Subnautica 2 Guide: How to Get a Flashlight Fast
Staring into pitch-black underwater caves hoping you don't swim straight into a predator's mouth is a terrible survival strategy.
When the sun goes down on Proteus, you are completely blind. You can't see the titanium right in front of your face, and you definitely can't spot the hostile fish circling you. You desperately need a Flashlight, but the game doesn't just hand you one. You have to swim out and scan two broken fragments before the recipe even shows up in your fabricator. Luckily, the developers took pity on us, and both fragments sit right outside your Lifepod.
Finding the Flashlight Fragments
You need your scanner equipped for this. If you don't have one yet, stop everything and craft it first.
Fragment 1: The Lifepod Cave
You barely have to swim for the first piece. Stand on top of your Lifepod and look straight down into the water. You'll see a massive hole leading straight into a cave formation. Dive down to the very bottom near the glowing pink Acid Raion plants. Look for an open metal supply crate sitting on the cave floor. The first Flashlight fragment is resting right inside it.
Fragment 2: The Eastern Rock Formation
For the second piece, hop back up to the surface near your Lifepod ladder and face due east. About 30 meters away, you will see a large rocky outcrop breaking the surface of the water with three crates sitting on top of it. Swim over to that rock, but don't climb up. Look for the hole right next to the rock that leads deeper underground. Dive into that opening, and you will spot another supply crate sitting on a ledge. Scan the broken Flashlight inside to complete your blueprint.
Crafting Your Light Source
Once your PDA confirms you have the complete blueprint, head back inside your Lifepod. The recipe will now be active in your Fabricator.
You need a few basic materials to put it together, but the battery requires a tiny bit of actual foraging.
If you are struggling to find the Acidic Raion Pouch, look for those bright pink, brain-like sacks in the shallow caves. You have to hit them with your Survival Multitool to actually harvest the pouch.
Using the Flashlight
This tool takes up one of your active quick slots. Once you equip it, you can toggle the beam on and off using your hotkeys.
There is a major catch, though. The Flashlight only stays on while you are actively holding it. If you swap to your scanner to log a new fish or pull out your multitool to harvest some plants, the light instantly shuts off. It is incredibly annoying to juggle tools in the dark, but it's a necessary evil during your first few hours.
Eventually, you will outgrow this tool entirely. Once you unlock and craft the Wakemaker for faster swimming, you will get a built-in headlight that stays on regardless of what you are holding. Until then, keep your batteries charged and don't stray too far from the Lifepod at night.
Still struggling to survive on Proteus? Check out my complete Subnautica 2 Guide Hubfor base building tips, resource maps, and more.
