Subnautica 2 FAQ: Answers to 15 Questions I Had to Learn the Hard Way

I've spent way too much time searching for answers to basic Subnautica 2 questions that the game doesn't explain well. Here's everything I've figured out, organized by topic. Some of this is obvious in hindsight. None of it was obvious at the time.

Getting Started

What's the first thing I should craft?

Scanner. Always Scanner. It identifies fragments and unlocks blueprints. Without it you're picking up items with no idea what they do. Second craft is the Survival Knife. Third is Fins. Fourth is O2 Tank. That order has served me through three fresh starts.

Where's the best place to build a first base?

The Shallows near a thermal fissure. About 80 meters deep. Solar works at that depth. Thermal becomes available when you unlock Thermal Plants later. You're close to starter resources but within swimming distance of the Vine Tangle for mid-game materials. I've tried building near the Fungal Basin and the Reef Shelf and both were worse than just staying central.

Can I play Subnautica 2 solo or is co-op required?

Solo works fine. The game is balanced for single player. Co-op scales difficulty up. More aggressive fauna. Higher resource requirements. It's not harder or easier, just different. I prefer solo for the atmosphere. The horror elements don't land as hard when your buddy is cracking jokes in voice chat.

Resources and Materials

Where do I find copper? I have titanium coming out of my ears but no copper.

Everyone has this problem. Limestone outcrops drop copper maybe half the time but the RNG can be cruel. Better sources: look for barnacle clusters on the large passive creatures in the Reef Shelf. Each barnacle is guaranteed copper. Another option is the geothermal vents in the Shallows. The rock formations around them often contain copper deposits.

How do I get Aerogel? It's in half the mid-game recipes.

Gel Sack plus Ruby. Gel Sacks grow in caves around 150 meters. Look for purple bulbous plants on the cave walls. Ruby spawns near thermal vents. Once you find one Gel Sack, knife it for spores and grow more in an outdoor planter near your base. Infinite Aerogel from one find.

What's the deal with Kyanite? I can't find it anywhere.

Deep thermal vents past 500 meters. The lower Fungal Basin and the Trench both have it. You need the Deep chassis on your Tadpole to survive the depth. The resource is rare because it gates the late-game upgrades. Expect to make multiple trips.

Biomods

Which Biomod should I unlock first?

Bioluminescent Vision. It comes from scanning the glowing jellyfish in the Shallows. Passive light. No inventory slot needed. No battery to manage. You'll never use the flashlight again.

Second should be Pressure Adaptation. You get it from scanning deep-water fauna. At tier two it significantly reduces oxygen consumption at depth. The difference this makes to how long you can stay underwater is hard to overstate. I went from surfacing every two minutes to staying down for five.

How many Biomod slots can I have?

You start with two. Expansion chips exist but they're rare. I've found one in about 40 hours. Assume you have two slots and choose accordingly.

Can I swap Biomods anytime?

Only at a Biomod Station. You need one in your base or at a forward outpost. You cannot swap in the field. Plan your loadout before expeditions.

Vehicles

How do I get the Tadpole?

Mobile Constructor Bay first. Fragments at Cicada debris fields. Then gather titanium ingot, power cell, glass, lubricant, and lead. Deploy the Bay on the surface and build the Tadpole. The whole process takes about two hours if you focus on it.

What Tadpole chassis should I use?

Scout for exploration. Cargo for resource runs. Deep for anything past 400 meters. Speed is situationally useful for crossing the map quickly but Scout's handling is generally better for survival. You can't swap chassis without a Moonpool.

My Tadpole keeps getting destroyed. How do I protect it?

Park it away from threats. If you're scanning something dangerous, leave the Tadpole at a safe distance and swim the last stretch. Repair it constantly. Keep spare power cells in its storage. If you hear a roar, get back to your vehicle and move.

The Tadpole doesn't respawn when destroyed. Unlike you, who gets reprinted by NoA, the Tadpole is just gone. All chassis upgrades gone. All cargo gone. This is the most punishing mechanic in the game. Treat your Tadpole with more care than you treat yourself.

Story and Progression

I'm stuck. Where do I go next?

Fix your lifepod radio. NoA sends coordinates periodically. If you've been ignoring the radio, you've been ignoring the main questline. Check your PDA for data entries. Read the logs from the original Cicada colonists. They contain location hints.

If you've followed all radio signals and still feel stuck: go deeper. The story in Subnautica 2 always pushes downward. New biomes. New threats. New alien structures. Deeper is always the answer.

What's the deal with the Axum? Who are the Tailings?

Story spoilers ahead, though most of this is in the Early Access opening hours. The Axum were an advanced alien civilization that existed on Proteus long before humans arrived. The Tailings are their degraded descendants. Something happened. Something bad. The Axum left behind technology that interacts with the Proteavirus and the Bloom parasite. Figuring out that connection is the main story.

I'm not going to spoil more than that. The discovery is the best part.

How finished is the Early Access build?

As of June 2026, the first 20 to 30 hours of content are solid. You can reach and explore every announced biome. The Biomod system is fully functional. Co-op works. The story has a clear stopping point but not an ending. Some biomes feel sparse. The Void is accessible but clearly not complete. Unknown Worlds has committed to regular content updates through the Early Access period.

If you're okay with an incomplete story and some rough edges, there's plenty here. If you want a finished product, wait for 1.0. I've gotten my money's worth and then some.