Revision 7

The Scanner is a handheld tool available from the start of Subnautica 2. It scans objects, creatures, flora, and technology fragments to unlock encyclopedia entries in the PDA and discover crafting blueprints for the Fabricator. Subnautica 2's Scanner has been upgraded with radar functionality for locating resources and items of interest in the surrounding area.

Core Function

The Scanner is pointed at an object and held until a progress bar fills, at which point the scan is complete. Scanning a creature or plant adds its encyclopedia entry to the PDA, providing biological data, habitat information, and assessment notes. Scanning technology fragments unlocks crafting blueprints; most complex items require scanning two or three fragments before the full blueprint is available.

Radar Functionality

Dev Vlog #1 (April 23, 2025) showed the Scanner with an integrated radar. The radar feature helps players locate materials and scannable objects in the surrounding area, reducing the time spent searching for specific items in the larger world of Planet Zezura. The radar pairs naturally with Subnautica 2's resource-specific node system, since players know which type of node they are looking for and can target the radar accordingly.

Scanner Station

Scanner Station is a base module that acts as a long-range radar. Once built and powered inside a base, it can pinpoint the location of ore deposits, wrecks, alien structures, Blight infestations, and anomalies within a fixed radius of the station, then place a marker on the player's HUD for the chosen target.

The player interacts with the station, selects which resource type to track, and a hologram of every detected source of that type appears above the module. Selecting one of the holographic markers pins a signal to the HUD pointing to its exact position. This makes the station the base-bound complement to the handheld Scanner's portable radar: the handheld radar sweeps the area immediately around the player, while the station surveys the wider area around a fixed base.

The Scanner Station blueprint is unlocked by scanning Scanner Station fragments, which are found inside derelict colonist structures rather than crafted from the starting blueprint set. As with other fragment-gated technology, the full blueprint becomes available once enough fragments have been scanned.

Crafting

The handheld Scanner is one of the earliest tools the player can build at the Fabricator. It is part of the starting crafting loop alongside basic survival gear, so most players have it in hand within the first minutes on Planet Zezura. Because the live Early Access build is still being balanced, exact ingredient costs can shift between updates; in general the Scanner is a low-cost build relying on common early-game materials such as titanium and quartz plus a battery.

Pairing with the Biosampler

The Scanner works alongside the Biosampler as a dual-progression pair. The Scanner provides encyclopedic information about creatures and unlocks crafting blueprints, while the Biosampler extracts genetic material that feeds the DNA Adaptation System. Both tools reward exploration and creature interaction but feed different progression paths: the Scanner feeds crafting and resources, the Biosampler feeds genetic modification.