Story

-![The aftermath of the explosion at the Old Habitat](wiki-images/a1/a15c783fc1cf5ff17578134263ba6487.png)+The **Story** of *Subnautica 2* begins with the player on the way to the desert planet [[Zezura]] on the [[Cicada]] starship as part of a colony project. The ship contains 40,000 printable colonists who will lead the formation of the colony. While en route to Zezura, the Cicada makes a sudden, unscheduled detour through an alien phase gate and crashes into the moon [[Proteus]].  -The **Story** of *Subnautica 2* begins with the player en route to the desert planet Zezura on the *Cicada* starship as part of a colony project. The ship carries 40,000 printable colonists intended to form the new colony. While traveling, the *Cicada* makes an unscheduled detour through an alien phase gate and crashes into the moon Proteus.-  ## Arrival  -Upon crashing, the *Cicada* breaks into various wrecks. NoA, an AI developed by Alterra to support colonization, begins printing a first wave of Pioneers to prepare the world and accumulate resources for the stored colonists. This first wave built Camp One, but the habitat failed, resulting in the death of the entire wave. NoA reprinted them with no memory of their survival efforts. As pioneers continued to survive, they grew suspicious, finding their own bodies and failed habitats. Distrust toward NoA grew, leading to the formation of a cult named Jubilee, led by Anita and Nahema.+Upon crashing into the moon, the Cicada breaks into many different wrecks. [[NoA]], an AI developed by Alterra to support colonization efforts, begins printing a first wave of [[Pioneers]] to prepare the world for colonization and to accumulate enough resources to print the stored colonists. This first wave of pioneers built [[Camp One]], but the habitat soon failed and the entire wave of pioneers died, forcing NoA to reprint older states of them with no memories of their survival efforts. The pioneers continue to work at survival but slowly become suspicious of the circumstances, finding their own bodies and failed habitats that they cannot explain. Many of the pioneers become distrusting of NoA and a cult is formed named [[Jubilee]], headed by the pioneer [[Anita]].  -Sophie Boucher, the colony's surgeon, determined that Proteus's biosphere is filled with heavy metals that fatally poison the pioneers. Additionally, many pioneers exhibited symptoms such as hallucinations, trances, and violent intentions. This condition was dubbed "Masefield Syndrome" and associated with the massive World Tree, though the exact cause remained unknown.+In addition to the hostility of the environment, it is determined by [[Sophie Boucher]], the colony's surgeon, that the biosphere of Proteus is filled with many kinds of heavy metal and are poisoning the pioneers fatally. Additionally, several pioneers begin showing symptoms such as hallucination, trances, and suicidal or even violent intentions. The pioneers dub this syndrome "[[Proteavirus#Masefield Syndrome|Masefield Syndrome]]" and associate it with the massive [[World Tree]] in the distance, though they cannot determine the exact cause yet.  -The pioneers also encountered the Tailings, a sentient alien race and remnant of an older species. The Tailings aggressively defended their territory, killing and experimenting on pioneers and attacking their seabases.+The pioneers also come into contact with a sentient alien race: the [[Tailings]], which seems to be only a remnant of a much older species. The Tailings aggressively defend their territory, killing and experimenting on pioneers and even attacking their seabases.   ## Tensions Rise  -Jubilee and the Pioneers operated separately for a time. Jubilee rebuilt the ruins of Camp One, while the Pioneers constructed several other seabases. However, Proteus proved incompatible with human life due to digestion issues, heavy metal poisoning, alien viruses, and hostile fauna. These challenges crippled both groups. Jubilee cut the cable to Sleep Bay 3, a section of the *Cicada* where new pioneers emerged, likely to stop NoA from printing more. Sleep Bay 3 subsequently sank nearly 600 meters underwater.+![The aftermath of the explosion at the Old Habitat](wiki-images/40/40a491ba32ad085d849f9884ab3d7d37.png)  -Tensions escalated as Nahema protested NoA's methods, urging pioneers to abandon the seabases and explore Proteus. Fascinated by the World Tree and local lifeforms, Nahema believed human encroachment was wrong and that celebration lay at the base of the tree. With help from Mantis and Chap, Nahema detonated an explosion at the Old Habitat, killing several pioneers, drowning others, and disabling Biobeds to prevent reprinting.+The Jubilee group and the Pioneers work separately for a time, with Jubilee rebuilding the ruins of [[Camp One]] and the Pioneers building several other [[Pioneer Seabases|seabases]] around the region. However, Proteus is very incompatible with human life, presenting digestion issues, heavy metal poisoning, rampant alien viruses, and hostile lifeforms. These issues crippled both groups, causing Jubilee to cut the cable to [[Sleep Bay 3]], a piece of the Cicada from which newly printed pioneers emerged. This was done so that NoA couldn't use Jubilee's food to reprint colonists, although it seems the Sleep Bay had some reserves of its own. Later, an extremist pioneer known as [[Nahema Nakota]] detonated the [[Welcome Center]] to push the Sleep Bay off a cliff and sink almost 600 meters underwater, likely to prevent printed colonists from leaving the Sleep Bay alive.  -Following the explosion, a pioneer named Ganzo led a group of eleven survivors to the Tadpole Pens. During the journey, Ganzo's wife Ruby and Tuba were lost. At the Pens, Sophie and Nahema had taken the last Tadpoles and locked down part of the base, stranding the group. Under Ganzo's leadership, they headed to the Graveyard to find a blackbox left by Zip, hoping it contained an access key for the Tadpole Pens. Inside the Graveyard Caves, intense heat exacerbated Masefield Syndrome, causing trances and hallucinations. All pioneers died and were marked "Do Not Reprint" by NoA due to viral contamination, except Twinkle, who voluntarily shut off her air supply to be reprinted early at the Hot Cave Basecamp. Upon waking, Twinkle convinced NoA to reprint Ganzo. They debated returning to Sleep Bay 3 but decided to pursue Jubilee instead.+Tensions rose between the pioneers, with Nahema strongly protesting NoA's methods and urging the other pioneers to abandon the seabases and "explore the wonders of Proteus". Nahema, fascinated by the World Tree and the scientifically extraordinary [[lifeforms]] of the moon despised the human encroachment on the alien moon and NoA's methods. With the help of [[Mantis]] and [[Chap]], Nahema set off an explosion at the [[Old Habitat]], killing several pioneers in an explosion and drowning a few others, also disabling their [[Biobed]]s ensuring NoA could not reprint them.  +Following the explosion at the Old Habitat, a pioneer named [[Ganzo]] takes a group of eleven pioneers to the [[Tadpole Pens]] to regroup. Ganzo's wife [[Ruby]] as well as [[Tuba]] are lost on the way to the Pens. When the group arrives at the Pens, they realize that Sophie and Nahema have taken the last of the [[Tadpole]]s and locked down part of the base, leaving the survivor group stranded. All of them, under Ganzo's leadership, decide to head to the [[Graveyard]] to find a [[Blackboxes|blackbox]] left by [[Zip]], the lead salvager deep in one of the caves, hoping it will contain an access key that can unlock the Tadpole Pens. Upon entering the [[Graveyard Caves]], Masefield Syndrome seems to take strong control over the pioneers due to the intense heat, either placing them in a trance-like state or causing powerful hallucinations. Every single pioneer dies in the caves and is marked as "Do Not Reprint" by NoA due their extreme viral contamination, except for [[Twinkle]] who voluntarily shut off her air supply so that she would be reprinted early at the [[Hot Cave Basecamp]]. Upon waking up, she realized NoA was refusing to reprint her colleagues and managed to convince it to reprint Ganzo. Ganzo is reprinted successfully, and they then debate returning to Sleep Bay 3 to wait for Ruby to reprint, but instead decide to go after Jubilee.+  ## The Chase  -After the Old Habitat explosion, Nahema fled to the Tadpole Pens, stole a Tadpole, and departed for the World Tree. Sophie, suspecting Nahema planned to poison the tree to kill all humans, chased her in another Tadpole. Sophie left behind a ghost at the Pens revealing that the Bloom and Masefield are distinct; Masefield is caused by a Proteavirus infecting all living beings on the moon.+After the explosion at the Old Habitat, Nahema fled to the Tadpole Pens where she stole a Tadpole and departed toward the World Tree. Sophie, horrified by this betrayal and suspecting she plans on doing something to the tree to kill all humans on Proteus, takes a Tadpole to chase after her, leaving behind a ghost of herself at the Pens that reveals to its audience that the [[Bloom]] and Masefield are not the same, and that Masefield is caused by a Proteavirus that infects all living beings on the moon.   ## Sleep Bay 3  -![The view of Proteus when exiting the Lifepod](wiki-images/b0/b05957089f669ebf443ca0bbdeff341c.png)+![The view of Proteus when exiting the Lifepod](wiki-images/5f/5f077abd3db83e6abe33f2497346ba4d.png)  -Over 25 years after the *Cicada* crash, the Qualified Investigator (QI) awakens in Sleep Bay 3 after being printed by NoA. Predicting the QI's imminent death from atmospheric pressure, NoA recommends using nearby Alterra technology to adapt. Instead, the QI finds an unknown organism, the core of an Angel Comb, and interacts with it to gain gene mutations that allow survival on the moon. The PDA instructs the QI to take a Lifepod to the surface to send a distress call. After a rough launch and crash landing, the QI steps out to see the World Tree dominating the horizon.+Over 25 years after the crash of the Cicada, the [[Qualified Investigator]] awakens within [[Sleep Bay 3]] after being printed by NoA. Predicting the QI's imminent death, NoA recommends using nearby Alterra technology to [[Adaptations|adapt]] to the moon's intense atmospheric pressure. The QI finds not Alterra technology but an unknown organism, the core of an [[Angel Comb]], and interacts with it to gain its gene mutations, allowing the QI to survive on the moon. The PDA then instructs the QI to take a [[Lifepod]] to the surface to make a distress call. After a rough thruster ignition and crash landing back onto the surface, the QI steps out to see the [[World Tree]] dominating the horizon.