Subnautica 2 once again throws massive creatures into the ocean that can quickly turn your dive into a nightmare. Here’s which Leviathans are waiting for you and what makes them so dangerous.
In Subnautica 2, the colorful underwater world can shift fast into an ocean filled with dangerous creatures. Especially the Leviathans, which already played a major role in the first game, remain unpredictable. Some of these creatures have already been officially confirmed, while others mostly appear through random encounters during gameplay. We’ll show you which Leviathans currently exist and what you should watch out for when facing them.
Collector Leviathan: Loud, massive and hard to read
You’ll probably notice the Collector Leviathan fairly early. Not necessarily because you see it immediately, but because you hear it first. The first time I encountered the creature, night had already started to fall and visibility was terrible. At some point I noticed a massive shadow above me. When I looked up, the Leviathan was calmly circling through the water without paying attention to me at all.
Visually, the creature looks like a mix between a giant squid and a classic deep-sea monster. Long tentacles stretch from its body, each ending in smaller gripping appendages that can likely deal serious damage. Once it enters attack mode, its back and head begin glowing pink.
- Note: The Leviathan doesn’t only appear in the deepest parts of the ocean. I already found one at around 155 meters. It’s currently one of the most common Leviathans in the game.
What makes the creature especially interesting is its behavior. I was able to scan the Collector Leviathan without any problems. At first it completely ignored me and showed no signs of aggression. Honestly, I was surprised by how calm the encounter felt. Other players report the exact opposite though. Some were immediately chased the moment they got too close and had to hide inside small caves to survive.
Deepwing Brooder Leviathan: Still full of mysteries
The Deepwing Brooder Leviathan currently remains one of the biggest mysteries in the game because sightings are extremely rare. Even the term “Brooder” already suggests territorial behavior or some form of brood protection. If that’s true, the creature will likely become most dangerous once you enter its territory.
- Note: Still looking for tips before starting the game? In our guide you’ll find useful tricks for base building, exploration and survival.
What makes the Deepwing Brooder stand out is how different it feels compared to many classic Leviathans from Subnautica. Instead of behaving like an aggressive predator, the creature resembles a massive ancient lifeform that simply exists as part of the ecosystem. That’s exactly what makes encounters with it feel so uncomfortable. You never fully know whether the creature is actively hunting you or if you just ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Visually, the Leviathan almost looks like a floating underwater fortress covered in heavy armor.
If the Brooder attacks you, the encounter can turn deadly very quickly. However, it doesn’t instantly become hostile on sight. You usually have to move directly into its field of view first. Many sightings have been reported roughly 400 meters away from your starting pod in direction 60.
Shiver Leviathan
The Shiver Leviathan is easily one of the most dangerous creatures currently found in Subnautica 2. Unlike many other Leviathans, this creature apparently doesn’t travel alone through the deep ocean, but in groups. That alone makes encounters far more dangerous since multiple creatures can react at the same time.
Visually, the Shiver Leviathan almost resembles a giant underwater bird of prey. Its long wing-like limbs allow it to glide silently through the darkness. What makes it especially unsettling is how difficult it becomes to judge distance and scale underwater until the creatures suddenly appear right in front of you.
Scan information also suggests that smaller males often stay close to the much larger females. Because of that, some groups almost look like one gigantic organism moving through the water. From your first lifepod, swim towards direction 60 and continue straight ahead until you reach the map boundary. Beyond that area lies an unfinished section of the game, but also where the Shiver Leviathan usually appears.
Great Jaw Leviathan
The Great Jaw Leviathan is one of those creatures you probably won’t take seriously until it’s already too late. The creature doesn’t actively move through the environment and initially looks more like a giant clam or some strange rock formation at the bottom of the ocean. That’s exactly why I casually swam right into it while exploring without really paying attention to what I was looking at.
The creature only becomes dangerous once you touch the slimy tendrils inside or remain in place for too long. The giant shell suddenly snaps shut and releases toxic substances that deal massive damage in seconds. Swimming around the outside is relatively safe as long as you avoid entering the interior.
The World Tree
- Warning: The following section contains story spoilers about the World Tree.
According to current scan data, the World Tree is classified as a Titan-class Leviathan. However, you only learn this during the story. What makes the creature special is not its aggression, but its condition. The organism currently doesn’t actively move through the world and instead appears permanently fused with the ocean floor. Because of that, the World Tree feels more like a gigantic ecosystem than a traditional creature.
It’s difficult to fully understand the creature’s scale while exploring because large parts of its body are already overgrown with plants, fungi and other structures. That’s exactly why many players likely won’t even realize they’re standing on or next to a Leviathan at first. The World Tree visually blends into its surroundings and completely changes how the entire area feels.
What’s especially interesting is that the Titan classification suggests the organism could theoretically still move. If Unknown Worlds ever decides to “activate” the Leviathan later in development, the World Tree could easily surpass everything currently seen in Subnautica 2. Right now though, it remains unclear whether the organism is still alive, resting in some dormant state or has already become part of the ecosystem itself.
- You can also play Subnautica 2 in co-op mode. If you’re looking for more multiplayer games, we’ve listed our favorite co-op games here.
