Subnautica - Full Achievement Guide & Maps (With explanations!)

A complete guide to all 17 Subnautica achievements with detailed explanations on how to obtain them. Many spoilers in the guide! Despite other achievement guides existing for this game, I think none of them where helpful walkthroughs so I hope this is more useful.

Guide structure & Info

This guide will be structured slightly differently to usual achievement guides. The story related achievements will be at the bottom to help avoid spoilers. If you want a completely blind run, use this guide on a new save, after playing the story.

Hope it's useful!

Guide structure:

• Getting Your Feet Wet achievement
  
• Settling in for the Long Haul achievement
  
• Personal Propulsion achievement
  
• Ordered the Prawn achievement
  
• 40-foot Sub for One achievement
  
• "Man's Best Friend" achievement
  
• Degasi Seabase achievements
  
• Story achievements (some missable)
  
• Achievement Map

NOTE: Achievements cannot be earned on Creative mode, using console commands also disables achievements.

Please leave feedback and other information you found below in the comments! :D

Getting Your Feet Wet

 -Getting Your Feet Wet:
"Dive for the very first time"

This is a super easy freebie achievement. Just get in the ocean.

Settling in for the Long Haul

 -Settling in for the Long Haul:
"Build a habitat"

For this achievement build the Habitat builder using the fabricator (Ingredients: Wiring Kit, Computer Chip, Battery).
Use the newly crafted tool to construct part of a sea base habitat (uses titanium) and the achievement will unlock. This will be unlocked as progression as you will need bases to survive.

Personal Propulsion

 -Personal Propulsion:
"Build a seamoth"

For this achievement you will need a mobile vehicle bay which is unlocked by scanning 3 fragments. These fragments can be found on seabeds in Kelp Forests.
The scanner can be crafted at a fabricator (Ingredients: Battery, 1x Titanium).

Once three mobile vehicle bay fragments have been scanned you can craft it at a fabricator (Ingredients: Titanium Ingot, Lubricant, Power cell).
Using the vehicle bay you can craft various vehicles.

For the seamoth you need to scan 3 seamoth fragments. They can be located on the seabed in the (red) grassy plateaus, various wrecks and inside the Aurora).
You can craft it using the mobile vehicle bay.
Ingredients: Titanium Ingot, Power cell, 2x Glass, Lubricant, Lead.

The achievement will be unlocked after its been constructed.

Ordered the Prawn

 -Ordered the Prawn:
"Build a prawn suit"

For this achievement you will need a mobile vehicle bay which is unlocked by scanning 3 fragments. These fragments can be found on seabeds in Kelp Forests.
The scanner can be crafted at a fabricator (Ingredients: Battery, 1x Titanium).

Once three mobile vehicle bay fragments have been scanned you can craft it at a fabricator (Ingredients: Titanium Ingot, Lubricant, Power cell).
Using the vehicle bay you can craft various vehicles.

For the Prawn suit you need to scan 4 fragments. They can be located in various wrecks and inside the Aurora. There are 4 fragments next to each other in the Aurora Prawn Suit Bay.
You can craft it using the mobile vehicle bay.
Ingredients: 2x Plasteel Ingot, 2x Aerogel, Enameled Glass, 2x Diamond, 2x Lead.

The achievement will be unlocked after its been constructed.

40-foot Sub For One

 -40-foot Sub For One:
"Build a cyclops"

For this achievement you will need a mobile vehicle bay which is unlocked by scanning 3 fragments. These fragments can be found on seabeds in Kelp Forests.
The scanner can be crafted at a fabricator (Ingredients: Battery, 1x Titanium).

Once three mobile vehicle bay fragments have been scanned you can craft it at a fabricator (Ingredients: Titanium Ingot, Lubricant, Power cell).
Using the vehicle bay you can craft various vehicles.

For the Cyclops you need to scan 9 fragments, 3 for the hull, 3 for the engine and 3 for the bridge.

Locations
Hull fragments: Seabed in Mushroom forest and Sea Treader's Path as well as various wrecks.

Engine fragments: Seabed in Crag Field, Crash zone and Mountains as well as various wrecks.

Bridge fragments: Seabed in Mushroom forest, Crash zone and Sea Treader's Path as well as various wrecks.

You can craft it using the mobile vehicle bay.
Ingredients: 3x Plasteel Ingot, 3x Enameled Glass, Lubricant, Advanced Wiring kit, 3x Lead.

The achievement will be unlocked after its been constructed.

"Man's Best Friend"

 -"Man's Best Friend":
"Hatch and release a Cuddlefish"

For this achievement you need to find a cuddlefish egg and hatch it in alien containment. Alien containment blueprint can be found in the following, Data boxes in Bulb zone, Mountains and Underwater Island wrecks or it can be scanned in the Deep Grand Reef Degasi Base.

The alien containment can be placed in a Multipurpose room which also needs a blueprint. The blueprint can be unlocked by scanning any of the Multipurpose rooms in Degasi bases.
You also need to place a hatch on the containment structure to access it.

You have to release the Cuddlefish into the ocean after hatching it. This will grant the achievement.

The cuddlefish egg can be found in various locations.

Locations:

• Dunes sinkhole
  
• Mushroom forest caves (Easily found in the North-western mushroom forest inside a giant fossilised mushroom tree, marked on the achievement map).
  
• Lost river laboratory cache
  
• Deep Grand Reef Degasi Seabase

The egg looks like this:


It takes about 20 minutes to hatch.




Here is a guide by gbean18: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1313618533

Seabase achievements

I recommend a seamoth with various pressure upgrades for these achievements.

 -Seaside Living with an Ocean View:
"Find the Degasi habitat on the floating island"

For this achievement the player must go to the island in the Grand Reef and visit the three bases. (Refer to the achievement map for location).
After doing this the achievement will unlock.
If the achievement isn't popping inside the bases download PDA data from the tablets (middle base had the most success) and explore the island and bases fully.

 -Follow the Degasi:
"Find the Degasi habitat in the jellyshroom caves"

For this achievement the player must go to the Jellyshroom caves, down from the Safe Shallows, quite near the starting area, and visit the base there. (Refer to the achievement map for location). This base is about 300 meters deep.
After doing this the achievement will unlock.
If the achievement isn't popping inside the base download PDA data from the tablets and explore the base fully.

 -Seamonsters:
"Find the Degasi habitat in the deep grand reef"

For this achievement the player must go to the Deep Grand Reef and visit the base there. (Refer to the achievement map for location). This base is about 600 meters deep.
After doing this the achievement will unlock.
If the achievement isn't popping inside the base download PDA data from the tablets and explore the base fully.

Story Achievements

The achievements will be listed in a rough order of how you most likely obtain them.

 -Extinction Event Avoided:
"Repair the Aurora reactor"

For this achievement the player must enter the Aurora and go to the Drive room. You will need a Radiation suit (Ingredients: 2x Fiber mesh, 2x Lead). I would also take a few fire extinguishers.
When there use the Repair tool to repair all the holes (11 in total) in the four large generators. (Ingredients for Repair tool: Silicone Rubber, Cave Sulfur, Titanium).
After doing this the achievement will unlock.
After 3 in game days the radiation will disappear after doing this.

 -Ancient Technologies:
"Find the Enforcement Platform"

For this achievement the player must enter the Quarantine Enforcement Platform on the Mountain Island (refer to achievement map).
You need a purple tablet to enter the facility, some can be found on the island or on another island with the "Seaside Living with an Ocean View" Achievement tied to it.
If this isn't your first alien building you can craft them as well with an ion cube and 2 diamonds.
After doing this the achievement will unlock.
If the achievement isn't popping inside the base try exploring and downloading alien PDA data.

 -Follow the Lost River:
"Find the Disease Research Facility"

For this achievement the player must enter the Disease Research Facility in the Lost River.
You need a purple tablet to enter the facility. If this isn't your first alien building you can craft them as well with an ion cube and 2 diamonds.
The easiest way to locate the Lost River is to go to the Deep Grand Reef Degasi base and look for "green water". This is a telltale sign of where you can find entrances to the Lost River.

Entrances to the Lost River can be found in both Blood Kelp Zones, the Deep Grand Reef and the border between the Mountains and Bulb Zone.

After doing this the achievement will unlock.
If the achievement isn't popping inside the base try exploring and downloading alien PDA data.

 -Thermal Activity:
"Find the Thermal Plant"

For this achievement the player must enter the Alien Thermal Plant in the Inactive Lava zone, Lava Castle.
You need purple tablets to enter the facility. If this isn't your first alien building you can craft them as well with an ion cube and 2 diamonds.
The easiest way to locate the Inactive Lava zone is through the Lost River, more specifically, the tree cove section. (Refer to the maps for more help).

Entrances to the Inactive Lava Zone can be accessed through the western and eastern wings of the Lost River, being the Mountains Corridor and the Tree Cove, respectively.

After entering and exploring the facility the achievement will unlock.
If the achievement isn't popping inside the base try exploring and downloading alien PDA data.
The Alien Thermal Plant is the smallest of the four Alien Bases.

 -Fourteen Thousand Leagues Under the Sea:
"Find the Primary Containment Facility"

For this achievement the player must enter the Primary Containment Facility in the Lava Lakes, accessed through the Inactive Lava zone.
You need a blue tablet to enter the facility. This can be found in the Thermal Plant.
The easiest way to locate the Inactive Lava zone is through the Lost River, more specifically, the tree cove section. (Refer to the maps for more help).

Entrances to the Inactive Lava Zone can be accessed through the western and eastern wings of the Lost River, being the Mountains Corridor and the Tree Cove, respectively. Proceed through to the Lava Lakes.

After entering and exploring the facility the achievement will unlock.
If the achievement isn't popping inside the base try exploring and downloading alien PDA data.

Story Achievements - Continued

 -Optimal Health:
"Cure the infection"

For this achievement the player must cure the infection. They do this by communicating with the Sea Emperor Leviathan in the Primary Containment Facility Antechamber and following it's wishes.
You need a blue tablet to enter the Antechamber. This can be crafted from an ion cube and 2x Kyanite.

In the Aquarium you can find a massive pool with the Sea Emperor Levithan in it. While swimming in it she will communicate to you. Continue to swim to her eggs and she will talk to you again. You will get the blueprint for the hatching enzymes (maybe after scanning the eggs?).

You need to craft the hatching enzymes and hatch the eggs. To do this you need various samples of seeds and samples. Ingredients: Eyes plant seed, Fungal sample, Ghost Weed seed, Sea Crown seed, Bulb bush seed).

These ingredients can be obtained quite easily, however. The Sea Crown is found in the trenches of the Aquarium pool and can be collected easily.
You can also build a small makeshift base in the pool to make a fabricator and storage if needed, powering with a bio generator as lots of organisms and plants are around.

The other seeds can be obtained by teleport arches in the facility above the Aquarium. The arches need a piece of ion cube to power them. They each go to the biomes where the remaining seeds are needed from. Go through each portal to collect the following:

• Lost River Ghost Forest - Ghost Weed
  
• Crag Field - Eye Stalk
  
• Mushroom forest - Fungal Sample
  
• Bulb zone - Bulb Bush

Once you have done this you can craft the hatching enzymes and put them in the console in the Aquarium by the eggs. The Sea Emperor Babies will leave via the portal arch down there (you should open it with a ion cube) and you need to follow them.

When on the other side you will see brown/orange orbs. This is enzyme 42. Go to it and interact thus giving you the achievement.

NOTE: This location will also be next to the Enforcement Platform. Now you are cured don't forget to go and deactivate the platform otherwise you cannot get the next two achievements.

  -Go Among the Stars:
"Launch the neptune rocket"
-Leave Only Time Capsules:
"Create and deploy a time capsule"

NOTE: You need to be cured for this achievement to work and shut down the Enforcement Platform. Read above if you haven't done these.

Obtaining blueprints:
These two achievements go hand in hand really. If you have been checking the radio throughout the game you may have got a broadcast giving you the code to the Captains Quarters in the Aurora.
If not you can use the radio, quit to menu, load in, use the radio, quit to menu, load in, use the radio until you get this transmission.

Go to the Captains Quarters with the code and download the PDA data. This will unlock the blueprint for the Neptune Escape Rocket.

Building:
Next you need to build the Neptune Space Rocket. You can build the platform from the mobile vehicle bay. Ingredients: 4x Lead, 2x Titanium Ingot, Computer Chip. This platform needs fairly deep water as well.

Build all the next steps.

Gantry ingredients: Plasteel Ingot, Copper Wire, Lubricant.

Boosters ingredients: Plasteel Ingot, 3x Nickel ore, 2x Aerogel, Wiring kit.

Fuel reserve ingredients: Plasteel Ingot, 4x Crystalline Sulfur, 4x Kyanite, 2x Ion Power Cell.

Cockpit ingredients: Cyclops Shield Generator, Plasteel ingot, Enameled Glass, Computer Chip.


The achievements:
Before launching the rocket make sure you put some items in the time capsule section found in the cockpit. You can also leave a message and picture for other players to find along with the items.
After launching both achievements will now be unlocked.

Achievement Maps

I found this map on Reddit by user "Jlegobot" and I added some achievement locations on it to help navigate you.

The achievements may be around the area rather than on it so you can see all icons. Seabase achievements are shown by the seabase icon adjacent to the achievement picture.


Map of the Lost River.


Map of the Inactive Lava zone.

[Engineer]

Literally the best tutorial ever

[Engineer]

thanks

[Ender_Katze]

thanks

[Green Cat]

Updating: in freedom mode you can't eat or drink (including items related to create them like cooking). Otherwise, i got all achivments.

Also, regarding the hatching achivment, or really, eggs in generally: you need to go inside, open inventory and drop them. BTW, if they fall through the floor... That's a bug. Save and reload and they will be all back inside

[ThePugHybrid]

Not sure. You could always test with the getting your feet wet achievement as that takes 5 minutes.

[Green Cat]

If I play "freedom" mode, is anything disabled/unachievable?

[nzungu]

@kittyboi3679 it's literally right there on the achievement map..

[Captain Andropov]

not lfepode i meant zero point

[Captain Andropov]

can you modify the map to show lifepod? plz plz plz

[loretoazzi]

good