Last month I logged 127 hours of Subnautica 2 early access in the first two weeks after its launch, and I died way more times than I’d care to admit. I started out missing critical resources, wandering into high-level biomes with nothing but a basic knife, and missing out on half the hidden content the devs already added to the build. I even lost 8 hours of progress once when I wandered into an unfinished biome and corrupted my save file. If you’re just jumping in for the first time, you don’t have to make the same mistakes I did. This guide breaks down exactly how to play Subnautica 2 early access smoothly, even with the occasional bug and incomplete story beats.
First Steps When You Learn How to Play Subnautica 2 Early Access
The first 30 minutes of your playthrough will set you up for success or frustration, so don’t rush it. When you first wake up in your escape pod, resist the urge to jump straight into the water and chase the first glowing fish you see. Your pod has a first aid kit, a basic scanner, and a list of emergency alerts that will point you to the nearest safe resource spots. Never leave your pod without a spare oxygen tank once you craft one, even if you’re just taking a quick trip to collect nearby materials.
So many new players make the mistake of heading straight for the bright, glowing biomes they see in the distance, but those areas are filled with aggressive creatures and require upgraded oxygen and gear to explore safely. I did this on my first run, and I ended up drowning 200 meters from my pod with a full inventory of rare resources I’d spent an hour collecting. Stick to the shallow starting reef for the first two hours of play, and only move deeper once you have a sea glider, upgraded fins, and a high-capacity oxygen tank.
You should also prioritize building a simple storage chest right next to your pod as soon as possible. The early access build has a bug where you can lose items from your inventory if you die more than two times in a row, so stashing extra resources will keep you from having to re-grind materials over and over.
Essential Resources to Prioritize in Early Access Builds
Resource spawn rates are still being adjusted in the early access build, and some rare materials only spawn in very specific, hard-to-reach spots. You don’t want to get stuck halfway through crafting a critical tool because you ran out of a common material you thought you had plenty of. I’ve put together a short list of resources you should always have stockpiled, no matter what stage of the game you’re in:
- Copper ore: You’ll need this for almost every early game electronic item, from your scanner to your first sea glider. It spawns in shallow coral caves, so stock up on at least 10 pieces before you leave the starting biome. I usually collect 20 just to be safe, since it’s also used for a lot of mid-game base electronics.
- Silicon rubber: Made from coral seeds you can pick right off the shallow reefs, you’ll need this for oxygen tanks, fins, and waterproof storage. Don’t pass up a cluster of coral seeds even if you think you have enough. I’ve had to cut trips to deeper biomes short multiple times because I ran out of silicon to repair my oxygen tank.
- Titanium ore: Most early game structures and tools use titanium, and it’s easy to find in small rock outcroppings all over the starting area. Keep at least 20 pieces on you at all times to avoid trips back to your pod. It’s also used to repair your base if it takes damage from hostile creatures or water pressure.
I’ve noticed that resource spawn rates drop by almost 30% if you build your base too close to the starting reef, so I always set up my first outpost at least 500 meters away near the edge of the kelp forest. That way I still have access to shallow water resources, but I don’t run out of materials as I expand my base.
How to Handle Early Access Bugs and Unfinished Content
Subnautica 2 is still in active development, so you will run into bugs, missing assets, and occasional crashes if you play the early access build. That’s part of the fun of playing early, but it can also be incredibly frustrating if you lose hours of progress. Enable auto-save and back up your save files every 3 hours to avoid losing all your hard work. I keep three separate save files for each playthrough, so if one gets corrupted I don’t have to start completely over.
You’ll also notice red warning markers on your map if you get too close to unfinished biomes. Don’t ignore these. The areas outside the current playable build have broken collision, missing textures, and can corrupt your save file if you stay too long. I learned this the hard way when I followed a rare creature past a warning marker and my game crashed, corrupting my main save file. If you want to explore unfinished content, wait for official dev updates or use a separate test save file so you don’t risk your main playthrough.
Some crafting recipes and tool stats are also still being adjusted, so don’t get too attached to a specific build or hoard hundreds of rare resources. The devs push small updates every two weeks, and they often change recipe requirements or add new tools that make old resources obsolete. I usually only keep enough rare resources to craft the next tier of gear I need, instead of stockpiling them for later.
Hidden Content You Can Unlock Early in the Early Access Build
A lot of new players assume the early access build only has a couple hours of content, but the devs have already added a ton of hidden areas, blueprints, and story beats that most people never find. Scan every foreign object you come across, even if it looks like random debris. I found a blueprint for an advanced oxygen tank that gives you 50% more underwater time just by scanning a piece of a broken research submarine I found half-buried in the sand near the edge of the starting reef.
There’s also a hidden abandoned research base in the deep kelp forest that you can unlock if you find three scattered data chips. The base has blueprints for the first upgrade of the sea moth, a portable base building tool, and a bunch of early story logs that set up the main plot of the game. I found the first data chip just lying on the ground near a small cave system, so keep an eye out for glowing purple data chips as you explore.
You can also get access to a friendly rideable creature early if you bring it three pieces of glowing kelp every day for three days. The creature lets you travel twice as fast as the sea glider without using any battery power, and it will even scare off small hostile creatures. I stumbled across this feature completely by accident when I was feeding kelp to a small creature to see if it would attack me, and it’s made exploring much easier.
Playing Subnautica 2 early access can feel chaotic at first, with unfinished story beats and occasional bugs, but it’s also a chance to experience the game’s development first hand and give feedback to the devs to shape the final release. You’ll get to see new content as it’s added, and you don’t have to wait for the full launch to explore the alien ocean world. If you follow the tips we’ve laid out, you’ll avoid most of the common mistakes new players make, and get way more out of your first playthrough. Whether you’re a long time Subnautica fan or new to the franchise, knowing how to play Subnautica 2 early access properly will make your time under the waves way more fun and way less frustrating.
