When you start Subnautica 2, your Base is non-existent. You’re living on a Lifepod, but that will only get you so far. To unleash your full potential, you’re going to need to build a Base that can act as a home for all your resources and systems, a place to park and recharge your Tadpole, and even just a place to decorate and scurry home to whenever you’ve had enough of the sea’s hostile creatures.
Soon enough, you’ll have the ability to create your own Base and that’s when things get pretty interesting. Even if you’ve not gathered much Titanium yet to craft your Base’s essentials, you’re going to want to put together something just so you can craft a Fully Functional Fabricator.
Choosing where to place your Base is a whole other story. You can put it pretty much anywhere, as long as there’s a flat seabed with no hefty obstructions. With so much choice, here’s the three places I recommend for the best Base locations in Subnautica 2, if you’re struggling to decide.
1. Right by your Lifepod – early game
Okay, it’s not super adventurous, but when you’re starting out in Subnautica 2 it’s pretty essential that you get to know where you are before you try and go too far. You’re restricted anyway, until you learn how to unlock all Adaptations.
Sticking right by your Lifepod is a really great spot in the early game because you’re just starting to explore. You’ll stay very close to your Biobed where you’ll be reprinted if things go Pete Tong. You can also build out all your storage in a pretty central spot to the places you’ll visit straight off the bat upon NOA’s command.
A Base near your Lifepod will have everything you need and a safe place to access it all. You’re not well equipped enough in the early game to start thinking about popping your Base wherever you want. Not only do you not have the physical equipment, but you don’t mentally know what’s in store in other biomes. Bide your time and take up residence right by your Lifepod.
2. In the Hydrothermal Vents biome – mid game
Once you’ve unlocked the Heat Tolerance Adaptation in Subnautica 2, you’ll be able to explore the Hydrothermal Vents biome around 500 meters east of your Lifepod. It’s pretty obvious when you reach it because you’ll get a temperature gauge and you’ll notice all kinds of fiery embers floating around. Get too close to a vent and you’ll also get a heat warning that’ll start causing you damage, so be careful.
Fortunately, Heat Tolerance will help you survive (mostly) in this area and it’s actually quite a handy environment for running a Base. Why? Well, because the Hydrothermal Vents produce a great amount of power so you won’t have to rely on sunshine and solar panels alone.
To harness the Hydrothermal Vents though, you’ll need to place a Thermal Plant down by one of the lava-looking geysers dotted around the biome. You can scan two Thermal Plant fragments around this area, located about 490 meters east of your Lifepod, on a platform on the edge of a cliff.
Then, you can craft the Thermal Plant using 3x Titanium, 3x Copper and 3x Gold. Place it on a hot seabed, ideally as close to one of the vents as humanly possible, and you’ve got a great source of power to your newly-established Base.
3. By the Alien Ruins Research Outpost – mid-to-late game
If you’re making money moves and heading over to the Karakorum biome as fast as possible, don’t bother setting up a base in the Hydrothermal Vents. Save your Titanium and head over that lovely abyss that houses one of the game’s Leviathans, the Collector, and reach the other side.
At around 1300 meters east of your Lifepod, you’ll come across the Alien Ruins Research Outpost and if you point your Tadpole southeast of this location, you’ll see the Needler Nest in the distance. Place your base somewhere between the two, near strong currents, vents, and Coral Rings that offer a speed boost when you swim through them.
You’ll be able to take advantage of the thermal vents for endless power, as well as establishing a Base that prevents you from having to travel across that abyss over and over again. Trust me, I’ve done it enough times now that I’m setting up my second Base in the Alien Ruins even if it’s not the holiday home I once dreamed of.
Subnautica 2 will even prompt you to build a Base in this location and you should listen. Ultimately, it’ll save you a lot of time in the mid-to-late game as most of your objectives will appear over here. It’s a dangerous area, so having a Biobed here and a place to pick up your Tadpole if you get separated is pretty nifty. Just don’t expect to make friends with your neighbors.
You might have your own favorite spots in Subnautica 2, but these are the ones I’ll be sticking to for my Bases. Be sure to make your journey easier though by getting the Tadpole and levelling it up with some Tadpole upgrades. Then, even when you’re far away from your Base, you’ve got a fast way to get back.