Video walkthrough
Watch the route, then match the frames
Video chapters
5 stepsVideo references
Watch or inspect the route before you dive
Click YouTube cards to load the player. Open frame cards to compare local screenshot notes. Use the evidence to confirm landmarks, movement, and encounter pacing, then follow the written checklist below.
Biome map and route overview
Watch for: Biome landmark recognition, depth bands, map reading, and spoiler-light route planning.
Biome landmark frame review
Watch for: Start with Biome maps and secret locations / Map overview at 03:03. Compare the screenshot cue, route note, and player action before following the guide in-game.
Depth band frame review
Watch for: Start with Biome maps and secret locations / Map overview at 06:07. Compare the screenshot cue, route note, and player action before following the guide in-game.
Video watch notes
What to pause, compare, and write down
Do not watch the video like entertainment only. Use these notes as a second-screen checklist: pause on landmarks, confirm the player action, then return to the written route.
Watchlist
Pause on Biome landmark and identify the landmark, depth band, or objective state before following the next step.
Use Depth band to confirm what changed; if the video only shows a close-up, rebuild the route from the previous landmark.
Treat Secret route clue as the exit rule: finish the objective, return, and update storage or crafting before adding side goals.
Biome landmark
Map reading starts with landmark shape and depth band before individual pickups.
Action: Separate safe loops from progression routes.
Depth band
Treat each biome band as a route tier with different oxygen, vehicle, and threat pressure.
Action: Record materials by biome instead of by memory.
Secret route clue
Secret locations become repeatable only when the entry landmark and exit line are recorded.
Action: Treat hazard zones as preparation checks.
Video route timeline
Turn the video into playable checkpoints
Use this section like a second-screen route sheet. Open each checkpoint, compare the frame, do the action, then stop if your route no longer matches the video evidence. It keeps the guide useful even when Early Access shifts small placements or creature behavior.
03:03Checkpoint 1: Separate safe loops from progression routes.Map reading starts with landmark shape and depth band before individual pickups.Expand
Biome landmark
Map reading starts with landmark shape and depth band before individual pickups.
Player action
Separate safe loops from progression routes.
Proof before moving on
Map reading starts with landmark shape and depth band before individual pickups.
Watch this timestampIf this fails
Reset to the last confirmed landmark or objective state, then repeat only the route-critical step.
06:07Checkpoint 2: Record materials by biome instead of by memory.Treat each biome band as a route tier with different oxygen, vehicle, and threat pressure.Expand
Depth band
Treat each biome band as a route tier with different oxygen, vehicle, and threat pressure.
Player action
Record materials by biome instead of by memory.
Proof before moving on
Treat each biome band as a route tier with different oxygen, vehicle, and threat pressure.
Watch this timestampIf this fails
Use the video frame as evidence, but record entry, proof, and exit as separate notes.
08:09Checkpoint 3: Treat hazard zones as preparation checks.Secret locations become repeatable only when the entry landmark and exit line are recorded.Expand
Secret route clue
Secret locations become repeatable only when the entry landmark and exit line are recorded.
Player action
Treat hazard zones as preparation checks.
Proof before moving on
Secret locations become repeatable only when the entry landmark and exit line are recorded.
Watch this timestampIf this fails
Return, craft, sort storage, or retest the route before turning this page into a longer objective chain.
03:03Checkpoint 4: Return to base when a new biome changes your crafting plan.Map reading starts with landmark shape and depth band before individual pickups.Expand
Biome landmark
Map reading starts with landmark shape and depth band before individual pickups.
Player action
Return to base when a new biome changes your crafting plan.
Proof before moving on
Map reading starts with landmark shape and depth band before individual pickups.
Watch this timestampIf this fails
Reset to the last confirmed landmark or objective state, then repeat only the route-critical step.
06:07Checkpoint 5: Update routes after patches that change resource placement.Treat each biome band as a route tier with different oxygen, vehicle, and threat pressure.Expand
Depth band
Treat each biome band as a route tier with different oxygen, vehicle, and threat pressure.
Player action
Update routes after patches that change resource placement.
Proof before moving on
Treat each biome band as a route tier with different oxygen, vehicle, and threat pressure.
Watch this timestampIf this fails
Use the video frame as evidence, but record entry, proof, and exit as separate notes.
Gameplay evidence
Screenshots to match before you keep swimming
Use these frames as visual checkpoints. If the terrain, lighting, or landmark does not match, slow down and re-check the route instead of forcing the next step.
Biome landmark
Map reading starts with landmark shape and depth band before individual pickups.
Depth band
Treat each biome band as a route tier with different oxygen, vehicle, and threat pressure.
Secret route clue
Secret locations become repeatable only when the entry landmark and exit line are recorded.
Route decision lab
Decide if this route is worth running now
This section turns the video into a practical in-game decision. Use it before leaving base, after the first landmark, and again before entering a deeper or darker area.
Route purpose
Use the map as a set of risk bands: starter safety, resource routes, deeper unlock paths, hazard zones, and late progression spaces. Versioned biome details can be added as the Early Access map stabilizes.
Visual checkpoint
Map reading starts with landmark shape and depth band before individual pickups.
Map anchor
Biome Overview Center in Central route band. Use it for use this as the mental map hub before choosing a resource, fragment, or puzzle direction.
Abort rule
Treating every new biome as immediately safe.
Field manual translation
Use the map as a set of risk bands: starter safety, resource routes, deeper unlock paths, hazard zones, and late progression spaces. Versioned biome details can be added as the Early Access map stabilizes. Use this resource route manual as a second-screen checklist: identify the entry condition, confirm the objective with a visual proof point, then stop when the return rule is met. This keeps the article practical for Early Access patches without pretending every coordinate or state is final.
Primary job
Route map - Separate safe loops from progression routes.
Best entry habit
Starter area knowledge - Record materials by biome instead of by memory.
Stop condition
Treating every new biome as immediately safe. - Treat hazard zones as preparation checks.
Patch-safe reading
Exact item positions can shift during Early Access. The useful part of this page is the route logic: what to prepare, what visual cue to confirm, what objective to finish, and when to turn back.
Updated
2026-06-12 / tracking / Early Access
What this guide covers
Requirements
- Starter area knowledge
- Basic route markers
- Scanner
Use this if
You want a route you can follow from video evidence without needing exact official coordinates. The screenshots and steps are written to help you recognize areas, landmarks, and decisions while playing.
Early Access can move details. Treat this as a video-based walkthrough and verify landmarks in your own build.
Step-by-step walkthrough
Follow the video route without guessing
Separate safe loops from progression routes.
Use this step as a route checkpoint, not as a promise that every object spawns in one exact coordinate. Match the landmark, compare the screenshot, then continue only if the return path is still clear.
If your game build looks different, stay with the same decision: keep oxygen safe, scan or collect the current blocker, and return before pushing into the next unknown area.
Map reading starts with landmark shape and depth band before individual pickups.
Record materials by biome instead of by memory.
Use this step as a route checkpoint, not as a promise that every object spawns in one exact coordinate. Match the landmark, compare the screenshot, then continue only if the return path is still clear.
If your game build looks different, stay with the same decision: keep oxygen safe, scan or collect the current blocker, and return before pushing into the next unknown area.
Treat each biome band as a route tier with different oxygen, vehicle, and threat pressure.
Treat hazard zones as preparation checks.
Use this step as a route checkpoint, not as a promise that every object spawns in one exact coordinate. Match the landmark, compare the screenshot, then continue only if the return path is still clear.
If your game build looks different, stay with the same decision: keep oxygen safe, scan or collect the current blocker, and return before pushing into the next unknown area.
Secret locations become repeatable only when the entry landmark and exit line are recorded.
Return to base when a new biome changes your crafting plan.
Use this step as a route checkpoint, not as a promise that every object spawns in one exact coordinate. Match the landmark, compare the screenshot, then continue only if the return path is still clear.
If your game build looks different, stay with the same decision: keep oxygen safe, scan or collect the current blocker, and return before pushing into the next unknown area.
Map reading starts with landmark shape and depth band before individual pickups.
Update routes after patches that change resource placement.
Use this step as a route checkpoint, not as a promise that every object spawns in one exact coordinate. Match the landmark, compare the screenshot, then continue only if the return path is still clear.
If your game build looks different, stay with the same decision: keep oxygen safe, scan or collect the current blocker, and return before pushing into the next unknown area.
Treat each biome band as a route tier with different oxygen, vehicle, and threat pressure.
After-action plan
What to do after the guide works
Bank the result
Update routes after patches that change resource placement.
Clean the inventory
Move route-critical materials into labeled storage so the next dive starts with empty space and a clear job.
Pick the next guide
Which resources to prioritize first, which to store, and which to avoid hoarding until a recipe proves they matter.
Next route queue
Use these as the next blockers to solve after this route. Each queue card keeps the same evidence style: source video, gameplay frames, and a written checklist.
Best immediate follow-upResource Priority List
Which resources to prioritize first, which to store, and which to avoid hoarding until a recipe proves they matter.
Use if the route branchesScanner Fragments Guide
How to think about fragment scanning, unlock priorities, duplicate scans, and route planning around discoveries.
Save for the next diveEarly Access Starting Route
A low-spoiler route for turning the first hour into tools, scans, storage, safer map knowledge, and repeatable early progression.
Detailed notes
Map thinking for Early Access
Instead of pretending the map is final, this guide treats biomes as route categories. That makes it useful now and easier to update later.
How to use this in-game
Turn this note into one action before leaving base: decide the objective, keep only the materials or tools that support it, then stop the route once the scan, pickup, or landmark is confirmed. This keeps the guide useful even when Early Access patches move small details.
What to record per biome
Track common materials, rare materials, fragments, hazards, exits, and whether the biome supports base expansion.
Materials
Fragments
Hazards
Routes
How to use this in-game
Turn this note into one action before leaving base: decide the objective, keep only the materials or tools that support it, then stop the route once the scan, pickup, or landmark is confirmed. This keeps the guide useful even when Early Access patches move small details.
Read the atlas as route pressure
The map is most useful when it explains pressure: oxygen distance, threat density, resource value, fragment value, and return clarity. A biome with useful materials is not automatically a good route if the exit is hard to read or the threat forces you away from landmarks. Judge each region by what it gives you and what it costs to bring that value home.
How to use this in-game
Turn this note into one action before leaving base: decide the objective, keep only the materials or tools that support it, then stop the route once the scan, pickup, or landmark is confirmed. This keeps the guide useful even when Early Access patches move small details.
What makes a biome worth revisiting
A biome earns a repeat route when it has at least one reliable job: starter materials, rare materials, blueprint scans, story access, safe base expansion, or vehicle progression. If a region only produced random finds, record the landmark but delay serious farming until a recipe, puzzle, or upgrade points you back there with a clearer purpose.
How to use this in-game
Turn this note into one action before leaving base: decide the objective, keep only the materials or tools that support it, then stop the route once the scan, pickup, or landmark is confirmed. This keeps the guide useful even when Early Access patches move small details.
Video route notes
Map and Biomes Overview should be followed as a resource route, not as a memory test. Start by watching the first route movement and naming the entry condition before copying the path in-game. Separate safe loops from progression routes. Then pause again when the video reaches the first visible proof point, because that is where the guide changes from general advice into an action you can repeat. Record materials by biome instead of by memory. If the route starts to feel different in your build, keep the same player goal: repeat the route without relying on a perfect coordinate.
Entry check: Starter area knowledge
Route action: Separate safe loops from progression routes.
Proof to look for: material or fragment proof
Version note: Early Access / tracking
How to use this in-game
Turn this note into one action before leaving base: decide the objective, keep only the materials or tools that support it, then stop the route once the scan, pickup, or landmark is confirmed. This keeps the guide useful even when Early Access patches move small details.
Screenshot checkpoints
Use screenshots as checkpoints instead of decoration. The first image should answer where the route begins, the second should show what confirms progress, and the third should explain what to do after the scan, pickup, puzzle state, or threat read is visible. Treat hazard zones as preparation checks. This is especially important in Early Access because exact positions can drift while landmarks, depth bands, room states, and player decisions stay useful. A good screenshot lets you say, "I am at the right kind of place," before you risk oxygen, storage space, or vehicle safety.
Entry frame: match the landmark before moving deeper
Proof frame: confirm material or fragment proof
Exit frame: know the return direction before adding side goals
Loadout frame: check Basic route markers
How to use this in-game
Turn this note into one action before leaving base: decide the objective, keep only the materials or tools that support it, then stop the route once the scan, pickup, or landmark is confirmed. This keeps the guide useful even when Early Access patches move small details.
Stop rule and next dive
The most useful part of this page is the stop rule. Treating every new biome as immediately safe. Exploring without recording why a biome matters. When the objective is confirmed, return and convert it into progress: craft the upgrade, sort the material, save the route note, or mark the blocker as solved. If the route fails, do not repeat the same swim blindly. Change one variable at a time: enter from a clearer landmark, reduce inventory clutter, bring the missing tool, or wait until oxygen and vehicle support match the route. That turns a failed resource route into better field knowledge instead of another full-inventory wander.
How to use this in-game
Turn this note into one action before leaving base: decide the objective, keep only the materials or tools that support it, then stop the route once the scan, pickup, or landmark is confirmed. This keeps the guide useful even when Early Access patches move small details.
Common mistakes
Treating every new biome as immediately safe.
Exploring without recording why a biome matters.
Forgetting that Early Access layouts can change.
FAQ
Is this guide for the current Subnautica 2 build?
This page is written for Early Access and includes a visible update date. Treat exact values as tracking notes until the current build is field-tested.
Does this page use official screenshots?
Pages combine attributed official Steam / Unknown Worlds media, local gameplay frame captures, and source-video evidence cards. New player-submitted captures should keep the route, timestamp, and build context attached.
Community notes
Add a field report
Player reports enter a moderation queue. Approved notes can load from Supabase; pending drafts stay visible in this browser for follow-up.
Near starter shallows
Approx. 70-120m from pod
Confirm oxygen before leaving the first landmark. The route is much safer when you mark the return path before collecting side materials.
Guide-wide
N/A
Creature patrol ranges and fragment placement can shift between builds, so treat exact distances as field estimates until multiple players confirm them.