Tools & Equipment
How to unlock, craft, and use every tool in Subnautica 2. Includes fragment locations, required materials, and when to prioritize each unlock.
The Fragment System
Most tools in Subnautica 2 are not available from the start — you unlock their blueprints by scanning fragments with your Scanner. Fragments are broken pieces of equipment scattered across wrecks, crash sites, and the ocean floor. Each tool typically requires 2–3 fragments before the blueprint unlocks.
This system means your first dives should always have your Scanner equipped and active. Every piece of debris is a potential fragment. The Repair Tool, Habitat Builder, and Seaglide fragments are all concentrated near your starting lifepod in the early-game crash zone — you don't need to venture far for the essentials.
Deeper wrecks (150m+) contain the higher-tier fragment blueprints: Modification Station, Vehicle Bay, and advanced equipment. The game gates progression deliberately this way — you can't skip ahead to the Modification Station without building the depth capability to reach those wrecks first.
One key note: the Sonic Resonator and Feedback Resonator are not unlocked via fragments. They are crafted at the Modification Station once you have Conduit Crystals and the relevant materials. The Sonic Resonator is required to access Tadpole Pens and open resonance-locked alien doors — it effectively gates a significant portion of the mid-game story content.
Recommended Unlock Order
Without it you can't fix your base or vehicles. Fragments are right next to your lifepod.
A base changes everything. Storage, a second Fabricator, safe O2 refills.
Highlights ore nodes and creature drops. Makes every subsequent run faster.
Unlocks O2 upgrades and Depth Modules. Required to go anywhere meaningful.
Gates Tadpole Pens and alien facility puzzles. Craft it as soon as you have Conduit Crystals.
Sonic & Feedback Resonator — Why They Matter
The Sonic Resonator is one of the most important tools in Subnautica 2 and also one of the most searched. It emits targeted sonic pulses that interact with resonant materials — specifically the Conduit Crystal structures found in alien facilities and Tadpole Pens. Without it, those doors stay locked permanently.
To get it: first reach the Crystal Caves biome (300m+) and collect Conduit Crystals. Then craft the Sonic Resonator at your Modification Station. The Feedback Resonator is an upgrade from the Sonic Resonator that additionally reveals hidden resonance paths in alien structures — required for lategame content.
Survival Tools
Repair Tool
A versatile handheld repair device that welds hull breaches, fixes damaged equipment, and restores vehicle integrity.
Repair Tool fragments are scattered throughout the early-game crash site. Scan 2 fragments to unlock the blueprint. Essential before attempting deep dives.
Sonic Resonator
Emits targeted sonic pulses to interact with resonant materials, open certain alien doors, and stun creatures temporarily.
Required for several story puzzles including the Tadpole Pens. Craft this early once you have Conduit Crystals — it gates significant story content.
Feedback Resonator
An upgraded version of the Sonic Resonator that also reflects and amplifies environmental signals, revealing hidden paths.
The Feedback Resonator is needed for lategame alien facility puzzles. Upgrade as soon as possible after the Sonic Resonator.
Construction
Habitat Builder
A multi-purpose construction tool that builds and deconstructs habitat components, base modules, and underwater structures.
You'll want this as your first priority after the Scanner. A small base with a fabricator and storage dramatically speeds up progression.
Fabricator
The cornerstone of survival — a molecular 3D printer that synthesizes food, tools, equipment, and materials from raw resources.
Build a second Fabricator in your base as soon as possible to save travel time. You can build one using the Habitat Builder once you have the blueprint.
Modification Station
An advanced workbench for upgrading tools, tanks, and equipment beyond their base specifications.
Diamond is required — find it in the Mountains and Deep Grand Reef. The Modification Station unlocks some of the most impactful upgrades in the game.
Vehicles & Bays
Vehicle Bay
A large underwater construction bay for assembling vehicles. Required to build the Seamoth and Prawn Suit.
Vehicle Bay fragments are in the 200–400m depth wrecks. Worth prioritizing once you have an O2 tank upgrade.
Scanning & Analysis
Bioscanner
An advanced biological analysis tool that identifies creatures, plants, and organic materials. Highlights harvestable nodes.
The Bioscanner is invaluable in the Crystal Caves and Necrolei territory. It highlights cyst nodes before you get too close.