Subnautica 2: Where to find Lithium

Finding Lithium is one of the most important resource milestones in Subnautica 2. Your first piece of Lithium can be used to dramatically increase your breathable air supply, allowing for deeper dives than ever before. Later on, you'll also be able to use Lithium to craft a Scout Ray Chassis for your Tadpole, dramatically increasing its speed and mobility. It's a wonderful resource.

If you're struggling to find Lithium, you're not alone. It's a tricky material to find unless you know exactly where to look, and the usual place to find it - the Zezuran Desert - is far too hot for you to explore without the right Adaptation. Fortunately, there's a far easier place to find all the Lithium you need, and it's a mere 350 metres from your Lifepod! Read on to find out where to get Lithium easily in Subnautica 2.

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How to get Lithium early on (fastest method)

The fastest way to get Lithium early on is to visit the Great Jaw, a massive clam filled with the highest concentration of Lithium in Subnautica 2. You can find it 350 metres from the Lifepod, bearing 195 degrees, at 100m depth. You need a Sonic Resonator in order to break the deposits, but once you have this tool, the Great Jaw is easily the best place for Lithium.

The Great Jaw is filled with Lithium, and can be found a mere 350m from the Lifepod (bearing 195 degrees). | Image credit: RPS/Unknown Worlds

Inside the Great Jaw's mouth is a pod, surrounded by pink strands which act as tripwires. If you touch any of these strands, then the Great Jaw will slowly close, and you have to get out of the Jaw before it eats you. If you get out in time, the Jaw will open again after a few seconds, allowing you to try again.

Carefully swim inside the pod, avoiding the tripwires as you go, and you'll find a wealth of Lithium deposits inside. Use the Sonic Resonator to break open these Lithium deposits, but be careful because the Sonic Resonator will knock you backwards a short distance each time you use it. So try to position yourself against the inner wall of the pod, or otherwise somewhere you won't be knocked into any of the tripwires.

Image credit: RPS/Unknown Worlds

The Great Jaw contains around 10-12x Lithium, and in time those deposits will replenish, allowing you to come back again and again to top up your Lithium reserves!

What if you don't yet have the Sonic Resonator?

If you don't yet have access to a Sonic Resonator, your options for getting Lithium are more limited. However, there is one piece of Lithium in this area you can easily get. From the Great Jaw, head just a few dozen metres northwest, and you'll come across a wreckage. Outside that wreckage, there's a table surrounded by a spherical framework, and on that table is a single piece of Lithium which you can take without needing a Sonic Resonator.

This lone piece of Lithium, found near the Great Jaw, can be looted without the use of a Sonic Resonator. | Image credit: RPS/Unknown Worlds

This lone piece will also replenish, so I always pick it up on my way back from the Great Jaw even later on, once I have a Sonic Resonator. This is probably the easiest way to get your first Lithium - I'd advise immediately using it to craft a Plasteel Ingot, so that you can create a High Capacity Air Tank for deeper dives!

All Lithium locations

Aside from the Great Jaw, Lithium commonly spawns in the Zezuran Desert (that's the "hot" biome). The Zezuran Desert begins around 220 metres east of the Lifepod - you'll know when you've found it, because a temperature gauge will appear in the centre of your screen.

However, the Zezuran Desert is too hot for you to explore until you unlock the Heat Tolerance Adaptation. If you go into the region without this Adaptation, your Health will quickly deplete from the heat until you die. To learn more, check out our guide on how to enter the hot biome in Subnautica 2.

The Zezuran Desert is where you'll find most Lithium, but you can't withstand the heat without the Heat Tolerance Adaptation. | Image credit: RPS/Unknown Worlds

Lithium locations are plentiful in the Zezuran Desert, particularly inside caves. The biggest source of Lithium is inside the "Hot Cave" - the massive cavern beneath the centre of the Zezuran Desert. Lithium deposits line the walls of this cave system, and it's also home to the Hot Cave Base Camp, an Oxygenated base which you can use to top up your air while you travel.

What can you craft with Lithium?

Lithium is primarily used in the production of Plasteel, one of the strongest and most advanced building materials in Subnautica 2. But there are other (very powerful) uses for Lithium besides Plasteel. Here's the full list of everything that can be crafted using Lithium:

That's all you need to know in order to find all the wealthiest Lithium deposits in Subnautica 2. If you're looking for other elusive materials, check out our guides on where to find Silver, and how to get Lead. For everything else, look no further than our massive Subnautica 2 Databank entries list, which tells you where to find pretty much everything in the game!