Proteus is split into two main regions in the current Early Access build of Subnautica 2: Coral Gardens around your Lifepod, and Karakorum roughly 1,000 meters east. A third area, the World Tree, exists as out-of-bounds terrain and is not yet accessible. There is no in-game map, so navigation runs on the compass, beacons, and landmarks.
Quick answer: The Coral Gardens region surrounds the Lifepod and contains the Shallows, Plateaus, Dolerite Spires, Necrolei Hills, Anemone Hills, Lead Zone, and Graveyard, plus their cave variants. Karakorum, east of the starting area, contains Observatory Island, Karakorum Power Plant, Root Canyon, and Karakorum Metal Farms. The Tar Cascades sit in the Sparse Plains region between them.
How regions and biomes are structured
A region is a large continuous area built from multiple themed biomes and sub-biomes. Travel between biomes inside one region is seamless, while crossing into another region produces a deliberate change in visuals, depth profile, and threats.
Biome names below follow what the PDA actually labels in-game where possible. Some areas have no PDA name yet and are still being renamed across community references, so a few labels may shift in later patches.
Coral Gardens region
The Coral Gardens is the starting region. It wraps around the Lifepod and covers nearly all early-game content, from safe shallows to the hot Graveyard zone you should not enter without Heat Tolerance.
| Biome | Depth | Key resources | Notable POIs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shallows | 3–224 m | Titanium, Copper, Quartz | Lifepod, Welcome Center, Anita's Garden bunker, Angel Comb (Digestion) |
| Plateaus | 23–119 m | Necrolei Cyst, Titanium, Silver (caves) | Camp One, Old Habitat, Sophie's Retreat, Salvage bunker, Cicada Wreck (Lander Garage) |
| Dolerite Spires | Shallow–mid | Lithium, Titanium | Quaker's Meetinghouse, Cicada Wreck (Canteen), Spires Wreck 1 (High Capacity Air Tank), Spires Wreck 2 (Rebreather) |
| Necrolei Hills | Shallow–mid | Necrolei Cyst, Titanium, Copper | Deepwing Egg Clumps |
| Anemone Hills | 0–151 m | Acidic Raion Pouch, Cherimoya Rotsac, Quartz | Hills Wreck 1 (Rebreather), Angel Comb (Heat Tolerance, infected) |
| Lead Zone | Shallow | Lead, Copper, Titanium | Atoll, Nook, Wreck |
| Graveyard | 0–266 m | Gold, Sulfur, Salt | Tailings Village, Tadpole Pens, Cicada Wreck (Empty Hold), Nahema's Lab bunker |
| Shallows Caves | 3–224 m | Copper, Titanium, Medical Gel Sac | — |
| Plateaus Caves | 23–119 m | Copper, Silver, Titanium | — |
| Graveyard Caves | 88–401 m | Gold, Sulfur, Lithium | Hot Cave |
The Shallows is the landing zone. It holds your first Angel Comb, which grants the Digestion adaptation so you can eat alien life processed at a Fabricator. Coral outcrops, small fish, and Water Slugs make it a safe base of operations.
The Plateaus sit north of the Lifepod and are easy to spot from the large dead jellyfish draped across the rocks. The Old Habitat here holds early Colonist lore and blackboxes. Below it, the Plateaus Caves reliably yield Silver.
Dolerite Spires are jagged columns rising from the seafloor. Two Spires Wrecks tucked among the pillars hold the High Capacity Air Tank and the Rebreather, both essential before any deep run.
Necrolei Hills and Anemone Hills are your two main early farms for Necrolei Cysts, which feed into Strong Acid for batteries and power cells later on. Anemone Hills is unmistakable thanks to the towering pink-and-green anemone plants. Just south, an infected Angel Comb requires the Sonic Resonator to clear its cankers; interacting with it unlocks the Heat Tolerance adaptation.
The Lead Zone is a sandy ridge area northwest of the Lifepod and the most reliable Lead source in the region. Threats are minimal.
The Graveyard is the hot biome of Coral Gardens. The water visibly turns orange as you approach, and a heat warning triggers. Do not enter without the Heat Tolerance adaptation. Inside, the Tailings Village and Tadpole Pens tell the rest of the Colonist story, and an underground Hot Cave drops further down for Gold and additional Sulfur. A Tadpole Diver makes the cave run far safer because of how quickly your oxygen drains at depth.
Sparse Plains region
Between the two main regions sits a transitional area best known for the Tar Cascades biome.
| Biome | Depth | Key resources | Notable POIs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tar Cascades | 0–250 m | Titanium, Copper, Quartz, Celestine | Collector Leviathan territory |
The Tar Cascades shift the visual language hard. Black tar-like deposits coat the terrain, and the Collector Leviathan patrols the area, so stay near the seafloor and plan your route before crossing.
Karakorum region
To reach Karakorum, head roughly 1,000 meters east of the Lifepod, ideally inside a Tadpole Diver. Stay close to the seafloor on the way in to avoid surface-level Leviathans. The architecture here, abandoned alien towers and a working power plant, is the most technically advanced you will see in the current build.
| Biome | Depth | Key resources | Notable POIs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Observatory Island | 0–600 m | Celestine, Titanium, Copper | Axum Observatory, Alien Ruins, Rosetta Stone, Ruby's Blackbox |
| Observatory Island Caves | Mid | Copper, Quartz, Titanium | Angel Comb |
| Karakorum Power Plant | 0–827 m | Quartz, Conduit Crystal | Angel Comb, Power Plant |
| Root Canyon | 364–750 m | Atacamite, Celestine, mixed ores | Wrecks, Control Room, Tech Sites 4/7/10/11, Resonator Wreck, Blighted Wreck, Blight Nodes B and C, Heat Vents, Cold Zone |
| Karakorum Metal Farms | 0–500 m | Atacamite, Troilite, Celestine, Axum Bacterial Culture | Metal Farms, Collector Leviathan |
| Needler Nest (micro) | 0–300 m | Creature Enamel, Celestine | Needler Mango habitat |
| Silver Mines (micro) | 0–420 m | Silver | — |
| Thermal Vent Clusters (micro) | 0–450 m | Gold, Sulfur, Titanium | — |
Observatory Island is the entry point. The single alien tower that breaks the surface is the Axum Observatory, used by the aliens to study weather and sky. Its base entrance is sealed behind a locked Axum Door that requires an Alien Generator to open. A short swim from the tower, the Rosetta Stone is a tall black-and-green pillar covered in alien script and is a key lore anchor.
Karakorum Power Plant lies further east and goes much deeper. Visibility outside the structures is poor below 200 m, so beacons help. The alien tech inside requires a specific cybernetic adaptation to interact with, likely tied to the infected Angel Comb beneath the Observatory.
Root Canyon sits east-northeast of the Power Plant and drops past 700 m. Colonist Dive Elevators here suggest prior mining operations, and the area contains multiple Tech Sites, Heat Vents, a Cold Zone, and the Blighted Wreck with Blight Nodes that gate progression.
The Metal Farms are roughly 2,000 meters northeast-east of the Lifepod and host the Collector Leviathan again. They are the source of Troilite and Axum Bacterial Culture, both required for late-game crafting.
Smaller micro-biomes sit inside Karakorum: the Needler Nest for Creature Enamel and Celestine (hostile Needler Mangos guard it), the Silver Mines for dense Silver deposits, and Thermal Vent Clusters for Gold and Sulfur without needing to dive the Graveyard's Hot Cave.
World Tree and out-of-bounds terrain
Beyond the playable map sits Out of Bounds Terrain, reaching down to roughly 3,100 m. It contains the World Tree, which Colonist blackboxes repeatedly describe as the source of the Proteavirus infecting Proteus. A separate biome labeled Xanadu is listed as upcoming and is expected to house the World Tree and an Alien Crypt, but it is not accessible in the current build.
Adaptation gates by region
Several biomes are locked behind cybernetic adaptations earned from Angel Combs. Plan your route around these gates rather than depth alone.
| Adaptation | Where to unlock | What it gates |
|---|---|---|
| Digestion | Angel Comb in the Shallows | Eating processed alien life for food and water |
| Heat Tolerance | Infected Angel Comb south of Anemone Hills (needs Sonic Resonator) | Graveyard, Hot Cave, Thermal Vent Clusters |
| Karakorum tech access | Angel Comb beneath the Axum Observatory (requires later tool) | Power Plant interactions |
You will know an adaptation took effect because the Angel Comb visibly changes state after interaction, and the PDA logs the new cybernetic in your inventory. Heat damage stops triggering once Heat Tolerance is active, which is the cleanest way to confirm it worked before committing to a Graveyard run.
Region travel reference
Rough travel distances and headings from the Lifepod, useful for planning beacon placement before you commit to a long dive.
| Destination | Heading from Lifepod | Approx. distance |
|---|---|---|
| Camp One / Plateaus | Northeast | ~300 m |
| Anemone Hills / Necrolei Hills | Northwest | ~300 m |
| Lead Zone | Northwest | ~400 m |
| Tufa Towers / Cicada Wreck (Main) | South | ~400 m |
| Graveyard / Tailings Village | West | ~450 m |
| Sparse Plains / Tar Cascades | East | ~700 m |
| Observatory Island | East | ~1,000–1,200 m |
| Root Canyon / Power Plant | East, then northeast | ~1,500–1,800 m |
| Metal Farms | East-northeast | ~2,000–2,200 m |
Coordinates in the pause menu's bottom-right corner help when you want to record a precise landmark, but the compass plus a single Beacon at your base entrance is usually enough to find your way home.
Because Subnautica 2 is still in Early Access, expect biome names, depth ranges, and POI layouts to shift between patches. New regions, including Xanadu and full World Tree access, are planned to land in later updates rather than at launch.