Subnautica 2 update 1.1 improves creature reactions — but fish still can't be killed

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Subnautica 2 developer Unknown Worlds will release the game’s Early Access 1.1 update today, July 8 — and no, it won’t let you kill fish.

In a new video , creative director Anthony Gallegos said the 1.1 update, dubbed Adaptive Measures, focuses on expanding the biomods system, adding new biolabs to the early game so you’ll be able to find and swap out more biomods as you play from the start. Later in the game you’ll be able to scan creatures and unlock more passive biomod slots, so can take multiple passive biomods at the same time.

Perhaps of most interest are improvements to creature flinches. Most of the creatures in the game now have good flinches, so if you hit them with the Survival Multitool you’ll get a reaction out of them before they flee, which in turn means you can see and understand the impact you’re having on them.

Unknown Worlds has also improved the Sonic Resonator, which ties into creatures now having stunned states. This means when you hit them with the Sonic Resonator they will clearly communicate that they’ve been stunned. “This is all in the effort to make you feel like you’re having the mitigation on creatures that we want you to feel, which has also been a major part of your feedback,” Gallegos explained.

That’s a reference to complaints from some Subnautica 2 players about the lack of an ability to kill the predators in the game. Not being able to directly kill fish in Subnautica 2 is perhaps the game’s hottest topic, and while Unknown Worlds has promised to add “mitigation” to the game so you can better deal with predators, it will never allow you to kill them. Gallegos has spoken about this in the past , countering the narrative that Unknown Worlds set out to create a “pacifism game.” That, Gallegos told MinnMax , just isn’t true.

Meanwhile, 1.1 makes improvements to blight encounters so there’s a better transition from passive to aggressive, which will hopefully mean players won’t be quite as surprised by creature attacks. There are gameplay improvements around wrecks so there is a little more puzzle solving and gameplay and better visual cohesion of the wrecks. The PDA is improved to add clarity. And players will have a new personal storage option in your base. This is not connected to the fabricators and processors by default. Expect 1.1 patch notes later today.

Moving on, the 1.2 update, due out “some weeks” after today’s update, will add multiplayer features such as proximity chat and player revive. And even later in the year is the big Early Access 2 update. This adds a new region, new creatures, new vehicle chassis, new progression, and new story. “It takes us a while to work on that and we are working really hard on it, but we are a small team, and so we’re doing that while also integrating all your feedback," Gallegos explained.

Subnautica 2 is a huge hit, and earlier this month it was confirmed that the entire Unknown Worlds staff will get their bonuses after parent company Krafton reached a settlement with studio leadership. Bloomberg reported that as part of the settlement, Unknown Worlds CEO Ted Gill had stepped down, leaving the company to look for a new boss.

In a statement provided to IGN, Krafton confirmed the settlement, insisting its focus now was on the future of Subnautica 2, which Unknown Worlds will continue to develop.

"Krafton, Inc., Unknown Worlds Entertainment and Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland, and Max McGuire have reached a mutual settlement and agreed to dismiss all pending legal proceedings," Krafton said. "Unknown Worlds and Krafton are focused on supporting Subnautica 2, its Early Access journey to the full 1.0 release and the global community that has made the franchise so special. Unknown Worlds will continue leading development, with Krafton providing support for the success of the game."

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.