TL;DR

You cannot kill hostile creatures in Subnautica 2 — the game is built around evasion, distraction, and stealth.
Distraction Flares are your earliest and most reliable tool — craft them immediately and always carry a stack.
The Sonic Resonator can stun mid-level predators to buy escape time.
Biomods like Camouflage, Dash, Chum Cloud, and Electric Discharge are game-changers for surviving hostile areas.
Leviathans like the Collector and Shiver require specific strategies — flares, terrain, and Camouflage are your best options.
Unknown Worlds has confirmed no combat is coming, but creature balance improvements are actively being patched in.

Hostile Creatures in Subnautica 2 will catch you off guard — especially in your first few hours on the planet Proteus. The ocean is not an empty place. From aggressive mid-sized fish to enormous Leviathan-class predators, danger is everywhere. And unlike most survival games, Subnautica 2 gives you no weapons to fight back with. This guide covers everything you need to know to handle every type of hostile creature — what to use, when to use it, and how to survive the encounters that would otherwise end your run.

Table of Contents

Can You Kill Hostile Creatures in Subnautica 2?

No. There are no weapons in Subnautica 2, and you cannot permanently kill predators. Developer Unknown Worlds has confirmed this is a deliberate design choice. The studio said: “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.”

That said, Unknown Worlds acknowledged that creatures need to be better balanced and is actively working on improvements to creature behaviour, as well as to the tools available to players to mitigate these encounters — including changes to creature aggression timing, aggro range, creature interaction with vehicles and bases, and the effectiveness of tools like flares and the Survival Tool.

The game is in early access, which means these encounters will get fairer over time. For now, evasion and distraction are your only tools. The good news is they work very well once you understand the system.

The Two Core Approaches: Evasion and Stealth

Every method for dealing with hostile creatures in Subnautica 2 falls into one of two categories. Understanding both is key to surviving the deeper areas of the game.

Evasion means reacting to a creature that has spotted you. This covers using Distraction Flares, the Sonic Resonator, and certain active Biomods to break a chase or buy yourself enough time to escape. It is your default approach, especially early in the game before you have unlocked stealth options.

Stealth means avoiding detection entirely. This becomes a major option as you unlock passive Biomods like Camouflage. With the right setup, you can swim through dangerous areas with hostile creatures nearby and never trigger their aggro at all.

The goal is to combine both approaches as you progress. Early game is mostly evasion. Late game, stealth does the heavy lifting.

Distraction Flares – Your First and Best Tool

Distraction Flares are the first tool the game tells you about, and they remain useful from start to finish. Fairly early, you will be told that Distraction Flares can be used to distract hostiles, and they are available to craft from the very start.

Crafting one batch of Distraction Flares at the Fabricator requires:

1x Titanium
1x Quartz

One craft gives you three flares. Both materials are extremely common. See our guides on how to get Titanium and how to get Quartz if you need help finding them early. You should always have at least five or six flares in your inventory before exploring anywhere beyond the starting area.

How to Use Distraction Flares Correctly

How to Use Distraction Flares Subnautica 2 1

When you notice a creature targeting you, select the flare from your Quickslot bar or main inventory. Light it — on Xbox, this is RT — then throw it. The key is to throw it away from the direction you want to escape to, not toward the creature. The flare attracts light-sensitive predators toward it, giving you a window to swim the other way.

The goal with Distraction Flares is to distract hostile enemies then make your escape — you can do this preemptively once you notice you are being targeted, or as a reaction. Remember, this is only a temporary solution, and most predators will not stay distracted for long.

Note that Distraction Flares work on the Collector Leviathan because it is attracted to light. The Camouflage biomod also works on the Collector, and the Collector may lose interest in the Tadpole if it breaches the surface.

Flares do not work on the Shiver Leviathan — see the Leviathan section below for the correct approach there.

The Sonic Resonator – Stun Mid-Level Predators

How to Use Distraction Flares Subnautica 2 Sonic Resonator

The Sonic Resonator is primarily a mining tool for breaking large ore nodes, but it has a secondary use against hostile creatures. Once you have a Sonic Resonator, you can use its power to temporarily stun mid-level predators, providing you with a small window to escape or complete your task.

It will not kill anything, and it does not work on Leviathan-class creatures. But for standard predators like Houndgars or Marrowbreaches that are actively biting you, a charged blast from the Sonic Resonator gives you breathing room. This is especially useful during tense moments like clearing Bloom Cankers at Angel Combs, where you cannot move away easily.

See our Feedback Resonator guide for how to upgrade the Sonic Resonator into a more powerful ranged version, which is also needed for story progression.

The Tadpole – Your Best Passive Defence

Getting the Tadpole submersible changes everything. The Tadpole makes avoiding hostiles while traveling much easier. Inside the Tadpole you are protected from most mid-tier predators, and it gives you the speed to outpace most creatures that do get aggro on you.

The Collector Leviathan can damage your Tadpole significantly, and the Shiver Leviathan can one-shot you even inside it. But for every other threat in the game, having the Tadpole dramatically reduces the danger of daily travel. Our guide on how to build the Tadpole covers the full crafting process. Make this your first major build goal. Also use the Tadpole Depth Module to access deeper areas safely.

Biomods for Dealing with Hostile Creatures

Biomods are unlocked by scanning specific creatures with the Bioscanner. They are some of the most powerful tools you have for surviving hostile encounters. Here are the most important ones for dealing with predators:

Camouflage (Passive) – Scan a Bullethead

Camouflage is a passive Biomod that makes the player less visible to predators when not moving. While the player is motionless they will not be detected by nearby predators, allowing them to swim away and avoid confrontation after the threat has left. This is arguably the single best creature-management Biomod in the game. It works against the Collector Leviathan and even the Shiver Leviathan in the Void.

To get it, scan a Bullethead, found in the Alien Ruins region. The Camouflage Biomod does not work while inside the Tadpole — it only applies to your character on foot.

Dash (Active) – Found in the First Ruined Biolab

The Dash Biomod allows you to dash in a direction of your choosing to avoid predators. It is found inside the first ruined biolab around 100 meters near your starting Lifepod — no scanning required. Get it early. During the phase of the game where you are on foot and a creature is in your face, a well-timed dash breaks the chase instantly. Use the Dash Biomod during the circling phase of a Marrowbreach Alpha encounter rather than waiting to absorb the first hit.

Chum Cloud (Active) – Scan Toxic Sponge and Houndgar

Chum Cloud is an active Biomod that creates a cloud of green bait which lures creatures towards it, distracting them from your presence. It has a 20-second cooldown. To unlock it, scan a Toxic Sponge plant and a Houndgar fish. Toxic Sponge is a common plant found around the Lifepod. Chum Cloud works similarly to a Distraction Flare but is a body ability with no crafting cost. The 20-second cooldown means you should not rely on it alone — pair it with flares for redundancy.

Electric Discharge (Active) – Scan an Electric Geordie

The Electric Discharge Biomod gives you the ability to release a bolt of electricity at a target creature, deterring it from trying to attack you. You can unlock this mod by scanning an Electric Geordie, which spawns in Observatory Island, Power Plant, and Root Canyon. This is useful for deterring standard predators when you cannot escape. It will not kill them, but it gives you space. It is less effective against Leviathan-class creatures.

All Hostile Creature Types in Subnautica 2

Here is a breakdown of the main categories of hostile fauna you will encounter and how to approach each one.

Standard Predators – Houndgar, Marrowbreach, Sandspear

These are the mid-tier hostile fish you will run into constantly throughout the world. They are aggressive but manageable. A Distraction Flare, a Sonic Resonator stun, or a Dash Biomod is enough to deal with them in most situations. There are two primary methods for dealing with predators in Subnautica 2: evasion, which is the primary method for a significant portion of the game, and stealth, which becomes a major option as you unlock certain passive Biomods and adaptations.

The Marrowbreach Alpha is a larger, stronger variant that appears in shared territory without a warning scan icon. It is roughly 50 percent larger than a standard Marrowbreach and much more dangerous. Use the Dash Biomod to break its engagement during the circling phase — that is your window to escape before it commits to an attack.

Electric Geordie

A larger variant of the common Geordie, the Electric Geordie has developed a bioelectric discharge organ that stuns nearby prey and temporarily disrupts battery-powered tools — making close encounters more dangerous than the threat level alone implies. Keep your distance from these and avoid clusters near thermal vent chimneys where they tend to gather. Their electrical attack can disable your tools mid-dive, which is especially dangerous in deep areas. Stock up on charged batteries before heading into their territory — see our guide on how to recharge tools and batteries.

Collector Leviathan

The Collector Leviathan is the first Leviathan-class predator most players encounter. The Collector Leviathan is an intelligent, aggressive Leviathan-class lifeform. There are two of them in the game, one patrolling the area around the Karakorum Metal Farms and another in the trench in the Sparse Plains. It will consume the player for an instant kill if not in a vehicle, and can damage the Tadpole significantly.

Key survival rules for the Collector:

Never flee in a straight line. The Collector has a wide turn radius at speed. Changing depth sharply — diving down or climbing up rapidly — is more effective than trying to outswim it horizontally.
Throw a Distraction Flare away from your escape route. The Collector is light-attracted and will chase the flare, giving you a window to move.
Use the Camouflage Biomod. Staying completely still makes you invisible to it. When it approaches, go still and wait for it to pass.
Use terrain cover. Rocky shelves, canyon walls, and cave openings all break line of sight. Plan your route through Collector territory around cover.
Do not enter Collector territory with a full inventory or low oxygen. If things go wrong, you need to be able to abort quickly without losing critical materials.

Shiver Leviathan (Void Leviathan)

The Shiver Leviathan is one of the most dangerous creatures currently in the game. Its threat comes from pack coordination, not raw size alone. A full shiver consists of one large female and several smaller, faster juveniles. Any contact with a Shiver’s jaws is an instant kill, whether on foot or inside the Tadpole.

Distraction Flares do not work on the Shiver Leviathan. Your only reliable option is the Camouflage Biomod. Stay at the edge of the Void, activate Camouflage, go completely still, and wait for the creature to drift into or out of your area. Do not push deeper into the Void unless you have Camouflage active and a clear escape route behind you.

Great Jaw (Clam Leviathan)

The Great Jaw is a massive stationary ambush predator that clings to the ocean floor. It does not actively chase you across open water the way the Collector or Shiver does. The danger here is accidentally swimming into its trap zone. Watch for unusual terrain formations and large shell-like structures on the seafloor — these are your warning signs. Give these areas a wide berth until you know the layout of its territory.

Deepwing Brooder

The Deepwing Brooder is a Leviathan-class creature with large, wing-like pectoral fins. The danger during a Brooder encounter comes entirely from the surrounding biome’s poor visibility and hostile fauna. Bring a Tadpole and visit during the day, as its silhouette blends into dark open water at night. Plan routes through its territory carefully and prioritize keeping the Tadpole between you and the creature whenever possible.

General Tips for Surviving Hostile Creatures

Hug the sea floor when traveling east. The route toward the Alien Ruins and Karakorum region is patrolled by the Collector Leviathan in open water. Staying close to the bottom dramatically reduces how often it aggros on you. This is especially relevant when heading to fix the Power Plant and open the Observatory.
Move slowly near known predator zones. The Collector’s detection system triggers on rapid movement. Slow, deliberate swimming near rocky shelves lets you pass through its patrol area with far less risk than sprinting through.
Place Beacons at the edge of Leviathan territory. Beacons render through terrain and are visible from a long distance. Marking the edge of a Collector or Shiver patrol zone means your whole team knows where the danger starts — especially useful in multiplayer co-op.
Get the Camouflage Biomod as soon as possible. It fundamentally changes how you interact with every hostile creature in the game. Once you have the Bioscanner, prioritise finding a Bullethead in the Alien Ruins region and scanning it. See our Bioscanner guide for how to craft the tool first.
Stock Distraction Flares before every major dive. They are cheap to craft and the material cost is nothing compared to losing a full inventory to a surprise Leviathan encounter. Always have at least five on hand.
Increase your oxygen before deep dangerous dives. Running out of oxygen mid-chase is a death sentence. See our guide on how to increase oxygen and equip upgraded fins to swim faster when you need to escape. Our guide on how to get improved fins is also worth checking.
Do not panic and swim in a straight line. Almost every predator in the game is faster than you in a straight sprint. Change depth, use terrain, throw a flare, activate a Biomod. Reacting with a plan always beats panic-swimming.
Know what you are getting into before you enter an area. Use the Scanner Station to track what is in an area, and scan every new creature you encounter with the Bioscanner for PDA data on its behaviour. Knowledge is the most powerful survival tool in the game.

What Subnautica 2 Is Doing to Improve Creature Encounters

A significant portion of the early access player community pushed back on creature difficulty shortly after launch — specifically the feeling of being unable to defend yourself at all. Unknown Worlds responded directly. Upcoming patches will adjust several gameplay systems, including creature aggression timing, aggro range, flare effectiveness, Survival Tool effectiveness, and how creatures interact with bases and vehicles.

Weapons are still not coming. The studio was clear about that. But the overall experience of facing hostile creatures is going to get fairer and more readable as patches roll out during early access. The core philosophy — that you are a visitor on this planet surviving through adaptation, not domination — is not changing. But the tools you use to survive are being improved.

This is also part of why learning the biological systems of the game matters so much. The deeper you go into adaptations and Biomods — from Heat Tolerance to Camouflage to Chum Cloud — the more the creature encounters start to feel like puzzles you can solve rather than random deaths you cannot avoid. That is exactly the experience Unknown Worlds is building toward.

You can dive into Subnautica 2 right now on Steam and Xbox Game Preview.

How to Deal with Hostile Creatures in Subnautica 2

Can You Kill Hostile Creatures in Subnautica 2?

The Two Core Approaches: Evasion and Stealth