Blood Kelp Zone

This ecological biome matches 7 of the 9 preconditions for stimulating terror in humans. ― PDA, Dialogue

The Blood Kelp Zones are special biomes in Subnautica, characterized by their depth, darkness, and abundance of giant Bloodvines, some of which carry Blood Oil pustules at the base of their stems.

Blood Kelp Trench

The Blood Kelp Trench is located south-west from Lifepod 5, between the Dunes, the Sparse Reef, the Grassy Plateaus, and the Sea Treader's Path.

The Trench lacks the Crabsquids and the Ghost Leviathan of the Northern Blood Kelp Zone, but still has predators in the form of Blighters, Ampeels, and Warpers. The more confined spaces may make it more difficult to avoid them if one is not careful.

It consists of a single deep trench with natural rock bridges spanning from one wall to another, and a small cavern system located below the Bloodvines where their roots can be found. One of the Wrecks can be found in this area, stuck between the trench's walls. This zone is considered unsuitable to explore with the Cyclops due to the trench's narrow width, and an ill-equipped Prawn Suit may get stuck due to this biome's sheer depth.

Gel Sacks can only be found in the deepest area of this biome, below 500 meters, in the section below the wreck. Ampeel Eggs can be found at the very bottom of the trench.

Story Elements

• A large cave opening that leads directly to the Lost River Laboratory Cache can be found in this biome.
• Two corridors leading to the Lost River can be found in this biome.

Resources & Loot

All Data Boxes, Fragments, Scannables, and harvestable nodes are found in Wrecks or as natural deposits:

• Data Boxes: Cyclops Fire Suppression System, Cyclops Sonar Upgrade
• Fragments: Moonpool Fragment, Nuclear Reactor Fragment, Prawn Suit Drill Arm, Prawn Suit Grappling Arm Fragment, Prawn Suit Torpedo Arm Fragment
• Scannables: Bench, Command Chair, Composite Plant Pot, Desk, Floodlight, Plant Shelf, Ampeel Egg, Blood Oil, Deep Shroom, Diamond, Gel Sack, Ghost Weed Seed, Gold, Large Copper Deposit, Large Gold Deposit, Large Lead Deposit, Lithium, Magnetite, Quartz, Ruby, Uraninite Crystal
• Fauna: Ampeel, Blighter, Blood Crawler, Shoal of Fish, Spinefish, Warper
• Flora: Bloodroot, Bloodvine, Deep Shroom, Gabe's Feather, Gel Sack, Ghost Weed

Northern Blood Kelp Zone

The Northern Blood Kelp Zone can be found to the north of Lifepod 5, in-between the Northwestern Mushroom Forest, Underwater Islands, Mountains, and Dunes. This zone is considerably larger than the Trench, albeit being more exposed to the surface and not as deep. It features a cavern system located below the Bloodvines where their roots can be found.

Unique to the Northern Blood Kelp Zone are Crabsquids and a single adult Ghost Leviathan, as well as small "underwater islands" supported by Ancient Floaters and Bloodroots. This biome is littered with Quartz. There are Salt Deposits and Gel Sacks around some of the bushes.

Story Elements

• The Northern Blood Kelp Zone also harbors a Sanctuary Cache, which is located in the deeper areas of the biome.
• A large corridor leading to the Lost River is located in the Northern Blood Kelp Zone. This entrance is considered suitable for the Cyclops to go through.
• One of the five Sea Emperor Juveniles can be found here after the Sea Emperor Leviathan Eggs have been hatched.

Resources & Loot

All Data Boxes are found in Destroyed Lifepods:

• Data Boxes: Cyclops Depth Module MK1
• Scannables: Blood Oil, Crabsquid Egg, Deep Shroom, Diamond, Gel Sack, Ghost Weed Seed, Gold, Large Copper Deposit, Large Gold Deposit, Large Lead Deposit, Lithium, Magnetite, Quartz, Ruby, Salt Deposit, Uraninite Crystal, Ancient Floater, Regress Shell, Rouge Cradle
• Fauna: Ampeel, Blighter, Blood Crawler, Crabsquid, Ghost Leviathan, Shoal of Fish, Spinefish, Warper
• Flora: Bloodroot, Bloodvine, Deep Shroom, Gabe's Feather, Gel Sack, Ghost Weed

Gallery

A Blood Crawler

A Blighter in the trench

An Ampeel in the trench

The Large Wreck

The top of the Blood Kelp Trench

The bioluminescent walls indicate that the bottom is near

The bottom of the Trench, with a brine pool

Entrance to the Lost River Laboratory Cache cave

Second entrance to the Lost River

Overview of the Northern Blood Kelp Zone

Another view into the Northern Blood Kelp Zone

Small islands found in the zone

Cave entrances in the area

Overview of the central cave, at night

The Bloodvines' root system

A Bloodroot growing on a cliff side in the Northern Blood Kelp Zone

The Ghost Leviathan located in the Northern Blood Kelp Zone

A Bloodroot

The adult Ghost Leviathan in the Northern Blood Kelp Zone at night

Magnetite on walls

Audio

Trivia

• The lack of pigmentation in fauna and flora present is an evolutionary trait often seen in deep sea lifeforms. This is due to the high resources pigment requires to be produced and the lack of such resources in deep sea environments.
• The lack of sunlight also creates an absence of pigment, due to the absence of harmful UV-radiation.
• The Regress Shell and the Rouge Cradle appear larger in the Northern Blood Kelp Zone than in any other biome.