In DREADMOOR, the night is full of dangers, and swimming in the local waters is not recommended. Threats recorded in quests, tutorials, and notes include ghouls, giant tentacles that damage the boat’s hull and engine, predatory liligators in Deep Water, dam-building beavers, and clouds of red Blight. To fend off creatures and clear hazards, players use the Axe, the 
Hook Gun, and the 
Harpoon Gun, which is useful for driving off monsters and breaking objects and obstacles from a distance.
Ghouls and Land Encounters
During the opening quests, you pull the Axe out of the ghoul’s head and take the Hook Gun from the ghoul’s claws. In the starting house note, an older brother writes that after a giant tentacle overturned Collin’s boat, Collin came back and the writer drove the axe into his head so hard that the blade got stuck. When you encounter ghouls or smash barrels every day, the 
Splitting Axe description notes that there is no such thing as “excessive”.
At the Ghoul Tower, an order states that handlers will be paid only after they process the creatures, adding: We do not need them tearing the crew apart or disrupting shipments. Instead, the note explains: We need their wicked strength to haul cargo and turn machinery. Payment will be made for ghouls with no teeth and stumps instead of arms. Another note near the shaft in The Slough complains of everything breaking and of being sick of driving off ghouls.
Deep Water Tentacles
On the water, massive tentacles can damage the boat’s hull and engine. A damaged engine will severely reduce the boat’s speed. To repair the engine, step away from the helm by pressing [F].
In the starting house note, the writer recalls telling Collin not to take a flimsy little boat out on the water at night, and writes: And I saw a giant tentacle overturn the boat. The naturalist’s notes on tentacles state: Wherever the occultists appeared, the tentacles always exhibited heightened aggression. The same naturalist adds: Someone merely came up with a very convenient explanation for the appearance of yet another mysterious species.
Liligator Ambush Predators
The naturalist’s notes describe the liligator as an astonishing creature and an apex predator. It can attack and pursue its prey, or lie in wait among the vegetation of Deep Water.
The note warns: And you will never know what is before you—a lily bush or a predatory beast—until you pluck the flower. By then, your only hope will be a long-range weapon and the durability of your motorboat. Another note about Bone Reef warns: It is far too dangerous! The writer adds: And there are liligators, too.
Dam-Building Beavers
In quest objectives, players are tasked to kill the dam-building beaver so the Baron opens the gates. An alternative quest objective instructs players to drive the beaver off with the sound of the klaxon. When dams block your path, every dam has a weak spot, marked by heavy corrosion, and you can find the weak spot, grab it with the Hook Gun, and break the dam.
A note titled Remarkable Beavers states: Grandpa said he used to work at a beaver farm. The writer adds: They say it was located somewhere around The Throat, and The Throat seems to be in The Slough. Another note exclaims: I swear, those creatures are not coming onto the island for no reason!
Blight Clouds and Mutated Predators
Loading screen hints warn: Clouds of red Blight are extremely dangerous! Try to avoid them. Essence slows mutations, but it is hard to obtain, and in Big Hollow players start the air cleaning to get rid of the Blight.
A note titled Experiment Number Two: Blight records three subjects and three types of infection. One affected only the mind, another transformed the flesh and musculoskeletal system while leaving the mind clear, and the third turned the subject into a mass of Blight growths and caused it to emit a crimson mist. A note on the sluice gate explains: The gate is no toy. It was not made this way on a whim, but to divide our lands and keep them safe from monsters and Blight!
In the water, 
Mutant Fish Meat is fish flesh warped by the Blight whose tough fibers ooze tainted essence, attracting scavengers and predators, while 
Glowbug is a deep-water fish’s light source, spawned by the Blight. Glossary entries also document Blight-twisted fish predators including 
Harpy, a 
Harpooner kin twisted by Blight that is typically completely blind and relies on scent, and 
Swallower, which is large enough to suck in a beaver or another small animal.