Equipment and base systems
Choose Your Next Tadpole Upgrade
Choose a module around the trip you cannot comfortably complete today. Depth, energy use, physical damage and noise are different limits; spending rare materials on one does not automatically solve the others.
Updated · Crafting quantities: PC build 128456
Recipes and construction costs
The list uses each module’s direct ingredient cost. Depth Module Mk. 1 needs two Enameled Glass, not two ordinary Glass. Engine Efficiency uses two ordinary Glass. Keep their glass budgets separate when crafting both.
Tadpole Depth Module Mk. 1
Modification Station · Makes 1
- 3 × Celestine
- 2 × Enameled Glass
- 1 × System Chip
Match the upgrade to the trip
If the destination lies beyond the vehicle’s current safe depth, prioritize the Depth Module. Mk. 1 changes the Tadpole’s pressure tolerance, and multiple depth modules do not stack. Read the vehicle depth limit after equipping it before setting a deeper destination.
If the return trip consumes too much charge, Engine Efficiency is the direct power-use upgrade. The Photovoltaic Charger serves a different role: it charges in shallow water during the day. It is not a substitute for a charged cell during an extended deep or nighttime route.
Strike Armor reduces physical damage from attacks or collisions. It does not turn a depth warning into a safe dive. Cavitation Muffler reduces the vehicle’s noise and the chance of unwanted attention; continue to keep distance from dangerous animals rather than treating it as invisibility.
Prepare the expensive ingredients first
Depth Module Mk. 1 uses Celestine, Enameled Glass and a System Chip. Enameled Glass adds Creature Enamel to the ordinary Glass chain, while a System Chip consumes a Wiring Kit and Quartz. Reserve these components before using them on unrelated construction.
Strike Armor and Cavitation Muffler both consume Strontium. The Processor conversion makes one Strontium from two Celestine. Making one of each therefore takes eight Celestine for their four combined Strontium, alongside the other direct ingredients.
Engine Efficiency and Mk. 1 each need a separate System Chip. Two chips mean two Wiring Kits, so plan for two Silver, four Copper and four Quartz just for the chips. The modules’ Glass, Enameled Glass, Titanium Ingot and Celestine costs are additional.
Equip before extending your route
Unlock the recipe, build the Modification Station and craft the chosen module. Put the completed upgrade in the Tadpole’s module interface rather than leaving it in your backpack. Review the vehicle display and loadout while still close to a safe return point.
Make the first trip with a charged cell and room to turn back. Check the relevant result: the depth display for the depth module, power consumption during travel for efficiency, and daylight charging for the photovoltaic unit. An upgrade reduces a particular constraint; it does not remove the need for oxygen planning when you leave the cockpit.
For carrying cargo or passengers, compare chassis instead. A chassis changes the attached vehicle platform, while these modules target individual systems. Keep the choices separate in your materials list so a chassis build does not consume the components reserved for the next safe-depth upgrade.