Can You Kill the Sea Emperor Leviathan in Subnautica?

The short answer is no, you cannot kill the Sea Emperor Leviathan in Subnautica. This majestic creature, central to the game’s narrative, is not designed to be defeated by the player through combat. Instead of a traditional boss battle, your interactions with the Sea Emperor are focused on a cooperative objective that drives the game’s plot forward. The inability to harm this Leviathan is a deliberate design choice, aligning with its role as a wise, ancient, and ultimately benevolent entity. You will find no weapons that can hurt it, and all of your attacks will simply bounce harmlessly off of it. Your engagement with the Sea Emperor is not one of conquest, but one of preservation and mutual benefit.

Understanding the Sea Emperor Leviathan

The Last of Its Kind

The Sea Emperor Leviathan is a unique creature within the Subnautica universe. It is the last of its kind, a survivor of the devastating Kharaa Bacterium that decimated its species by eliminating their food source. This immense creature is approximately two thousand six hundred years old, having far exceeded its species’ natural lifespan. Before the events of the game, almost all of these leviathans perished, leaving only the captive adult found within the Primary Containment Facility inside the Lava Lakes and the eggs it was discovered with. This makes the encounter with this specific Leviathan even more special and meaningful.

A Non-Aggressive Giant

Unlike most other large leviathan-class creatures in Subnautica, the Sea Emperor is a gentle giant. It does not exhibit any aggressive behavior towards the player or any other creature. Instead, it patiently waits for the player’s help in hatching its eggs. It’s not an enemy to be feared or fought, but a key to unlocking the game’s conclusion. This is very different from aggressive creatures like the Reaper or Sea Dragon Leviathans. The Sea Emperor is also much larger than these creatures, making any kind of combat almost certainly not going to go in your favor.

Key Role in the Narrative

The Sea Emperor is integral to Subnautica’s plot. Her eggs are the key to producing an enzyme to cure the Kharaa Bacterium, which is the main goal of the player character. The player’s mission isn’t about overcoming the Sea Emperor in combat but about working with it to ensure the survival of its species. Your interactions with this creature are therefore built around problem solving and discovery. Therefore, the inability to attack it is part of the game’s story and theme of cooperation with nature rather than dominance over it.

Why Can’t You Kill the Sea Emperor?

The game’s developers clearly wanted the Sea Emperor to be a non-combatant character and have specifically made it impossible to attack in the game. Your interaction is always cooperative, meaning combat with it would go against its very nature in the game. This is a deliberate move on the developer’s part to highlight that some creatures are not meant to be killed or fought, but understood and worked with. In Subnautica, it is made very clear that the player’s goal is about restoring life and not taking it away. The fact that you cannot kill it is part of that design. It also means that, when you find it, you know you are about to take a major step towards beating the game and the story.

The Sea Emperor is, essentially, a living plot device that advances the story in a specific way. This narrative approach also lets the player focus on solving the game’s puzzles rather than trying to fight an unbeatable leviathan. By making the Sea Emperor untouchable, the developers are able to push the players towards their narrative goals and the positive outcome of saving not just the player but also the Sea Emperor’s offspring.

What Happens After Hatching the Sea Emperor Eggs?

After the player hatches the Sea Emperor’s eggs, the baby Sea Emperors will play with their parent for a short time. After which, they will be escorted to the Arch, which is a massive Precursor portal in the game. After going through the portal, the baby Sea Emperor Leviathans will go to different biomes, growing into juvenile versions of the massive creature. This process is a key part of completing the game and curing the Kharaa Bacterium. The story has an overall theme of rebirth and hope, and these juvenile Sea Emperors are a sign that the cycle of life continues.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are 15 frequently asked questions about the Sea Emperor Leviathan and related aspects of Subnautica, to further clarify many other aspects of the game:

1. Can the Sea Dragon Leviathan be killed? Yes, the Sea Dragon Leviathan can be killed by the player. However, like other leviathan-class creatures, if killed by a player, it will not respawn.

2. What is the deadliest Leviathan in Subnautica? The Sea Dragon Leviathan is considered the deadliest due to its ability to destroy precursor facilities and shoot fireballs, making it a catastrophic force.

3. Do Sea Dragons eat Reaper Leviathans? Yes, a Sea Dragon has been shown to kill and eat a Reaper Leviathan.

4. Is the Reefback a Leviathan? Yes, the Reefback Leviathan is a passive leviathan-class species. It is the second largest passive lifeform and ties for the second largest overall in size with the Sea Dragon Leviathan.

5. What do Sea Dragon Leviathans eat? The Sea Dragon Leviathan is an “all-rounder” monster and primarily consumes other large sea creatures, including whales and other kaiju.

6. What is the biggest enemy in Subnautica? The Sea Dragon Leviathan is the largest predator in the game. There are only three of them in the entire game, and all are located in the Lava Zone.

7. What’s the biggest creature in Subnautica? While it is not an enemy and you don’t encounter it during regular gameplay, the largest creature in the game is the Gargantuan Leviathan, with a size of more than one kilometer.

8. Can Reaper Leviathans be killed? Yes, Reaper Leviathans can be killed by the player using the limited weapons they can craft in the game.

9. How does Subnautica end? The player cures the Kharaa Bacterium using the enzyme produced by the baby Sea Emperors and escapes Planet 4546B in the Neptune rocket.

10. Are Glow Whales leviathans? Yes, the Glow Whale is a docile leviathan-class organism found in various biomes.

11. Is the Cuddlefish a Leviathan? No, the Cuddlefish is not a leviathan. It’s a smaller, more playful creature often seen as a pet. However, some lore suggests an enormous “Cuddlefish Leviathan,” though this is not in the game.

12. Is the Leviathan a Kraken? No, the Leviathan and Kraken are different creatures from separate legends. Leviathan is from the Bible, while the Kraken is from Norse legends.

13. Are Sea Dragons aggressive in Subnautica? Yes, Sea Dragon Leviathans are aggressive and are the largest aggressive creatures in the game.

14. How big is a Ghost Leviathan? Adult Ghost Leviathans are about 107 meters long, while juveniles are around 65 meters.

15. Is the Sea Emperor female? The Sea Emperor’s species on planet 4546B do not have genders. The term “Sea Emperor Leviathan” is the name of the species.

Conclusion

The Sea Emperor Leviathan in Subnautica is an example of how a game can use an unkillable character to drive the plot and create a more meaningful experience. While you can defeat many of the aggressive leviathan creatures in the game, the Sea Emperor is unique. Instead of being an enemy to overcome, the Sea Emperor acts as a catalyst for change. She represents hope and a path towards saving both the player and the planet, leaving a positive impact that no amount of combat could achieve. The inability to kill the Sea Emperor is more than just a game mechanic; it’s a pivotal piece of the narrative that shapes the entire Subnautica experience.