Habitat quick start
Build a working shelter before a permanent home
The opening base only needs to restore oxygen, protect a small supply cache, and shorten fabrication. Everything after that should earn its floor space.Scan the Habitat Builder
Find and scan two Habitat Builder fragments around pioneer habitats or wrecks, then fabricate the tool before hauling construction materials.
Choose useful terrain
Build above solid ground with clear hatch access, room to expand, nearby common materials, and a power source that matches the site.
Place corridor and hatch
A compact corridor is enough for the first shelter. Keep the entrance visible and avoid burying connection points against rock or coral.
Establish power
Place a Solar Panel in strong light or connect another generator. A powered habitat produces breathable air and runs its interior systems.
Add the working core
Install storage and a Fabricator first. Expand into a Room when the Biobed, Scanner Station, Processor, or vehicle systems justify the space.
Starter material families
Carry for the complete loop
Titanium for structure · Quartz and Salt for Glass · Copper and battery materials for the Builder and power · extra Titanium for storage and fabricationSite survey
The best site removes travel, not all danger
Judge a location by what it connects. A central, recognizable site with power and building clearance is usually more useful than the safest empty patch of seabed.Reliable power
Check sunlight, natural current, or heat before committing. A beautiful site without dependable generation becomes a recurring chore.
Route value
Place the base where it shortens several trips: resources, story facilities, wrecks, and the next deeper region.
Build clearance
Leave open water below and beside the structure for hatches, room growth, power equipment, and a future Tadpole approach.
Safe arrival
Choose a landmark you can identify in poor visibility and avoid putting the only entrance directly in a predator patrol path.
Habitat power
Oxygen is a power-system problem
A sealed habitat does not become a safe refuge until its power source is active. Build generation first, then add capacity as fabrication, scanning, processing, charging, and lighting increase demand.Solar Panel
Simple, cheap, and ideal near the bright surface.Generation follows available light, so an unbuffered base can lose oxygen and services at night.
Start with more capacity than the empty base needs, then watch the reserve after every new facility.Hydroelectric Turbine
Produces steady energy when placed in a natural current.The best current may be away from the habitat and requires a Power Transmitter connection.
Confirm the current and the visible power link before designing the rest of the base around it.Bioreactor
Turns gathered organic material into controllable generation inside the habitat.It occupies valuable room space and needs a deliberate, renewable fuel routine.
Treat it as dependable backup or remote-base power, not a bin that consumes important specimens by accident.Thermal Plant
Makes geothermal terrain valuable for deep, high-demand installations.The heat source determines placement and may force a longer transmission route to safe building ground.
Survey the heat and transmitter path before transporting a complete deep-base material load.Interior zoning
Design around short, repeatable loops
The best layout is easy to operate while tired, low on supplies, or returning from danger. Keep related machines and materials together, and preserve clean routes through the habitat.Arrival
Hatch, emergency supplies, route signs, and space to unload without blocking movement.
Keep it sparse and readable.Fabrication
Fabricator, Processor, Modification Station, and project-labelled storage in one working loop.
Put ingredients beside the machine that uses them.Recovery
Biobed, food, water, spare batteries, and a calm staging point before the next dive.
Restock before opening storage for a new project.Research
Scanner Station, Biolab, NoA Terminal, displays, and specimen-oriented storage.
Give power-hungry systems their own capacity margin.Vehicle bay
Expanded Moonpool, Tadpole Dock, Vehicle Fabricator, charging, and repair supplies.
Reserve the volume and approach lane early.Bulk storage
Raw materials grouped by family plus separate lockers for the next base or vehicle project.
Use excluded storage when items should not feed nearby recipes.Tadpole support
Plan the vehicle bay before the base surrounds it
The Moonpool is configurable inside a Room, but the Tadpole Dock and Vehicle Fabricator still need enough usable volume and a clear external approach.Leave room for the complete bay
- Expand the Room enough for both the Moonpool opening and the equipment that docks or fabricates the Tadpole.
- Keep clear water beneath the pool and an unobstructed approach outside the habitat.
- Place the Tadpole Dock and Vehicle Fabricator only after the Moonpool reports usable clearance.
- Keep a Repair Tool and charging plan beside the bay instead of in general storage.
Outpost network
One workshop, several deliberate shelters
A chain of compact, named outposts is cheaper to maintain and easier to navigate than rebuilding the main habitat in every region.Main workshop
Fabrication, organized stockpiles, research, vehicle servicing, and the largest power reserve.
Room · storage · Fabricator · Biobed · Scanner Station · MoonpoolForward shelter
Safe air, navigation, basic repairs, and a place to reset before committing to a longer route.
Corridor · hatch · dependable power · locker · FabricatorDeep logistics hub
Cuts repeated crossings and supports the Tadpole without recreating every comfort of the main base.
Room · transmitted or local power · vehicle support · labelled cargoRebuild prevention
Common habitat mistakes
Most expensive rebuilds begin with a placement decision made before checking power, access, clearance, or the actual job of the base.Expanding the shell before the power reserve can support the systems planned for it.
Building flush against terrain, then discovering that the hatch, room growth, or Moonpool has no clearance.
Scattering machines and ingredients across several rooms instead of making one short fabrication loop.
Choosing a dramatic location that does not shorten any resource, story, or vehicle route.
Moving every material to a new outpost before testing its power connection and entry route.
Treating an Early Access placement issue as permanent before rebuilding the obstructed piece in a clean order.
Habitat online