I've just spent a lot of time in the Lost River, which I've never explored before this game. That's because the threats are hard to judge and the best ways to deal with them are not easy to figure out. I was very creeped out on that first run in the Seamoth through the Lost River. I thought I might have to give up on Subnautica. I rose above that issue, but that doesn't change the impact of other issues.
I'm at over 800 hours playing Subnautica, with 18 previous games of various length from the prerelease, but I've never finished it. I'm still in awe of parts of it, but some other things are irritating if not frustrating. I want to move as smoothly as possible through the rest of the game. And doing that means I need some outside intelligence and examples to help me minimize those irritations and frustrations.
The big ones that get me are the hostile beasties. I know the surface ones and at times still find the Reaper Leviathans, the Crabsquids, the Ampeels, and the Bonesharks challenging.
I totally get it.
What starts me are Reapers and the map limits with open waters.
Just hearing a Reaper screaming is enough to get me on edge, even though I know they are harmless and am more than used to deal with them in several settings, from vehicles to swimming unarmed.
And I find Ghost Leviathans to be super beautiful. Love strafing around them on a seamoth. However the crater edge makes me extremely uncomfortable, and that's the setting where these Levis spook me. Even when they aren't present it gets to me.
In my opinion there aren't really major threats in this game. The best way to deal with fauna is simply to ignore most of it and get out of the way of the really dangerous/aggressive ones. Danger comes from within, getting confident and over-extending a dive or trip simply to go without oxygen/water is the most common way to die in my experience.
And. I. Hate. Warpers. They've come close to killing me more than anything else. That's with being cautious and wearing the Reinforced Dive Suit. Too many fights that go far too poorly. I still haven't got the best feel for the best weapon to use against them. Best is just disengage, get back into the PRAWN, and get out, but that's not always possible. And I can't take too many bits of alternate kit, because I take more weapons means I can't take other things. And it's not easy to switch between too many weapons.
I usually ignore them. But in a pinch any strike will make them teleport away and buy you a few seconds of peace. Knife, Stasis shot even running them over with a seamoth works. Just be careful not to get hit and don't stay in their range longer than necessary. They usually guard entrances, so if you go past them quickly they don't usually bother you inside of whatever you are exploring.
Spoiler hint ahead:
Warpers seem to hunt infected creatures. So they mostly ignore you if your infection is in the early stages. What seems to trigger the infection (and story) progression is visiting the QEP (big bad alien cannon), therefore one may play most of the game without worrying about warpers if one doesn't play linearly.
I really feel some of the irritants are just wrong. For example, the Neptune Escape Rocket. Why when the blueprints are transmitted to the player are they not all unlocked so the player can see what they need. I went ahead and built the platform and the gantry and I knew what I would need for the boosters. I imagine a player in my position, who knows they need Nickle for the boosters, getting that on their journey deep through that part of the game. Imagine they got through all that, built the boosters, and now see they need Crystalline Sulphur for the fuel reserve. Oops, they have none. Back to the Lost River?
Not for about half the players at that point, which is a massive failure to launch. Global rates for the "Optimal Health" achievement is 12.4%. For "Go Among the Stars", it's 6.7%. 46% of players who get to the point of being ready for the rocket never finish it.
The feeling about the rocket is universal. It seems it was added as one last grind after the game is already over. It doesn't deliver the same satisfaction as healing from the infection.
And I don't care much about achievements in this game. When I finished it the achiev system was bugged and I didn't get the rocket achiev. And a large share of the playerbase went through this same experience.
I did, however, do several challenges of my own. Vegetarian run, carnivore run, no seamoth run, no prawn run, no vehicles run, and so on... I don't usually follow through with the final grind.
I did use a seaglide (I don't count it as a vehicle, more like assisted swimming).
It requires small bases scattered about, and a lot of patience for grinding without the PRAWN drill arm.
I consider healing the infection as the game ending, so I didn't grind the rocket.
Comments
No vehicles run? Is that even possible?
It requires small bases scattered about, and a lot of patience for grinding without the PRAWN drill arm.
I consider healing the infection as the game ending, so I didn't grind the rocket.