Subnautica is an open-world action-adventure video game, initially released in December 2014, published and developed by Unknown Worlds Entertainment. The majority of the game is set underwater and the main goal is to survive the dangers of the alien planet’s ocean. Now, since the setting is massive, you’re probably wondering where to build your first base in Subnautica.
Before we proceed, you should have a habitat builder and a ton of titanium because these are the items that you need before building a base. Once you have finished collecting the items, keep reading because when you reach the end of the guide, you’ll discover a bunch of places where you can build your first Subnautica base.
Table of Contents
Underneath Or Near Your Lifepod
This is the most accessible place to find where you can build your first base because you will start the game in this location. Since the lifepod is most probably in the center of the playable area, it provides an easy commute throughout the entire game. You can also hugely benefit from solar power since the area around the lifepod is pretty shallow.
Not only that, you will most likely need the interior modules in the lifepod, like the fabricator and radio. There is also a lot of early loot and blueprints near the pod, so that would be a huge plus if you decide to build in this place.
Near A Thermal Vent
If you want to go deeper and reduce reliance on solar panels, you can build a base near the thermal vents. Solar panels will lose their effectiveness the deeper you go into the ocean. As an alternative, the vents will provide you with the power you need for your base by building thermal generators. I would still recommend staying near your escape pod for easy access to the radio and fabricator if you don’t have the resources to build on your base yet.
Grassy Plateaus
The Grassy Plateaus is an excellent option if you want to build a base deeper than the safe shallows. The place is deep enough to build the cyclops and the moon pool. Grassy Plateaus is also near multiple biomes in the game, like the Sparse Reef and Jellyshroom Caves, where you can farm for high-end loot, and on the plus side, there are little to no threats here because the most dangerous creature (if you’re unlucky) that you’ll probably meet is a sand shark.
Mushroom Forest
The Mushroom Forest is extremely safe. You will not meet any type of hazards in this place. Like the Grassy Plateaus, it also provides easy access to the Jellyshroom Caves. Table corals, titanium, copper, food, and quartz are also abundant in this biome. On the plus side, the Mushroom Forest also has beautiful scenery that you can view in your free time.
Bone Fields
If you want to build a base somewhere deeper than the past suggestions, then the Bone Fields will be a great choice. Because of the depth of this location, getting a cyclops or prawn suit and upgrading your seamoth is pivotal before venturing to this spot. But be careful because even though there are only a small number of dangerous creatures in the Lost River, a Ghost Leviathan spawns around this place.
Numerous resources, even the rare ones like diamond and magnetite, are available in the Bone Fields. Some of them are even in the form of large resource deposits, which are only breakable using the prawn suit. On the plus side, there are also a lot of thermal plants in the Lost River, so you won’t have any problems with power if you have decided to build a base here.
I would not go into the specifics to prevent spoilers, but the Bone Fields also provide easy access to some of the endgame locations.
The Giant Cove Tree
One of the main reasons I recommend building a base in this place is that the Cove Tree is probably the most beautiful place in the game. Like the Bone Fields, there are a lot of resources near the Cove Tree, there are a lot of thermal vents to power up your base, and it is also near the endgame locations. Not to mention, you can roam around safely because there are no dangerous creatures near the tree.
I recommend getting a cyclops or prawn suit and upgrading your seamoth before traversing to the Cove Tree because the depth of the place is the same as the Lost River.
There you have it, the best places where you can build your first base in Subnautica. I would also recommend staying near a lot of basic loot and blueprints since it would help a lot in the game’s early stages. Of course, building your base will fall on your preference but keep these recommendations in mind. Good luck and explore the alien world safely!