Tag: Subnautica Base Building

Submerged: A Subnautica Survival Diary – Log 17 | The Descent Continues

Submerged: A Subnautica Survival Diary – Log 17 | The Descent Continues

Platform: Steam Deck
Mode: Survival – No Commentary

Video Entry

Apparently, the answer has been staring me directly in the face this entire time.

I checked my PDA and noticed something I had completely overlooked before: a clue mentioning a Disease Research Facility located 800 metres down near skeletal remains.

I have already been somewhere with skeletal remains 800 metres below sea level.

So naturally, I’m going back.

I take both my orange and purple tablets with me just in case. At this point I’ve learned that alien doors have a habit of refusing entry unless you happen to be carrying the correct glowing geometry.

One More Stop At The Aurora

Before descending, I decide to stop by the Aurora wreckage one more time. I had a feeling I didn’t properly loot it during my last visit.

Turns out I was right.

I found another hole in the hull leading deeper inside and eventually came across a Cyclops Thermal Module.

Very useful timing considering what I’m preparing for.

The Disease Research Facility

Once I reach the skeletal remains in the Lost River, I head left and finally find the Disease Research Facility.

To make this even worse, I realise I could have discovered this place during my previous visit if I had simply paid more attention. The only reason I found it at all was because I had been hunting for Ruby in the area and didn’t want to properly explore the structure without recording it.

Did I scout for an entrance beforehand?

No.

That would have been sensible.

Eventually I locate a way inside and immediately find somewhere to insert one of my alien tablets. The facility powers up enough for me to access alien data terminals, and suddenly several things become painfully clear all at once.

First: there may actually be a cure for the infection I’m carrying.

Second: the facility containing that cure is approximately 1.4 kilometres below sea level.

That is currently well beyond my capabilities.

For now.

While exploring further I recover Ion Cubes and additional alien data. I also learn something I already suspected: I am the last surviving crew member of the Aurora, and the quarantine enforcement platform is specifically preventing infected lifeforms from leaving the planet.

Good thing I didn’t build the Neptune Rocket yet. That would have been an incredibly brief launch sequence.

I also finally learn the true purpose of the Warpers.

They are effectively hunter-killers designed to eliminate infected targets.

Which means every encounter I’ve had with them suddenly makes a lot more sense.

So now I know what happened to the Aurora crew.

And likely what happened to the Degasi survivors too.

The Time Has Come

But now I finally have direction.

The cure exists.

It is below me.

And if I want to reach it, I need to descend another 600 metres beyond my current limit.

Which means the time has finally come.

I’ve spent the last several entries preparing for this off camera: building infrastructure, gathering materials, expanding the base, stockpiling supplies and trying to make sure I don’t descend into the planet completely unprepared.

I return to my larger base, empty out the lockers containing all the materials I’ve gathered and head for the Mobile Vehicle Bay.

I even wait for sunrise because if I’m about to construct giant survival vehicles, I may as well make it look cinematic.

The Prawn Suit

First up: the Prawn Suit.

It still doesn’t have a proper name or colour scheme yet. That sounds like a problem for future me.

But the important thing is that it exists.

And unlike Valentino, it can already reach 900 metres below sea level without immediately complaining about pressure.

That alone makes it valuable.

The Cyclops Problem

Then came the real objective: the Cyclops.

I press the button and immediately get informed that the water is too shallow.

Excellent start.

I briefly consider dragging everything back to the larger base before remembering my original base should still be located in deeper water.

So naturally I load the Mobile Vehicle Bay onto my back, climb into the Prawn Suit and begin walking across the seabed.

It is slower than travelling in Valentino.

But honestly?

Possibly just as entertaining.

Eventually I reach deeper water and try again.

Attempt number two succeeds.

I officially have a Cyclops.

The onboard AI calmly informs me the vessel is designed for a three-person crew.

Unfortunately for the Cyclops, there is only me.

We will adapt.

Preparing For The Descent

Before ending the expedition, I install a MK1 depth module into the Cyclops to improve its diving range.

Eventually it will need a MK2 or MK3 upgrade if I want to reach the 1.4 kilometre facility.

But for now, the next objective is preparation.

I want both the Cyclops and Prawn Suit outfitted as thoroughly as possible before continuing deeper into the Lost River.

I still have no idea what ultimately waits below the planet.

I only know one thing for certain:

I would rather face it prepared.

Continue The Journey

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Series Hub: Subnautica Hub

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Submerged: A Subnautica Survival Diary – Log 16 | The Descent Begins

Submerged: A Subnautica Survival Diary – Log 16 | The Descent Begins

Platform: Steam Deck
Mode: Survival – No Commentary

Video Entry

The new base is finally operational.

Honestly, I’m pleased with how it turned out. I had a rough vision in my head while building it, and somehow the result actually resembles what I imagined instead of a collection of underwater tubes held together by panic and titanium.

That said, construction was not exactly smooth. The base developed leaks almost immediately after expansion started, which explains why the walls are now covered in reinforcements. I would love to add more windows eventually, but considering the ocean already tried to force its way inside once, restraint may be the smarter option.

The important systems are online. I’ve got hydroponics running, a water filtration unit producing clean water, and a Gel Sack farm outside. For anyone playing along, once you finally find a Gel Sack, hit it with a knife a few times before harvesting it. The seeds can then be planted in an exterior growbed, saving you from repeated trips into increasingly worrying cave systems every time Aerogel becomes necessary.

The Call From Lifepod 2

During the time spent working on the base, another radio message arrived. I deliberately left it alone until this entry. If I’ve learned anything on this planet, it’s that distress calls rarely improve the situation.

This one came from Lifepod 2.

The coordinates placed it roughly 500 metres below sea level, which is now comfortably within Valentino’s range. Since the last entry, Valentino has received a MK3 depth module, allowing him to descend to 900 metres. I also installed sonar. During testing, it picked up a Reaper Leviathan nearby, so at least now I can detect incoming nightmares slightly earlier than usual.

I still had Lifepod 13 sitting on my HUD as well, so I decided to clear that first. Naturally, I got distracted by wreckage along the way, because apparently I cannot pass abandoned technology without investigating it.

The wreck did not offer much, and neither did Lifepod 13. I suspect I had already visited it earlier and simply forgot to remove the marker. Efficient? No. Consistent? Sadly, yes.

Below 500 Metres

Lifepod 2 was exactly as expected: empty.

No survivors. Just another quiet reminder that everyone else who tried to survive this planet appears to have failed.

While using sonar near the pod, I noticed something else nearby. An opening.

Dark. Deep. Wide enough to continue downward.

With Valentino upgraded and the sonar active, I convinced myself this was a good idea.

That confidence lasted until I saw what looked like an enormous crab with an exposed brain. I briefly considered turning back, but I had already come this far, and apparently that now counts as decision-making.

The deeper I travelled, the stranger the environment became. An underwater river flowed through the cavern, with glowing green fog drifting through the darkness. I scanned what I could and picked up anything that looked useful, because if this planet insists on becoming stranger, I may as well keep stealing from it.

The Waterfall Rule

Eventually I found a waterfall.

Years of gaming have taught me that waterfalls are legally required to hide something, so naturally I investigated.

The passage beyond could not take Valentino with it. It looked like there was breathable air inside, or at least something close enough that I was not immediately dying. Unfortunately, I was also sure I had seen a Leviathan somewhere nearby, along with Warpers moving through the area.

Leaving Valentino outside did not feel great.

I parked him as close as I could and went in anyway.

The Structure Beneath The Planet

Behind the waterfall, I found a giant alien structure buried deep beneath the surface.

I looked for a way to power it, scan it, or interact with it in some useful way, but nothing responded. It just sat there in the silence, which was not comforting.

I returned to Valentino much faster than I entered.

Thankfully, he was still there.

By this point, I was around 800 metres down, and it looked like the route continued even deeper. Before leaving, I found something else: a massive skeleton.

The scan identified it as the remains of a Sea Dragon.

That felt like the planet politely suggesting I leave.

I dropped a beacon to mark the route. I can go further this way later, but not yet. I need the ability to go deeper, and I need more than Valentino if I am going to survive what comes next.

New Targets Unaccounted For: 1

Back at base, another message was waiting.

New targets unaccounted for: 1.

I am assuming that “1” is me.

Which means something knows I exist.

That changes things.

The deeper I go, the clearer it becomes that Valentino alone is no longer enough. If I am going to keep descending into these caverns, I need a mobile base. Somewhere to store supplies, recharge equipment, carry resources, and support longer expeditions far below the surface.

And if something down there decides it wants me dead, I would also like something capable of meeting the problem head-on.

So the time has come.

I said I needed to go deeper.

Now I do.

Which means it is finally time to build a Cyclops and a Prawn Suit.

Continue The Journey

Previous Log: Submerged Log 15
Next Log: Coming Soon
Series Hub: Subnautica Hub

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Submerged: A Subnautica Survival Diary – Log 12: Growing Up

Submerged – Log 12: Growing Up

Platform: Steam Deck
Mode: Survival
Format: No Commentary

Video: Floating Island farming run, lifepod sweep, wreck exploration, and base expansion (no commentary)

I had a lightbulb moment today. I’m fed up of chasing fish.

Every time my hunger dips, I stop what I’m doing, grab the knife, and head outside like I’ve never planned further than the next five minutes. It works. It keeps me alive. It also feels temporary.

The island has fruit. The fruit grows on trees. Trees can be replanted.
The solution has been sitting there the entire time.

If I’m here for the long haul, I need to act like it.

I headed back to the island with one job: harvest what I need and leave. No sightseeing. No heroic dives. Just infrastructure.

As soon as I arrived, I noticed a distress signal directly below the island. Of course there was. I added it to the list and focused on the plants first. Priorities.

I moved through the vegetation carefully. Some of it looks useful and isn’t. Then I found the Bulbo Trees.

Knife out. Controlled hits. Samples collected.

Once cut, they’re on a timer. That’s all I could think about as I made a quick detour down to the lifepod beneath the island. Inside, I picked up a PDA that helpfully informed me the Aurora meeting point was… the island I was just standing on.

Great. Glad we cleared that up.

I didn’t hang around. Back to base.

Titanium gathered. Indoor growbed fabricated. Crops planted immediately. No hesitation.

I stood there longer than I expected, watching them settle into place. It felt different. Less scrambling. More planning.

If this works, food stops being a daily chore. Water still needs attention, but solving one problem at a time is how this becomes manageable.

With farming underway, I checked my signals properly. Two lifepods stood out. One near the Aurora. Another roughly four hundred metres away and one hundred metres down.

I followed the first coordinate carefully. Adjusted for the compass. Reached it.

It was already looted.

I’ve clearly been there before. I don’t remember recording it. At some point in the past, I must have visited, taken what I could, saved, and moved on. Not ideal. From now on, cleared pods get marked properly.

On the way to the second lifepod, I found a wreck and went inside. I can’t help myself. Inside, I found a Battery Charger fragment and another Bioreactor fragment.

The charger is the real win. I’ve been rationing batteries like they’re rare artefacts. One more fragment and that changes completely.

The second lifepod was intact but empty. I had a small laugh at how it had all ended. The ocean has a sense of humour. I took what I could and left.

Back at base, I decided to expand. A tunnel. Another room. The fabricator and I had a brief disagreement about placement, but eventually it cooperated.

The base feels less like a crash shelter now and more like something intentional. At the same time, hull integrity keeps dropping with every addition. The bigger it gets, the weaker it becomes. Reinforcement is climbing the list quickly.

The crops are growing.

That alone changes the tone of everything.

I still need to head back to the Aurora and see what’s waiting in the Captain’s Quarters. That will be deliberate. Planned.

For now, though, survival feels… easier.

I don’t trust that feeling entirely.

But tonight, I’m not chasing fish.

I’m growing them out of the equation.

Continue the Journey

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Submerged: A Subnautica Survival Diary – Log 11: Copper, Caves, and Structural Regret

Submerged Log 11: Copper, Caves, and Structural Regret

Platform: Steam Deck

Video: Base upgrades, lifepod dive to 250m, cave panic, and Seamoth improvements (no commentary)

I was going to chase the black box. Then I remembered the giant alien laser. Priorities shifted.

The plan had been simple: head back to the Aurora, find the black box data, and pretend I wasn’t about to get shot out of the sky by an alien cannon.

Reality check: I’m not leaving this planet anytime soon.

If I’m here for the long haul, the base needs to stop feeling like a damp hallway with ambition.

Bulkheads, Flooding, and The Game Laughing Directly at Me

I started by looking at a bulkhead, because in my head that means “less flooding” and “more responsible adult survival.”
In practice, the game basically laughed and told me to enjoy living in a fish tank.

So I pivoted to the upgrades that actually move the needle:
more power and medical supplies.

Solar Power and the Medkit Fabricator: A Short Story About Suffering

Goal one: another solar panel.
Goal two: a medkit fabricator, because I’m tired of treating “hope” as a healing item.

Then I checked what I needed and immediately had a new enemy: creepvine samples.
Not because they were hard to get.
Because I already had them.
And then I ate them.

So off I went to replace the snacks I shouldn’t have treated as snacks.

Radio Interruptions: Lifepod 4 Joins the To-Do List

Mid-upgrade, I got a distress signal from Lifepod 4, with the helpful advice to wear a radiation suit.
Which is fair.
But I’ve already handled that situation.

So Lifepod 4 gets added to the list of places I will absolutely go to…
once I’m done putting out the current fires I set myself.

Copper: The Myth, The Legend, The Personal Insult

Copper remains elusive.
I’m finding diamonds more often than copper, which feels like the planet is doing comedy at my expense.

All of this because I need copper wire for a computer chip.
Which means the moment I want to build something “basic,” the universe decides I need to earn it.

At this point I’m seriously considering a scanner room, purely so I can stop living my life like a metal detector with legs.

Medkit Fabricator Online (Finally)

Once the medkit fabricator was up and running, I moved on to a quality-of-life upgrade I should have made ages ago:
a beacon.

I named it “base”, because:

1) it is a base

2) I would like to find it again

3) I don’t need to overthink this

Valentino Goes Deep: The 250m Lifepod Run

With “base” now marked like a sensible person would do, I took Valentino for a drive to a lifepod sitting around 250m down.

Naturally: no survivors.
The ocean doesn’t do happy endings.

But I did come away with something useful: a blueprint for a Repulsion Cannon.
I still need a Modification Station before I can get too excited, but I’ll take a win when it shows up.

The Beautiful Cave That Immediately Became A Problem

Next up: a cave near another lifepod location.
The cave itself is gorgeous.
It’s also the kind of place where you realise, mid-swim, that you have no idea where the exit is.

And that’s when I moved “make a beacon” from “good idea” to “non-negotiable survival requirement.”

I eventually found my way back out, and I didn’t drown in a glowing underwater postcard, so that counts as success.

Valentino’s New Problem: He Can’t Go Anywhere Without Taking Damage

Back at base, I had a new priority: hull reinforcement for Valentino.
He couldn’t so much as breathe underwater without scraping something and taking damage.

So I did what any reasonable person would do:
I went hunting for diamonds.
For armour.
On a submarine scooter.
Completely normal.

Eventually I got lucky and upgraded Valentino with:

  • Hull Reinforcement
  • Storage Module

Now he’s tougher, roomier, and slightly less likely to come home looking like he lost a fight with a rock.

Next Time (If Copper Stops Playing Hard To Get)

  • Hit Lifepod 4 (radiation warning acknowledged, thanks)
  • Seriously consider a Scanner Room to end the copper scavenger hunt
  • Start working toward the Modification Station so that Repulsion Cannon isn’t just a tease
  • Revisit the Aurora plan… after accepting I’m probably getting shot down anyway
Continue the journey:

Log 10 | Log 11 (You are here) | Log 12

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Submerged: A Subnautica Survival Diary – Log 9: Beacons, Blueprints, and a First Proper Home

Submerged Log 9: Beacons, Blueprints, and a First Proper Home

Platform: Steam Deck

Video: Beacon run, Mushroom Forest scavenging, and first base module (no commentary)

When you hit a brick wall in Subnautica, the game doesn’t give you a hint. It gives you more ocean.

I’ve stalled out. Upgrades are half-finished, blueprints are dangling just out of reach,
and my “plan” has become a list of things I’d like to do once I stop being poor in titanium.
So I do the only thing left: explore.

My memory is decent, but this planet is an endless blue maze, and I’m done pretending I’ll remember
where anything is. It’s finally time to start using beacons properly.

Beacon Therapy (Mushroom Forest Edition)

I craft a beacon, head out to the Mushroom Forest, and deploy it the second I arrive.
The logic is simple: if the radio nudged me here once, there’s probably something useful nearby.
I name the beacon, mark the spot, and start searching with actual purpose for once.

The theory pays off fast. I find another piece of the Cyclops puzzle, and — more importantly —
the second Moonpool fragment.
That one moment flips the entire run. Base building isn’t a “someday” thing anymore.
It’s now.

Side Loot: Shale Outcrops and Surprise Diamonds

Since I’m already here (and my sense of direction has clearly been outsourced to a beacon),
I start checking what this biome actually offers.

The big win: diamonds in shale outcrops.
That’s the kind of detail Future Me will be grateful for, assuming Future Me survives
long enough to remember why diamonds matter.

Prep Work: Pin Recipes, Build the Tool, Commit to a Location

I head back to the lifepod and start doing the boring-but-important part:
preparation.
I pin the recipes I know I’ll need, craft the Habitat Builder,
and finally accept that I need a home that isn’t a floating tin can with a radio.

Of course, the radio fires off another distress signal mid-planning.
I add it to the list. I already know how that story ends: no survivors,
just another location stamped onto my growing collection of disappointment.

Base Site Picked (Mostly): “Somewhere Between Here and There”

I settle on a spot roughly halfway between my lifepod and the Mushroom Forest.
In theory, it’s a sensible compromise: close enough to my old “base” for convenience,
close enough to the Mushroom Forest for materials and fragments.

In practice, I’m eyeballing distance in open ocean, which is basically the same
as saying I chose the location by vibes.

I place the first module and immediately run into the first real base problem:
power.
No power means no oxygen inside, which is a fun twist for something that is supposed to be a shelter.

Power Decisions: Solar Wins (For Now)

I weigh up options and land on solar. It’s not glamorous, but it’s doable right now,
and “right now” is the only timeframe this planet respects.

I do some early prep for the Moonpool materials while I’m thinking about the future,
but the titanium math is brutal.
I’m going to need a lot more, which means a dedicated scrap hunt is officially coming.

Hatch Installed, Oxygen Not Included

I craft a hatch so I can actually get inside my new base, but until I get power online,
it’s basically a room-shaped hazard.
No power, no oxygen — and my base is currently doing a great impression of a death trap.

I do have an idea for how to work around that if I need to,
but first I want to solve the problem properly.

Radio Upgrade: No More Lifepod Commuting

One small quality-of-life win: I get a radio set up at the base-in-progress.
That way, I don’t have to keep swimming back to the lifepod every time the game
decides to hand me another “go here” message.

I also keep the Seamoth parked close by.
It’s doing double duty as a safety net and a temporary beacon until I can get a second
beacon made specifically for the base location.

Solar Online: First Breath in the New Base

Once the solar panel finally goes up, everything changes.
I step inside my newly powered base and take the first proper breath of “this might actually work.”

It needs a lot of work. It’s barely more than a shell.
But it’s mine, it’s powered, and it’s a start.
Temporary home or not, it’s the first thing on this planet that feels even slightly under control.

Continue the journey:
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