A new update is available for Subnautica: Below Zero Early Access. Explore several new underwater biomes and encounter the fearsome creatures that lurk in the depths, as your continued adventures unfold the secrets and mysteries of Below Zero’s story. Visit the Deep Dive site to learn more!

• Explore several new biomes, including the captivating Crystal Caverns, mysterious Fabricator Caverns, and more
  
• Uncover the formidable Shadow Leviathan lurking in the depths
  
• Experience the terror of the Hidden Crocodile
  
• Gaze in awe at the spectacular Jellyfish
  
• Discover new additions and tweaks to the Below Zero story
  
• Feast your eyes on improved visuals with Filmic mode

https://youtu.be/BWOT-AMJuU8

An expansive and stunning new biome awaits you in Crystal Caverns. Colorful crystals protrude the surfaces of this underwater location. But don’t get caught loitering! Crystal Caverns is also home to the formidable Shadow Leviathan.


The mysteries of the Fabricator Caverns lie in wait for you to uncover them. A hidden Fabricator base nestled in the depths of this biome poses a tantalizing question: what new objects will you be able to construct here?


This well-hidden seabase is home to the enigmatic Marguerit. Should you find your way inside, will you be considered a welcome guest, or an Alterra foe?


Explore this abandoned Alterra facility, formerly used to produce Snowfoxes, to find everything you might need to ensure your stay on 4546B is a little more comfortable.


An aggressive and formidable leviathan class creature, the Shadow Leviathan lurks in the depths of the Crystal Caverns. Take care as you continue to explore this deep, mysterious location to avoid a deadly encounter.


Make sure not to dismiss the warnings of the hostile Hidden Crocodile. This creature terrorizes the depths of the Crystal Caves and does not like to be disturbed...


This stunning fauna species is safe to approach, as long as you don’t move too low! Touching the tentacles can lead to a nasty shock. But aren’t they so beautifully enticing?


The last of Below Zero’s current story will be available to play and enjoy in this update, before we ship a new version in 2020.


This new default mode improves the entire look of Below Zero and its captivating biomes, providing a more cinematic experience to your gameplay.


You can find out about upcoming updates in all sorts of ways. Sign up to the Development Newsletter to receive word every time an update is released. Follow the Unknown Worlds and Subnautica: Below Zero Steam groups to get a notification on Steam. You can also:

• See update sneak peaks by following @Subnautica on Twitter
  
• Get live source code changes by following @SubnauticaSCM on Twitter
  
• See update news on Facebook
  
• Watch update summary videos on YouTube
  
• Satisfy underwater Instagram craving by following @Subnautica
  
• See our task lists & milestones on Favro
  
• Chat with fellow divers in the Subnautica Discord server

Enjoy, and happy diving!

Hey Subnautica fans!

I hope you're having fun with Below Zero! I'm writing this blog for a few reasons:

1. To update you on development, as we get ready to drop another Early Access release.
   
2. To inform you about changes that are coming to the Below Zero story.
   
3. To enthusiastically introduce you to our new writer, Jill Murray!

Our 7th Early Access update - "Deep Dive" - is coming very soon, and it's a big one! The team worked super hard to get us to this release, and I'm really proud of our effort in pulling everything together. Except for the endgame, the entire Below Zero experience should be playable; the world is all there for you to explore, all the new features and tools and creatures are present. Everything's in place, but that doesn't mean it all quite works in harmony. It will take a fair bit of iteration and polish and careful attention to what's currently there to pull everything together and make the final game feel truly special.

Despite our best efforts, we're not exactly where we want to be, particularly when it comes to the story. When we decided to make another Subnautica game, we agreed that making a game with a "living" story - featuring a speaking protagonist and other active speaking characters - would be a really interesting way to differentiate Below Zero from the original game.

Our initial attempts at nailing down a living story about a scientist who meets a sentient alien - in the context of a game that was built around survival mechanics - have been a bit messy. We like doing things that are big and ambitious at Unknown Worlds, but we managed to get a bit stuck. We've had trouble defining our characters' motivations clearly and building key relationships. We want our players to care about the characters and what happens to them. Based on feedback from the community and playing the game ourselves, we realized that some changes to the story needed to happen.

As some of our dedicated fans may have noticed, our writer Tom Jubert recently left Below Zero to pursue other projects. Tom's brain was responsible for much of what fans know and love about the Subnautica universe fiction and lore, and we will miss having him around. The Subnautica universe will always carry a bit of Tom's spirit, humour, and imagination.

With adjustments and changes still required on Below Zero’s story, we found an amazing new writer / narrative designer to join the team: Jill Murray. Jill has done award-winning work on franchises like Tomb Raider and Assassin's Creed; she's worked on a wide-range of projects, from dating sims to indie RPGs; she's even written YA novels about breakdancing teenagers! In a short period of time, I've found Jill to be a terrific, imaginative collaborator with a keen sense for character and story.

And so, after a lot of internal discussion and reflection, we've decided to change directions. The upcoming "Deep Dive" release represents the last version of the current story that we'll be shipping to the public. We're going to be delivering a new story next year.

In deciding to change up the story, we knew we had to work within the constraints of the current world. Sector Zero of 4546B - from Twisty Bridges to Crystal Caverns; from the Arctic Spires to the Deep Lily Pads - is going to stay largely the same. If anything, we will have more time to really work on the detail of the world, to develop the biomes into richer, more beautiful spaces to explore.

Also, when we sense that there's true love for certain things from the community, we'll look to preserve - or better yet, improve - those parts of the game. We know that players are responding positively to Marguerit and Al-An, for example - these characters will continue to exist in the new story, and we're going to look to develop them further. Beyond that... I don't want to spoil anything. Not yet, anyway!

If you love Subnautica, and you like seeing how things evolve, I hope you'll still tuck into this version. There's a lot of really good stuff that is still taking shape, and we'd love to hear what you think. Fair warning though: saved progress in the current version of the game will be lost when we ship the new story.

I'm super excited about the changes that are coming to Below Zero, and I can't wait to share them with you.

And as always, thanks for playing! We couldn't do it without you.

Yours,
David Kalina
Project Lead - Subnautica: Below Zero

A new update is available for Subnautica: Below Zero Early Access. Encounter the fearsome Ice Worm as you explore Arctic Spires, discover Lilypad Islands, visit the Frozen Leviathan Cave, and experience new weather-based Pengwing behaviors. Visit the Ice Worm site to learn more!

• Encounter the Ice Worm
  
• Experience new story updates
  
• Roam Arctic Spires
  
• Discover Lilypad Islands
  
• Investigate the Frozen Creature Site
  
• Enjoy weather-based Pengwing behaviors

https://youtu.be/YVsh-9ZOkPA


The Leviathan-class Ice Worm is ready to stalk you across the Arctic Spires as you explore the vast biome. Make use of your Thumper to distract the creature and escape quickly to avoid an aggressive encounter!



Due to continued community feedback, we’ve been working hard on bringing you a higher stakes introduction, as well as fleshing out the mid-game story. This Ice Worm update includes all-new, text-only dialog throughout. Voice overs will be coming in a future update.



Explore this new and vast frozen landscape, broken up by narrow crevices, tunnels, and huge spires of ice. But take care, though this area appears deserted you are certainly not alone!



Explore the impressive floating lilypads as you gather essential resources and encounter creatures like the Lily Paddler.



Don’t worry. This huge Leviathan-class creature can’t get to you from behind its frozen encasing. But just what were Alterra chipping away at the ice to discover…




You are not the only inhabitant of 4546B affected by the weather! As the climate changes from rain, to hail, to lightning, and more, Pengwings will react accordingly and take cover when needed.




You can find out about upcoming updates in all sorts of ways. Sign up to the Development Newsletter to receive word every time an update is released. Follow the Unknown Worlds and Subnautica: Below Zero Steam groups to get a notification on Steam. You can also:

• See update sneak peaks by following @Subnautica on Twitter
  
• Get live source code changes by following @SubnauticaSCM on Twitter
  
• See update news on Facebook
  
• Watch update summary videos on YouTube
  
• Satisfy underwater Instagram craving by following @Subnautica
  
• See our task lists & milestones on Favro
  
• Chat with fellow divers in the Subnautica Discord server

Enjoy, and happy diving!

- Unknown Worlds
https://store.steampowered.com/app/848450/Subnautica_Below_Zero/

As part of Below Zero’s journey through Early Access, there is an Experimental beta available on Steam for fans to play. It allows players to immediately get their hands on new biomes, tools, and creatures as soon as they are added to the game.

However, it is not without its risks. In fact, we are anticipating that an impending merge to Experimental might exhibit some of the below risks!

If you’ve opted to play Below Zero in Experimental, there are a few essential things that you need to know:

• Here, there be monsters. And no, we’re not talking about Chelicerate or Squidshark. Experimental means that you’re playing Below Zero with near-daily updates. But that also means daily bugs. The kind that span from minor inconveniences to save file breaking. Which brings us to…
  
  
• Don’t get attached to your save files. In fact, if you’re concerned about save files, we recommend avoiding Experimental all together. If you’re looking to pour hours into perfecting your base, and exploring, collecting and crafting everything available, then opting out of beta is for you. In some cases, Experimental can and will corrupt your save files.
  
  
• Your feedback is invaluable. Elements of Below Zero Experimental will break in some of the weirdest ways, and we rely on your help to pin-point and work on fixing them. We’ve even built a feedback tool directly into the game, so if you spot anything, go ahead and hit F8 and let us know what you’ve found!

If you are playing Below Zero on Experimental with a save file you want to protect, we recommend the following:

1. Do not open your Below Zero save file while in Experimental.
   
2. Wait until the next Early Access update.
   
3. Switch to ‘NONE - Opt out of all beta programs’ and allow latest update to download.
   
4. Open save file from step one and don’t revert back to Experimental.

In the meantime, you can catch up to your progress points on a new file using Console Commands. The Below Zero Wiki is up to date with all of the current commands, and you can quickly find yourself where you last left off.

As always, we’d like to thank you for all of your support as Below Zero continues to move towards Content Complete. We couldn’t do this without you!


You can find out about upcoming updates in all sorts of ways. Sign up to the Development Newsletter to receive word every time an update is released. Follow the Unknown Worlds and Subnautica: Below Zero Steam groups to get a notification on Steam. You can also:

• See update sneak peaks by following @Subnautica on Twitter
  
• Get live source code changes by following @SubnauticaSCM on Twitter
  
• See update news on Facebook
  
• Watch update summary videos on YouTube
  
• Satisfy underwater Instagram craving by following @Subnautica
  
• See our task lists & milestones on Favro
  
• Chat with fellow divers in the Subnautica Discord server

- Unknown Worlds

https://store.steampowered.com/app/848450/Subnautica_Below_Zero/

A new update is available for Subnautica: Below Zero Early Access. Give your 4645B home the upgrade you’ve always dreamed of! With a Control Room, impressively spacious Large Room, and the all-new Jukebox, the Arctic Living update for Below Zero is going to make your base a whole lot cozier! Visit the Arctic Living site to learn more!

• Base Control Room
  
• Large rooms and impressive Glass Domes
  
• Jukebox and Music Disks
  
• Mineral Detector
  
• Booster Tank
  
• Prawn Suit
  
• Alterra Mining Site
  
• Encounter with a familiar voice

https://youtu.be/yhd7_lc2ZHY



Gain greater control and customization of your base with the Control Room. You can change the name, access panels to manage your base’s power supply, locate hull breaches, view the weather forecast and more.




Play community created Music Disks on your jukebox, or customize your experience further by importing your favorite music into the game.




Add a Large Room to your base with a Glass Dome to make them look even more impressive! A Multipurpose Room Glass Dome is also available.




Explore the latest biome, an abandoned Alterra Mining Site, which plays host to the PRAWN Suit.



You can find out about upcoming updates in all sorts of ways. Sign up to the Development Newsletter to receive word every time an update is released. Follow the Unknown Worlds and Subnautica: Below Zero Steam groups to get a notification on Steam. You can also:

• See update sneak peaks by following @Subnautica on Twitter
  
• Get live source code changes by following @SubnauticaSCM on Twitter
  
• See update news on Facebook
  
• Watch update summary videos on YouTube
  
• Satisfy underwater Instagram craving by following @Subnautica
  
• See our task lists & milestones on Favro
  
• Chat with fellow divers in the Subnautica Discord server

Enjoy, and happy diving!

- Unknown Worlds

https://store.steampowered.com/app/848450/Subnautica_Below_Zero/

A new update is available for Subnautica: Below Zero Early Access. Build a Spy Pengling for remote research and documentation, encounter the mammoth Vent Garden, explore Tree Spires, and more. Check out the Spy Pengling site to learn more!

• Spy Pengling community-requested feature
  
• The towering Vent Garden
  
• Tree Spires biome
  
• New weather effects
  
• Added ambient cold mechanics
  
• Fabricator UI grid
  
• Lilly Paddler creature for upcoming biome
  
• Additional improvements and fixes

https://youtu.be/BZ_53oKYiVM


You can find out about upcoming updates in all sorts of ways. Sign up to the Development Newsletter to receive word every time an update is released. Follow the Unknown Worlds and Subnautica: Below Zero Steam groups to get a notification on Steam. You can also:

• See update sneak peaks by following @Subnautica on Twitter
  
• Get live source code changes by following @SubnauticaSCM on Twitter
  
• See update news on Facebook
  
• Watch update summary videos on YouTube
  
• Satisfy underwater Instagram craving by following @Subnautica
  
• See our task lists & milestones on Favro
  
• Chat with fellow divers in the Subnautica Discord server

Enjoy, and happy diving!

- Unknown Worlds

https://store.steampowered.com/app/848450/Subnautica_Below_Zero/

Travel quickly across the snowy tundra on a Snowfox, hide from terrifying beasts, explore two new biomes, and more in the latest update to Subnautica: Below Zero Early Access. Check out the Snowfox Update site to learn more!

• Snowfox vehicle
  
• Chelicerate & Snow Stalker
  
• Two new, beautiful biomes
  
• New fishy friends and foes
  
• Seatruck Sleeper and Docking Modules, Perimeter Upgrade
  
• Pinnable recipes
  
• New music
  
• Additional improvements and fixes

https://youtu.be/k_wESwRh-Uc




The Snowfox is the first above-water vehicle in the Subnautica universe. Travel quickly over land, all without touching the ground! The Snowfox can be upgraded with a jump module (coming soon), and comes with a speed boost ability built in. Build a Snowfox Hoverpad (with power) to craft the Snowfox and customize it however you like!




A new beast appears on land in the latest update. A deadly creature with long claws and a powerful charge, Snow Stalkers are aggressive and best avoided. Especially when they are with their offspring!




Beautiful no matter the weather, the new Glacial Basin biome is home to an array of creatures including the Snow Stalker. Teeming with icy nooks to explore, this biome has a lot to uncover.




Lurking in the new Purple Vents biome, the Chelicerate is a Leviathan-class creature with a nasty bite. Not much is known about this massive monster of the water.




Explore the hauntingly beautiful Purple Vents biome, a shallow-depth environment. Underground thermal activity erupts into bright purple particulate, providing the perfect ecosystem for many creatures.




Three new additions to The Seatruck are now available; The Sleeper Module, the Docking Module, and the Perimeter Upgrade.


You can find out about upcoming updates in all sorts of ways. Sign up to the Development Newsletter to receive word every time an update is released. Follow the Unknown Worlds and Subnautica: Below Zero Steam groups to get a notification on Steam. You can also:

• See update sneak peaks by following @Subnautica on Twitter
  
• Get live source code changes by following @SubnauticaSCM on Twitter
  
• See update news on Facebook
  
• Watch update summary videos on YouTube
  
• Satisfy underwater Instagram craving by following @Subnautica
  
• See our task lists & milestones on Favro
  
• Chat with fellow divers in the Subnautica Discord server

Enjoy, and happy diving!

- Unknown Worlds

https://store.steampowered.com/app/848450/Subnautica_Below_Zero/

Subnautica: Below Zero has received its first big Early Access update. Check out the Seatruck Update Site to see all the sweet new features in action.

• Seatruck modular underwater utility vehicle
  
• Terrifying Squidshark creature 🦑
  
• Thermal Spires & Deep Twisty Bridges biomes
  
• Playful Seamonkey and their nests
  
• Intricately detailed Cargo Transfer Launchpad island
  
• Lots of small Early Access improvements

The Seatruck is a modular Underwater Utility Vehicle. Start by building a cab, then add and remove modules based on your mission requirements. Each additional module slows the Seatruck down. A reversing camera is included as standard. In an emergency, you can detach all modules and escape quickly.

https://youtu.be/OhK_LERt4so

• Cab - Provides power, live support, cockpit
  
• Fabricator - Mobile field equipment fabricator
  
• Storage - Ample space for equipment & supplies
  
• Aquarium - Collect live specimens

Look out for more Seatruck modules in future Early Access updates!




Lurking within the new Deep Twisty Bridges biome, the Squidshark is a serious threat. Its tentacles can ensnare even the most agile diver. Shark teeth and a powerful bite cause great damage.




An ocean trickster, the Seamonkey will actively seek to steal your kit and swim off with it. Follow them back to their nests and you might find other valuable things they have collected.






Deep Twisty Bridges is a dark, red-accented region with depths exceeding 200 meters. Look out - Some of the plant life is not passive, and might ensnare you in the depths.




Rockpunchers and Bonesharks roam between these pointed ocean stacks.




Explore a richly detailed island, home to the Cargo Transfer Launchpad. Black sandy beaches, thermal pools, snow-dusted cliffs and intricate caves await you. At the peak, you will find a new Cargo Transfer Base along with attendant rocket launchpad.


You can find out about upcoming updates in all sorts of ways. Sign up to the Development Newsletter to receive word every time an update is released. Follow the Unknown Worlds and Subnautica: Below Zero Steam groups to get a notification on Steam. You can also:

• See update sneak peaks by following @Subnautica on Twitter
  
• Get live source code changes by following @SubnauticaSCM on Twitter
  
• See update news on Facebook
  
• Watch update summary videos on YouTube
  
• Satisfy underwater Instagram craving by following @Subnautica
  
• See our task lists & milestones on Favro
  
• Chat with fellow divers in the Subnautica Discord server

Enjoy, and happy diving!

- Unknown Worlds



https://store.steampowered.com/app/848450/Subnautica_Below_Zero/

A small update has been released! This update is not a major feature release. It contains some bug fixes and improvements, and tries to fix some (but not all!) of the issues your feedback revealed after Below Zero release.

This update also serves to test our new triple-store build deployment system. This system sends the update to each of the Epic, Discord, and Steam stores at the same time. We want to make sure it is working properly before we release a major feature update.

To be notified as soon as we do release our first major feature update, subscribe to the Subnautica development newsletter, follow @Subnautica on Twitter, @Subnautica on Instagram, Subnautica on Facebook, and subscribe to Subnautica on Youtube.

Please keep sending us your feedback! We'd love to hear from you in the in-game feedback system (press F8 while playing), on our forums, or in our Discord chat. Below Zero is still full of bugs, but with your continued feedback we will whittle them away during Early Access.

- Unknown Worlds

A comprehensive changelog follows:


Changes

• Ice floes reworked to look less flat, transition better to snow
  
• Reduced oxygen gained from Titan Holefish from 100 to 30
  
• Increased Titan Holefish oxygen recharge time to 40 seconds
  
• Clarified rocket island signal text
  
• Alien cave materials now blend better with surrounding ice
  
• Supply drops may now be used when falling
  
• Removed Crash Fish spawns outside Sanctuary
  
• Spawn fewer aggressive creatures in the one place in Thermal Spires

Additions

• Avalanche + tower falling sounds
  
• Camera shake in avalanche sequence
  
• Hot springs on rocket island, including terrain tweaks
  
• Two new icebergs in shallows
  
• Hanging icicles on cave facade
  
• Heat effects in proximity to heat sources
  
• Pengling hold animations

Bug fixes

• Various changes to Sanctuary physics including collision mesh
  
• PDA now lights correctly in Research Base
  
• Research Base collision adjusted to mitigate falling & sticking
  
• Tooltip on Research Base prawn suits updated
  
• Steam version no longer starts vanilla Subnautica
  
• Removed unwanted Supply Drop with "Null" item inside
  
• Pengwing spelling error fixed
  
• Some tool & walk/stand poses now animate properly
  
• Camera no longer clips inside Life Pod
  
• No longer possible to use fabricator from outside Drop Pod
  
• No longer possible to scan fabricator in Drop Pod
  
• Life Pod fabricator can no longer be picked up with Propulsion Cannon
  
• Stopped some entity slots (e.g. loot) from floating
  
• Removed floating terrain in Shallow Twisty Bridges
  
• Removed unused mesh from small coral kelp plant
  
• Ladders in ice lake & rocket base may now be used
  
• Drop Pod legs will now deploy
  
• Drop Pod will now broadcast the correct signal
  
• Bioscanner & Biosample may no longer be dropped / lost
  
• Pickup up a Builder tool now unlocks the Builder recipe

Performance

• Adjusted Level-Of-Detail on small coral kelp plant
  
• Add culling of non-visible objects to elevator in alien base
  
• Optimised cloud rendering
  
• Disabled clouds when underwater

https://store.steampowered.com/app/848450/Subnautica_Below_Zero/

Subnautica: Below Zero is now available in Early Access! Set one year after the original Subnautica, Below Zero challenges you to survive a disaster at an alien research station on Planet 4546B.

This frozen underwater adventure is a work in progress. As we did with Subnautica, we are building Below Zero out in the open. With your help, we will craft a worthy follow up to the original game.

Below Zero is full of bugs, runs poorly, and includes only a small portion of our planned features. It's also a game we're excited about. If you join us, we think you might enjoy this journey through Early Access.

If you would like to wait until the game is finished, please sign up to our Development Newsletter. We'll let you know as soon as the game is done!

- Unknown Worlds

https://store.steampowered.com/app/848450/Subnautica_Below_Zero/