Now that you’ve got your H2O and food supplies established, it’s time to go out into the water and start finding some resources. By now you’ll have probably run into some of the dangerous fauna that live in the areas surrounding your Lifepod.
Gasopods
Though not aggressive, Gasopods can be one of the deadliest early-game threats if underestimated. If they feel threatened in any way they will release several poisonous Gas Pods into the water, creating a deadly green cloud. Be careful to stay clear of them as your presence can easily trigger this defense. Unlike most other threats, the damage inflicted by Gas Pods is only temporary and the player’s health will recover over time – but it’s still possible for the poison to overwhelm and kill the player very quickly.
Stalkers
Stalkers are somewhat fast and agile swimmers, and will eventually become hostile if the player is nearby, charging at the player and biting to inflict 30 damage. While not an extreme threat they can be dangerous in numbers. They can almost always be found playing with scrap metal, and even at the start of the game when the player is unarmed it’s possible to steal their metal off the ocean floor when they drop it, and escape their territory with only a couple of bites.
Once the player has fabricated a Survival Knife, it can be used to ward off Stalkers effectively. If you already have the knife and need to work near a Stalker, it may be best to preemptively attack it with the knife, causing it to flee before it has a chance to become hostile. Keep in mind that only the front of it’s mouth can damage you so come at it from the side or tail to minimize the chance of getting bitten.
Crashfish
Crashfish live in the caves surrounding your Lifepod, hiding inside of Sulfur Plants.
If the player approaches the Sulfur Plant, the Crashfish will emerge from the plant, charge at the player at high speed, and explode. The damage they inflict is moderate but varies considerably based on distance from the center of the explosion. They are often found nesting in groups, which can be far more dangerous.
If faced with a charging Crashfish, one strategy that can work well is to swim directly toward, and through it. Crashfish have a hard time turning around, and it will likely explode before it has a chance to reverse direction. If the player has enough of a head-start, simply swimming away can work well as the Crashfish may explode before it has a chance to catch up to the player. Swimming around corners to put obstacles between the player and the Crashfish can also be very effective.
With the Crashfish out of the way, the player can harvest Cave Sulfur from the Sulfur Plant.