DREADMOOR Demo Walkthrough: Full Story Route

Quick answer: The demo runs about 3–4 hours: wake in the Slough, tune the radio, catch five Snapper, repair John's still, unlock the dry dock, install the engine, then restore the Throat's water wheels and sail out. This walkthrough follows the main path with spoilers.

The demo is a vertical slice: one region, one hub, one gate. It is compact enough to finish in an evening and dense enough to reward a second run. The full game is DREADMOOR on Steam; the demo is the separate app linked below.

"The demo includes its own questline, a remote settlement and the surrounding islands." — DREADMOOR demo on Steam

Before you start

• The demo is a separate app (appid 5219790) from the main game.
• Progress does not carry into Early Access.
• It is free; you only need a Steam account.
• Save anytime is supported.
• Returning playtesters should delete the Saved folder to avoid old-version bugs.

The demo page covers installation and length.

Act 1: The Slough

You wake in a shack. Your brother Colin is dead, killed by something in the water.

Objectives:

1. Loot the shack: metal plate, coral fibre, rope.
2. Go outside and pull the axe from the ghoul's head.
3. Equip the axe (1) and grappling hook (2).
4. Find the boat and take the helm.

Do not enter the water. It is instant death. The boat is your respawn point.

Follow the channel to the radio tower and tune the radio. This starts the dialogue with Gil and Boza.

Act 2: The trading post

The traders run Betsy & Sons General Store on the back of a giant crab. They inject you with essence to hold back the Sea Blight, which creates a debt.

Objectives:

1. Talk to Gil and Boza.
2. Accept the Snapper quest.
3. Catch five Snapper under the pier with earthworms.
4. Process them at the grinder.
5. Feed fish meat to the fuel larva.

The fishing tutorial is forgiving. Cast into a splash, hold right mouse, keep the rod green with A/D, pull against the fish and press F to land.

Once the Snapper are delivered, the store opens and John the Fifth becomes relevant.

Act 3: John's still

John owns the dry dock key. He is drunk, philosophical and convinced the boat has a machine spirit.

He needs his moonshine still repaired. Gather:

• Coral fibre from Angler's Island.
• Adhesive slime from blue-slime beetles behind the trading post.
• Iron barrels from around the settlement.

The coral glows at night and regrows in 2–3 days. The beetles are easiest to spot after dark. The barrels are scattered around the trading post.

Repair the still, then talk to John. He opens the dry dock.

Act 4: The dry dock

The dry dock is a physical repair sequence:

1. Raise the boat on the lift.
2. Pressure-wash the polyps.
3. Patch the holes.
4. Load the repair tool with bug slime.
5. Install armour plates.

Then install the Upgraded Engine. You need the carburettor:

• Pay Gil and Boza 50 coins, or
• Trade three Harpooner carcasses.

Harpooners are predatory fish. Cast past the splash, hold left mouse and retrieve slowly with small tugs. The fishing guide covers the timing.

With the engine installed, the boat is fast enough for the Throat run. Add hull protection before you go.

Act 5: The church and the blight

The church settlement is optional but worth visiting. It explains the Sea Blight and provides salvage.

There is no boss here. The hazard is the blight fog. Do not linger without medicine.

This is also where the game's tone settles: quiet, wet and hopeless, with occasional violence, as Dream Dock describes in its dev diaries.

Act 6: The Throat

The Throat is an ancient rivergate with two water wheels. The gate is closed and the power is out.

Objectives:

1. Start the generator.
2. Repair the buckets and the thermal coil.
3. Route water to both wheels using the control panel.
4. Open the gates.
5. Sail out.

The control panel is a flow puzzle. Each input redirects water; the goal is to feed both wheels at once. If a wheel stops, the gate will not open.

The keeper, Lilo, gives up and leaves on a giant turtle. Her departure is the demo's quiet gut-punch.

Act 7: The ending

Once both wheels turn, the gates open. Sail through.

You get the "You completed the DREADMOOR demo" screen and a teaser of the drowned world beyond. Sludgebet and the Baron are set up for Early Access.

The demo ends there. There is no final boss and no credits sequence.

Demo checklist

• Loot the shack.
• Take the axe and grappling hook.
• Tune the radio.
• Catch five Snapper.
• Process the catch.
• Refuel the boat.
• Repair John's still.
• Unlock the dry dock.
• Install the Upgraded Engine.
• Install hull protection.
• Restore the Throat.
• Sail through the gate.

FAQ

How long is the DREADMOOR demo? About 3–4 hours for a first playthrough.

Does demo progress carry over? No. The demo is a separate app.

How do you finish the demo? Restore the Throat's water wheels and sail through the gate.

Can you reach Sludgebet? No. The demo ends at the gate.

Is there a boss in the demo? No named boss. The tentacle is an escape encounter.