How to play Subnautica: Below Zero more effectively

Subnautica: Below Zero56 views3 min readby TomajjsUpdated Aug 5, 2025View on Steam ↗

Ores

This section lists all raw ores in game, and how much are they needed/important through the whole playthrough.
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WARNING: I remind again that it is highly subjective, and it's based from a major part (not completely) from my playthrough. Importance is calculated from difficulty of getting (how often it spawns + how much of it) and how much is it used in crafting.

(Source[subnautica.fandom.com], listed alphabetically)

Copper
Copper is really easy to find, basically across the whole map, even on the surface, mainly from limestone outcrops, alternatively from veins or structures as loot. I would say this is 2nd most important raw material.
Importance: Really high
This source is important through the gameplay. A lot of recipes need this, mainly as copper wire.
Crystalline Sulfur
Importance: Medium
You won't need to have stashes of this resource. Keep moderate amount.
Diamond
Importance: Medium
I would keep slightly more than sulfur.
Gold
It can be harvested from calaverite outcrop. Through your playthrough you're going to come across a lot of gold, mainly in the form of outcrops.
Importance: High
This is an important resource, mainly for crafting advanced structures and items (e.g. computer chip > advanced wiring kit)
Kyanite
I would say this is a mid-game resource that can be found in late game location. (I found it late-late game cuz I don't know I just didn't come across it lol). You'll need it for the most advanced technologies, like maximum depth modules etc.
Importance: Medium
You do not need to have tons of this. One full wall locker will suffice.
Lead
I ran out of this durning my gameplay.
Importance: High
Lithium
I kept a large locker for this. It is quite important and used in a lot of recipes either in its raw form or sometimes as plasteel ingots.
Importance: High
Magnetite
It's not easy to get but in late-game, you'll probably have excess of magnetite. It is not located everywhere for you to get, mainly on some locations that are at least moderately hard. Its difficulty to get is medium.
Importance: Medium-low
It is not really important, wall locker will surely suffice. You'll probably need it a few times though.
Nickel
Used just in 3 crafting recipies. Really not easy to get. Spawn pretty rarely in some biomes. Its rarity pretty much matches with its usage. However the recipes are pretty important and usefull.
Importance: Medium
One wall locker will more than suffice.
Quartz
You'll surely need a large locker for this. Used really often in recipes. It is however used more frequently as glass. I rate this resource as the 3rd most important. However it is easy to get in large quantities. It spawns often and there's a lot of it around. A lot of quartz large resource deposits.
Importance: High
Ruby
Used in advanced recipes that are pretty important. Wall locker is enough.
Importance: Medium
Silver
Almost as easy to get as quartz. I had A LOT of silver durning my playthrough. Again the difficulty of getting matches with it's usage. You are going to need a lot of silver, mainly as basic wiring kit.
Importance: High
Titanium
This ore DOMINATES every other ore in amount of recipes used. It is used extremely often in recipes. Almost every recipe needs titanium. You'll need a ♥♥♥♥-ton of this durning your playthrough. Also, again, as easy to get as it's needed. Can drop from every outcrop, large resource deposits, already researched fragments, metal salvage, ore veins. The most important ore in-game.
Importance: Extremely High
Uraninite
We got the most important ore and now this is the least important ore. Used in just one recipe, which is reactor rod. Depends on your way of playing but I accessed nuclear reactor pretty late in the game and I never had to use the recipe as I had enough of the reactor rods from looting from chests.
Importance: Very Low

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