Flares are throwable light sources in Subnautica 2 that serve as the primary confirmed tactical tool for dealing with hostile creatures. They exploit the game's stimulus-based creature AI, which reacts to environmental stimuli including light, sound, and movement. By throwing a flare away from the player's position, the light draws a creature's attention toward the flare and away from the player, creating a window to escape. Flares were detailed in Dev Vlog 3 (September 16, 2025) alongside the Collector Leviathan reveal.
How They Work
The player throws a flare in a chosen direction. The flare emits a bright light source that registers in the creature AI's stimulus system. Hostile creatures that use dual utility reasoning (like the Collector Leviathan) evaluate the flare's light stimulus against the player's presence, noise, and movement. If the flare's stimulus outweighs the player's, the creature shifts its attention toward the flare.
The distraction is temporary. Because the AI "constantly re-evaluates the situation in real time" (as AI Gameplay Lead Antonio Munoz Gallego described it), the creature will shift focus back to the player if the player generates competing stimuli: moving too fast, making noise, or getting too close. This means flares create a window for evasion, not a permanent solution.
Against the Collector Leviathan
The Collector Leviathan is the primary creature against which flares have been demonstrated. The Collector is described as "intelligent but easily irritable" with a dislike for "anything it does not recognize." Its four tentacles can grab, crush, and swat both players and vehicles. In the Sparse Plains biome where it lives, the open terrain offers limited natural cover, making flares one of the few reliable evasion tools.
The Collector has a shockwave attack that can knock flares away from their landing position. This counter-mechanic prevents flares from being an easy, guaranteed escape. Players must account for the possibility that the shockwave will displace their distraction, requiring quick repositioning or a second flare.
Evasion Strategies
Flares work best as part of a broader evasion approach rather than as a standalone solution:
Strategy | How Flares Fit |
|---|---|
Throw and swim | Throw a flare in the opposite direction from the escape route, then swim quietly away while the creature investigates the light. |
Combined with darkness | Turn off the flashlight and throw a flare. The creature's AI weighs the flare's light against other stimuli; reducing personal light output makes the flare more effective. |
Multiple flares | If the shockwave knocks the first flare away, a second flare can re-establish the distraction. |
Cover approach | Use a flare to draw the creature away from a terrain feature, then use that feature as cover to break line of sight. |
No-weapons philosophy
Flares embody the no-weapons philosophy in action. Rather than damaging or killing the Collector Leviathan, the player outsmarts its AI through environmental manipulation. The flare does not harm the creature; it exploits the stimulus system's light-reactivity to redirect attention. Design Lead Anthony Gallegos stated: "The solution shouldn't just be bash them until dead. That's boring af." Flares represent the kind of creative, non-lethal problem-solving the developers intend.
What Remains Unknown
Crafting recipe and material requirements
How many flares can be carried at once
Duration of the light emission before the flare burns out
Whether flares work against all hostile creatures or primarily against leviathans
Whether upgraded or specialized flare variants exist