Biomods are one of the more quietly powerful systems in Subnautica 2, and most players walk right past the full potential of the Biolab during the early hours. You start with two Active and two Passive Biomods available, which feels thin, but that roster grows significantly once you get your hands on the right tool. The catch is that the tool in question, the Bioscanner, is not handed to you. You have to go looking for it.
What is the Bioscanner and why do you need it?
The Bioscanner upgrades your standard Scanner and serves as the only method for unlocking Biomods beyond your starting four. Scanning various Fauna and Flora species across the ocean with this tool expands your Biomod collection. Without it, your Biolab remains largely barren.
The Bioscanner also enables alien technology scanning, making it a critical progression gate in the game's second major area. Grabbing it early pays off.
Bioscanner crafting recipe
Where to find the Bioscanner in Subnautica 2
Only one degraded Bioscanner exists in the game. It's located inside the wreckage at the Blackbox Iso Signal, which the game reveals as you progress. If you want to reach it before that signal appears, head roughly 1,800 meters East of the Lifepod, or about 600 meters South-East of the Alien Ruins Signal. The water there turns darker and greener, with alien structures nearby.
You need the Repair Tool to access the wreck. From the entrance, navigate through vents and wall gaps, then drop through a broken chamber until you hit the bottom. The degraded Bioscanner sits there waiting. Scan it with your standard Scanner and return.
How to craft the Bioscanner
After scanning the degraded version, the recipe becomes available at a Modification Station. You'll need:
- 1x Scanner
- 2x Enamelled Glass
- 3x Conduit Crystal
This recipe demands more resources than early-game tools, reflecting its position in the progression curve. You won't encounter a Modification Station until the second major area, placing the Bioscanner firmly in mid-game territory.
Subnautica 2 Guide: All Biomods and How to Unlock Them
For broader tips on surviving the early hours before you reach this point, the Subnautica 2 beginner's guide covers oxygen management, base building, and navigation essentials.
How do you unlock new Biomods in Subnautica 2?
After crafting the Bioscanner, unlocking new Biomods becomes straightforward: scan the specific Fauna or Flora listed as requirements in the Biolab. Each locked Biomod shows its scan requirements before you unlock it, letting you plan which creatures to hunt down.
Requirements span from common early-game creatures like the Water Slug up to the Collector Leviathan, one of the game's largest threats. For more on the confirmed Leviathans you'll face, check out the Subnautica 2 confirmed Leviathans guide.
Biolab Biomod unlock screen
All Active Biomods in Subnautica 2
There are 5 Active Biomods currently available. Active Biomods are abilities you trigger manually.
All Passive Biomods in Subnautica 2
There are 10 Passive Biomods currently available. These run continuously without any activation required.
Which Biomods are worth prioritising?
For survival in the early and mid-game, Oxygen Control and Water Secretion are the two Passive Biomods that deliver the fastest returns. Oxygen Control costs nothing to unlock and directly extends your dive time whenever you hold still, which happens more often than you might think during exploration. Water Secretion requires only a Water Slug scan and passively generates drinking water, eliminating one of the more tedious resource loops.
On the Active side, Dash comes available from the start and stays useful throughout for dodging predator lunges. Electric Discharge stands out as the best defensive option once you scan an Electric Geordie, delivering an 800-volt shock to deter medium and large threats.
Camouflage offers the highest ceiling among Passive Biomods for cautious players. Staying still to avoid predators already works as a tactic in survival games, and having invisibility while stationary turns that instinct into a legitimate strategy.
How many Biomods can you equip at once?
The Biolab allows you to equip different Biomods to your character across both Active and Passive slots. The exact number of simultaneous equip slots is not specified in the source material, so check the Biolab interface directly to see how many you can run at once.
The full picture of what's coming to the game, including new biomes and creatures that may introduce additional Biomod scan targets, is covered in the Subnautica 2 Early Access roadmap. More scan requirements and Biomods may be added as Early Access content expands.