Base building
Base building in Subnautica 2 has received a major overhaul. The developers stated they are "making base building better with more customization than ever before" with "shapes and ways they've always wanted." Dev Vlog #1 (April 23, 2025) showed the updated system in action.
New structural elements
Dev Vlog #1 footage revealed several new construction components not present in previous Subnautica games:
Item | Description |
|---|---|
Support pillars | Structural columns that can be placed to reinforce bases and create more architecturally varied constructions |
Superconducting foundations | A new foundation type, likely related to power distribution throughout larger bases |
New compartments | Additional room types and structural pieces beyond the multipurpose rooms and corridors of previous games |
The update emphasizes modular design with greater flexibility in layout, allowing bases that look more distinct and less like the uniform tube-and-room structures of earlier games.
Changes from previous games
In the original Subnautica, base building was functional but limited in visual variety. Players snapped together corridors, multipurpose rooms, and observatories in a rigid grid system. Below Zero added the large room and control room, but the underlying system stayed largely the same.
Subnautica 2 apparently moves beyond this grid-based approach. The addition of support pillars and varied foundations suggests bases can now have more vertical complexity and structural personality.
Power management in co-op
In co-op sessions, bases are shared between all players. Power management is a collective responsibility because life support must stay active for all four divers. If the base runs out of power, everyone suffers. This creates natural coordination around resource gathering and power infrastructure expansion.
Resource changes
Dev Vlog #1 also showed a new resource system. Resources use resource-specific nodes collectible by hand, with a decimal-based inventory system (for example, "0.71 titanium" rather than whole units). This granular system changes how players think about material gathering and storage compared to the whole-unit stacks in previous games.