Subnautica 2 All Blackbox Locations: Story Progression & Signal Order
Complete Blackbox signal order and locations in Subnautica 2. Find every crashed colonist recording from Anita to Iso and progress through Chapter 1.
How Story Progression Works on Zezura
Subnautica 2 doesn’t hand you a quest log or paint markers on your HUD from the start. You’re stranded on an alien ocean planet with a busted lifepod and no instructions. The story unfolds through Blackbox recordings, scattered audio logs left behind by colonists who crashed before you did. Each one pulls you deeper into what happened on Zezura, and each one nudges you toward the next area you need to explore.
There are seven Blackboxes in Chapter 1, and they follow a loose sequence. You can stumble across some out of order, but the game is designed to guide you through them in a specific path. Miss one and you might spend hours swimming in circles wondering why nothing is happening.
Here’s every Blackbox location, the order you should find them, and what you need to reach each one.
First Things First: The Welcome Center
Before you chase Blackboxes, you need to reach the Welcome Center. It sits roughly 85-90 meters southeast of your Lifepod. Swim in that direction and look for a partially intact structure on the ocean floor. You need a Basic Battery to interact with the terminal inside, so craft one before heading out.
The Welcome Center introduces the NOA terminal system. NOA terminals drive mission progression throughout the game, and this first terminal sets up your objectives for Chapter 1. Once you’ve activated it, you’ll start receiving signals that point you toward the Blackbox locations.
Blackbox 1: Anita
Direction: Northeast of Lifepod
Anita’s Blackbox is the easiest to find. The signal leads you northeast from your starting position into shallow waters. You won’t need any special equipment or depth upgrades to reach it. The recording introduces the first colonist’s perspective on the crash and gives you early context about what went wrong with the colony ship.
Search the area thoroughly after grabbing the Blackbox. There are usually scannable fragments and materials worth picking up while you’re here.
Blackbox 2: Chap
Direction: South-southeast of Lifepod
Chap’s signal pulls you in the opposite direction from Anita. Head south-southeast and keep your eyes on the terrain. The depth here is still manageable with starting gear. Chap’s recording adds another layer to the crash story and starts hinting at disagreements among the survivors about what to do next.
The swim from your Lifepod isn’t short, so bring food and water. Running out of either mid-trip is a rookie mistake that’ll force a retreat.
Blackbox 3: Tuba
Direction: Camp One, approximately 240 meters northeast
Tuba’s Blackbox is located at Camp One, about 240 meters northeast of the Lifepod. This is your first real distance swim. Camp One is a makeshift survivor camp, so expect to find other useful items and scannable objects in the area.
The trip takes long enough that you should consider building a small forward base or at least dropping a beacon so you can find your way back. Getting lost in open water with no landmarks is one of the fastest ways to die in this game.
Blackbox 4: Quaker
Direction: Old Habitat, approximately 350 meters north
Quaker’s recording is at the Old Habitat, roughly 350 meters north. The habitat is a more established structure than Camp One. Whoever built it clearly survived longer than the others, and the recording reflects that. Quaker’s log contains some of the first real information about Zezura’s deeper zones and what the colonists found down there.
By this point, you should have better equipment. A Tadpole vehicle makes these longer trips much less painful. If you don’t have one yet, prioritize scanning for its blueprint fragments. Swimming 350 meters without a vehicle is a chore.
Blackbox 5: Wander
Direction: Colonist Bunker, approximately 280 meters southwest
Wander’s Blackbox is at the Colonist Bunker, about 280 meters southwest of the Lifepod. The bunker sits at a moderate depth and represents a shift in the story’s tone. Things start getting darker here. Wander’s recording deals with the realities of long-term survival on Zezura, and it’s clear not everyone handled the pressure well.
The Colonist Bunker itself is worth exploring thoroughly. There are blueprints and data entries scattered throughout the interior. Don’t just grab the Blackbox and leave.
Blackbox 6: Zip
Direction: Hot Caves, roughly 200-300 meters southwest of the Tadpole Pens
Requires: Heat Tolerance Adaptation, Tadpole vehicle, Rebreather
This is where the game puts a gate in front of you. Zip’s Blackbox is in the Hot Caves — an underground cave system at around 310 meters depth, accessible by descending through holes in the ocean floor in the area southwest of the Tadpole Pens.
You need the Heat Tolerance Adaptation before attempting this trip. You’ll also want a Tadpole vehicle for the long journey east and a Rebreather for the cave depths. The Blackbox sits on a giant tendril-like rock formation inside the cave.
The Hot Caves introduce new fauna and environmental hazards. Take your time here. The recording reveals significant information about what the colonists were doing, and the keycode found nearby unlocks the locked door inside the Tadpole Pens.
Blackbox 7: Iso
Direction: Alien Ruins
The final Chapter 1 Blackbox belongs to Iso, and it’s located in the Alien Ruins biome. This is late-game Chapter 1 content, so you’ll need solid equipment and the confidence to explore a mid-depth biome with moderate danger.
The Alien Ruins themselves are a separate experience worth their own guide. For now, know that Iso’s Blackbox is deeper inside the ruins, not at the entrance. You’ll need to navigate through alien architecture and past some unfriendly creatures to reach it. The recording ties together threads from all six previous Blackboxes and sets up whatever comes next in Chapter 2.
Tips for Blackbox Hunting
Bring beacons. Drop one at each Blackbox location so you can return later. Some areas have resources and blueprints you might miss on your first visit.
Follow the NOA terminal. After each Blackbox, check back with any NOA terminal for new objectives. The terminal system tracks your progression and often unlocks new crafting recipes or signals after you find a recording.
Don’t rush the order. You can technically swim to later Blackbox locations early, but without the right equipment, you’ll either die or miss context that makes the recordings meaningful. The story builds on itself. Anita’s recording means more when you’ve heard the others, and Iso’s hits different when you know everyone’s perspective.
Co-op makes it easier. With up to four players in co-op, you can split up exploration duties. One player grabs the Blackbox while another scans the surrounding area. Just make sure everyone is on the same page about where to meet up afterward, because respawning at the Lifepod while your partner is 600 meters east is awkward.
What Comes After Chapter 1
Chapter 1 contains roughly 8-10 hours of story content, and all seven Blackboxes fall within that window. The game launched in Early Access on May 14, 2026, with Chapters 1 through 3 available. Additional chapters are expected as development continues toward the planned 10-chapter arc.
Once you’ve found all seven Blackboxes and completed the associated NOA terminal missions, you’re free to explore, build, and survive without story gates. But the world keeps going. There are biomes to discover, creatures to catalog, and a base to expand long after the last recording plays.