| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Species | Titanotagmataptera amalthea ("segment-winged nurturing giant") |
| Category | Leviathans |
| Attitude | Passive |
| Type | Mobile |
| Biome | Migratory (Not found in any particular biome) |
| Scan Requirement | Bioscanner |
Deepwing Brooders are passive, migratory leviathan-class lifeforms with a highly derived ancestry. They are notable for producing Deepwing Egg Clumps, one of the best food items in Subnautica 2.
Appearance
The Deepwing Brooder's body has no direct analogs on Earth. Key physical features include:
- Keel: A tall keel extends deep below the body, developing from its thorax.
- Head: The main body features a bulbous head-like section at the front, marked by a large blue beak.
- Wings: Thick wings extend from the sides, lined at their ends by fin-like appendages.
- Tail: A long tail at the rear splits into two at the end. A long, thin tail-like appendage is also present on its back.
- Coloration: The keel is primarily sandy grey, while the main body has a brownish tone. The beak, wing tips, tail tips, and sections connecting shell plates on the underside are blue. Orange speckles cover sections of the main body, particularly at the front.
Size Variations
Deepwing Brooders vary in size:
| Size Category | Length | Wingspan |
|---|---|---|
| Largest | ~28m | ~33m |
| Medium | ~20m | ~25m |
| Smallest | ~15m | ~21m |
Behavior
Deepwing Brooders are migratory creatures that roam the perimeter of the map. They travel in groups of three, forming a line. Despite their massive size, they move surprisingly fast. Players typically require movement upgrades, such as the Wakemaker or Tadpole, to catch up to and scan them.
- Sound: They emit a very low-frequency rumbling cry audible from up to 500 meters away.
- Harmlessness: Deepwings often open their mouths wide, but they cannot harm the player in any way when approached.
Eggs and Decoys
As they travel, Deepwing Brooders drop hundreds of oil droplets as decoys alongside Deepwing Egg Clumps. They only drop several egg clumps at a time, making the true eggs rare compared to the abundant decoys.
Databank Entry
Titanotagmatapterya amalthea, the titanic wing-segmented cup of plenty. An enormous arthropod leviathan with a huge tearing beak and a payload of fatty deposits, which it uses to both feed and protect its eggs.
1. Ancient origins The brooder's ancestors, the tagmatapterya (wing-segmented ones), evolved very early in the development of Protean arthropods. Their limbs evolved into paddles, the thorax developed a deep keel, and maxillipeds beneath the mouth transformed into eyes by homeosis. Competition from fish selected for enormous size and thick armor. It is unknown if all the tagmatapterya achieved the deepwing brooder's enormous size, or even surpassed it.
2. Mysterious diet The deepwing brooder's throat is lined with traps for plankton. Filtered water passes through gill openings at the rear of its thoracic keel. Yet its enormous beak is suited to cracking and tearing. It is possible that the brooder opportunistically feeds on hard prey, including the fluids of titan rockbores, the shells of giant jaws, and fatbergs drifting through the lipid-rich Protean sea.
3. Fertile brooding Deepwing brooders gather layers of oil beneath their outer shell. This oil is released in droplets alongside eggs, acting as a decoy for predators. The decoy eggs do provide the ocean with a tremendous bounty of concentrated nutrients.
4. Deepfall As a strandulate, the deepwing brooder must molt. Molted exoskeletons drop to the sea floor with a lining of lipid-rich grease, providing a feast for dwellers in the hungry abyss.
Assessment: Egg broods provide a valuable food supply, if you can locate the true eggs — and survive the competition.
Source: Scan a Deepwing Brooder
Gallery
In Game
 A Deepwing Brooder dropping Deepwing Egg Clumps.
 A Deepwing Brooder with its mouth open.
Development
 Deepwing Brooder concept art by Wietze Fopma and Elin Nylund.
 Deepwing Brooder concept art by Wietze Fopma and Elin Nylund.
Other
 A map of the Deepwing Brooder's migration path. The patrol route takes about an hour to do a full loop.
Trivia
- As a promotion for Subnautica 2, an art competition titled "Leviathan Awakens" was held. Participants attempted to fill in the design of the Deepwing Brooder based on a silhouette image. The winning design was later added as the #LeviathanAwakens Poster.
