Welcome to Planet 4546B! Subnautica: Below Zero drops you into an alien arctic ocean where survival is just the beginning. You'll be scavenging for resources, crafting essential gear like the Cold Suit, and piloting vehicles like the Snowfox to explore a frozen world filled with alien mysteries. It's a tense, beautiful, and often lonely experience that blends survival mechanics with a compelling narrative.
This guide is here to help you navigate the challenges of this icy frontier. We'll cover everything from mastering survival in the frigid environments and building efficient bases to locating key items and understanding the unique flora and fauna. Whether you're aiming to uncover all the alien secrets, find every collectible, or simply survive the harsh conditions, we've got you covered.
Read Me First
Subnautica: Below Zero guide outline for beginning to end progression, with minimal spoilers and focus on exploration.
This guide is intended to help you navigate the progression flow of Subnautica: Below Zero. It is not a detailed listing of every blueprint, recipe, or location. For more detailed information, the wikia is an excellent resource. A future blueprint/recipe guide may be considered if demand is sufficient.
- This guide aims to provide a general outline without holding your hand, preserving your sense of wonder and exploration.
- Spoilers are kept to an absolute minimum.
- Refer to the wikia for thorough details on blueprints, recipes, and locations if this guide is insufficient.
Read Me First (2)
Subnautica: Below Zero guide outline for progression, minimizing spoilers while encouraging exploration. Learn how to get from beginning to end.
This guide is intended to offer a general outline for how to progress through Subnautica: Below Zero from beginning to end. It aims to avoid being overly vague where it might cause frustration, but also seeks to preserve your sense of wonder and exploration by keeping spoilers to an absolute minimum.
Keep in mind that this guide primarily focuses on the progression flow of the game. It is not a full resource for every blueprint, recipe, and location. For more detailed information, the wikia is an excellent supplementary source.
- This guide prioritizes progression flow over exhaustive detail.
- Exploration and discovery are encouraged, with minimal spoilers.
- The wikia is recommended for detailed blueprint, recipe, and location data.
Recommended Mods
Enhance your Subnautica: Below Zero experience with recommended mods like QModManager, BetterPowerInfo, and BlueprintTracker. All mods carry inherent risk.
- 1QModManager by qwiso: This is not a mod itself but a framework required for virtually all other mods to function. It establishes the 'Mod' folder and prepares the game for mod integration.
- 2BetterPowerInfo by randyknapp: This mod provides enhanced information regarding your bases' power generation and consumption. Pressing the default key (P) cycles through no power information, basic power status (+X power, -X power), or a detailed breakdown showing reactor counts, individual reactor output, and current power draw of all connected devices. This helps identify issues like depleted reactor fuel or insufficient power for machines like water filtration units.
- 3BlueprintTracker by randyknapp: Allows you to pin blueprints from your PDA blueprint list using a small pin icon. A HUD (heads-up display — the on-screen icons showing health, ammo and the minimap) element appears in the upper-right corner, displaying the item you intend to craft and the quantity of each required ingredient you possess. This is useful during exploration to avoid constantly checking the PDA for material requirements.
- 4EasyCraft by newman55: Enables crafting using materials stored in lockers without removing them. The mod can detect materials based on proximity to lockers or if the crafting station is in the same base. An optional auto-craft feature (which can be disabled) allows for the creation of components for an object if materials and power are available. For instance, if crafting a tool requires a battery and you have the copper and acid mushrooms for it, the mod can use those materials and extra power to craft the battery and then the tool simultaneously.
- 5More Cyclops Upgrades by PrimeSonic: This mod offers significant enhancements to the Cyclops, potentially bordering on a cheat mod, though features have reasonable costs. It enables upgrades for previously un-upgradable Cyclops modules, adds new modules, and includes a podium to increase upgrade module slots. A portable nuclear reactor module is also added, which requires nuclear materials for recharging or disposal. A new fabricator is included for this purpose.
- 6MoreQuickSlots by randyknapp: Increases the default 1-5 quickslots to a maximum of 12, with customizable keybinds. This is beneficial for managing multiple tools when the inventory menu does not pause the game.
- 7Replenish Reactor Rods by alexejheroYTB: Allows reactor rods to be recharged using uranite crystals, eliminating the need to discard depleted rods and the requirement for a specific trash receptacle.
- 8Map by newman55: Adds a map feature to the game. By default, the map has a fog of war, meaning areas are only revealed when visited. This fog can be disabled in the mod settings, but by default, it does not reveal unvisited areas or provide an unfair advantage. If the compass is not yet acquired, your icon appears as a circle instead of an arrow, offering no directional guidance without toggling the map. The mod also allows for the control of beacons directly from the map interface.
- All mods were obtained from Nexus Mods.
- While the author has not experienced crashes or save file corruption, all mods carry an inherent risk of such issues. The risk is considered low, but Nexus Mods, mod developers, and the author are not responsible for any problems or data loss resulting from mod usage.
- The author is not affiliated with any of the mods or their creators.
- Mods like 'More Cyclops Upgrades' may be considered closer to cheat mods by some players.
- The 'EasyCraft' mod's auto-craft feature can be disabled if deemed too cheaty.
The Guide
A comprehensive walkthrough for Subnautica: Below Zero, covering all major events, locations, and story progression. Includes a completion checklist and general game info.
- 1General Info
- Press F1 in-game for statistical information (movement speed, coordinates).
- 2This game assumes you are familiar with the original Subnautica.
- 3A walkthrough for the previous story (EA8, Feb 2020) is available via a separate link.
- 4Completion Checklist
- Early game [Part 1]: Find the drop pod and acquire basic tools. Visit Sanctuary Zero and download AL-AN. After acquiring AL-AN, the rest of the game can be completed in any order.
- 5Delta Island & surroundings [Part 2]: Visit Delta Island, meet Maida for the first time, and explore Delta Station. Explore surrounding biomes: Thermal Spires, Lilypad Islands, Purple Vents, Tree Spires, Deep Twisty Bridges. Explore nearby abandoned sites: Omega Lab, Koppa Mining Site, Outpost Zero.
- 6Story Events related to the Exosuit pilot [Part 3]: Meet Maida for the first time on Delta Island. Scan 3 fragments of Parallel Processing Units from the 3 Crashed Ships. Meet Maida for the second time at her base.
- The game is best experienced by discovering things on your own. Try to get as far as you can before consulting the guide.
- Leave comments at the end of the guide if you have any questions.
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