The opening hours of Subnautica 2 can feel overwhelming. A new alien planet, an unfamiliar ocean, limited resources, and a crafting system that gradually unlocks as you explore — all of it arriving at once. The fastest way to get your bearings and start making real progress is to focus on three essential early tools: the Fins, the Scanner, and the Survival Multi-Tool. Getting these three items crafted as quickly as possible changes how efficiently you can move, gather, and progress through the early game.
Why These Three Tools Come First
Every item in Subnautica 2 has a purpose, but the Fins, Scanner, and Multi-Tool are foundational. Without them, almost every other activity in the game becomes slower, harder, or simply impossible. The Fins make you faster in the water, which directly affects how much ground you can cover before oxygen becomes a problem. The Scanner allows you to unlock new blueprints and identify the creatures and resources around you. The Multi-Tool lets you harvest resources from the environment, which is the basis of all crafting progression. These three tools are not optional extras — they are the minimum equipment needed to play the game effectively beyond the opening moments.
How to Craft Fins in Subnautica 2
The Fins are a wearable equipment item that significantly increases your swimming speed. In the original Subnautica, Fins were similarly one of the first items worth crafting, and their impact on the early game was immediate and substantial. In Subnautica 2, the Fins serve the same purpose — turning you from a slow, clumsy swimmer into a much more capable explorer who can cover the starting biome efficiently and reach resource areas without wasting enormous amounts of time and oxygen in transit.
Crafting Fins requires Creepvine Seed Clusters, which are gathered from Creepvine plants found in the Creepvine-heavy areas of the starting biome. Creepvine is a recognisable plant type from the original Subnautica — tall, waving, almost kelp-like vegetation that grows in clusters and is one of the earliest biome landmarks new players learn to identify. Approach Creepvine plants and use the Multi-Tool to extract seed clusters. You will need several to craft a pair of Fins, so plan at least one dedicated Creepvine gathering run before heading to the Fabricator.
Once crafted, equip the Fins in the appropriate equipment slot and you will immediately notice the difference in movement speed. Swimming to resource areas, reaching cave systems, and returning to the surface all become significantly faster — and faster movement translates directly into more oxygen for actual exploration rather than transit.
How to Craft the Scanner in Subnautica 2
The Scanner is arguably the single most important tool in the early game. Subnautica 2’s progression system is built around discovery — scanning creatures, plants, resources, fragments, and technology unlocks the blueprints and knowledge needed to craft more advanced equipment and build more sophisticated bases. Without the Scanner, you are essentially locked out of the game’s core progression loop.
Crafting the Scanner requires a combination of Copper Ore, Titanium, and Quartz. These are all early-game resources available near the surface and in the shallower areas of the starting biome. Copper appears in outcrops — rocks with a distinctive mineral deposit visible on their surface that breaks open when struck with the Multi-Tool. Titanium comes from similar outcrops and from breaking down salvage materials. Quartz is a crystalline resource found on the ocean floor, often in sandy or sediment-heavy areas of the biome.
Once crafted, use the Scanner to scan everything you encounter during dives — creatures, plants, fragments of technology, resource deposits, and any unidentified objects. Each successful scan adds to your codex and may unlock new blueprint possibilities. Building a habit of scanning consistently from the very first hour of the game will accelerate your progression significantly compared to players who focus purely on resource collection.
How to Craft the Survival Multi-Tool
The Survival Multi-Tool is your primary harvesting and interaction device in Subnautica 2. Without it, you cannot extract resources from outcrops, mineral deposits, or cave formations. The Multi-Tool is also used for interactions with the environment that require a tool — opening certain access points, processing salvageable materials, and interacting with specific in-world objects.
The Multi-Tool requires Titanium, Copper, and potentially a battery component depending on the crafting recipe at the time of Early Access. Titanium and Copper are among the most accessible early-game resources, found in outcrops across the starting biome at multiple depth levels. The important thing is to gather enough of both before heading to the Fabricator to craft the Multi-Tool, as it is one of the items required to gather more materials — creating a bootstrapping situation where you need to gather with limited ability in order to create the tool that makes gathering efficient.
Key Early Resources to Look For
To craft the Fins, Scanner, and Multi-Tool, you primarily need Copper Ore, Titanium, Creepvine Seed Clusters, and Quartz. Here is where to find each efficiently. Copper and Titanium are found throughout the starting biome in limestone outcrops — rock formations with visible mineral deposits. Look for rocks with a slight colour variation from the surrounding terrain and use the Multi-Tool to break them open. They respawn over time, so revisiting outcrop-rich areas remains productive throughout the early game.
Creepvine Seed Clusters come from the Creepvine biome sections of the starting area. Look for areas with dense, tall vegetation and approach the Creepvine plants to extract seeds. You will typically need multiple plants to gather enough clusters for Fins.
Quartz appears as transparent crystal formations on the seabed, often in sandy open areas and along the edges of rocky terrain. It is not as abundant as Copper or Titanium but is consistently findable within the starting biome without going to risky depths. Silver, which becomes important for the Air Tank, is found in cave systems as covered in our separate Silver Ore guide.
Crafting Priority Order
The recommended crafting priority for the very first session in Subnautica 2 is: Multi-Tool first, then Scanner, then Fins. The Multi-Tool comes first because it enables efficient resource gathering for everything else. The Scanner comes second because scanning as you explore multiplies the value of every dive. The Fins come third because while they improve efficiency, you can function without them in a way you cannot function without the Multi-Tool and Scanner.
Once those three items are crafted, your next priority should be the Air Tank (requiring Silver Ore) and then the materials for your first habitat module if you intend to build a base away from the escape pod. Every crafting decision after that depends on what you have scanned and what your exploration priorities are — but the Fins, Scanner, and Multi-Tool form the foundation that makes all of it possible.
Find more Subnautica 2 beginner guides and crafting tips at the Subnautica 2 hub — your complete Early Access survival resource.
📺 Subscribe to Ricardo’s Gaming on YouTube for Subnautica 2 crafting guides, resource locations, and survival tips throughout Early Access.
