DREDGE The Pale Reach Guide: Icebreaker, Under the Ice and Rewards

DLC scope and first stop

This route requires The Pale Reach expansion to be installed. The official expansion page says the ice biome can be experienced at any stage of a playthrough, but it is still best approached with a functioning boat, clear cargo space, and a plan to return to the Bleak Pontoon. The DLC adds its own ice habitat and story; it does not replace the base-game relic order.

At the entrance, speak to the Travelling Merchant and learn the Icebreaker pursuit. The route into the inner field is initially constrained by ice. The Narwhal step is a required part of reaching two Icebreaker components: at the Photographer’s blocked wall, fill the 16-slot (4 by 4) fish-delivery panel with fish. The Narwhal destroys the icy wall and opens the way forward. The Icebreaker is then the durable tool for breaking later ice chunks.

Build the Icebreaker before chasing the story

After the Narwhal opens the wall, dredge the three parts in this order-friendly route: the first plow half at I-4 by Central Camp, the second plow half at F-4 by Western Bearing, and the bracing at J-6 by Eastern Terminus. Return with all three to the Icy Worksite at Bleak Pontoon. The Merchant installs the Icebreaker on the boat. It breaks ice chunks and opens the deeper field; it is not a cargo item you carry to a single wall.

Grid references here use the Pale Reach’s negative rows: J-4 means column J, row minus four. Clear a channel, explore it, then return to a dock before attempting a late-night sweep. The icefield can make a direct map line unusable, and an empty hold helps when a dredging spot gives an Ice Axe rather than a fish.

Free the four memories

At Central Camp, begin Under the Ice. Use the Icebreaker to reach the dredging spots that contain the four Ice Axes, then use the axes on the Ice Shards holding the four figures:

Ice Axe dredge route	Ice Shard and figure
J-4, behind ice east of Central Camp	Central Camp — Captain
The narrow, ice-blocked waterway beside Western Bearing	Western Bearing — Navigator
K-4, at the bottom of the lake north of Eastern Terminus	Eastern Terminus — Boatswain
G-7, behind the southern Icebreaker channel	Southern Locus — First Officer

Take one axe to its nearby shard, free the figure, and collect the resulting Frozen Heart. It can be lost to hull damage, so store collected hearts at a dock between trips. Do not mistake a fishing or pot catch for an Ice Axe: the axes come from the Icebreaker-accessed dredging route. Place all four Frozen Hearts at the Rock Slab at K-4 to receive the Radiant Trawl Net. Then visit the newly opened dredging spot at Southern Locus to collect the Aurous Anchor. Keeping those two rewards separate prevents the common mistake of leaving the slab unfinished after freeing the figures.

Useful optional follow-up

The Merchant’s Ice Shaper pursuit unlocks Ice Blocks, which slow fish spoilage. It is helpful for longer hauls, but it is not the Icebreaker and does not open the central field. Pale Reach Fish and Ice covers the region’s ice habitat, night Wolffish, nets, and pots. Return to Main Pursuits Route when you want to resume the base-game relic story.