Unknown Worlds has started a new dev vlog series, the Voyage to Early Access 2, building up to the next major content update for Subnautica 2. In the first video, Creative Director Anthony Gallegos called Early Access 2 "the most substantial update we've done since release." No release date has been announced yet.
A New Region and New Creatures
Early Access 2 adds a complete new playable region with several new biomes. Gallegos described it as one of the studio's scariest regions yet: "It's dark, it's threatening, and it's really beautiful at the same time." The update also brings a set of new creatures and new behavior for the Collector Leviathan, which the team thinks makes it scarier than ever.
Frog Chassis, Dash and New Base Options
- Frog Chassis: a new buildable chassis for the Tadpole that gives it arms and legs and lots of new abilities. Players who found it in the game files knew it as the Sea Frog chassis.
- Dash on Fins: a much-requested change that moves Dash from a Biomod onto the Fins themselves, so it no longer competes with other active Biomods
- New Biomods: a couple of new Biomods with gameplay built around them
- New building options: including a round room for bases, which Gallegos expects to change the shape of player bases
- Feedback changes: a range of changes based directly on Early Access feedback
The Story Behind Early Access 2
The first episode, Beyond the Surface, features Senior Narrative Designer Seth Dickinson, Narrative Designer Tim Partlett and Gallegos discussing the update's story. Early Access 2 expands the story of the Colonists and begins telling more of the history of the Axum and their relationship with the world's creatures. The team said players will learn when and how the Colonists met their downfall, what they were trying to achieve and why they failed.
The story is told through environmental storytelling at points of interest, leaving players to piece fragments together in the order they find them. The new areas also tie back to the Collector Leviathan. The trenches exist because it hunts everything above them, Tar Eels hide in the tar fields, and Descender creatures retreat into the trenches when it passes.
Upcoming episodes will feature other members of the team, including level designers and artists. Subnautica 2 is available in Early Access on Steam, Xbox and the Epic Games Store.
