Crafting
The progression ladder you can expect, broken into tiers. Specific recipe costs land once we are crafting in the EA build.
Pre-launch read. Subnautica's crafting flow has been consistent across both prior games: scan to unlock, fabricate at a station, upgrade through resource and depth tiers. Use that as a planning model for now. Recipe specifics may shift during EA patches, so do not over-invest in any one chain on launch night.
🔪
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.
Fabrication loop
Keep recipes connected to tools, modules, and vehicle support.
Base systems
Separate survival gear from station infrastructure.
Related crafting pages
Use these pages to connect recipes with resources, progression, and patch changes.