The Oceans of Proteus are teeming with life, including plenty of things which want to take a bite out of nearby pioneers. At first, your options for dealing with this aggression is pretty limited. But as you continue to explore, you gain new tools including the Sonic Resonator, and several Biomods which can make your life much easier when it comes to hostile wildlife.
Player Tools, Vehicles, & Biomods
Here are all of the options that you have when it comes to dealing with hostile creatures, along with a bit of information on how to use them.
Tools and Vehicles
Author's Note:
While avoiding damage is your best bet, you're going to get hit sooner or later. Use food like the Three Moon Temaki to restore health or craft and carry an Enhanced Medkit.
Biomods
Initially, your options are limited when it comes to Biomods. However, once you unlock the Bioscanner upgrade, you gain a few new options which you can use to deal with creature attacks, including the Collector Leviathan.
The first Biomod you can use to deal with aggressive wildlife is the Dash. This works similarly to the strafe method mentioned above, but now a well timed dash makes it even easier to escape an attack or give yourself some distance so the creature de-aggroes.
Note
To unlock the remaining Biomods you need to scan a specific creature with the Bioscanner, this is an upgraded version of the Scanner.
Scan a Bullethead (found near the Alien Observatory) to obtain the Camouflage Biomod. With this, you can de-aggro any predator including the Collector Leviathan by holding still. Since scanning and resource gathering doesn't require you to move, you can do these things in peace even if a hostile creature is around. Just be careful when using this, as it takes a couple seconds to activate and if you cut the timing too close the creature might still get a hit in that could be fatal!
After you scan an Electric Geordie (found near the Alien Power Plant or Root Canyon), you unlock the Electric Discharge Biomod. This shocks nearby creatures, interrupting their attack and often causing them to swim away. While this is a very effective defensive tool, it takes the place of your dash, and tends to be ineffective against massive creatures creatures or those that themselves use electricity.
If you're tired of getting more Titanium and Quartz for flares, you can instead use the Chum Cloud active Biomod. Scan a Toxic Sponge (near the starting area) and Houndgar (found in the Graveyard) to obtain it. This works like a flare, creating a treat that distracts nearby predators. Use the time to get away, gather resources, or complete your scan.
Hostile Creatures and How to Deal With Them
Here are the hostile creatures you're likely to encounter while exploring the oceans of Proteus and some ways to deal with them.
Mango Nibbler
The first (and arguably most annoying) threat you're likely to encounter is the Mango Nibbler. They swim in the warm shallows near the Lifepod and love to take a bite if you get too close.
Unfortunately, most of these methods don't work for long, resulting in the Mango Nibbler quickly returning for another bite. If you don't have the Chum Cloud and don't want to continually waste resources on Flares, try to time your dash to avoid the damage.
Foureye
Foureyes aren't particularly aggressive. If you get too close they occasionally use a charge attack but your best bet is to keep a respectful distance.
Sandspear
The Sandspear is an Antlion-like creature that lurks in the soft sand on cave floors. They don't actively come after you, but if you get too close to their open jaws they're going to take a bite.
Hammerhead
Hammerheads are large and fairly slow. Most of the time they don't bother you, but get too close and you could face their charge attack.
Surge Jelly
While not aggressive, the Surge Jelly does let off an electrical discharge that can deal some damage to you or your vehicles. Keep a respectful distance if you see one floating around.
Marrowbreach & Houndgar
The Marrowbreach is a highly aggressive predator. Once you catch it's attention you're in for a bad time. Your best bet is to distract it with a Flare, or the Chum Cloud. While you can interrupt an attack with the Sonic Resonator it's likely to attack you again almost immediately.
Marrowbreaches are often accompanied by a group of Houndgars. These little creatures are not a threat on their own but signal for the Marrowbreach to attack, often meaning it chases you for longer. This is another reason why Distraction Flares and Chum Clouds are more effective here than the Sonic Resonator or Discharge.
Viral Parasite
This is the only hostile creature you can kill outright. Shoot the parasite with the Sonic Resonator to destroy it. Early on, they can be hard to hit so it's often better to just destroy the Viral Cankers. But once you get the upgrade for your Sonic Resonator, line your shot up with the Parasite when it charges and use the blast to destroy it!
Bullethead
Bulletheads are found hiding on various cliff faces. If you keep your distance, they leave you alone. But get too close and they attack you (or your Tadpole) several times. If you disturb one, you can use Chum or Discharge to deal with it. Alternatively you can usually just take the hits as it doesn't do a ton of damage before calming down and returning to the cliff face.
Needler Mango
Needler Mangos fire hardened spines which pierce through terrain. Before launching the barrage the fins around their head flare out. The best way to deal with them is to either strafe/Dash to the side, avoiding the spines, or shoot them with the Sonic Resonator to disrupt their attack. DO NOT try to LoS (line of sight) the attack, as it pierces through terrain!
Electric Geordie
Electric Geordies are harmless to you, but can attack themselves to electronics like your Tadpole causing damage and draining power. Your best bet is to keep your Tadpole clear of these creatures, but if they do become attached, remove them as quickly as possible!
Epicurean and Tongue Thief
Epicureans hang out in the depths of the Root Canyon. They do attack you but aren't too aggressive on their own. However, they don't attack your Tadpole, so you can always hop in to get them to de-aggro.
What makes Epicureans far more aggressive (and dangerous) is the Tongue Stealer, a parasitic creature that takes control of them when eaten. A possessed Epicurean can be scared off with a Discharge, or you can use the Sonic Resonator to knock the Tongue Stealer off.
Twin Sitaray
Twin Sitarays are the deep ocean equivalent of Marrowbreaches, big, dangerous, highly aggressive, and persistent.
Collector Leviathan
The Collector Leviathan is a massive squid that hunts in the upper ocean of Proteus. This is a serious threat as it can deal massive damage to your Tadpole. Additionally, if it eats you, that's an instant reprint.
How to Get the Bioscanner Upgrade
Several Biomods are helpful when dealing with aggressive creatures. Initially, you're limited to the 4 Biomods found at the start of the game. But once you obtain and build the Bioscanner upgrade, you can scan creatures to obtain more.
Bioscanner Scan Location
You need a Repair Tool to get the Scan for the Bioscanner. In addition it's strongly recommended that you have upgraded Fins, Air Tank, and the Rebreather. If you need more Oxygen you can carry a spare Swim Bladder or Two. Once you've prepared, head to the alien power plant, then travel South-Southeast (at about 150 degrees) until you find a wreck. The Entrance is marked with a "73."
Explore the Wreck by heading through the door to the right. Repair any broken doors you encounter and remember to dip out for Oxygen as needed.
Modification Station Scan Location
To find the Modification Scan, head to the Alien Observatory. Then, travel Northeast to find the Research Outpost.
Enter the building and head into the second room to find your Modification Station Scan.
Crafting the Bioscanner
You can find Creature Enamel (needed for Enameled Glass) near the Needler Mango nests. Conduit Crystals are nearby in the deeper regions of the ocean around the Alien Power Plant. You may need to dive deep to get some of these as they're often found below the 250 Meter Crush Depth of the Tadpole.
You need the following materials to make a Modification Station:
In addition, you need the following to upgrade your Scanner to the Bioscanner:
With everything gathered, it's time to make a Modification Station and upgrade your Scanner to a Bioscanner. You can use this to complete the Early Access storyline and scan various Alien life forms to gain new Biomods.
