Subnautica 2 Rare Materials Farming Guide: Lithium, Diamond & Magnetite

Late-Game Materials That Gate Your Progress

The first half of Subnautica 2 runs on Titanium, Copper, and Silver. The second half runs on materials most players don’t even know exist until they need them. Lithium, Troilite, Atacamite, Celestine, and Conduit Crystal — these are the rare resources that unlock depth modules, advanced vehicles, and endgame base structures.

Finding them requires real exploration. Some need specific tools. One might be finite. Here’s everything you need to know.

Lithium

Why You Need It

Lithium refines into Plasteel Ingot (Lithium + Titanium Ingot at the Processor), which is the primary material for depth modules and heavy-duty base structures. If you want to go deeper than 300 meters, you need Lithium.

Where to Find Lithium

Location 1: Coral Arch Caves (500m East of Lifepod)

Swim east from the Lifepod for approximately 500 meters. You’ll reach large coral arch formations rising from the seafloor. The caves underneath these arches contain Lithium deposits.

Lithium appears as dark crystalline formations on cave walls. They’re distinctly different from the brownish copper or silvery silver nodes — these are darker, almost black with a crystalline structure.

Location 2: Great Jaw Interior (300m South-Southwest of Lifepod)

The Great Jaw — yes, the Leviathan — has Lithium deposits growing on its inner walls. Purple glowing crystals on the side walls of the shell.

This is a dangerous harvest. The Great Jaw is a trap predator with internal tripwires. Touch one tendon and its eyes open. Touch a second while it can see you and the shell snaps shut. If you want Lithium from here:

1. Approach from above — stay out of the Great Jaw’s forward field of vision.
2. Touch only one tendon at a time.
3. Harvest the purple crystals quickly.
4. Exit before you trigger the snap.

The coral arch caves are safer. But the Great Jaw deposits are closer to the Lifepod if you’re confident in your Leviathan survival skills.

Lithium Crafting Uses

Item	Recipe	Station
Plasteel Ingot	1 Lithium + 1 Titanium Ingot	Processor
Depth Module Mk. 1	Plasteel Ingot + other materials	Modification Station
Advanced base structures	varies	Habitat Builder

Troilite

Why You Need It

Troilite is required for the Mangalloy Ingot (1 Titanium Ingot + 1 Atacamite + 1 Troilite), which is the endgame alloy used for Metal Farms and the Tadpole Depth Module Mk. 2.

Where to Find Troilite

Location: Karakorum Metal Farms (Far Northeast)

Troilite is found at the Karakorum Metal Farm site, roughly 700 meters east-southeast of the Alien Base in the far northeast of the map. This is deep territory — you need a Tadpole submersible with the Depth Module Mk. 1 installed (450-meter depth capacity) to reach it.

Once you arrive, you’ll need to exit the Tadpole and swim the final stretch manually. Look for a glowing pool surrounded by organic growths. The ore nodes around this pool have a deep green hue — these are Troilite deposits.

How to mine: Use the Sonic Resonator on Mineralized Clinkers near the pool. Regular hand-harvesting doesn’t work on these formations.

The Finite Resource Warning

Troilite appears to be a finite resource in the current build. Unlike copper and silver, which respawn, Troilite deposits may not regenerate. Spend it wisely. Prioritize:

1. Mangalloy Ingot for your first Metal Farm
2. Tadpole Depth Module Mk. 2 for deeper exploration
3. Additional Mangalloy Ingots only after confirming your supply

Troilite Crafting Uses

Item	Recipe	Station
Mangalloy Ingot	1 Titanium Ingot + 1 Atacamite + 1 Troilite	Processor
Tadpole Depth Module Mk. 2	2 Dedicated Core + 2 Troilite + 2 Mangalloy Ingot	Modification Station

Atacamite

Why You Need It

The other component of Mangalloy Ingot. Without Atacamite, your Troilite is useless.

Where to Find Atacamite

Location: Alien Base Seabed (Far East)

Atacamite appears as obsidian-black deposits on the seafloor around far-east alien structures. Swim along the seabed near the Alien Base and you’ll spot them — dark, angular formations that stand out against the lighter ocean floor.

These are in the same general region as the alien power plants and observatories that contain Conduit Crystals, so you can farm both on the same trip.

How to mine: Can be broken from the seafloor by hand, though a Sonic Resonator speeds up collection on larger deposits.

Atacamite Crafting Uses

Item	Recipe	Station
Mangalloy Ingot	1 Titanium Ingot + 1 Atacamite + 1 Troilite	Processor

Conduit Crystal

Why You Need It

Three Conduit Crystals are required for the Bioscanner upgrade, which is the key to unlocking DNA biomods. You also need them for advanced battery variants.

Where to Find Conduit Crystals

Location: Far-East Alien Power Plants and Observatories

Conduit Crystals grow near alien power infrastructure in the far eastern portion of the map. Look for alien structures with active energy signatures — power plants, observatories, and research facilities.

The crystals are distinctive and hard to miss once you’re in the right area. They emit a visible glow.

Conduit Crystal Crafting Uses

Item	Recipe	Station
Bioscanner	1 Scanner + 2 Enameled Glass + 3 Conduit Crystals	Modification Station
Advanced Battery variants	varies	Fabricator

Celestine

Why You Need It

Celestine refines into Strontium at the Processor, which feeds into late-game electronics and base systems.

Where to Find Celestine

Location: Near Alien Power Plants and Observatories

Same general area as Conduit Crystals. Celestine deposits appear near alien power plants and observatories in the far east. Check the surrounding seabed and cave walls.

Celestine Crafting Uses

Item	Recipe	Station
Strontium	1 Celestine	Processor
Late-game electronics	varies	Fabricator

The Rare Materials Farming Route

Here’s an efficient path for collecting multiple rare materials in a single expedition:

Prerequisites

• Tadpole submersible with Depth Module Mk. 1
• Sonic Resonator
• Heat Tolerance adaptation
• Full health and extra batteries (3-4 Basic Batteries minimum)
• Standard Air Tank or better
• Beacons for marking locations

The Route

Step 1: Lithium Run

1. Swim east 500m to the coral arch caves.
2. Harvest Lithium from cave walls.
3. Craft Plasteel Ingot at your base.
4. Build Depth Module Mk. 1 for the Tadpole.

Step 2: Alien Base Sweep

1. Take the Tadpole east to the alien structures.
2. Collect Conduit Crystals near power plants.
3. Grab Celestine from the seabed nearby.
4. Collect Atacamite (obsidian-black deposits on the seafloor).

Step 3: Karakorum Metal Farm

1. Continue east-southeast to the Karakorum Metal Farm area.
2. Exit Tadpole and swim to the glowing pool.
3. Use Sonic Resonator on Mineralized Clinkers for Troilite.
4. Collect Axum Bacterial Culture from the organic growths in the pool (needed for your own Metal Farms).

Step 4: Return and Craft

1. Processor: Mangalloy Ingot (Titanium Ingot + Atacamite + Troilite)
2. Modification Station: Bioscanner (Scanner + 2 Enameled Glass + 3 Conduit Crystal)
3. Habitat Builder: Metal Farm (Mangalloy Alloy + Axum Bacterial Culture)

Metal Farm Setup

Once you have a Metal Farm built, you can grow renewable supplies of many resources:

Supported ores: Titanium, Quartz, Lithium, Silver, Atacamite, Celestine, and others.

Setup requirements:

• Place in your base (Habitat Builder, Cultivation tab)
• Supply 20 energy per farm
• Insert a seed ore
• Wait for the node to grow
• Blast with Sonic Resonator to harvest

Build 3-4 Metal Farms and seed each with a different material. Power them with Hydroelectric Turbines or Thermal Plants (which you can now build with Gold). Within a few growth cycles, your resource problems are over.

The exception is Troilite. Whether it can be grown in a Metal Farm is unconfirmed in the current build. Treat your natural Troilite supply as limited until proven otherwise.