How to reach the Alien Ruins in Subnautica 2, and what you need to do afterwards

Reaching the Alien Ruins in Subnautica 2 is like transitioning from the tutorial to the real deal. You've got to cross an open expanse, which a terrifying sea monster (the Collector Leviathan) calls home, and then you're let loose in a new, even more difficult location.

Before you travel to the Alien Ruins, there are a few things you should prepare to save yourself time and effort. Likewise, once you reach this new area, you'll suddenly have a bunch of new objectives to complete and materials to gather. Here's how it all works.

How to reach the Alien Ruins in Subnautica 2

After you investigate the Tadpole Pens, you'll get the objective to cross the gorge and reach the Alien Ruins over 600 meters to the east. This mission effectively takes you to the next area, though you're able to return at any moment (providing you've got the resources to survive the trip).

Before you leave for the Alien Ruins, I recommend doing the following:

• Build the Scout Ray Chassis Tadpole upgrade at the Vehicle Bay terminal, increasing its speed and handling. The blueprint is inside the Tadpole Pens if you missed it.
• Increase your inventory size by interacting with Biobeds.
• Stock your inventory with backup batteries, a spare power cell, food, drink, healing, and base-building materials, including quartz, titanium, copper, and silver.

When you're properly prepared, it's time to travel to the Alien Ruins. The goal is simple: reach the other side of the open seabed. However, your destination is over 600 meters away, and there's a Collector Leviathan in your way, the largest, most deadly creature you'll have encountered so far.

The best way to do it is to stay as low to the seabed as possible in your Tadpole and drive straight towards the Alien Ruins, or stay close to the surface of the ocean instead. The Leviathan will begin to chase you and possibly even hit you, but keep driving forward until you reach the other side of the gorge, at which point you can use the cliffs as cover and repair your vehicle.

Reach the Alien Ruins, and you'll find the Research Station. Head inside and switch the power on by inserting a battery into the socket in the bedroom. Then interact with the NOA in the command room. This will list various locations you can visit to progress, and you'll soon be able to return to NOA to get actual quest markers.

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Here's what you should do next:

Build a new base

Using the resources you brought with you and the materials around the Alien Ruins Research Station, build a new home with basic facilities. You can return to the starting Lifepod area at any time, but it's a dangerous, time-consuming trek. I suggest building a base close to the Research Station so you can place a Hydroelectric Turbine in one of the natural currents for power.

Build the Modification Station

Scan the Modification Station near the entrance to the Alien Ruins Research Station, and build one in your base. This is the home of various tool and vehicle upgrades you'll now have access to.

Find the Tadpole Depth Module

Collect this upgrade near Ruby's second blackbox in the cave beneath the Needler nest 270 meters southeast of the Alien Ruins. Building and equipping this lets you dive deeper in your Tadpole, which is required for most other new materials and upgrades in this area.

Find the Bioscanner

The Bioscanner upgrade for your Scanner, found in the Cicada wreckage 500 meters to the southeast of the Alien Ruins Research Station, unlocks a bunch of new Biomods by scanning various creatures.

New materials

There are a lot of new materials exclusive to the Alien Ruins area: