Stranded Deep 2 Wildlife Threat Tiers
A cautious ranking of named animals until Early Access publishes real behaviour.
This is the list people want after the hippo thumbnail. It is also the list most likely to be wrong on day one. Treat every tier as a risk posture, not a health bar. Full ecology talk lives on wildlife. This page is only the alphabet.
S-tier — apex, do not farm
Hippo. The reveal’s mascot violence. Water-column, kayak-scale, territorial energy even without a published aggro radius. If the studio put a jaw in the header, believe them. Paddle around. Do not screenshot from inside the mouth.
Crocodile. Edwards’ own nightmare comparison versus SD1 sharks. Screenshots show groups on a bank while you hold a stone tool. Land speed plus water plus numbers. S-tier because a “just stab it” plan is how Early Access highlight reels start.
Both sit above you in the official food-chain sentence. How to survive is the retreat manual. River exploration is how you keep an exit heading.
A-tier — the river itself as an animal
Current, rapids, depth. Not a species, still a killer. Steam lists fast water next to growls and tracks. A living food chain does not matter if the river pins you against it. Rank the water as A-tier until you have a raft you trust. See floating-home building before you put storage on a white-water nose.
Unlisted mid predators. We do not name them. We reserve A-tier for whatever the first extra carnivore blog adds. Empty rows are more honest than a fake jaguar.
B-tier — commute hazards
Whatever owns a wreck hole. Dive salvage is confirmed. The animal in that hole is not. Budget B-tier fear for “the loot is underwater.” Watch, tyre, wreck, limited breath. You can drown without an apex.
Banks with tracks. A crocodile that is not on screen yet. Relocate camp. Do not decorate. This is the tier that punishes pretty screenshots.
C-tier — food that still bites your time
Fish. Named as the small end of the chain. Food, bait, and a reason something larger is nearby. Catching them is not the threat. Attracting attention is.
Lizards. Same band. Edwards listed them with fish as the small life that fills the desert. Useful, not cute, not S-tier.
D-tier — you, until you get arrogant
The player. Steam: you are in the chain and not at the top. That is a rank. Solo run, no published armour set, a yellow kayak, a watch. You climb only when the sandbox proves a weapon fantasy. Until then you are D-tier with a paddle.
Co-op you. Slightly less D if a partner watches the bank. Still not S. Read co-op.
How we will reshuffle
A bestiary patch that nerfs hippos moves them. A video of a player farming crocs with a named tool moves them. A new species gets a row only with a studio name. The tier list hub will not add “secret trailer snake” because a Reddit crop looked scaly.
Use this next to biome priorities. An S-tier animal in an S-tier biome is a skip. An S-tier animal in a prairie you can see for a kilometre is still a skip, just a prettier one. Pack humility. The desert already packed teeth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions.
Why are hippos S-tier if nobody has played?
Because the studio made them the reveal predator and Edwards ranked crocs above his old shark scares. We follow their emphasis.
Where are sharks on this list?
Not ranked. The sequel’s published apex set is desert-river, not Pacific.
Will you add weapons later?
Weapons get a list only when they are official. This page stays animals and environmental killers.
How do I actually deal with S-tier animals?
Avoid, scout, keep an exit. Details on wildlife and how to survive.
Is the player really D-tier?
Until Early Access shows a reliable kill loop, yes. Steam said you are not at the top.