Subnautica 2 Brought to Steam via Early Access, it gives players another crack at diving into the depths of alien oceans, and it's safe to say it's been a resounding success. As an Early Access title, there's still a ways to go before the game is molded into its final shape – something the developers are keenly aware of.
To that end, the team at Unknown World Entertainment has provided a roadmap for future improvements and content additions to the game. Although the details of the exact changes have not been fully revealed, the changes you'll see listed below are divided into three future update categories:
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Quality of Life Update (EA 1.1)
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Co-op Centric Update (EA 1.2)
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Major Expansion Updates (Future)
Subnautica 2 has entered early access on PC, and is also available on Xbox Game Pass through the game preview system. The roadmap does not note any differences between these platforms, so any changes can be reasonably assumed to apply to all versions of the game.
What to do first in Subnautica 2
Not sure where to start in Subnautica 2? Here's the best early progression path, with details on key upgrades and important tools to unlock first.
Quality of Life Update
These adjustments are aimed at general gameplay flow, making the encounters and systems they touch on more interesting, engaging, or comfortable than their current iterations. These updates are planned for the first Early Access update, EA 1.1.
Biomode system
In the current Biomode system Subnautica 2 Proteus is split between active and passive biomodes, which are unlocked by using the bioscanner on various deep-sea creatures in the oceans. Active biomodes require player input to function properly, but Sonic Echo can enhance players' abilities in different scenarios, with abilities to highlight nearby resources and Dash to allow players to move more quickly. Passive biomods are innate boons that are a bit less attractive, but still provide a huge benefit, biomods like Water Retention double the amount of water you consume.
That said, the balance in utility of these abilities is completely out of whack. While some like Dash can completely change how you interact with the game, others like Dermal Garden aren't nearly as useful. Given the limited availability of biomod slots, such a disparity in utility limits what many players add to their kit.
Unknown World Entertainment is certainly aware of the reception of these mods and how players are using them during gameplay, so here's hoping they can find a way to make the lesser choices more appealing. Given the fact that it is the first item on the roadmap, it is fair to say that it is a priority item.
Blight encounters
Like the first game's salty bacterium, blight acts as a threat to players by infecting the planet's ecosystem, making enemies more aggressive and the environment more dangerous. As currently constructed, these encounters come off as a bit tedious, almost requiring the use of specific biomodes to advance. The range of encounters is also limited, so there's room to improve the variety of encounters players can encounter while exploring cliffs and ruins.
Ruins gameplay
The debris gameplay is set to receive some adjustments, as well. It's hard to say what the focus will be on improving here; Do they try to make exploring the ruins more interesting, or do they work to add more ruins in the spaces between points of interest? Perhaps the game could use a bit of both, or even change the presence of creatures in and around the ruins.
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GameRant interviews Subnautica 2 devs Anthony Gallegos and Scott MacDonald about the sequel's new technical improvements, story arcs, and gameplay.
Vehicle docking and construction
The Vehicle Fabricator is a great tool for creating new vehicles to use during exploration, but players are a bit unhappy with the implementation. Subnautica 2 doesn't exactly explain how each tool or item works, so the size and space needed to house both the moon pool and the fabricator is discovered through trial and error, and a fiddly base collision means that even if the available space seems adequate, there may not be clearance to place the item. The tadpole dock has similar problems, being very particular about the placement required.
PDA Databank
It seems easy to gauge the direction of this update, since the current PDA databank is quite limited. Considering the small number of entries currently visible to read, adding new entries will go a long way to fleshing out the world of Subnautica 2.
Many current entries are very long and can range from a few sentences to several paragraphs. These logs give breakdowns into the ecology and behavior of the creatures you encounter, and are more than a simple retrieval of information – they can even go into philosophical or poetic rhetoric! If future entries are of similar quality, it will be a great boon to the world of Subnautica 2.
Voicelogs priority system
The in-game voicelogs offer some of the best informational tidbits and features, providing some of the most compelling story hooks and mysteries the game has to offer. The voicelogs in Subnautica 2 are a bit more haunting than in the first game, as well, lending themselves well to the atmosphere.
However, their placement often means that blueprints and other items are obtained in short order after starting the logs, and those blueprints have their own voicelines that interrupt the voicelog, disrupting the flow of the story. While it's not said that this is the direction they're going, making sure the voicelogs keep playing will serve the game well as you explore and gather.
Subnautica 2 Buyer's Guide for Early Access
Subnautica 2 launches in Early Access on May 14 with co-op multiplayer, Game Pass support, leviathans, vehicles, and a year of planned updates.
EA 1.1 Planned Additions
These are the gameplay additions that are slotted for release in the EA 1.1 patch.
More passive biomode slots
Current passive biomode slots are limited to 1 per character, so adding more slots will help alleviate some of the issues we've already detailed about biomode selection, while also opening up more customization for players.
Storage cache
Storage will be a welcome sight for anyone looking to build their base. Given the current workload of gathering resources and creating separate building materials, limited space in person can be a bit frustrating as you try to juggle all your needs. Being able to offload extra food, water, and materials would greatly improve the flow of the game.
Sprint
Some bases can be quite large when fully developed by players, making navigation potentially time-consuming. To aid in navigation, a sprint function has been added to accelerate from point A to point B while on foot.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
get started
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Easy (5) Medium (7) Hard (10)
Co-op centric update
Subnautica 2 introduces co-op to its core experience, with players able to join friends in the game world with shared progress. There are also some mode-specific adjustments to co-op to make playing with friends a more enjoyable experience. All of these are slated for release through the EA 1.2 patch, which means they'll run a bit behind the previously listed updates.
Hud signals
Playing with friends is a great time, but the HUD is a little off during multiplayer. This update includes more HUD cues that make coordination a little easier, providing information without having to say it to each other.
Base construction equipment
Building a base is one of the most rewarding aspects of the game, but it can feel a bit overwhelming for new players. This list item is a bit too vague to pin down exactly what the exact tool capabilities actually include, but one can assume it will help build a base in a cooperative setting.
Pinned recipe system
Subnautica 2 There are a large number of crafting recipes ranging from tools and equipment to food and basic ingredients. Finding a specific recipe can be time-consuming if you just pick through the menus, but the game has a way to pin recipes so you can keep track of your progress in obtaining the necessary items.
Unfortunately, advanced recipes have a large number of ingredients, and pinning multiple recipes really clutters the screen. Unpinning the base and furniture pieces is also not as quick as other recipes. Addressing both of these issues will make for a smoother gameplay experience.
Subnautica 2: How to get repair equipment
The repair tool is useful for maintaining your base and exploring broken bases, but it requires some advanced materials, which we've got here.
EA 1.2 Planned Additions
The EA 1.2 update will also come with a plethora of multiplayer-focused additions like Voice Chat, Player Trading, Player Revive, and more customization options.
General corrections and additions
Between and beyond all these improvements and adjustments, the Unknown Worlds team has reaffirmed their commitment to ongoing improvements in the form of bug fixes, balance tuning, and optimizations.
Extension updated
As the early access period continues, there are plans for major expansion updates. While the world of Proteus is already quite large, this new expansion will expand the world by adding new biomes, creatures, resources, tools and vehicles. On the story side of things, a new chapter is also in the works. Of course, that's at the core of what the player reacts to Subnautica 2 aims to do, so using an in-game feedback tool will help guide the game forward.
All of these changes sound like welcome additions and should help Subnautica 2 reach the heights of their predecessors. That said, roadmaps are prone to change, so we'll have to keep our eyes peeled for any new revelations or changes in planned output.
