The Harvestmoon is a small, passive, edible fish in Subnautica 2 and the most filling of the three common moon-family fish. Eaten raw it restores 20 food at the cost of 5 water, and a single cooked portion pushes that to 30. Like its relatives it spawns near the starting shallows, so it anchors most early survival routines.
Overview
Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
Class | Fish |
Disposition | Passive |
Raw nutrition | +20 food, -5 water |
Cooked nutrition | +30 food |
Region | |
Reported habitat | The Shallows near the start zone and the North Raceway |
Scan value | Databank entry, and progress toward extra passive Biomods slots |
Appearance and Behavior
The Harvestmoon shares the moon family's crescent body, paired crescent fins, and two long tails. Its body is dark purple against bright green fins, with a black eye ringed by a pale blue iris. Harvestmoons hide in patches of sea whips and school with Bluemoons and Halfmoons; larger mixed schools sometimes gather around a passing Waxmoon.
Where To Find It
Harvestmoon schools sit in the shallow water around the Lifepod, which is what makes them the easiest filling meal in the opening hour. The same schools carry east into the North Raceway. They are not shy in the way the ruins fish are, but they do move fast, so catching one by hand is noticeably harder than catching a Geordie, which clings to coral and drifts. Basic Fins or a swim speed biomod shortens the chase considerably, and a school pinned against a sea whip patch is easier to work than one in open water.
Food and Crafting
Safe digestion requires the matching entry in the Adaptations system; without it, eating alien lifeforms costs health. Clear that first at the Angel Comb north of the Lifepod, then the Harvestmoon becomes one of the better early returns on a short swim. It appears in two Fabricator recipes:
Recipe | Station | Ingredients | Restores |
|---|---|---|---|
Cooked Harvestmoon | Fabricator | 1x Harvestmoon | +30 food |
Threemoon Temaki (x3) | Fabricator | +60 food, +15 health |
The Threemoon recipe only unlocks once all three small moon fish have been picked up at least once, and one craft yields three portions, which makes it the most efficient thing to do with a mixed catch. It restores no water at all, so carry a drink alongside it. Cooking removes the water penalty that raw Harvestmoon carries, so there is little reason to eat one raw once a Fabricator is up.
Scanning and Handling
Scanning a Harvestmoon fills its databank entry and counts toward the Bioscanner totals that unlock extra passive biomod slots, a system reworked in the 1.1 update along with an on-screen readout of how many scans each slot still needs. That update also gave most creatures a proper flee reaction when struck with the Survival Multitool, so a missed swing scatters a school instead of provoking it. From the 1.2 update the Feedback Resonator stuns creatures rather than driving them off, which makes it a more practical way to hold a school still. Details are on Updates and Patch Notes.
Related Pages
Bluemoon
Halfmoon
Waxmoon