Subnautica Ultimate Challenge

In this video, I attempt to beat Subnautica while following a near-insane set of restrictions designed to make the game unreasonably difficult.
Full rule set:
Rule 1 (100%): Must unlock all achievements, blueprints, and databank entries
Rule 2 (Glitchless): Cannot use bugs or unintended behavior
Rule 3 (Hardcore): Hardcore mode. You die, you’re dead.
Rule 4: No breaking the surface of the water outdoors
Rule 5: No piloting Seamoth, Prawn, or Cyclops
Rule 6: Animal Lover
Rule 6a: No putting fauna in a bioreactor
Rule 6b: No using damaging weapons on fauna
Rule 6c: Vegetarian - No eating fauna, filtered water, or nutrient bars
Rule 7: No Location Spoilers. Cannot visit a location with a signal, hint, or code without first unlocking that signal, hint or code
Rule 8: Must build a base with at least one of each component, module, and misc. item
Rule 9: Eggs
Rule 9a: Must hatch one of every type of egg
Rule 9b: Must hatch all 5 cuddlefish eggs
Rule 10: Must find and harvest a Purple Pinecone

[@Leonaught]

This is the opposite of the "can you beat subnautica without getting your hair wet?" video

[@StarshipToMars]

I gather it's possible in Below Zero, but not in the original game.

[@eojem-ts8ml]

@@StarshipToMarsexplain how

[@JamesTDG]

@@eojem-ts8ml Progression requires accessing underwater labs

[@dragolithsteel4649]

@@StarshipToMars the video was in the original game :p, its a good watch and they succeeded.

[@StarshipToMars]

@@dragolithsteel4649 In which version of Subnautica?

[@realityChemist]

In some kinds of technical diving (e.g. cave diving), a common rule is to "turn on thirds," meaning to turn around once you've used a third of your air. So it's ⅓ for the trip out, ⅓ for the trip back, and ⅓ for emergencies (like losing track of your brain coral!) It'd limit your range a bit, but maybe it'd also save you from having to reset the run!

[@Shorty_Lickens]

that makes sense when you air tank lasts an hour. But in Subnautica they last 30, 90, and 180 seconds. Which is horse crap. So in order to explore and discover and gather resources and leave the planet thats trying to kill you, you're gonna have to risk it.

[@Makujah_]

​​@@Shorty_Lickensit's not more of a horsecrap than tanks that re-pressurise themselves in seconds in presence of oxygen, even if it's just a bubble 😅 Maybe they are so low capacity because most of their volume is taken up by an air compressor, some oxy sensor + logic module 😁

[@ethane7310]

Did you know you can carry multiple, full oxygen tanks in your inventory.

[@kingdavey90]

What a great idea 😂 😎

[@JayMaverick]

Took me two playthroughs to realize this. 😜

[@Capiosus]

i use an emergency oxygen tank in hardcore bcs i dont trust myself to watch my own o2

[@Jijhebtmijnnaamnietnodig]

wait what😅

[@2dmanHelp]

This is so obvious which is why I never did it

[@amurtiger5933]

actually such a good video this concept really shows how horrifying and hard it is to survive in a unknown planet and no surfacing makes it so much better

[@ObservationofLimits]

It'd be better if there was a mod that made the surface air poisonous. So it didn't refill your tanks but you could technically still surface it would just continue to consume O2. Would make getting through the Aurora wreck a bit of a job since you'd need several extra tanks which would then deny you the inventory room to haul goods back

[@-rdelgadov-]

​@@ObservationofLimits there is one and it's called subnautica deathrun

[@lapantony]

And this kids is why you drop a beacon at your base location

[@EzraBradford]

“Use more beacons” seems to be a good lesson from this video! Beacons for bases, beacons for brain coral, beacons for anywhere you might need to find again in a hurry.

[@delayedsantana]

Right but I’ve always wondered, when you put a beacon somewhere and you took all the resources, do those resources respawn?

[@BigIndianBindi-jy1cz]

@@delayedsantana no resources do not respawn. nor do plants once they have been cut down and disappear.

[@nobody2021]

i always build my base right next to the life pod which has a beacon built into it so i just go back to where the life pod is

[@CristobalArroyo-ct7ph]

Doing a fake loss near the end is really satisfying because youtubers usually do it in the middle so you know they didn't die. You had me at the edge of my seat.

[@irrelevant_noob]

Fwiw, i know permadeathers that would have a death in the middle and include a whole new 2nd attempt for the remainder of the video. ;-)

[@danboio1251]

It was so engaging that you had to post a comment to ruin it for everyone else who watches the video in the future

[@ObservationofLimits]

It was fake and cringey what are you talking about

[@ObservationofLimits]

​@@danboio1251 these hardcore players basically have the maps memorized. There was no suspense.

[@CristobalArroyo-ct7ph]

@@danboio1251 going into the comment section of a video is asking for spoilers. Why would you check the comments before you watch anyways?

[@AxtonTheObstagoon]

here's some advice: you can actually craft a portable air pump with some pipes connecting it to allow you to breathe without a base nor needing to resurface. best of all is that you can pick them back up when you don't need them any more

[@spam9118]

they are so infrequently used i thought this would be the perfect run for them too

[@Azure_fae]

I never figured out how to use them tbh, and it was never convenient to try when you could just refill your oxygen in a sea moth, the surface, or your base.

[@zinczombie]

​@@Azure_fae I used them early on when I first started playing since at that time the seamoth was quite a significant achievement. They float to the surface and you attach pipes to them which make bubbles at the end, they're quite useful

[@ObservationofLimits]

​@@zinczombie yea I somehow was missing what I needed to do when I first played it. Which unfortunately meant I spent like 20-30 hours playing with no seamoth. I used them a lot to freedive into the jelly shroom cave when I found it. Which is something I'm confused about in this video. I swear below 200m you use oxygen like 3x faster AND take a small DOT (until you have a better suit iirc). So i was confused how he was down there with the seaglide with no issue.

[@N0Bah_D-666]

I've never crafted it even once, but yeah in a challenge run like this, it'd be really useful

[@twitchjunkkie]

this high quality a video is criminal underrated. earned a sub man good shit.

[@shinx67]

Reefbacks sometimes have brain coral on their backs, just in case your ever in a tough spot like that again.

[@craftermatt3609]

We will watch your career with great interest.

[@kreamator]

Honestly through that paniced air-run at the end, all I could think of was "Yeah it actually became daytime again well before he would have drowned so he could have just sat in/near the habitat until power came on"

[@Draconicfish2679]

I’ve done a no surfacing run before, so seeing somebody else do this too makes me very happy. For that run, I found a strategy that lets you get build vehicles without surfacing, which I figure I’ll share if you haven’t figured out something else yet. If you deploy the Mobile Vehicle Bay _just_ outside the moonpool of the QEP, such that it gets caught on the ledge, you then nudge it inside and turn it around so it faces outwards, such that you can build the vehicles and the Neptune while staying safely inside the QEP, ≈90m below the surface. Yes, the Neptune launch platform does float, but there’s a simple counter to this: just build some base pieces above where it will spawn to hold it down. 9:23 Yeah… this is always so sad in a no surfacing run.

[@ObservationofLimits]

Yea but subnautica is so buggy half your base might decide to yolo into the bugged beyond. I had like 60+ hours into a playthrough when it suddenly decided that it didn't like me entering my cyclops. No shit yeeted me to the NW edge of the map (I was down in the SE), killed me, and then I respawned and every last structure I had built was gone. Just straight up deleted. And because subnautica doesn't allow manual saves, I literally had to start "from scratch" because that was the base with all my progress. I DID eventually find my Cyclops, way out in the SW "Here there be Dragons" about 3000M past the point of the Leviathan spawning. I was so mad I put the game down. Tried the new subnautica, was grossly disappointed, and went back to grind in that beautiful underwater prison. If there was a way to get a procedurally generated (random) map that would be so awesome. Something that eventually got tiresome for me was many places no longer were new or exciting. Also, the subnautica devs said that my "bug" was probably caused by the 50 bookshelves and other stuff I had finangled into the cyclops. 🤣 It was literally my mobile fortress/Stash house.

[@N0Bah_D-666]

I've thought of playing a vegetarian run, but limiting food to JUST kelp? That's a different kind of madness

[@fernando47180]

He said it himself: he desperately needs to get some farms going.

[@thegardenofeatin5965]

I've done a vegetarian run; and I let myself count the nutrient bars as vegetarian (given high calorie survival rations often are) and then once you make it to the floating island and get Chinese potatoes and marblemelons the run is effectively won. One pot of each is more than enough to sustain the player past that. I did a "fussy eater" run where everything that didn't arrive with the Aurora is considered poisoned. So ONLY nutrient blocks and bottled water. No making water from bladderfish, no making water from bleach made from coral and salt, and no making water with a water purifier machine in a base. This is the one time I did use the stillsuit though it proved unnecessary. Wrecks are full of stuff to eat and drink.

[@Phoeboi]

[floating air pump crying noises]

[@judah_levi]

Probably thought that would be too easy😂

[@N0Bah_D-666]

Same. But I rather like the idea of setting up a network of bases instead

[@Kav_Games]

This is how your friend plays a new game you reccomend them and then they wonder why they arent enjoying it.

[@FlanMesh]

Respect that you didnt just splice together footage of you chatting random shit like most scumtubers do. Proper script, proper voiceover. Well done.

[@tmarks4783]

This video is so high quality for a channel of your size keep up the great work seriously this is higher quality videos than some multi thousand sub channels I've seen so you've definitely earned my sub and hopefully many others over time

[@tricky2917]

Years into this game and I had no idea you could eat creepvine.

[@tekbox7909]

yeah a good rule of thumb probably is to never move more than half your oxygen tank away from a beaconed source of oxygen. (Pathfinder tool could help a lot with that by being a quick and renewable source of temporary beacons and also being able to help you navigate through caves quicker saving you oxygen)

[@ansuz444]

I left my Prawn suit in the Lava pits this morning. Then I retreived it. Now that was a challenge.

[@theworstmaid]

i 100% wouldve broken the no surfacing rule just to watch the aurora explode

[@MrS2me]

For me it was really unexpectidly enjoing video form some random channel with not a lot of subscribers and a content. Decent picture, decent sound, pleasing presentation. The simple things you not expecting from small random channel. Really like it. Subscribed to see more.

[@Makujah_]

Fun fact: surfacing to watch aurora explode would be a bad idea irl. Underwater us much better: water would have better chance at slowing down any flying shrapnel, as well as it is a good gamma radiation insulator (so since the dangerous radioactivity radius in game is pretty big, I imagine on the surface it would've covered the entire game map). ...though the best would be sitting fastened to your seat inside the lifepod, because that explosion should cause pretty big pressure wave

[@elizabethmcnary756]

If you're too close to the blast radius of the ship when it explodes, it'll kill you off :)

[@inklie]

that was legit a great ending, really had me going! nice work man

[@El_Rey_247]

That may have been the best fake out I’ve ever seen

[@Troe1505]

Dude keep going! What an awesome new channel to find! You're sitting on a huge series with this one!

[@szelda]

Great video! I was shocked when I checked your follower number lmao, instantly subbed :D

[@SammySerum-qk1dn]

One of the most underrated channels of all time, excited for part two!!

[@yesimrush]

i rarely sub to people on the first video but this was great, keep it up man

[@Firebuck]

I really enjoyed this. Great editing and narrative! Very challenging but _not_ a speed run. **chefs kiss** 👍

[@Theriss]

Nice vid, mate :) you know how to tell a story. I'm looking forward to part 2. Also I'm not enough masochist to try a vegetarian run, but I'm intrigued to do HC no surface no vehicle one. Thanks for a tip!

[@nathanhennig5884]

I know it's a gamification thing, but sometimes I stop and think of how bad an oxygen tank that only holds a couple minutes of oxygen is.

[@jesper8836]

This was a great video! I’m shocked to see such high quality from such a small channel! I can’t wait for part 2!

[@bwax3135]

This was awesome, can't wait for more

[@westey8866]

This was the most realistic challenge video I’ve watched so far. First of all, I want to thank you for this video. What makes this video special is that the rules are genuinely meaningful and challenging. I’m eagerly looking forward to part 2!

[@patrickslifer3375]

I would actually love to see you keep doing this! Commenting to boost the Algo hopefully!

[@shadowlynx2009]

This inspired me to make my own hardcore no surfacing challenge. Thanks for the great content!

[@Ashley-lz9jh]

This was a great video! Looking forward to part two :)

[@thegardenofeatin5965]

"No breaking the surface of the water outdoors." That rule is very, *very* carefully worded, isn't it? It means that you can use the alien moon pool to surface, and then you can rise to the island's surface and walk around up there availing yourself to plenty of air, several scannables and all the lithium a growing boy can eat, plus a teleporter to the floating island, so now you can access the floating island above ground. You have to walk above ground to get all the PDAs and scanner entries.

[@Devox1706]

I nearly cried, but then smiled after the relaxation. You are criminaly good at this.

[@mousenkeyboard7492]

air pumps CANNOT be this obscure

[@evanpie711]

I have played his game for 14 years, and had no idea that you could place haches on top of base parts. This is mindblowing

[@Xaero13]

Subnautica released 10 years ago

[@leonate187]

Jan 23, 2018

[@irrelevant_noob]

@leonate187 it was in Early Access before that. "First Pre-Alpha Screenshots!" news item is from Apr 2014.

[@rampantbuckler818]

Evan clearly just lives in 2032

[@maksrambe3812]

​@@leonate187it came out in early access in 2014 though

[@gringuss]

honestly i will be watching until the end just to see him find the little purple acorn nipple, i’ve seen literally no information about it online

[@samanthot_]

You're talking about the purple pinecones right? I think their only purpose is to be one-time salt deposits. I have no idea why they're in the game, why they're unscannable, nor why they're so rare, so hopefully the devs answer that one day lol

[@another_blacktomcat]

well that came a bit out of the left field. no uploads for 6 years and then a banger^^ lets hope this series continues and brings you good fortune^^

[@Z0u1Th3Sl0w]

Its not often we get a small channel with a great quality video. Actually thought I was watching one of those million+ subscriber channels.

[@gedutispetravicius1398]

finally a true 100% run of subnautica that isn't just the achievements on top of adding all those other challenges finally someone is pushing their patience to the limit for entertainment

[@Lillie_pad]

I was just sitting there like, “come on! It hasn’t even started to fade out! You’ve got plenty of time!”

[@roumdboi]

Hey boss, protip! Brain coral can grow on the big guys!!! If you ever get a risky situation again, try checking for brain coral on one of them!

[@connneryoung2955]

Liked and subbed. This is so underrated. Good video!

[@ChezPotatoo]

You need the cyplops to beat the game. the cyclops perimeter deffence system is only craftable in the cyclocps and you need it for the rocket

[@snspect]

Mfer had me yelling at my screen near the end of the vid. Touche, youtuber, you have yourself another subscriber!

[@ObservationofLimits]

I love how all the people with an underdeveloped prefontal cortex are so proud about it in the comments.

[@imperiumof997]

Actually fire, can't wait for more 🔥🔥🔥

[@PhDave]

Great video! Looking forward to seeing the rest of the run!

[@insertnamehere9242]

you had the resources to build a temporary air base.

[@Xaero13]

Oh man, if only there was an option with the Habitat Maker to deconstruct said air base and reclaim the resources used to make it...

[@ObservationofLimits]

​@@Xaero13or... A surface pump and a hose. No base needed 🤣 Seriously people are like, "oh wow the fake death had me in suspense"... for a man this familiar with the game (compared to my barely passable familiarity) it seemed purposefully stupid. Like the characters in horror film that do the absolute dumbest thing possible.

[@grzybek744]

16:09 coincidentally (or not lol) this is literally where i build my base on my current run

[@bigmclargehuge8219]

The levels of masochism to do this run is making Hellraiser go "Whoa, are you okay?"

[@BigIndianBindi-jy1cz]

wow i needed some new challenge ideas. i normally do no beacons, so i always gotta try to find my way back to the lifepod.

[@KittenoftheBroccoli]

You know, the first time you go hunting, the computer suggests that humanity doesn't eat animals anymore, as it has to reassure you that carnivory was something humans did for thousands of years. So, I'd be surprised if the food bars had any animal matter in them. Doesn't really matter in the long run, but all the same.

[@bn1__]

Obviously I think no surface oxygen pumps, but what about a base attached pump? I’d guess no just because of how hard this run is made to be Also, by the time you got to the brain coral, was it not daylight by then lol Also also, great video I can’t wait for more

[@MavikMartell]

Him: ahh where’s the brain coral I’m going to die Me: build the base you have all the materials

[@Simonisms]

Cool challenge and great video You deserve way more sub(nautica)s

[@emersonschoolcraft665]

W Video keep it up don't quit you'll get there some day, can't wait for part 2 to drop.

[@ObservationofLimits]

You know what I really wish Subnautica had, procedural generation for new maps

[@thecaneater]

And then he discovered the air pump and pipes, and the challenge was nullified.

[@Tillyard86]

I want them to make a full Subnautica game like this. Just in a base start like 1000m underwater and never a allowed to go the surface.

[@partypillsa3076]

this is a great video, looking forward to seeing more

[@dawei1731]

I loved this! Can't wait for the next one

[@Thaddeus_Crews]

That fakeout ending got me good. The mellow tone and minimal-editing of the video had me *completely* convinced it was the actual outro. Well played!

[@Govanification]

Awesome building your own difficulty level!

[@skaulsaa]

next challenge run, try and beat subnautica while a power drill slowly approaches your kidney, you absolute masochist

[@mrpumkin3735]

I'd recommend carrying a spare O2 tank in your inventory You can switch out the O2 you're busy using when it's empty and get almost a full 100 seocnds of O2 which will give you like 230 seconds of dive time instead of 130

[@kittencorp.3295]

Easiest subscribe of my life, i expected to see that you were already a fairly big youtuber

[@gmanracer0125]

Insanely good video man ! Definitely dropping a sub and a like

[@civilliangaming5805]

tip: reefbacks can have brain corals on them

[@BerdlyGaming]

I absolutely love your voice, it’s very soothing :D

[@snottytoe6957]

The best part about the ending is that it was day time. You could have just made the capsule base and got oxygen that way.

[@jackryan444]

Everything Subnautica has to offer… except vehicles.

[@Azariy0]

This is everything I ever wanted from a Subnautica challenge. Other challenges I watched were pretty lame, but this is it. Your rules even say "no piloting" vehicles, so the shield module isn't a problem, and technically this can be explained by the protagonist not having the education to pilot the cyclops, but he can use the fabricator.

[@ObservationofLimits]

Seaglide is a vehicle. Change my mind.

[@Azariy0]

@ObservationofLimits Air bladder 😎

[@sideways5153]

Real world divers use a 1/3 of a tank going out and 1/3 of a tank going home in order to make sure they always have lots extra for problems

[@coleozaeta6344]

I legit thought this was a black guy until I saw the channel picture. You’ve pulled a Randy Newman, a Hiatus Kaiyote, and a Nancy King on me. And damn, I didn’t know this game or hip-hip could take it this far.

[@TheSpecialCostumeShop]

you could also carry a spare oxygen tank. As one is almost empty simply open inventory and drag the full tank to the almost empty tank slot

[@NotBamOrBing]

Or even completely empty, you have a few seconds between running out of o2 and blacking out completely and dying, during which time getting oxygen will save you (source: close calls getting back to my base)

[@ian-qz9lq]

consider that you can plant brain coral in exterior growbeds for an oxygen refill point without needing to power a base

[@dani007a]

One of the Discord servers I'm in has been doing monthly Archipelagos and I've been doing the Subnautica randomizer each month. So, I've been getting quite familiar with just how many pdas there are. As well as just how far I can push my limits. I'm hoping we can see more Subnautica content like yours.

[@fflodnaR]

I hope this guy know that you need a cyclops to beat the game

[@Treebornfrog5383]

Actually a cyclops is not required to beat the game whatsoever.

[@stylesrj]

@@Treebornfrog5383 You just need to make the shield module for the Cyclops and put it in the rocket.

[@SiguyDoesStuff]

The rule says no piloting, so as long as he doesn't interact with the steering wheel he's fine

[@fflodnaR]

Ohh sorry

[@Th3GDC]

Thanks for the idea. My last playthrough i killed every leviathan in game in hardcore, and havnt played since. I miss it. Ill try a new challenge like this

[@VulcanGray]

Reefback leviathans also have brain coral on them.

[@EiraValkyrie]

I think you can get some log updates by holding fish. Don't need to harm them, just pick em up and release them, for every pickable fish.

[@alkku0075]

Il try this to. Seems like alot of fun but also hella hard👀

[@notjebbutstillakerbal]

Always carry a full O2 tank for the run

[@Vicksysh]

Last time I played hardcore subnautica I forgot about oxygen for a split second while collecting materials for the last piece of the neptune rocket. Lost my entire game save 5 minutes before beating the game

[@sertandoom4693]

Great video, I wouldn't do this challenge as I tend to forget my plans. Wasn't there an exterior grow bed in the cavern? Getting one of those and planting cuttings from the brain corals all over the place with beacons would be a plan then I'd forget the beacons...

[@uthor707]

very interesting challenge, gj so far :)

[@daniellmalcom2573]

This sounds fun i may give it a try

[@dannyspiebauch1987]

i feel stressed by just watching it XD

[@Q_z_]

4:33 waking up in the morning be like

[@yobitsgaming]

LOLLL

[@trentcard]

lmao

[@thefrznrose]

This has multiple potential meanings

[@RealFoxknight29]

@@thefrznrose yes

[@onlyonecannoli7537]

The number of times I've almost died on the verge of blacking out and swimbladder myself to the surfice. 😂 i would fail thos challenege nonstop

[@sonhegdeog7454]

Cool video. I’ll be back for part 2

[@jack3162]

This video was wonderful! You might want to include music in future uploads tho

[@3312444123]

Followed. Good video!

[@Gamesaucer]

This isn't exactly what I was expecting at first, but it's definitely interesting. Though I do wonder what happens if you define "surfacing" more strictly and change the question to "How few times can I surface and still beat the game". For that ruleset, changing from any environment in which your oxygen is ticking down to an environment where it isn't, counts as "surfacing". Entering a vehicle or a base is "surfacing", but using brain coral or swapping oxygen tanks is not. On that topic, though... I wonder if you can still use the fabricator in a flooded base? Because if you can, that'd suddenly make routing a whole lot more interesting. Also, since you can't use the "lots of bases" strategy anymore, you'd probably have to rely on extra oxygen tanks and outdoor growbeds with brain coral.

[@unchartedbook5875]

Great vid you deserve wayyyyh more subs