Luca
The alien ocean planet where Subnautica 2 takes place. Confirmed by Unknown Worlds across the Early Access announcements: not Planet 4546B from Subnautica 1, and not Below Zero's polar region. Luca is a clean slate.
What's confirmed
- Brand-new world. Luca is unrelated to Planet 4546B. Subnautica 1 and Below Zero veterans start their resource maps and leviathan zone memory from scratch.
- Fresh ecosystem. None of the previous games' creatures return. Luca has its own food chains and its own apex predators, including the Collector Leviathan in the Sparse Plains.
- Player arrival. You are part of the crew aboard Alterra's CICADA ship, alongside 40,000 other souls. Your job is to build a livable home on a planet that may not want you there.
- Four launch biomes. Sparse Plains, Graveyard, Thermal Spires, and Plateaus are confirmed for the Early Access build. More expand during EA.
- Environmental hazard. Ocean currents physically push players past their depth class. Luca's water is not static — your route plan now has to account for what direction the ocean is sending you.
Why the new planet matters
Design Lead Anthony Gallegos framed Luca as deliberate friction. Returning to 4546B would let returning players autopilot — they would already know where the Reaper hunts, which kelp forests hide titanium, and where the Aurora's wreck spits out high-tier loot. Luca takes that comfort away. Every silhouette in the dark could be a non-threat or an apex predator, and the only way to find out is to scan it.
This is also a clean opportunity for the new DNA Modification system to mean something: collecting alien DNA from species nobody has seen before makes the biological upgrade tree feel like discovery rather than min-maxing.
Common questions
No. Luca is a brand-new alien ocean planet introduced in Subnautica 2.
No. Unknown Worlds has stated none of Subnautica 1's or Below Zero's creatures return on Luca.
Unknown Worlds has not published the naming origin. Treat any in-universe etymology you see online as fan speculation unless it cites an official source.
No official surface area or volume figure has been published. The Early Access build ships with 4 biomes and expands across the EA window.