So, your crew has outgrown the floating metal coffin known as the Dugong. You’ve successfully strip-mined the Cold Caverns, your mechanic has stopped accidentally inhaling welding fuel, and you’ve got a tidy pile of Marks burning a hole in your diving suit. It’s time to move up to a Tier 2 (T2) Submarine. Choosing a T2 sub is a major life milestone on Europa. Under maritime law, entering a new submarine class constitutes a new binding contractual agreement between you, your crew, and the crushing hydrostatic pressure of an alien ocean. To help you avoid immediate maritime bankruptcy and/or death via a rogue Thresher swarm, I have compiled the top 3 vanilla Tier 2 submarines in Barotrauma.
I. The Humpback: The King of T2 Combat
Class: Attack | Price: 7,800 mk
The Legal Framework: Pursuant to Section 4(a) of the Europan Self-Defense and Gross Negligence Act, the Humpback is legally classified as an "Enabler of Bad Decisions." By purchasing this vessel, the Captain and Crew explicitly waive their rights to file a personal injury lawsuit regarding electrical fires, as the power grid is inherently unstable and prone to spontaneous combustion when the engineer looks at it wrong.
The Gamer Reality: The Humpback is the undisputed king of T2 combat, and the absolute favorite of crews who prefer shooting things over breathing oxygen. It is compact, incredibly easy to defend, and comes with a fully functioning Fabrication and Deconstruction suite.
The Good: Near-perfect gun coverage. You get two coilguns and a railgun right out of the box, meaning anything trying to eat your hull will get a face full of exploding lead. Because it’s compact, running from the command room to patch a leak doesn't require a marathon.
The Bad: The reactor has the electrical stability of a wet toaster wired into a car battery. If your captain slams the engines from full speed ahead to a dead stop, every single junction box on the ship will simultaneously throw a temper tantrum.
The Verdict: If your ideal gameplay loop is screaming "MAN THE RAILGUN" while the entire ship glows with electrical arcs, this is your ride.
II. The Orca 2: The Balanced All-Rounder
Class: Scout | Price: 9,000 mk
Exhibit GG: The Hull Integrity Waiver: The manufacturer hereby disclaims any liability for emotional distress caused by the distance between the Command Bridge and the top airlock during an active boarding action by Husk-infected Mudraptors."
The Legal Framework: The Orca 2 represents a standard, bilateral compromise. It features a triple-ballast tank system that provides superior vertical mobility. However, under the Doctrine of Foreseeable Harms, it must be noted that its long, compartmentalized layout means that if a breach occurs on one side of the ship, it will take your heavy-booted Engineer approximately three (3) business days to walk over and fix it.
The Gamer Reality: If the Humpback is a muscle car with a sketchy alternator, the Orca 2 is a reliable overland SUV. It fixes many of the original Orca's problems and establishes itself as arguably the most versatile T2 sub in the game.
The Good: Three separate ballast tanks. This gives the Orca 2 terrifyingly good ascent and descent speeds. It also boasts excellent weapon coverage, deep charge tubes, and an electrical discharge coil to shock anything trying to give your lower hull a hug. Plus, it includes a mineral scanner, making it actually useful for campaign progression.
The Bad: The layout is a bit of a maze. The fabricator room is tucked away like a hidden DLC zone, and navigating the ship under pressure feels like trying to run through a crowded hallway during a fire drill.
The Verdict: The smart choice for crews who actually want to beat the campaign rather than just blow up in a glorious, radioactive fireball.
III. The Typhon: The Floating Brick of Pure Aggression
Class: Attack | Price: 11,500 mk
The Legal Framework: Operating a Typhon comes with an implied assumption of risk regarding property damage. Due to its sheer mass and abysmal horizontal deceleration, hitting a rock wall at 23 km/h is not considered an "accident" under Europan insurance policies, it is legally defined as an "inevitable operational event."
The Gamer Reality: The Typhon is what happens when you take a standard attack submarine, strip away all concepts of "sleek aerodynamics," and decide to pilot an armored apartment complex. It is heavy, it handles like a shopping cart with one broken wheel, but it is built like an absolute tank.
The Good: The gunnery compartment is legendary. It features stacked periscopes clustered together, allowing your security team to sit side-by-side, eating snacks and turning Molochs into paste without needing to move an inch. The interior is highly compartmentalized, meaning a breach in the bottom ballast rarely compromises the upper decks.
The Bad: It is slow. If an abyssal creature decides to chase you, you aren't running away. You are standing your ground and praying your railgun loader brought enough explosive shells. It also guzzles fuel rods like a college student chugging energy drinks during finals week.
The Verdict: Perfect for larger crews who want to establish absolute naval dominance over the local fauna and don't mind the fact that reversing the submarine takes five (5) business days.
IV. Summary of the Fleet
The Humpback is designed primarily for chaotic firefights, making it best for small, chaotic friend groups who like things loud. However, it holds a relatively low survival probability of 40%, with a note indicating that most casualties are actually caused by internal junction box fires rather than actual alien attacks.
For teams focused on legitimate campaigning and progression, the Orca 2 is the ideal choice. It is best for well-organized, relatively sane crews who appreciate vertical mobility, yielding a much higher survival probability of 75%. Crews must remain vigilant, however, as a stark warning dictates that this survival rate drops to 0% if anyone accidentally introduces a Thresher to the ballast tanks.
Finally, the Typhon specializes in static defense and heavy siege, making it best for larger groups who prefer sitting in armored artillery fortresses over driving fast. It offers a 60% survival probability, serving as a vessel where the hull will survive anything, even if your patience during a reverse maneuver might not.
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