Subnautica 2 Guide: How to Find and Craft a Flashlight
Stop Fumbling in the Pitch-Black and Illuminate the Hidden Corners of Planet Zazura
Quick Answer: Dive directly beneath your Lifepod and swim 30 meters East to find two easily accessible Flashlight fragments hidden inside broken metal containers. Scan them both, then use your Fabricator to combine Titanium, Quartz, and a Basic Battery to light up the dark.
Diving into a pitch-black cave system is a terrible idea on an alien planet. Nighttime on Zazura gets incredibly dark, making exploration difficult and dangerous. To see what lurks in the depths and spot hidden resource nodes, you need to get your hands on a Flashlight as fast as possible.
The game does not hand you this tool right away. You have to earn it by tracking down the right technology and piecing together a working blueprint. Here is exactly where to look and what you need to build it.
Where to Find the Blueprint Fragments
To unlock the crafting recipe, you must scan two separate Flashlight fragments. While there are broken pieces scattered inside various wrecks across the ocean floor, the two absolute easiest ones to grab are sitting right next to your starting zone.
- The Cave Below the Lifepod: Float right next to your Lifepod and look straight down. You will spot a massive hole leading into a shallow cave system. Dive to the very bottom near the glowing Acid Raion plants. Look for an open metal container resting on the floor and scan the broken Flashlight inside.
- The Eastern Rock Formation: Swim exactly 30 meters East from your Lifepod. You will come across a large, distinct rock formation with a hole sitting at the top. Swim through that top opening and look along the rocky lip of the cave. You will spot the second fragment tucked inside another half-buried metal box.
Crafting Your New Light Source
Once you complete the scan, the recipe unlocks at your Fabricator. Getting a steady supply of basic electronics is essential early on, and you will quickly realize how vital a proper headquarters is for mass production. Before you blow all your resources, be sure to read our breakdown on what to build first in your Subnautica 2 base so you do not hit a progression wall.
When you are ready to craft the Flashlight, gather these materials:
| Required Material | Quantity | How to Obtain It |
| Titanium | 2 | Picked up off the ocean floor or mined in the shallow starting caves. |
| Quartz | 1 | Found growing on the inside walls of glowing orange Coral Domes. |
| Basic Battery | 1 | Crafted using 2 Copper and 1 Acidic Raion Pouch. Use your Survival Multitool to harvest the pouch from the purple, brain-like plants in the shallows. |
How to Use It (And Why You Will Eventually Ditch It)
Using the Flashlight is simple. Just assign it to one of your quick slots and toggle it on. The beam is incredibly bright and cuts right through the murky deep. There is one major catch, though: you have to actively hold it. If you swap to your Scanner or your Survival Multitool, your character puts the Flashlight away and plunges you back into darkness.
Because of this limitation, the Flashlight is strictly an early-game survival tool. Inventory space is highly limited in Subnautica 2. Once you progress a bit further, you will unlock the Wakemaker and the Tadpole submarine. Both of these mobility upgrades feature built-in headlights that you can toggle on and off at will. Once you secure those vehicles, dump your handheld Flashlight in a storage locker to free up valuable pocket space.
