Type
Tool recipe
Starter scan tool
Subnautica 2 Scanner Recipe
Tool recipe
Scanner is the first tool that turns exploration into unlock progress. Make it before Flashlight, Welcome Center, Repair Tool, Wakemaker, and Habitat Builder routes become your next targets.
Reviewed .
Station
Fabricator
Route
First-hour scan loop
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
Starter tool
Produces
Scanner
Crafted at
Lifepod Fabricator
Unlock requirement
Use the first-hour starter tool route and the current Fabricator row.
Scan requirement
None
Used in
Blueprint fragments, databank entries, resource checks, Welcome Center route, Flashlight fragments
Recipe or unlock row
Starter Fabricator tool row; read the material counts before spending the last starter stock
Route order
Follow the unlock order before spending materials on lower-priority extras.
Step 1
Craft after the first tool setup
Get Survival Multitool and starter supplies stable, then read the Scanner row at the Fabricator.
Step 2
Keep the first scan loop short
Use Scanner during the safe Water Slug loop instead of turning the first scan into a long open-water trip.
Step 3
Watch the blue bar
The Scanner bar is battery charge. Treat low charge as a route limit before a fragment swim.
Step 4
Use it before blueprint routes
Flashlight, Welcome Center, Repair Tool, and Wakemaker routes all depend on Scanner discipline.
What it unlocks
Fragment scanning
Databank entries
Flashlight route
Welcome Center blueprint route
Repair Tool and Wakemaker searches
Player decisions
Best timing
After the starter material loop and before any fragment route.
Main blocker
Leaving for fragments with weak battery planning.
Next route
Flashlight fragments or Welcome Center once oxygen and supplies are ready.
Questions people ask
When should I make Scanner?
Make it during the first-hour route before you commit to Flashlight, Welcome Center, Repair Tool, or Wakemaker fragments.
What does the Scanner blue bar mean?
It is battery charge, so treat it as part of route planning before longer fragment swims.
Related recipe and blueprint pages
Scanner item page
Tool role, upgrades, and search context.
Basic Battery recipe
Starter power planning for Scanner and early tools.
Flashlight blueprint
The early two-fragment route that depends on Scanner.
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.