Guide Steps
Step 1: Craft your core tools
Start in the Shallows biome within the Coral Gardens region. Collect 3 Titanium from scrap metal on the seafloor to craft the Survival Multitool — your first tool, automatically unlocked. Then find 2 Copper Ore from cave walls in the Shallows Caves and 1 Acidic Raion Pouch in the Shallows to craft a Basic Battery (2 Copper + 1 Acidic Raion Pouch). With the battery ready, craft the Scanner (2 Titanium + 2 Quartz + 1 Basic Battery). Finally, craft an Air Bladder (2 Titanium + 1 Rubber) for emergency oxygen and fast surface ascents. Rubber is made from 2 Lucifer Rotsac.
Step 2: Visit the Welcome Center and unlock Biomods
Swim approximately 85 meters southeast of your Lifepod to find the Welcome Center. This structure requires a Basic Battery to power it. Insert one to activate the terminal inside. You will unlock four Biomods at once: Dash (burst speed), Oxygen Control (reduced oxygen consumption), Sea Skimmer (faster surface swimming), and Pathfinder (trail markers visible on the HUD). Biomods are passive upgrades — equip them from your inventory and they work automatically. These fundamentally change how you explore Proteus.
Step 3: Scan the Habitat Builder fragments
The Welcome Center is also the unlock location for the Habitat Builder. Scan 2 fragments: one is in an outside crate near the structure, and the second is in a hole directly below the Welcome Center. Both are within 20 meters of each other. Unlike Subnautica 1, there is no need to search random wrecks. After scanning both, the Habitat Builder blueprint is unlocked.
Step 4: Find Angel Comb, Blackboxes, and Digestion Adaptation
Swim approximately 150 meters north of the Lifepod to find an Angel Comb. Consuming it grants Digestion Adaptation — the ability to eat alien food sources safely. Next, follow Anita's Blackbox signal at roughly 160 meters north, adjacent to the Angel Comb area. Then track Chap's Blackbox signal at roughly 220 meters southeast. Chap's signal leads to the Colonist Bunker in the North Raceway, which contains a BioBed that permanently expands your inventory capacity. These three discoveries form the core early exploration loop.
Step 5: Upgrade oxygen and build a first base
With only 45 seconds of starting oxygen, the Standard Air Tank is your most important upgrade. Craft one with 2 Titanium + 1 Rubber + 2 Silver. Silver is found in caves within the Shallows and Plateaus biomes. The air tank adds +30 oxygen, nearly doubling your dive time. Then use the Habitat Builder to place a base: one compartment (2 Titanium), a hatch (1 Titanium + 1 Glass), a solar panel (2 Titanium + 1 Copper Ore + 1 Quartz), a fabricator (2 Titanium + 1 Copper Ore), and a few lockers. Build near the Shallows border with Plateaus for access to deeper biomes. For inventory space, aim to reach the Colonist Bunker BioBed first.