice shard and enjoy our eldritch rewards.
Step 3 Ravenous Rewards
For the final axe and Ice shard at the Southern Locus, we can repeat the same steps as before and head South to find the puddle beside the giant monster with one eye remaining open. After fishing up the axe and breaking the nearby ice shard, we can see the Sea Monster’s final eye close, turning the creature to the stone, with a golden piece at the top crumbling into the water.
After dredging this piece and taking the last Frozen Heart, we’ll have access to the Auroas Anchor, a piece of equipment that, when thrown overboard, allows us to travel to the Collector’s Manor and back.
Essentially, we can throw the anchor overboard anywhere on the map, leverage the manifest ability to travel back to the collector’s house, and then travel through the portal to our specific spot. All in all, we can use this ability as a panic button to get away from dangerous creatures, make repairs, or sell fish without worrying about traveling back to a faraway region.
Regardless of its use, we can claim the last of our rewards in the Northeastern pocket of the Pale Reach at K-4 and access the Radiant Trawl Net, a fantastic Trawl net with a high chance of obtaining aberrations. In terms of money, leveraging the trawl net in the Pale Reach can easily offer up to $300-600 a haul from Pale Graspers and Craterous Seers.
With our efforts complete, we can now enjoy saving the region from the threat of a thawing Eldritch menace and giving these wayward sailors some final piece. Even if we come to end the world in Dredge’s bad ending, we can at least take pride in saving this creepy frozen paradise.
Figure in White
- Time: 35 Minutes
- Difficulty: Medium
- Required Equipment: Trawl Net, Crab Pots, Ice rods
- Achievement Unlocked: N/A
Lying on the island’s Eastern edge at K-5 is the Figure in White, a mysterious cultist demanding we catch aberrations of the Pale Reach’s fish to satisfy its unknowable whims. To begin, we’ll start by talking to the creature who asks us to catch a Fractalline Icefish, an aberration of the Icefish.
I advise going after the Icefish scattered around the narrows and leveraging the radiant trawl net. It will quickly expire once we’ve caught the fish, so we should return to the robbed Figure to make the trade.
For the next fish, we’ll have to catch Fallen Stars, an aberration form of Sea Stars, by using Crab Pots. Catching these aberrations can be an utter hassle, so I advise covering the Pale Reach’s entrance the Traveling Merchant in at 3-4 Complex Crab pots, sleeping several hours each day to check their contents, and repeating until we get the Fallen Stars and can return to the White Robed Figure.
The last of the White Robed Figure’s requests is the Craterous Seer, an aberrate version of the Stargazer. This fish can only be caught by Trawling, so I recommend leveraging the radiant trawl net for the extra chance of obtaining the aberration’s form.
After catching and turning in the Craterous Seer, we earn the Book of Astrological Signals, which raises the chance of catching aberrations for their increased value and fulfilling Fish Shrine quests.
Ice Shaper
- Time: 8 Minutes
- Difficulty: Easy
- Required Equipment: Icebreaker
- Achievement Unlocked: N/A
For the last quest, we must obtain the Iceshaper, which allows us to purchase ice from the Traveling Merchant to prevent fish decay. Especially for the smaller fish that decay more quickly, like Icefish, this tool should be an excellent find for completing any fish finds or staying out longer for fishing without worrying about rot.
Luckily, this pursuit is just a simple fetch quest, and we can easily find the machine along the island’s western edge at H-2 and return to the Traveling Merchant to obtain two small pieces of ice. From now on, we can purchase ice from the Traveling Merchant and place it in our hold to slow fish decay.
Even if it’s a simple task, this quest finishes all of our Pursuits in the Pale Reach, earning us the Frozen Favours achievements and putting us closer to 100% completing the island if we haven’t caught all of the frozen area’s fish.
Pale Reach Pursuits Rewards
Equipment
- Radiant Trawl Net
Abilities
- Aurous Anchor
Achievements
- Under the Ice
- IceBreaker
- Feeding Time
- Frozen Favours
Unnamed Quest: Fish Lore Rocks
Not exactly a quest, we can interact with two rocks while maddened to gain a sprinkling of lore surrounding the Pale Reach’s frozen corpse of the dead sea creature and the sailors frozen in time. Fair warning: there’s no material reward attached to these items, and exploring the region while mad will risk your boat to sea monster attacks.
Still, they offer an excellent morsel of storytelling of the Pale Reach while leaving dreadful room for imagination.
Battle Beneath the Ice
- Location: K-4
The first of the Fish Shrine rocks, we can interact with this rock while maddened to learn of a legendary battle fought between two Eldritch goliaths far beneath the Pale Reach’s waters. Upon its defeat, the loser’s half-dead corpse floated to the surface, where it was frozen in the ice, remaining trapped for eons.
However, after an unaccountable number of eons, the ice began to thaw, and the long-dead creature’s influence again flowed into the world.
Sailor’s Doom
- Location: F-7
At the edge of Dredge’s map, we can learn of the sailor’s intrusion upon the island and how they dug into the skin of the land in search of fortune. Unfortunately, the Sea Creature beneath the waters leverages its influence to twist the sailor’s “avarice and pride” to serve its whims and gradually take control of the greedy mariners.
Eventually, the creature would see itself restored, using the sailor’s corpses to replace the parts it had lost in its battle beneath the cold waters.
FAQs
Question: Where is the Pale Reach’s Ice Shaper?
Answer: Around the NorthWestern Bend of the Island, we can find the Ice Shaper at H-2 behind several icebergs. To break through the ice, we’ll need to build the Icebreaker for our ship, which we can create by gathering its three pieces on the interior of the Pale Reach and returning to the Traveling Merchant to make it.
Question: How Do I Obtain the Radiant Trawl Net?
Answer: After building the Icebreaker and fishing from the golden puddles behind four sets of icebergs, you obtain four axes to break all four Ice Shards. Once you’ve broken all four Ice Shards and obtained the Frozen Heart, each shard breaks, you can get the Radiant Trawl Net, the most valuable moneymaking Trawl net in the game, by redeeming the Ice Hearts at a fish shrine HERE.
Question: Where are the Pale Reach’s Quests
Answer: While the first three quests center around breaking into the Pale Reach’s interior, building the Icebreaker, and breaking all four shards, the remaining two require heading to opposite ends of the island. To find the White Robed Figure’s quest, you can find them at K-5 and the Ice Shaper at H-2.
Conclusion
Nicely done, fisherman! You’ve thwarted the evil return of an Eldritch monster and earned yourself some valuable equipment to boot!
Even if I was somewhat dissatisfied with the short amount of content for the DLC, I appreciate the Pale Reach’s sprinkling narrative of frozen sailors and a giant monster beneath cold, dark waters. Though I wish they had expanded upon the story and let me interact more with the ancient sailors, the precious rewards offered an invaluable boon for players looking to finish the late-game grind.
All in all, while there’s a larger Dredge DLC on the horizon, the Pale Reach’s quests offered an excellent treat of treacherous icebergs and eldritch equipment to keep us satisfied until its release. Who knows what nautical horrors await us after the Pale Reach’s frosty nightmare!
Dredge is a gripping, post-apocalyptic survival adventure that challenges you to navigate a desolate world filled with danger and despair. With its immersive atmosphere and intense gameplay, forge alliances, scavenge for resources, and fight for survival against the relentless horrors that lurk in the shadows.
Continue reading:
Dredge The Pale Reach Fish Guide
Dredge The Pale Reach DLC Review
DREDGE Surpasses 1 Million Sales, Shocking the Devs
- Best Games Like Hollow Knight - February 25, 2024
- House Flipper 2 Review – In This World, It’s Clean or Be Cleaned! - January 1, 2024
- Dredge The Pale Reach Side Quests Guide - December 18, 2023