How to find Refined Metal in Dredge

Refined Metal is one of the most scarce materials in Dredge, but it’s extremely important: It’s how you update your hull, which gives your boat more space and stability. You can find it in several spots throughout Dredge, usually well-hidden — it’s not as readily available as wood planks or cloth.

Where to buy Refined Metal in Dredge

The easiest way to get Refined Metal is to buy it. The traveling merchant who’s set up shop at each of the four archipelagos — Twisted Strand, Devil’s Spine, Stellar Basin, and Gale Cliffs — sells it for $500 a pop. She’s got limited supply, however, so you’ll only get one per pontoon before she needs to restock. The $500 price tag is a bit hefty in the world of Dredge, but it’s not that hard to wrack up the funds necessary.

Plus, during conversation, the Traveling Merchant will offer you a book called Art of the Silver Tongue; this decreases prices on items she sells and increases prices for fish she’ll buy. Keep chatting with her and bringing her fish and things to fix to get the book, which you’ll then have to read while trawling the ocean. Regardless, go catch some fish and keep selling them to her until you’ve got the funds. The Refined Metal is located on the last tab of the Traveling Merchant’s Shipyard menu screen.

Image: Black Salt Games/Team17 via Polygon

Where to find Refined Metal in Dredge

But if you’d rather not buy Refined Metal, you can find it across Dredge. Each of the archipelagos has at least one area where you’ll find Refined Metal. The majority of them are blocked by debris, meaning there’s an extra step in collecting it. That extra step is Packed Explosives, which you’re able to buy in Gale Cliffs’ Ingfell once you finish that area’s storyline. It’s handy to have on you at all times, because the blocked off areas always have good stuff.

The easiest spot to snag Refined Metal is in Gale Cliffs, actually — sail into the open area and locate the waterfall. Go through the waterfall, where you’ll find a chest with Refined Materials and other goodies. The other simple spot, acquirable without explosives, is in the Stellar Basin. To the west of the most western island’s southern tip there’s a floating treasure chest with Refined Metal. (It can be hard to spot because the chest is submerged, so keep those eyes on the water!)

Image: Black Salt Games/Team17 via Polygon

You need six Refined Metal parts to upgrade your hull to its maximum level. Because Refined Metal is so precious, be careful when it’s onboard — you can lose it when you crash your boat. My recommendation is keeping it in your onshore storage until you need it.