Simple Walkthrough

Easy guide to main story and important locations.

Intro

Below Zero's story has 3 main quests. There is no set order so feel free to explore and do them in any order you want. I recommend leaving C for the last because it is the part that unlocks the ending.

After crafting your starting gear I recommend finding Al-An (next part of the guide) and visiting Delta-Island (beginning of Storyline A).

• Finding Al-An gives you access to story related locations.
  
• Visiting Delta Island gives you tools and recipes for base building.

You can leave any questions and feedback in comments, I'm here to help.

Maps are in this guide if you need them:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2292091023

Finding Al-An

What you need: Seaglide, an oxygen tank

Al-An is located in the ruins in Twisty Bridges (200m depth). Look for alien structures that glow green and follow them to the ruins. Use the green bubble plants to replenish oxygen. Once you find the ruins, walk to the back room and interact with the terminal.

Al-An marks alien ruins on your hud, but these are not necessary for any of the main quests. The four places required for Storyline C will not be marked even if Al-An mentions they are close by. Storyline C part gives you directions to these ruins.

Storyline A: Sabotaging Alterra

This part of story starts on Delta Island and continues in east part of the map.
What you need: Seatruck, Scanner, Laser Cutter

Delta Island
Make your way to Delta Island, south of Shallows and Twisty Bridges. Thermal Spires biome surrounds the island, scan Seatruck fragments here.

When on the island, your target is the habitat at the top. Keep your body heat up by travelling through caves, standing in hot springs or getting near Thermal Lily. When you reach the top you meet a new character. After the cutscene explore the two abandoned bases, scan everything. Most important recipes here are Habitat Builder tool and Modification Station.
This is a good time to craft a Seatruck and your first base.

Maida's Base
To progress you need to find mystery woman's base.
At the root of east side of Delta Island, just bordering Lilypad zone, is a spaceship wreck. Behind this wreck, in Lilypad zone is a cave opening. Go down and find a man-made light sticks that lead you to Maida's base (350m deep).
Location of the cave entrance is marked on the map below (purple circle with "M" sign).

Enter the base via moonpool and after the cutscene, scan the device on the table to learn recipe for Test Override Module. Further down from this base is Crystal Caves biome, you will expolore it in Storyline C. Now it's time to return to the surface.



Finding Wrecks
To craft Test Override Module you need to learn the recipe for Parallel Processing Unit. Fragments for it can be found in hull remains of crashed spaceship Mercury II. There is 3 wrecks in Lilypad zone, each containing at least one fragment.
Locations are with red circles and numbers marked on the map above, numbers 1 and 2 are big wrecks, 3 is a smaller wreck.

After scanning three fragments you can finally craft Test Override Module.

Finishing the Quest
It's time to take Test Override Module to the radio tower at the top of Delta Island. Climb the ladder, connect Override Module to the tower and use the tower's console. This quest is now finished!

After this you can visit Maida at her greenhouse base, located on an iceberg in the far east side of the map. You also get access the last room in her Lily Pad zone base.

Storyline B: Finding the Cure

This part of story takes place in above water areas in the west part of map.
What you need: Habitat Builder tool, Scanner


Glacial Bay
Swim south-west from the emergency cache in the Kelp Forest (game marks the cache for you when you find your Drop Pod) to find a dock and a radio tower. I highly recommend building a base on the land area next to the radio tower, you will need it for a fabricator and pots for growing Fevered Peppers.

In the northern part of the Bay is a bridge you need to cross in Storyline C. South of it are two paths into Glacial Bar and they both lead you to opening where you can see giant door to Phi Robotics Center.


Phi Robotics Center
In the ruins of Phi Robotics Center you can scan following recipes: Snowfox Hoverpad, Spy Pengling, Coldsuit and Coffee Machine.
Scannable map of Glacial Basin is found on the first floor wall.


Finding the Antidote In Glacial Basin
Exploration in this area is very safe. Always carry a flare with you and use it to scare attacking Stalkers (you can find one in Phi Robotics Center). Carry some Fevered Peppers or Coffee with you and use caves as a shelter from cold and blizzards.

Craft a Spy Pengling and Spy Pengling Remote. Take these with you and explore Glacial Basin until you find a Snow Stalker (often in caves and areas marked with skeletons). Stay outside aggro range and harvest 4 pieces of its fur with Spy Pengling. Flare will scare it away if it attacks you.
Return to your base and craft 3 parts of Cold Suit (Suit, Helmet and Gloves).

Now is time to find the Spy Pengling cave marked with red circle. If you are having trouble, check the image below.
Head to the canyon south of Phi Robotics Center (left when you are facing the door). The Pengling cave you are looking is in an opening with frozen river: it is after the opening with a dock but before the forest. If you walk all the way to the forest, just backtrack to previous open area.
In the middle of this area is a small cave under a cliff. Use Spy Pengling to fetch the Antidote within.



Finishing the Quest

After finding the Antidote, continue forward and to the forest area. Her you must find the cave with a radio tower next to it. Follow the tunnel until you find a tall room with a frozen specimen. Use the elevator, put the Antidote into the four wheeled robot and press button next to the desk.

Storyline B is now complete and you can move directly to Storyline C's "Part 1" by fixing the bridge in Glacial Bay.

Storyline C: Bodybuilder

This part of the story starts when you find Al-An and requires you to find four hidden ruins.
What you need: Al-An, Scanner, Seatruck, Cold Suit


Part 1: Tissue Recipe
Tissue part of the body is in Arctic Spires, located north of Glacial Basin and across the bridge (if you haven't explored Basin yet, go to Storyline B part and do that first). You can fix the bridge with 1 Hydraulic Fluid, the recipe can be scanned on the bridge and requires 1 Seed Cluster and 4 Gel Sacks.

Pack up on food, water, coffee, first aid kits and a flare before crossing the bridge. Equip your full 3-part Cold Suit. Snowfox isn't very useful because it attracts Ice Worms, but you can try travelling with it if you want.

After the bridge, there is a small path up the ledge on right side:



Take this path, pass through the tunnel and you will arrive to the first open area. From this point onward you should continue on foot and hug the walls to avoid Ice Worm attacks. If the Ice Worm starts attacking, just run away from it and resume walking when it dives under the snow.

Pass through this area and the frozen lake after it. In the next area, go up the ramp and into the cave (example below). Turn left when cave splits into two paths. When you come out of the cave, go down path on the left and through a short tunnel. This is the huge open area with the ruins you're looking for.



This area has scripted Ice Worm scene, after it goes underground go right and hug the walls. Calmly walk around to the opposite side of this area. You will find a boneyard of Ice Worm remains, go past them (you can scan the remains for Ice Worm PDA entry).

When you are next to the last skeleton, you can see two icy spires. Go towards the one on the right and drop into the fissure with alien cable structures. Go right and the ruins are just behind the broken alien cable at the end of the fissure. Scannable Tissue piece is at the top most part of ruins.



Part 2: Skeleton Recipe
Skeleton part is deep in the Lily Pads biome. Find a circular tall formation with a fissure all around it. Take your Seatruck and descend until you come to an opening with orange lighting. Explore cave until you find alien structures that lead you to the ruins (620m depth). Skeleton is on the ground in front of the fountain, scan it to learn the recipe.


Part 3: Organs Recipe
This part is hidden in Crystal Caves, deep biome below Lily Pad Zone. Easy entrance is where Maida's base is, consult to Storyline A part of this of this guide.

You can use either Seatruck or Prawn Suit for this mission. Full depth upgrade for your vehicle is needed. Remember to take food and water with you. If you want to get the last recipe AND finish the quest in one trip, craft the materials for all body parts beforehand and take them with you.

Descent down until you are about 700m deep and look for a highly concentrated group of crystals, in the middle of them is a tunnel straight down leading to the ruins. Organs are in a cube-shaped machine.

Now gather the materials and it's time to build the body.

Finishing the Quest
Materials needed: Titanium x4, Plasteel Ignot x1, Magnetite x3, Lithium x2, Diamond x3, Polyaniline, Synthetic Fibers, Aerogel, Ion Cube, Nickel Ore x3, Kyanite x3, Root Pustule x2, Gel Sack x2, Ribbon Plant x2

When you come out of the crystal group I described above, just go east and you will find the first red crystals of Fabricator Cavern. Follow the path until you reach the Fabricator Base at the end, about 950m deep. Entrance is at seafloor level, carved into the large crystal formation.

Add the materials to the machines and interact with terminal and then the body. After you are given the location of Phase Gate, you can return back to the surface. If you can't find your way out of Crystal Caverns and you have a base on the surface, you can just drown and you will spawn into your base (you will leave your vehicle behind and lose some items).

Finishing the Story

After Storyline C you get marker for Phase Gate.

Return to the surface and go to the far north wall where you started your adventure. Go along the wall to the east. In the area with icicles, about 200 meters from Safe Shallows edge, you can find a hidden opening to the surface. Following the path you will pass an abandoned base. Follow the rocky path behind it and enter the ruins.

Follow Al-An and after the dialogue interact with the two fallen pillars. Use the lift in the center and interact with railing in front Al-An to view the ending.

[Allan Vg8]

just realized that my FUN fox is still alive

[Allan Vg8]

the first time i was it the ruins for the skin samples (for context i accidental closed this guide and barely remember it) i went with my FUN Fox aka snowfox and i garbed my snowfox into my inventory and then died losing my FUN fox

[SaiahXi]

awesome, Thank you for this :)

[oifvet05]

thanks

[groovy :3]

great guide

[Sillyer]

Thank you dear sir, for risking your life to grab some of those screenshots to help people you don't even know.

Damn well deserved respect: Given.

[cloudius.white]

no worries! I havent seen anything else that was off but i was using a save where i had done alot of garbage farming before i took a long break lol

[Cat in the Window]

I'm sorry for that, thanks for the notice. I'll add those to the guide. Last time I played through the game and updated the guide was in 2021, but if I play the game soon I'll make sure to check if the guide has any other mistakes. It might be my mistake or the updates have changed the recipe.

[cloudius.white]

This list for final required components is incorrect, I'm following it to finish out the game and i got down here finally and i am multiple items short. 3 diamond 1 plasteel ingot 2 root pustule 2 gel sack 2 ribbon plant were needed to make the parts of the alien body.

[Moofrog]

Gonna go on a hike / trek for that Tissues Sample