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BioMods
May 20, 2026 at 05:34 AM
Created BioMods overview covering the five active and ten passive BioMods, the four starter unlocks, the Bioscanner attachment and its recipe, per-BioMod scan sources, and loadout guidance
BioMods are one of the two genetic enhancement systems in Subnautica 2, sitting alongside Adaptations. Where Adaptations are story and environment gating traits drawn from Angel Comb organisms, BioMods are optional combat and survival abilities the player unlocks by bio-scanning the moon's creatures. The Early Access launch build ships fifteen BioMods, split into five active and ten passive. The player can equip one active BioMod and one passive BioMod at the same time and can change that loadout freely, and Unknown Worlds has said future updates will widen the number of slots.
Active BioMods are triggered with an input (the ability key, which defaults to Shift on PC) and run on a cooldown, while passive BioMods stay on at all times once equipped. Four BioMods are available from the very start of the game, unlocked the first time the player interacts with a Bio Lab near the opening Lifepod: the active Dash and Pathfinder, and the passive Sea Skimmer and Oxygen Control.
The remaining eleven BioMods are tied to specific creatures and cannot be claimed by a normal scan. Scanning a creature with the standard Scanner adds a Databank entry but does not grant its BioMod. To unlock the creature-linked BioMods, the player first needs the Bioscanner, an attachment that fits onto the regular Scanner. With the Bioscanner equipped, scanning the right creature unlocks the BioMod that creature is tied to.
The Bioscanner blueprint is recovered from inside a large wreck deeper into the world, out near the alien ruins. A Repair Tool is needed to open the wreck and reach the blueprint. Once the blueprint is known, the Bioscanner is crafted at a Modification Station from the following materials:
Component | Quantity |
|---|---|
1 | |
2 | |
3 |
Because the Bioscanner is found relatively late, most of the creature-linked BioMods only become available in the back half of a playthrough. The four starter BioMods carry most of the early game, so do not feel locked out of progress before the Bioscanner is in hand.
Active BioMods are used on demand and share a cooldown. There are five in the launch build.
BioMod | Effect | How to Unlock |
|---|---|---|
Dash | A short directional burst of speed used to dodge predators or close gaps, on a roughly five second cooldown. | Starter, granted at the first Bio Lab. |
Pathfinder | Leaves a glowing pheromone trail behind the player that can be followed back out of caves, trenches, and large wrecks. | Starter, granted at the first Bio Lab. |
Sonic Echo | Emits a pulse that highlights nearby mineral resources within a radius, useful for spotting ore while gathering. | Bio-scan a Collector Leviathan. |
Electric Discharge | Releases an 800 volt shock in a wide area around the player that deters most medium and large predators. | Bio-scan an Electric Geordie. |
Chum Cloud | Releases a cloud of bait that pulls nearby predators away for a few seconds, similar to throwing a flare. | Bio-scan a Toxic Sponge or a Houndgar. |
Electric Discharge covers the whole area around the player rather than a single direction, which makes it a reliable panic button, though it does not deter every species (Hammerheads, for example, are unaffected). Chum Cloud has to be aimed and has a longer cooldown, so it is more situational.
Passive BioMods stay active once equipped and require no input. There are ten in the launch build.
BioMod | Effect | How to Unlock |
|---|---|---|
Sea Skimmer | Greatly increases swim speed when the player is close to the seafloor or another surface, roughly doubling ground covered. | Starter, granted at the first Bio Lab. |
Oxygen Control | Slows oxygen consumption while the player is not moving, stretching how long a single breath lasts when held still. | Starter, granted at the first Bio Lab. |
Bioluminescence | Makes the player glow, providing a constant personal light source. | Bio-scan a Sandspear or an Electric Geordie. |
Camouflage | Hides the player from predators while standing still. It does not cancel an attack a predator has already committed to. | Bio-scan a Bullethead. |
Water Retention | Doubles the water gained from anything the player drinks. | Bio-scan a Coral Crab. |
Homing Sense | Marks nearby bases and powered structures on the HUD, useful for finding wrecks and bases to scan for blueprints. | Bio-scan a Surge Jelly or a Hammerhead. |
Threat Sense | Pings a warning when a dangerous creature is nearby, though it does not point to the threat's direction. | Bio-scan a Hoverthorn. |
Dermal Garden | Slowly grows edible algae on the player's skin, producing about five food at a time on a timer and stacking up to a cap. | Bio-scan a Needler Mango. |
Slow Metabolism | Roughly halves how quickly the hunger meter drains. | Bio-scan a Nibbler Mango. |
Water Secretion | Slowly fills a water packet by filtering seawater, stacking up to a cap that can be drunk on demand. | Bio-scan a Water Slug. |
With only one active and one passive slot in the launch build, a few BioMods stand out for general use:
Sea Skimmer is the default passive for most of the game because it dramatically speeds up exploration before a vehicle such as the Tadpole is unlocked.
Water Retention is strong in the current build because there is no powered water filtration yet, so doubling every drink stretches a scarce resource.
Dash is the most flexible active, giving a quick escape or a small speed boost on a short cooldown.
Electric Discharge is the best defensive active once unlocked, since it clears most threats around the player without needing to aim.
Passives that generate food or water over time, such as Dermal Garden and Water Secretion, produce less than the player consumes in the same window, so they are mainly valuable for when future updates allow more than one passive slot. See the Early Access and Development Roadmap for the planned slot expansion, and Survival Mechanics for how hunger, thirst, and oxygen work.
Adaptations, the Angel Comb based system that gates environments
Biosampler, the tool used for Adaptations
Creatures that serve as BioMod scan sources
