Subnautica is a superb game. In it, you build, scavenge and explore an ever-increasingly expansive and mysterious oceanic world. The game has a story with which you can engage if you so wish, in the form of found artifacts, etc, but if you want to take your experience to the next level, here are the top 10 Subnautica mods we recommend for a great time in the depths…
10. Blueprint Tracker
While not a hugely ‘fun’ mod, the Blueprint Tracker by RandyKnapp is certainly a must-have for any aquatic adventurer. It allows you to pin blueprints to your HUD. It shows you what resources you have and how many you still need for each blueprint. Six is the maximum you can pin, but let me tell you, it really makes those daunting resource dives all-the-more simple when you know exactly what you are looking for.
9. Defabricator
Honestly, why wasn’t this in the game to begin with?
Having a device which allows you to take various items and deconstruct to retrieve the components which they constitute, seems like a no-brainer. PVD MrPurple6411 seems to agree with this notion, and developed this handy little mod, for just that occasion.
It is a great way to recycle tools which you may have no use for and craft something from the salvage, which you may need. The really cool thing is the visual effects. When the item is being ‘defabricated’, you can actually watch the item being deconstructed down to a molecular level. It is a pretty cool addition for a game all about science.
8. EasyCraft
On the flip-side of the ‘Defabricator’, we have the ‘EasyCraft’ system. This mod streamlines the often confusing process of crafting by automatically allowing you to craft items from blueprints and even handily retrieves the materials which are needed from nearby containers. Neat, right?
7. Hard Mode Shader
Are you a masochist? Do you play From Software games for ‘down-time’? Do you think that ‘easy modes’ are for children? Then boy do we have the mod for you!
The Hard Mode Shader makes all of Subnautica’s underwater areas darker, without impacting the effectiveness of your lights. It does by shading the environment a darker black – yes, there are multiple shades of black, don’t attack me. Instead, it tweaks your suit lights, to not reach as far as they have before. This creates the illusion that the game is darker, when it actual fact, it is not.
6. Base Clocks
“One can find time for everything, if one is never in a hurry,” so a quote by Mikhail Bulgakov, Soviet doctor and writer goes. One can only find time, if one knows the time, which is where base clocks come in. We have all been hours and hours into a gaming session, the day has wound down, the sun has gone to bed and the ignoring of the grumbling stomach has become too much to bear; why has this happened? Because we have lost track of time. With this mod, you can install two types of clock in your base habitat.
One clock will track your in-game time, the other will track your real-life time.
Both clocks can either come in analog, or digital and aesthetically slot into the game like ‘hand in glove’. Never again, will you miss dinner time because you were too busy being fascinated by the ‘Defabricator’ in all of its resplendent glory!
5. Fish Overflow Distributor
Pets are cool. Little bundles of personality that one can keep to keep us company. They say that fish make the best pets because they are so easy to look after. While the fish in Subnautica are not exactly pets, one can role-play that way, or can feed the machine with said fish. The fish over-flow distributor is a feature that takes any newly bred fish and automatically feeds them into the bioreactor. Doing this, powers your habitat. The fish from the breeding process will be fed only, the original fish will be left untouched to continue breeding going forwards.
Having these can power your habitat without any time needing to be put into gathering materials to feed the reactor itself. It saves time and honestly feels diegetic to boot!
4. Autosort Lockers
Don’t you just hate it when you can’t find that one thing you need? Modder RandyKnapp certainly understands that feeling, which is why they created the Autosort Locker mod. It allows you to keep all your bits and pieces stacked and adds two new locker types to the game.
With the autosorter fitted to the wall, any item you have can be stored in it. It sorts them out automatically so you don’t have to, but if you feel like doing so, you can also specify exact items to a single locker. Trust me, your OCD will thank you for this one; it certainly did me!
3. MoonPool Vehicle Repair
Not a world-changing mod, but definitely one of my personal favourites. A great deal of mods are just quality-of-life improvements, and the MoonPool vehicle repair is just such a mod.
It allows you repair to your vehicles straight from the moonpool, once they are docked.
No involvement is necessary from you, as the mod does everything for you.
Time for a cuppa?
2. Upgraded Vehicles
Speaking of vehicles, this mod is certainly a welcome addition. The upgraded vehicles mod adds a few new vehicles to the game. Some of the new vehicles don’t require upgrade modules and are significantly more durable. Not a bad thing for those YOLO moments we all subject ourselves to!
1. Multiplayer
What better way to enjoy the depths and despair of this oceanic nightmare than having a friend along for the ride?
The Nitrox multiplayer mod allows this. It is currently limited in its functionality but does allow you to do some exploration together and showcase your bases.
As time goes on, the mod’s stability is increasing. As with all mods there are bugs, but let’s be honest, there is nothing cooler than exploring as a modern-day Lewis and Clarke team while scrambling for the entrance hatch – even if it is a little janky at times.
So there we have it, the best 10 Subnautica mods. Some offer huge gameplay upgrades, others just change the aesthetic of the game, but one thing is for sure: they all add something different to the proceedings and aid in the journey throughout Subnautica. Speaking of journeying, I really hope I can get this session done without a face-to-face encounter with a Reap… oh, never mind, there he is… HELLO BEASTIE!
All of the above mods can be found: at Nexus Mods, which has been proven to be a safe place for mods.
