You’re out on the water, the sun is dipping below the horizon, and the panic meter is starting to throb. That’s when you see it. A hooded silhouette standing on a jagged rock, staring at nothing. If you’ve spent any time playing Black Salt Games’ indie hit, you know exactly what I’m talking about. The Figure in Red is one of those creepy, high-stakes encounters that makes Dredge feel less like a fishing sim and more like a desperate race against cosmic rot.
It’s easy to mess this up.
A lot of players sail right past these hooded figures because they’re busy hauling bronze trophies or dodging the Unfinished Monster in the Cliffs. But the Figure in Red isn't just window dressing. It's a timed quest. If you take too long, or if you don't have the right inventory prepared, that figure isn't going to be there when you get back. They starve. They die. And you lose out on the rewards forever.
Where to Find the Figure in Red (and Why You’ll Probably Miss Him)
Locating the Figure in Red is actually the "easy" part of this nightmare. He is perched at coordinates L14, specifically on a small island within the L-14 grid square. This is smack in the middle of the Devil’s Spine, a region that is basically designed to wreck your hull with those annoying little red piranha-mimics.
He wants fish. Specifically, he wants a very weird sequence of volcanic and deep-sea life.
Honestly, the first time I found him, I didn't have any of the right equipment. I had to sail all the way back to the Charred Pontoon, swap out my rods, and by the time I got back, I was so worried about the "timed" aspect of the quest that I almost crashed into a rock. The game doesn't explicitly give you a stopwatch on the screen, but the developers confirmed that these hooded figures have a limited lifespan once you initiate the conversation. If you trigger the quest and then go off to finish the main storyline, you’re going to find a pile of bones when you return.
The Shopping List of Death
The Figure in Red is hungry. Not for normal stuff. He wants specific species that reflect the heat and corruption of the Devil's Spine.
💡 You might also like: Why Ice Spear Ash of War is Still Broken in Elden Ring
First, he asks for a Cusk Eel. You can find these right there in the Devil's Spine, but you need volcanic fishing gear. They aren't particularly rare, but they take up a bit of space. After you hand that over, he moves on to a Barracuda. Again, these are local. The real kicker is the final request: a Fanged Flounder.
The Fanged Flounder is a jerk.
It’s a volcanic fish, usually found in the same region, but its spawn rate can be finicky depending on the time of day. You’re sitting there, circling a bubbling vent while your insanity meter climbs, praying for a flounder so this guy in the red robe doesn't keel over. It’s stressful. It’s meant to be. Dredge thrives on that specific brand of "hurry up and wait" anxiety.
The Reward: Is the Nautical Aggression Worth It?
So, why bother? Why risk your boat and your sanity for a guy who won't even show his face?
The reward for completing the Figure in Red’s quest is the Nautical Engineering book. For those who aren't obsessed with the meta-game, books in Dredge provide passive buffs while you read them during travel. This specific book reduces the durability loss of your equipment.
Think about that.
Every time you hit a wall, every time a monster bites your hull, or every time you use your engines too hard, your gear degrades. Nautical Engineering slows that rot. It’s one of the most practical upgrades in the game, especially if you’re planning on tackling the late-game areas like the Pale Reach or the Iron Rig DLC.
💡 You might also like: The Quarry Characters Cast: Why This Horror Roster Actually Works
The Lore Controversy: Who Are These People?
There are four hooded figures in total: Red, Blue, Gold, and Purple. None of them talk much. They speak in cryptic, one-line demands.
Some fans on the Dredge Discord and Reddit communities have theorized that these figures are cultists serving the same eldritch entities that the Collector is obsessed with. Others think they’re just starving survivors who have been driven mad by the fog. Personally, I lean toward the cultist theory. The way they "consume" the essence of the fish you bring them feels less like eating and more like a ritual.
They don't have names. They don't have backstories. They are just manifestations of the world's decay.
When you finish the quest, the Figure in Red doesn't say thank you. He doesn't offer you a seat by the fire. He just gives you the book and remains still. If you’ve failed and they die, the game doesn't give you a "Game Over" screen. It just lets you live with the silence. That’s the beauty of Dredge. The world doesn't care if you succeed.
Practical Tips for Not Failing the Quest
If you’re heading to L14 right now, stop. Don't talk to him yet.
- Prep your cargo first. Catch the Cusk Eel and the Barracuda before you even pull up to his rock. Since the timer starts once you talk to him, having 66% of the quest done before it "starts" is the only way to play it safe.
- Upgrade your engines. The Devil's Spine is huge. If you're rocking the basic starting engine, you're going to waste days traveling between the fishing spots and the figure. You need speed.
- Watch the heat. The volcanic vents in this area will damage your boat if you linger too long. Use the "Atrophy" ability if you have it. It’s a dark power you get later in the game that instantly harvests a fishing spot. It’s cruel, it guarantees a trophy fish, and it saves a massive amount of time.
The Figure in Red is a test of your efficiency. He represents the shift in Dredge from a cozy fishing game to a management horror experience. You aren't just a fisherman anymore; you’re a courier for the damned.
The Technical Reality of Timed Quests
Let’s talk about the "starvation" mechanic. In early versions of the game, players were furious because they didn't know the quests were timed. You’d pick up a quest in the first hour and come back in the tenth hour to find a corpse.
Black Salt Games eventually patched the game to make the "failed quest" state a bit more obvious, but they kept the timer. It’s a bold design choice. In an era where most RPGs let you keep 50 active quests in your log for eternity, Dredge demands presence. It demands that you care about the now.
If you find yourself at L14 and the figure is already gone, don't restart your whole save file. While the Nautical Engineering book is great, you can finish the game without it. It just makes things a bit more expensive in the long run.
How to Navigate Devil’s Spine Safely
To get to the Figure in Red, you have to deal with the mother fish and her offspring. These little red fish will attach to your boat and scream. This alerts the big one.
✨ Don't miss: Hugo Strange in Batman Arkham City: Why the Real Villain Wasn't Who You Thought
Use the Banish ability. If you don't have Banish yet, you probably shouldn't be messing with the Figure in Red. Banish creates a circle of light around your boat that wards off all monsters for a short period. It’s the only way to fish in the Spine without losing your mind or your motor.
Final Checklist for the Figure in Red
- Location: L14 (Devil’s Spine).
- Fish 1: Cusk Eel (Volcanic).
- Fish 2: Barracuda (Coastal/Volcanic).
- Fish 3: Fanged Flounder (Volcanic).
- Reward: Nautical Engineering (Passive durability buff).
- Status: Timed (Do not start until you are ready to finish).
The most important thing to remember is that the Figure in Red isn't your friend. He’s a consumer. He’s part of the landscape’s hunger. Treat the quest like a professional contract: get in, provide the goods, take your payment, and sail away before the sun goes down. The water in the Devil's Spine isn't safe for anyone, especially not for a fisherman with a boat full of rotting eels and a book he hasn't read yet.
Next Steps for Your Journey:
Check your map for coordinates L14 and ensure you have a Volcanic-capable rod installed at the Shipwright. Before interacting with the figure, scout the nearby bubbling vents to locate a Fanged Flounder spawn point, as this is the rarest of his requests and usually the one that causes players to fail the timer. Once you have the first two fish in your hold, initiate the quest to maximize your window for success.