If you’re a fan of both chaotic, heartfelt gaming content and deep, terrifying ocean survival games, you’ve probably already binged the Markiplier Subnautica 2 playthrough that dropped earlier this year. For weeks, clips of his screaming at leviathans, crying over cute sea monkeys, and missing super obvious story hints from the series have been all over TikTok and Reddit. I’ve rewatched the full 12-part run three times now, and each watchthrough I pick up new little details that slipped past me the first time, both about the game’s lore and Mark’s very specific playstyle. This piece breaks down the best of those hidden bits, plus what you can steal from his run to make your own Subnautica 2 playthrough way less frustrating (and way more fun).
Key Story Beats Markiplier Subnautica 2 Playthrough Skipped (By Accident)
Mark was so focused on not starving, running out of oxygen, or getting eaten by leviathans for the first half of the series that he missed a ton of critical story context right under his nose. It’s easy to laugh at how oblivious he was, but if you’ve played any of the Subnautica games, you know how easy it is to miss small details when you’re panicking about your oxygen running out, just like he was during most of the Markiplier Subnautica 2 early episodes. For example, he walked right past a PDA log from the missing research team three separate times in episode 4, complaining he had no clue why the arctic research facility was locked, when the door code was literally written in the log 10 feet from where he was standing. Most new players make this exact same mistake, because the early game’s constant survival panic makes you ignore small, glowing items on the floor. Those early PDAs also hint that sea monkeys will bring you free resources if you don’t attack them first, which Mark didn’t figure out until episode 7, after he’d killed at least 20 of them.
The Funniest Unscripted Moments That Got Cut From the Official Upload
Mark’s editor posted a handful of cut clips on Patreon a few weeks after the series wrapped, and they’re just as good as the official upload content. One of the most viral cuts shows him spending 20 minutes trying to tame a glow whale by feeding it cooked fish, only for a reaper leviathan to jump out of nowhere and eat it right in front of him. He screamed so loud his neighbor knocked on his door to check if he was okay. This moment actually reveals a little-known game mechanic: reaper leviathans specifically target large, passive creatures first if they’re nearby, which you can use as a distraction if you get caught out in open water without a stasis rifle. Plenty of fans have asked for a full cut of all these outtakes, and while his editor has said there are no plans for an official release, you can find most of them clipped on fan accounts if you search for Markiplier Subnautica 2 cut content.
- A 15-minute detour where he tried to build a base inside a cave system, only for a volcanic eruption to destroy it 30 seconds after he finished placing the last power cell
- The time he accidentally threw his only repair tool into the deep void, and spent an hour diving down to try to retrieve it before he realized he could just craft a new one
- A throwaway line where he correctly guessed the game’s final plot twist 3 episodes before it was revealed, then immediately forgot he said it and acted shocked when the twist dropped
Survival Tips We Stealed From Mark’s Playthrough (That Actually Work)
Even though he’s not a pro survival game player, a lot of his chaotic choices work way better than the meta guides you’ll find online. A lot of the top Subnautica 2 guides online will tell you to avoid the twisty bridges early on, but the Markiplier Subnautica 2 playthrough proves that it’s actually one of the best starting spots if you’re careful. For example, he always builds his first base in the shallow twisty bridges biome, right next to a thermal vent, which most guides say is too close to leviathan spawning points. But building near a thermal vent cuts your early power needs by 70%, and the leviathans rarely swim into the shallow parts of the biome anyway, so it’s actually a way better spot than the safe shallows most new players pick. His trick of keeping 3 extra oxygen tanks in his quick slot at all times seems excessive until you get stuck in a deep cave system with 10 seconds of oxygen left. You can also use the sea monkey resource gift mechanic to get rare items like lithium before you unlock the deep dive suit, a trick Mark stumbled on by accident after he stopped attacking them. The only tip of his that you shouldn’t copy is trying to fight a reaper leviathan with a standard knife, that got him killed 8 times in one episode.
Easter Eggs You Probably Missed In His Playthrough Footage
There are tons of tiny nods to the first Subnautica game scattered throughout Subnautica 2, and Mark walked right past almost all of them without commenting. For example, in episode 9, when he’s exploring the old Alterra facility, there’s a name tag on a desk that belongs to Ryley Robinson, the protagonist of the first game. He glanced right at it and didn’t even say a word about it. There’s also a tiny plush of a peeper sitting on the dashboard of the escape pod at the very start of the series, which is a nod to his very first Subnautica playthrough where he carried a peeper named Gary around with him for 10 episodes. The hardest to spot easter egg is a hidden audio log that plays if you stand next to the frozen leviathan for 2 full minutes without moving. Mark stood there for 1 minute 58 seconds before panicking and running away, so he never heard it. The log reveals that the frozen leviathan is the same creature that caused the original Kharaa outbreak on the planet, and that Alterra has been studying it for decades before the events of Subnautica 2. That tiny detail ties the entire franchise together, and it’s wild that no one pointed it out in the comments of the uploads until a month after the series finished.
At the end of the day, half the fun of watching the Markiplier Subnautica 2 playthrough is seeing how a regular player reacts to all the game’s twists and surprises, no meta knowledge required. If you haven’t watched the full series yet, I’d highly recommend checking it out before you do your first full playthrough, if only to learn what mistakes to avoid. You don’t have to be a pro survival game player to enjoy the game, or even to beat it. Half the fun is making stupid mistakes, missing obvious hints, and screaming when a leviathan sneaks up on you when you least expect it. Next time you boot up your own run, keep an eye out for those little hidden details he missed, and don’t be afraid to make your own chaotic choices along the way.
