If there is one tool you should prioritize almost immediately in Subnautica 2, it is the Scanner. Anyone familiar with previous Subnautica games already knows just how important this tool becomes. The Scanner is essentially your gateway to progression because it allows you to unlock blueprints, study creatures, analyze technology, and discover entirely new crafting options throughout the world.
Without it, you are basically stuck surviving with only the most basic equipment.
The good news is that the Scanner can be crafted very early in the game. The bad news is that newer players sometimes struggle finding the materials because the game does not always clearly explain where everything is located.
Thankfully, once you know what to look for, getting a Scanner is actually fairly straightforward.
Scanner Crafting Requirements
To craft the Scanner, you will need:
- Titanium
- Quartz
- Basic Battery
The Basic Battery itself requires additional materials, so you will also need:
- Copper
- Acidic Raion Pouch
Most of these materials can be found fairly close to the starting Lifepod, meaning you do not need to travel into dangerous areas right away.
Where to Find Titanium
Titanium is usually the very first material players collect in Subnautica 2.
You can find it scattered all over the seafloor around the Lifepod area, often sitting openly on rocks or mixed in with other debris. It is extremely common, so you should grab as much as possible whenever you see it.
Even though the Scanner only needs a small amount of Titanium, the material is used in countless recipes later on, including tools, storage, and base construction.
There are also larger chunks of Titanium in some areas that can yield multiple pieces when broken apart, making resource gathering even easier.
If you are just starting the game, a good habit is to constantly collect Titanium while exploring nearby areas instead of only taking what you immediately need.
Where to Find Quartz
Quartz is slightly more annoying to locate early on, but once you understand its spawning pattern it becomes much easier to farm.
The best place to search is around Coral Domes near the starting biome.
These are large orange coral formations that sit across the seafloor. Some of them can be entered from underneath, and that is where the valuable Quartz usually grows.
When you swim inside a Coral Dome, look carefully along the inner walls and ceilings. Quartz deposits commonly appear attached to the pearlescent surfaces inside.
Many new players waste time searching random caves for tiny Quartz deposits when the Coral Domes are honestly far more reliable.
You will need plenty of Quartz later for crafting Glass and base equipment, so gathering extra while you are already out searching is highly recommended.
How to Make the Basic Battery
The final major requirement for the Scanner is the Basic Battery.
Sometimes you may find batteries through exploration, containers, or abandoned structures, but early on you will most likely need to craft one yourself.
To do that, you need:
- Copper
- Acidic Raion Pouch
This is usually the step where newer players get slowed down the most.
Where to Find Copper
Copper can be frustrating at first because it is not always sitting openly on the seafloor like Titanium.
Instead, you should search around cave ceilings, rocky overhangs, and stone archways near the Lifepod region.
Small cave systems around the starter biome often contain several Copper deposits if you explore carefully.
Since your oxygen supply is still limited early in the game, try to make quick trips into caves rather than fully exploring every tunnel system immediately.
You only need a small amount of Copper for your first Battery, but Copper becomes another extremely important long-term crafting material later in the game.
How to Get the Acidic Raion Pouch
Before collecting this material, you first need to craft the Survival Multitool.
Thankfully, the Multitool is very easy to craft because it only requires Titanium.
Once you have the Multitool equipped, head back underwater and search for a plant with a bright pink outer appearance and a green center.
The green center is called the Medical Gel Sac, which can be harvested separately for healing-related crafting later on.
However, for the Scanner Battery, you are actually interested in the pink material attached to the sides of the plant. This is the Acidic Raion Pouch.
Use the Multitool on the pouch to harvest it.
One important thing to watch out for is the toxic gas released when interacting with the plant. After harvesting, quickly swim backward or move away to avoid taking unnecessary damage.
It is not usually lethal, but it can catch newer players off guard if they linger too close.
Crafting the Scanner
Once you finally have:
- Titanium
- Quartz
- Basic Battery
Return to your Lifepod Fabricator and craft the Scanner.
At this point, the game really starts opening up.
What the Scanner Is Used For
The Scanner is one of the most important progression tools in the entire game.
You should get into the habit of scanning almost everything new you encounter, including:
- Creatures
- Plants
- Fragments
- Technology
- Base parts
- Equipment
Many blueprints in Subnautica 2 are unlocked only through scanning fragments found around the world.
For example, you will eventually need to scan Habitat Builder fragments multiple times before gaining access to full construction features.
The Scanner also helps flesh out the game world with lore entries, biological data, and useful survival information.
In many ways, the Scanner is what transforms Subnautica 2 from a simple survival game into a true exploration experience.
The Scanner is easily one of the first major milestones in Subnautica 2. While gathering the materials may feel slightly overwhelming during your first hour or two, everything required can be found fairly close to the Lifepod with a bit of exploration.
Once crafted, the Scanner becomes one of the most valuable tools you will carry for the entire game. Nearly every major progression system ties back to scanning in some way, so getting it early saves a huge amount of time later on.
If you are unsure what to do next after crafting it, the answer is simple: start scanning absolutely everything you can find.