Crafting

The progression ladder, broken into tiers. Exact recipe costs stay conservative until the current build is cross-checked.

Current read. Subnautica's crafting flow still works best as a route plan: scan to unlock, fabricate at a station, then upgrade through resource and depth tiers. Use the Crafting Planner when you need a goal-based checklist; keep exact recipe counts conservative until current-build Fabricator text is verified.

Underwater launch briefing with a submersible and illuminated base

🔪

Survival tools

Knife, scanner, repair tool

🏠

Base modules

Rooms, corridors, hatches

⚡

Power systems

Solar, thermal, bioreactor

📦

Storage

Lockers, containers, vehicles

🤿

Exploration gear

Fins, tanks, suits

🚗

Vehicle support

Upgrades and modules

The progression ladder

Six tiers in roughly the order the original Subnautica unlocked them. Subnautica 2 is expected to keep this shape.

Tier	Typical contents	When you unlock it
🔪 Survival tier	Knife, scanner, repair tool, basic tank	Unlocked from scanning early debris and natural objects. The starter loadout that gets you out of "I have nothing".
🤿 Mobility tier	Fins, deeper-rated tank, Seamoth-equivalent vehicle	Second wave. Lets you cover ground and reach the second biome ring. This is when the game opens up.
🏗️ Base building	Foundations, rooms, hatches, storage, basic power	Parallel track to mobility. You can rush base or rush vehicles, but in co-op someone should be specializing in this.
⚡ Power and reactor tier	Solar, bioreactor, thermal, advanced batteries	Mid-game gate. Larger bases and vehicle charging require sustained power. Position your base near thermal vents or sunlight to skip the grind.
🚗 Deep vehicle tier	Cyclops-equivalent, prawn-equivalent, depth modules	Late-game progression. Required to reach deep biomes safely. Recipes usually need rare materials and a multi-station crafting chain.
🔑 Story / blueprint chains	Story-locked recipes from scans and PDA quests	Tied to narrative beats. Do not waste resources hunting these out of order. The game will surface them naturally.

Smart crafting on launch night

A few habits from both prior games that are still useful as launch-night planning rules.

🔧 Survival tools first, vehicles second. A repair tool will save more dives than a fancy fin.

📦 Do not stockpile high-tier materials before you can use them. Storage fills up fast.

👥 In co-op, one player owns the fabricator. Crafting from a single station prevents recipe-locking duplicates.

💾 Snapshot your save before crafting anything that requires rare deep-zone materials. EA patches sometimes refund or invalidate recipes.

Subnautica 2 official screenshot: crafting bay and vehicle support

Fabrication loop

Keep recipes connected to tools, modules, and vehicle support.

Subnautica 2 official screenshot: base infrastructure and resources

Base systems

Separate survival gear from station infrastructure.

Related crafting pages

Use these pages to connect recipes with resources, progression, and patch changes.

Recipes

Recipe-family index with source notes instead of unsupported exact costs.

Crafting Planner

Goal-based route planning for tools, base building, vehicles, biomods, and materials.

Base Parts

Habitat Builder, rooms, power, storage, and vehicle-support planning.

Items & Materials

Search current item leads, status labels, uses, and related guides.

Resources

Materials and gathering notes for confirmed recipes.

Vehicles

Tadpole, docking/fabrication roadmap, and vehicle-chain review rules.

Biomods

Early choices, DNA upgrade aliases, and passive slot roadmap watch.

Biomes

Connect recipe materials to exploration zones.

Latest Updates

Track recipe and balance changes during Early Access.