There are exactly three permanently missable achievements in Dread Fields, and all are tied to seemingly optional daily chores you can easily ignore. If you want 100% completion in a single run, you must complete specific tasks for the “Master Baiter,” “Fungus Among Us,” and “Short Fuse” achievements on Day 2, Day 4, and Day 5, respectively. Fail to perform the chore on the correct day, and the opportunity is gone for the rest of your playthrough, forcing a full restart.
This guide breaks down each of the three hidden, time-sensitive achievements, showing you exactly what to do, where to go, and which common mistakes will lock you out of your perfect game.
Why Are These Achievements So Easy to Miss?
The core design of Dread Fields is built on a deceptive tension between the urgent main plot and the mundane daily tasks at the farmstead. Each morning, the grizzled farmer Jedediah gives you a list of chores—fix a fence, clear the cellar, check the traps. At the same time, the main story is pushing you to explore the wider map, investigate the mysterious disappearances, and follow critical leads. The game deliberately makes the chores feel like skippable side content.
Here’s the trap: they aren’t. The game never flashes a warning sign or tells you that the unique items required for these achievements only appear on that specific day, under specific conditions. If you decide to pursue a main story objective and tell yourself you’ll “clear the cellar later,” you’ll return to find the key item has vanished. The window of opportunity is the day the chore is assigned, and that window closes when you go to sleep.
Achievement #1: "Master Baiter" (Day 2)
This is the first missable achievement you'll encounter. It requires you to catch a unique, monstrous fish from the farm's pond, but you can only do so with special bait found during a Day 2 chore.
The Chore: Clearing the Root Cellar
On the morning of Day 2, Jedediah will complain about a smell coming from the root cellar and ask you to clean it out. This is your trigger. Ignore the urge to immediately investigate the smoke plume you saw the night before; head straight for the cellar doors behind the main farmhouse.
Getting the Grave Grubs
The cellar is dark and filled with junk. Your goal is a specific interactable object tucked away in the back-left corner, behind some potato sacks. Look for a small, Rotting Bait Can. Interacting with it will add the unique “Grave Grubs” item to your inventory. This is the only place and time to acquire this bait. If you end Day 2 without collecting it, the can will be gone on Day 3.
Catching The Gulper
With the Grave Grubs in hand, head to the murky fishing pond at the southern edge of the farm property. Equip your fishing rod, but when prompted to select bait, make sure you choose the Grave Grubs. Cast your line and wait. After a short, intense fishing minigame, you'll pull out “The Gulper,” a grotesque, one-of-a-kind fish. The moment it's in your inventory, the “Master Baiter” achievement will unlock. You can then dispose of the fish; its only purpose is triggering this trophy.
Dread Fields in-game screenshot
Achievement #2: "Fungus Among Us" (Day 4)
This achievement is tied to a weather-dependent event. Day 4 is scripted to be a rainy, miserable day, which is the only time the required ingredients for this trophy will spawn.
The Trigger: A Rainy Day Chore
Jedediah’s task for Day 4 is to check the perimeter fence for breaks caused by the storm. As you embark on this chore, you'll need to keep an eye out for three unique, faintly glowing mushrooms. They only appear on the farm during the Day 4 rainstorm. If you finish the day, the rain stops on Day 5, and the mushrooms despawn forever.
All Three Mushroom Locations
You must find all three to unlock the achievement. They are scattered across the farm in specific, memorable locations. Once you have all three in your inventory, you can proceed to the final step.
- Glimmercap: Found at the base of the large, fallen oak tree near the northern fence line. Its faint blue glow makes it easier to spot in the gloomy weather.
- Grave-moss: Growing on the cold stones of the old, boarded-up well in the central field. It has a sickly green luminescence.
- Bloodspore: Tucked into the straw at the foot of the lone scarecrow standing in the cornfield. It pulses with a dull red light.
Dread Fields in-game screenshot
Triggering the Vision
With the Glimmercap, Grave-moss, and Bloodspore collected, return to the farmhouse kitchen. Interact with the large stew pot simmering on the stove. You'll be given a prompt to “Add strange mushrooms to the stew.” Do it. You'll then automatically eat a bowl, triggering a bizarre, hallucinatory cutscene. Once the vision ends and you regain control, the “Fungus Among Us” achievement will pop.
Achievement #3: "Short Fuse" (Day 5)
This final missable achievement is a test of diligence and curiosity. It involves repairing the farm's failing generator, but the game presents you with a simple, obvious solution and hides the correct one.
The Chore: Fix the Generator
On Day 5, the power will be out. Jedediah will task you with getting the backup generator in the barn running. Inside the barn, you’ll quickly find the generator and diagnose the problem: a blown fuse. The game sets a subtle trap here for players in a hurry.
The Correct Part: The Vintage Fuse Box
Sitting on a workbench right next to the generator is a shiny, new “Modern Fuse.” It’s extremely tempting to grab it and finish the job quickly. Do not use it. Using the Modern Fuse will fix the generator, complete the chore, and permanently lock you out of the achievement.
The correct item is the “Vintage Fuse Box.” To find it, you must climb the ladder to the barn's hayloft. Tucked away in a corner, inside a rusty red toolbox, is the part you actually need. It’s old and looks less reliable, but it’s the key.
Dread Fields in-game screenshot
The Radio's Secret
Take the Vintage Fuse Box back down and install it in the generator. The power will roar to life. But unlike the Modern Fuse, this older part does something extra: it reactivates a secondary circuit connected to the farmhouse basement. Head back to the main house and go down into the basement.
You'll notice an old ham radio on a desk, previously dark, is now glowing faintly. Interact with it. A haunting, pre-recorded message from a previous victim of the fields will play. As the message concludes, the “Short Fuse” achievement will unlock.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I go back for these achievements after the day has passed? No. Once you end the day by sleeping, the items and opportunities are gone for that entire playthrough. For example, if you are on Day 3, you have already permanently missed the "Master Baiter" achievement.
Do these missable achievements affect the story or ending? No. These three achievements are purely for collection and 100% completion. They provide small bits of lore and world-building but have no impact on the main narrative or which ending you receive.
What happens if I use the Modern Fuse instead of the Vintage Fuse? Using the Modern Fuse fixes the generator and completes Jedediah's chore for Day 5. However, the ham radio in the basement will never receive power, making it impossible to hear the secret message and unlock the "Short Fuse" achievement.
Do I need New Game+ to get all the achievements? No, all achievements in Dread Fields can be earned in a single playthrough. However, because these three are permanently missable, any mistake will require you to start a completely new game to try again.
The Real Challenge
Dread Fields hides its toughest challenges not in its combat encounters, but in its quietest moments. The missable achievements serve as a lesson: pay attention to the small things. The game rewards methodical players who treat the mundane chores of farm life with the same focus as the terrifying mysteries lurking in the woods. Miss one, and you'll have to start your seven days all over again.