Survival Knife (Subnautica)
Weapons were removed from standard survival blueprints following the massacre on Obraxis Prime. The knife remains the only exception. ― PDA, Dialogue
The Survival Knife is a basic tool crafted by using the Fabricator. It sports a double-edged blade on top of a silicone handle, with a hole in the middle.
Data Box
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Tab | Tools |
| Description | Standard survival tool. Multi-functional. |
| Build Time | 3 seconds |
| Size | 1 |
| Damage | 20 |
| Debug Spawn | knife |
Usage
The Survival Knife's main function is to procure samples of certain Flora and corals, such as Creepvine Samples and Coral Samples. It can also be used as a weapon, though its low damage and range greatly limits its capabilities.
By using the Modification Station, the Survival Knife can be upgraded to the Thermoblade.
If a Bleeder latches onto the player's arm, the player can use the Survival Knife to hit the Bleeder. The regular knife will detach bleeders in 2-3 swings while only one swing is required with the Thermoblade.
Like some other tools, the player can smash nodes with the knife handle, breaking them in one swing.
Recipe
The Survival Knife is crafted in the Fabricator.
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Upgrades
The Survival Knife can be upgraded at the Modification Station.
- Thermoblade: Requires 1 Battery and the Survival Knife.
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Gallery
Survival Knife
Survival Knife in the Player's hand
Survival Knife being built by the Fabricator
Survival Knife's first-use animation.
Concept Art showing the Thermoblade and Survival Knife
Trivia
- The likely reason that more powerful weapons were not implemented into Subnautica was due to its nature as an exploration and survival game: adding firearms would not only have made the game too easy but would have also disrupted the horror atmosphere.
- Obraxis Prime is a reference to one of Subnautica's developers, Scott MacDonald, who goes by the alias of Obraxis.
- One upgrade that was intended for the Survival Knife included adding poison damage to the knife.
- The Survival Knife originally had durability, but it was removed due to it being deemed useless.
- There was originally a second upgrade for the Survival Knife, called the Hardened Blade, but it was cut when durability was removed.
- Survival Knife animations that were never implemented can be viewed here.
- The Survival Knife is capable of killing a Lava Lizard in ten slashes, whilst the Thermoblade is incapable of dealing damage to them.
- The Survival Knife was going to be crafted with 1 Metal (Metal was replaced by Titanium) and 1 Emery (Emery was replaced with Silicone Rubber when it was cut).
- A possible reason why only a knife is available in the game is because of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which occurred at roughly the same time Natural Selection 2, another game by Unknown Worlds, was finished.
