The sequel to Subnautica won't have weapons and its Leviathans will be unkillable, because the devs don't think the alternative would be very interesting. The first underwater survival exploration title by Unknown Worlds Entertainment was a hit, allowing players to explore the uncharted depths of a mysterious planet's oceans and uncover the horrors that lurk deep beneath the waves.

The sequel, Subnautica 2, returns to the depths of the ocean, this time in a new alien world and with the help of friends in co-op mode. The developers of the game responded to several fan questions in the Discord, as shared by Mamuts123 on Reddit. In these discussions, the devs reveal that the Leviathans in the coming game will be unkillable and that they have no plans to add weapons to the game because, as design lead Anthony Gallegos puts it, that would be "boring af."

Subnautica 2 Devs Want Players To Run, Not Fight

Leviathans Encounters Are Meant To Be Tense

In the Discord discussion, the developers confirm that players won't be able to kill Leviathans, the giant creatures that live deep in the waters of the alien ocean. In the first Subnautica game, players could theoretically kill these creatures of the deep by using the right tools in the right way, with a lot of luck thrown into the mix.

The sequel won't have weapons either, confirms Anthony on Discord. Instead, it will work in a similar way to the previous title, giving players the opportunity to defend themselves with tools, not just attack the natural environment. "If we do have 'weapons,'" says Anthony, "they would be tools used to help the creatures and the world, not eliminate natural parts of the environment that bother you."

By not including weapons, the devs also hope to maintain the tension of every Leviathan encounter. Anthony puts it bluntly, stating that "We don't want you killing predators — straight up." Instead, players will have to find ways around getting killed by looking like a tiny tasty morsel to these underwater giants. Anthony writes:

"Interact with them. Run from them. The solution shouldn't just be bash them until dead. That's bothing af."

Developers Reveal More Information About Subnautica 2

Game Length, Thoughts Behind Early Access, And More

In addition to information about the gameplay that fans can expect from the second game in the series, the developers have revealed even more information about the game length, why they're going with Early Access, and more. Based on more screenshots from the Discord shared by ZookeepergameIll1399, Subnautica 2 will have about 15 hours of story gameplay, with many more hours spent crafting, exploring, and uncovering the secrets of the deep.

Subnautica 2 will enter Early Access soon, a choice that was also explained by the devs. Senior Producer Aryon Billings writes that the choice to go with Early Access was made because "that's how our studio develops and we prefer to work with the community to build what the community wants." There's no release date for either Early Access or full launch yet, but Subnautica 2 is scheduled to release sometime in 2025.

Source: Mamuts123/Reddit, ZookeepergameIll1399/Reddit