DREADMOOR beginner guide: fishing loop, trawler upgrades, night
DREADMOOR beginner guide: how the fishing loop works, which trawler upgrades to buy first and how to survive night trips in Early Access on PC.
Checked against Early Access launch build (Nov 9, 2026) on 9 Nov 2026. We re-test every guide after major updates; if something changed, tell us.
This DREADMOOR beginner guide explains how the first-person fishing adventure works in Early Access, which systems to learn first, how to spend your early catch and how to stay alive once the light fades. DREADMOOR launched on Steam on November 9, 2026 from developer Dream Dock and publisher Digital Vortex Entertainment, and it has been sitting among the top sellers on the Steam storefront. If you only want the price, specs and launch details, read our DREADMOOR Early Access launch report; this page is about playing well.
What DREADMOOR is and what Early Access includes
DREADMOOR drops you into the Submerged Lands, a flooded, post-apocalyptic world where coastal regions have sunk and much of the remaining land lies underwater. You captain a fishing trawler, travel between scattered settlements, catch fish to trade, upgrade the boat and craft survival gear. According to the Steam store page, mutated creatures hunt on both the water and the land, so this is a fishing game with real-time danger rather than a relaxing one.
The developers were clear about scope before launch. In their Steam announcements they describe the Early Access build as a complete core gameplay loop plus one major region to explore, with the game expected to stay in Early Access for roughly six to twelve months. Expect balance changes to the economy, trawler progression and night expeditions, because those are exactly the areas the team says it wants feedback on. Treat any number you read in a guide, including ours, as a snapshot of launch week.
The game is single-player, supports full controller input including DualSense, lets you save anywhere and uses Steam Cloud. It ships with 12 interface languages, and professional voice acting in English and Russian. The Steam page lists a 64-bit Windows 10 or newer system, DirectX 12 and 60 GB of storage.
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i5-8400 / AMD Ryzen 5 2600 | Intel Core i5-12400F / AMD Ryzen 5 5600 |
| GPU | Nvidia GTX 1060 (6 GB) / AMD Radeon RX 580 (8 GB) | Nvidia RTX 4060 / AMD Radeon RX 7600 |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| Storage | 60 GB | 60 GB |
The core loop: fish, sell, craft, upgrade
Everything in DREADMOOR feeds one cycle. You head out from the docks, find a promising fishing spot, cast, fight what bites, and return to sell the catch to the traders of the Submerged Lands. The money and salvaged materials then go into crafting and trawler upgrades that let you travel farther next time. Learning to run that loop efficiently is the whole early game.
- Leave with a planDecide before you cast off whether this trip is for money, for scrap and blueprints, or for testing a new spot. Mixed trips work, but the trawler's hold and fuel are limited, so a clear goal keeps you from turning back early.
- Match bait to the waterThe store page says you can experiment with different baits and scour the waters for the best fishing spots. Change one variable at a time so you actually learn what each bait attracts.
- Fight and land the catchFishing is skill-based, and bigger prey puts up a fight. The Steam description notes that large catches can be dangerous, so do not reel in a monster while another threat is circling.
- Sort your holdSea creatures eat each other, so a careless hold can lose value on the way home. Keep valuable species away from predators.
- Sell, craft, upgradeThe more dangerous the prey, the better the price. Spend on the upgrades that make the next trip safer before you spend on the ones that merely make it faster.
What to do in your first hours
The best early habit is to stay close to the docks and treat the first sessions as research. Safe, short trips teach you how the fishing minigame behaves, how fast fuel drains and where the hold fills up, without risking an expensive loss. Because DREADMOOR lets you save at any time, there is little reason to push into unknown water before you understand those basics.
- Sell early, upgrade early. Your first money is best spent on gear that protects the trawler. A stronger hull and the right equipment matter more than a faster engine when something large grabs your line.
- Keep spare fuel. The dry dock offers a canister rack for spare fuel, and the store page stresses that upgrades exist so you can make it back safely. Running dry far from the docks is the quickest way to end a profitable trip badly.
- Scavenge on the way. Scrap metal and blueprints are described as worth their weight in gold. Abandoned buildings, caves and shipwrecks are the places to look, and the resources become specialised bait, reinforced harpoons, medicines and survival tools.
- Read the water. Murky water hides threats, so slow down in unfamiliar areas instead of running at full speed.
Tip: Treat saving as a tool. Since the game supports saving anytime, save before you try a new fishing spot or enter a wreck. If a trip goes wrong you lose minutes, not hours.
Trawler upgrades worth prioritising
The dry dock is where your money turns into survival. According to the store description you craft and install components piece by piece. The upgrades it names are an engine and propeller for speed and manoeuvrability, hull reinforcement, a canister rack for spare fuel, a spotlight for the dark and an afterburner for a burst of speed when danger closes in.
A sensible order for most players is protection first, endurance second, speed third. Hull reinforcement keeps a mistake from ending the run. The canister rack extends how far you can safely travel. The spotlight turns night trips from guesswork into something you can plan. Engine and propeller upgrades are the most comfortable, but they do not save you if you are caught without fuel or armour. Keep the afterburner in mind as an escape button rather than an everyday tool.
Night expeditions and combat
Dream Dock says openly that nightfall changes the game. As daylight fades, familiar waters become far less predictable, and venturing out after dark may bring new opportunities but greater risks. Combat is real time on sea and land, and danger can appear at any moment, so even a routine trip can turn into a fight.
For a new player the safest approach is to be back at the docks, or at least near them, before dark until your trawler is properly upgraded. Once you own a spotlight, a reinforced hull and spare fuel, short night trips become a way to chase rarer catches. Craft harpoons and medicines before you leave rather than hoping to find them, and remember that fights on land can happen too when you scavenge.
Warning: DREADMOOR is in Early Access, so bugs, balance changes and rough edges are expected. Keep more than one save and report problems through the in-game feedback tools, Steam Discussions or the official Discord.
Price, editions and platform notes
DREADMOOR costs $19.99 in Early Access, with a 10% launch discount that brought the US price to $17.99 at the time of writing. There is also a $4.99 Early Access Supporter Pack with six cosmetic items: two dashboard figurines, two flags and two ship wheels. It gives no gameplay advantage. The game is PC only for now. A demo was released earlier, and the developers said the demo could be played on Steam Deck but that the game had not yet received an official Steam Deck Verified rating, so check the store page before buying if you plan to play handheld.
If you enjoy flooded-world survival, you may also like our Subnautica 2 beginner guide. For everything else about the game see the DREADMOOR game hub, and browse more game guides on the site.
FAQ
Is DREADMOOR out now?
Yes. DREADMOOR entered Steam Early Access on November 9, 2026 for $19.99, with a 10% launch discount.
How long will DREADMOOR stay in Early Access?
The developers currently expect it to stay in Early Access for approximately 6 to 12 months, with one major region available at launch.
Can I play DREADMOOR on Steam Deck?
The demo was playable on Steam Deck, but the developers said the game had not yet received an official Steam Deck Verified rating. Check the Steam page for the current status.
Does DREADMOOR have multiplayer or co-op?
No. Steam lists DREADMOOR as a single-player game.
What are the PC system requirements?
The minimum is an Intel Core i5-8400 or Ryzen 5 2600, a GTX 1060 6 GB or RX 580 8 GB and 8 GB of RAM. The recommended spec is an i5-12400F or Ryzen 5 5600, an RTX 4060 or RX 7600 and 16 GB of RAM. Both need 60 GB of storage.
Has finished every FromSoftware game at level 1. Writes the boss guides and checks them on every patch.