All Subnautica 2 Leviathans: complete guide, locations, and secrets

7 Leviathans. That's the number of confirmed Leviathan-class sea monsters in Subnautica 2 early access. And believe me, they're not just there for decoration.

Unknown Worlds has completely renewed its bestiary compared to the first Subnautica. No Reaper, no Ghost Leviathan, no Sea Dragon. Here, we are on a different planet, with original creatures that make the old ones look like goldfish. Shiver Leviathan hunt in packs and one-shot you in the Void. The Collector is a giant squid that opens armored clams with the ease of a can opener. And the Great Jaw — nicknamed Clamthulu by the devs — traps you with trap wires before dissolving you in its gastric acid. Nice.

In this guide, we review each Leviathan in the game: the three big ones, the hidden alpha variants, the rare Deepwing Brooder, and the mysterious World Tree. For each one, you will have its location, behavior, PDA info, and our tips to survive - or at least die knowing why.

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Do you see the red barrier at the edge of the map? The one the game tells you not to cross? Well, the Shiver Leviathan is the reason why you should listen to this advice.

The Void, it's the dead zone of Subnautica 2 — about 5,000 meters deep according to the PDA. And at the bottom of this abyss, packs of Shivers patrol constantly. The female is massive, like really massive, accompanied by two or three smaller but equally fast males. You cross their path, and it's over. Literally a one-shot.

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What makes the Shiver so scary is the coordination. The males separate from the female to corner you. While you focus on the big one charging straight at you, a male circles around you on the right. The other one comes from below. Three against one, no working flares, no possible diversion. The Ghost Leviathans from the first game were a hug in comparison.

The PDA log is rich in information. The Shiver has a armored skull and developed members that resemble clawed wings. Its closest living relative would be the Four-eye, this small dolphin that we come across in calmer areas. But the comparison stops there.

The body of the Shiver is optimized for slow cruises in deep waters, punctuated by sudden attacks. Males rely on the female for navigation — she has a sensory organ on her tail that functions like a long-range sonar . Without it, they are lost. For reproduction, several males fertilize the clutch of a single female, and females fight to attract the most successful packs.

Small detail that smells like DLC: the PDA mentions that the Shiver "will even attack large submarines". We do not yet have large submarines in the game. Just so you know.

Tyrannoteuthis phobocoeus. "Tyrant squid with frightening curiosity." This is the scientific name that the PDA gives it, and frankly, it deserves it.

The Leviathan Collector is the iconic boss of Subnautica 2 - the one we see in the trailers, the one that chases you in the chasms. It is a giant, solitary cephalopod, extremely intelligent . He does not hunt by instinct like the Shiver. He observes, he feels, he manipulates. And when he decides that you interest him, you have a big problem.

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The Collector, it's four hunting tentacles with bio-glass claws, eight arms grouped around a beak capable of tearing titanium, and multiple thrusters that allow it to breathe and accelerate independently. A real biological tank.

On the circulatory system side, it's downright three hearts — two branchial hearts that pump blood from the gills to the main heart. Like land octopuses, but in a nightmare version.

There are two Collector Leviathans in the world currently, nestled in deep chasms. By exploring their lair, you will find giant clam shells — the "mini-Clamthulus" as the devs called them — gutted and emptied of their contents. The fleshy center, cleanly torn out. That's its pantry.

The PDA clearly states: its favorite prey are the Coral Crab and the Great Jaw (the juvenile versions, not the monstrous adult). The Collector's curiosity can make him seem sadistic - he manipulates his prey, examines it from all angles, turns it over. But according to the PDA, it's just raw intelligence. He's trying to understand what he's caught before devouring it.

Internally at Unknown Worlds, they call it Clamthulu. It's in the game files, it's in the code names. Officially, it's the Great Jaw — the Grande Mâchoire. And that's exactly what it is.

The Great Jaw is a stationary Leviathan. It doesn't move, it doesn't need to move. It waits. Imagine a giant clam open with trap wires set inside. You touch a wire, its eyes open. It sees you, it closes. And there, you find yourself trapped while it secretes gastric acid to dissolve you slowly. No fighting. No escape. Just digestion.

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The mechanism is clever. The trap tendons are distributed in the shell opening. Break one? Its eyes open, but if you are out of its field of vision, it does not close. Break a second one and it sees you? Snap. The jaws close and it's over — unless you're in god mode, of course.

There is loot inside — portable oxygen, among other things — that tempts you to enter. It's calculated. The Great Jaw is a passive predator that makes you want to come to it.

The Great Jaw is an omnivore. All its organs — heart, gills — are protected inside the shell, under the eyes and the fleshy part. The shell itself can take for decades or even centuries to reach its adult size. And the creepy detail: the specimen scanned in the game is considered as relatively young No upper size limit could be established. Imagine a Clamthulu ten times larger somewhere in the ocean. That's it.

It is also a source of lithium, if you are brave enough — or stupid enough — to dig into it.

After all these monsters that want your skin, the Deepwing Brooder arrives like a breath of fresh air. Literally. It's the only Leviathan in Subnautica 2 that won't try to kill you.

The problem? You're going to struggle to find it. In 8 hours of gameplay, you may only come across it once. It appears in a group, floating above you in open waters, and continuously drops what looks like eggs. It's quite a unique sight in the game — this massive armored mass silently hovering above your head.

What the Deepwing drops are not really eggs. Most are oil blobs — lures that burst on contact. The real edible eggs are hidden among the fakes, and they are downright OP: we're talking about a food that gives like 80 in nourishment and 80 in hydration. You can even turn them into a recipe. But distinguishing a real egg from an oily decoy in the heat of the moment is another story.

The Deepwing is described as a heavily shielded filter . Its huge beak could theoretically break and tear armored prey, but it mainly feeds by filtering water through its gills. The PDA mentions that it could feed on fluids from Titan Rock Bores, shells of Great Jaws, and fatbergs - clusters of fat drifting in the depths. Its exoskeleton falls off when it molts, with a layer of fresh fat, offering a feast to creatures of the abyss.

A nice detail: the creature has several eyes on the face, all facing forward. It's probably its face, even though with a shielded filter of this size, it's not easy to distinguish the front from the back.

And here, we enter the territory of things that the majority of players never notice. There are two alpha variants of normal creatures in Subnautica 2. They have no special icon, no announcement, no boss music. They are just... there. Bigger. Meaner.

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Do you know the normal Marrow Breach? The one that quietly chases you? Well, its big brother is about 50% larger in size . And it has something that the standard version doesn't have: a locked PDA log entitled "Man-Eating Marrow Breach" that is in the game files.

This log reveals a chilling detail. This variant has digestive enzymes capable of processing human food — and therefore potentially human tissue. However, the indigenous life on this planet is biochemically incompatible with human proteins. It SHOULD NOT be able to digest us. This means that when normal creatures eat you... they don't even digest you. You're just waste to them. But the Marrow Breach Alpha, on the other hand, could actually digest you.

The origin of this ability? Unknown. The PDA states it black on white. It's suspicious, and it smells like a setup for a future update or DLC.

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The normal Mango Needler is already about the size of a submarine. The alpha version, on the other hand, far surpasses it - it occupies the best spot in its territory, high above the others. Unlike the Marrow Breach Alpha, there is no unique PDA log for this one. It's just a big Needler with pack leader privileges.

One can speculate that these giant variants are linked to the infestation of the Maze Field and the metallic contamination of the water — the game does not provide a clear answer for now. This is the kind of mystery that Unknown Worlds loves to leave hanging until a future update.

The giant tree at the edge of the map. You can see it from quite a few places in the game, but you probably don't know that it's a living organism of the Titan class - the category above Leviathan.

The World Tree is non scannable You can't swim inside — there's a blockout. And to reach it, you have to cross the Void, which means surviving the Shivers. Good luck.

The story of Subnautica 2 reveals that an alien species lives inside the World Tree - in hibernation, deeply buried beneath the world. These aliens tried to heal the planet from its infection, failed, and retreated to a staging area under the tree's roots.

And the twist: the game confirms that this is not the only World Tree on the planet There are others, scattered around the globe. The one we see may be the only one infected by the evil that ravages the Maze Field, but it's not certain.

Solid theory: the Titan Rock Bores found all over the game are actually the roots of the World Tree. At the base of the tree, we find identical formations, just bigger. It's visually and narratively consistent - the infection affecting the Rock Bores would either come from the tree or originate from it.

One last detail: the World Tree is not a sprite or a 2D image. Unknown Worlds modeled a real massive 3D object. Even if you're not supposed to get close to it, the level of detail is impressive. You've probably been closer to the tree than you think — every Titan Rock Bore you encounter is potentially a direct extension of this thing.

• The Shiver — do not go into the Void. Period. If you still go there for the scan, bring Tadpoles as a distraction and swim in zigzag. Flares do not work.
• The Collector — remains out of its line of sight. It can't chase you for long if you hide behind the rock formations of its chasm. Scan the male and female separately.
• The Great Jaw — approach slowly, only touch ONE tendon at a time, and stay out of its field of vision (above, not in front). You can retrieve the loot without getting swallowed.
• The Deepwing Brooder — nothing to fear, but pick up the solid eggs and ignore the oily blobs that burst.
• The Alphas — the same strategies as for the normal versions, but with a reduced margin of error. They hit harder and cover more ground.

There are currently 5 species of Leviathan class or higher (Shiver, Collector, Great Jaw, Deepwing Brooder, World Tree) plus 2 alpha variants (Marrow Breach and Giant Needler Mango). That's a total of 7 creatures. Unknown Worlds has confirmed that more will be added during early access.

The Leviathan Collector has 1,000 life points according to the game data. Technically, you can kill it with a knife or a harpoon, but it takes a long time and it's clearly not intended for that. The Shiver probably has similar stats, but good luck hitting it given its speed.

No. Subnautica 2 takes place on a completely different planet. The fauna is 100% new. However, there is a Reaper Leviathan statue available as a base decoration - a nod to fans of the first one.

It is the rarest Leviathan in the game. It appears in open waters, usually above the player, but its appearances seem random and very rare. No fixed biome - you have to be patient or lucky.

In theory, the trap should work on anything. In practice, when forcing interaction via the console, the Great Jaw closes well on the Shiver... but the game crashes or the creature glitches through. These two Leviathans are not supposed to meet, so there is no programmed interaction. A Shiver may have disappeared during a test, but it's probably a bug rather than a feature.