Subnautica and its sequel, Below Zero, have taken the survival genre of video games and added a unique twist. Players must survive almost solely underwater (and on an alien planet, too). Survival mechanics include rationing oxygen, dealing with dangerous fauna, and finding enough resources to survive, but that’s not all.
There’s one more thing players will have to contend with on planet 4546b: temperature. Or rather, players must contend with heat as not even the oceans are immune from deadly temperatures. But many an area players must traverse play host these extreme heats, so here are several tips on how to survive hot temperatures.
5 Suit Up(grades)
While players start out with a normal wetsuit, both Subnautica and Below Zero offer two variants to help players traverse through dangerous climates. One suit is unique to each game – the Radiation Suit for Subnautica and Cold Suit for Below Zero, respectively. One other suit is universal: the Reinforced Dive Suit.
This upgraded wetsuit halves the damage normally taken from hostile fauna and provides a slight increase in protection against extreme heat. This allows players to survive up to 70C (158F) – a decent increase from the base 50C (122F). Of course, players won’t start out with the blueprints for this specialized suit, so they’ll need to scout them out.
For Subnautica players, fragments of the suit will be located in the Dunes, Bulb Zone, and Sparse Reef. For those seeking the easiest access to the suit, the lattermost region hosts the least hostile fauna. In Below Zero, these fragments can be found scattered about the bow of the Mercury II wreckage located in the Lilypad Islands. Fortunately, between both games, the ingredients needed to make the suit are the same: Synthetic Fibers, two Diamonds, and two chunks of Titanium.
4 Get A Good Cyclops
While the Reinforced Dive Suit does provide extra protection against heat, it won’t be enough for the hottest regions of the games (more so in Subnautica than Below Zero). These boiling waters are also located in the deepest depths of the world – well beyond the reach of any oxygen tank upgrades – so one alternative remains: vehicles.
All vehicles have a natural resistance to these extreme temperatures unless making direct contact with the source of said heat (lava, usually). So, one of the best vehicles to have when traversing these extreme heats is the Cyclops.
This submarine is the biggest vehicle in Subnautica, and when fully upgraded, can travel depths up to 1700m, act as a mobile home base, and even convert the deadly heats to power itself. In order to gain access to this amazing machine, though, players will have to seek out and scan three types of fragments: the hull, engine, and bridge.
These pieces are located throughout various parts of the map – some in safer biomes and others in dangerous biomes. Once collected, the materials needed to build this ship are three Plasteel Ingots, three Enameled Glasses, Lubricant, Advanced Wiring, and three chunks of Lead.
3 A Seatruck Works, Too
But for those playing Below Zero, there is no Cyclops submarine available. How, then, are they to navigate the depths or these heated temperatures? Worry not as replacing the Cyclops (and Seamoth, to an extent) is the trusty Seatruck. When upgraded, it can withstand depths of 1000 meters which, while nowhere as deep as a Cyclops, is plenty deep for the shallower arctic biomes. And, of course, it provides natural protection from those deadly temperatures.
Fortunately for players, it’s much easier to find all the fragments for the Seatruck (barring extra modules) as they will be generously scattered about the Twisty Bridges, Purple Vents, and Thermal Spires biomes. Further luckily, all of these biomes are shallow, early-game areas. Likewise, it also requires less advanced resources to build, taking only a Titanium Ingot, Advanced Wiring, two pieces of Glass, three chunks of Lead, and a Power Cell to craft.
2 Prawn Suits Are Even Better
But even better than the Cyclops or Seatruck is the Prawn Suit – the only major vehicle to carry over into both games. While still offering the usual protection against the deadly heat, this mecha-like vehicle is capable of traversing even greater depths than either former transportation method. Being exosuit-shaped, it makes it far easier to navigate the more precarious and narrow areas of dangerous biomes, as well as gathering the rare materials found there.
As with most vehicles, players will need to unlock its use by scanning fragments scattered about the map. For Subnautica, the greatest source of these fragments lays in the Prawn Bay of the Aurora. For Below Zero, the Koppa Mining Site or Outpost Zero are the best locations. However, the materials needed to actually craft the suit changes between games.
Subnautica’s Prawn Suit requires two Plasteel Ingots, two Aerogels, Enameled Glass, two Diamonds, and two Lead. Below Zero only requires a Computer Chip, Plasteel Ingot, Enameled Glass, and Power Cell. Even the suit’s crush depth between games changed as the max upgrade in Subnautica goes to 1700 meters while it is only 1100 for Below Zero. Either way though, it’s among the best, most useful vehicles when facing dangerous heat.
1 Stock Up On Healing Items
The last way to deal with heat? Simply grin and bear it. Even with a Reinforced Dive Suit and maxed-out vehicles, there will always be that brief moment where the game will force players out of their protection and into deadly temperatures. You might have to avoid predators, collect resources, or simply complete a plotline. The best thing to do is keep exposure time as short as possible to keep damage to a minimum.
Given the high chance of fiery pain, there’s one last remedy that can save players’ skins: medkits. These green little lifesavers are scattered about wreckages on the map and can be crafted by hand or automatically by players. These first aids can heal up to 50 damage which can easily combat the 1 to 2 points of usual heat damage. They can even save a player’s life should they accidentally dunk themselves in lava.
Below Zero players also have the Shrub Nut introduced which, alongside the usual food and water benefits, also heals for 10 damage. It’s no medkit and takes up four spaces of inventory, but if players find themselves in a hot pinch with no other healing, it can save them. So have fun and happy diving.
