So you just got finished getting yourself geared up for the long haul in Subnautica: Below Zero. Since you first jumped into the water, you’ve been living in a small pod with limited storage and no room to build. What you need is to get yourself in the market for a new base.
The Below Zero map is incredibly large, and there are infinite places to build your home. So, how do you decide? Luckily, I am here to show you the top 5 locations. Whether you prefer to enjoy the scenery or be close to everything useful, there's a spot here for you.
Number 5: The Shallows
The Shallows' Advantages
A small base in the Shallows
Recourses a-plenty! The Shallows have vital resources like bladder-fish, food fish, minerals, and ribbon plants.
Proximity to other important biomes, especially in the early game. It is directly next to the twisty bridges(An important place for the story and resources), kelp forests(Important for many processed resources), and the glacial basin(important to the story).
It’s simple. Setting up the base in the Shallows is incredibly easy. The resources are already there, there are no pesky predators to worry about while doing construction, and moving all of your stuff is a lot less frustrating when your base is close.
Number 4: The Twisty Bridges
The Twisty Bridges biome may be a surprising entry into this list, but the possibilities there are endless. The Twisty Bridges biome is named so because of the giant, coral-like tubes that “twist” their way into the depths. Although the area has almost no flat land, there are certainly still impressive bases that can be built there.
The Twisty Bridges' Advantages
An artistic rendition of The Twisty Bridges
Resources: Much like the Shallows (which the Twisty Brides neighbor), there are plenty of fish and minerals to be had. On top of that, there is also a multitude of technology fragments to scan, including the ever-important sea-truck.
Proximity: Depending on where in the Twisty Bridges you decide to set up shop, there are going to be at least two or three different biomes within 300 meters of you. The Shallows, The Purple Vents, and multiple Kelp Forests all border the Twisty Bridges.
Creativity: While it is incredibly possible to build creative structures on flat land such as in The Shallows, the Twisty Bridges offer a unique opportunity to build your base on almost no land at all. You may want to put large rooms on the coral itself, then bridge across each one to another with glass tubes, allowing you a great view of the depths below.
Number 3: The Purple Vents
The aptly named Purple Vents are one of the most rewarding, yet most dangerous areas to build a base in. Although there are plenty of perks to living in this area, you’ll have to deal with the screams of creatures and, most terrifyingly, the jaws of the leviathan who lives there.
The Purple Vents' Advantages
Two Words: Thermal. Power. Each and every vent within the Purple Vents biome is a source of essentially unlimited power. A thermal power generator is easy to make, connects to a base automatically from the outside, and can be combined with other thermal vents to make a base that will, literally, never run out of power.
The Leviathan of the Purple Vents
Proximity: The Purple Vents are a great mid to late game location. The majority of story locations after the Glacial Basin area are located in the Lily Pad biome, right next to the Purple Vents.
Late Game Resources: Minerals such as lithium, crystalline sulfate, uraninite, and magnetite that are important in the late game can be easily acquired in or near the Purple Vents.
Number 2: The Floating Ice Patches
While this is certainly the most annoying and inconvenient place to set up a base, it is truly one of the most rewarding. The floating ice patches exist in the Northernmost edge of the map, right above the Shallows. They are home to the pengwings, an adorable but carnivorous penguin.
The Floating Ice Patches' Advantages
Uniqueness: The best thing about building a base on these floating ice patches is one of a kind bases. There is almost nowhere else on the map which allows you to build a base above the water and not have it look like a floating abomination.
Proximity: Because the ice patches are above the Shallows, it offers the same resources and closeness to objectives.
Scenery: There is nothing quite like an observatory settled above the water. Although the weather in this version of the game can turn the visibility to near zero, if you get lucky and find a clear night, the view is extraordinary.
Number 1: Lily Pads
How to get to the Lily Pads
The Lily Pad biome is one of the first biomes in the game that goes far deeper than the player can when they first experience it, and for good reason. The Lily Pad biome is home to the entrances of the Crystal Cave, the Fabricator Caverns, and the Deep Lily Pad biomes.
Lily Pads' Advantages
The floor of the Lily Pads
Beautiful: The green-tinted water, the large circular shadows from the surface lily pads, the drifting gold flecks, and the floating islands make this one of the best-looking biomes in the game.
Importance: This biome is incredibly important in the late-game because you will most likely have to go through it to get to the majority of late-game quest areas.
Recourses: Because of the importance of the biome, it is chock-full of important resources like outcroppings, nickel, and late-game chemicals.
Conclusion
There are many potential spots that I left off of this list, such as the gorgeous Crystal Cave(Whose depth and limited access to the surface was its demise) or the Fabricator Caverns(Whose multiple Shadow Leviathans would make living peacefully quite difficult).
Base building is one of the most important and fun parts about the Subnautica games. It allows momentary relief from the jumpscares and oxygen beeps and allows you to be creative within the game. Whether your base is a simple multipurpose room barely surviving off the couple of solar panels you have installed, or if it's a behemoth of a base with enough nuclear reactors to power a small city, I hope this list can help you find somewhere you can call home.
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