What is the Leviathan in Dredge & can you catch it?

While sailing the open waters in Dredge, you'll come across a whole horde of creepy creatures, like fish with three heads, mutant crabs, and a murderous octopus. But perhaps the most terrifying of them all is the Leviathan, a gigantic sea monster that patrols the ocean. Here's everything you need to know about the Leviathan in Dredge, including whether you can catch it or not.

Warning: There are major plot spoilers ahead for Dredge.

What is the Leviathan in Dredge?

As you roam the open world in Dredge, you may feel like someone or something is watching you. And, in fact, you're not wrong: the Leviathan has its eye on you. The enormous prehistoric sea monster lurks in the deep, keeping tabs on the waters from below.

Sometimes, the spine-chilling beast will rise to the surface, and if you suddenly see a large fin appear from under the waves, run. Though most of the time, it will simply pass by, you should still flee because it can and will eat you without any warning, giving you the game over screen. You also can't Banish it like other monsters.

Can you catch the Leviathan in Dredge?

There are over 120 catchable fish in the game, but the Leviathan is not one of them. Unfortunately, you cannot add the colossal giant to your Encyclopedia. And it makes sense; you can't exactly store it in your boat's cargo, can you?

What happens if you go out of bounds in Dredge?

You'll have a fatal encounter with the Leviathan if you go out of bounds and ignore the large ENTERING UNCHARTED WATERS. TURN BACK message that will pop up in the middle of your screen. If you keep sailing forward, you'll hear an eerie audio cue growing louder and louder until suddenly, the Leviathan's fin emerges from the water behind you.

Related: Dredge Hooded Figure Guide & Locations

Once you reach this point, there's nothing you can do. You have about 10 seconds to accept your fate before the monster snaps up your boat between its jaws, and you'll be forced to reload your last save.

Warning: There are major plot spoilers below for Dredge.

Dredge Leviathan lore explained

While the game doesn't outright explain what exactly the Leviathan is, it drops some hints that opens it up for interpretation. Again, major spoilers ahead.

In Dredge's good ending, where it's revealed that the Collector was you all along, the game ends with you being eaten by the Leviathan in order to save Greater Marrow from a perilous fate caused by evil in you.

Some players speculate that this means the Leviathan is actually good, and the fact that it tries to eat you throughout the game means that its goal from the beginning was to stop you from destroying the world. It appears to be reinforced by the fact that other sea monsters that attack you, such as the Night Angler and the Stellar Basin monster, are riddled with evil and are Aberrations (AKA mutants), and the Leviathan is normal.

For more information on Dredge, check out Dredge: Blue Crab location guide on Pro Game Guides.