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Metro 2039Oxygen, Food and Water
Subnautica 2 tracks four stats, Health, Hunger, Thirst and Oxygen; oxygen starts at about 45 seconds and the Standard Air Tank adds 30. Water is crafted from Water Slugs at the Fabricator (+40 Water), and food is cooked fish and Fabricator meals, safe only after the Digestion Adaptation; until then the Lifepod's Nutrient Blocks are the food.
Subnautica 2 has four survival stats, shown as dials at the bottom left: Health, Hunger, Thirst and Oxygen, of which all but Health drain over time and only Oxygen shows a countdown (TheGamer, May 20, 2026). Oxygen starts at about 45 seconds, and the first upgrade takes it only to 75 (Kotaku, May 14, 2026). Water comes from Water Slugs, crafted at the Fabricator into Water (+40), and food from cooked fish and Fabricator meals, which are safe only after the Digestion Adaptation; before it, eat the Nutrient Blocks in the Lifepod's storage (Game Rant, May 14, 2026). Heat, depth and death come at the end. Numbers are from guides on the Early Access launch build (May 2026); Unknown Worlds has published no drain rates (as of Nov 4, 2026), but Lucky Ghost's May 14, 2026 video, on the launch build, reads them off the dials: Oxygen falls one point a second (twice as fast when too deep without a Rebreather), Food one point every 20 seconds (about 33 minutes from full) and Water one point every 15 seconds (about 25 minutes).
Quick facts
| Stats | Health, Hunger, Thirst, Oxygen |
| Starting oxygen | About 45 seconds; about 75 with the Standard Air Tank (+30) |
| Quick air | Air Bladder: +25 oxygen per use |
| Water | Water Slug at the Fabricator: +40 Water (raw: +15 Water, -5 Food) |
| First food | Lifepod Nutrient Blocks, then cooked fish after Digestion |
| Best meal listed | Pavlova: +80 Food, +70 Water, +10 Health |
| Heal | Basic First Aid Kit 50 Health; Enhanced 100 |
| At zero | Starving, Dehydration and Dying effects; then you reprint at a Biobed |
Sources: TheGamer stats guide, May 20, 2026; Kotaku, May 14, 2026; Game Rant's oxygen guide, May 14, 2026; TheGamer's food guide, May 15, 2026; Game Rant's first aid guide, May 16, 2026; Unknown Worlds, Jul 8, 2026.
How does oxygen work in Subnautica 2?
Oxygen drains underwater and refills at the surface, inside a habitat or an air-filled facility, from Oxygen Tunic plants and from air pockets on deep cave ceilings (TheGamer, May 20, 2026). The early ways to carry more: IzPrebuilt's May 14, 2026 video, on the launch build, uses the Air Bladder to rise about 100 m in about 3 seconds, and its tooltip says it also gives nearby divers air.
| Source | Oxygen | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Starting lungs | About 45 seconds | Kotaku, May 14, 2026 |
| Standard Air Tank | +30 maximum | Titanium x2, Rubber x1, Silver x2; known from the start |
| High Capacity / Ultra High Capacity Air Tank | Not published | See Equipment |
| Air Bladder | +25 per use | Titanium x2, Rubber x1; refills at the surface or in Oxygen Tunic bubbles |
| Oxygen Tunic | Refill from its bubbles | Blue bulbous plants, common in deeper caves near the Lifepod |
| Oxygen Control Biomod | Less use while still | Game Rant: 1 unit every 4 seconds; from the start, at a Biolab |
| Tadpole | No oxygen used inside | Park it at a wreck's entrance and swim back for air |
| Powered base with a hatch | Refill | Only once the base has electricity |
Sources: Kotaku; Game Rant's oxygen guide, May 14, 2026; Game Rant's Biomod list, May 20, 2026; Game Rant's Habitat Builder guide, May 14, 2026.
A base stops making oxygen when it has no power or when its machines draw more than it produces (Game Rant, May 16, 2026); see Base Power. Bloom Sap can block air pockets until the Sonic Resonator clears it (PCGamesN, May 14, 2026), and update 1.1 added traversal and oxygen puzzles in wrecks. Since Buddy System Hotfix 1 (Sep 1, 2026), players attached to a Tadpole or Haul reliably get oxygen. Game Rant's rule: carry as much oxygen as you can before entering a large structure, and do not go deep without a plan to breathe. gameranx's May 16, 2026 video, on the launch build, keeps a safe room for nights when solar power runs out: a one-corridor offshoot with a hatch and one Solar Panel, about four Titanium and two Quartz.
How do you get water in Subnautica 2?
Water Slugs, small blue and pink creatures on rocks and cave floors almost everywhere underwater, easiest to spot at night, are the water supply (TheGamer, May 15, 2026). The Graveyard holds hundreds of them; update 1.2 even improved its effects "for the players who collect hundreds of Water Slugs" (Unknown Worlds, Aug 19, 2026). The clip is Kingfisher's Jun 19, 2026 creature guide, reading the Water Slug's Databank entry.
| Drink | Recipe | Restores |
|---|---|---|
| Raw Water Slug | Eat it | +15 Water, -5 Food (emergencies only) |
| Water | Water Slug x1 at the Fabricator | +40 Water |
| Water (Processor) | Fibrous Pulp x3 | Not published |
| Isotonic Water | Flash Slug x1, Salt x1; unlocked by scanning Salt and a Flash Slug | 15 more than Water |
| Water Secretion Biomod | Scan a Water Slug with the Bioscanner | +5 Water every 150 seconds |
Sources: TheGamer, May 15, 2026; Destructoid, May 16, 2026; Game Rant, May 20, 2026.
Water Slugs are the first thing Game Rant's progression guide has you gather (May 14, 2026), because the Lifepod Fabricator can turn them into Water from minute one.
How do you get food in Subnautica 2?
Local food gives "Digestive Incompatibility" until the Digestion Adaptation, from an Angel Comb about 130 to 180 m north-northeast of the Lifepod (see Adaptations). Until then, eat the few Nutrient Blocks in the Lifepod's storage. Afterward, cook fish at the Fabricator, one fish each:
| Cooked fish | Food | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Halfmoon | +25 | Near the Lifepod and in the shallows |
| Harvestmoon | +30 | Near the Lifepod |
| Bluemoon | +25 (and +5 Water) | Near the Lifepod |
| Geordie | +30 | Near the Lifepod (raw: +20 Food, -5 Health) |
| Electric Geordie | +30 | Deep, past the Alien Ruins |
| Quadrate | +30 | |
| Hoverthorn | +25 | |
| Black Hoverthorn | +30 | |
| Pneuma | +40 | Observatory Island area |
Source: TheGamer (Kaitlyn Peterson), May 15, 2026, the launch build; Pneuma's area from All Things How, May 20, 2026.
Fabricator meals go further, and several make more than one:
| Meal | Recipe | Restores |
|---|---|---|
| Oily Salad | Fibrous Pulp x2 | +20 Food |
| Nutrient Block | Biofuel Block x1, Salt x1 | +40 Food |
| Sugar of Saturn | Lead x1, Salt x1 (makes 2) | +10 Food each |
| Halfmoon Jerky | Halfmoon x2, Salt x1 (makes 2) | +40 Food each |
| Hoverthorn Souvlaki | Hoverthorn x3, Salt x1 (makes 3) | +40 Food each |
| Cherimoya Chutney | Cherimoya Rotsac x2, Sugar of Saturn x1 (makes 2) | +40 Food each |
| Coral Mash | Coral Shavings x3, Sugar of Saturn x1 | +65 Food |
| Threemoon Temaki | Halfmoon, Harvestmoon, Bluemoon, Fibrous Pulp x1 each (makes 3) | +60 Food, +15 Health each |
| Pavlova | Deepwing Egg Clump x1, Sugar of Saturn x1, Cherimoya Rotsac x1 | +80 Food, +70 Water, +10 Health |
Source: TheGamer (Kaitlyn Peterson), May 15, 2026, the launch build.
Threemoon Temaki unlocks by scanning its four ingredients (Destructoid, May 16, 2026). Since update 1.2, Nutrient Blocks and Algae Blocks also work as Bioreactor fuel. Two passive Biomods cut the need to eat: Dermal Garden (+5 food every 210 seconds) and Slow Metabolism. Plants that regrow in a base are on Farming. IzPrebuilt's May 14, 2026 video, on the launch build, notes it needs a base Fabricator, not the Lifepod's, and finds all three moonfish swimming around the Lifepod.
Health and healing
Health falls from creature attacks, poison and places the body cannot tolerate, and it does not drain on its own (TheGamer, May 20, 2026). A Basic First Aid Kit (Fiber x1) restores 50 and an Enhanced First Aid Kit (Fiber x1, Medical Gel Sac x1) 100 (Game Rant, May 16, 2026); Threemoon Temaki and Pavlova heal a little too. Picking a Medical Gel Sac releases a puff of toxic gas that does slight damage. Dangerous animals are on Dangerous Creatures. Jade PG CRAFTED's May 16, 2026 guide, on the launch build, avoids the gas by cutting the purple sponges around the plant first.
Heat and depth
Hot water and Heat Zones damage the player until Heat Tolerance, and Root Canyon also has a Cold Zone (All Things How, May 20, 2026). The PDA warns of "death by barotrauma" at depth, a notice 1.2's notes name (Unknown Worlds, Aug 19, 2026), though no source read for this page says at what depth it starts (as of Nov 4, 2026). The Tadpole has a crush depth of 250 m until its depth modules (Game Rant, May 16, 2026). Kotaku summed up the Early Access map as gated by depth, heat and oxygen.
What happens when a stat runs out
Starving, Dehydration and Dying are the named effects (Unknown Worlds, Jul 8, 2026). When the player dies they reprint at the last Biobed set as respawn with every stat full, but carried consumables are lost, left in a small yellow container where they died, with no marker on the map (Game Rant, May 14, 2026; TheGamer). Since 1.2, co-op partners can revive a downed player, who keeps their equipment and regains a little oxygen. TheGamer's advice: carry food and water, but not your whole supply. More on Death and Respawning.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get water in Subnautica 2? Pick up Water Slugs (small blue and pink creatures on rocks and cave floors) and craft them into Water at the Fabricator for +40 Water each. Eating one raw gives +15 Water and costs 5 Food.
Why can't I eat food in Subnautica 2? You have "Digestive Incompatibility" until you take the Digestion Adaptation from an Angel Comb about 130 to 180 m north-northeast of the Lifepod. Eat the Lifepod's Nutrient Blocks until then.
How long can you hold your breath in Subnautica 2? About 45 seconds at the start and about 75 with the Standard Air Tank (Kotaku, May 14, 2026), plus 25 per use of an Air Bladder.
What is the best food in Subnautica 2? In TheGamer's launch-build list, Pavlova restores the most (+80 Food, +70 Water, +10 Health), and Threemoon Temaki makes three portions of +60 Food and +15 Health.
How do I heal in Subnautica 2? Craft a Basic First Aid Kit (Fiber, 50 Health) or an Enhanced First Aid Kit (Fiber and a Medical Gel Sac, 100 Health) at the Fabricator.
Does a base give oxygen in Subnautica 2? Yes, once it has power: a hatch supplies oxygen inside only when the base has electricity, and production stops if machines draw more than the base makes.
What happens if hunger or thirst hits zero in Subnautica 2? Starving or Dehydration sets in and Health falls until you die; you reprint at your Biobed with full stats but lose the consumables you carried.
Sources
- A Complete Guide To Stats In Subnautica 2, TheGamer (Kaitlyn Peterson), May 20, 2026
- Subnautica 2: All Food, Water, And Health Recipes, TheGamer (Kaitlyn Peterson), May 15, 2026
- 12 Hours With Subnautica 2, Kotaku (John Walker), May 14, 2026
- Subnautica 2: Oxygen Upgrade Guide, Game Rant (William Parks), May 14, 2026
- Subnautica 2: Beginner Tips & Tricks, Game Rant (William Parks), May 14, 2026
- Subnautica 2 Progression Guide: What to Do First, Game Rant (William Parks), May 14, 2026
- Subnautica 2: How to Heal & Craft First Aid Kits, Game Rant (Mehrdad Khayyat), May 16, 2026
- Subnautica 2: How to Get the Habitat Builder, Game Rant (Mehrdad Khayyat), May 14, 2026
- Subnautica 2: How to Add Power to Your Base, Game Rant (Hamza Haq), May 16, 2026
- Subnautica 2: Every Biomod and How to Unlock Them, Game Rant (Mehrdad Khayyat), May 20, 2026
- Subnautica 2: How to Go Deeper with the Tadpole, Game Rant (Nahda Nabiilah), May 16, 2026
- Subnautica 2: What Happens When You Die?, Game Rant (Chris Jecks), May 14, 2026
- How to get past Bloom in Subnautica 2, PCGamesN (Christian Vaz), May 14, 2026
- All blueprints and recipes in Subnautica 2, Destructoid (Madison Benson), May 16, 2026
- All Subnautica 2 blueprint locations, Destructoid (Arka Sarkar), May 16, 2026
- Subnautica 2 Regions and Biomes Reference (Early Access), All Things How (Pallav Pathak), May 20, 2026
- Subnautica 2 Early Access 1.1 - Adaptive Measures Update, Unknown Worlds, Jul 8, 2026
- Subnautica 2 Early Access 1.2 - Buddy System Update, Unknown Worlds, Aug 19, 2026
- Subnautica 2 Early Access Buddy System Hotfix 1, Unknown Worlds, Sep 1, 2026
- Subnautica 2 - 10 HUGE Things I Wish I Knew Sooner!, Lucky Ghost, May 14, 2026 (video)
- Subnautica 2 - 10 Things I Wish I Knew When Starting, IzPrebuilt, May 14, 2026 (video)
- Subnautica 2: 10 Things The Game DOESN'T TELL YOU, gameranx, May 16, 2026 (video)
- All 41 Creatures in Subnautica 2 EXPLAINED!, Kingfisher, Jun 19, 2026 (video)
- Subnautica 2 - The Ultimate Beginner Guide!, Kysen, May 14, 2026 (video)
- SUBNAUTICA 2 How To get Every Resource! Deepwing Eggs! Silver! Metal Farms And More Full Guide, Jade PG CRAFTED, May 16, 2026 (video)
Moments
Subnautica 2 - 10 HUGE Things I Wish I Knew Sooner!
Lucky Ghost
Subnautica 2 - 10 Things I Wish I Knew When Starting
IzPrebuilt
Subnautica 2: 10 Things The Game DOESN'T TELL YOU
gameranx
All 41 Creatures in Subnautica 2 EXPLAINED!
Kingfisher
Subnautica 2 - The Ultimate Beginner Guide!
Kysen
SUBNAUTICA 2 How To get Every Resource! Deepwing Eggs! Silver! Metal Farms And More Full Guide
Jade PG CRAFTED
Related
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Death and RespawningWhen you die in Subnautica 2 you are reprinted at the last Biobed you set as your respawn point, with full stats. What you carried stays where you died in a small yellow container, its black box, which you must swim back to; carrying a Tracking Tag extends its signal.
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Game ModesSubnautica 2 has two game modes, Survival and Creative, chosen when a save is made; Creative removes oxygen, food, water and power limits and unlocks every blueprint, Adaptation and (since update 1.1) Biomod, and there are no difficulty settings as of Nov 4, 2026.
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Best Base LocationsThe guides' best base spots in Subnautica 2 are a plateau by a water current about 200 m east of the Lifepod for free turbine power, the thermal vents about 630 m east for steady Thermal Plant power, and an outpost near the Alien Ruins about 1,150 m east for the late game.
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FarmingFarming in Subnautica 2 means Growbeds, built for Titanium x1, that grow plants from a seed item such as a Pent, Lucifer Rotsac or Fibrous Pulp, and since update 1.2 Necrolei Cysts. The Metal Farm, an Axum machine, grows a chosen resource on base power.
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Anemone HillsThe Anemone Hills are Subnautica 2's biome of towering pink-and-green anemones about 300 m northwest of the Lifepod, 0 to 151 m deep, where the infected Heat Tolerance Angel Comb waits behind Bloom you clear with the Sonic Resonator.
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Coral GardensCoral Gardens and North Coral Gardens are Unknown Worlds' names for Subnautica 2's early coral areas around the Lifepod; update 1.1 (Jul 8, 2026) put a second Biolab and more Silver there, and 1.2 gave North Coral Gardens its own music.
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Dolerite SpiresThe Dolerite Spires are a maze of jagged volcanic pillars in Subnautica 2's starting region, shallow to mid depth, with Lithium and Titanium, Quaker's Meetinghouse and two Spires wrecks that All Things How lists for the High Capacity Air Tank and the Rebreather on the launch build.
See also
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AdaptationsSubnautica 2 has four Adaptations, permanent body changes taken from Angel Combs, as of Nov 4, 2026. Pressure Tolerance comes in the opening, Digestion from an Angel Comb about 130 to 180 m north-northeast of the Lifepod, Heat Tolerance from an infected Angel Comb about 200 m northwest once the Sonic Resonator clears it, and Axum Vision from an Angel Comb about 1,800 m east.
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EquipmentSubnautica 2's wearable equipment is three air tanks (Standard, High Capacity, Ultra High Capacity), Basic and Improved Fins and the Rebreather, all made at the Fabricator, while carrying space grows at seven Upgrade Biobeds (five add 3 inventory slots each, two add a quickbar slot). The Standard Air Tank and Basic Fins are known from the start; the others are scanned or crafted from them.
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Base PowerSubnautica 2 bases run on Solar Panels (1 to 8 energy per second by time of day), Hydroelectric Turbines in water currents, Thermal Plants by heat vents and Bioreactors burning fuel, linked by Power Transmitters and buffered by Power Storage. Without power a base makes no oxygen.
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GraveyardThe Graveyard is Subnautica 2's hot, orange-watered biome, 0 to 266 m deep, that needs the Heat Tolerance Adaptation; it holds Gold, Salt, Sulfur and Lithium, the Tadpole Pens, Tailings Village, a Cicada Wreck, Nahema's Lab and hundreds of Water Slugs.
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BiomodsSubnautica 2's Biomods are swappable abilities chosen at a Biolab, 5 active and 10 passive on the launch build, four of them known from the start and the rest unlocked by scanning creatures with the Bioscanner. Update 1.1 added two Biolabs and passive slots earned by scan counts, and Early Access 2 (December 2026) moves Dash to the Fins and adds new Biomods.