Depth Levels
Depth is one of the main HUD indicators and is central to navigating the Seamoth, Cyclops, and Prawn Suit in Subnautica.
Depth also has an impact on Seabases: Hull Integrity is affected by adding a multiplier to base modules with a negative integrity, and Solar Panels become less effective in deeper waters.
Depth is currently only measured underwater - if the player's position is above sea level, the indicator will still show as 0 meters.
Around 3040 meters the world cuts off and gives way to the Crater Edge.
Player Depth
There is no strict depth limit for the player character outside of a vehicle: they are never damaged by depth alone no matter how deep they go. However, by default their oxygen depletes faster as they go deeper. From 0m-99m they will lose 1 oxygen every second. At the depth of 100m-199m this increases to 2 oxygen every second, and below 200m oxygen loss maxes out at 3 every second. The Rebreather item completely removes this effect while equipped and gives a uniform 1 oxygen loss per second regardless of depth.
Crush Depth Stages
There are three stages of depth. The indicator will change color when a vehicle passes to another stage. Each stage affects vehicles in different ways.
When the vehicle is in the safe zone, the depth will be displayed in white text. The Cyclops and Prawn Suit will not take impact damage, and the Seamoth's impact damage will be minimal.
When a Seamoth or Prawn Suit goes past the safety depth, the computer system will warn the player that they are leaving the safe zone, and the text will be in yellow. Bumping into solid objects causes increased damage to the Seamoth, and damage from all other sources is increased. The Cyclops does not have a safety depth.
When the Cyclops goes past the crush depth, the computer system will warn the player that hull damage is imminent. The player then has a few seconds to turn back to avoid damage. In the Seamoth and Prawn Suit, the vehicle will take damage and start cracking. In the Cyclops, the hull will start to breach and the Cyclops' health will begin decreasing. The player then has to turn back to prevent further damage to the Cyclops.
It is possible to increase a vehicle's maximum depth using Upgrades.
Seamoth Depths
| Depth | Upgrade 1 | Upgrade 2 | Upgrade 3 | Indicator color | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-179 meters | 0-249 meters | 0-449 meters | 0-849 meters | White | None; the Seamoth will not take any damage |
| 180-199 meters | 250-299 meters | 450-499 meters | 850-899 meters | Yellow | Past safe zone; Seamoth will take increased damage on impact |
| 200+ meters | 300+ meters | 500+ meters | 900+ meters | Red | Hull integrity compromised; Seamoth will take damage so long as it is below crush depth |
Cyclops Depths
| Depth | Upgrade 1 | Upgrade 2 | Upgrade 3 | Indicator color | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-499 meters | 0-899 meters | 0-1299 meters | 0-1699 meters | White | None; the Cyclops will not take any impact damage (can be damaged by creature attacks) |
| 500+ meters | 900+ meters | 1300+ meters | 1700+ meters | Red | Hull integrity compromised; Cyclops will slowly start to develop external hull damage |
Prawn Suit Depths
| Depth | Upgrade 1 | Upgrade 2 | Indicator color | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-849 meters | 0-1249 meters | 0-1649 meters | White | None; the Prawn Suit will not take any damage |
| 850-899 meters | 1250-1299 meters | 1650-1699 meters | Yellow | Past safe zone; Prawn Suit will take increased damage from creature attacks |
| 900+ meters | 1300+ meters | 1700+ meters | Red | Hull integrity compromised; Prawn Suit will take damage so long as it is below crush depth |
Gallery
Depth HUD indicator at the surface shows zero meters
The HUD Indicator at 94m
The HUD Indicator at 158m
The HUD Indicator at 1378m
Trivia
- If the player swims past 500m in depth, they will start breathing faster, to reflect the pressure making it harder for them to breathe properly at this depth. This happens even with the Rebreather equipped, but doesn't affect oxygen usage (Assuming the Rebreather is equipped).
- In older versions, the player's depth hud would display as the color yellow at 100m in depth, and it will turn red at 200m in depth. It would stay red past 200, even with a rebreather equipped.