Twenty inventory slots. That's what Subnautica 2 gives you at the start, and you'll burn through them faster than your oxygen meter on a deep dive. Five hotbar spaces on top of that. Players exploring the early access build have been running into the same wall: you find good materials, you have nowhere to put them, and suddenly every trip back to base feels like a chore.
Here's the thing: the solution is already in the world. You just need to know what you're looking for.
The Biobed system nobody tells you about
Scattered across the ocean floor are colony outposts, remnants of whoever was down here before you. Most players walk past the Biobeds inside these habitats thinking they're just respawn points. They're not wrong, but that's only half the story.
Each Biobed has a computer terminal attached to it. Interact with that terminal once and you receive a permanent upgrade, either Endurance (more inventory slots) or Dexterity (more hotbar spaces). These aren't crafted, not gated behind a tech tree, and not tied to any resource grind. You just have to find them.
The catch is that these outposts aren't marked on any map. The clearest signal to look for is a blue lightstick near a cave entrance or structure. If you spot one, investigate. There's almost always something useful inside, whether that's a Biobed, a scannable tool, or collectible items.
Where to find early Biobed upgrades
Four confirmed locations have been documented in the early access build, all reachable within the first few hours of a run:
Three of these four are Endurance upgrades, so your inventory slots expand faster than your hotbar early on. That's actually fine given how quickly materials pile up compared to tools.
Managing the gap before you find them
Before you track down every Biobed, there are practical ways to stretch those 20 slots further. Pack light on dives: a spare battery, a snack, and a drink covers most situations without eating into your haul space. Everything else can stay at base.
The Portable Locker is your best friend in the meantime. You can place one anywhere, fill it with materials while you mine, then carry it back to base in a single inventory slot. There's even one sitting in the cave directly below the Lifepod at the start of the game. That locker reportedly respawns periodically, so you can grab multiples over time.
Later in the game, a haulage module for the Tadpole vehicle looks like it will add another layer of storage capacity, though that upgrade requires more progression to unlock.
For players who want to go deeper on survival mechanics, the Subnautica 2 oxygen management guide covers how to push your dive time from 45 seconds up to 120, which pairs well with longer resource runs once your inventory can actually hold the haul.
The full breakdown of every confirmed Biobed location, along with step-by-step directions for each, is in the Subnautica 2 inventory size guide if you want the complete picture before your next session.
