Type
Equipment recipe
Emergency oxygen equipment
Subnautica 2 Air Bladder Recipe
Equipment recipe
Air Bladder is not a replacement for route discipline. It is mistake recovery: a reusable oxygen buffer and fast-ascent option when a short dive becomes tighter than expected.
Reviewed .
Station
Fabricator
Route
First-hour oxygen safety
Status
Live row check
Blueprint facts
Use this row set when you need the station, unlock condition, output, and downstream planning without losing the route context.
Category
Emergency oxygen gear
Produces
Air Bladder
Crafted at
Fabricator
Unlock requirement
Craft from the current Fabricator equipment row after starter supplies are stable.
Scan requirement
None
Used in
Oxygen recovery, fast ascent, deeper starter-route mistakes, Welcome Center safety margin
Recipe or unlock row
Fabricator equipment row; read the row before publishing fixed material counts
Route order
Follow the unlock order before spending materials on lower-priority extras.
Step 1
Craft after starter tools
Make it once Scanner, Basic Fins, and water planning are no longer blocking the first loop.
Step 2
Select it underwater
The Air Bladder blue bar is stored oxygen, not battery charge.
Step 3
Press F for oxygen
Use the inhale prompt when you need an underwater oxygen buffer.
Step 4
Right-click to ascend
Use fast ascent when the shortest safe answer is the surface.
What it unlocks
F oxygen refill
Right-click fast ascent
Reusable surface refill
Safer short detours
Player decisions
Best timing
Before routes with caves, wreck interiors, or unfamiliar exits.
Main blocker
Confusing the Air Bladder stored-oxygen bar with tool battery charge.
Still needed
Standard Air Tank for longer dives and better route margin.
Questions people ask
How do I use Air Bladder?
Select it underwater, press F to inhale oxygen, or right-click for a fast ascent. Surface afterward so its stored oxygen refills.
Does Air Bladder replace Standard Air Tank?
No. Air Bladder is emergency recovery. Standard Air Tank gives better baseline oxygen for longer routes.
Related recipe and blueprint pages
Air Bladder item page
Controls and oxygen-safety explanation.
Oxygen and depth
How oxygen tools, tanks, and route length fit together.
Standard Air Tank
The first oxygen upgrade after the Silver route.
First Hour guide
Starter route for Survival Multitool, Basic Fins, Water, Air Bladder, Portable Storage, and Basic Battery.
Items & Materials
Search the item index for raw materials, tool pages, item renders, and route links.
Colonist Bunker 1 Silver route
Follow-up path for Silver, BioBed, Repair Tool progress, and Standard Air Tank.