DREDGE Aberrations: How to collect any aberration

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This is a guide on how to collect any aberration.

DREDGE Aberrations

Catching most aberrations has the same strategy but I will have a more in depth strategy for the unique aberrations. This is a WIP and I will try to update as I get more information. Any strategies for aberrations not mentioned, or more information about listed aberrations, would be appreciated in the comments.

This guide is assuming you already have the ability to fish in all locations(oceanic, hadal, etc.) and have access to all spells. There will be heavy game play spoilers.

Basic Strategy

For most aberrations finding them is just a matter of locating their spawn location and waiting for them to appear. However there are ways to speed this process up. Occasionally a shimmer effect will appear above a school of fish, this means a guaranteed aberration will spawn in that school( I have noticed that this happens more often at night but I can not confirm this). Also the spell Atrophy almost always grants an aberration and is much faster then fishing normally.

Review the Encyclopedia for location and water depth/type of base fish.
Wait for shimmer effect or use the Atrophy spell
Collect aberration

Mixed Bait Strategy

If you are having trouble locating a certain fish try using the “mixed bait” item(this can be bought after the twisted strand quest line). This will randomly fish up any fish local to a given area. This is very useful for all the open ocean aberrations where finding a specific spawn location can be tedious. This also works with the atrophy spell.

locate aberrations location and use mixed bait
atrophy spell
collect aberrations

A good spot for farming open ocean aberrations is next to the Gale Cliffs merchant dock. (see image below)

The mixed bait item will only give fish that you can catch so make sure you have the right gear to catch the fish you want. This can be used in your favor as well. If you want a specific fish just unequip all fishing gear that does not apply to the certain fish and use the mixed bait. For example, if you want the Skeletal Moonfish aberration, equip only the hydraulic rod and go to the open ocean. From there use the mixed bait+atrophy spell until you have found it.

Atrophy Mechanics

The Atrophy spell will automatically fish up all the fish in a given school of fish. The fish pulled up will have a random status(fresh, stale, rotting, or infected). While I can’t confirm the exact percentages there seems to be an increased chance of pulling up an aberration. The range is quite large and is very useful for difficult to reach areas, like the Devil’s Spine. The spell has a cooldown of about 12 in game hours.

A very important aspect of the Atrophy spell to note is that any fish pulled up will not respawn naturally (As of writing this guide quitting and then reloading the save file from the menu will bring back all fish pools). This effect does not apply to mixed bait created fish pools.

Collector Quote:
“This phrase instantly culls the closest shoal of fish, readying them for swift reaping. It can be heard from a great distance, so you need not be close to your victims. But the population is unlikely to recover from such vile trauma. Use it sparingly”

Some Hard to Obtain Aberrations

Sharks (and sailfish)

Two of the sharks can be found right next to the Greater Marrow dock(which shark is available is based on the time of day)
Hammerheads are found next to the Stellar Basin area merchant
Frilled Sharks can be found on the west side of the Devil’s Spine ruins
Sailfish can found north of the Greater Marrow dock (west of the northern set of small islands)

Anchovy King

Anchovy/Anchovy Kings can only be found by trawling open ocean.
To do this you will need the Heavy Duty Trawl Net(last net research unlock)
Once you have the Heavy Duty Trawl Net equipped sail around the open ocean until you get the Anchovy King.(this may take awhile)

Aurora/Parhelion Jellyfish

Aurora/Parhelion Jellyfish can only be caught by trawling coastal waters in the Stellar Basin at night.
Any trawl net will do except for the silt filtering trawl net. I recommend the tempered mesh net(fastest catch speed, lowest bycatch chance).
Once you have the trawl net is equipped sail around the outside of the Stellar Basin ring of islands until you get the Jellyfish.(this may take awhile)
Photo attached of where I found a Parhelion Jellyfish.