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11 Karakorum is the second major region of the ocean moon Proteus in the current Early Access build of Subnautica 2. It sits about 1,000 m east of the starting area and reaches down to roughly 827 m. Karakorum holds an Axum observatory and a power plant, and it is central to the chapter ending: restoring the power plant and bringing the observatory online are key steps toward the Early Access cliffhanger.
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44 Overview
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66 Karakorum lies east of the Lifepod splashdown, beyond the starting Coral Gardens and Sparse Plains regions. Reaching it means crossing roughly 1,000 m of ocean to the east, and exploring it fully means descending to around 827 m. It is a more developed, structure-heavy region than the early areas, mixing natural features (canyons, vents, mineral deposits) with built sites left by the Axum.
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88 Key Locations
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1010 Karakorum contains several distinct sites and a cluster of smaller micro-areas.
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1212 LocationDescriptionObservatory IslandAn Axum observatory. Bringing it online is part of the chapter ending.Karakorum Power PlantA power facility the player restores to progress the story.Root CanyonA Blighted wreck, where the Blight has taken hold.Karakorum Metal FarmsA site associated with metal resources within the region.Needler NestA micro-area within Karakorum.Silver MinesA micro-area associated with silver deposits.Thermal VentsA geothermal micro-area within the region.
1313 The Axum Connection
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1515 Karakorum is closely tied to the Axum, the civilization native to Proteus. Observatory Island is an Axum observatory, and the region's structures carry the marks of that civilization. Exploring Karakorum is one of the main ways the player learns about the Axum and their presence on the moon.
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1717 Role in the Early Access Ending
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1919 The current Early Access build is a single chapter, Chapter 1, that ends on a cliffhanger, and Karakorum is where much of that ending plays out. Reaching the ending involves:
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2121 Restoring the Karakorum Power Plant.Bringing the Axum Observatory and its Orrery online.Receiving an Axum transmission about the World Tree in Xanadu.
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2323 The transmission points the player toward Xanadu, the announced future region intended to house the World Tree and an Alien Crypt. Xanadu is out of bounds in the current build, so the chapter closes on the transmission rather than on a visit to the World Tree itself.
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2525 Status in the Current Build
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2727 Karakorum is fully part of the current Early Access build as the second region and the stage for the chapter ending. Content beyond Chapter 1, including the Xanadu region the ending points toward, is not in the current build and is planned for later updates.
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2929 Power Plant Restoration
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3131 The Karakorum Power Plant houses a large water turbine that has been long damaged. Repairing the turbine reignites the facility, brings power back to surrounding sites, and unlocks access to the Observatory Museum at the top of the structure. Bringing the Observatory online yields knowledge about Proteus and about the biology of the World Tree, and is the gate that advances the main story toward the Early Access cliffhanger.