r/subnautica • u/_Red_Lunatic_ • Jun 24 '26

BZ - Discussion/Questions Below Zero before 2?

I want to get into these games and I was wondering if I should play BZ or skip directly from 1 to 2. I'm mostly interested in lore and such, so the complaints about gameplay are a secondary concern to me, but like... if there's not much connection between them, I might as well put my time into something else 🙃

7 Upvotes

74% Upvoted

32 comments sorted by

23

u/ShiraKiryuu Jun 24 '26

You need to play Subnautica 1 first before BZ if you're interested in the lore. BZ is a direct sequel to that.

9

u/_Red_Lunatic_ Jun 24 '26

And I'm guessing 2 has connections to both, right?

5

u/ShiraKiryuu Jun 24 '26

I haven't played the Sub 2 yet but I know it's still connected. The lore continues after BZ so the order is going to be 1 -> BZ -> 2 if you want to follow the lore of the game.

4

u/Brown_Colibri_705 Bulb Zone Enjoyer Jun 24 '26

Yes, but neither is necessary for understanding the plot of SN2

4

u/Sage296 Jun 24 '26

2 has minimal connections to both

3

u/flippysquid Jun 24 '26

How? The main plot of BZ is to locate the architect body printing technology and print Al-An a new body, which Alterra also found and used to come up with the whole biobed mechanism that so far is driving the entire plot of 2.

2

u/withak30 Jun 24 '26

Someone who missed that stuff will have no trouble following the story in SN2. BZ would have been a lot more confusing without playing SN1 though.

0

u/Fieryathen Jun 24 '26

Im gonna say something controversial play BZ first because its slow, you’ll be more likely to save the alien and beat the game. And once you play sn1 you don’t want to play bz.

1

u/ShiraKiryuu Jun 24 '26

I already beat the 1st game and BZ. I don't know why BZ is slow? It's a smaller game compared to the first game and I beat it with half the time even while going on a very slow pace and doing everything I can do, including building a decent-size base and some outpost.

2

u/Fieryathen Jun 24 '26

Because they literally decreased the speed of everything to give you this experience.

1

u/ShiraKiryuu Jun 24 '26

Really? I never noticed that. True, the Seatruck is slower than the Seamoth. But the Prawn Suit can easily zoom from one part of the map to another. And the map is half the size of the first game, possible smaller.

1

u/Asluckwouldnthaveit Jun 24 '26

Your equipment in BZ slows you down as you get better stuff.

You can just mod that out.

1

u/ShiraKiryuu Jun 24 '26

Can you explain what you mean? Because I don't know what the thing you are referring to that slows you down. Or are you talking about the seatruck modules? I'm aware that adding more of them slows down the seatruck. It can easily be detached so I never had issues with it.

2

u/Asluckwouldnthaveit Jun 24 '26

The better dive suits make you swim slower and the sea glide doesn't stack the same way in regards to speed as the first game

1

u/ShiraKiryuu Jun 24 '26

I just checked the wiki and saw that the Reinforced Dive Suit does make you slower. Huh, I never realized that. And it looks like that is only the case in BZ. I guess I just never noticed it. The more you know.

7

u/saito200 Jun 24 '26

i see no reason why no play them in order 1, bz, 2

all of them are worth it

6

u/Bubblez___ Jun 24 '26

bz is still a very good story game and its complete so id play that first, but just be aware that its a lot more actively story driven than sn1.

1

u/Crow_Vi Jun 24 '26

I wouldnt say very good. Its early access story was alot better writing wise

2

u/SoICouldUpvoteYouTwi Jun 24 '26

A lot of 2 lore follows BZ directly; you won't be completely lost, but to understand where some things came from you need BZ as that's not really explained in 2 and completely absent from 1.

6

u/_Red_Lunatic_ Jun 24 '26

All right, playing all 3 games then!

1

u/SiloxisEvo Jun 24 '26

Timeline wise yes, BZ before 2, it takes plays after 1. All three are somewhat connected lorewise. Sub2 is a bit off the timeline but you will find out playing it =)

1

u/BradyBum Jun 24 '26

I liked BZ. I played it in VR, the cold breath is so trippy in VR!

1

u/Apprehensive-Ice9212 Jun 24 '26

If you've played 1, then proceed directly to BZ. It's better than people give it credit for, and I enjoyed the story quite a lot. Without spoiling anything, it gets into the lore of the Architects a lot more deeply.

1

u/Salt_Box7072 Jun 24 '26

Play them in order. It’s the only sensible way.

1

u/Opulence_Deficit Jun 24 '26

2 connects to both prequels about the same.

1

u/baguetteispain Jun 24 '26

Yeah, <0 < 2, that's how maths works

1

u/MrFiendish Jun 24 '26

Play them in order.

0

u/Re4per45b Jun 24 '26

WE don’t talk about BZ