Subnautica 2 Guide: How to Increase Oxygen
Stop Drowning and Start Exploring With These Essential Early-Game Oxygen Upgrades
Quick Answer: To stop drowning in the early game, prioritize crafting an Air Bladder and a Standard Air Tank immediately. Use naturally growing Oxygen Tunics to refill your lungs on the go, and eventually build vehicles or mini-bases to act as mobile breathing stations in the deep.
Drowning is practically a rite of passage when you first crash-land on Zazura. Your starter lung capacity is painfully small, making every deep dive a stressful race against the clock. If you want to actually explore submerged ruins or scan new fragments without blacking out, you need to upgrade your oxygen management immediately.
Fortunately, there are several ways to boost your air supply, improve your breathing efficiency, and secure safe havens deep underwater.
The Best Early Game Survival Gear
Do not waste time swimming around aimlessly. Your very first goal is to craft two specific pieces of equipment at your Lifepod Fabricator.
| Equipment | Primary Benefit | Sourcing the Materials |
| Air Bladder | Gives an instant 25 oxygen refill on demand. | Grab surface Titanium. Craft Rubber from the orange glowing Lucifer Rotsac plants. |
| Standard Air Tank | Permanently increases your max oxygen capacity by 30. | Mine Silver from the deep caves located 150 to 200 meters North of your Lifepod. |
| Basic Fins | Increases swim speed, reducing the time spent traveling between air sources. | Crafted from Fiber. |
The Air Bladder is incredibly cheap to make, so feel free to craft multiple if you plan on doing some risky dives. Every time you surface, your Air Bladder automatically refills.
Save absolutely every piece of Silver you find for that Standard Air Tank. Do not waste it on electronics until your tank is fully built. If you are struggling to track down enough silver in the dark, you need to read our Subnautica 2 Guide: How to Unlock and Build the Scanner Station to pinpoint exact ore locations directly on your HUD.
Using the Environment and Biomods
You do not always have to swim all the way back to the surface to catch your breath. Keep an eye out for Oxygen Tunics. These are distinct, bulbous blue plants scattered across the ocean floor that constantly emit a stream of bubbles. Swimming through these bubbles instantly refills both your lung capacity and your empty Air Bladders.
You can also alter your actual DNA to breathe better.
- Craft a Basic Battery.
- Swim 85 meters Southeast of your Lifepod to find the sunken Welcome Center.
- Insert your battery into the wall terminal next to the NOA to restore power to the facility.
- Access the Biolab inside to activate Biomods.
The absolute best early choice is the Oxygen Control Biomod. This passive upgrade heavily slows down your oxygen consumption whenever you stop moving. It is a massive lifesaver when you need to sit still and scan fragments, manage your inventory, or build base pieces underwater. While you are at the Biolab, grab the Dash and Sea Skimmer Biomods to move faster and save even more air.
Mid-Game Air Solutions: Vehicles and Outposts
Eventually, you will need to explore biomes where swimming to the surface is physically impossible.
Once you build the Tadpole vehicle, oxygen becomes much less of a headache. Your air supply never depletes while sitting in the pilot seat. You can park your Tadpole right outside a massive wreck, swim inside to grab loot, and rush back to the cockpit to refill your lungs whenever you run low.
You can pull off a similar trick using basic base building.
- Equip your Habitat Builder.
- Construct a single standard room.
- Attach a hatch.
- Slap on a Solar Panel for power.
- Drop a Beacon outside so you can find it later.
This tiny, barebones structure functions as a permanent, deep-sea oxygen refill station. You do not even need to build furniture inside. Just step through the hatch to breathe.
Avoid These Beginner Mistakes
As you push deeper into the ocean, keep these survival tips in mind to avoid losing your hard-earned loot:
- Do not get lost in wrecks: Big underwater structures are death traps. Before you dive deep into a wreck, spend your first trip scouting for an exit or a hidden air pocket inside a partially submerged room.
- Plan your dives around flora: Never dive into a deep cave system unless you spot the glowing blue light of an Oxygen Tunic near the entrance.
- Do not panic if you die: Suffocating is annoying, but it is not the end of the world. You drop some materials when you black out, but you can always swim back to your death location and scoop them right back up. Stay calm and just keep swimming.
