Reader Submitted: Game Review - Subnautica, Part Seven

By Rita Mariner

(Part of Rita's series of reader-submitted articles on the Subnautica survival game, continued from Part Six) 

Alright, you have made it the Alien Thermal Power Plant, after being chased and harassed by Warpers, Lava Lizards, Lava Larve  and the Sea Dragon, breathing fireballs on you, maybe even trying to bite and take a chunk out of you.  Once inside the power plant, it is safe to exit your Prawn suit, it has normal air and pressure. You will see a huge pile of ION Cubes, so go ahead drill the heck out it.  Hopefully you will space left in storage.  Then around the corner you will find a force field.  You will need a Purple Tablet to open it. Inside you will find a new tablet, the BLUE TABLET!  Make sure you scan it, before you pick it up, VERY IMPORTANT!  You can use one of the ION Cubes to activate TP Arch located nearby.  The head down the ramps to the actual power plant.  Here you will find a single ION cube, a Data Terminal and another force field.  A second Purple Tablet will be needed to access the room.

Inside you will find the actual power generators.  Scan the plant and then get the info from the Data Terminal.  It will tell you where to look for the last Alien Facility you will need to access.  Also very important, go up the ramp to the GOLD Data Terminal.  Here you will get the blueprints for making ION Powered batteries and power cels.  These new batteries carry five times the energy as your standard batteries and cells.   Now you have looted the power plant.  Head back up to the TP Arch you activated and walk into it.  The arch will take you to the Alien Enforcement Facility, the island with the huge space cannon on it. Walk over the alien moon pool and then pull out of the Prawn storage a good supply of Kyanite and ION Cubes. Also make sure you grab the Prawn Suit Depth Module Mk1.  You will now need to upgrade it to Prawn Suit Depth Module Mk2, since you now have the Kyanite to do so. This will give you a new depth of 1700m, even though the last Facility is roughly 1500m down.

Once you have all you can carry back, grab your Seaglide and head back to home base.  There you will need to upgrade the depth module, make new ION Power Cels for. the Prawn Suit.  Thermal Power Generator for the Prawn Suit, as well. Make sure to empty out your inventory of all th goodies you collected.  Now every important, also a Spoiler, you will need to make a second BLUE TABLET, you will need two of them.  Also make sure you have a couple of Beacons with you. They aren't game enders if you don't, but they make finding spots a whole lot easier.  Now head back to the Alien Enforcement Island, with your Seamoth.  You can find it again, by just looking for your Prawn Suit beacon. Park your Seamoth in the alien moonpool, then empty the balance of the Prawn Suit storage into your Seamoth. Now you can replace the Prawn Suit epth Module and you now can go to 1700m with it.  Replace the old power cells with the new and improved ION Power Cells.  You will also need to remove one of the Prawn Suit storage modules now to add the Thermal Power Generator Module, if you made one.  Once you have upgraded your Prawn suit and moved all it's cargo, into the Seamoth, your ready to head back.

Step back into the TP arch and it will return you the power plant. Now just jump back to the opening in the terrain, you came out of and try to land on the lava bridge you walked in on.  Now Lava Lizards inhabit the caves and surrounding area and they love to damage your Prawn suit, so again make sure you pop out once in awhile and patch it up.  If you collect Alien Creature Eggs, this cave is where you will find the ones for the Lava Lizard.  Once you reach the green archway again.  Just jump down the ground and start walking W.  You will see and overhang of lava just walk under it and keep going.  If you see any Silver nodes on your trip, drill them, you are going to need lots of Silver.If you follow the path around to a small cliff, hop on it and keep walking forward.  Soon you will come to a huge depression in the ground and across from you a large opening..

Using your Jump Jets, head for that opening, you don't need to keep the button down on your jets, use spurts and you will hit the opening. Once through the opening the mysterious image and voice will appear again,  If you time your flight just right you will land on the hardened lava.  In front of you, there is the last place you need to go, the Alien Containment Facility.  Jump over it ASAP.  Lots of nasties still around and you don't want to get turned in Warper or Sea Dragon Chow. now that your sooooo close.  You will see the opening dead center of the building so just get there and walk in.  There is a force field there, you open it with one of the BLUE TABLETS. 

Once it is down, walk up to the large center room and you will see a ION Cube fabricator there, so you can drill ION Cubes to your hearts content, but you only get three at a time.  So in-between making more, move around the room and scan everything.  Also grab some of the ION Cubes you drill, as you do, you will need them.  There are many Alien Artifacts to scan and six archways.  Four of them are TP rooms and you want to use the ION cubes to activate them.  One of the archways goes to an Alien Egg Archive, with Data Terminal. the last archway leads to a pump room,there are pipes to scan along with the Data Terminal. 

Going up the ramp to the platform, you will find another Data Terminal and if you walk behind the wall, you will find a preserved Sea Emperor Fetus. along with data about Enzyme 42..  Once you have investigated and scanned everything in the main room and side rooms, there is one last force field, this is where you need the second BLUE TABLET. Fill up your inventory with all the ION Cubes you can carry and then walk down the hallway to the aquarium.  Leave the Prawn Suit here, you will be coming back.  Dive into the water and face the mysterious Sea Empress.  She will chat with you, via telepathy..  Once she leaves, you can swim down and investigate the aquarium.

You will finally come across an alien platform, with five eggs on it, both can be scanned. You then activate the platform, with an ION Cube.  The Sea empress will them direct you to another archway, which she clears for you.  Watch your air, you can top it off down there by parking yourself over a Brain Coral, there is one next to the Incubator.  Once you scan the the new archway and activate it with another ION Cube, the Sea Empress will give you the secret Hatching Enzyme blueprints.  You then swim through the archway and it leads to an underwater TP arch, close to the moon pool, where you parked your Seamoth.  Here you drop on of your beacons, so you can find the archway again. Now head up to your Seamoth and head back to home base.

If you have been collecting plants along the way, you may have the five items you need to make the Hatching Enzyme.  If you haven't, the four TP arches, inside the Containment Facility, will lead you to four of them.  The Sea Crown, which is very rare.  You can find one located, in a cave, in the Aquarium.  Make the Hatching Enzyme and then insert it into the Incubator.  You can watch the juvenile Sea Emperors hatch and then scan one.  After a bit they will start to eject balls of Enzyme 42.  All you need to do is touch one and you will be CURED! If you remove your suit gloves, you can watch it work.  Once you have been cured, the Warpers should now leave you alone, you're no longer infected. The other nasties don't care, they will still try to eat you.

After getting cured, head up to the Space Cannon and you can now disable it.  Then you can return to the Containment Facility to drill ION Cubes and fill up your inventory.  If your interested you can go outside the facility to scan some of the stuff there, some fish, and the buildings outside.  If you still need more Kyanite, there will be a few nodes outside. Once you have everything you need, time to head home.  I walk my Prawn Suit out the arch, just to the left of the entrance to the aquarium.  This should lead to one of the Mushroom Forest,at about 240m down.  you can easily walk home from there.  To make your new ION Batteries and Power Cells, you will need one ION Cube, one silver and one gold, per battery.  So to power the Cyclops with all six ION Power Cells, you will need 12 ION Cubes, 12 gold, 12 silver and 6 silicon rubber.  You will need two ION Power Cells just for your escape rocket. and 6 ION Batteries for all your tools.  So you will need a heck of a lot of ION Cubes, Gold and Silver. That is why I bring my Prawn Suit home, since I can now go out find the large nodes of Lithium, Gold, Silver, Copper and drill the heck out of it.

Now to complete the game, you can build the escape rocket and the Cyclops.  You need the Cyclops Fabricator, on board to make a item.  Hopefully you will have found the blueprint for it, or you will be delayed, while you search for it.  Upon completion of the rocket, you will need a photo, a six items to put into a Time Capsule on board.  I put in useful stuff, but you can place anything in it, including junk.  I rarely got a good Time Capsule.  Once you have switched everything on the rocket on.  Time to get off the rock.  Just press go and sit back and watch the light show.

 You have now almost completed the game, Alterra will ask you for something,  before they let you land.  *Grins*

Now your done.  Hope if you play the game, you enjoy it as much as I do.  I still play it and it does change some each play through.

Rita Mariner

Reader Submitted: Game Review - Subnautica, Part Six

By Rita Mariner

(Part of Rita's series of reader-submitted articles on the Subnautica survival game, continued from Part Five)

Now that you have visited the Lost River, gathered the needed resources and laid a trail of beacons to follow.  You nearly ready to head down into the LAVA ZONE.  That is where you will find and mine the last resource you need to complete the game. Kyanite, a blue crystal.

Now some folks like to use the Cyclops to carry the Prawn suit down to the Lava Zone, which is fine, but it requires extra steps.  You will need to make at least one extra set of Power Cels for the Cyclops, plus you will need to haul down the materials and resources to construct a Power Cel Recharging Station, near the Cove Tree.  This is because the Cyclops goes thru Power Cels, like a pack of kids on candy, at Halloween. also make double sure both the Cyclops and Prawn suit can handle 1300m depth, that would be the Mk1 Depth Module on the Prawn suit and Mk2 Depth Module for the Cyclops.

Personally I skip taking the Cyclops down there, since I find it too big, slow and clumsy to control down there.  Mine just seems to have a a BIG KICK ME, EAT ME sign plastered all over it.  You still need to build one however, so you can construct one at anytime.  As for me I find it much easier to take my Prawn suit, on a one-way trip to complete the game at this point, but it's what you prefer.

I put the Mk1 depth Module and Jump Jets Module on my Prawn Suit, along with 2 Storage modules. Carry along one extra set of Power Cells, one extra battery, plus making sure I have the following tools at 100% on power. Seaglide, Repair Tool, Scanner and your knife.  Builder Tool, Laser Cutter, Flashlight will not be needed. I have the Drill Arm on the Prawn Suit, you can make a Grappling Arm attachment, but you don't need it for most of the trip.  You can just carry it along, encase. Carry along a lot of Med Packs, I carry six.

 Now that your ready to dive into the depths, turn on all the beacons you laid at the Lost River, including the Entrance and head off.  I usually find the entrance near the ancient Skeleton and head down that one.  You will run into a few nasties, so keep your wits about you and get to the Lost River asap. Once you reach the Lost River, just follow it, the Green Brine will not harm the Prawn Suit. If you still need some Crystal Sulfur, you can pick up some as you walk along the river bed, that's why you don't want the Grappling Arm just now, this allows you to pickup items.

You will have to cross the area, with the Ghost leviathan in your sub or suit, silent Running and shield works here, on the sub.  A good right cross with the Prawn Suit, works too. Work your way down past the Leviathan skeleton and down to the Cove Tree.  If your in the Cyclops, use your power Station  to recharge your Power Cels. If your using the Prawn Suit, you can continue to march towards to the Lava Zone entrance, or stop a bit and pickup some more Nickel, if you need some.

Once you reach the entrance to the Lava Zone, it's watch out for Warpers, Lava Lizards and Lava Larva.  Warpers mainly want you.  Lava Lizards just attack you cause your there.  Lava Larva are like the mynoks, from Star Wars, they just attach themselves to you and suck out your power! Just head down the gap in the rocks and after 5-10 minutes, you should start to see light blue crystal nodes. That's Kyanite.  Now all the nasties are down here and will be interrupting your drilling operations.  Keep your Prawn suit repaired, wouldn't due to lose it now, your too far away to escape.  Also keep the Lava Larva off your Prawn Suit, so if you notice one, when you get the chance, pop out and scrap it off, with your knife.  You can scan it also.  Move the inventory from the Prawn suit, into your own, at this time as well.  It will take drilling several nodes of Kyanite to get enough. You need Kyanite for the Escape Rocket, as wll as making the last Depth Modules for both the Cyclops and Prawn Suit, as well as the Thermal Power Generators for both the Cyclops and Prawn Suit.

Once you have collected sufficient Kyanite and survived, time to head to the Lava Castle, and find the entrance to the Thermal Power Plant  The Lava Castle is in the center of the Lave Zone and looks like a huge haunted castle.  The entrance is up on the side and marked by a lava waterfall.  I use the GPS (-75, 5) to get me close then I just look for it,  The archway is GREEN!  Enter the archway and repair your Prawn suit, if needed. The walk down the tunnel, until you reach the end.  You will see the Thermal Power Plant.  Here you walk along the wall, until you can see the lite-up entrance to the Power Plant above you.  I just line up with the entrance and use my Jump Jets to get me inside.  You may need the Grappling Arm if you aren't sure you can hit the opening with just your  Jump Jets.  I have done it enough, I can hit it first time.

Enough for now. next one, looting the Alien Thermal Power Plant and the Primary Alien Containment Facility.

To be continued

Rita Mariner

Reader Submitted: Game Review - Subnautica, Part Five

By Rita Mariner

(Continued from Part Four)

Once you have located the Lost River, you will want to start exploring it and looting it for more resources that you will need.  Crystaline Sulphur is one of the resources you will need, but it is hard and dangerous to get.  It is located, UNDER, the green, acidic brine of the Lost River..  What I have done is pack alot of med packs with me, then dive the Seamoth under the brine, until I spot the sulphur chunk.  I will then bring the sub up and over the chunk, pointing the nose at the area.  I then hop out, repair the Seamoth, since it will have taken damage.  The once you spot the chunk, use your Seaglide, swim down grab the chunk and get out ASAP.  You may or may not get more than 1 piece per med pack.  Don't go for any chunks that are deep. If you have the reinforced dive suit, you will take less damage, but it will still burn!

You will also want to keep an eye out for nasties, while your there.  The Ghost Rays are harmless, but there are other ones that will take a bite out of you and your sub.  There is also one section in the Lost River that a Ghost Leviathan inhabits, consider yourself lucky, if it doesn't see you, otherwise it will  take a serious bite out of your Seamoth.  Don't hang around that area, cruise thru it as fast and low as you can.  If you take the left turn, you will come across a set of 3 green brine waterfalls, falling from the roof of the cavern, near another huge skeleton head.  If you scan to the right, you will see some alien structures.  You will want to investigate.  There is a huge opening on the side of the building, if you look for it.  Entering it, you will need a Purple Tablet to access a Data Terminal.  Otherwise there is a ton of stuff to scan and 3 ION Cubes to collect.

Once I have finished with the building I head over to the skeleton head, scan it and leave a beacon.  If you look around, you will see something very special.  It's a huge tree and very colorful., this is the Cove Tree and is the rarest plant on the planet.  Only one exists and it is where Ghost Leviathans lay their eggs.  Yet this area is the safest place on the river.  You will also see the river has changed from green to pale blue.  This water is harmless, so you can dive it without worry, which is good.  This area is where you primarily find the next resource you need, Nickel Ore.  Both Crystal Sulphur and Nickel Ore are sort of scarce, but you need them, so collect what you can find.  There are also lots of Rubies down there, you can collect, if you need more.  Rubies are used to make Aerogel, along with boosting Depth Modules.

Once I have marked the route to the Cove Tree, if you go on a bit more and look down, you will see your access to the Lava Zone.  That is where you will need to go to get your last resource, along with finding and accessing the last two Alien Facilities.  You can't do it with the Seamoth, you will need something that can go down to 1300m to start and the Seamoth maxes out at 900m.  You can get both the Cyclops and PRAWN Suit to 1300m with the resources you can access, to go deeper and also make a few of the additional modules, you will need the last resource located, in the Lava Zone. Kyanite!

You can now return to your base, by backtracking the river, following the beacons you laid.  Make the necessary modules you will need with this need resources you have acquired, provided you have found the blueprints.  Be careful to keep an eye out for Warpers and Crabsquids since they inhabit the area, sometimes more than others. Next part will cover what I do to prepare and locate the last alien facilities.

Rita Mariner