Why is there no infinite Ion Cube mining node like in the original?

[Just Chill]

According the wiki
https://subnautica-belowzero.fandom.com/wiki/Ion_Cube
a maximum of 93 cubes can be found in one playthrough.

That sounds like enough for everything you might need, but especially as the Tether Tool uses them as battery (3 uses = depletes one fully charged Ion Cube) it would make sense to provide also a late game site that generates a small amount of Ion Cubes over time.

Sure, all other resources are limited similar like to the original Subnautica.
But then again, you simply can deconstruct all your buildings and get back what you used.
Ion Cubes are used up to craft Ion battteries and power cells and also are required as energy source.
So they can be used up and if you play long enough to run out of them, the Tether Tool and the teleport module are useless as you cannot power them anymore.

People who admire this game for the atmosphere and the base building will run into a shortage of these cubes then. So this game doesn't support endless base building fun that much as the original did.
They are either used for the Quantum Lockers (haven't built one yet as of sparing my cubes and hearing that these are not very useful) and the Recyclotron (which turned out to be useful for me, as I often find a lot of copper wire in boxes, which I like to deconstruct into pure copper ore, etc).



I think there won't be anything happening in that regard, so this is merely a useless request / question.

Well, hopefully a mod will do it then at some point. :/

[Just Chill]

Alright... Speaking about mods, I should have googled before posting this. XD

At least for the teleportation there seems to be a solution available already:
https://www.nexusmods.com/subnauticabelowzero/mods/92



In addition:
There we go... Craftable Ion Cubes.
https://www.nexusmods.com/subnauticabelowzero/mods/151
Ok, mods fix it already. My bad, should have looked before posting.
Really. :/


The cheat mode only requires 1x Titanium to craft 1x Ion Cube. XD
I like that this modder provided craftable cubes in different tastes, regarding the crafting requirements.

[bongerman85]

because the devs are ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ this go around, ill talk to the guys that built the ion cube generator and see if they can do one for below zero in a mod.

[Halliwax]

93 is enough even for an obsessive base builder. I can relate to the anxiety of "oh but what if..." but seriously, you're not going to use that many even taking it super slow and building tons of unnecessary stuff.

You can "recharge" the cubes by making a battery and then throwing it in the recyclotron.

[Just Chill]

Originally posted by Halliwax:

You can "recharge" the cubes by making a battery and then throwing it in the recyclotron.

How does a battery translates into an ion cube? :O

Or do you mean an ion battery? I rather don't want to deconstruct these, as I like to use them. ^^

[Halliwax]

An ion battery, I meant to say. Or anything else that uses an ion cube, build and dismantle it, you get a full cube back.

[Just Chill]

Originally posted by Halliwax:

An ion battery, I meant to say. Or anything else that uses an ion cube, build and dismantle it, you get a full cube back.

Ah ok, I just edited that additional question in before you answered it.

Not sure if that really benefits as I merely create Ion batteries to use them, but yeah... The Recyclotron is pretty useful.

[Coops]

You do not need an infinite supply. The most I have found is 53. Two wall lockers full. But I only ever use three in a playthrough. One for a recyclotron, one for an ion battery for my seaglide and one for the endgame.
Even if you go crazy and make eight ion power cells, six batteries, two recyclotrons, the headlamp and three quantum lockers. You can teleport 75 times and not run out.

[Just Chill]

Fair enough.
I am pretty sure that you didn't need the Ion Cube generator in the first game to get your ion batteries and power cells done, including the other things that require it.

Still it was a nice gimmick to have.

But then again, I've found some mods that help out on it. So if someone really plays the endgame for multiple dozens of hours and crafts all sorts of stuff that requires ion cubes, there is still a possibility to get more out of it. :)

[LION]

because you don't even need it... you only need a few and it was quite easy to find.

[tprx]

Quantum lockers are bigger in the inside than they are on the outside... Like the Horadric cube in Diablo 2. So you can store tools in it that would take more room in your inventory than the Quantum locker itself.

[Howphile]

I think the only excuse for there not being a renewable source is that there is now a recycling unit that can break down crafted items. This means that you technically can't "waste" any ion cubes since you can always get them back.

The lack of a renewable source does feel awful though. :(

[admiral1018]

The ability to "recharge" the cubes is arguably a bug, though.

I'm curious why that mechanic was introduced at all, TBH. A better way would have just been to require an ion power cell for the tether tool and have each teleport drain it completely. That would also encourage players to build power cell generators, which most don't in this game.

[deepdive0777]

I had so many left over ion cubes when i finished the game didn't even use them all.

[Raven]

a place where you could place your empty cubes and let them recharge could have been pretty neat. but since the recycler have this bug, and it dont get fixed, there is really no need to worry

[bongerman85]

Originally posted by admiral1018:

The ability to "recharge" the cubes is arguably a bug, though.

I'm curious why that mechanic was introduced at all, TBH. A better way would have just been to require an ion power cell for the tether tool and have each teleport drain it completely. That would also encourage players to build power cell generators, which most don't in this game.

it was because of the existence of the teleporter module for the seatruck. overall it was an interesting mechanic that was poorly implemented. primarily because the mechanic itself kind of breaks the game immersion anyway. i honestly hate that module, and usually dont build them.