The ocean in Subnautica 2 gets very dark very fast, and squinting at cave walls hoping to spot resources is not a strategy. The Flashlight is your first real answer to that problem, and the good news is that both fragments needed to unlock its blueprint sit within a short swim of your starting Lifepod. Here is exactly where to find them and what you need to build one.
Where are the Flashlight fragment locations in Subnautica 2?
You need to scan 2 Flashlight Fragments to unlock the blueprint. The order does not matter. Both are close enough to grab in a single early-game dive session, and neither requires any special gear to reach.
Flashlight recipe in Fabricator
Fragment 1: the cave directly below your Lifepod
Look straight down from the Lifepod and you will see a large opening leading into a cave formation. Diving to the bottom of that cave puts you near an Acid Raion. The Flashlight Fragment is sitting inside a broken metal container at the base of the cave. Scan it and you have Fragment 1.
Fragment 2: the rock formation to the east
Turn east from the Lifepod and swim roughly 30 meters toward the large rock formation you can see from the surface. Drop through the hole at the top of the formation. A second location for Fragment 2 is approximately 110 meters from the Lifepod to the northwest, around 250 to 300 degrees on your compass, underneath a cluster of corals that protrude above the water. A downward air current pulls you into the cave entrance. Inside, you will find a lab bench area containing a Wavemaker fragment, a portable locker, and the final Flashlight Fragment in another open metal container.
Both sources describe slightly different Fragment 2 locations, which suggests the fragment can appear in more than one spot near the Lifepod. If you do not find it in the rock formation to the east, head northwest to the coral cluster at around 110 meters.
Fragment 1 in cave below Lifepod
Fragments also appear in ship wrecks and abandoned colonies elsewhere in the world, so if you happen to stumble across one of those early, scanning it counts toward the blueprint unlock just the same.
How to craft the Flashlight in Subnautica 2
Once you have scanned both fragments, the blueprint unlocks in the Fabricator. Here is what you need:
Titanium is the easiest material here. You will trip over it constantly just exploring the Safe Shallows. Quartz takes a few more seconds to track down since it is embedded inside Coral Domes rather than lying loose on the floor. If you need a faster route to it, the Subnautica 2 quartz locations guide covers the best early spots in detail.
The Basic Battery is the only component that requires crafting. Copper and Acidic Raion Pouches both appear in the caves of the Safe Shallows biome. The Acidic Raion Pouch is harvested from the bright purple, brain-like plants using your Survival Multitool.
The Flashlight will not appear in the Fabricator menu until you have scanned both fragments. If you can only see a partial blueprint, you are still missing one scan.
How do you use the Flashlight in Subnautica 2?
Assign the Flashlight to any quick slot in your inventory, equip it, and toggle it on using the on-screen hotkeys. One thing to keep in mind: the Flashlight only stays active while it is in your selected quick slot. Switching to your Scanner or Survival Multitool will turn it off automatically. You will need to reselect it to turn it back on.
Understanding how the Scanner works alongside your other tools is worth the time investment. The Subnautica 2 Scanner guide breaks down how to craft it and scan degraded gear to unlock additional blueprints.
Inventory space is limited in Subnautica 2. The Flashlight takes up a quick slot, which can feel restrictive once you are carrying a Scanner, Survival Multitool, and other gear. Plan your loadout before long dives.
Flashlight in quick slot bar
How long will you actually use the Flashlight?
The Flashlight is an early to mid-game tool. Once you craft the Wakemaker, that upgrade comes with its own built-in light source that you can toggle on and off independently. The Tadpole vehicle also has its own lights. At that point, carrying a separate Flashlight stops making sense given the limited quick slot space.
That said, the Flashlight earns its keep during the first several hours of the game. Caves are genuinely dark, and trying to navigate without any light source is a reliable way to miss resources or swim headfirst into something unfriendly.
For everything else you need to survive the early game, the full Subnautica 2 strategy guides collection covers crafting recipes, resource locations, and tool blueprints across the whole game.