Players diving into Subnautica 2 for the first time are hitting a wall the moment they try to craft advanced tools. The Sonic Resonator, the Repair Tool, key base components like the Bioreactor and Tadpole Dock , all of them require ingots. And ingots, unlike most materials in the game, cannot be picked up from the ocean floor.
They have to be made. That distinction trips up a surprising number of players, and it's worth understanding how the system actually works before you find yourself stuck mid-progression.
The Processor in your base
Why the Fabricator won't cut it here
The Fabricator handles most early crafting needs in Subnautica 2, so it's natural to assume ingots live there too. They don't. Ingots are processed materials, meaning they require a separate machine entirely: the Processor. This applies to Titanium Ingots, Silver Ingots, Gold Ingots, Lead Ingots, and Lithium Ingots , the same logic runs across all of them.
Here's the thing: the Processor isn't available by default. You have to scan one to unlock its blueprint before you can build it in your base.
Finding and scanning the Processor
The closest Processor to your starting location sits inside the Old Habitat, roughly 350 meters north of the Lifepod. Conveniently, this is the same location NOA sends you to recover Quaker's black box early in the story, so most players will pass through it naturally. Scan the Processor while you're there.
Once scanned, the blueprint unlocks and you can build it using the Habitat Builder tool. The materials required are:
- 2x Titanium
- 1x Mild Acid (crafted at the Fabricator)
- 1x Copper Wire (crafted at the Fabricator)
Place the Processor inside your base, interact with it, and select the ingot recipe you need from the list.
The Processor draws extra power from your base while running. Make sure your power supply has enough headroom before you start a batch, or you risk the whole operation cutting out mid-process.
How Titanium Ingots actually get made
Select the Titanium Ingot recipe at the top of the Processor's list. Each ingot costs 3x Titanium and takes 30 seconds to process. Load the ingredients, step back, and let the machine run.
For raw Titanium, the most reliable farming spot is a large trench near a natural current, located approximately 350 to 400 meters north of the Lifepod, close to the Old Habitat itself. The area has dense Titanium deposits and is worth making a regular loop through early on.
Selecting the Titanium Ingot recipe
What ingots actually unlock
The crafting progression in Subnautica 2's survival games genre is built around these processed materials acting as gatekeepers to mid and late-game content. Titanium Ingots are the first wall, but they're far from the last.
The pattern stays consistent: scan the relevant ore type, collect enough raw material, run it through the Processor, and move on to the next tier of crafting. Getting comfortable with that loop early saves a lot of confusion later.
For a full breakdown of the Processor mechanics and every ingot recipe available, the Subnautica 2 Processor guide covering how to craft ingots has everything laid out in detail. Players also building out their tool kit should check the complete Subnautica 2 crafting guides collection for resources on batteries, tools, and base upgrades that feed directly into the same progression chain.
