Storyline

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This page details the events depicted in Subnautica in which they are presumed to be in the correct canonical order.

Canonical Events

Precursor Period Events

• Around 1000 years prior to the events of the game, the Precursor Race discovers Kharaa on an unknown planet and begin to study the bacterium, arriving at 4546B and setting it up as a research outpost.
• Errors in quarantine procedures cause Kharaa to be spread to their core worlds, which are quarantined.
• The Precursors set up several research outposts to attempt to develop a vaccine, including one on Planet 4546B. The Quarantine Enforcement Platform, the Disease Research Facility, and the Alien Thermal Plant are constructed, as well as the Sanctuary Caches.
• After many tests, the Sea Emperor Leviathan species is found to have an immunity to Kharaa, and the Primary Containment Facility is constructed, along with the Alien Arch Caches in various biomes. The Precursors capture a 1600-year-old Sea Emperor Leviathan, along with its seven eggs and contain them within the facility. It is likely that this is also when the Lost River Laboratory Cache was constructed.
• Precursors take a Sea Dragon Leviathan egg for research on leviathan egg hatching conditions, and the parent destroys the Disease Research Facility, releasing Kharaa and initiating the planetary quarantine.
• The Precursors dissect one Sea Emperor egg for testing, taking another one and placing it within the Primary Containment Facility's egg lab, and place the remaining five eggs into the Incubator Device.
• The Precursors deem the planet a lost cause due to Kharaa's severity, focusing on a vaccine rather than the spread of the bacterium.
• Remaining Precursors are evacuated to sanctuaries where their bodies are disposed of and their minds uploaded to data hubs.
• The Sea Emperor Leviathan species is killed off due to their food source being wiped out by Kharaa, save for the one in containment.
• The Sea Emperor Leviathan trains Peepers to use the Alien Vents, with each Peeper carrying small amounts of Enzyme 42 to distribute among the planet.
• The Precursors are presumably killed off by Kharaa.

Degasi Period Events

• Around 990 years later, the Degasi crashes on 4546B.
• The Degasi survivors build their bases on the Floating Island, however, due to torrential rainfall and Marguerit's persistence, they relocate to the Jellyshroom Cave, and Marguerit uncovers a tablet.
• The Degasi survivors relocate again to the Deep Grand Reef, where Bart explains to his father and Marguerit that they are infected with something. After Marguerit brings an injured Reaper Leviathan to the base, a second Reaper Leviathan, having followed Marguerit back, attacked and destroyed the base. Marguerit chased the creature, intent on killing it, whilst Paul followed a light he saw, Bart managed to elude the creature and fled to presumably the Safe Shallows or Crash Zone.
• Bart manages to survive for an unspecified amount of time, able to build himself a Seabase and a Seamoth. Although he eventually fled to the Floating Island, where he wrote his final log, and most likely succumbs to Kharaa.

Aurora Period Events

• Almost a decade later, the Aurora is attempting to perform a slingshot maneuver in the atmosphere of Planet 4546B with 157 people aboard. However, while doing so, the Quarantine Enforcement Platform detects the ship and fires at it, resulting in it crashing on 4546B, and the crew is forced to evacuate.
• 29 to 44 people manage to eject in Lifepods 1-25, but only ten manage to make it to the surface, with only one carrying a dead passenger. Each Lifepod landed in different Biomes. One, in particular, is Lifepod 5, housing the Non-Essential Systems Maintenance Chief, Ryley Robinson. He is knocked unconscious for three hours by a loose panel during its descent. All the other surviving crew members perish during this period of unconsciousness.
• The Aurora explodes.
• After (arguably) one week, the Sunbeam picks up a distress call and comes to rescue Ryley.
• The Sunbeam sends the coordinates for the Mountain Island.
• The Sunbeam is destroyed by the Quarantine Enforcement Platform, which Ryley explores, discovering Alien Tablets, the Deactivation Terminal, and the approximate location of the Disease Research Facility.
• After exploring the Mountain Island, Ryley finds the Alien Arch within, and activates it, taking him to the Floating Island, where he also discovers the Degasi Seabases.
• Ryley goes to the Disease Research Facility, and discovers the nature of Kharaa and realizes that he is infected.
• After the incubation period for Kharaa is finished (two weeks, at this time), the coordinates for the Alien Thermal Plant are received.
• Ryley reaches the Thermal Plant and attains the Blue Tablet, along with the Ion Battery and Ion Power Cell blueprints.
• Ryley reaches the Primary Containment Facility and encounters the now 2600-year-old Sea Emperor Leviathan.
• The Sea Emperor Leviathan telepathically communicates with Ryley and explains that its eggs must be hatched in order to eradicate Kharaa.
• Ryley hatches the eggs after gathering various flora from different biomes using the Arches, and the Sea Emperor Leviathan Babies release the stable form of Enzyme 42, otherwise known as Baby Leviathan Enzymes. Ryley interacts with the Enzymes and is thus cured. After playing with their parent, the Babies leave the aquarium through the Arch behind the Incubator. Their parent stays behind as it is far too large to travel through the Arch, eventually, it dies here, though Ryley never sees this.
• Ryley goes through the Aquarium Arch which is connected to an Arch on a suspended platform close to the Quarantine Enforcement Platform, he enters, and, now cured, is able to disable the weapon, allowing him to escape.
• Ryley returns to the Aurora and obtains the Neptune Escape Rocket blueprint, where he eventually constructs it.
• Ryley enters the rocket, and activates it, blasting off from Planet 4546B. While orbiting the planet, the Sea Emperor Leviathan communicates with Ryley one last time, just before he leaves the system, heading back to Earth.
• He is then met with a notice that in order to land, he has to pay a 1,000,000,000,000 credits fee that Alterra has given him.

Unspecified Events

• At an unspecified time, the Precursors obtain various relics from other alien races, including mankind, shown by the 13th century Earth sword and the Yin and Yang carving held in the Primary Containment Facility.
• At one point, Earth dolphins became extinct.
• A meteor struck 4546B sometime in the past, causing a massive extinction event.

Non-Canonical Events

• If Ryley disables the Quarantine Enforcement Platform before the Sunbeam arrives, the Sunbeam will survive, but he will still need to get the Rocket blueprint. This event is not canonical to the story.