Crafting and Resources

Crafting and resource gathering form the backbone of the gameplay loop in Subnautica 2. Players explore the oceans of Planet Zezura, discover raw materials, and use them to craft tools and equipment, vehicles, and base structures. The sequel introduces two major overhauls to the system: a decimal-based inventory that tracks fractional resource quantities, and resource-specific gathering nodes that replace the randomized outcrops from previous games.

The crafting loop

Subnautica 2 structures its crafting around a five-stage loop:

1. Explore: Swim into new biomes, discover environments, and encounter alien creatures.

2. Discover: Scan objects, technology, and ruins with the Scanner to unlock new blueprints and PDA entries.

3. Craft: Use gathered resources at the Fabricator to build tools, equipment, vehicle components, and base modules.

4. Build: Expand your base with new rooms, power infrastructure, and modules to support deeper expeditions.

5. Survive: Manage oxygen, food, water, health, and genetic adaptations as you push into increasingly dangerous territory.

This loop drives players progressively deeper. Early crafting provides basic survival tools, while later crafting unlocks the means to access deeper, more dangerous biomes with rarer resources. Design Lead Anthony Gallegos described the progression as making "first steps accessible" while "mastering everything requires many hours."

Dual progression paths

Subnautica 2 introduces two parallel progression systems that work together:

The Scanner feeds the traditional crafting system: scan fragments to unlock recipes, gather materials, craft items. The Biosampler feeds the DNA Adaptation System: collect genetic material from creatures to gain biological upgrades like pressure tolerance, night vision, and oxygen efficiency. Both systems reward exploration and push players into new biomes, but through different mechanics.

Decimal inventory system

One of the most visible changes in Subnautica 2 is the shift from whole-number item stacks to a fractional/decimal resource system. Dev Vlog 1 (April 23, 2025) showed gameplay footage with "0.71 titanium" displayed in the player's inventory. Resources are tracked as continuous quantities on a meter rather than discrete whole-number items.

This changes the crafting calculation. Instead of needing "3 Titanium" as a round number, recipes may require precise fractional amounts. The system means that partially gathering from a resource node still yields usable material rather than requiring a complete unit. How this affects storage containers, trading between co-op players, and advanced crafting is not yet detailed.

Resource-specific nodes

Subnautica 2 replaces the randomized outcrops from previous games with resource-specific gathering nodes. In the original Subnautica, players broke open generic limestone, sandstone, and shale outcrops that dropped random materials. A limestone outcrop might yield Titanium or Copper with no way to predict which. This created frustrating situations where players needed a specific material but received the wrong one repeatedly.

In Subnautica 2, each type of raw material has its own distinct node on the seafloor. Nodes can be identified visually before collection, and each yields a specific, known resource when gathered by hand. This makes resource gathering deliberate and predictable: players can see what they need, locate it, and collect exactly that material.

Scanner radar

The Scanner has been upgraded with an integrated radar hologram that projects above the device. This radar helps players locate scannable objects, resource nodes, and creatures across Zezura's larger map. Combined with the resource-specific node system, the radar means players can identify what they need and find where it is without wandering blindly. Dev Vlog 1 showed the radar in action as part of the first in-development gameplay footage.

The alien slime mechanic

Dev Vlog 1 revealed a mechanic distinct from traditional crafting: alien slime that can be consumed to adopt genetic material. The in-game PDA shown in the footage described the slime as a biological substance that grants genetic modifications when consumed. This bridges the crafting system and the DNA Adaptation System: while the Fabricator processes raw materials into equipment, the alien slime represents an organic, ecosystem-based form of progression where the player's body itself becomes the crafted item.

This system ties into the Biosampler tool, which extracts genetic material from living creatures. The alien slime appears to be a naturally occurring substance in Zezura's environment that provides a related but distinct path to genetic modification. The relationship between Biosampler-extracted samples and naturally occurring alien slime has not been fully detailed.

Starting equipment

Players begin with two basic tools:

The official game description states players find "recipes for more advanced tools, equipment, and submersibles" as they explore. This mirrors the blueprint discovery system from previous games, where scanning fragments gradually expanded the player's crafting options.

Co-op crafting

In multiplayer sessions (up to four players), crafting takes on a collaborative dimension:

• Shared blueprints. Blueprints are bound to the save file. Any blueprint discovered by any player becomes available to the entire team. This lets groups divide exploration to unlock recipes faster.

• Shared bases and storage. Bases are communal with no locking system. All players have full access to storage containers and crafting stations within a session.

• Divided resource gathering. Players can split up to gather different materials simultaneously, then pool resources at the base for collaborative building.

• Shared power management. Base power is pooled; life support must stay active for all four divers.

Vehicle crafting

The Tadpole submersible was the subject of Dev Vlog 4 ("Crafting the Tadpole"), which showed the complete design-to-implementation pipeline for the vehicle. The vlog confirmed that vehicles are crafted items with specific material requirements, though the exact recipes have not been published. The Tadpole has a base crush depth of 200 meters, upgradeable to 250 meters with a depth module, and features a modular chassis with customizable manta ray fin panels.

A second unnamed submersible is referenced in the leaked milestone documents. The Trident vehicle was cut from the Early Access scope.

What remains unknown

As of March 2026, the following crafting details have not been officially disclosed:

• Specific crafting recipes, material costs, and complete material lists

• Whether specific Fabricator types (Modification Station, Vehicle Upgrade Console) return or are replaced

• How the decimal inventory interacts with storage containers

• The full progression tree from starting tools to endgame equipment

• How biome-specific resources are distributed across Zezura's zones

These details will be revealed as Early Access progresses.