Subnautica 2: What to do first

If you're just getting started in Subnautica 2, it's not surprising if you're feeling a little overwhelmed. You've pretty much been plonked into the middle of an alien world with a Lifepod as your only safe space and a heck of a lot of exploration ahead of you.

It's not immediately clear where to go and, more important, what will and won't cause you harm as you swim around. Spoiler alert: It's more bad than good. Nevertheless, if you're prepared to put on a brave face and head on out (you don't really have a choice, mind), there are ways to make your start in the game a lot less stressful.

Below I'll walk you through the 9 steps I recommend taking straight off the Lifepod to set yourself up for success in Subnautica 2. If success still includes swimming maniacally back to your Tadpole and zipping away when trouble is afoot, that is.

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Image credit: RPS/Unknown Worlds

As you start out in Subnautica 2, you'll find yourself awash on a Lifepod with some essential equipment to keep you going. Onboard, there's a Fabricator (not Fully Functional, but we'll get to that later on), but it does function a bit.

One of the things you can do almost immediately is craft the Survival Multitool and I suggest you do so. While you'll be prompted to make one of these as you grab your first resource in the game anyway, I think it's best to just get on with it.

The Survival Multitool is a crucial bit of kit that'll help you chop flora and fauna to gather food, break down larger clumps of resources and gather other important items around the game. To craft it, you'll need 3x Titanium, which you'll find in abundance around the starting area.

2. Unlock the second Adaptation

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In the prologue, you will have been prompted to interact with a strange purple plant. This is your first introduction to Adaptations, of which there will be more. The first Adaptation you pick up is Pressure Tolerance to safely breathe in this alien world's atmosphere. As soon as you enter the game, you should go hunt down the second Adaptation.

Located around 160 meters northeast of your Lifepod is another strange purple plant which you'll come to identify as an Angel Comb. There's nothing crazy that you need to do to get the next Adaptation, named Digestion, you just need to know where it is.

Once there, interact with it in the same way you did before and you'll be able to tolerate eating the fish, flora and fauna around Subnautica 2. You'll get to the third and fourth Adaptation later in the game, but it's not necessary yet. Fortunately, when you are ready, we have a guide on where to find all the Adaptations and how to unlock them. Pop it in your pocket (or bookmark bar) for later.

3. Figure out food and water

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Now you've had your DNA appropriately altered to survive a little longer, you can munch up some food around you. But, there's only specific sea creatures you can grab and eat like Halfmoon, Geordie and Threemoon. For other food, your Survival Multitool will come in handy to help you figure out how to get Fibrous Pulp. You can turn this into nutritious dishes which you'll need because all this exploring is hungry work.

It's also thirsty work and to quench your weirdly dry mouth, you can pick up Water Slugs dotted all over the sea bed. Either consume them on the spot for +15 Water or convert them in your Lifepod's Fabricator to make a bottle worth a +40 Water boost.

4. Gather resources

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With a full belly and bottles of water abundant in your inventory, you'll want to start gathering resources ASAP. In this starting biome, you're most likely going to discover Titanium, Copper, Silver and Quartz. Titanium is everywhere. Just scuttle around on the seabed and into caves. You'll have to look a little harder of Copper as it's slightly more sparse. For Quartz, be sure to check inside any of the Coral Domes around your Lifepod and when it comes to how to find Silver, we've got a handy guide.

You'll also want to grab yourself plenty of Lucifer Rotsac, Fibrous Pulp and Acidic Raion Pouches on your travels. These can be found in various flora and fauna near the Lifepod. These resources are essential for early-game progression. Basically, if you want anything in Subnautica 2, you're going to need to craft it, so finding resources is super important.

5. Get crafting

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Once you've gathered these essential resources, it's time to head back to your Lifepod and craft. To put yourself in good stead for all the exploration you're about to do, you'll want to seriously think about crafting the following things: Standard Air Tank, Basic Fins, Air Bladder and a Scanner. That's just for starters.

To craft a Standard Air Tank, you'll need 2x Titanium, 1x Rubber and 1x Silver. For Basic Fins, you'll need 2x Fiber and 2x Rubber. For an Air Bladder, you'll need 2x Titanium and 1x Rubber. For Scanner, you'll need 2x Titanium, 2x Quartz and 1x Basic Battery.

6. Explore nearby

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With some crafted items aiding your movement in the uncharted ocean, it's time to swim a little further away from the safety of your Lifepod. But don't worry, you won't need to go too far to discover some important things. While there's sea creatures to be wary of, there's a few places you can explore fairly easily without running into too many nasties.

Firstly, you'll already have visited the Digestion Angel Comb by this point, but there's plenty to explore around it from Anita's black box to abandoned buildings. You can also head to the Welcome Center located around 100 meters south-southeast of your Lifepod, Coral Gardens located just around your Lifepod and Camp One located roughly 250 meters north-northeast of your Lifepod.

7. Unlock the first Biomods

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At the Welcome Center, there's a small puzzle to solve that should be on your to-do list. You may notice a Biolab as soon as you enter, but it won't be working. This is the key to unlocking all Biomods. You can apply these to alter your DNA, meaning you can then achieve things like detecting bases and being invisible to predators.

To power up the Biolab, you'll need to craft a battery using 2x Copper Ore and 1x Acidic Raion Pouch and place it in the red glowing battery terminal on the wall. Then, power up NOA and the Biolab will be yours to interact with, unlocking the first four Biomods in the game. I recommend Dash and Oxygen Control as great starting Biomods.

8. Craft a Habitat Builder and build a Base

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You're getting to the point where you'll need to start venturing further and that means unlocking new recipes that your Lifepod just isn't ready to handle. For this, you'll need to figure out how to get a Fully Functioning Fabricator and for that, you'll need a Base.

To build said Base, you'll need to unlock the Habitat Builder blueprint by scanning two fragments. Fortunately, they can both be found at the Welcome Center. Then, craft it using 2x Titanium, 1x Copper Wire, 1x Basic Battery and 1x Glass.

Once you've got your Habitat Builder in hand, you'll need to collect more resources (or maybe you've still got loads because you took my earlier advice) to craft a simple Room, Hatch and Solar Panel to get started. Then, you'll be able to put a Fabricator on the wall using 1x Titanium, 1x Copper and 1x Quartz.

9. Follow NOA

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You'll meet NOA from the very beginning of Subnautica 2. But, I'd recommend making sure you're well equipped before you start following NOA's signals where she'll send you to black boxes across the map. As you follow each one, you'll find yourself unlocking new Blueprints, crafting essential items and even… coming across all the Leviathans in the game, if you dare. Fortunately, you can swim safely in the knowledge that you gave yourself the best start in Subnautica 2.

That's all my advice for getting started in Subnautica 2, but there's still plenty to do. From figuring out how to get the Tadpole to scouting out the best Base locations. With plenty of guides to follow, we've got you covered!