The Precursors were a highly advanced and ancient space-faring alien race in the Subnautica Universe that arrived on a planet approximately one thousand years ago, searching for a cure for a highly infectious disease called the Kharaa Bacterium. The Precursors discovered Kharaa during the exploration of an unknown planet, and the disease spread due to a failure in quarantine procedures, killing over 140 billion individuals. Their plans failed, and Kharaa was released onto the planet.
They scavenged or traded advanced technology such as:
- Data Hubs, which they can upload their mind to
- weapons capable of bringing down large ships
- Alien Arches which are gateways that work with warp technology
- Warpers which are wirelessly powered biomechanical life forms capable of teleporting at will using the same technology
They had telepathy and could live for centuries.