Subnautica 2 is a deep-sea survival game currently in Early Access, and its Angel Comb progression system has been tripping up players across the board. If your Bloom Cankers refuse to open no matter what you try, you are not alone and you are almost certainly not soft-locked either. Here is exactly what is happening and how to fix it.
Why Are Bloom Cankers Not Opening?
Before assuming it is a bug, understand how the system actually works. Bloom Cankers at a mature Angel Comb connect directly to juvenile combs scattered around the same biome. The main cankers will not open until every linked juvenile comb is fully cleared first.
Worth noting: not every Angel Comb in Subnautica 2 follows this structure. Earlier Angel Combs in the game are simpler and do not require juvenile clears. However, the Alien Ruins Angel Comb operates on a more complex three-juvenile system, which is where most players hit a wall.
The game currently does a poor job explaining this during Early Access, which is why so many players assume the mechanic is broken. However, in most cases, a missed juvenile comb or hidden infection node is the real cause.
| Reason | What It Means |
| Juvenile combs not cleared | One or more linked infection nodes nearby are still active |
| Actual Early Access bug | Progression state has glitched, requiring a save reload or reinstall |
The Angel Comb System Explained
Think of the Angel Comb infection like a linked puzzle. The smaller juvenile combs act as locks feeding viral infection into the mature comb. Until every juvenile is cleared, the main Bloom Cankers stay sealed regardless of which tool you have equipped.
The Angel Comb near the Alien Ruins area specifically has three juvenile combs connected to it. Most players find two naturally while exploring, but the third is notably harder to locate.
Before You Start: What to Prepare
Rushing into the Angel Comb area without the right gear will leave you stuck. Make sure you have the following ready:
- Feedback Resonator (upgraded from the Sonic Resonator) — required for armoured cankers
- Tadpole with Depth Module — the second juvenile sits at around 300 meters deep
- Extra batteries for the Resonator, as the charged blasts drain power quickly
- Landmark signals enabled in your character menu, which makes it significantly easier to spot the locations covered below
What Tool Do You Actually Need?
| Tool | What It Handles |
| Sonic Resonator | Basic Bloom Biofilm, early Bloom Nodes, and Bloom Saps |
| Feedback Resonator (upgrade) | Armoured Bloom Cankers and shielded juvenile combs |
If a Bloom Canker closes when you approach, stay further back and fire a charged blast from distance. The Feedback Resonator is specifically designed for this, allowing you to hit targets from range without triggering the canker’s defensive close. Additionally, destroying Bloom Saps with the Sonic Resonator creates infinite oxygen bubbles in certain areas, which is genuinely useful during longer clears.
How to Find All Three Juvenile Combs (Alien Ruins Area)
Juvenile Comb 1
You will find the first juvenile comb in a cave roughly 100 meters west of the Alien Ruins, at about 167 meters depth. When you approach the Bloom Cankers here, they close up immediately. The standard Sonic Resonator will not work on these. Once you have the Feedback Resonator, target each canker bloom with a charged blast from a safe distance so they do not seal shut again.
Juvenile Comb 2
The second juvenile comb sits roughly 390 meters southeast of the main Angel Comb, near the domed Power Plant buildings with pipes connecting them. This location is around 300 meters deep, so you will need the depth module for your Tadpole before heading here. Follow the large purple roots if you lose your bearings. Destroy the canker blooms the same way as before.
Juvenile Comb 3 (The Hidden One)
This is the one that stumps most players. The third juvenile comb sits approximately 450 meters east of the Angel Comb, inside a section of the Cicada shipwreck on a cliff edge. Follow these steps carefully:
- Locate the Cicada wreckage on the cliff to the east
- Clear the canker bloom blocking the northeast entrance using the Feedback Resonator
- Head inside the wreckage and find the broken floor section
- Drop down through it into a long vertical cave
- Destroy all Bloom Cankers inside the cave, including the parasites guarding them
- Note: Oxygen tunics in this cave release air bubbles, so you do not need to rush through this section
Once all three juvenile combs are cleared, return to the mature Angel Comb. Three additional Bloom Cankers will have opened around it. Destroy those to fully cure the mature comb and unlock the Axum Vision adaptation, which allows you to see and interact with Axum technology throughout the rest of the game.
How to Follow the Purple Roots Effectively
The purple infected roots are your primary navigation tool through this entire section. Follow every branching root path you can find, including ones that dip underground or rise vertically above the main trench area. Hidden infection nodes commonly appear in the following spots:
- Inside side tunnels branching off the main path
- Above the trench on upper ledges
- Inside small caves behind rocks or terrain walls
- Below broken floors inside wreckage structures
If even one of these branches remains active, the larger Bloom Cankers at the mature comb will stay locked. Tracing every root fully is the most reliable way to make sure nothing gets missed.
What If You Have Cleared Everything and They Still Won’t Open?
At this point, you are likely dealing with a genuine Early Access bug. Players across Reddit, Steam forums, and Discord have reported progression states breaking, particularly in co-op sessions. Try these fixes in order:
Fix 1: Save and Reload Save your game and fully restart Subnautica 2. This refreshes the infection progression system and resolves stuck Bloom nodes in many cases. This is always the first thing worth trying.
Fix 2: Leave the Biome and Return Travel to a different area entirely, explore for a few minutes, then come back. Several players found that naturally unloading and reloading the biome corrected sealed cankers and unresponsive nodes.
Fix 3: Restart the Multiplayer Lobby (Co-op Only) In co-op, infection nodes can appear destroyed for one player but remain active for the host, preventing the larger Bloom Cankers from unlocking. Fully restarting the multiplayer session is the best fix for this desync issue.
Fix 4: Back Up Save, Uninstall, Reinstall If none of the above work, back up your save file, uninstall Subnautica 2, then reinstall. Players on Steam have confirmed this resolves cases where the save itself has become corrupted during a session.
Known Bug: Mutation Interaction After Mature Comb Clears
After the mature Angel Comb opens, some players find they cannot interact with the Axum Vision mutation it offers. There is currently no confirmed player-side fix for this specific bug. If it affects you, you will need to wait for the developers at Unknown Worlds to push a patch before you can collect the mutation and continue story progression.
Quick Reference Summary
| Problem | Most Likely Cause | Best Fix |
| Cankers close when you approach | Wrong tool or wrong range | Use Feedback Resonator from distance |
| Cankers sealed and unresponsive | Juvenile comb not cleared | Find and destroy all three juvenile combs |
| Cleared everything, still sealed | Early Access bug | Save reload, biome exit, or reinstall |
| Co-op cankers won’t unlock | Multiplayer desync | Restart the lobby session |
| Cannot interact with Axum Vision mutation | Known bug | Wait for developer patch |
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