Getting Started

Welcome to the Subnautica Getting Started Guide.

How to get access to the latest build

Subnautica is currently in an early access phase. To get access to the latest build (patched almost every workday) follow the procedure listed here: Steam Subnautica Game Guides: Dev Updates & Progress

Getting started guides around the web

Steam Subnautica Guides: 

• Getting Started by Rimu
• Ptk's Beginner's Guide to Subnautica

Getting started videos

A great video for new adventurers by MycroftCanadaNS, showing you the basics of survival in Subnautica.

File:Subnautica 10837 How To Get Started & Survive!

Getting started Guide

If you start playing the Survival mode of Subnautica, the main goal after being spawned into the world is to get Food and H2O (Water).

After you spawn you'll sit at a level of 50% Food and 65% H2O - so it's time to hurry up and get the supplies rolling.

Your best bet is to get yourself some fins to increase Swimming Speed and a Survival Knife for defense and harvesting some Life forms. You will need materials from them, for example Quartz and Titanium. Titanium is the most common material in the game that are used in crafting, and can be made out of Metal Salvage. Which can be collected from the seabed. Coral Samples and Airsack (fauna) can also come in handy to craft what you need, especially filtered or disinfected water.

The game begins in a Biome called Safe Shallows, and it is shallow and safe indeed. It still provides you with all the things you need at this point so don't stray off too far. 

What you need

From the first time you dive you should be on the lookout for a few Materials to get access to necessary items and supplies. Here's two short lists for your focus:

Priority List in Order

• 1x Tank

• Food, especially Cooked Peeper or Cooked Garryfish
• 1x Survival Knife
• H2O, like filtered or disinfected water
• Fins

To get these items here's what you should watch out for:

Required Materials Priority List in Order

• 1-2 Metal Salvage
• Peepers, Garryfish or other Food fish (about 3-4 for starters)
• 8x Quartz
• Coral Samples (a couple)
• Salt Deposits (for Disinfected Water)

The Escape Pod

The Escape Pod is where the player spawns and where they will respawn if they happen to die. The escape pod will serve as a shelter for much of the early game. An Important component in the escape pod is the Fabricator. The fabricator serves as the main crafting machine in Subnautica and new recipes will be revealed when interacting with while possessing different items in your inventory. Also of importance is the storage area behind the ladder where excess items can be stored. It will contain a random few items at the beginning of the game that maybe useful. However items can also be dropped on the seabed under the escape pod if the storage is full. Using the fabricator will slowly drain Energy from the three Power Cells on the bulkhead. While the player should have advanced past the escape pod by the time these deplete, new ones can be crafted.

Metal Salvage & Tanks

Usually there are a couple pieces of Metal Salvage scattered about but be careful not to take it when Stalkers are near. Watch your Oxygen as you look for Metal Salvage and get yourself at least three pieces for your first Tank and potentially a Survival Knife. Then take the Metal Salvage to the fabricator and craft Titanium.

Peepers (or other food fish) & Food

In the list of food items the Peeper or Garryfish makes for a great choice. It's easy to spot (big yellow eye) and can even be used as a lure to keep Stalkers away. But for now we want it as a food and at this it shines with +32 food points.

The downside: It's fast. But if you crafted your first pair of fins you should be able to catch a few.

If you cannot find or catch any Peepers do not hesitate to catch any other smaller fish around you. Almost every fish in the Safe Shallows is edible.

Hint: When you catch any fish I would recommend taking them to the fabricator to analyze the fish and cook/cure it. If you just eat a normal Peeper you will lose -15 water.

Titanium & your Survival Knife

While you are looking for metal salvage try and see if you can spot a Limestone node. With some luck you'll find Titanium within the first couple of nodes, looking in enclosed areas like in large tubes or caves may increase chances of finding Titanium.

As soon as you get your titanium and 2x quartz= (=silicone rubber) you can craft a Survival Knife.

Coral Samples & Water

As you now got a survival knife it's time to get some Coral Samples. Look out for a Coral and hit it with the Survival Knife. After you've done that you'll need to craft bleach with the coral samples and Salt Deposit. Now you can craft disinfected water, which adds +40 to H2O.

If you can't make it and it's an emergency - just go after some Airsacks - they can be used to craft filtered water. Not as good as our initial plan but still a solid +20 to H2O.

Dealing with Radiation

Once the Aurora explodes harmful Radiation will spread into the waters surrounding it. In experimental mode this radiation will not reach the escape pod but it will in the current stable build. The radiation will keep you from exploring large areas near the Aurora but can be circumvented by crafting a Radiation Suit. While the radiation suit requires two silicone and two lead. Each Lead requires three Copper Ore which can be found in nearby limestone chunks but also requires a Silver Ore. Silver Ore is native to Grassy Plateaus, Kelp Forest and Dunes, and that is where the player must travel to find it. The grassy plateaus most identifiable characteristic is its bright red seagrass. The best way to find a grassy plateaus biome is to swim away from the Aurora. Beware that the Grassy Plateaus has many dangerous creatures such as the Sandshark, Bone Shark, and Spike Plant. Both silver and Gold can be found in Sandstone chunks (harvesting node) hidden between the seagrass. Both materials are important crafting ingredients and it is recommended that the player takes a good amount. Once the radiation suit is crafted the suit, radiation helmet, and radiation gloves will be acquired. All three of these items must be worn to fully protect against radiation damage. The radiation can be stopped but that is up to the player to figure out how.

You've made it!

If you made it here you'll be able to survive your first days and nights on the alien world of Subnautica. Feel free to keep this Wiki open in case you get lost or need some information - but most importantly at this point - start exploring and enjoying the game. :)