DREDGE Stellar Basin Pursuits Guide: Research Assistant and the Ring

Dock before you cross the basin

The Researcher at the Old Fortress starts Research Assistant. Treat her work as a chain of short objectives, not one full inventory list. The center of Stellar Basin has a creature you cannot simply defeat, so begin from a dock and keep the Research Outpost as the important return point.

The first set is three surface samples: Glowing Octopus, Firefly Squid, and Aurora Jellyfish. Check each encyclopedia entry for its method and time, then hand in the set before trying to do deeper work. This keeps ordinary fish from occupying every square when the pursuit needs its own item.

Restore the outpost before chasing the deep set

The next physical item is the Prototype Parts at the Research Outpost. Bring them back to the Researcher at the Old Fortress. She gives you the Repulsion Machine; take it to the generator at the Outpost and connect it. Once powered, the machine can be activated periodically to keep the basin creature away for a short window.

That is a timing tool, not permanent protection. Start the machine only when you are ready to leave the dock and do a real task. If you spend the window rearranging cargo or reading menus, you have spent the safe crossing. The creature can also be briefly affected by Banish later, but the outpost machine is the reliable pursuit step.

The deep samples are a gear check

The final requested set is Anglerfish, Loosejaw, Giant Amphipod, and Snailfish. The Researcher rewards completion with the Sampling Device and A Plan for the Future. The device opens the route into abyssal sampling; it is not a general answer to every deep-water fish.

Before setting off, inspect the equipment grid. A deep-water rod can be large enough to force out a useful engine or light. If it will not fit, a dry-dock change may be the actual next move. Abyssal and Hadal Gear separates the pursuit device from the purchasable research options.

Fit the Ring into the route

For a fishing-only return, Stellar Basin Fish Reference identifies the day, night, net, pot, and Hadal Gulper Eel requirements without replacing this pursuit route. The Collector’s Stellar Basin relic is the Ring. Do not assume the Ring, the Researcher samples, and a shrine submission all belong in the same cargo plan. Take the Ring straight back to Blackstone Isle once you have it; use a later, prepared visit for the optional shark shrine or Lost Dog.

If you see the dog near the abandoned resort, choose whether to keep it or take it to the Researcher before sailing away. It is an optional passenger decision, and it is easier with a direct dock route than a loaded relic run. Continue the main sequence with Twisted Strand Pursuits.