Subnautica 2 Vehicles: How to Unlock and Build the Tadpole (2026)

Building Subnautica 2 vehicles is the jump from slow swimming to real exploration, and right now it all comes down to one model: the Tadpole. You unlock it by scanning fragments, then you build a Moonpool with a Vehicle Fabricator and craft it there.

This guide shows you where the fragments are, what the build costs, how deep the Tadpole really goes and which chassis and modules are worth it. Game version: Early Access 1.2 "Buddy System" with Hotfix 1 from September 1, 2026.

🚙 Which Vehicles Exist

In the current Early Access, the Tadpole is the only playable vehicle: a small, agile submersible that fits through tight caves and passages. It gives you a protected hull, storage, a power system, attachments and module slots, and with that enough range to plan your dives instead of surfacing all the time.

Important for context: no further Subnautica 2 vehicles have been officially announced so far. The Unknown Worlds roadmap mentions a larger expansion that is supposed to bring a new vehicle chassis, among other things, with no name and no date. The Prawn Suit and a large submarine as a Cyclops successor are community wishes and speculation, not confirmed plans.

🔍 How to Unlock the Tadpole

Like almost everything in Subnautica 2, access runs through the Scanner. According to current fan guides, there are nine Tadpole fragments spread across the world, and you need to scan at least three of them to get the blueprint. Without those three scans the blueprint stays locked, no matter how many materials you already have.

The spots are spread across every direction so you get moving early. Community guides list these locations, among others. Distances are measured from the Lifepod and are rough guide values.

🏗️ Building It: Moonpool and Vehicle Fabricator

You can't build a vehicle at the regular Fabricator. You need a Moonpool at your base with a Vehicle Fabricator inside it. Place the Moonpool with the Habitat Builder and budget enough Titanium for it. How to lay out the habitat around it is covered in the base building guide.

Then build the Vehicle Fabricator into it and interact with it. It shows you the available vehicles, and with the right materials you craft the Tadpole. The build costs below come from current fan guides; the studio doesn't publish an official material list.

After that, the Tadpole docks at the Moonpool, recharges there and becomes part of your routine. Don't build it too late: your range changes dramatically with your first vehicle.

🔧 The Tadpole Chassis Options

The Tadpole is modular: chassis attachments change its character. Without one it stays an all-rounder that serves you well as long as you have nothing specific in mind. Two variants are currently known, and they pull in exactly opposite directions.

The Scout Ray chassis gets more acceleration, top speed and agility out of the Tadpole, which makes it the pick for fast exploration and tight caves. According to fan guides, the blueprint is in the Tadpole Pens, and you build it from high-end materials such as Plasteel and a Dedicated Core.

The Haul chassis goes the other way: more storage (community data mentions up to 30 slots) plus an extra tool mount. For the blueprint you need three fragments from different locations. That other players can attach to the Haul is backed by the September 1, 2026 hotfix, which explicitly fixes oxygen replenishment for players attached to a Tadpole or Haul.

You build and swap chassis and modules at the Modification Station, which you place in your base just like the Vehicle Fabricator. So you're not locked in for good; you refit when your plans change. In multiplayer, it pays to agree on who drives which variant.

⚓ How Deep the Tadpole Really Goes

This is the number most players are looking for. Fan guides list a crush depth of around 250 meters for the stock Tadpole. With the Depth Module Mk. 1, that rises to about 450 meters. A Depth Module Mk. 2 also exists and goes deeper still, but there is no reliable number for it yet. Only one depth module can be active at a time.

These values aren't officially confirmed, and in Early Access they can shift with any patch. They still work for planning: below the crush depth the vehicle takes damage, and you don't want to find out at 300 meters that the hull is giving way.

⚡ The Most Important Upgrades

Modules are what make the Tadpole really strong. The depth module opens new areas, and Engine Efficiency stretches battery life. Community guides list 20 percent less power use per module, stackable up to four times. The Cavitation Muffler reduces noise and with it the attention of predators, and the Photovoltaic Charger tops up power in shallow daylight.

The sensible order: depth module first for new areas, then Engine Efficiency for range, then the chassis that fits your plans. The blueprints are scattered, among other places in an alien facility, the Cicada wreck and the Metal Farms, and they're a reason in themselves to build the Tadpole early.

⚠️ The Mistake: Going Too Deep Too Early

This is the point many players underestimate. The vehicle gets you into deeper zones, but it doesn't make them survivable. Stronger creatures wait down there, and as soon as you get out, you depend on your own gear, not on the Tadpole's hull. Which zone sits at which depth is listed in the biome overview.

The rule: upgrade your gear first, then go deeper. Your access is limited by your equipment, not by the vehicle.

🛥️ Moving Faster Before the Tadpole Is Ready

Until your first vehicle is finished you have to swim, and that costs time and oxygen. In this phase you get the most out of two things: good fins for more speed and the Oxygen Control biomod, which lowers your oxygen use while you're not moving.

Also place beacons at worthwhile spots so you find fragment fields again instead of searching them twice. That's how you bridge the time until the Tadpole without surfacing constantly.

📊 Subnautica 2 Vehicles at a Glance

❓ Frequently Asked Questions about Subnautica 2 Vehicles

Which vehicle can I build?
Right now only the Tadpole, a small, agile submersible. Unknown Worlds hasn't announced any other vehicles yet; the roadmap only mentions a new chassis with no name and no date.

How do I unlock the Tadpole?
Scan at least three Tadpole fragments. According to fan guides there are nine in the world, including spots in wrecks, at cliffs, in the Colonist Bunker and in cave systems.

Why can't I build the vehicle?
Because you need a Moonpool with a Vehicle Fabricator. You can't craft the Tadpole at the regular Fabricator, not even with the full blueprint.

How deep can the Tadpole dive?
Community guides list around 250 meters, and about 450 meters with the Depth Module Mk. 1. The Mk. 2 module goes further, with no reliable value yet. The studio hasn't published official values, and they can change during Early Access.

Which chassis is the best?
It depends on your goal: Scout Ray for speed and tight caves, Haul for storage and passengers. Without an attachment, the Tadpole stays a solid all-rounder.

Are the Prawn Suit or a submarine coming back?
There's no official commitment. Both are discussed in the community, but neither appears in the patch notes or with a date on the roadmap.

As of: October 8, 2026, game version Early Access 1.2 "Buddy System" plus Hotfix 1 from September 1, 2026, including its follow-up fix of September 3.

Sources: patch notes and roadmap from Unknown Worlds and the game's Steam news feed. There is no official Subnautica 2 wiki. Fragment locations, build costs, depth values and module effects come from fan guides and the community wiki and should be read as community data.