Can You Kill a Reaper Leviathan in Subnautica? A Deep Dive

Yes, absolutely! You can kill a Reaper Leviathan in Subnautica. It’s not a walk in the park, but with the right preparation, strategy, and a healthy dose of courage, you can add this apex predator to your list of vanquished foes. It requires a dedicated effort and the right tools, but the satisfaction of taking down one of the scariest creatures in the game is immense.

The Challenge of the Reaper Leviathan

The Reaper Leviathan is designed to be intimidating. Its deafening roar, aggressive behavior, and significant damage output are all meant to instill fear and encourage players to avoid confrontation. It lurks in large, open areas like the Crash Zone, Dunes, and Mountains, making it difficult to completely avoid them. Encountering a Reaper often leads to a frantic escape, reinforcing its role as a terrifying predator. The Reaper Leviathan deals a nasty 80% damage and can instantly kill you if you’re already a bit damaged.

Methods for Eliminating a Reaper

While evasion is often the best strategy, sometimes you need to fight back. There are a few methods to successfully eliminate a Reaper Leviathan:

• Prawn Suit with Grappling Arm and Drill Arm: This is arguably the most reliable and effective method. Use the grappling arm to latch onto the Reaper, then repeatedly strike it with the drill arm. The Reaper might thrash about, but the grapple will keep you locked on, allowing you to steadily inflict damage.
• Prawn Suit with Torpedoes: Equip the Prawn Suit with a torpedo launcher. This method is less reliable than the drill arm but can be effective if you aim well and use the stasis rifle to keep the Reaper still.
• Seamoth with Torpedoes: This is a much riskier approach. The Seamoth is faster than the Reaper, but it’s also much weaker. You’ll need to be extremely precise with your torpedo launches and be prepared to repair your Seamoth frequently. It is still difficult to avoid a charging Reaper in one and a Seamoth cannot take more than a couple of Reaper strikes before exploding.
• Stasis Rifle and Knife: This is the most challenging but also the most rewarding method. Stun the Reaper with the stasis rifle, then swim up and slash it with your knife. This method requires impeccable timing and patience, as you’ll need to constantly reapply the stasis effect.
• Cyclops Ramming (Advanced): It is possible to take down a Reaper Leviathan with the Cyclops submarine, but it is generally not advised and can be more trouble than it’s worth.

Detailed Strategy: Prawn Suit with Drill Arm

This is the recommended approach for most players. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Preparation: Outfit your Prawn Suit with a grappling arm and a drill arm. Make sure your Prawn Suit is fully charged and repaired. Carry extra repair tools.
2. Location: Choose your battlefield carefully. An open area with minimal obstructions is ideal.
3. Engagement: Locate the Reaper Leviathan. Approach cautiously.
4. Grapple: When the Reaper gets close, fire the grappling arm to latch onto its body. Aim for the head or body, avoiding the mandibles.
5. Drill: Once grappled, begin drilling. Continuously attack with the drill arm, maintaining your grip.
6. Repair: If the Reaper manages to damage your Prawn Suit significantly, release the grapple, repair, and re-engage.
7. Persistence: Keep drilling until the Reaper is defeated. It will take time and patience, but eventually, its health will deplete.

Implications of Killing a Reaper

While taking down a Reaper Leviathan is a significant achievement, it doesn’t have a major impact on the game world. Killing a Reaper does not trigger any special events or unlock new areas. Other than providing the player bragging rights and an easy opportunity to scan them, killing a Reaper Leviathan does not really do anything.

Reaper Leviathan: Facts

• The Reaper Leviathan‘s use of echolocation and lack of visible pupils may imply it is mostly, if not entirely blind. This could also serve as another explanation for its four jaw mandibles, perhaps using them to feel around its environment as well as grabbing prey.
• Reapers are found in the Crash Zone, the Dunes, or the Mountains.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some frequently asked questions about Reaper Leviathans and how to deal with them:

1. Do Reaper Leviathans Respawn?

No, Reaper Leviathans do not respawn after being killed. Once you eliminate one, it’s gone for good. This makes the effort of killing them worthwhile in terms of reducing the immediate threat in that area.

2. How Much Health Does a Reaper Leviathan Have?

A Reaper Leviathan has 5,000 health points. This is a substantial amount, so be prepared for a prolonged fight.

3. Is It Possible to Kill a Reaper with Just a Knife?

Yes, it is possible, but extremely difficult and time-consuming. You’ll need to use the stasis rifle to freeze the Reaper repeatedly and then slash it with your knife during the brief periods of vulnerability.

4. Can a Seamoth Outrun a Reaper Leviathan?

The Seamoth is faster than the Reaper Leviathan in a straight line. If the Ghost Leviathan is 5 meters behind you, you have no chance of outrunning it. However, the Reaper is more agile, so it can quickly close the distance if you’re not careful. Evasion is possible, but risky.

5. Can Ghost Leviathans Hurt the Cyclops?

Yeah, it will attack you if you don’t go silent running. It Will damage the Cyclops.

6. What is the Weakness of the Reaper Leviathan?

The Reaper Leviathan doesn’t have a specific elemental weakness like some creatures in other games. The best “weakness” to exploit is its predictable attack pattern. Stun it with the stasis rifle and then attack with your chosen weapon.

7. Are Reaper Leviathans Blind?

The Reaper Leviathan’s use of echolocation and lack of visible pupils may imply it is mostly, if not entirely blind. This could also serve as another explanation for its four jaw mandibles, perhaps using them to feel around its environment as well as grabbing prey.

8. What Happens if You Kill All the Reaper Leviathans?

Killing all the Reaper Leviathans won’t unlock any new areas or trigger any special events. The main benefit is a reduction in the overall threat level in the game world. However, new threats will emerge as you progress deeper.

9. How Aggressive are Reaper Leviathans?

Reaper Leviathans are extremely aggressive. They will attack on sight and pursue you relentlessly. Don’t let them get to you because they will deal a nasty 80 percent damage and even instantly kill you if you’re already a bit damaged. Avoid them if possible, but be prepared to fight if necessary.

10. Can You Find Reaper Leviathan Eggs?

The Reaper Leviathan is one of the only two Leviathan Class organisms on Planet 4546B whose eggs are never seen, even with the aid of console commands, with the other being the Sea Treader Leviathan, suggesting they may reproduce through other means, as opposed to egg-laying.

11. Can a Prawn Suit Kill a Reaper Leviathan?

Absolutely! A Prawn Suit is one of the best tools for killing a Reaper Leviathan. The grappling arm and drill arm combination is particularly effective. Prawn suits have other attachments that provide other means of fighting and killing a Reaper.

12. Where Can You Find Reaper Leviathans?

Reaper Leviathans are typically found in large, open areas, like the Crash Zone, the Dunes, or the Mountains. One can be found lurking around the base of the mountains island. These areas are generally considered high-risk zones.

13. Can You Kill a Ghost Leviathan?

Yes, the smaller Ghost Leviathans and Reaper Leviathans can be killed by the player using only the limited weapons they are allowed to craft in-game.

14. Can You Kill Fish in Subnautica?

As this is a survival game, it is sometimes necessary to kill fish to survive. There is a knife craftable that lets you do this.

15. Do Sea Dragons Eat Reaper Leviathans?

The Reaper turns and charges, but the Sea Dragon swats it down with a fin and clamps its jaws around the Reaper’s body, just behind its talons. The Reaper roars once more, its cry failing as it dies in the Sea Dragon’s vice grip. The Dragon turns and swims back down to the IAL with its meal in tow.

Conclusion

Killing a Reaper Leviathan in Subnautica is a testament to your skill, resourcefulness, and bravery. While it doesn’t fundamentally alter the game, the sense of accomplishment is significant. So, gear up, prepare your strategy, and dive into the depths to face this formidable foe! For more information on game-based learning and the educational potential of games, visit the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org.