Subnautica 2 Guide: How to Release the Lifepod Clamps
Getting trapped in a sinking metal tube is a miserable way to start your underwater adventure.
The game drops you into a destroyed station and expects you to intuitively know how to detach your escape vessel. It tells you to release the clamps but conveniently forgets to point them out. Before you suffocate trying to map out the exterior hull, I'll walk you through exactly how to detach the vessel and reach the surface.
Finding the Release Levers
You need to physically leave the safety of the pod to do this. Swim out the main entrance and immediately paddle around to the back of the hull.
You're looking for two specific levers marked by glowing red and orange lights. Swim right up to them and hit your interact button (A on an Xbox controller or X on PlayStation) to pull each one. Once you release both mechanisms, the indicator lights surrounding the pod shift to a calm blue. A small exterior hatch will also open, revealing a window into the interior.
The Oxygen Trap
This is where a simple task turns fatal. Your starting oxygen capacity is terrible, and your default swimming speed is agonizingly slow.
Don't start exploring the immediate area around the crashed station. There are no hidden resources or rare materials out there right now. If you try to scavenge, your air will run out and put you six feet under before the game even truly begins. Pull the levers and get back inside immediately. Once you secure a safe foothold later, you can read my Subnautica 2 Inventory Size guide to figure out how to carry more items on actual supply runs.
Ascending to the Surface
Once you're safely back inside the airlock, look for the small orb AI terminal.
Interact with it to confirm the exterior clamps are gone. The pod will immediately surge upward to the ocean surface, officially kicking off your survival run.
Before you pop the hatch, here is a quick breakdown of the detachment process.
Also check out: Subnautica 2 Inventory Guide: How to Carry More Items
