Best Base Locations

0:12 The best place for a first base in Subnautica 2, by the guides' reckoning, is somewhere with a free power source and the early ores close by: Dexerto's pick is a flat plateau about 200 m east of the Lifepod, beside a funnel of current where a Hydroelectric Turbine gives what it calls "infinite energy", above a cave holding Silver, Copper and Titanium (Dexerto). For later, Dexerto points to the thermal vents about 630 m east and to an outpost near the Alien Ruins about 1,150 m east, and Game Rant suggests a base at least 100 m northeast of the Lifepod so a Scanner Station covers the Lead (Game Rant, May 14, 2026). Unknown Worlds publishes no map, and every spot below comes from guides written on the launch build in May 2026 (Dexerto's page is undated); the hazards that matter are heat, leviathans, the Early Access fence and the Great Jaw. How to build is on Base Building and how to power it on Base Power. Aci's May 26, 2026 video, before update 1.1, scores spots out of 25 for energy, resources, story access, hazards and views, counting the main plateau before the chasm to the Observatory as early game, the Observatory's area as mid game and anything below 250 m as late game.

Quick facts

Sources: Dexerto, Best base locations, undated; Game Rant (Hamza Haq), May 14, 2026; Game Rant, Scanner Station, May 14, 2026; Unknown Worlds, 1.2.

Where should you build your first base in Subnautica 2?

1:05 Close to the Lifepod, near a current and the early ores. Dexerto's hydroelectric plateau sits about 200 m east, near the story route past a large tree and wreckage: a turbine in the current there powers the base around the clock, and the cave below gives Silver, Copper and Titanium (Dexerto). Game Rant's tip is about Lead, one of the scarce early metals: build at least 100 m northeast of the Lifepod, and a Scanner Station, which tracks one resource within 300 m, will reach the Lead site (Game Rant; see Lead). A turbine needs its blueprint first, two fragments about 364 m and 390 m south-southwest by the current behind Camp One; until then Solar Panels work, and they are strongest in shallow water (Game Rant, May 16, 2026). The waters around the Lifepod are on Shallows; Dexerto's "plateau" is its own word for the spot, not the guides' Plateaus north of the Lifepod. Aci's first early pick in a May 26, 2026 video, before update 1.1, fits the same pattern: a strong current beside it for a turbine, shallow water for solar, almost every early resource but Gold within 300 m and an Angel Comb next door, with Hammerheads that can knock a Tadpole out of its dock as the drawback.

The thermal vents

3:36 About 630 m east and roughly 100 m down, Dexerto's second spot uses Thermal Plants, which it says make up to 16 energy per second, day and night, double a Solar Panel's peak (Dexerto). It is a mid-game choice because the Thermal Plant blueprint must be scanned first and its recipe needs Gold. The caveat is the heat: the volcanic areas east of the Lifepod have Heat Zones and hot water that hurt a diver without the Heat Tolerance Adaptation (All Things How, May 20, 2026). Dexerto does not name the biome; which areas run hot is on Map and Biomes. Aci's May 26, 2026 video, before update 1.1, rates the edge of the thermal vents the best early spot (22 of 25): a base there stays at a safe 20 degrees inside even without Heat Tolerance if it is built from the inside, Thermal Plants are a quick swim out, and nearly every early resource is within 300 m.

An outpost near the Alien Ruins

1:11 The late resources (Celestine, Creature Enamel, Troilite) are far east, so the guides recommend a small second base there. Dexerto's spot is about 1,150 m east and about 100 m down, halfway between the story's mission sites and a first base: a place to recharge the Tadpole, restock food and water and respawn, with a NOA Terminal so the story can go on without returning to the Lifepod, and Titanium, Copper, Quartz and a Silver cave nearby (Dexerto). Its warning: a leviathan patrols the deep water on the way, so build past it rather than before it. Game Rant's version is a one-room outpost with a Scanner Station and a Hydroelectric Turbine by the Alien Ruins, which it costs at 14 Titanium, 1 Quartz, 4 Copper, 3 Silver, 1 System Chip and 1 Wiring Kit for a Room, Hatch, Turbine, Transmitter, Beacon and Station (Game Rant, May 15, 2026). A Biobed there makes it the respawn point (Death and Respawning). Jay Dunna's May 25, 2026 guide, before update 1.1, crosses the Collector Leviathan's water at the surface, then builds at the small research base northeast of the alien tower, and calls it probably the best base spot in Early Access.

6:45 Aci's top spot of the whole video (24 of 25) is a mid-game one, past the chasm on the far side of the Observatory's plateau, right beside an abandoned pioneer base: a thermal vent below and a current beside it for power, shallow enough for solar too, every mid-game resource close, the story sites central, no dangerous creatures nearby, and a speed boost for the Tadpole if the dock faces the right way (May 26, 2026, before update 1.1). Aci's spot by the Observatory itself scores lower because the Collector Leviathan sometimes swims past.

Hazards to avoid

• Leviathans. The Collector Leviathan and other leviathans patrol deep water, and the Collector has interacted with half-built base pieces (fixed in update 1.1). See Leviathans.
• Hammerheads. Before Hotfix 2 (May 22, 2026) they followed Tadpole lights back to bases and waited there; the fix made them less drawn to the lights (Unknown Worlds).
• The Great Jaw. Since update 1.2 (Aug 19, 2026) bases cannot be built inside it (Unknown Worlds).
• The fence. Building is disabled past the orange Early Access fence at the edge of today's map (Map Edge and World Tree).
• Depth. Solar Panels weaken with depth and the Tadpole's crush depth is 250 m until upgraded, so a deep base needs another power source and a Depth Module to reach.
• Heat. Heat Zones in the volcanic areas damage a diver without Heat Tolerance.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the best place to build a base in Subnautica 2? For a first base, Dexerto recommends a plateau by a current about 200 m east of the Lifepod, where a Hydroelectric Turbine gives constant power and a cave below holds Silver, Copper and Titanium.

Should I build near the Lifepod in Subnautica 2? Close is good early: Game Rant suggests at least 100 m northeast so a Scanner Station's 300 m range reaches the Lead site. The Lifepod's own Fabricator is damaged, so a base is needed for many recipes.

Where should I build a second base in Subnautica 2? Near the Alien Ruins far east, about 1,150 m from the Lifepod in Dexerto's guide, with a Biobed, a NOA Terminal and a way to recharge the Tadpole, built past the leviathan's patrol.

Can you build anywhere in Subnautica 2? Not quite: building stops at the orange Early Access fence, and since update 1.2 bases cannot be built inside the Great Jaw.

Sources

• Every TADPOLE UPGRADE & Where to Find Them in Subnautica 2 (w/ Timestamps), Jay Dunna, May 25, 2026 (video)
• The BEST base locations in Subnautica 2, Aci, May 26, 2026 (video)
• Subnautica 2 Early Access Hotfix 2, Unknown Worlds, May 22, 2026
• Subnautica 2 Early Access 1.2 - Buddy System Update, Unknown Worlds, Aug 19, 2026
• Best base locations, Dexerto, undated
• Where to Find Lead, Game Rant (Hamza Haq), May 14, 2026
• How to Build a Scanner Station, Game Rant (Hamza Haq), May 14, 2026
• How to Add Base Power in Subnautica 2 (Oxygen Production Offline), Game Rant (Hamza Haq), May 16, 2026
• Creature Enamel Location, Game Rant (William Parks), May 15, 2026
• Subnautica 2 Regions and Biomes Reference (Early Access), All Things How (Pallav Pathak), May 20, 2026