In today’s entry of my Dredge permadeath run, I dredge up mysterious junk, mistake a deadly Angler for a friendly boat, earn my second Madness Strike, and finally sink myself by sailing straight into rocks. A fitting end for the S.S. Bad Decisions.
Missed the previous entry? Find it here: Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival – Day Six
Day 7 in Dredge: The Key to My Demise
Well, it’s been a while since I last braved these haunted waters, but after reacquainting myself with what needed doing, I set out to sea. I found my first spot to dredge the depths—and promptly learned I am terrible at it. I’m so used to fishing and avoiding the holes that trying to aim for them scrambled my poor sailor brain. After some flailing, I eventually nailed it and dredged up… a roll of paper. Followed by another one. I briefly wondered if I could flog them to the Trader as antique toilet paper.
Onwards I went, and at my next dredging spot, success! I fished up a key. The Collector wants this, so off I went, aiming for what I thought was Blackstone Isle. I saw a red X on my map and figured that had to be the place.
Dear reader, I was sorely mistaken.
Instead of heading south, I went north, homing in on that red X like a determined—but geographically challenged—pigeon. As I pondered my navigation skills, night fell. And boy, did it fall hard. It got so dark that when I spotted another ship’s lights, I felt a flicker of excitement; finally, another vessel! Except… it wasn’t a friendly ship. It was the glowing lure of what I assume was a giant Angler fish. It rammed me, leaving me with two points of hull damage. Lovely. I also earned my second Madness Strike for my troubles.
Eventually, I docked, only to discover I wasn’t at Blackstone Isle at all—I’d landed at Steel Point. I decided that was enough excitement for one day and called it a night.
Day 8 (aka The Final Voyage)
Normally, this is where I’d sign off, but I decided to roll right into what turned out to be my final day. What brought about my watery end, you ask? My own steering.
I undocked, ready to head for Greater Marrow, only to immediately slam into some rocks. That final scrape took out the last of my hull integrity, and my ship went down. Madness didn’t get me. A sea monster didn’t get me. My own driving did me in.
RIP, S.S. Bad Decisions. You will not be missed.
Lesson learned: In Dredge, the real horror isn’t what lurks beneath the waves—it’s what happens when I’m behind the wheel. Stay tuned; maybe next time I’ll master basic navigation… or at least buy a map that doesn’t betray me.
Survivor Incognito 