Subnautica 2 Walkthrough

Overview

Subnautica 2 Early Access (EA 1.0) includes the complete Chapter 1 storyline, offering 14-20 hours of narrative gameplay. You wake up after a crash landing on an alien ocean planet with no memory of how you got there. As you explore, you will uncover distress signals, discover ancient alien technology, and piece together the mystery of what happened to the previous expedition.

The walkthrough is divided into four chapters. Each chapter covers a major story beat, key biomes to explore, and the equipment you will need. Follow them in order for the best experience, or jump to a specific section if you are stuck on a particular signal or puzzle.

Before diving into the story, make sure you have completed the basic survival setup: Fabricator, Scanner, Repair Tool, and a small base with power. See the Survival Guide if you need help with early game setup.

Story Chapters

EA 1.0 spans four main story chapters. Below is a quick overview of what each chapter covers and the approximate playtime. Each chapter builds on the previous one, introducing new biomes, vehicles, and challenges.

Chapter 1: Awakening

Crash landing, first tools, and establishing your foothold in the Safe Shallows. Duration: 2-3 hours.

Chapter 2: The Signal

First distress signals, exploring Twisty Bridges, and discovering the BioMod system. Duration: 4-6 hours.

Chapter 3: Deeper

Venturing into Purple Vents, building the Tadpole, and encountering leviathans. Duration: 4-5 hours.

Chapter 4: The Truth

Endgame content, the final signal, and what lies beyond EA 1.0. Duration: 3-4 hours.

Key Story Signals

Throughout your playthrough, your radio will pick up distress signals and mysterious transmissions. Each signal adds a waypoint to your HUD and progresses the story. Here are the key signals in order:

Signal	Source	Biome	Prerequisites
Lifepod 7 Distress	Repaired Radio	Safe Shallows	Repair Tool
Alien Data Terminal	Signal scan	Twisty Bridges	Seaglide recommended
Research Base Omega	Data packet	Purple Vents	Tadpole + Depth MK1
Leviathan Graveyard	Omega logs	Deep Spires	Depth MK2
Alien Research Facility	Graveyard data	Deep Spires	Depth MK3, full gear

Each signal unlocks new blueprints, story logs, or access to previously blocked areas. Scan everything at each location before moving to the next signal. The signals are designed to guide you through biomes in order of increasing difficulty.

Chapter 1: Awakening (Detailed)

You wake up in your lifepod as it breaches the ocean surface. The first objective: step outside and assess your situation. Your lifepod has a Fabricator blueprint pre-installed and basic survival gear. The nearby wreckage of other pods and the distant wreck on the seabed hint at a larger disaster.

Key objectives for Chapter 1:

• Craft the Fabricator, Scanner, and Repair Tool in that order
• Scan all fragments in the Safe Shallows — Habitat Builder, Fins, Solar Panel, and High Capacity Tank are top priority
• Repair the radio in your lifepod with the Repair Tool to trigger the first story signal
• Build your first base with a Solar Panel for reliable power
• Respond to the first signal from Lifepod 7 once it arrives

Chapter 1 serves as an extended tutorial. Take your time here — mastering the Safe Shallows makes everything else easier. Collect at least 20 Titanium and 10 Quartz before leaving the biome.

Chapter 2: The Signal (Detailed)

After repairing the radio, Lifepod 7 distress signal leads you to the Twisty Bridges biome. This is your first major exploration milestone. The Twisty Bridges are visually stunning but more dangerous than the Shallows. Crashfish, Mesmers, and Bonesharks patrol the area.

Key objectives for Chapter 2:

• Navigate to Lifepod 7 and scan all fragments in and around the wreckage
• Unlock the BioMod Station blueprint (3 fragments near Lifepod 7)
• Locate Seaglide fragments scattered across the biome floor
• Discover the Alien Data Terminal for key story context
• Craft the Digestion and Pressure Genes for improved survival
• Stockpile Titanium, Quartz, and Copper for upcoming vehicle construction

By the end of Chapter 2, you should have a fully operational base, the Seaglide, your first BioMod genes equipped, and a clear direction toward the Purple Vents.

Chapter 3: Deeper (Detailed)

Chapter 3 takes you into the Purple Vents biome, a volcanic region filled with thermal activity, dangerous fauna, and critical resources. This is where the game's difficulty curve steepens significantly. The water takes on a purple hue as you descend, and ambient creature sounds become more menacing.

Key objectives for Chapter 3:

• Build the Vehicle Bay and craft the Tadpole submersible
• Install Depth Module MK1 before descending into Purple Vents
• Navigate to Research Base Omega for critical story logs and the Water Filtration blueprint
• Scan Speed and Thermal Genes for improved mobility and survivability
• First encounter with the Vent Leviathan — practice evasion techniques
• Build a forward base at the Purple Vents edge for resupply

Chapter 4: The Truth (Detailed)

The final chapter of EA 1.0 takes you into the depths of Deep Spires and Crystal Caves. This is endgame content and requires maximum depth upgrades, full equipment, and careful preparation.

Key objectives for Chapter 4:

• Navigate the Leviathan Graveyard and collect survivor logs that reveal the full story
• Enter the Alien Research Facility and unlock the Wakemaker
• Scan Armor, Healing, and Sonar Genes for endgame survivability
• Explore Crystal Caves — the deepest biome in EA 1.0 at 400-800m
• Reach the final story beacon and unlock the teaser for future content updates

Official Early Access Roadmap (May 2026)

Subnautica 2 launched on May 14, 2026, selling 2 million copies in its first 12 hours with a peak of 651,000 concurrent players. The developers at Unknown Worlds have published an official Early Access roadmap outlining updates through 2026-2027.

Hotfix 2 (Released May 22–28, 2026)

The second post-launch patch was significantly larger and addressed creature AI, resource availability, EULA revisions, and several critical bugs. Here are the full patch notes:

• Silver resource buff — Added more Silver resource areas in the early game, addressing the “silver bottleneck” that slowed down early crafting
• Troilite resource buff — Added more Troilite nodes in the late-game Metal Farm region, though the resource remains finite
• Hammerhead AI nerf — Hammerheads are no longer as attracted to Tadpole lights. Previously they would follow players all the way back to their base and hover outside indefinitely
• Teleport bug fix — Fixed a bug where players could be teleported back to their base while exploring in a Tadpole
• Infinite oxygen fix — Fixed infinite oxygen that occurred after dying of hunger/thirst while piloting a Tadpole
• Multiplayer disconnect crash fix — Resolved a crash when losing connection from a multiplayer game
• Random late-game crash fix — Fixed a crash in the Root Canyon / Metal Farm area
• Epic visuals performance boost — Improved frame consistency and reduced stuttering on Epic graphics settings
• Telemetry opt-in callout — Added an in-game notice that telemetry can be turned off at any time from settings (English only, translations coming)
• EULA / ToS revision — Removed the reputation clause and fan-video disclaimer requirement. Players must re-accept the updated ToS at launch
• Terms of Service updates — Revised Preamble, Limited License, Gameplay Videos, Prohibited Uses, Ownership, Section Title, Player-Submitted Content, Limitation of Liability, Transfer of Terms and Conditions
• Privacy Policy updates — Revised Privacy Notice, What Information Do We Collect, How We Share Your Information, Security of Your Information

Hotfix 3 is expected in early June 2026, with further creature balance adjustments and performance improvements. A FAQ clarifying community questions and Fan Content Creator Guidelines are now available on the official website.

Hotfix 1 (Released May 19–20)

The first post-launch patch addressed critical stability issues and player feedback. Here are the official patch notes:

• AMD/DirectX 12 crash fix — Resolved a crash on startup affecting AMD GPUs and systems running DirectX 12. Affected players can now launch and play without workarounds.
• Ping feature crash fix — Fixed a crash that occurred when using the Ping system to mark locations, particularly in co-op sessions.
• Analytics now opt-in — Telemetry data collection is no longer mandatory. Players can opt out after accepting the Terms of Service. This was a major community request.
• Reduced backend data — Optimized network traffic to reduce data usage during multiplayer sessions, particularly for players with metered connections.

Update 1.1 — Quality of Life (First Patch)

• Sprint ability — Players can now sprint, especially useful for navigating large bases (highly requested by the community)
• More passive Biomod slots — Currently limited to 1 passive slot; update adds additional slots
• Storage cache — New deployable storage for offloading excess supplies during exploration
• Biomod balancing — Adjustments to active vs. passive Biomod slot balance
• Blight encounter improvements — Making infected zones less tedious to navigate
• Wreck gameplay optimization — Better navigation and loot distribution inside wrecks
• Vehicle docking fixes — Fixing finicky Tadpole Dock placement
• PDA Databank expansion — Adding more lore entries
• Voicelogs priority system — Ensuring important story logs play first

Update 1.2 — Co-op Centric (Second Patch)

• Proximity voice chat — Talk to teammates based on in-game distance
• Player emotes — Animated waves, gestures, and communication signals
• Player trading — Trade items directly with teammates
• Player revive — Revive downed teammates during co-op sessions
• Additional avatar customizations — More character appearance options
• HUD signal improvements — Better multiplayer coordination tools
• Pinned recipe system — Color-coded to show missing materials
• Base builder tool improvements — Enhancements for co-op building

Major Future Expansions (2026-2027)

• New region — Expanding the world map beyond current biomes
• New biomes, creatures, and leviathans — Additional ecosystem content
• New resources and tools — More crafting options and progression
• New vehicle — A second vehicle type beyond the Tadpole
• Next chapter of the story — Continuing the narrative beyond Chapter 1

Unknown Worlds has committed to a 2-3 year Early Access window before full 1.0 release. The price is currently $29.99 and will increase at full launch.

Key Community Discussion: No Fish-Killing Design

A notable design choice in Subnautica 2 is that players cannot directly kill fish. Developers have stated: "You are here to exist on this planet, not to dominate it." Environmental artist "uly" has indicated the conversation is ongoing, but no changes are currently on the roadmap. This design philosophy extends to leviathans — you cannot kill apex predators with EA 1.0 equipment.

Tadpole Pens Locked Door — Keycode Solution

During Chapter 3, you will encounter a locked door at the Tadpole Pens facility. The door requires a passcode that is not immediately obvious. Here is how to find it:

1. Travel to Zip's Black Box location — approximately 350 meters southwest of the Tadpole Pens facility. Follow the NOA mission marker if you have it active.
2. On the seafloor, find a crashed probe containing Zip's Black Box. It is inside a small cave system — look for debris and wreckage marking the entrance.
3. Interact with the black box. It will reveal a passcode and provide story context about what happened at the facility.
4. Return to the Tadpole Pens locked door and enter the passcode at the keypad.
5. Inside, you can scan the Repair Tool (if you have not already) and find the NOA terminal, which unlocks new mission objectives and story progression.

Alien Power Plant & Observatory Activation

One of the most complex puzzles in EA 1.0 is activating the Alien Power Plant (Karakorum) and the Observatory. This multi-step process requires several upgrades and adaptations:

Prerequisites

• Tadpole with Depth Module MK1 (to reach depths below 250-300m)
• Sonic Resonator (basic version, found in Twisty Bridges)
• Feedback Resonator (upgraded Sonic Resonator, see below)

Step 1: Build the Feedback Resonator

To clear Bloom Cankers, you need the Feedback Resonator. Find its two fragments:

• Fragment 1 — Inside the Cicada Wreck Therapy Room. Follow the Singh blackbox signal from the NOA Terminal to locate the wreck.
• Fragment 2 — Near wreckage at the Metal Farms area, approximately 2,100 meters east-southeast of the Lifepod. Search around the debris field.

Craft the Feedback Resonator at the Fabricator. It fires projectiles that destroy armored Bloom Cankers from a safe distance.

Step 2: Clear the Angel Comb Infection

Travel approximately 1,800 meters east of the Lifepod to the Alien Ruins. You will find a large Angel Comb covered in Bloom infection with 4 shielded Bloom Cankers protecting it.

• Use the Feedback Resonator to destroy all 4 cankers from a distance. Stay mobile — the area may have hostile fauna.
• Once all cankers are destroyed, interact with the clean Angel Comb to gain Axum Vision — the ability to perceive and interact with alien technology (including the Power Plant and Observatory).

Step 3: Repair the Power Plant Turbine

At the Karakorum Power Plant, you will find a damaged turbine that needs repair:

• Collect the required materials: Titanium Ingot x10 + Strontium x10 + Manganese Alloy Ingot x10
• Celestine (blue crystal, ~1,500m east of Lifepod) is crafted into Strontium at the Fabricator
• Use the Habitat Builder to repair the turbine blades. Each blade requires significant resources.

Step 4: Activate the Observatory

Once the turbine is repaired, enter the control room and rotate the symbols to match their correct positions. This activates the Alien Observatory, which reveals the location of Xanadu — a new region teased for future content updates.

• The symbol puzzle requires observation — look at the patterns on the walls for hints about the correct order.
• After activation, pull the main lever in the Observatory to complete the sequence.
• Your PDA will record the coordinates of Xanadu, though it is not yet accessible in EA 1.0.

Performance & Technical Notes

Subnautica 2 EA 1.0 has some performance considerations to be aware of:

• Stuttering on mid-range hardware — Players with 16GB RAM and mid-range GPUs may experience stuttering, particularly in the Purple Vents biome. Lowering graphics settings to Medium helps.
• Base building performance — Very large sculpted bases can cause frame drops. The upcoming sprint ability (patch 1.1) is partly a response to players building oversized bases.
• No specific dates for patches — Unknown Worlds has not committed to exact release dates for 1.1 or 1.2. Roadmap items are subject to change.
• Co-op save sharing — Host saves world progress; all players keep inventory on disconnect. Some blueprint scan syncing issues reported.

Known Bugs & Workarounds (Early Access)

As an Early Access title, Subnautica 2 has its share of bugs and technical issues. Below is a community-maintained list of known problems, workarounds, and which ones have been patched. We keep this updated as new hotfixes roll out.

Bug	Status	Workaround
AMD GPU / DirectX 12 crash on startup Game crashes instantly on launch with black screen or "DX12 Not Supported" error	Hotfixed (May 19)	Update to Hotfix 1. If still crashing: roll back AMD drivers to version 26.3.1. Versions 26.5.1 and 26.5.2 are known to cause issues.
Frame Generation → PC shutdown After a few minutes of play, the entire PC shuts down or restarts. Caused by GPU voltage spikes when Frame Generation is enabled, triggering PSU overcurrent protection.	Hotfixed (May 22)	Update to Hotfix 2. If still occurring: disable Frame Generation in graphics settings. Cap FPS and lower preset to Medium. NVIDIA users update to driver 595.71 or newer.
Ping feature crash Infrequent crash when using the Ping system, especially in co-op sessions	Hotfixed (May 19)	Update to Hotfix 1. If still occurring, avoid rapid ping spamming.
Multiplayer disconnect crash Game crashes when losing connection from a multiplayer session.	Hotfixed (May 22)	Update to Hotfix 2.
Infinite oxygen bug Dying of hunger or thirst while piloting a Tadpole grants infinite oxygen upon respawn — fun but potentially save-corrupting.	Hotfixed (May 22)	Update to Hotfix 2. Also fixed a related crash in the late-game region.
Random late-game crash Occasional crash when entering the Root Canyon / Metal Farm area.	Hotfixed (May 22)	Update to Hotfix 2. Performance on Epic settings also improved.
Teleported back to base while piloting Tadpole Players are occasionally teleported back to their base for no reason while exploring in a Tadpole, losing all progress since last save.	Hotfixed (May 22)	Update to Hotfix 2. This was a physics collision desync issue that has been resolved.
Cannot dismantle room ("attachments exist") Habitat Builder refuses to deconstruct rooms, claiming attachments exist even when nothing is inside. Caused by ghost links persisting after moving lockers/fabricators.	No fix yet	1. Refund Base — Hidden option removes bugged structures. Empty storage first! 2. Remove distant attachments — Try removing objects elsewhere in the base (wall lockers, lights, solar panels). 3. Shrink rooms gradually — Segment-by-segment shrinking can refresh structural data. 4. Isolate the room — Disconnect the affected room from the main base before removal. 5. Avoid terrain clipping — Bases built too close to rocks/terrain are more prone to this bug.
Bloom Canker soft-lock / Axum Vision interaction bug Players cannot interact with the Angel Comb or Axum Vision mutation even after clearing all Bloom Cankers. Sometimes the mature comb's cankers won't open at all.	Partial fix	First, make sure you destroyed all 3 juvenile combs (hidden one inside Cicada shipwreck is most commonly missed). If still stuck: 1. Save and fully restart the game 2. Leave the biome and come back 3. Restart co-op lobby (desync issue) If the Axum Vision mutation itself won't interact — no player-side fix exists yet, wait for a patch.
Save file corruption / deletion Game freezes during save or locker naming, and the entire save file is missing on restart. Reported in both single-player and co-op.	Under investigation	Manual backup is essential! Copy your saves from: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Subnautica2\Saved Avoid editing locker names during auto-save. Verify game files via Steam if save is lost.
Co-op blueprint scan not syncing When a teammate scans a fragment, the blueprint does not always unlock for all players in the session.	No fix yet	Save and reload — the host's scan progress will propagate. Both players should scan the same fragment if possible.
Missing hotbar (UI bug) Hotbar or inventory UI fails to render after respawning or fast travel	No fix yet	Return to main menu and reload the save. This usually resolves the issue.
Permanent drowning visual effect The drowning overlay (blue tint, vignette) stays stuck on screen even after surfacing.	No fix yet	Respawn (if safe to do so) or reload the save.
Stuttering / FPS drops in Purple Vents Significant frame drops in the Purple Vents biome, especially on mid-range hardware.	No fix yet	Install on SSD (NVMe preferred). Disable Depth of Field. Enable DLSS/FSR. Cap FPS to stabilize frame times.
Early Access zone boundary death loop Venturing beyond the orange boundary lines causes persistent death. The boundary pop-up freezes movement, making escape nearly impossible.	Working as intended	Do not approach the orange boundary lines. If you see the Shiver Leviathan, you have gone too far. Lost inventory beyond the boundary may be unrecoverable.

For the latest official patch notes, check Steam or the official Unknown Worlds Discord. If you encounter a bug not listed here, report it on the For Hotfix 2 details see the roadmap section below.

For the latest official patch notes, check Steam or the official Unknown Worlds Discord. If you encounter a bug not listed here, report it on the official Subnautica 2 forums.

Troilite & Metal Farm Guide (Endgame Resource)

Troilite is one of the most critical endgame resources in Subnautica 2 and the subject of the #1 new-player trap: it is a finite resource with no natural respawn. Multiple players have soft-locked their saves by using all their Troilite before building a Metal Farm. Here is everything you need to know.

Where to Find Troilite

Troilite spawns in only one location in EA 1.0: the Metal Farms area in Root Canyon (approximately 2,000+ meters east-northeast of the Lifepod, depth ~450m). You need the Tadpole Depth Module MK1 to reach this area.

• Start at the Alien Ruins Research Base and head east toward the Angel Comb
• Follow the root system northeast through a canyon until you see a yellow-green glow
• Watch out — a Collector Leviathan patrols above. Stay near the seafloor at ~400-450m depth
• Troilite appears as bright green Mineralized Clinker deposits. Use the Sonic Resonator to break them (cannot be picked by hand)
• Each deposit yields 1-3 Troilite. Deposits do NOT respawn

Hotfix 2 (May 22) added more Troilite spawns in this area, but the total is still finite.

What Troilite Is Used For

Item	Recipe
Mangalloy Ingot	1 Titanium Ingot + 1 Atacamite + 1 Troilite (Processor)
Metal Farm	1 Mangalloy Ingot + 1 Axum Bacterial Culture (Habitat Builder)
Ultra High-Capacity Air Tank	1 High-Capacity Tank + 3 Troilite + 3 Atacamite
Entangled Power Cell	1 Conduit Crystal + 1 Strong Acid + 1 Gold Ingot + 1 Troilite
Photovoltaic Charger	1 Copper Ingot + 1 Strong Acid + 1 Troilite
Tadpole Depth Module MK2	2 Dedicated Core + 2 Troilite + 2 Mangalloy Ingot

The Metal Farm: Infinite Resource Production

The Metal Farm is a deployable structure that duplicates ores over time. It is the only way to get infinite Troilite:

1. Scan 3 broken Metal Farms in Root Canyon to unlock the blueprint
2. Craft at the Habitat Builder: 1 Mangalloy Ingot + 1 Axum Bacterial Culture
3. Place on any submerged surface near your base
4. Power with 20 energy (2 Hydroelectric Turbines or 2 Thermal Plants)
5. Insert one piece of the ore you want duplicated into storage
6. Wait for the timer, then smash the resulting node with your Sonic Resonator

Duration	Resources Produced
2 minutes	Titanium (5x), Copper (3x), Quartz (3x), Salt (3x)
10 minutes	Silver, Gold, Sulfur, Lead (3x); Lithium, Conduit Crystal, Celestine (2x)
20 minutes	Troilite (2x), Atacamite (2x)

Killable Creatures Mod

In response to Unknown Worlds' firm "no weapons" stance, community modder jibotron released the Killable Creatures mod on Nexus Mods. It allows players to deal damage to hostile creatures using existing tools: the Survival Multitool hammer deals 20 damage per swing, and the Sonic Resonator deals 50 damage per blast. The mod requires UE4SS as a prerequisite and has been widely discussed as a classic example of the modder-developer tension around creative vision vs. player agency. The mod does not add loot drops from killed creatures, so the benefit is purely one of defense and satisfaction.

Hidden Content and Secrets

EA 1.0 contains several hidden areas not marked by story signals. Check our chapter-specific pages for details on:

• Time capsules left by other players (locations vary per save)
• Hidden cave systems with rare resource deposits
• Easter eggs referencing the original Subnautica and Below Zero
• Unmarked alien structures with bonus scan data