Salt isn’t exactly an obvious item in Subnautica 2. It’s not always needed, but without it, you can’t craft spare batteries for the Tadpole or make jerky. Jerky, by the way, doesn’t spoil—it’s the perfect snack for long expeditions. The problem: salt is scarce at the very beginning of the game. But there is a solution.
Table of Contents
Where can I find salt at the beginning of Subnautica 2?
Look around the escape pod—there’s almost nothing there. Activate the Chep’s black box signal and swim toward it. When you pass the waypoint, look down. Directly below you are a salt deposit. But the best pieces lie a little deeper, at the edge of the plateau. Descend to about 115 meters. The landmark is 300 meters southeast of the pod. The salt there is coarse, so take plenty.
Why do I need salt and craft items for the Tadpole?
The main thing is power cells for the Tadpole. Always have a spare battery in your pocket. Imagine: you’ve sailed far, your battery dies—and that’s it, you’re out of luck. Second most important is dried meat. Regular fried fish spoils, but dried fish stays in your inventory forever. It’s a real lifesaver on long expeditions.
The Best Salt Farming Routes in Subnautica 2
Aimlessly scouring the seafloor in hopes of filling your inventory is the worst possible tactic. In Subnautica 2, this resource generates in dense clusters strictly tied to specific geological formations. If you manage your logistics well and run through three points, you can easily snag 30-35 units in just one run (without logging extra kilometers).
Early-game salt farming without heat adaptation
The start of the game dictates its own rules. From the escape pod, take a bearing of 165° (due south-southeast). Swim for approximately 500-530 meters, gradually descending to a depth of ~70 meters. Our goal is to find an excellent landmark: thin rock needles that occasionally break the surface of the water. This is the so-called “coral crab graveyard.” The dead biome is dotted with whitish shells embedded in the sand. 5 to 10 salt deposits will spawn generously right on these. Tools are not needed here; we gather everything with our bare hands. There are no thermal zones nearby, so adaptation to extreme temperatures is not required.
Grinding salt in thermal zones and caves
Once you’ve upgraded your defenses, you’ll gain access to the most valuable spot. Start from the outpost where the Chepa black box is located. We’re heading northeast along the chain of Coral Domes. Crystals are generated at the very base of the structures, right under the feet of wandering Coral Crabs. Did you collect any small change? Great, we’re continuing on to the volcanic zone (approximately 420 meters southeast of the capsule). The density of large deposits is highest in the caves of the thermal region. Here, we’ll take out the Sonic Resonator. This gadget breaks off 4-5 units with a single hit.
Searching for salt using the Scanning Station and beacons
You can constantly craft manual beacons, but automated beacons are much more efficient. The blueprints for the Scanning Station are located in Camp One. The distance is 240-267 meters north-northeast of the launch capsule (exactly 60° on the compass). Look for a sloping corridor inside the base itself.
The system works simply. Launch the terminal and select Salt from the list. Dots, divided into three rings of 100 meters each, instantly flash on the radial map. Select the closest one, get a green marker on the screen, and sail away to loot. An important caveat is that the radar only tracks one type of material at a time. When switching, old markers are completely erased. And don’t even try to connect multiple such rooms to the same network. Each Station consumes 10 energy/sec, so your solar-powered base will shut down instantly.
Finally, a couple of less obvious tricks for hardcore players. First, farm at night—the pale pink crystals glow beautifully in the dark, making them much harder to spot during the day. Second, salt and quartz often generate in the same rocky areas. Combine these materials in one run to avoid running across empty seabeds twice.
Where can I get salt later in the game?
When you reach the second part of the campaign (early access, but the concept is the same), you’ll need salt again—especially if you want to dry meat for future use. The best place is near the Rosetta Stone. Swim about 250 meters southwest of the Ancient Ruins Research Center. There are huge deposits there. Hit them with the Sonic Resonator—each piece drops about five units of salt. A pretty good return on investment, by the way.
Related: Gold — All Farming Locations & Routes.
