So you don’t have to rely entirely on manual farming later on, we’ll show you where to find the Metal Farm in Subnautica 2.
In Subnautica 2, farming resources still feels pretty harmless at first. A few metal scraps here, some copper there, and a quick oxygen refill in between. The moment you start building your first larger base, though, things get a lot tougher. Suddenly every new module burns through titanium, and even simple construction projects empty your storage in no time. That’s why we’ll show you how to unlock the Metal Farm.
Unlocking the blueprint: Where to find the Metal Farm
The Metal Farm is located far east to northeast of the Lifepod. From the starting area, head roughly 1,700 meters east until you reach Angelcomb and the alien creature hanging nearby. From there, continue northeast and descend to around 420 meters depth. Swim through the rock formations until you reach the Metal Farm directly. Once there, you can scan three large metal structures to unlock the blueprint.
Getting there is anything but relaxing, though. Along the way, you’ll repeatedly encounter aggressive creatures and long stretches without a reliable oxygen supply. That’s why I’d recommend bringing at least the Tadpole vehicle. Without a vehicle, the trip becomes frustrating quickly, especially if you run out of power halfway there. It also absorbs some damage if you get attacked.
- Navigation becomes much easier if you’ve already discovered the Alien Ruins in Subnautica 2. From there, it’s only around 800 to 900 meters to the Metal Farm area.
Why the Metal Farm becomes so useful later on
The Metal Farm in Subnautica 2 isn’t just some passive generator. It works more like a small production station for resources, which is exactly why it becomes incredibly valuable later in the game. For the early game, though, you don’t absolutely need it yet.
Once you’ve built the Metal Farm, you can place raw ores inside. After a certain amount of time, the machine multiplies the material for you. One single ore eventually turns into multiple pieces of the same resource. This saves you an incredible amount of farming later on, especially for rare materials. The important part first, though, is building the structure itself, because you’ll need a few materials that aren’t exactly easy to find:
- 1 Axum Bacterial Culture
- 1 Mangalloy Ingot
You craft the Mangalloy Ingot in the Processor. For that, you’ll need Titanium, Troilite, and Atacamite. Troilite in particular is pretty rare. The green ore only appears in the area around the Metal Farm and exists there in limited amounts. Axum Bacterial Cultures also only grow between the remains of old Metal Farms. That’s exactly why it’s best to invest your first rare resources directly into a working Metal Farm.
I almost made the mistake myself at the beginning and wasted the materials on other recipes first. In Subnautica 2, you quickly realize how suddenly these exact rare resources are missing, forcing you to spend ages searching for them again.
How to use the Metal Farm properly
Once the Metal Farm is placed, it first needs power. After that, simply open the Metal Farm inventory and place a raw ore inside. A timer will then start automatically. When the timer finishes, a metallic structure grows on top of the machine, which you can harvest using the Resonator.
There’s one important thing you should keep in mind: if you remove the original ore from the inventory too early, the Metal Farm resets the entire progress. You won’t lose the material itself, but you’ll have to restart the whole production process from scratch.
Don’t underestimate the power consumption
The Metal Farm does come with one downside, though. It drains a lot of energy from your base. If you’re still relying on a few small Solar Panels in Subnautica 2, you’ll notice the difference very quickly. Especially at night or in deeper regions, your entire power supply can suddenly collapse once multiple production devices are running at the same time.
That’s why I’d recommend planning additional energy sources early on. Otherwise, you’ll eventually end up in the middle of crafting without any power and have to start rebuilding batteries or generators again. Especially during your first hours in the game, that’s not always easy to deal with
