Subnautica 2 Details Changes Coming To The Game In Response To No Killing Fish Debate

Subnautica 2 developer has sent an open letter to the game’s community, apologizing for some of the comments made by staff recently on the murdering fish discussion, but saying it will never introduce real weapons to the game.

Ahead of Subnautica 2's early access release, Unknown Worlds said they don't want players to conquer or rule the undersea world, and they won't include weapons that would enable them kill everything that gets in their way. We are not a killing game,” level designer Artyom “Artie” O’Rielly said in the Subnautica Discord. Go play Sons of the Forest or anything if you want to kill.

That comment, and a few others, irked some Subnautica 2 players and became the main focus of the no murdering fish discussions that sprang up over the past week. Now, Unknown Worlds has responded to the controversy with a list of adjustments coming to the game.

“We also acknowledge that some recent comments from our team have made players feel ignored or dismissed. “Sorry about that,” stated Unknown Worlds. Early Access should be a dialog with our players, not a one-way explanation from the development team. “Your feedback is important to us and we don’t want any part of our communication to make the community feel otherwise.”

Unknown Worlds admits creature balance needs work, saying some predator encounters “feel more frustrating than tense or exciting.” The game has mitigation mechanisms, and players have found some ways to defend themselves, but these are “not always clear, reliable or satisfying, and players do not always have enough confidence in how to respond when a creature attacks.”

This is not the experience we want,” Unknown Worlds said. So it’s working on enhancements to creature behavior and mitigation measures, including tweaks to creature aggression timing, aggro range, flare efficacy, Survival Tool effectiveness, and creature interactions with vehicles and bases. These modifications will be reflected in a series of upcoming updates.

The big question is whether or not Unknown Worlds will ever introduce real weaponry into the game, or allow users to kill fish directly. The answer, of course, is no. Lead game designer Anthony Gallegos warned fans in the Subnautica Discord this week: “You’re not ever getting actual weapons, sorry. Mods I am sure will add it but we are committed to giving you more robust mitigation choices with making you the sea dominator.”

In an open letter, Unknown Worlds recognized players’ demands to kill fish, but underlined Gallegos’ stance.

“We understand where that request is coming from. When avoidance and mitigation tools do not feel effective, it is natural for players to want a more decisive solution,” Unknown Worlds said. “Our current direction is not based on judging players who want combat, and it is not because we think those players are wrong. Subnautica has always been built around vulnerability, exploration, and survival rather than traditional weapon-based combat. We believe that this is part of what makes the game unique. However, that design only works if creature encounters feel fair, readable, and engaging. Right now, we know we have more work to do to achieve that.”

So unfortunately you won't be able to physically kill fish in Subnautica 2 but it sounds like the annoyance of having predators continually nibbling on your toes, getting in your way or otherwise disrupting your base development will be lessened significantly.

Interestingly, Gallegos has also said that the devs were surprised by the no killing fish criticism, as they did not expect players to choose to construct their bases so close to predators.

“I think what surprised us about a lot of this are where people chose to build,” Gallegos stated in the Discord. “We’ve had many, many more people than we ever saw in playtests choose base sites very close to predators or hammerheads. Where most of us decided to put our bases away from these.

“Sorry, it was kind of expected,” he then followed up, “but I don’t think we thought people would build by wolves and then be so vocal about getting bit by wolves afterwards. “But a lot of that is understandable because of both bad feedback when you hit a creature and also the creature downtime between going aggressive again being too short.”

Elsewhere, Subnautica 2 has been given its first patch during early access, which has dealt with the debate over the game’s EULA. If you are new, you should have a look at our Things to Do First in Subnautica 2 guide, as well as resource location tips to help you find Titanium, Silver, and more. Discover blackbox and supply crate positions on our interactive Subnautica 2 map and don't miss any Angel Comb Adaptations or Blueprints