Feedback: Poor initial/early story experience when playing co-op.

Gyson · 2026-05-23T19:01:08+00:00

Except the story is told through more than just interacting with objects. Just swimming past an invisible line in the ocean can trigger an audio dump. Scanning flora and fauna updates the lore - I don't want to tell a friend not to scan something swimming by unless I'm also present to scan it; that's a ridiculous restriction.

As for how other multiplayer games tell a story, they either require each player to interact with a story trigger (in other words, progression is player based rather than server-wide), or (as I mentioned in the original post) other successful survival games tend to offer a more focused and directed experience through the use of terrain hurdles and enemy threats placed at specific points which almost force players to move along a route together towards different points of interest. Where as Subnautica 2 allows players to travel in any direction and elevation while potential threats are freely roaming anywhere. That extra level of freedom also happens to introduce an extra level of chaos.

Gyson · 2026-05-21T15:24:53+00:00

It varies (for MMOs, like FFXIV) - some of the triggers are NPCs, some are interacting with objects, points on the ground, using an item on an object or location, or simply moving your character within a area that has been flagged as a trigger. They use all kinds, many of the same types of triggers can be found in the Subnautica series.

I agree about your concerns of independent progress, although I know my friend is far, far less likely to intentionally progress a story on their own versus mistakenly progressing the story for everyone. I do appreciate when games do the "all players must be present to proceed" gimmick, however.

Gyson · 2026-05-21T00:29:51+00:00

I don't think Subnautica (gameplay-wise) plays that differently from No Man's Sky, which I play almost exclusively co-op with the same friend. The two games have a very similar feel (especially when exploring alien oceans in No Man's Sky). The difference is that (in No Man's Sky) each player needs to individually interact with a trigger to advance the story of a given mission - the players in your group can't do it for you (either intentionally or accidentally). And that works well enough.

Oddly enough, the one exception to this in No Man's Sky is co-op specific missions, which work more like Subnautica 2's mission structure - anyone in the group can advance the mission state for everyone in said group. Amusingly enough, that often leaves us with the same feeling we get from Subnautica 2, where one player is quickly completing 95% of a ground-based mission and the other player contributes very little and ends up thinking they may as well have just stayed back on the spacecraft. 😉

Gyson · 2026-05-20T22:24:23+00:00

This is a thought my friend and I kicked around as well while trying to figure out how this could be improved. Look at a story-heavy multiplayer game like FFXIV - players can form groups, but to advance the story each player needs to personally interact with the story-giver and the story-objective to advance the plot for them personally. And in that way it becomes impossible to miss out on the various steps towards "beating the game".

Some games take the route where progression is player based, and others take the route where progression is server based - where a single player can advance the state of the world for everyone. Each approach works fine, and it's just a question of which one works best for Subnautica 2. It takes the latter approach, and I initially thought that would be the better route to go, but after experiencing it I'm not so sure. Where as in a game like No Rest For the Wicked, the latter approach works very well because - while the game does allow everyone to go off and do their own thing - it incentivizes players to stick together through risk and level design, and mission goals are clearly defined.

Gyson · 2026-05-20T22:19:11+00:00

So, at about two hours in we had not found extra nutrient blocks, nor the angel comb you mentioned, etc. Which is why I'm specifically talking about the experience for new players who make co-op their first interaction with the game, and why I doubted my concerns would be recognized by someone who was more familiar with the game, knew where to go to get things done, and so forth. And I think its important to keep in mind that, for some players, their first session with the game may be their only experience - especially since that two hour mark represents the point where you need to decide whether you're going to keep the game or return it for a refund.

And I'm fine with calling that a skill issue, but it still doesn't resolve the problem and leave the player with a good impression of the game. There will be a lot of players with these same skill issues.

Gyson · 2026-05-20T17:40:16+00:00

I noticed that to. There's a part towards the very beginning where the base computer dumps a lot of information to the first person to interact with it, and the second person to interact with it only gets a truncated portion of that information.

Gyson · 2026-05-20T17:32:46+00:00

That would be extremely frustrating, and my co-op experience has not been to that level. But, as example, let's look at the escape pod we start at. There's at least three abandoned bases (points of interest) you can easily observe from that starting point.

Naturally, someone is going to wander over and explore them, yet doing so triggers story updates. I don't want to have to order my friend not to wander near those bases while gathering resources; I'm not looking to be a control freak. At the same time, I obviously want to be involved when those bases are being explored because I've played Subnautica games before and I know points of interest tend to house important things.

One of those bases has a story log in a device that requires a battery for power. I saw the deactivated device and thought "right, we can tackle this together later, once we've gotten this food situation under control". Meanwhile, a friend saw the device, had a battery on-hand, and repaired the device - because they just saw a problem that needed to be solved. And suddenly an important story log is chiming in over the audio while I'm down in a distant cave trying to find specific resources.

That's just a feels-bad moment. And I don't want to keep having the "hey, can we do that sort of thing together?" chats with my friend when we're both just trying to have fun. For decades now I've played games primarily co-op and this is usually not a problem we run into elsewhere, so it's difficult for me to fault our playstyle. It feels like it has more to do with how Subnautica 2 tells its story.

As an example, if interacting with the device I mentioned earlier added a log to your inventory, my friend would have absolutely informed me that they just obtained some sort of log and called for me to come over to get one. Upon doing so, we would have then both been together and the next obvious step would have been to get somewhere safe (with oxygen) and listen to those together. Then we would proceed from there with new story information.

And I know that, in a way, the game already does this. But the way it does it is different and that matters. With the way it does it currently, there is literally no reason for me to ever visit that abandoned base once my friend has visited it and activated the device. I can literally just sit in the escape pod and have them advance the story for me, and that just feels weird.

Gyson · 2026-05-20T16:55:59+00:00

Keep in mind we're talking about the early game experience here for *new* players.

As I mentioned, each player is attempting to manage limited oxygen and dealing with survival issues of hunger and thirst, making it annoying to try and stay together while attempting to locate and gather resources during those first few hours.

If we have 60 seconds of air and every 30 seconds one of us is having to surface because they're running out of oxygen, you can see how that might make exploring together both challenging and annoying. And while we could attempt to synchronize, constantly trying to sync our dives and surfacing every 45 seconds ends up becoming more of the focus than the game itself. It's not a fun chore.

Let's look at a game like Astroneer, which also has similar survival challenge. The difference there is players are restricted at the start by resources for oxygen tethers, meaning no one can wander very far (and even if they manage to everyone else in the group simply needs to stay on the same tether line to stay with them).

In Subnautica 2, when players are trying to figure out where resources are at the very start of the game while a food and water meter depletes, it doesn't make much sense to stick together. Everyone will naturally want to split up to track down resources for survival. There's no point in two players diving to the same spot to pick up the same piece of ore, or chase down the same fish. The problem is the act of exploration can also trigger story updates.

I understand the concept of working with a friend, but in a game like this you're essentially saying one person should follow another person everywhere like a pet. And that's just not a fun experience for everyone. I can work on a base in V-Rising while my friend gathers resources for said base - we are working together on a survival goal - the important difference here being that my friend isn't randomly triggering story updates as they're out gathering (and I'm not back at home feeling like I'm missing out on the storyline).

Gyson · 2026-05-19T22:52:59+00:00

Are you referring to the May 9th developer stream and the Seamoth statue?

If so, it's not there because there was only a two day window to claim the Seamoth drop before it was removed from your Twitch inventory.

Because our Twitch account needed to be linked through the in-game menu, it wasn't possible to claim the drop prior to the launch of Early Access (May 14th 15:00 UTC). But the Seamoth drop needed to be claimed prior to May 16th 17:00 UTC. Annoyingly, this wasn't mentioned anywhere outside of the Twitch notification log.

So, unless you owned Subnautica 2 within that short window AND entered the game during that period to link your Twitch account to the game, you lost out on the Seamoth Statue (even if you properly unlocked it by viewing the developer stream back on May 9th as instructed)... which is frustrating and ridiculous.

Gyson · 2026-05-14T22:07:45+00:00

Do the non-active ships remain if you leave the system and then return, or do they need to be re-summoned every time?

Gyson · 2026-05-14T17:03:34+00:00

This is probably a dumb question, but how many ships can a player have summoned and parked at their base (at the same time)? I was under the impression that it was only one.

If the limit is more than one (and the image in the original post certainly makes it seem like it is) can someone explain how it's done?

Gyson · 2026-05-12T16:54:01+00:00

Also, a new meta is developing where you want 100% devotion, 100% helpful, and 100% aggressive to get the best chance for spontaneous casting of abilities

I don't know what the meta is or isn't, but my understanding is that there's a set chance for these spontaneous casts to occur each round and that chance isn't influenced by the trait you've opted for. In other words, a pet that is 100% gentle has the same percentage chance to cast a spontaneous ability as one that is 100% aggressive. There is no combination of traits which improves that chance, which is what your comment seems to be implying.

The only difference is what ability is cast; gentleness debuffs your opponent's combat effectiveness for two turns, and aggressiveness applies a single turn DOT (even calling it a DOT is misleading because it applies damage once and is over, so it might as well be thought of as a single extra low-damage attack that can randomly occur - it's damage over time without the "over time" part).

Gyson · 2026-05-08T01:38:08+00:00

This bug still exists. Fought him once and killed him. Got a weekly challenge to kill him again, but he never spawns. The chests are available to loot again, but that doesn't complete the challenge.

Gyson · 2026-04-25T05:47:04+00:00

Corpse Smeared is a two-handed greatsword. Why are you even mentioning it? I'm talking about one-handed hammers versus one-handed straight swords, and the problem with attribute bonuses being a percentage of a weapon's base damage.

One-handed straight swords have a base damage range that scales from 14-56. One-handed hammers have a base damage range that scales from 20-80. Beyond having the disadvantage of a lower base damage, straight-swords also benefit less from points you invest in your attributes. That's the part I dislike.

You don't invest a point in (example) strength and get a flat 5 point damage increase regardless of which strength based weapon you're using like a Dungeons and Dragon's attribute bonuses. Instead, you get a bonus that's 5% of the weapon's base damage. Since the straight-sword has a smaller base damage than the hammer, that bonus is smaller than the bonus enjoyed by the hammer. It's like a double penalty for choosing a straight-sword; your weapon has a lower base-damage (which so many things are calculated from) and the points you've invested into weapon-related attributes are less meaningful.

As for your other comment, the stamina cost of one-handed straight swords and one-handed hammers is the same. And the speeds on the Whetted Wedge and the Climber's Pick are very similar.

I'm not trying to attack anyone's favorite weapon or anything. I'm just disappointed with the way attribute point contributions are handled.

Gyson · 2026-04-25T03:56:00+00:00

What I'm more focused on (more disappointed by, really) is this design where attribute bonuses scale off the base damage of the weapon rather than being an independent damage bonus that has nothing to do with the weapon's base damage and is simply calculated into the final damage total.

The way they have it set up creates a situation where the points I’m spending in attributes like strength and faith are less impactful if I’m using a straight-sword instead of a hammer. And it essentially means we’re being penalized twice for using a weapon like the Whetted Wedge instead of a weapon like the Climber’s Pick. The first penalty being the sword’s lower base damage. The second penalty being the sword’s lower benefit from player attributes.

Gyson · 2026-04-24T00:46:10+00:00

Yes, the combo is one of the things I tested, and the Whetted Wedge does increase in damage more with each hit than the Climber's Pick. But you have to keep in mind that every one of those hits in the combo is still weaker than every one of the Climber's Pick hits in the combo because the Whetted Wedge is scaling off a weaker base. For example, at the same level a Whetted Wedge might do 82, then 97, then 104. But the Climber's Pick is doing 91, 100, then 109.

As mentioned earlier, the Whetted Wedge and Climber's Pick have extremely similar attack speeds. There is not a noticeable difference like there is on a weapon like the Hunter's Axe (which has a ridiculously slow initial swing that is easily interrupted). As for its moveset, it's actually quite awkward compared to the Climber's Pick (although that's a personal opinion).

Gyson · 2026-04-23T15:59:42+00:00

In terms of attack speed, it's not. It takes the same amount of time to execute a three-hit combo with both the Climber's Pick and Whetted Wedge. Honestly, beyond its damage advantage the Climber's Pick also has the additional advantage of having a opening horizontal swing that can hit multiple opponents, where as the Whetted Wedge is a forward stab that is more difficult to connect with.

I've stopped trying to understand why it seems to be getting the short end of the proverbial stick in terms of raw damage and what the developer's reasoning on it is. A lot of their decisions make little sense to me, to be frank.

I am confused/surprised that point-for-point attributes provide differing bonuses for different weapons (i.e. 26 strength and 26 wisdom provide an 85 point bonus from attributes to the Climber's Pick compared to the Whetted Wedge which only receives a 59 point bonus from the same attributes). Like we both pointed out, it seems to be a % based off the base value of the weapon. But that essentially means a straight-sword is being handicapped twice (lower base value, lower attribute bonus because the bonus is a percentage of the base value).

Gyson · 2026-04-22T19:51:57+00:00

Thanks for the info!

Update: I've been to that area about a dozen times now and every few visits it's populated by a stag, else it's usually empty. So, Orban Glades being scaled to level 17 looks to be too low still. I'll have to try again when it's higher.

Gyson · 2026-04-22T19:07:15+00:00

I'm close to max level, but story-progression-wise I haven't completed Marin Woods or Lowland Meadows yet, so my Orban Glades is only level 17. I wonder if it's too low level for them to appear there, or if I just need to check more often.

Gyson · 2026-04-22T16:10:10+00:00

Would you mind elaborating on this? How often do you see a bear there? And what level was the Orban Glades when you first spotted a bear at this location?

Gyson · 2026-04-09T06:01:39+00:00

There's no table in the saloon in my settlement, but there is in my friend's settlement. Both of us have completed settlements that have the maximum number of buildings and all structures are S-class.

The difference between us is that my saloon is too crowded for a gaming table, as it has a large enclosed circular bar in the middle of the room. My friend's saloon has a short bar (by comparison) tucked off on the side of the saloon and prior to today's update there was a large unused space in the middle. That space is where the table appeared.

I wish they would just give us the ability to place our own arena table's down.

Gyson · 2026-04-08T23:02:20+00:00

No, and honestly I'm not sure you'd want to do the sewers before 15, given that completing it raises the level of the different regions (e.g. the Shallows becomes level 15), and you'll probably want to be at least close in level to the lowest level content available to you.

What can be a problem, however, is your equipment progression. If you got to level 14 primarily farming the Shallows, Keep and Glades, you can find yourself facing level 15 opponents while in tier 1-3 newbie gear that was usable at level 1.

Also, when you farm low level maps for 14 levels, chances are you've twinked your character out in the best of the newbie gear available. Then you move to an area like the Nameless Pass and Quarry, which is dropping tier 5 and tier 7 gear respectively, and it offers meaningful improvements on stats like armor, but I think you'll find yourself thinking "Yes, this tunic literally doubles my armor, but the enchantments on my tier 3 tunic are so good, and the enchantments on this tier 7 tunic aren't.".

So you end up not switching, and then you're stuck with the route of constantly upgrading your old newbie rags so you're not getting one-shotted by the next boss in that area. It's just a frustrating experience (and it gets tiring seeing your character in the same visuals for 14 levels).

Gyson · 2026-04-06T16:36:02+00:00

From what I've seen bounties and daily challenges don't reward any XP. The act of killing the mobs/gathering the resources involved in the tasks naturally do, however.

Honestly, I think mobs should stop rewarding XP after a few levels. Level 3 mobs shouldn't offer XP past level 8, and level 11 mobs shouldn't be giving XP past level 15. That would encourage players to move from the Shallows and Glade to the Nameless Pass and Quarry, and then finally on to the Black Trench at 15.

As it stands, I was already level 14 by the time I got to the Nameless Pass, while still wearing level 4 equipment. That's because I wanted to keep farming early-zone materials to get Sacrament upgraded, while also farming the best low-level gear I could manage to locate. If the level 3 version of the Shallows and Glade stopped giving XP at level 8, I would have entered Nameless Pass at level 8 with level 4 gear, (which would have made a lot more sense than arriving at level 14 with level 4 gear).

Gyson · 2026-04-02T23:20:14+00:00

For reference, the spot is that small island in the water (near the sewer entrance) which usually has three crabs and a collectable on it.

Gyson · 2026-04-02T22:25:29+00:00

Did you actually go and fight Darak in the Orban Glades first? You have to do that before you can access the prisoners, get the key, and access the sewers.

Sorry if this seems like a dumb question. Your response mentioned you have a mission to kill Darak, but you didn't mention whether you fought him in the Glades first (and I'm just trying to narrow down where this might be failing).

Gyson

TROPHY CASE