Plopping players down in a desolate area of the Pacific Ocean, Stranded Deep is a game that is defined by its emphasis on survival. Players will have to provide for their own food, lodging, and equipment as they attempt to live long enough to reach civilization. But a basic survival experience is not all that it has to offer. It lets players build homes, fight bosses, and explore a variety of tropical locations.
Traversing the water is not uncommon. In fact, building a raft to go over the water may be one of the first things players attempt to when they enter the game. Beneath the surface of the water are reefs, shipwrecks, and other aquatic areas. This is why no one should be too surprised when they see a shark in the water. Coming in a variety of types and temperaments, sharks are a decent source of rawhide and large meat for anyone who wants to hunt them. But how is that done exactly?
How to Kill a Shark in Stranded Deep
Before attempting to hunt a shark, it is important to fill up on the necessary equipment beforehand. First, get an ax of some sort. Preferably a refined one. In addition to being useful in most survival situations, this will also be used against any sharks that approach the player or vice versa. Next, stock up on spears. Around 10 or so crude spears will do, assuming the player is only intending to bag one or two sharks tops. But having a few more on hand wouldn’t hurt either.
Players should also bring several healing items for fairly obvious shark-attacking reasons. Bleeding and broken bones are the big injuries players need to keep track of, so it is advised to bring along several bandages and splints before any hunting trip. Also be sure to bring along a lot of food and water if players think the trip will take a long time.
The next big step is to find the shark players want to hunt. For players who have never hunted sharks before or are just new to the game, it is advised that they limit themselves to hunting sharks in the shallows. That means hunting down sharks like the hammerhead and tiger shark, the latter of which are fairly common in the game. Sharks like the great white and goblin shark are found in deeper waters and tend to be more aggressive, not to mention difficult to take down.
When a shark of any kind is spotted, players are highly advised to survey the area for a bit to make sure they know exactly how many sharks are around. It is not uncommon for certain species to travel in groups, and if a player loses track of just how many sharks are in the water things can get dangerous fairly quickly if they become aggressive.
Assuming players like their odds of taking on a shark (or two), now its time to do some actual hunting…which means players should swim to them and whack it with an ax. Yes, players should have several spears on them that they can use. But those are to be used if the shark is running away or if the player is too damaged to continue hitting them up close. Depending on the shark, their health pool can be big enough that they can endure several thrown spears and continue living. So it is important that players are willing to get up close and hack at the shark until they are damaged enough to take it down for good.
Bear in mind that when sharks become aggressive, they will bump into and attempt to capsize any raft the player happens to be on. So don’t go shark hunting and think that the raft is some glorified safe space. Just jump in the water and attack the dang thing. The shark may attempt to run away when the player deals enough damage, but that’s what the spears are for. Nail that sucker and finish it off. Don’t let it escape. If the player’s situation is really bad, then they can jump on the raft and run away. But ideally, the shark should die and give the player all of that large meat.
Stranded Deep is available on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One
