Dredge STORY & ENDINGS EXPLAINED | Spoiler Warning: ALL ENDINGS Analysis

SPOILER WARNING: MASSIVE
Timestamps
0:00 - Intro
0:54 - Setup
3:53 - Message Bottles
7:56 - Bad Ending
12:34 - Good Ending
In this video I'll go over the complete story of Dredge as well as explain both the good and bad endings and giving my analysis and hypothesis on what actually had happened. Hope you enjoy this video!
The game is available on all platforms including Steam, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Playstation and gog.com. Developed by Black Salt Games and published by Team17. For more info about the game: www.dredge.game
#dredge #endings #explained #analysis

[@Tyrineal]

quite a bit I was able to piece together that wasn't mentioned here that explains a lot more backstory. This mostly comes from the old lady of the lighthouse and other notes scattered around the islands that back up her story. Other bits come from talking with others so it is easy to miss: - You the fisherman were formerly a resident of Greater Marrow and it's former fisherman that the Mayor mentioned in an optional conversation. You used to be unremarkable and rather lazy, often going out at night an returning with nothing and fell asleep always. Upon your return when the game starts, the only one who remembers you is the old lady living in the light house and the Old Mayor, whom you find later. - After marrying your wife, you set out with her and some men on a vessel (which you can actually find shipwrecked in the islands around Great Marrow. It has a green roof and looks just like the boat we are using and you comment it looks familiar) and uncover the book. The book takes hold right away and curses everyone and the islands surrounding the area. In response, The Leviathan (the giant fish that eats you in the good ending and the guardian of the seas as well in mythology) appears to try and stop you but kills your wife instead leaving only a few survivors - You wash ashore with the survivors and they demand you throw the book away. You can't throw the book away due to the power taking ahold. You opt to leave the town and go to what is now known as Blackstone Isle to study the book and became a hermit. No one ventured over there and you were forgotten in time by all apart for two. The Old Mayor can be found late in the game and explains this to you with him telling you what many of the notes throughout the game say - THROW IT BACK! At this point, you can actually start to "snap" The Fisherman personality back into reality by agreeing with the Old Mayor or just answering randomly. It effects nothing but the dialogue change is actually unique - You find notes throughout the world, most of them mention THROW IT BACK! - these would be the notes left behind by your old crew members who ultimately died because of you refusing to throw the book back. Every note found is ultimately because of you and your actions - Having fully unlocked the books powers, your personality splits into two, The Collector and The Fisherman. Both are the same person, The Collector personality wants to resurrect his wife with the book and remembers everything. The Fisherman just wants to fish and remembers nothing, like he was before the death of his wife. The Fisherman personality is unaware The Collector is just another personality and believes him to be real (this is foreshadowed early on, when the manor is described as being abandoned for years and dusty) - There are 3 endings. Ending one is do everything The Collector asks and it appears as if he is an entirely unique person. "His" wife" will be resurrected and Chutulu will be revived as well resulting in the end of the world - Ending two; The Bad Ending, you need to talk the the Old Lady of the lighthouse near the end and she will task you with finding the Old Mayor so you can talk to him. Find him and he will tell you the Throw the Book back. You can now demand the book from The Collector and the game will reveal The Fisherman and The Collector are one in the same. Instead of going to the Old Lady for the good ending, trigger the bad ending now from Blackstone Isle. The game will mention that you and the Collector are together. Arrive and instead of The Collector, it will be the Fisherman reading the book, triggering the Chutulu being summoned and killing all - Ending 3- Same as two, but return to the Old Lady after remembering you and the Collector are the same person. Throw the Book away and The Leviathan will reveal it's been following you the entire time and not only eat the book, but also kill you as well. - If you are clever with the camera you can see The Leviathan following you deep in the open sea. If you use your powers to much in the open sea, The Leviathan will attack you to try and stop you and will quickly kill you seeing as the book has taken over (which is why The Collector warns you from using the powers to much.) That is also why The Leviathan will instantly kill you from leaving the map, as you will infect the entire planet if you leave the area and he has to protect the world. Death is your only outcome and you can't escape it. The Leviathan is giving you a chance to redeem yourself and do the right thing, which is why in the good ending he eats the boat in a rather quick and anti-climatic manner. - Neither side is evil, just consumed by grief. The Collector refused to accept her death and sold "his" soul to try and bring her back. The Fisherman, like many who endure trauma, just want to go back to how it used to be and just wants to fish. - The Leviathan isn't evil either, it is just doing it's job of protecting the world.

[@GamesWithWavy]

Oh my god, such an awesome write up. Thank you for sharing.

[@dsnkun6356]

I believe this take to be the best explaination to the story of the game and I agree with you on all the points, I never noticed the leviathan following me. which explains why it kills you if you try to leave.

[@mastersword48]

Just a small note, l think the fisherman actually misinterpreted the book as a means to resurrect his wife instead of the reality of it meaning to resurrect Cthulu, and the power of the book blinds him from that truth. I'm pretty sure the fisherman chose to both reunite with his wife through death at the end and also dispose of the book in the same spot that she died, knowing the leviathan would come for the book and eating him along with it

[@LMGunslinger]

I don't think the collector is a split personality. It could be that the collector is a malicious entity manipulating you into the ritual.

[@mastersword48]

@@LMGunslinger I mean it is confirmed that the collector IS you, I think he is a combination of the book's influence and the side of you that wants your wife back. Together they make a corrupt side of you that wishes to resurrect her but doesn't know the true purpose behind the ritual, which is to raise cthulu. Idk, a lot of the story is up to player interpretation and its very well written

[@lolakkalol]

An interesting observation i made was that in Stellar Basin you can pick up a dog, the thing is when the dog boards your boat it takes up room or slots on it while in the ending when the collector "boards" the boat he does not take up any space yet again hinting at that the collector does not physically exist. Just an interesting observation

[@GamesWithWavy]

Damn, that’s a really good observation actually. Because you are right, the dog, and every other npc in the game that does board your boat takes up place like the builder or the ship wrecked man. But not the Collector.

[@firestormpenguin4990]

Yeah the collector is the protagonist, in fact when of you destroy the mirror and then go still for the first ending, the game say that he disappear from the mirror and you feel something strange, but you know he is with you

[@dhruvo100]

Its not just the dog, its true for every single npc who wants to be transported

[@fonslygaming9780]

The whole point is he IS the protagonist. You only ever see the collector in your reflection.

[@abizarreyoutuber6317]

@@fonslygaming9780 exactly

[@gibbbon]

you missed an important detail, why Julie was the catalyst of all this: when they married, the husband renamed the ship, and threw out everything related to the old name, he made a serious ceremony out of it, as if it was very important but the wife secretly kept an item with the old name, she messed up the ritual, when strange things started to occur, the husband kept checking the ritual over and over, not knowing what went wrong, that ritual was important, he didn't tell his wife how much it was, and she broke it

[@GamesWithWavy]

Great detail! I did actually not miss it completely, it was on my mind and I added an editor’s note to the video after recording. But I didn’t connect the dots like you did proper. But yeahs, I totally agree this is a great detail to discuss. Thanks for sharing!

[@dhruvo100]

I missed that

[@ferociousfil5747]

The message in a bottle is important to read to understand the whole story

[@migjordanpayawal7856]

Right! Your character was obsessed with blessing the new boat, throwing everything out. Your wife kept a trinket from thr old boat. This may or may not have given the ship bad luck.

[@TrapperAaron]

Great point! It is terrible luck to rename a boat. Some people say it's OK to change the name of a boat when u buy it. I don't believe that and I refuse to ever step aboard a boat that's had its name changed for any reason. I know rich assholes rename their yachts for every new wife/girlfriend, but I've never seen a real fisherman rename a boat ever.

[@rexenowner]

_Oh…_ something I just noticed. The lightkeeper didn’t get on the boat. She only said “follow my light.” She was in the lighthouse still, shining her light to that location. She wasn’t with you. It was only you who was eaten.

[@marcusc9931]

And as the monster's jaws close around the boat, a magic spell flares up from it - so there is even a chance you managed to teleport out and survive.

[@-Commit-arson-]

@@marcusc9931 book still got ate though

[@lennadoodles9413]

I think the two endings are an analogy for grief. Not letting go and moving on can destroy you and all the relationships around you. Letting go might feel like death, and in a way it is. It’s death to you past life and the future you might of had with that other person but letting go is the best thing for everyone involved.

[@GamesWithWavy]

Oh I love this interpretation!

[@calleocho2107]

And not letting go (the other ending) can consume and ruin you to your own death (end of the world)

[@Mach56gss]

My interpretation: the scientist mentions receiving letters from her departed sister. I believe that the Julie wrote while describing the “first dredging” of the red book was written… when she was already dead. The scientist mentions that some of the letters were written like they were after her sister’s passing. They were supernatural - appearing in fishing lines and in test tubes. Finding the old mayor reveals a completely alternate account of the dredging - one where disaster struck, and ostensibly killed Julie in tragic, horrifying otherworldly circumstances. Yet through the veil, she persisted, at first a pawn to the darker forces in haunting and compelling our character to resort to the crimson book. Yet…. In her last note from beyond the grave, she begs the player to “throw me back” - seeking to salvage what is left of her beloved before he is consumed by the thing which lurks below. It could be inferred some of the more beneficial supernatural phenomena - like the scratches giving us hints for the trial to acquire the pocket watch - are all methods taken by Julie to try and protect her beloved, so that he may live long enough for a moment of clarity and lucidity, long enough to do what is right.

[@GamesWithWavy]

Holy! That's such a good observation and interpretation. I never thought about the fact that Julie may, like you say, have already been dead by the time these notes were produced. Cause you are right, the accounts of the dredging are that of disaster where everyone either died or became insane, like the mayor. I gotta play through completely once more and make a new follow up vid with all these new interpretations coming in.

[@nnelg8139]

​@@GamesWithWavy note that at the very start of the game, the fisherman crashed on a rock that "came out of nowhere"-kinda like how it happened in the notes. Then the fisherman got a new boat. And it would make sense to want to rename his boat after his dead wife. The timelines don't match up perfectly, but then again this is insanity we're talking about.

[@BrunoMaricFromZagreb]

"I believe that the Julie wrote while..."??? My buddy,you have good observation skills,and terrible proofreading.

[@Aurora.6788]

I think that the "good ending" is kind of symbolic. He already died, the first time because of the book and the second time when his wife killed herself. He then begged the collector to make him forget, so the new unknowing part of him was "reborn", while the collector part tried everything in his power to pursue their plan: to get her back. But when he found out the truth and abandoned all hope to see her again it was the End for him. The darkness swallowed him whole, which I think is presented by the leviathan swallowing him.

[@GamesWithWavy]

That’s such an amazing take as well. Beautiful.

[@Aurora.6788]

@@GamesWithWavy Thank you :)

[@LucidLiuxx]

Something I think is quite interesting, is that the leviathan that kills you is the same one that appears when you're on really low sanity in deep water; it could be symbolising that he has given up hope

[@GamesWithWavy]

@@LucidLiuxx Usually the leviathan would devour you if you go out of bounds in the game world. Meaning if you go too far out from the map. This is obviously just a way to keep you inside the playing map but lore wise it could also mean that the elder god has control of the greater marrow and its surrounding waters. But if you stray far enough then the elder god no longer is powerful enough to control and the leviathan devours you to keep you from resurrecting the elder god.

[@furiousapplesack]

@@GamesWithWavy My theory of the case was that it could only send underling beast/leviathan to kill the Collector/Fisherman (in the "good" ending) as a final "f you" because at that point it knew for sure the collector wasn't going to resurrect it. Whatever effect it was having on the residents and the fish probably created the mid-sized beasts, like it was mutating regular fish into monstrosities over time, as everything subjected to prolonged exposure to it is warped mentally or physically. So yeah, I think you're definitely correct on most of this, although the last sentence here doesn't make a lot of sense to me. You're saying you think the leviathan follows you away from the area until the elder god can't control it and then it eats you? I really think it just doesn't want to let anyone or anything out of the area, especially the guy who is the key to the lock. And if the key person is so determined to leave, or throw the book in the water (aka he can't be controlled), then the elder god has no use for him.

[@yrkjrk2972]

Something interesting to note is when you are first approached by the collector. He appears in the port hole window. Nothing too crazy at first but a subtle nod to who he truly is

[@lovetrain5025]

It also makes more sense when you compare interactions between the collector and the wandering merchant, the merchant always has a boat docked where she is at, the collector “speaks” to you on Greater Marrow then somehow gets himself to BlackStone Isle.

[@lennadoodles9413]

He is also the only character that has some sort of frame or border around him.

[@isaacgraves06]

​@Lenna Doodles ohhh shiitt, you're right. That's crazy, I just thought it was a doorway, lmao.

[@Mr.Sparks.173]

​@@isaacgraves06 that's probably the idea. Distract you with new dialog and things to do in the first place to not notice the odd glint in the "doorway"

[@-Commit-arson-]

@@lennadoodles9413 also, if you look closely at his dialogue portrait, you can see beams of light crossing over him and moving slightly Like we’re looking at him through a window or a mirror

[@Imnotsmg4bob]

I think the Leviathan in the Good Ending sort of represents the opposite of the Elder God, sort of the Guard Of The Seas. Not the most accurate hypothesis but I thought the Good Ending represented how in order to make sure the Elder God would never be freed, the book has to be destroyed but also the Fisherman needs to receive his just punishment in the form of an execution for starting this world ending event. It wasn't his fault entirely but he isn't innocent either and with him being a possible threat to come under the Elder God's control again and try to retrieve the book once more, he needs to be erased with it as well.

[@GamesWithWavy]

I agree, this is actually the take that the poster on the reddit post is making. The reddit post I'm refering to is the one I have pinned in a comment, which I'll also link here for you: reddit.com/r/dredge/comments/12a8agi/one_thing_about_the_ending/

[@Imnotsmg4bob]

@@GamesWithWavy *oh yeah, it's all coming together*

[@kneeofjustice9619]

You also hear the leviathan from time to time while playing, implying that it’s always waiting for you to finish what you started.

[@Amgarrak]

The other important thing about the leviathan is it can appear in other places outside of the ending. You can see them, yes plural, based on two conditions. 1) You are trying to sail to the edge of the map. You are given warnings to turn back as you are sailing into uncharted waters. 2) If you are in a place that isn't shallow but the fishermen is sleep-deprived and heavily panicking. In both instances the leviathan eats the fisherman and his boat. Just like the ending. The first one can easily be interpreted as keeping the fisherman there so he may toss the book in the water and prevent further harm. The second one gives credence to the idea that the leviathan is a guardian, as it wouldn't make much sense for the elder god to kill its unwitting servant prematurely before it got freed.

[@NiCoNiCoNiCola]

I think it would be funnier if that leviathan is just a random big fish and the reason he eats the fisherman and his boat is hunger

[@nnelg8139]

I think the creature that eats the fisherman is actually an enemy of the elder god, because there is a lore stone that shows it looking at the lighthouse (maybe ancient one) and nodding. It also consumes the fisherman if he tries to leave the area, which leads me to think that it is being kept at bay by the elder god's power. Also, the collector does say something about hurrying, before the sea notices what is going on. So perhaps it is a natual creature of the sea, opposed to the corruption that the elder god represents?

[@GamesWithWavy]

You are right I think, and is something more people have discussed in these comments.

[@loafloafer]

I agree with this. The collector says that he can no longer sail the seas because they are too hostile or something, so he has you doing all this stuff for him. Since you are actually the collector, I interpret the high-panic events as the sea trying to stop your eldritch magic by siccing "natural" things on you, like birds, the shark, rocks, and finally the leviathan. This makes sense because your panic increases when you use magic like haste and manifest - you are making it more "obvious" to the sea where you are.

[@sdfggdfg5fgdfg]

Some details you overlooked or you could add You forgot the "third" ending If you shatter the mirror but choose to ressurect Julie anyway the text and interactions will play out from your perspective, not "the collectors". The opening scene shows both the collectors glasses and book in the fishermans boat When Julie is resurrected her figure when it's still below the waves looks otherworldly, shrouded by tentacles and muddish brown The collector referring to himself as "your breathless self", and the outer god telling the original casket dredgers "i will come for your breath, you won't need it when (alludes to something) ", among other details, makes me believe the bad ending is like an inverted biblical rapture, maybe the underworld will spill over, maybe humanity will be warped into "breathless ones" The seamonster can be encountered as a passive worldevent in the eastern expanse Still, in lovecraftian fashion the details of the story and ending are purposefully left ambiguous

[@GamesWithWavy]

That’s true, the footage I used for the bad ending analysis in this video is actually from the “third ending”. You can see during the ritual section the person talking is referred to as “You”. And now that you mentioned it, about Julie being shrouded by the tentacles made me think that maybe it is not Julie at all being resurrected. It is merely an illusion. Just like the illusion you’ll see of other boats in the ocean during night, but if you get close to them, you’ll see that they’re just bait used by the big angler fish swimming just beneath the surface.

[@themtheirhills]

If you look closely Julie also has an otherworldly point of red light on her and the way she dangles in the air reminded me so strongly of the angler fish tug boats - so I genuinely think her form was the elder god’s lure. This was such a good video!! I had a completely different read on what happened with Julie and the fisherman when they dredged the casket up!

[@GamesWithWavy]

@@themtheirhills Yes, I shared this exact thought in a Reddit post in the dredge subreddit talking about the ending, so I completely agree!

[@mastersuis]

Why i can`t do this "third final"? i`ve done exactly like you said

[@GamesWithWavy]

@@mastersuis To do the third final make sure you have talked to the old mayor. Then have talked to the lighthouse keeper about the book. Then go to the collector and take his book. And then go to the lighthouse keeper and talk to her. Then go back to the collector and give him the relic. At this point the collector is still in the broken mirror. By giving him the relic now it is understood from the fisherman that he is the collector. Thus during the bad ending it will be the fisherman who is doing the ritual. Hope you get it right.

[@CountCocofang]

It is ironic. The fishermen was willing to sacrifice everything, even the entire world, to be with his drowned wife again. Yet what he ended up with was her rising from the depths as an unholy abomination accompanied by an unshackled elder god. The success of bringing something akin to his wife back ended with his ultimate failure. In the Lighthouse-ending though he gives up the manic pursuit in a faint moment of clarity. Despite the struggles of the dark forces to keep his mind prisoner he forsakes the allure. Dying in the very spot his wife did as the sea claims him. So his failure to see the plan through ended with him being successfully reuniting with his wife.

[@GamesWithWavy]

Wow, nice summary. Very much more clear and poetic use of the language.

[@migjordanpayawal7856]

Somehow, it reminds me of Full Metal Alchemist, and the impossibility of human transmutation.

[@lordbreetai]

Another interesting clue was that when you talk to anyone else in the marrows and you ask about the island with the ruined mansion no one can remember anyone living there or that its been abandoned for a long time. I believe that was their house (Julie and the Fisherman) and that when he went away and then Julie threw herself into the sea the island was abandoned for years. Which is why the residents of Marrows view the place as empty.

[@GamesWithWavy]

Very nice hypothesis. I think you’re definitely correct that it used to belong to Julie and her husband.

[@sharondornhoff7563]

Pretty sure Julie was killed when her husband's boat sank (or was attacked?) immediately after finding the book's casket. Didn't the Old Mayor or the Lighthouse Keeper - I forget which - say that the book was stained with Julie's blood?

[@Danielle-tn1qi]

Interestingly, in the opening scene, you can see the collectors spectacles and the crimson and silver book to the lower right hand corner of the screen, just for a moment. Kind of a blink and you'll miss it confirmation we really did have the book all along.

[@GamesWithWavy]

Yeah it’s awesome that the devs and writers decided to do this. So good.

[@possiblepuzzles8137]

Additional detail with the good end. After we are devoured and the book is once more lost, the skies clear and the fog lifts. I take this to mean that WE'RE responsible for all the eldritch horrors going on in the surrounding islands (especially since according to the black stones we can interact with in our hysteria, alot of the worst of things happened in a time indicative of when we first dredged up the text).

[@GamesWithWavy]

This interpretation is fully possible. As we are the holder of the crimson book. So as we throw it away and we get devoured and the sky clears up we can interpret it either that the book caused it or we the fisherman caused it. Either interpretation is good imo.

[@lauralulei4032]

You can see the book on his desk in the first cutscene

[@MugenSaint]

The intro cutscene has the book right there, implying from the beginning that we've always had the book, as the lighthouse keeper says before her ending. Didn't see it till I did a second playthrough.

[@GamesWithWavy]

You are absolutely right it’s quite eye opening playing through a second time.

[@Skirakzalus]

I might be completely wrong with this, but at some point I got the impression, that Julie might have been turned into that crimson book. This is mainly from my interpretation of the two letters with ??? instead of dates. Julie was very thorough about the dates before, so those messages not being dated looks like she's somehow unable to do so, either mentally or otherwise. Considering her last dated entry ended with "In his eyes I saw the void" it's not too much of a stretch to think he might have done something to her, especially with the messages afterwards being so different. That last line in the second ???-message "Throw me back" gets me. Usually it's said in regards to that book "throw *it* back" and while I get this is meant as "move on, don't try to get me back", it's still weird. Julie might have known something about that book and the angler trying to resurrect her at the point of writing. I remember the researcher saying something about messages from her sister regarding occurrences that happened past her death. So the game pretty much spells out that things like that do happen. That leads me to believe that by the time the last two messages were written, Julie was either bound to the bottom of the sea (so dead) or being turned into the book (or her soul bound to it), with the messages coming from its actual pages. But maybe I just took that "Throw me back"-line way too literally and am reading too much into the way she describes her illness.

[@GamesWithWavy]

Holy! This interpretation explains sooo much. I’m definitely buying that Julie might have turned into the book. Because it literally explains those words “Throw me back” as in she’s telling her husband to throw her, the book, back into the ocean. And it literally also explains the messages in the message bottles and how the researcher is receiving letters from her. Awesome hypothesis!

[@AnnA_Ant]

I agree with this. And I want to add that I believe his wife died at the moment they dredged the book. The old mayor said about the strange incident of something attacking the boat and ( that might be the spot where the ending takes place ). They washed up on the shore and the fisherman was still clutching the book, covered by her blood. ( So her soul might be trapped into that book ) Also in the ending, the collector said “ this is the place where she was taken from us “. And the damaged boat was carried by the wave into somewhere. I think that might be the boat ( I don’t remember the location ) which was described that it looks the same as the current boat he was using. And it’s strange that in addition to other people, the researcher who might be the sister of his wife didn’t recognize him. So my theory is that he was dead or consumed by the book and physically transform ( the aberration ) and only those who saw the incident can recognize him, specifically his soul.

[@AnnA_Ant]

Sorry if my English is weird.

[@GamesWithWavy]

@@AnnA_Ant oh yeah this hypothesis is shaping up real good!

[@disorganizedchaos4246]

Plus when she says she was scattered to the wind, but is now whole, I think it's because you gathered all her letters/pieces of her. Maybe that letter was written/created after her death, in fact after you'd already found most of the letters?

[@ridleydidnothingwrong]

Perhaps that "lay the weary world to rest" metaphor in the book is quite more literal than anything. Like some witches incantation involving items with esoteric values I feel as though things like the wedding ring and music box were vital not because the elder god valued them but the one carrying out the resurrection did. Going back to that final line "lay the weary world to rest" it seems like the fisherman quite literally sacrificed the entire world to bring his wife back. Perhaps the elder god was never dead but needs to be "invited" by a mortal by offering to solve problems they indirectly cause by manipulating the minds of those that witness the book. But that's just my take, great video.

[@GamesWithWavy]

Damn, that’s a great interpretation. Not only quite original but also poetic. Definitely better than the interpretation in the video. Wish I could have had this one in the video instead.

[@GamesWithWavy]

​@@ridleydidnothingwrong Thanks! And yeah, we gotta give Black Salt Games more credit for that.

[@cathygrandstaff1957]

The bottle notes and some of the dialogue mention that Julie was killed soon after the casket was opened. Basically something came aboard and killed her, apparently in a rather messy fashion since the red book is described as being stained with her blood. If your panic meter is high you might occasionally get a message that something has crawled aboard your boat, which results in one of the fish in your hold becoming infected. This is likely what happened here with some sort of eldritch curse infecting those aboard the boat, the fisherman becomes a slave to the book, Julie is killed, the old mayor becomes crazy. Julie mentions feeling sick prior to the casket being raised, indicating she probably had a greater susceptibility to the elder god’s power than the others. The old mayor’s remarks referring to her as “his damned wife” also suggest she played more of an active role in bringing the casket up than her letters suggest, either that or she has been in contact with him and possibly tormenting him. Throughout the isles you can find various abandoned camp sites with strange letters drawn up and the suggestion that these might have been left by the old mayor, or possibly the fisherman on a previous attempt at gathering the artifacts. One of the camp sites has three diagrams, one showing the book being brought up from the depths, one showing a summoning circle with a pentagram in which is a person’s outline and one which shows the book being thrown back. My theory is that this isn’t the first time the fisherman has attempted to do this, but that on previous attempts he had become spooked and thrown the artifacts back at different locations to try to keep them away from the point you have to deliver them to, and this is both why the collector indicates the fishermen has confronted him in the past about the truth and why the collector knows roughly where all the artifacts are and how they drifted so far from the area they originally fell overboard. The Collector mentions a few things about your split personality. One is that this is something you wished for, presumably part of the fisherman wished to forget everything and part wanted to remember. He also mentions if you ask him why he needs your help gathering relics that he is no longer welcome on the sea, presumably meaning that if this aspect of the fisherman’s personality was active the leviathan would be actively attacking your ship and is only allowing you to wander around because it reads you as someone who isn’t the book’s slave. This could also be why the split personality occurred, since if it hadn’t the fisherman would have been trapped on land where he couldn’t gather the artifacts. The bottles switch between those that were written in the past before Julie died, which take the form of diary entries, and those written in the present, which take the form of notes. If you talk to the researcher in Stellar Basin she mentions that she has been finding strange letters from her dead sister, with some randomly appearing in her possession with the letters she had been keeping from her sister and some appearing when she was out sampling, like getting caught in her trawl line. She said that at first this alarmed her, especially since the notes mentioned events that happened after her sister died, but eventually came to look forward to finding them. This is the same thing that’s happening with the bottle mail.

[@GamesWithWavy]

Excellent write up! A lot of the points you bring up is also discussed by the other commenters here. So you’re definitely right about many of the things I reckon.

[@krahvata]

The campsites are the mayors doing. Personally, I found him at the campsite near devils spine but others I watched found him at other sites. When you find him, he has a boat docked as well so he is the one travelling to different campsites.

[@DarkArtistKaiser]

I like to imagine the aberration theme of the fish fits with the characters. The collector being a aberration of the fisher, and while it could be that Julie was resurrected with the Elder God, I also imagined that Julie, at least the one pulled up from the waters, is actually a aberration to lure the fisherman into summoning him. Course it could be vice versa but yeah I thought it would fit with the mind screw of things being visually off. I should note, also, that the twist with the collector really got me. Like, I took off my headset for a bit in shock after seeing it was a mirror.

[@GamesWithWavy]

Lol lmao. That aberration hypothesis you got there is mighty good. It’s so true. Like, the Collector really is the aberration of the fisherman. And maybe the elder god is the aberration of the leviathan. And there’s probably ore examples.

[@DarkArtistKaiser]

@@GamesWithWavy Definately. I'm trying to figure if maybe it applies to the locations as well. Great Marrow and Little Marrow are sorta obvious if not much so, though I'm willing to wager one of the stronger versions of this theory is the Stellar Basin, where a Resort has a giant Fortress on the otherside of it(Not something tropical resorts have usually).

[@ashenshield1712]

I have a theory, what if the giant sea monster that devours the protagonist in the good ending is actually the protector/guardian of the isle's, seeking to stop those who wish to resurrect the elder god, but when the fog comes in it cannot observe what occurs above the sea which is why the collector Insisted on going during the fog. (Side note: I believe that once the Elder god is resurrected fully, the guardian is no longer able to keep it in check and suppress it which is why it does not attack the elder god in the bad ending). But hey that's just a theory

[@GamesWithWavy]

It’s a great hypothesis which many other commenters also have shared. And according to the in game lore it is probably the most correct interpretation.

[@GamesWithWavy]

Hey, so I made this video without doing too much research. And after I had posted it I decided to see what other people had come up with and I was suggested this interpretation here: reddit.com/r/dredge/comments/12a8agi/one_thing_about_the_ending/ I highly recommend reading it because it uses in game lore to explain the Leviathan and the elder god. Again, thanks for watching!

[@elewis7254]

Such a sad story, I personally believed the collector was an aspect of the elder God that had entered the fisherman's mind.

[@GamesWithWavy]

I mean that’s not a bad interpretation. I kinda believe that myself.

[@blackroserevan6939]

Doesn’t the light house keeper imply that the boat was attacked shortly after he found the casket and a creature that attacked then took Julie’s life? I’ll have to go back to that part again to check but I could have sworn that she died from an attack.

[@GamesWithWavy]

I think you’re right. I’m starting another video tomorrow which is gonna follow up all the hypothesis in the comments in this video. And that is one of the things I’ll follow up on so be sure to check back next week.

[@RockinAfr0]

Another interesting note that sort of reframes this entire game: the renaming ceremony mentioned in the letters is an important tradition in seafaring. If any artefacts of the old name remain they will bring bad luck to the renamed ship. Julie took something with the old name on it without telling her husband! Because of that bad luck some stuff was thrown overboard in a crash, and (this is my theory) because of this bad luck they end up dredging the chest with the silver crimson book! While we may try to bring Julie back, we are unaware that Julie indirectly doomed herself and all of the crew by keeping a memento with the old ship name on it. Seeing how little Elder Gods usually care about mortals it makes sense that they'd just be waiting until someone unlucky enough finds the chest with the book. It's the book that has the influence of the elder god. It was that book that summoned the fog (as explained by the dockworker, and throwing the book back causes the fog to disappear) and it's that book combined with our grief that created the collector.

[@GamesWithWavy]

I think you're right about this point, as other commenters have pointed it out as well. And also, if it wasn't of any significance, then it wouldn't have been mentioned in the messages from the bottles. But it was, so it's probably of the significance you are describing here.

[@lordhorck]

Great video! I Just finished the game some hours ago and didn't even notice that there was a "good ending". Also, i managed to find some of the notes during my playthrough, so it was nice seeing the full story here in the video.

[@GamesWithWavy]

Thanks!

[@zaynab7284]

Great analysis and story telling. Absolutely loved this game

[@GamesWithWavy]

Thanks, and I totally agree. Can’t wait for their next game.

[@jimmydamsko6055]

Great video man! I just finished the game and had alot of questions. You answered them all. I hope your channel grows!

[@GamesWithWavy]

Thank you so much! Happy to hear you had your questions answered. It’s big reason why I made the video because a lot of the times I finish a game I have questions and usually some ending analysis and story explained video will do the trick. So I immediately thought I should give back this time around.

[@mate5347]

The game has so much potencial getting a second episode because the book can be recovered and there will be problems occuring(also in one of the tiny isles you can find the old mayor being crazy and saying throw back the book its so crazy that I stumbled into this ending by accident lmao)

[@GamesWithWavy]

Yes both the mayor and the messages from Julie says “throw me back”. But definitely this game was like a prototype almost. There’s so much to expand on it.

[@dilberthigh]

I think that eldritch horror either clings to Julie when she is raised from the depths or the spell that unlocks death for Julie leaves open a doorway that the eldritch horror can pass through as well. So that would explain why they have to be items personal to Julie, because raising a loved one from the depths with their personal items is the key.

[@_beryl]

Great video, really clears a lot of things up. A lot of good comments too, especially ones with The Leviathan being the "Guard Of The Seas" and eating the book and the fisherman so there is only a slight chance for Cthulhu to be released. Again, great job!

[@GamesWithWavy]

Thank you so much!

[@Sarsaparillamann]

Thanks for making this. I enjoy watching these story summaries and analyses after I finish games to get the full picture and this was done really well. One thing I liked is the setup section since you don’t necessarily need to play the game to understand Really enjoyed this game

[@GamesWithWavy]

Thank you so much!

[@colinburke8389]

In the good ending, the fog clears when he throws the book overboard, and it's mentioned by the mayor that the fog (and its horrors) weren't always around, appearing years ago (It is hinted to be 20 years, iirc, so the game takes place in 1947). The book is what was found in the casket, and the good ending suggests it's alive, in a way (it tries to cling to the fisherman as he goes to throw it overboard); Bringing it up from the depths is what caused the fog to appear, and throwing it back caused it to disappear, suggesting that without the book above the waves, the old one (in the Cthulu Mythos, the elder gods are a more benevolent faction of eldritch beings, codified/introduced by Campbell I think, so the thing in the game would be more apt to be called a great old one instead) can't influence things, at least not as overtly. I think the sea monster eating him was due to the near mandatory requirement that Lovecraftian stories don't have happy endings, or maybe it was drawn to the book like a moth to a flame.

[@GamesWithWavy]

I totally agree with the fog thing and that the book is "alive". It makes sense the way you describes especially because you use in-game footage to back up your claims. Both the lighthouse keeper and old mayor talk about the book as the main thing in their memories of the dredging too. So it is definitely the "main antagonist" in this story. Thanks for correcting the use of elder god, ill keep that in mind.

[@colinburke8389]

@@GamesWithWavy For some reason my earlier reply got deleted, so I will restate that, upon reading stuff on reddit, I agree that the leviathan is a benevolent, opposing force for the old one, and has been following you to try and get you to undo your mistake, and eats you to ensure the book STAYS down there.

[@SoleEpiphany]

This was a great gem, I’m not sure why I picked it up, but I couldn’t put it down until it was completed. Awesome video, I kind of figured the players were the antagonist from early on but you fleshed it out wonderfully.

[@GamesWithWavy]

Thank you!

[@alvarogallegojimenez9140]

"When the sky mistakes the stars, and the air grows thick with night, The deep will open its scars, Protect us O guiding light."

[@GamesWithWavy]

I do wonder what this means? Do you have a more literal interpretation of this quote?

[@davidleerodicol4524]

@@GamesWithWavy My understanding of that quote is that when @alvarogallegojimenez9140 says "When the sky mistakes the stars" means the Illusion is taking toll, and lead to your downfall. Then the "the air grows thick with night" means The Fog, hindering your way and keeps you in the dark, unbeknownst around you and see what they wanted to see. Next is "The deep will open its scars" means Opportunity shall and will come, even the most sturdiest prison will wither upon the salty current. And lastly "Protect us O guiding light" means The Light House and The People, who remember the days of old. Guiding you to your redemption even if it means sacrificing ones self and the important things we hold dear, and to cut the path of the world's destruction once more. Edit: Feel free to criticize my take and give me your opinion about it.

[@GamesWithWavy]

@@davidleerodicol4524 Well, this poem is part of a pursuit that will award us with the strongest light in the game. If we assume that it is strictly meant to be a riddle for the pursuit, then it has nothing to do with the main story. If it has nothing to do with the main story, we can assume that it's only purpose is to guide us to the location of its rewards. Hence, the riddle is trying to guide us to a lighthouse. "When the sky mistakes the stars, and the air grows thick with night" would suggest that when we as a sailor can no longer use the stars to guide us in the ocean, and when the fog is thick and it is dark and our eyes cannot guide us either, then we would need the guiding light of a lighthouse which is "protect us o guiding light". However, I cannot make a good interpretation for "the deep will open its scars". I'm really stuck here.

[@xkimichi8064]

@@GamesWithWavy My literal interpretation. 1. When the sky mistakes the stars - I agree w/ yours. Synonym of mistakes includes omission. And I don't think I've seen any stars in-game at all. 2. grows thick with night = Same - Fog 3. The deep will open its scars = I think this means corruption or could be the damage from harboring the Elder God/Cthulhu. I mean that fog & those aberrations gotta be caused by something eldritch. So they are the scar. A normal & healthy ecosystem won't produce aberrations. 4. Protect us O guiding light = Lighthouse

[@GamesWithWavy]

@@xkimichi8064 #3 interpretation makes a lot of sense. Finally, thanks!

[@SmackyTheB3AR]

Excellent video! One thing to note is that the Old Mayor on Devil's Spine recognizes you. He does not go into detail (because he is a bit crazy) but knows it was you that brought everything up from the depths. As for his alternate explanation of the events could either be metaphorical or just a symptom of his insanity. Or, because this is Lovecraftian, it could be something prophetic. There is a wrecked boat near the central islands that was likely your old boat, indicating this whole thing could be a time loop? This is more of a stretch, though... The Lighthouse Keeper also recognizes you, but is really cryptic. The New Mayor either does not recognize you or knows you lost your memory, as he says something along the lines of "the previous fisherman will not be missed". The ruined villages in Gale Cliffs and Stellar Basin show that this is not likely the first time a catastrophe has happened here, although those might be recent victims from the Eldritch events after the "dredging". However the ruins at Devil's Spine, the Cultists, the shrines, and the general spookiness of Devil's Spine kind of allude to there being something more going on, or that this is not the first (or last) time this will happen. Just some thoughts, excited to see more from this publisher. Hoping for DLC or a sequel!

[@GamesWithWavy]

I heard this interpretation too. And I’m weighing on the side that it’s not a time loop. The reason that the old mayor and the lighthouse keeper recognizes you is because they were both there during the dredging of the casket and book. Then you disappeared and decades later you’re back. So that’s why they recognize you. On one of your first meetings with the Collector he mentions how it’s been decades since he’s been here. And since you are the Collector, it means it has been decades since you have been here. Which is why both the old lighthouse keeper and the old mayor recognizes you.

[@criticaltipper7699]

It’s actually kind of confirmed it’s a time loop (I forget where) but I found a boat that was described to look exactly like mine and when I looked inside I was dead inside the boat

[@GamesWithWavy]

@@criticaltipper7699 that has another explanation which is that boat was the one that was used during the dredging of the casket/book. It was a disaster and everyone either died or escaped. So the boat floated away by itself.

[@migjordanpayawal7856]

If you do the lighthouse quest in Devil's Spine, it will be revealed in stone writings that the lighthouse there was used to suppress the rising of the Elder God.

[@nickrogers3624]

One thing I loved about the endings for this game is that I discovered (spoilers ahead)... that the collector was in fact the fisherman and had pieced most of it together before the final introductory scene. and whats fascinating to me is if you refuse to immediately bring him the final item and discover his true identity, you are left with a choice that holds far more weight than simply running one path or the other. While I had initially chosen to throw the book away, upon returning to the game again I was allowed to give him the last item and still continue with the games primary ending. I feel this is extremely impactful as it indicates that despite the fact that you now know your reasons for collecting these items and the likely end that meets the world should you continue your quest, you may still continue it all for the sake of her. Tragic and rather wild ending if played in that order.

[@GamesWithWavy]

I agree that is powerful.

[@kaulis6524]

I just finished this game and i was just a little bit confused about the story, you cleared all my doubts. I gotta say i absolutely love this game

[@GamesWithWavy]

Congrats and yeah this game is getting massive right now and deserves it.

[@kitakkful]

It’s implied by the vision from the cold black rock in devil’s spine that the grey leviathan (presumably the same one that eats us in the good ending and if we get too far away) is at least sentient. It’s also possibly a protector, since it stops the fisherman from leaving the island chain. Clearly the fanatic in devil’s spine wants the elder god’s resurrection, but it’s not clear if the grey leviathan is friendly, indifferent, or hostile to the elder god. If anyone has thoughts, happy to hear.

[@GamesWithWavy]

I think most people would agree the leviathan is a force of good. Which is why it eats the fisherman and the book. There’s even a comment pointing out that maybe the aberrations in the sea is part of that good force since it is hostile to you, the fisherman with the book trying to resurrect the elder god.

[@apostolol3457]

I kinda had my own theory which made sense to me to this day. ending 1: The elder god is the actual owner of the sea (well more like he is the sea itself) and as you actually trespass the "law of the sea" by resurrecting a dead woman who was ought to be dead he seeks your punishment(also the reference to him by the bottles imply that he was never chained as you state in the video but rather chooses to stay neutral while there is balance, however when the fisherman got the book in his hands is when he made his first presence in the game through that bottle note threatening him and his crew. This scene implies that the book would "break" that balance by trespassing the law of the sea and the elder god would have to interfere) . (the collector's reference that they should hurry before "the sea" notices what is happening also refers to the elder god being the sea himself.) As it seems, he already knows what is happening and when you resurrect your wife he is there to punish you. In this ending tho you still have the book and you cast the manifest ( which teleports you away from the spot ) and the elder god goes to punish the ones that helped you on this journey and sets the great marrow on fire. Using the book you revert the ritual by undoing everything, sending your wife back to dead, which satisfies the elder god and also causing you to forget all your new abilities during the rewind and your memories. This leads to a loop where you start the game again and as you can notice while you are in debt the fat mayor says that he is going to use your money to build up the town(because it was burnt down by the elder god). He doesnt recognize you because he is new as the old mayor has escaped to the devil's spine. This is the same reason that most of the characters actually recognize you in the journey(fishmonger's references to the previous fisherman also imply a loop, as he seems to be refering to your story). This was the only conclusion that could lead me to such hatred from everyone towards you because at the end of the day nor would killing your wife expel the previous mayor neither would everyone be so determined on whether you should get rid of the book or not. Just for 1 dead woman? I think they have already witnessed the wrath of the elder god. ending 2: You now remember everything and know that using the book would trespass the law of the sea and you still do it by choice. The result is the same as in 1 because during the reverse ritual you forget that you were the collector aside to everything else anyways ending 3: You now know who your true self is you remember everything, and as i mentioned in ending 2, you now know that using the book would trespass the law of the sea and so bringing your wife back is not an option anymore and you decide to finally throw the book away. However, while the fisherman is on the spot he rethinks about his approach, he neither does the ritual nor does he throw the book (he keeps the book to himself in case he ever needs it in the future, implying continuity for a new game), and instead throws the fake book (that fake book the collector was trying to befool him with when he asked for information about the real one) and thus, when the elder god sends the leviathan to eat both him and the book for once and forever he survives, because if you notice in the cinematic there is a golden aura above the ship which indicates that he used the manifest spell once again ( and also that he still has the real book with him ) and saves himself. And i also think this is where the devs are going to continue the game from. Basically, for this theory to work we need to assume that the protagonist has already experienced ending 1( or 2) at least once before the time the actual game takes place (but never the ending 3), thus the characters recognizing us, the fishmonger's reference to the previous fisherman etc.. I also think the bad ending being a loop would be a good idea for the devs because then they would have to develop the next part of the game from one and only one certain fixed point of the last ending, since the other 2 would lead to a loop until the player gets the 3rd and correct one. Thus the new game would have only 1 beginning and no absurd lore spaces in between. NOTE: SORRY FOR MY ENGLISH :(

[@GamesWithWavy]

Wow amazing!! I’m quite convinced by your explanations. I’m definitely taking this and sharing it as a possible explanation if I ever find a way to make a follow up video.

[@apostolol3457]

@@GamesWithWavy towards my 100% completion i found another note that i hadnt found before. You know that place in great marrow where you find a "familiar" ship with a note in it. Basically the ship is yours at the time of resurrection and the note saying "he knows" is the fisherman's self, before the forgetting ritual, trying to warn his future self(because he knows that he is going to lose his memory) about what is going to happen if he tries to perform the resurrection, indicating the existance of that loop im talking about.

[@josefaksoy42]

Wasn’t the boat attacked by a big sea creature after they dredged the book? The old mayor talked about when you washed ashore you were still clutching the book Also how I understand it the mayor ran away because of how terrifying the attack was Edit: and what’s with the dock worker in little marrow before and after you deliver a certain package to him

[@GamesWithWavy]

Good questions, I’ll try to answer both of these in my next dredge video. I’m still doin the research.

[@VulcanP90]

@@GamesWithWavy you can find the old mayor on an island by devil's spine. he tells you to talk to the lighthouse keeper in Greater Marrows. If you do you enter the end of the game, is that ending different from the "good ending" or is it the same?

[@billbrexit5258]

Great video, thank you very much.

[@fillybuster]

great vid !

[@GamesWithWavy]

Thank you!

[@Envy1359]

Greater Marrow. And perhaps the world itself is saved and at peace. Or is it…? What if this is all just a beginning? Anyways, I myself did looked through the game files of the game since it’s Unity. Did saw a few unused assets like a few colorful fishing rods, blue and green, etc. However, I did found the model of this “Elder God” Cthulu-ish being. Obviously just a head itself and no body cause it’s unnecessary for them to make all that for the Bad Ending scene, but I also found what could be its actual name. It is called “Masstrocity”. A combination of “massive” and “monstrosity” for a gigantic entity like that thing. That’s about it from what I found in the files.

[@GamesWithWavy]

Wow thanks for sharing. I’ll keep this in mind for the next video about dredge.

[@Anonjotatepain]

You can see a ruined sea lighthouse in the lava zone, I think cthulu got trapped and tried this before.

[@GamesWithWavy]

Could you expand on that thought about Cthulhu tried this before?

[@ruffethereal1904]

Excellent analysis. Your voice and storytelling are soothing and menacing both.

[@GamesWithWavy]

Wow, thank you so much!

[@blastgrinder7024]

Good work on this video

[@Dryan_Phillapi]

Absolutely enjoyed this game. Great video, going to subscribte.

[@GamesWithWavy]

Thank you so much!

[@volcaniclord]

Very nice analysis. I have to say, the mirror part did throw me off guard of a moment the first time I saw it. But looking back, it is fitting, as many stories written by H.P. Lovecraft end with the main character realising a terrible truth about themselves. One even ends with a mirror. It's a nice touch.

[@Minestar-ed2sd]

It should be noted that the events of the game happened before. There is somewhere in the game where it shows symbols. I cant quite remember but the jist is that the book has been uncovered before and thrown back into the depths. However there is a prophecy that the elder god would be free some day. I belive that the fall of the old civilization was due to book related shenanigans. The last time that it was dredged up. I don’t understand why thet dont just burn the book. Throwing it back just means that some poor sod will dredge it up again sooner or later.

[@trainman5675]

It's probably been tried. Elder God based items typically don't get destroyed easily. Espesciallg when they are alive in some form

[@LongRest]

It was probably mentioned by someone else but I wanted to add: Julie wasn't dead, she was trapped under the sea in the same timeless prison as the elder god. Her notes with the date "???" is a hint that the writes from the place where time works differently. Chant from the end will also indicate timeless prison. I also think that she didn't kill herself - she drowned due to the same shipwreck that killed other crewmates . I can't remember direct evidence to exactly this but I don't remember any mentions of the separate tragedy - the most logical thing then is to assume that the last tragedy that happened with all of them was the tragedy that took her away. By the way... She was taken away by the elder god intentionally. He needed to use specific chant from the book to return, in order to do that he guided the Collector to find specific items. My theory is that the items don't matter - they (just like Julie) are just the tool to guide a person for preparing the ritual. Messages in bottles are given to us by the elder god. They written by Julie, yes, but the reason we find them in the wide ocean is that they are a guiding tool that helps us to focus our attention on the key objects, and that means the ritual. Julie is the older sister of the researcher from the star bay. Julie lived there and the researcher lives there, we receive letters from the "dead" Julie and the researcher also receives letters from the "dead" sister. They are the same person.

[@GamesWithWavy]

A lot of what you're saying here is the "correct" interpretation i believe - after having read all of the other comments that expresses the same sentiments as you.

[@waffler-yz3gw]

i'm really proud of myself because i just so happened to find the old mayor before the ending and after his whole encounter i managed to piece together the whole deal of "the collector is the main character's other personality and is just in a mirror" *just* before the actual reveal

[@GamesWithWavy]

That must have felt reeeal good

[@waffler-yz3gw]

@@GamesWithWavy oh it most certainly did, im curious as to how many other people found out before the reveal

[@VulcanP90]

@@waffler-yz3gw i did!

[@Drunktopus]

Really good summary. I enjoyed this game a lot. Looking forward to more from this Studio.

[@GamesWithWavy]

Thank you so much. And same!

[@yogeshbhatt1596]

really nice analysis and explanation

[@GamesWithWavy]

Thank you!

[@sionmorgan9011]

I know I'm late and I don't know if anyone else has mentioned this, but in the opening cutscene, the fisherman has a pair of glasses on the table next to him that look very similar to the collectors iconic glasses.

[@TodouIota]

Didn't think a fishing game would make me this emotional...

[@RockinAfr0]

With many dark resurrection rituals in fiction the order of them is "resurrect the ancient evil and it will in turn bring back your loved one". I think the same happens here and it's not the other way around. These relics are not important to the elder god, they are important to us and because of that they hold power. We have to sacrifice the last few items that remind us of the love of our life in order to see her again: a sacrifice made to free the elder god who will in turn return Julie to us.

[@GamesWithWavy]

I believe you are right, and this is the interpretation I have come to believe in after reading the many hypothesis of other commenters here and yours.

[@migjordanpayawal7856]

I think you can take a look at the lore of the ancient civilization in Devil's Spine to explain the horrors in the game a little bit more. They mention something like suppressing the elder god with their ancient lighthouse. Thanks for the video!

[@GamesWithWavy]

You’re welcome! I’m trying to figure out a way to make a follow up video to this video. Hopefully I can find a way to talk about the ancient civilization there.

[@Tis_good1531]

After 'Iron lung', this is perfect to play.

[@GamesWithWavy]

I have not heard about this game but definitely checking it out now. Thanks for mentioning it!

[@daniilbelov8652]

Still many answers. Like, who made those obelisks in the sea? Or what happened to that big city? Are those artifacts caused all those mutations or something else? Did they exist always or were newly created from Fishermans things that he threw away? What happened to a guy in the Docks? What were in boxes, sent to him? Why Fish Shop Owner wanted weird fish? Why are there were some gigantic creatures like Brain eaters or Phantom Shark?

[@GamesWithWavy]

Wow, all very good questions. I’m having very hard time trying to answer these questions as I’m trying to write the script for the follow up video to this video.

[@NFITC1]

Fisherman has a CB radio in his boat. That puts this mid-to-late 1900s, not early-to-mid. The journal entries hint at mid 1900s, probably after 1945. Despite that, this elder god was using Julie like an angler fish uses a bioluminescent light to attract prey. That imagery exists in this game already. There are angler fish to catch and one of the night terrors is an angler fish using a boat as a lure.

[@TWGuardian]

I'd like to add a few things to what has been discussed, particularly regarding the Leviathan, the corrupted fish, and the player having been 'cursed' by the elder god somehow. First, the leviathan. The player can encounter a ship anchored in the shallows at an island near the Marrows. The captain of the ship, petrified, will tell the player about almost having been swallowed by the Leviathan, and barely making it to the shallows. The captain reveals that they are transporting a package meant for the dockworker at Little Marrow, and asks the player to deliver it instead. The package has quite a rancid description, and it is strongly implied that whatever is inside is organic in nature, but also truly disgusting. A fitting explanation, then, would be to speculate that the package contains a corrupted fish. Let's take a brief detour. The Greater Marrow Fishmonger asks the player to collect one corrupted fish for him, which he consumes as an experiment. He reports feeling sick for a little while, and never eats another corrupted fish. Then there's the dockworker. We deliver not one, but _two_ such rancid packages to him. So it is implied that he eats not one but two corrupted fish. If you interact with the dockworker after delivering both gifts, it becomes immediately clear that he has been corrupted, too. He resembles a zombie: lethargic, black goop dripping from his ears, unresponsive, hostile, and suddenly very terrified of the ocean, despite being a dockworker and having worked near the ocean pretty much ever day. This implies that the Leviathan was stalking that courier because it knew that consuming corrupted fish may spread whatever affliction it has. Under this interpretation, it was attempting to sink that other ship to prevent this mystery affliction from spreading. It begs the question as to why, then, it does not similarly attack the player when there are abberations in the cargo hold. It is possible that actually, it is stalking the player, but it isn't attacking because it 'knows' some of the events that are to follow, or something of the sort. If I had to guess, I think it's because of the relics. The collector isn't real, so then where are those relics? Perhaps inside of the captain's cabin on the boat. But are the relics significant on their own? They can release a malevolent god in the hands of the player, but if the player dies, then are they still meaningful? So, let's talk about why it is possible that both the player and the relics are cursed. The last relic, the watch, is obtained from a cultist in Devil's Spine called the 'Fanatic', who refuses to part with it unless the player indulges in his ritual. It is clear, then, that the fanatic knows, or at least suspects, that there is something peculiar about that particular watch. It is implied, then, that these relics have some kind of curse on them. They're not mere curios that happen to be involved in a ritual, their relation to that ritual has changed them somehow. This is implied further by the player commenting on the relics behaving differently on Blackstone Island, such as the ticking of the watch changing, or the key changing its size. Another thing about the fanatic is that he seems to recognize something about the player, and asserts that the player is to be the 'herald of the purge'. Of course this could be written off as the ravings of a desperate mad man, but there seems to be some method to his madness as after all three flames are brought to him, he manages to use them in a ritual. It stands to reason, then, that the fanatic recognizes the player has having been 'cursed' or something of the sort, perhaps due to their relation to the red book, or the 'book of the deep'. This is bolstered by the fact that the fanatic refers to the player as a 'disciple of the deep'. Finally, I want to return to the corrupted fish one more time, but in particular, Stellar Basin, and the giant creature that resides there. The researcher says that she thinks that it is the source of corrupted fish. That's pretty much all we know about it. What is peculiar though is that there are no earlier mentions of a giant creature at stellar basin. 'Julie' certainly didn't seem concerned with it at all. It is possible then that it is a recent manifestation, perhaps related to the dredging of the 'book of the deep' by the player. But it is unclear how it relates to the rest of the story. The best explanation that I can come up with, is that by dredging the book, the player 'partially' released the elder god, and that that's the creature at Stellar Basin, still confined to the depths but reaching out to the surface. Only after the ritual is completed, does it truly rise to the surface. That pit at Stellar Basin is a deep one, as we can fish for really deep-dwelling fish there. Geologically, such a sudden, deep pit in a shallow reef doesn't make much sense either, so it is possible that that pit wasn't eroded, but _carved._ If the Stellar Basin monster does have a relation to, or is, the elder god, then that would make it more explicable that the researcher finds messages from her deceased sister - whether that be Julie or not - as the elder god is implied to have some relation to and/or dominion over those who are 'lost to the deep'.

[@GamesWithWavy]

Wooooow, this is sooo good. I’m amazed and inspired. Reading your comment and another recent comment has made me come up with and idea for the next dredge lore video. Do you mind if I use your comment and hypothesis as part of the video?

[@TWGuardian]

@@GamesWithWavy Not at all, I'd be flattered! Feel free to use my comment. 😄

[@TWGuardian]

@@GamesWithWavy I did want to add a few things to my comment, now that I think of it. I'll write them here so you're notified, feel free to use any of this as well if it is of any use. Something that I haven't seen touched upon are the 'altars' of sorts that the player can encounter. They each have a puzzle of sorts that requires the player to catch the correct fish, such as one of each kind of shark, or an abberated fish. The reward is always a peculiar piece of fishing equipment that almost seems made of living tissue. There are two possibilities as to the origins of these items, and the puzzles behind which they are locked. Option 1: these magical stones and bizarre fishing items are a recent manifestation, possibly some kind of reaction to the player dredging the book of the deep. In this case, they likely have some kind of relation to the elder god. This would explain how, whenever one of these puzzles is solved, the ocean seems to respond to it in an intelligent manner. Option 2: these stones have existed for quite a while, perhaps dating back to the time of the now lost civilization at Devil's Spine. In this case, the fact that some of these puzzles request abberated fish, implies that abberated fish are no new phenomenon. But this doesn't make sense, since people like the fishmonger at Greater Marrow seem mostly oblivious to them. It's apparently not common knowledge what the effects of consuming such fish are, and the Fishmonger and Dockworker are among the very first to find out that eating them is dangerous and harmful. Not to mention that it conflicts with the findings of the researcher. The researcher says this, to be specific: "The bad news is that the samples you retrieved from the basin have dangerously high counts of cellular mutations. The good news is that I've honed in on what's causing the abnormalities in the ecosystem. This all points to one thing: that thing in the basin is harmful to life at a cellular level. It damages everything around it, whether passively or... with intent." Firstly, this does seem to fit the profile of a malevolent god that seeks to purge the world of all life. 'Laying the weary world to rest', in a sense. Abberations, then, are fish that are not fully purged, but half-purged, hence why they often show a state of decay or decomposition. This can be explained by the elder god not yet being at full power, being constrained to a beast at the bottom of the basin, and only truly being released and able to purge all life (as opposed to corrupting life around it) once the player sets it free. Secondly: the abberations are clearly related to the creature at Stellar Basin, and are a seemingly supernatural biological phenomenon. A kind of mysterious cancer-like illness that mutates affected tissue into a horrific amalgamation that barely resembles the original creature. If abberations are not a new phenomenon, then they should be way more common. By logical necessity, what or who created those stone puzzles, must know of what abberations are, meaning that they were either created after the dredging of the 'book of the deep', which in turn seems to have caused the manifestation of abberations (and since that seems related to the creature in the basin, the creature in the basin must also be related to the book and by extension, the elder god) or whatever created those stone puzzles knew beforehand what abberations are, perhaps because it creates them. If this is correct, then those puzzles were made by the elder god in some capacity. This explains why the ocean reacts to them being solved, and how the prize is basically corrupted fishing equipment. Finally, something that has been bothering me are the four cultists that the player can encounter. They give timed quests, demanding three fishes each, that have to be delivered within a span of time. We know four things about them: 1. The fanatic knows them, and considers them as having strayed from his way. This means that they believe about the same thing as the fanatic does, meaning that they are likely worshiping the elder god. 2. They give cryptic descriptions of the fish that they request, comparable to the words spoken by the Collector during the ritual performed in the bad ending. 3. When given the fish they request, they consume the heart of the fish. This is peculiar, since they are really starving, so much so that they die if the player takes too long. So why don't they eat any other part of the fish? It's possible that their cult doctrine restricts their diet, which means that them eating the heart only, appeases the elder god somehow - or at least, they seem to think so. It is possible that this is purely 'weird for the sake of weird', but if we read into it a bit more: the heart is often regarded as the source of emotion and moral guidance, with expressions like 'good at heart' or 'a dark heart' or 'heartache', etc. It could be, then, that their consumption of the heart is symbolic to the elder god's desires, perhaps a reflection of some innate desire to corrupt, if not utterly consume, the hearts of all living things. This has a second implication, which I'll get to. 4. Each of them goes about extracting the heart in a different way. This could be due to differences in personality or equipment, or it could be because the four each deviated from the fanatic's 'teachings' in their own way. One might believe the elder god to want savagery and brutality, whereas the other might think that it desires a methodical and ritualistic extraction of the heart. Last thing that I've been wondering about is the vision of a destroyed Greater Marrow in the bad ending. It's not truly clear what caused this. Did the newly released elder god 'curse' all of this destruction into existence? Perhaps, but I suggest that it could be the residents of Greater Marrow themselves, their hearts - their sense of morality - having been corrupted and consumed by the elder god, and them being reduced to abberations: twisted, corrupted mimicries of what they once were, now only existing for the sake of existing with no higher purpose, and destroying mindlessly. If this is true, then the elder god's motives are even darker. It seeks not just to destroy the world, it seeks to corrupt the world to the point where it destroys itself. A possible piece of evidence pointing to this is the fog itself, which is very strongly implied to be linked to the elder god. Note that it causes mounting paranoia in any person that passes through it. Or to put it another way: it corrupts their minds. The elder god, then, is not just some icon of destruction. It is the opposite of life. That's why it has dominion over the deep and can return those who were lost to it (Julie); that's why it causes fish to become corrupted into barely living abberations; that's why its influences cause corruption of life instead of outright death. Its presence deconstructs life itself; literally corrupting and disrupting biology like a disease. To release it is not just to welcome death; to release it is to welcome the withering of life. Or, of course, I've read too much into all of this, but speculating and trying to piece together parts of a narrative is always great fun.

[@TWGuardian]

+ and if abberated fish were commonplace then why do merchants pay us more for them as though they're very rare?

[@GamesWithWavy]

@@TWGuardian godamn lol how many times did you play this game? You have very detailed and coherent explanations to your thoughts. Maybe you should consider compiling what you wrote here into an article you can post somewhere to reach more people? In any case, like I mentioned I’ll try to include much of this in the next dredge video I’m working on. Thank you for sharing these observations.

[@DwightKurtschrute12]

Also the collector says ask us (if it hasn’t already been said) implying they are the same being

[@onionhemlock5092]

Haven't played the game but loved the video. Very well though out video; earned a sub from me

[@GamesWithWavy]

Thank you so much! But you should really not have watched this first, lol. I think you will still love the game if you tried it. Hope you do.

[@-Commit-arson-]

If you guys are wondering what the relics are here are my theories Handkerchief : crimson cloth found in the casket Key and box : a music box, gifted from the fisherman to Julie Necklace : a gift from the fisherman, to Julie The ring : their wedding ring Pocket watch : the fisherman’s mothers pocket watch All of these items sentimental to Julie became attuned to the book and Julie became attuned to the deity when she drowned So, using those items to call to Julie and awaken her did the same to the deity Also, this one could just be a joke, but I’m pretty sure the casket and the storage box you used to keep your stuff safe when it’s not on your boat are one in the same I mean think about it It’s at almost every dock AND once the casket is opened, it stops getting mentioned

[@melparrishjr]

Bottom line: There is NO GOOD ending to this game ...In the final analysis, You die no matter what the outcome!

[@GamesWithWavy]

True to the lovecraftian ways.

[@ferociousfil5747]

There is an ending where you burn the village(probably everything else as well, and an ending where you don’t but get swallowed by the beast

[@GamesWithWavy]

@@ferociousfil5747 Yes, that ending is the “bad ending” or the ending you’ll get by just doing exactly what the Collector wants.

[@Tr33fiddy]

I loved the game, maxxed out my boat and abilities but didn't even realise there was a good ending so never knew that the Fisherman and Collector were the same person. However I didn't suspect it either having recently finished "The Fisherman" by John Langan where two people grieving the death of their wives/families bond over their mututal love of fishing... and then the cosmic horror part begins. So I always had the expectation that Fisherman and Collector were two people.

[@GamesWithWavy]

That’s eerily similar to the plot of this game

[@Tr33fiddy]

@@GamesWithWavy It differs a lot in the details. Both men were anglers rather than sailors and the third act when *things* start going south are very different.

[@GamesWithWavy]

@@Tr33fiddy I see, thanks for explaining.

[@scottsimpson5398]

There are some very cryptic messages in Julie's writings that I've noticed. In her 14th of September entry, after she talks about the box the men found, she talks about the crashing waves and how she hears them still, this is a hint at the fact that she went overboard and hears the waves crashing from beneath the sea "the crashing waves rose to fill my ears" the water filling up her ears as she sank into the sea. But she said that before saying she looked to her husband, what if her husband was possessed by a darkness, and pushed her overboard, and she stared into the void in his eyes as she sank into the ocean, this is hinted in conversations where people talk to the Fisherman about something he did, they speak as if he did something unspeakable, like murdering his wife perhaps. The subsequent messages having no dates can show that these come from beyond a watery grave, julie states it's been years since shes felt warm, she knows her husband wont write, perhaps because he cant write to a dead woman, the parts being smudged could be due to the water she would write them in. The message after "my darling, I have found you at last. When you left i was scattered to the winds, but now... I feel almost whole again. There is just one thing left to do. Throw me back" this can be deduced as her being left to float in her watery grave, all her belongings "scattered" and she feels more whole as you collect more of the artifacts, and when she says the last thing to do is to throw her back, I believe this is in direct reference to the artifacts being symbols of her, being all the parts to make her whole and by throwing them to sea you are throwing her back in, allowing the ritual to be completed and resurrect the old one, possibly her significance within this was that her soul was bound in link with the god so that she would be the conduit to rise it from the depths and free it from its prison, this also makes sense when you think about what happened when her husband opened the box, perhaps he did more than push her over, perhaps he did something even worse, maybe she was a sacrifice to the god, the first of many steps to bringing about the end, something that appears to have happened before with the ancient civilisation over in the volcanic region

[@braydenalexander6159]

I think the sea beasts were all guardians of the depths protecting the pieces to prevent them from being brought together

[@GamesWithWavy]

That's what I have started to believe as well. The aberrations existed before the casket with the book was dredged up. But the mist didn't. So I wonder if the aberrations wasn't caused by the book like the mist. Hence there's nothing wrong with the aberrations. Except, that one docker worker who eats them becomes like a zombie. As if under the spell of Cthulu.

[@yassinet5]

I got all relics, but decided against doing the ending immediately. I didnt know it was the bad ending. I went dredging to upgrade my boat, that is when i found the man at gale cliffs. I threw it back just before i couldnt.

[@GamesWithWavy]

That’s the beauty of a good game that makes you wanna play and do more side stuff before you submit to the end. And thus giving you a chance to experience more of the game and maybe even stumble upon a different ending like you did here.

[@furryhunter840]

Actually the Leviathan is a force for good, there is a side quest where a courier is delivering a strange passages. Leviathan hampers him and tries to prevent the delivery of this package. When we deliver it, we see why.

[@thatoneguy485]

Only noticed that the crisom book is there in the opening scene with glases

[@GamesWithWavy]

Yup that’s crazy! So good though.

[@antiares1684]

Good video! But I think you and all the orher ppl in the comments missed a detail. And that is, when you chose to perform the ritual and bring back your wife (and cause the end of the world), the collector says to you: "The relics are comming with us, we should wait for the fog to thicken. WITH LUCK THE SEAS WILL REMAIN UNAWARE OF OUR INTENTIONS..." I think the last bit reveals what is the Leviethan - a protector of the seas, a manifestation of nature and the natural way for the oceans. I really don't think that the Leviethan is evil and a minion of the Elder God, quite the opposite. It's trying to stop you from bringing doom to all life on Earth, but the Eldritch God has a strong presence in the islands (as already pointed by some ppl), that's why you see the Leviethan only once you reach the end of the map or while you are in the open waters far from islands. And one more point. One of the Black Stones at Devil's Spine, tells a story of a Leviethan that rises from the deep... it's head reaching out of the water until it's eyes are even with the fire/light of the ancient lighthouse. "It watches the fire for a while, tilting its head and calling softly to it with a guttural song. Appearing satisfied, the beast slinks down into the water, gliding back to the depths." This quote is also an indication that the Beast is a force for good, it likes the flame that represents the light, and is trying it's best to stop the darkness from spreading. Those are my thoughts about the subject. It's a great game indeed. Briliant story, animation and gameplay!

[@GamesWithWavy]

I think you are very much correct. And there have been comments saying about the same thing that the leviathan is a force of good. I definitely believe that too.

[@antiares1684]

@@GamesWithWavy Thank you for that! The storty fascinates me, so I delved in the deep...

[@miguelcanoura9355]

Such an amazing analysis, this is truly a GOTY contender! My take on the good ending: from a religious stand, Christian theologians identified Leviathan with the demon of the deadly sin, envy. Maybe the fisherman envies other people for having a partner, which he lacks. So much so, that it gets devoured or engulfed by it (literaly speaking)....

[@GamesWithWavy]

Thank you! There is a lot of ways to interpret the fisherman's actions, which is what makes this game so great!

[@lukamiler5824]

I played through the whole game looking for all 5 relics before I realized I need to have the relic in inventory to be able to give it to the collector. All the powers he provided were just to be able to find the last remaining abberations of ocean sunfish and moonfish. All in all I loved the game, but it would've been so much less annoying if the collector could see and realize that I had the relics in storage.

[@Snulge]

Leviathan is separate from the other monsters. Notice compared to all the other monsters, he looks relatively normal? No abnormal growths, nothing strange in the anatomy. I think Leviathan is a protector of the seas and is eating everything bad. If you remember, Leviathan was stalking the other boater who was bringing something corrupted to little marrow but they gave up and gave it to you because Leviathan was trying to eat it and cleans it.

[@lucajones4709]

Just noticed that the glasses and the red book are right there in the first cutscene.

[@GamesWithWavy]

That’s right! It’s a very nice detail from the developers.

[@DragoNer0]

Hello, I wanted to ask you if during the initial video of the game you noticed that the crimson book that will later be in the hands of the collector is visible near the fisherman who is maneuvering his boat. So I'm assuming two things: the fisherman and the collector are the same person or however the collector was part of the crew. I prefer the first hypothesis.

[@GamesWithWavy]

Wow! Great find with the book in the boat next to the fisherman. I will definitely bring this up in my next video! Thank you!

[@mlk_ix2831]

I don’t think the elder god control all the ocean Otherwise he could retrieve the artifacts by himself Or Perhaps artefact can’t be known and he need to make a Victim seek for changing the past (from a tragic loss for example of Julie and The fisherman) and the ritual is a way To exploit Humankind most powerful force: Love. The cycle of the apocalypse is another big question Few people know fisherman’s intention cause it already happened and make him feel like he his narcissistic (the elder god twist love into madness maybe) Or maybe all of the abyss come from Fisherman head Thanks for this video :)

[@GamesWithWavy]

That’s a good point. Which supports some other hypothesis in the other comments about how the artifacts doesn’t matter to the elder god. It’s just for the satisfaction of the one doing the resurrection ritual. Maybe because they need to use items that have strong connections to them or maybe just to strengthen the illusion that they are reviving a loved one. Thanks for the comment and glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching.

[@robertcole3247]

I love at the end of the good end that it's a clear night instead of a foggy one

[@GamesWithWavy]

Absolutely they’ve put in a lot of great detailed touches.

[@chasemoore8973]

the book and the glasses of the collector are right there in the first scene of the game. and i missed it

[@GamesWithWavy]

I think everyone did their first play through since it isn’t of any significance until you start to play the game for a while.

[@Doc_Tar]

So, what's the scrap of paper that looks like the corner of a map with the ordinal directions on it supposed to be for? I tried selling but he wouldn't take it.

[@GamesWithWavy]

Oh yeah, that’s the treasure map to a underwater casket with some upgrade material and some rings and stuff. Don’t remember quite. But it’s nothing special or even related to the main story. Check out this article for help with the quest: prodigygamers.com/2023/04/04/dredge-treasure-map-location-for-sunken-treasure/

[@Doc_Tar]

@@GamesWithWavy Thanks, I had on piece of the map taking up space in my storage for at least a 1/3rd of the game and never found the rest of the map. Kind of frustrating. I should have discarded it.

[@ferociousfil5747]

They are all in the south west part of the map

[@Doc_Tar]

@@ferociousfil5747 Thanks, I'm working that region today and am going to make it a priority to finish this mini-quest.

[@maxmuller8756]

Thanks for this verry good Video now i ik more about the game but still there is one question where i dpn't have the answer for: The collector has a own workshop but i haven't found something to open that ? is that for the next update of the game or does it hase actually no use at all and it is just for decoration ?

[@GamesWithWavy]

That’s a good question that I do not know the answer for. Sorry!

[@GamesWithWavy]

Also, thank you so much!

[@themalcontent100]

i am interested in the relationship with the elder god and the boss monsters in each area.

[@GamesWithWavy]

There are actually a few comment threads in this video that discusses it. And the Reddit threads I linked to under the pinned comment discusses this too.

[@breezygamer1179]

Can you maybe make an updated video with the theories presented in the comment section?

[@GamesWithWavy]

That’s my plan, starting after tomorrow!

[@sevthaboss4597]

Idea: the story is a loop thinknback to what the mayor said about the last when he dissapeared was the same faye the one we plays as in the good ending.

[@rza884]

One interesting detail I found is when you try to reach the end of the map , that giant fish will try to stop you from leaving. One more thing that I’m really curious what’s inside the locked workshop?

[@GamesWithWavy]

Actually no idea what’s inside it. Probably something for crafting maybe they planned but then didn’t have time? The leviathan eating you I’m still thinking on why it does when you try to leave.

[@NicolasCaja]

the workshop is a DLC with a pair of items, an early game 1x1 motor and a 1x1 fishing charm that improves the chance of aberration its pretty lame tbh

[@NicolasCaja]

so nobody else notices the teleport like glow right before the big fish eats the boat in the "good" ending?

[@GamesWithWavy]

There’s another commenter that have noticed that and given a hypothesis. Personally I believe it’s an artist’s shortcut for making the boat “getting devoured”. Meaning then intention was to save time in development and not to give hints at lore/canon of what’s happening. What do you think?

[@crapsound]

Hey, wasn't there also a mysterious sound caught in the ocean that was called "Julia"? I just thought it may have been some sort of an easter egg considering the Collector's wife is named Julie.

[@GamesWithWavy]

Sound? Can you explain more like where to find it and so on?

[@crapsound]

@@GamesWithWavy Uhh it's like on a list of "mysterious sounds caught in the ocean" or something like that.

[@GamesWithWavy]

@@crapsound you mean like a video on KZbin?

[@crapsound]

@@GamesWithWavy yeah.

[@J0kerScars]

The big mystery for me is they have voice actors listed in the credits but no dialogue the whole game lol

[@GamesWithWavy]

Lol it’s just the hmms groans and sighs I guess

[@sharondornhoff7563]

Monster noises too.

[@jabbawookeez01]

with the good ending..i dont think the fisherman dies but escapes.. the teleportation/banish light thing happens on the boat as it is swallowed up.. 🧐 i think the fisherman got rid of the book but used its power to escape and go back now that the job is done

[@SevenEllen]

Sad that the 'good ending' entails the fisherman sacrificing himself/dying to save town by preventing the sea god, but tragic stories can be good ones too.

[@SergioTheSurge]

A observation I made without playing the game is that Books seem to be the connection between the Fisherman and the Collector. No one else seems to read them and they are offered as rewards. The Collector also has his book always with him and yet he appears to be the only one who reads all other characters seem to discard them like they were junk. Their love for books seems to be a far fetched connection but it’s not unheard of since the Collector is the Fisherman and vice versa

[@GamesWithWavy]

That’s actually quite interesting detail. I think it’s mostly ignored by other players of the game because the books are just a game mechanic to give you some passive bonuses. But maybe it’s also a lore mechanic that’s meant to tell you something like you believe. It doesn’t connect any dots with me so i can’t offer any discussions further.

[@kazemhaghighi7317]

Hi. How did u get the thubmnail?

[@skylark2383]

basically the bad ending is continuing in your delusion and obeying the elder god, summoning him and dooming everyone (sacrificing everyone for your selfish needs) . The good ending is realizing that the collector is you and you come to terms with what you did (unearthing the unholy artifact) and you throw the book and yourself to the seas basically sacrificing yourself for the sake of the good people

[@rainbo.8156]

doesn't the mayor at the start of the game say hes replacing the boat YOU crashed? I mean i dont think there is an explanation on how the fisher man got to the starting area. which could explain the the collecter saying dont you remeber, you were there. the collector is the fisherman BEFORE the shipwreck and the person we play as has lost his memories of the collector. just a theory tho

[@MinusDead]

Theoretically there is no good ending living wise but for the greater good of others the ending thats good is where you basically sacrifice yourself

[@Rupert_Astralnauta]

It's funny cause everytime you say "physical", I hear "Fiscal". And picturing the eldricht cthulhu-like god having a fiscal representation is hilarious.

[@GamesWithWavy]

Lol

[@Seldarius]

I don’t think the Elden God needed the stuff you collected. What he probably needed was you to head out to that particular spot and read words from the book. Maybe he also needed some other things done, like the lights lit that you need to in order to get the last item. (The fanatic does tell you you are to be his replacement). Since you are the collector and have no intention in doing anything but get your wife back, you naturally collect things you assume she needs rather than what the God needs. Though, there could maybe a case be made for you sacrificing things that mean a lot to you as well? If you go with the “good ending”, the sea swallows you in form of the massive sea creature. It’s interesting to remember that you can banish even this monster if you come across it while you are in possession of the book. Now that the book and you are separated, you don’t protect each other anymore and the sea, which hasn’t been “cooperative” for a while, immediately gets rid of both of you. What I have been wondering is what has caused this world to be full of supernatural things. Did you and the book cause “the fog”? What happened to the ancient civilisation? It seems unlikely that you have anything to do with that, but was there another “you” long ago? Did the Elden God in a former form destroy their civilisation or was it simply a natural disaster? Following the messages of Julie, the Basin was a nice place 20 years earlier, no Kraken to spoil your engagement, so I assume the book caused at least some parts of the infestation. Also interesting is the Scientists mentioning that she keeps finding messages from her sister, even long after she has been deceased. So, does Julie still exist somewhere in the sea? Or is her appearing form merely an illusion, bait for you? Are some of the messages she sends you in the bottles also written from beyond the grave? Which parts of what you experience are due to the evil force you’re meddling with and which are just the sea protecting itself from it? It’s certainly an interesting game that lingers. I still have so many questions.

[@GamesWithWavy]

Fantastic writeup! And I agree on most of it. Actually, we have ongoing discussions about most of what you have summarized here neatly in the other comments. For instance, you probably do not need the items. They are either just something that means a lot to you, as the one doing the resurrection ritual. Or they are simply a ruse to get you to actually perform the resurrection. That said, the Collector is most likely under heavy influence by the elder god, as in, I believe the Collector wants to resurrect his wife, but is also the one that has taken the bait from the elder god that this is something that is possible to do. So in his mind, everything that the book says, he will believe. And according to one of the notes we find, it says something like 5 = raises. So he somehow got that idea somewhere and wrote it down. There's another very strong hypothesis that the Leviathan actually is a separate power from the elder god. While the elder god is evil, the leviathan is good. The elder god is desctruction, while the leviathan is the protector. I have linked to a reddit link in the pinned comment post where you can go and read more about this hypothesis. And yes, the book did probably cause the fog. Although before the book was found, there were already aberrrations in the water and tentacles of the void acting. If you watch the Dredge release trailer animations, you'll see this. And finally, yes the letters probably aren't from the real julie, but the bait that is julie. She probably died then and there during the disaster of the dredging of the casket/book. The old mayor and the lighthouse keeper tells a disaster story of that even while the letters from julie explains it just as if it was lovecraftian supernatural. So the fact the researcher suggests she's been receiving those letters, may suggest the message bottles we find are from the elder god's bait. That the julie we see being resurrected is simply an illusion like the other boats we see during night sometimes.

[@Seldarius]

@@GamesWithWavy Thanks for your reply. I admit I wanted to put my thoughts down first before looking at the reddit thread, which was a very interesting read. I missed the illustrations in the old lighthouse, for example, but they make lots of sense. I somehow do think that the letters reaching Julie’s sister are from the real Julie. The researcher mentioned that the Kraken did not attack her, but rather the research centre, so it doesn’t see her as a threat. So “bait-Julie” would have no reason to communicate with her. Also, Julie seems to repeat a variation of the Old Mayors words “throw me back” in one of her letters. If she was guided by the God it’s unlikely she would encourage her husband to let her go, surely?

[@GamesWithWavy]

@@Seldarius so does that mean Julie, like the old mayor, might still be alive?! 🤔

[@Seldarius]

@@GamesWithWavy Maybe less “alive” than not dead? Her sister reports that the letters show up in research projects and fishing lines. So, maybe Julie is kept somewhere under the sea in an undead state? There’s also the question where you were for the last 20 years? There are several campsites strewn across the map. At at least 2 of them the old mayor can be found at different times. But did you also “go mad” between then and now? Did you live there? Or were you also absorbed by the sea/the magic of the book? Or just quietly lived on Blackstone island? Were you the former fisherman? Nobody but the old mayor seems to recognise you.

[@GamesWithWavy]

@@Seldarius I’m guessing a lot of these questions will get answered in, now undoubtedly due to the success of the game, an upcoming dlc. Or maybe they’re meant to be a bit ambiguous. Here’s hoping the dlc gives us all the answers.

[@ImmortalNaitsirhc]

You know, I HAVE wondered why the Collector never *boarded* the ship as all the other NPCs have, but it was more of a passing thought... I assumed that maybe it was a tiny foresight... oh boy, how wrong I was.

[@GamesWithWavy]

The game has great attention to detail which is a hallmark of a great game.