The best Subnautica 2 base locations

You’ve just splashed down in the alien waters of Subnautica 2, and your first order of business after securing the Habitat Builder is to choose where to call home. With mystery and danger lurking in every direction, selecting the right Subnautica 2 base locations is critical for survival. An ideal site offers proximity to harvestable resources like titanium and quartz, as well as essential materials such as copper, silver, and lead. Furthermore, you must consider power generation; since solar panels only function during the day, being near a strong ocean current to power a hydroelectric turbine is vital for keeping your oxygen and lights running at night.

Starter Area Base Location 1: Under the Lifepod

For your initial foundation, I recommend building directly underneath or adjacent to your lifepod. While you are scrimping to stretch meager resources, the pod serves as an invaluable extra room containing storage and a fabricator. Because it floats above the water’s surface, it provides an endless supply of oxygen. It also houses NoA, your personal AI, and serves as a respawn point. Why spend precious early-game resources to rebuild these essentials if you don’t have to?

Additionally, relying solely on solar power means your underwater base will be dark and devoid of air once night falls. Sticking close to the lifepod ensures you have a safe haven to retreat to. If you swim approximately 60 meters east of the pod, you will find a strong current reaching the ocean’s surface. This is the perfect spot to install hydroelectric turbines to power your base during the night once that technology is unlocked.

Starter Area Base Location 2: Old Habitat

Look 300 meters directly north of the lifepod to find interesting rock structures draped with enormous jellyfish-like creatures (BFJs). As you approach, you will receive a PDA notification for the "Old Habitat," revealing the crumbling remains of a previous base.

While this area is patrolled by hostile fish eager to headbutt you, you can descend into the caves directly beneath the rock structures to find abundant deposits of copper, silver, and titanium. These aggressive fish will not follow you down into the caves. At the bottom of the cave, you will find a small colonist’s bunker containing useful items and a pocket of air for quick oxygen refills. A strong natural current runs along the seafloor between the two rock structures, providing reliable power for a base around the clock.

Starter Area Base Location 3: Cicada Wreck

Located 400 meters directly northeast of the lifepod, the "Cicada Wreck (Lander Garage)" is a massive piece of wreckage that triggers a journal entry upon approach. While the murky water and industrial debris may not offer picturesque scenery, it is a primo spot for resource accessibility.

Key advantages of this location include:

  • Abundant Lead: There is more lead here than anywhere else on the map.
  • Resource Variety: Significant deposits of quartz and copper, along with some titanium, are scattered below and around the wreck.
  • Power Generation: A long, consistent current runs right next to the wreck, ideal for turbine placement.

The hidden benefit of the Cicada Wreck is its direction. It lies northeast, which is the path the game’s narrative will eventually push you toward. Building here saves you from the laborious back-and-forth travel required as the story progresses deeper into the world.

Starter Zone: What About South and West?

I would advise against looking for a base in the south or west of the starter zone. The Subnautica 2 early access map effectively ends to the west after 300 meters. While there is no physical brick wall, you will cross a barrier and receive an in-game warning that the map is not yet finished. Beyond this point, you will see nothing but featureless water and rock.

Furthermore, a giant entity may appear and attempt to eat you. This seems like a poor choice for a long-term base location.

Heat Caves: Should You Build There?

As you proceed northeast, you will enter much warmer waters filled with thermal vents. While these can eventually serve as an alternative power source for your base, it is best to hold off on building anything sizable near the Heat Caves. The story will quickly move you even further east, past the heat, into a prime spot for a second base.

Planning Your Second Base

I won’t spoil the details of what awaits you further east, but you will know when to start building another base because the game will essentially instruct you to do so. Currently, I have not found usable currents or thermal vents in this new area, as the small existing currents are insufficient for spinning turbines. Therefore, you may want to consider unlocking bioreactors before you begin constructing your second habitat to ensure you have power at night.

This advice covers the best Subnautica 2 base locations for the current early access state. I will update this list as I make more progress in the game. If you stumble across other primo base locations, let me know in the comments.