Aberrations

Aberrations are distorted variants of fish in DREDGE that are more difficult to find than their "normal" counterparts. They are described by the Fishmonger as 'corrupted' and by the in-game text as 'grotesque' and 'wretched', and are the first sign in the game that something is not right. The 'Important Color' in the accesibility menu is used as the background color for aberrations in the inventory, their descriptions, and other associated text highlighting. Aberrated fish are worth significantly more than their normal counterparts. alt=|right|thumb|A green glow, indicating a fishing spot with aberrations. Aberrations can be found in patches of disturbed water, especially those that contain a green glowing distortion particle effect above them. The appearances of aberrations vary wildly. Some appear "naturally" mutated, such as the Lumpy Mackerel and the Tusked Grouper. Others are more supernatural or otherworldly in appearance, such as the All-Seeing Cod, the Snag Squid and the Shard Ray. Some aberrations are implied to be incubators of some sort (such as the Cyclopean Flounder, Brood Squid and Host Eel). 84 out of 151 (55.63%) of the fish in the base game, 11 out of 23 (47.82%) of the fish in The Pale Reach DLC, and 25 of 50 (50.00%) of the fish in The Iron Rig DLC are Aberrations. There are aberrations of all fish (including crabs) and, in The Iron Rig DLC, there are aberrations for the five Exotic Fish. The 230th fish is the only fish that does not have a non-aberration version.

Catching Strategies

DREDGE has a few in-game and hidden variables that contribute to aberration chance.

Equipment

Some Rods can be equipped to increase the player's aberration bonus.

*The Mouth of the Deep bonus only applies to fish/crabs caught inside it. Keeping it in your inventory provides no bonus.; Note: The Arterial Engine and the Flame of The Sky do not provide any aberration bonuses. Fishing at night provides a flat 3% bonus to aberration chance. This is only helpful for fish that can be caught at night. The player also has a hidden aberration bonus. Everytime a non-aberrated fish is caught, this value increases by +0.5%. Catching any aberration resets this value to 0%. The maximum value for this variable is 35% after catching seventy consecutive non-aberrations. Fishing locations with a green glow above them give an additional 35% aberration bonus. If the fishing spot only has a single stock left, the green glow provides a 100% aberration bonus. With the Sustainable Fishing and A Plan for the Future books read, there is a 25% chance that the final stock will not reduce after catching a fish, meaning this 100% bonus can actually be applied multiple times in a row. Aberrated Bait was added in The Iron Rig DLC. Aberrated Bait creates a fishing spot that is stocked exclusively with Aberrations. Only fish that can be caught be the equipped rods can appear in Bait fishing spots. If you want to catch a specific aberration using Aberrated Bait, it is recommended you only equip rods with the fish type you want to catch. For example, if you want to catch a Moonfish, equip only the Hydraulic Rod, as then only Oceanic Fish aberrations will spawn. Lastly, Atrophy is the easiest way to catch specific Aberrations. When using Atrophy on a fishing spot, the player is guaranteed to harvest a fish that has an incomplete entry in their encyclopedia. If the player hasn't caught the normal fish, then they will only harvest normal fish. If they have caught the base fish, they will harvest at least one aberration of a kind they have yet to enter into their encyclopedia. After all possible aberrations of a fish have been caught, the selection of which aberration is caught is random. Atrophy also works on Bait fishing spots. It is recommended that the player use this method when using atrophy, as some fishing spots can take over 176 days to replenish after being depleted by atrophy. When using atrophy on a bait spot, the fish that is currently displayed in the mini-game panel is the fish that will be harvested by atrophy. Using the previously mentioned equipment spawn manipulation, catching any particular aberration should only take a few minutes and a few normal bait.

Pursuits

Main Article: Pursuits The pursuit Grotesque Fish has you bring an aberration (no matter which) to the Fishmonger. He slits it open and finds the handkerchief, which he gives to you (this unlocks the Collector's mission). The pursuit Caught to Order involves giving another aberrant fish to the Fishmonger, and it is implied he eats it. Afterwards, he doesn't feel well but seems to be fine as usual in later days. The pursuit Flames of The Deep requires the player to deposit two aberrations of any fish into an altar. The Pale Reach DLC pursuit Figure in White has you bring three aberrations to the titular Hooded Figure: an Icefish aberration, (the silhouette is of a Fractalline Icefish but an Astral Icefish or Thawed Icefish will also be accepted) Fallen Stars, and a Craterous Seer. In return the figure gives you the Book of Astral Symbols, which grants a +4% Aberration bonus when read. While not a labelled pursuit, the Rock Slab in Twisted Strand requires one aberration to retrieve the Tendon Rod.

Achievements

Main Article: Achievements

Encyclopedia

Trivia

* 13 aberrations could be found in the demo: 3 for the Blue Mackerel (Grotesque Mackerel, Lumpy Mackerel and Many-Eyed Mackerel), 3 for the Cod (All-Seeing Cod, Fanged Cod and Three-Headed Cod), 2 for the Grey Eel (Barbed Eel and Host Eel), 2 for the Gulf Flounder (Cyclopean Flounder and Riddled Flounder), 2 for the Arrow Squid (Snag Squid and Brood Squid), 2 for the Black Grouper (Tusked Grouper and Voltaic Grouper) and 1 for the Stingray (Shard Ray). * In the demo, there was a bug that spawned a Cod aberration with no texture, resulting in empty white squares instead. This is still usable as an emoji in the DREDGE Discord. :Aberrations