Get the Carburetor from the merchants
The DREADMOOR demo's Carburetor comes from the merchants at Betsy and Sons after John the Fifth sends you to them. Catch the requested three Harpooners, sell those intact fish, then buy the Carburetor from their shop. Its price is 50 coins in the documented demo recording.
Mr. Feudal's demo-labelled player experience supplies the route and price; Z1 Gaming's later playtest independently shows the same sale-and-purchase sequence. The official DREADMOOR Steam page describes engine upgrades as part of preparing your vessel, but the steps below concern the recorded demo progression.
Finish the hull stage and speak to John
The engine-part errand follows boat repairs, the Softgrazer-to-Chromatic-Scales task, blueprint research and hull-protection installation. Once the hull step is complete, talk to John about the new engine.
He explains that he no longer has a Carburetor and directs you to the merchants. Speak to them rather than searching arbitrary barrels for a guaranteed drop. In the recorded dialogue, John lost his part in a card game, and the merchants expect payment.
They offer the predatory-fish bait blueprint and explain that they will buy three Harpooner carcasses. This gives you the fishing objective needed to continue.
Catch and sell three Harpooners
Craft Rainbow Fin bait, using the recipe displayed by your current build, and sail to a fishing spot identifying Harpooners. The demo's predator-fishing tutorial adds a moving-lure stage:
- Cast into the splash zone.
- Retrieve so that an interested fish can follow.
- Avoid retrieving too quickly or pausing so long that it loses interest.
- When hooked, tire the fish, watch line tension and land it.
Keep the three Harpooners intact in the hold. On returning, choose the merchants' fish-selling interaction and sell them. Then use the buying interaction to purchase one Carburetor.
Do not confuse this with the previous Softgrazer task. Those fish were processed for scales; these fish are sold. Grinding them first leaves you without the carcasses the current objective asks for.
Install the upgraded engine, not another standard engine
Return to the dry dock with the Carburetor. Follow the active objectives: raise the boat to the second level, remove the old engine and place it in module storage, then craft and install the upgraded engine at the lathe.
The later-playtest recording includes an instructive player mistake: crafting another standard engine before following the engine quest. That is not the intended upgrade. Read the blueprint name and quest text before spending materials.
After installation, report to John. The demo route then leads toward the Throat. The 50-coin price and recorded objective order describe this demo sequence; they are not a promise that every future release will use identical costs.
FAQ
Does John give me the Carburetor?
No. He directs you to the merchants, who sell it after the Harpooner task.
Is it a direct trade of three fish for the part?
The recorded sequence has two shop actions: sell the fish, then buy the Carburetor for 50 coins.
Can I grind the Harpooners before returning?
Keep them intact for sale. The quest is different from the earlier fish-processing task for Chromatic Scales.