Subnautica 2 players not happy with Immersion Breaking Immortal Fish

Some Subnautica 2 players are not happy with the game's immortal fish, having said as much in recent online discussions. While complaints about immortal fauna seem to come from a minority of early adopters, a vocal portion of the Subnautica 2 the community still insists that the inability to kill fish breaks immersion with little upside.

Even if Subnautica Games never lacked terrifying creatures, they were always designed as primarily pacifist experiences. Small fish could be caught for food and crafts, but larger predators and Leviathans served mostly as environmental hazards. Killing them was technically possible, but with no direct reward and extremely limited lethal tools, most players were encouraged to avoid combat rather than seek them out. Whether for one reason or another, Unknown Worlds Entertainment has completely removed the ability to kill fauna in Subnautica 2.

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Subnautica 2 Early Access players are annoyed by immortal fauna

Just days after Subnautica 2released on May 14, some players already seem frustrated with the developer's decision to make larger fauna immortal. Reddit user DinosAndBearsOhMy argued that the change makes the game world feel less believable, saying that while they never went out to kill fish in the original Subnauticathe sequel's immortal creatures still undermine the immersion. The post received more than 2,600 upvotes and reached the front page of r/Subnautica on May 15, indicating that a vocal segment of the community shares that view.

Subnautica 2 Never gets a Thermoblade

Several fans elaborated on the immersion complaint in the ensuing discussion, arguing that playing as a complete pacifist who only kills for food feels somewhat at odds with the premise of surviving on a hostile alien planet. “I don't exactly like the process of being eaten alive,” one player wrote, adding that their character should at least be able to go down swinging. Another fan suggested that making fauna immortal might also reduce the likelihood of Subnautica 2 add a Thermoblade. In the original Subnautica and Below zerothat knife upgrade allowed players to instantly kill and cook small fish in one hit, while doubling as an extra potent weapon against larger aquatic creatures. With injuries no longer a factor, there is less obvious need for Subnautica 2 to include this fan-favorite tool.

While immortal fauna has proven to be a somewhat controversial design decision, Unknown Worlds Entertainment didn't exactly get the change on fans. The developer had long confirmed that Leviathans and other larger creatures would be immortal in Subnautica 2. While it has yet to really delve into the train of thought behind this design change, one clear effect is that immortal fauna makes enemy ecology less “solvable” in a way, forcing players to adapt rather than simply eliminate threats. That consideration may be particularly relevant given Subnautica 2s built-in co-op, which could have made it much easier for groups to cheese large predators like Reaper-style Leviathans, most of which have AI that can only track one target at a time.

Current complaints about immortal fish still seem to come from a minority of players. Looking at the bigger picture, Subnautica 2The early access launch has been very successful, with Unknown Worlds Entertainment reporting 2 million sales in the first 12 hours despite the game also being available to Xbox Game Pass subscribers on day one.