DREDGE: How to Get the Good Ending

DREDGE is a fantastic game full of fun gameplay. Plus, there are multiple endings! The default one (the bad ending) is easy to get. However, to get the good ending in this maritime adventure, you need to follow the light!

DREDGE: How to Get the Good Ending Video Guide

Both the video above and the article below contain spoilers for DREDGE. If you care about that, please avoid these bits of content until you’ve completed the game at least once.

Talk to the Lighthouse Keeper (03:53 in the Video Guide)

Anytime before you give the fifth relic to the Collector (but after giving the previous four relics to him), talk to the Lighthouse Keeper in Greater Marrow. When you do, she’ll talk to you about the silver and crimson book that the Collector owns.

The Lighthouse Keeper tries to convince you to take the book from the Collector. Doing so unlocks the good ending. Next, you must confront the Collector and take the book from him.

Confronting the Collector (05:03 in the Video Guide)

After you talk with the Lighthouse Keeper, go speak to the Collector. When you do, you’ll have a new dialogue option in addition to the one that leads to the bad ending. Do not begin the conversation with “I’m ready”, as that leads to the bad ending.

Here’s the dialogue path you should take to get the good ending:

1. “Tell me more about that book of yours.”
2. “Don’t play dumb. You know which book I mean.”
3. “Where did you get it?”
4. “Give me the book.”
5. [Step closer.]
6. [Take the book.]

At this point, it will be revealed that you were the Collector the entire time and that you now have possession of the Book of the Deep. It’s time to return to the Lighthouse Keeper.

Follow the Light (07:33 in the Video Guide)

Once you have the Book of the Deep, speak with the Lighthouse Keeper again. Following some dialogue, the Lighthouse Keeper mentions a place behind the bay where she will guide you with the light of Greater Marrow’s lighthouse. When you’re prepared, talk to the Lighthouse Keeper and tell her “I’m ready.”

Next, you must sail to the spot in the ocean that’s illuminated by the lighthouse’s light. Here, you’ll throw the Book of the Deep back from whence it came. Finally, the game ends as you and your ship get devoured by the Leviathan and the credits roll.

DREDGE Endings Explained

To get a clearer picture of what the endings mean, you should do as much in DREDGE as possible. That means collecting all the message bottles and doing all the pursuits—as well as exploring every island and speaking to as many NPCs as you can. The next paragraphs contain heavy lore and story spoilers, so read ahead at your own risk!

From analyzing all available information hidden throughout the game, it becomes clear that you—the Collector—once had a wife. Also, you were obsessed with seeking out ancient powers hidden beneath the waves. One day, due to your wife insisting on coming with you as you searched for secrets of the depths, an accident occurred and she was lost at sea.

What the Bad Ending Means

In the bad ending, you resurrect your dead wife by using the Book of the Deep and the sentimental relics that once belonged to her. This ritual works, and you see her rising from the dark waves as you toss the relics overboard where she died.

However, something else happens, and an eldritch horror also rises from the deep. It’s implied that, after the rise of the gigantic fiend, bad things happen to the world as the skies are red during the credits.

What the Good Ending Means

In the good ending, you return the Book of the Deep to the ocean. However, there’s no forgiveness for you and your greedy actions of the past. The Leviathan swims up and consumes you and your ship. You can think of the Leviathan as the guardian of the ocean—to put it simply.

At last, you are be reunited with your dead wife in the afterlife. This time, during the credits, the skies are blue, which implies that all is well in the world now that the Book of the Deep is back where it belongs.||