First — Decide Your Route
After the Lifepod breaches the surface, the starting biome — called the Shallows — is relatively safe. Your Lifepod has a Fabricator, a small storage locker with a few Nutrient Blocks, and an AI called NOA that sends you mission waypoints.
You have competing priorities in different directions. The right choice depends on what you need most right now.
Your first two crafts never change:
- Collect 3 Titanium from the seafloor → craft the Survival Multitool at the Fabricator
- Collect 2 Copper (in the cave below the Lifepod) + 1 Acidic Raion Pouch (cut from purple/green plants with the Multitool) → craft a Basic Battery
With those done, pick your first direction.
Head Southeast — Welcome Center (Tools & Base Building)
Distance: ~80–95 meters southeast | Depth: ~7 meters
The Welcome Center is the most important early structure. A wire running along the seafloor below your Lifepod leads straight to it.
What to do there:
- Insert your Basic Battery into the wall panel to restore power — this triggers a NOA tutorial and unlocks the Biolab for your first Biomods
- Scan Habitat Builder target #1 — in a metal crate outside, near the fallen Welcome Center sign
- Scan Habitat Builder target #2 — inside the building, dive through the hole in the center floor, find it in a container next to an Oxygen Tunic
After scanning both, you can craft the Habitat Builder and start base building.
Go here first if: You still have food and want to unlock base building quickly.
Head Northeast — Angel Comb (Food)
Distance: ~150–250 meters northeast | Follow Anita’s Signal
You start with Digestive Incompatibility — eating native fish or plants makes you sick. The Lifepod’s Nutrient Blocks are emergency-only.
The Angel Comb is a large pink glowing plant. Interacting with it permanently unlocks the Digestion Adaptation, which lets you safely eat native food.
What to do there:
- Follow the first NOA black box mission (Anita’s Signal) — it leads to the Angel Comb
- Interact with the purple center of the Angel Comb before grabbing the black box at its base
- After unlocking Digestion Adaptation, use your Survival Multitool to cut Fibrous Pulp from plants and craft food at the Fabricator
Go here first if: Your Nutrient Blocks are running low and you need a permanent food solution.
Head Northwest — Silver (Oxygen & Electronics)
Distance: ~100–350 meters northwest | Shallow caves
Silver is the resource that blocks your most important early upgrades. Without it, you cannot craft the Standard Air Tank (+30 oxygen), Wiring Kit, or certain electronics.
Where to look:
- Swim straight north first — look for a large cave entrance marked by blue Jelly Lei growths
- Silver appears as small sharp rocks on the cave floor — no special tools required
- The cave is shallow (~35 meters), well within your starting oxygen range
Prioritize this trip when: You have the Scanner and want to explore deeper caves without running out of air.
Head North — Camp One & Old Habitat (Blueprints)
Camp One (~200 meters north-northeast)
A shallow structure (~20–30 meters deep) with several useful blueprints:
- Bioreactor Blueprint — scan the complete device on the right side
- Wakemaker Fragment — unlocks faster traversal
- Supply crates with Titanium, batteries, and oxygen tanks
- No aggressive creatures inside
Old Habitat (~350 meters north)
A massive underwater abandoned base containing the Room Blueprint:
- Enter through the bottom, find a hole in the floor, swim up through ladders
- The Room Blueprint is in the cockpit area at the top
Visit when: You have the Habitat Builder and want to expand beyond a single corridor.
Quick Direction Reference
| Direction | Distance | What You Get | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast | ~80–95m | Welcome Center — Habitat Builder scans, Biomods | High |
| Northeast | ~150–250m | Angel Comb — Digestion Adaptation (food) | High |
| Northwest | ~100–350m | Silver in shallow caves — Air Tank, Wiring Kit | Medium |
| North (NNE) | ~200m | Camp One — Bioreactor BP, supplies | Medium |
| North | ~350m | Old Habitat — Room Blueprint | Later |
| South | Avoid early | Deep drop-off, few resources | Skip |
| East | Avoid early | Hot zones, dangerous biomes | Skip |
First-Session Route (Recommended Order)
- Gather Titanium near the Lifepod → craft Survival Multitool
- Gather Water Slugs → distill water at Fabricator
- Dive below Lifepod → collect Copper + Acidic Raion Pouches → craft Basic Battery
- Find Quartz inside orange Coral Domes → craft Scanner (2 Titanium + 2 Quartz + 1 Basic Battery)
- Choose your first direction:
- Low on food → head northeast to the Angel Comb first
- Still have rations → head southeast to the Welcome Center first
- After both are done: head northwest for Silver → craft Standard Air Tank
- With the Habitat Builder unlocked: see the Scanner to Habitat Builder guide
- Ready to build a base: see the First Base Guide
What Not to Do First
- Do not build your first base right next to the Lifepod — your pod already covers basic storage and crafting. Build somewhere that extends your reach.
- Do not head far south — the deep drop-off zone has few resources and no early useful unlocks.
- Do not head far east — the Graveyard and hot biomes are too dangerous early on. You need heat tolerance and better equipment.
- Do not try to fight leviathans — no lethal weapons exist in Early Access. Avoid large creatures.
- Do not skip the Survival Multitool — you need it to harvest Fibrous Pulp and Acidic Raion Pouches.
- Do not ignore NOA missions — black box waypoints lead to critical unlocks.
Next Steps
- Beginner Guide — full first-session checklist
- Scanner to Habitat Builder — detailed unlock steps
- First Base Guide — where and how to build
- Food, Water & Oxygen — survival management