Subnautica 2 Leviathan Guide: Avoid, Scan, Survive

Updated 2026-10-14: rewritten after a fact check against the official Subnautica 2 wiki and patch notes. The old version placed the Collector in the "Sparse Plains" (it patrols the Intermediary Basin trench and the Karakorum Metal Farms), included an escape tip written as first-hand experience we can't back up, and buried the facts under disclaimers.

Subnautica 2 Leviathans at a glance

The Great Jaw in the Dolerite Spires gets called a Leviathan a lot, but the wiki files it under molluscs. It's an anchored trap, not a hunter.

The Collector Leviathan

The Collector is a 110m squid with four long hunting tentacles. There are two: one in the trench of the Intermediary Basin, east of the Lifepod, and one over the Karakorum Metal Farms. You have to cross the first to reach the Overgrown Ruins, so it's the Leviathan almost everyone meets first.

When it notices you, it sends out a sonar pulse and turns toward you. When it commits to a chase, its head opens to show a glowing Broadcast Organ. It grabs and throws a Tadpole for 5 damage or swipes it for 40. A diver it catches outside a sub gets eaten in a short cutscene. It also reaches under rocks and into crevices, so hiding in a gap only buys a few seconds.

How to get past it: the wiki notes the Collector may lose interest if your Tadpole breaches the surface, so cross the trench high. The Cavitation Muffler Tadpole upgrade helps, Distraction Flares pull it off you, and the Camouflage biomod works on it. Early Access 1.1 fixed Camouflage not working when you're attached to a Tadpole or sitting still at the surface.

How to scan it: let it grab your Tadpole, get out while it's busy, and hold the Bioscanner on it for 4 seconds. Players on the Steam forums settled on this early; our Collector guide has the step-by-step.

Screenshot: Subnautica 2 (Unknown Worlds)

The Shiver Leviathan

The Shiver is the map's wall. Cross the Early Access barrier into the Void and a female (89m) appears with three males (39m) riding with her. The female doesn't attack. The males break off one at a time, hunt at high speed, kill a diver outright and can grab and crush a Tadpole.

They also won't follow you out. The males avoid crossing the barrier and stop chasing once you leave the Void, so the escape is always the same: turn around and go back.

How to scan it: you can only scan a male after it detaches from the female. Use terrain as cover on the way in. In co-op, the trick the wiki describes is having friends act as bait while you scan. Since the October 6 hotfix, the Shiver no longer goes after unpiloted vehicles, so you can't park an empty Tadpole as a decoy.

More in our Shiver Leviathan guide.

The Deepwing Brooder

The friendly one. Deepwing Brooders travel in lines of three around the edge of the map, up to 28m long with a 33m wingspan. They're passive and produce Deepwing Egg Clumps, one of the best food items in the game. Early Access 1.2 made the egg clumps scannable. If you see a Brooder line, follow it for food rather than swimming away.

Screenshot: Subnautica 2 (Unknown Worlds)

Leviathan tools that actually work

The Feedback Resonator used to make creatures flee; Early Access 1.2 changed it to stun them. It's the closest thing Subnautica 2 has to a defensive weapon.

Co-op Leviathan rules

Travel tight. In a group the Collector tends to go after whichever Tadpole is lagging, so the straggler is the target. Better still, put everyone on one Tadpole with the Haul Chassis.

One bait, one scanner. For both the Collector and the Shiver, the simplest scan in co-op is one player drawing the attack while another scans.

Call the exit before you go. Pick the direction back to safe water before anyone approaches. Our co-op guide has the rest.

Our take

The Collector is the one that matters, because you can't skip it: the main story runs through its trench. Learn its scan once and cross high, and it stops being scary. The Shiver is optional; go in when you want the databank entry, not before. For where each one lives on the map, see our biomes guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you kill Leviathans in Subnautica 2? No. You avoid them, distract them, hide from them with Camouflage, or stun them with the Feedback Resonator.

How do you scan the Collector Leviathan? Let it grab your Tadpole, get out while it's busy, and hold the Bioscanner on it for 4 seconds. You get the Sonic Echo biomod.

Where is the Shiver Leviathan? In the Void, past the Early Access barrier. Crossing the barrier spawns it; leaving the Void ends the chase.

Where are the Collector Leviathans? In the Intermediary Basin trench east of the Lifepod, and above the Karakorum Metal Farms.

How many Leviathans are in Subnautica 2 Early Access? Three species on the wiki: the Collector, the Shiver and the passive Deepwing Brooder. The Great Jaw is classed as a mollusc.

Related Reading

• Subnautica 2 Creature Guide: the wider fauna and which small creatures are dangerous.
• Subnautica 2 Biomod Guide: Camouflage, Sonic Echo and the other scan rewards.
• Subnautica 2 Vehicles Guide: the Tadpole, the Haul Chassis and the Cavitation Muffler.
• Subnautica 2 Deep-Sea Base Guide: power and oxygen for a base past the Collector's trench.
• Subnautica 2 Complete Guide Hub: every Subnautica 2 guide in one place.

References

• Subnautica 2 Wiki: Collector Leviathan, Shiver Leviathan, Shiver Male, Deepwing Brooder, Great Jaw
• Subnautica 2 patch notes on Steam: Early Access 1.2 Leviathan and Feedback Resonator changes
• Steam discussion: Scanning the collector