Where to Find Refined Metal in DREDGE
The fastest guaranteed Refined Metal is the Traveling Merchant's $500 stock at her pontoon Shipyards. For an early free piece, go to Gale Cliffs after unlocking Packed Explosives. Break the rock wall on the south side of Ingfell Bay, just down from Dusty Pontoon, then dredge the marked Shape in the Deep.
Refined Metal Sources
- Traveling Merchant: Buy Refined Metal for $500 at her pontoon Shipyards. Her stock returns, making this the repeatable base-game option when you have money but no unexplored caches.
- Gale Cliffs: Use Packed Explosives on the rock wall south of Ingfell, below Dusty Pontoon, and dredge the spot behind it. This is a practical first free pickup once explosives are available.
- Other major regions: Check blocked passages and rare Shapes in the Deep. These world pickups are one-use finds and usually require Packed Explosives, so mark inaccessible walls and return later.
- The Iron Rig DLC: A tier 2 Foundry can manufacture Refined Metal from 2 Ironhaven Crates plus $25.
Refined Metal is used for hull-tier upgrades, so spend your first pieces on hull progression unless a specific objective takes priority. Unlike ordinary salvage nodes, free Refined Metal pickups in the world do not provide a dependable farming loop.
Best Basic Material Farming Loop
Lumber, Metal Scraps, and Cloth come from salvage nodes with bubbling water and debris, not regular fish-only spots. Basic material spots return over time, so on a fresh run make short daytime circles around Greater and Little Marrow, keep several cargo tiles open, and collect salvage before filling the hold with fish.
If cargo gets tight, drop low-value fish before dropping upgrade materials. Dock before night panic climbs, then revisit known salvage nodes on later days. This steady loop supplies research and building upgrades while Refined Metal comes from exploration, the merchant, or the Iron Rig Foundry.
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