What this solves
Start here when a new signal appears but the next craft is not obvious. The aim is to keep oxygen, tools and material gates ahead of the story breadcrumbs instead of chasing every marker at once.
Quick route
- Stabilize a shallow resource loop before chasing distant signals.
- Follow NOA and Blackbox-style leads only after the next craft gate is clear.
- Use Tadpole prep as the middle of the route, not as an optional side project.
- Treat Tadpole Pens, hot caves and ruin areas as linked story gates.
- Move into Power Plant and Observatory planning only after late materials are reserved.
Before you go
- Carry the Scanner whenever a signal points at structures, fragments or abandoned equipment.
- Keep one return landmark in view before entering caves, hot routes or deep ruin approaches.
- Open the map with Tech & Story plus Caves when a signal feels vague.
- Do not spend Troilite or other late materials until you know which late craft is blocking you.
Prerequisites
- Scanner path started
- Stable oxygen route
- A habit of returning before deep detours stack up
Field Notes
Step-by-step Walkthrough
Each step keeps exact coordinates conservative. Use the linked map filters for route planning and trust reviewed marker labels when you need precision.
Start the story route from a short, safe supply loop rather than a long signal chase. Step 1Route noteGuide noteStabilize the opening loop
Turn the start of the save into a repeatable supply route.
Start with shallow gathering, core tools and the first Silver run before following every signal marker outward.
The first part of story progression is not a dramatic objective. It is making the water around your start safe and boring enough that you can leave and come back without panic. Gather Titanium, Copper and Quartz, check every new recipe as it appears, and avoid spending the first rare pieces just because a craft button is available.
A good opening loop has three signs: you can reach the same resource pockets again, you know which direction returns home, and you can surface or refill oxygen without guessing. Once those are true, the early signals stop feeling like traps and start feeling like choices.
Map hint
Use the map in focused resource mode first. Quartz and Silver filters are more useful here than broad story markers.
Do this
- Scanner path started
- One shallow route you can repeat
- Enough oxygen to turn back early
Watch for
- Following every signal immediately
- Crafting away Silver before checking the next oxygen or electronics recipe
Next: Open First Hours if your tool order still feels messy; otherwise move to the first Blackbox / NOA lead.
Signal logs are route gates: read the equipment pressure before swimming straight at the marker. Step 2Route noteGuide noteTreat Blackbox and NOA signals as progression gates
Use signals to decide the next preparation gate, not just the next destination.
Follow signal-style leads after your return path is safe. Players write this as Blackbox or black box; on this site, broad route notes stay separate from confirmed pins.
NOA and Blackbox-style leads are the spine of the Early Access story, but the game does not behave like a tidy quest log. A signal can point toward a place while the real blocker is oxygen, heat safety, a scan target, or a missing vehicle step. Read each signal as a question: what will this route demand before I can return safely?
When a guide note is broad, this site keeps it broad. That is intentional. A reported signal chain can be useful without being treated as a reviewed exact pin. Use it to set filters and plan the route, then rely on site-reviewed markers when you need precision.
Map hint
Open Tech & Story with cave markers visible, then narrow by the signal name if you know it.
Do this
- Scanner in inventory
- Route back to oxygen planned
- A free inventory row for scanned or found items
Watch for
- Assuming a signal means the route is safe now
- Confusing broad route notes with verified coordinates
Next: If the signal starts pulling you farther out, begin Tadpole preparation before stacking more leads.
Tadpole prep is easier when fragment scanning and material farming are handled as separate trips. Step 3ApproximateGuide noteBuild toward Tadpole mobility
Make vehicle prep the midpoint between early signals and deeper story areas.
Tadpole fragments and vehicle prep should be planned with Silver, Copper Wire and depth readiness rather than treated as a random scan sweep.
The Tadpole route is where many saves stop being purely about swimming. Plan it as two jobs. First, scan and identify the vehicle path. Second, come back with the resources needed for Dock and electronics work. Mixing both jobs in one trip is how players end up with full inventory, low oxygen and no clean return line.
Silver, Copper Wire and later depth materials matter here because the vehicle is a route tool. It gives more reach, but it also tempts you into caves and depths before your exit plan is ready.
Map hint
Use Tech & Story for fragments and resource filters for Silver or Copper before you leave base.
Do this
- Scanner ready
- Silver route known
- Copper Wire materials banked or marked
Watch for
- Trying to solve fragments, Dock materials and late depth parts in one outing
Next: Open Tadpole Build when you are ready to split scan runs from material runs.
The Pens are a story puzzle gate; the useful work is tracing the clue chain and preparing for the hot route. Step 4Route noteGuide noteResolve the Tadpole Pens code path
Follow the code clue chain instead of brute-forcing the Pens.
The Pens puzzle is tied to the Zip Blackbox / Zip black box route and heat preparation. Keep the map on cave plus story filters until the exact placement is reviewed.
The Tadpole Pens sequence should be treated as a puzzle route, not a keypad guessing exercise. Current guide evidence points the route back through a Zip Blackbox-style clue and hot cave preparation. That means the right preparation is not only "find the door"; it is heat safety, cave exits and enough oxygen to investigate without rushing.
Keep cave and story filters visible together. If the map looks too noisy, search for the route term, then turn off unrelated resources. The goal is to understand the shape of the path, not to publish a fake exact coordinate for a clue that still needs site review.
Map hint
Use Caves plus Tech & Story, then search Tadpole Pens or the clue name.
Do this
- Tadpole route started
- Heat route understood
- Cave exits marked mentally before entering
Watch for
- Guessing the code
- Entering hot caves without a return plan
Next: Open Tadpole Pens Code for the dedicated puzzle route.
Ruin routes need late materials and depth planning before they need another generic resource sweep. Step 5Biome-onlyGuide noteMove into the current ruin chain
Switch from early survival routing to late material and ruin planning.
Power Plant and Observatory planning belongs after Tadpole, heat/depth prep and late materials such as Troilite, Celestine and Atacamite.
After Tadpole Pens and the hot route, the story path starts behaving more like late Early Access content. Power Plant, Observatory and ruin-side markers should be approached with depth, heat and material reserves in mind. At this point, a general "grab everything" habit is weaker than a short checklist for the next blocker.
Before spending Troilite, Celestine or Atacamite, decide which craft is truly blocking the next story step. The site keeps these routes conservative because patch changes can shift late material availability.
Map hint
Search Power Plant or Observatory, then pair the result with Troilite, Celestine and Atacamite pages.
Do this
- Tadpole path stable
- Heat and depth comfort checked
- Late material reserve protected
Watch for
- Spending all late materials on optional upgrades
- Treating approximate ruin areas as exact pickup points
Next: Open Power Plant and Observatory, then read the Troilite warning before crafting late upgrades.