The Basic Battery is one of the first electronics components you'll need to produce in Subnautica 2. It sits at the core of early-game tool progression — the Scanner, which lets you scan resources and lifeforms to unlock Fabricator blueprints, requires one battery to build. Batteries also feed into Power Cells later, which power vehicles and base systems. Knowing how to get a steady supply early makes everything else easier.
The recipe is short: 2x Copper and 1x Acidic Raion Pouch. The copper is straightforward. The Acidic Raion Pouch is where most players stumble, because harvesting it requires a specific tool and the plant itself will spray acid if you approach it incorrectly.
Basic Battery in Fabricator
What materials do you need to craft a Basic Battery?
The crafting recipe in the current early access build requires:
Both materials spawn frequently, but the Acidic Raion Pouch can only be harvested with the Survival Multitool. You can't cut the pouches free without it.
How to get Copper
Copper deposits spawn inside underwater caves. The most reliable early source is northeast of your starting lifepod, near the ruins of a crashed ship. Small copper nodes can be collected by hand — no tools necessary. Pick them up as you explore caves and you'll quickly gather the two needed for a battery without any dedicated farming runs.
How to get Acidic Raion Pouch
Acidic Raions are large, purple, brain-shaped plants that grow in caves at various depths. Each plant has three purple pouches on its sides and a Medical Gel Sac at its center. The pouches are the component you need for batteries.
Here's the problem: if you harvest the Medical Gel Sac before removing the pouches, the plant will hit you with acid. Always remove the pouches first.
To harvest them, you need the Survival Multitool. Craft it at a Fabricator using 3x Titanium (titanium spawns as black metal fragments on the seabed). Once you've built it, equip the hatchet function on the Survival Multitool, approach an Acidic Raion, and right-click to slice the pouches off. Each plant yields three pouches.
Once the pouches are gone, you can safely collect the Medical Gel Sac, which is used to craft an Enhanced First Aid Kit. Two useful resources from one plant.
How to craft the Basic Battery in the Fabricator
With 2x Copper and 1x Acidic Raion Pouch in your inventory, open your Fabricator. Navigate to the Resources tab, go to the Electronics section, and select Basic Battery. Wait for the crafting animation to finish and the battery will appear in your inventory.
The process takes a few seconds. If you have the materials, craft multiple batteries at once — you'll burn through them faster than you expect once you start building tools.
Crafting a Basic Battery in Subnautica 2
If you'd rather skip crafting, batteries occasionally spawn inside crates while exploring the ocean, though this is far less reliable than farming the materials yourself.
What can you build with a Basic Battery?
Beyond the Scanner, batteries are used to craft Power Cells, which power vehicles and base infrastructure later in the game. Getting comfortable with the battery farming loop early means you won't hit a wall when those larger crafting requirements show up.
For a full breakdown of what to prioritize in your first hours, check out the Subnautica 2 beginner tips and essential strategies covering oxygen, scanning, base building, and navigation. If you want to know what new systems and features are waiting deeper in the game, the confirmed new features for early access covers the new planet Zazura, 4-player co-op, and the Tadpole vehicle among other additions.
For everything else you need across all stages of the game, the full Subnautica 2 strategy guides collection has you covered.