Subnautica — Achievement Walkthrough

Just open the hatch and dive. The tutorial gives you fins and oxygen — swim out and the achievement pops. This is the easiest achievement in the game; if you don't get it, you literally haven't started playing.

Don't go far on this first dive — stay near the Lifepod until you've made a Knife and Repair Tool. Reapers and Bone Sharks are scary early game.

Once you've found Titanium and the Habitat Builder fragment, deploy any compartment (Multipurpose Room, Corridor, etc.). The achievement pops the moment a compartment finishes building.

Build somewhere accessible — Safe Shallows is ideal early. Avoid building too deep until you have Reinforcements; pressure damages compartments below their rated depth.

## Pre-reqs
- Mobile Vehicle Bay (fragments in Safe Shallows / Kelp Forest)
- Seamoth fragments (scan 3 sets, Safe Shallows + Kelp Forest)
- Resources: Titanium Ingot, Power Cell, Lubricant, Lead

Deploy the Vehicle Bay, place a Seamoth blueprint, walk away. The Seamoth spawns under it. Achievement pops on completion.

Upgrade depth modules ASAP — base Seamoth crushes at 200m.

The Quarantine Enforcement Platform (alien gun) is on the largest mountain island, north of the spawn. Drive your Seamoth to the surface, dock, and walk up the cliff path.

You can technically reach it within an hour of starting, but the story makes more sense if you've found the Sunbeam radio transmission first — that broadcast triggers a key cutscene at the gun. Achievement pops on first interaction with the platform's main console.

The Floating Islands are massive land features SW of the spawn. Their location isn't on the map — you have to find them by exploring or by tracking down PDA hints.

Once there, find the abandoned base (Degasi's first hideout). Approach the main building and your PDA will register the find. The Degasi storyline is one of Subnautica's strongest side-narratives; read every PDA log here.

## Pre-reqs
- Radiation Suit (PDA scan after the explosion)
- Laser Cutter (needs Diamond + Magnetite)
- Repair Tool fully built
- Propulsion Cannon for clearing debris

## At the reactor
Enter the Aurora through the ramp opened by Cyclops or by going around to the rear damaged section. Cut sealed doors with the Laser Cutter. Inside the reactor room, six damaged rods need repair — Repair Tool on each. Achievement pops after the sixth.

Fastest path: explore the Aurora once with full kit; you'll grab Mongolian and the PRAWN suit bay schematics on the same trip.

## Pre-reqs
- Three Cyclops fragment groups: Hull, Bridge, Engine (Aurora wreckage, Sea Treaders, Mushroom Forest)
- Resources: 3 Plasteel Ingots, 3 Enameled Glass, 3 Lead, 1 Advanced Wiring Kit, 1 Lubricant

Deploy in the Mobile Vehicle Bay; the Cyclops is massive so make sure you're in open water. Achievement pops on completion.

The Cyclops is your mobile base — eventually you'll dock the PRAWN inside and live out of it. Build it before the late-game deep dive sections.

Jellyshroom Caves are bioluminescent caverns ~200-300m below the Floating Islands. You'll need oxygen tanks (3+) and a Seamoth to navigate safely.

The Degasi base is a small habitat tucked into one of the larger jellyshroom caverns. Crab Snakes ambush from inside the giant mushrooms — keep distance until you've cleared them. PDA logs here advance the Degasi story significantly.

## Pre-reqs
- PRAWN Suit fragments (Aurora wreckage interior, Mountain Island wreckage)
- Resources: Plasteel Ingot, Enameled Glass, Diamonds, Lead

Deploy in the Mobile Vehicle Bay. PRAWN is invaluable for the late game — it walks on the seafloor, mines resources, and survives the deepest biomes. Add the Drill Arm + Grappling Arm as soon as possible.

Don't skip building this just because the Cyclops is bigger; the PRAWN reaches places the sub can't.

The Lost River is a Mariana-Trench-style biome accessed through the Blood Kelp Trench or the Grand Reef. Bring a Seamoth (with depth upgrades) or Cyclops; the entrance is around 500-700m down.

Follow the green glowing water flows; they branch through canyons leading to the Disease Research Facility. Watch for Ghost Leviathans — large, slow, but deadly. Hug walls and use the Seamoth's perimeter defense to escape if grabbed.

Deep Grand Reef is ~500m down in the Grand Reef biome, southwest of spawn. You'll need a Seamoth with depth modules (or a Cyclops) and a Stasis Rifle for the resident Ghost Leviathan.

The final Degasi base is on a cliff face. PDA logs here conclude the Degasi storyline — the family's fate is grim. The 'Seamonsters' name comes from what they were running from.

## Getting there
You'll need:
- PRAWN Suit (with Drill + Grappling Arm)
- Cyclops with depth modules (down to 1700m)
- High temperature insulation

## The path
From the Lost River, descend through the Bone Fields, then into the Lava Castle area. The Primary Containment Facility is the colossal alien structure at ~1400m surrounded by Sea Dragons.

Dodge Sea Dragons (the lava biome leviathans) by sticking close to walls and using the PRAWN's grapple to move erratically. Achievement pops on first entry.

Story-tied achievement. After reaching the Primary Containment Facility and getting the Enzyme 42 quest, the game directs you to a portal that leads to the Prison.

The Prison itself isn't a separate biome you swim to — you teleport in via a Precursor Warp Gate. Once inside, follow the story prompts. This is the final dungeon; achievement pops on first arrival.

Endgame achievement. Once you've reached the Prison Facility and completed the Enzyme 42 hatching sequence, you'll synthesize the cure. Use it on yourself via the dispenser.

This is one of the final story beats before the rocket launch. The achievement pops the moment your character self-administers the cure.

The Time Capsule schematic unlocks late game (around the time you build the rocket). Build it at a Habitat Builder, fill it with items + a message + a photo, then deploy from any base.

Once deployed, your capsule becomes available to other players in their playthroughs as a found item. Wholesome community feature; achievement pops on deploy.

## Final stretch
After curing the infection, the rocket platform schematic unlocks. Build:
- Rocket Base Platform (Titanium + Plasteel)
- Rocket Boosters (Plasteel + Lead)
- Fuel + Cargo modules

## The launch
Climb the rocket ladder, sit in the seat, hit launch. A 60-second cinematic plays before liftoff.

Bring the Time Capsule to deploy first (see 'Leave Only Time Capsules') — once you launch, you can't go back to deploy it.

Cutefish eggs are rare. They spawn in specific Lost River locations — usually near Disease Research labs in cave clusters. Pick up an egg, return to base, place in an Alien Containment tank.

Wait several in-game days for it to hatch. The hatched Cutefish follows you around like a pet — purely cosmetic but adorable. Achievement pops on hatch.

Alien Containment requires multiple multipurpose rooms stacked; if your base is too cramped, the egg won't hatch. Build a dedicated aquarium stack.