Raw materials will carry you through the early hours of Subnautica 2, but progression eventually hits a wall. Certain recipes demand processed materials, and that means getting familiar with the Processor, a base-buildable machine that converts raw ore and minerals into usable Ingots. The system is a bit more involved than dropping items into a Fabricator, so here's everything you need to know.
Where to find the Processor blueprint
You cannot craft ingots in Subnautica 2 without the Processor, and you cannot build the Processor without scanning a degraded version of one first. This follows the same blueprint-discovery loop used throughout the game: find a broken or abandoned version of a machine in the world, scan it with your Scanner, and unlock the recipe.
The most reliable location is roughly 275 meters southwest of the Lifepod. Head in that direction and you will eventually reach a section of shipwreck. Enter the wreck and move toward the back of the interior. The degraded Processor sits there waiting. Scan it once and the blueprint is yours.
Multiple degraded Processors exist across the map, so if you miss this one during exploration, you have other chances to find it organically. That said, the shipwreck southwest of the Lifepod is the most direct route when you need the blueprint quickly.
Scan this to unlock the blueprint
How to build the Processor
Once you have the blueprint scanned, the Processor is surprisingly affordable to construct. You will need a Habitat Builder to place it, since it counts as a large base object rather than a standard Fabricator recipe.
Processor crafting requirements
Find a suitable spot inside your base, equip the Habitat Builder, select the Processor, and place it. Make sure your base has enough power to run it before you start loading materials, because the machine needs active power to complete its crafting timers.
Placing the Processor without a reliable power source will stall your crafting mid-process. Set up Solar Panels or another power solution before you start relying on it for progression materials.
For a broader look at base construction and early survival priorities, the Subnautica 2 beginner's guide covers oxygen management, scanning, and base building fundamentals that pair directly with this system.
How to craft ingots in Subnautica 2
The Processor has two distinct interactive sides, and you need both of them to complete a crafting cycle.
- Interact with the left side of the Processor. Two options appear: Load and Change Recipe.
- Select Change Recipe first. A list of available ingot recipes appears based on the resources you have discovered.
- Pick the ingot you want to produce, then select Load. The Processor automatically draws the required raw materials from your nearby storage.
- A crafting timer begins. The duration varies depending on which ingot you are producing.
- Once the timer completes, interact with the right side of the Processor to collect your finished ingot.
New ingot recipes unlock as you discover new raw resources during exploration. The more of the ocean you scan and survey, the more options appear in the Processor's recipe list.
Collect finished ingots here
What ingots are used for
Ingots are mid-to-late tier crafting components. Raw Titanium, Copper, and similar materials stop being sufficient once you push into more advanced equipment, vehicle upgrades, and base modules. The Processor bridges that gap by converting those raw stacks into the refined form that higher-tier recipes demand.
The exact ingot types available depend on which raw resources you have found, meaning the Processor's usefulness scales directly with how much of the map you have explored. Prioritizing resource scanning during early dives pays off significantly once you start running Processor batches.
Run the Processor while you are out diving. Load a batch before you leave your base and the timer will have finished by the time you return, keeping your ingot supply moving without wasting active playtime.
If you want to know what else is waiting deeper in the ocean, check out the confirmed new features for Subnautica 2 Early Access to plan your progression goals around the content that is actually in the game right now.
The Processor is one of those systems that feels optional until it suddenly is not. Getting it set up before you hit that progression wall saves a lot of backtracking. For everything else the game has in store, the full Subnautica 2 guide collection has you covered across resources, survival mechanics, and exploration.