Best Base Locations in Subnautica: Below Zero
By the numbers in the files, Lily Pads is the best-supplied area (5 of 5 base materials) but has 2 hand-placed leviathan or predator pins. The best-supplied area with none is Arctic Spires (3 of 5). 7 of 15 areas have no placed pin of either kind. The files do not say where the builder will accept a base, so check the spot in game.
- Best suppliedLily Pads5 of 5 materials, middle depth 197 m below sea level
- Best with no placed predatorArctic Spires3 of 5 materials, 7 such areas
- Thermal pins77vents, fields and pools in these areas
- Areas compared15those with enough spawn slots
I cannot play-test where a base fits, so this page ranks areas by what the files can prove: the spawn model, the pins and the recipe table. It is a short list to check in game, not a verdict on any one cove.
On this page
The 4 steps at a glance
Step 1: Read the five materials
A first base is mostly Titanium, with Quartz for glass and hatches, Lead for foundations, Copper and Silver for wires. The area table asks whether the spawn model lists each one. Titanium counts when the area lists drillable titanium or Metal salvage, since the recipe turns salvage into Titanium. Lithium, for domes and reinforcement, is on the ore page.
Step 2: Compare the areas
The order is the formula above. "Middle depth" is the middle of the area's spawn slots and ignores caves and shelves.
| Area | Materials listed | Placed leviathans or predators | Thermal pins | Alterra sites | Middle depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lily Pads | 5 of 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 197 m below |
| Crystal Caverns | 5 of 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 644 m below |
| Tree Spires | 4 of 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 244 m below |
| Fabricator Caverns | 4 of 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 894 m below |
| Arctic Spires | 3 of 5 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 46 m above |
| Arctic Kelp | 3 of 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 57 m below |
| Twisty Bridges | 3 of 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 68 m below |
| East Iceberg Zone | 3 of 5 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 125 m below |
| Thermal Spires | 2 of 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 65 m below |
| West Iceberg Zone | 2 of 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 98 m below |
| Purple Vents | 2 of 5 | 1 | 12 | 3 | 72 m below |
| Glacial Basin | 1 of 5 | 0 | 51 | 8 | 5 m above |
| Glacial Bay | 1 of 5 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 23 m below |
| Sparse Arctic Zone | 1 of 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 26 m below |
| Koppa Mining Site | 1 of 5 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 263 m below |
Step 3: Check the hazards
The only hazard the pins can show is a hand-placed leviathan or predator: Lily Pads (2), Crystal Caverns (2), Tree Spires (2), Fabricator Caverns (2), Twisty Bridges (2), East Iceberg Zone (6), Purple Vents (1), Koppa Mining Site (10). See the leviathans for where they are. Fish and other creatures that roll per game are on each area page.
Step 4: Plan the power
Arctic Spires 3, Purple Vents 12, Glacial Basin 51, Glacial Bay 11 thermal pins sit in the areas above. They are steam vents, vent fields and thermal pools, and the files do not say which of them a thermal plant can use. The other sources are solar and a bioreactor, in the base guide.
Common mistakes
- Treating the table as a safe list. A creature that rolls per game can be anywhere.
- Reading a missing material as "none there". It means the spawn model does not list it for the area.
- Building away from the materials. Every missing one is a trip.
About these numbers
Every number here is read from the game files of the Steam build of 12 Aug 2025. Fixed pins and recipes are exact. Spawn chances come from a model of the game's spawner tables and have not been checked in a running game. Anything the files do not hold is marked on the page.
Areas with fewer than 5,000 spawn slots (Delta Island, Outpost Zero and the caves) have too little model to rank and are left out; the files do not say where a base may be placed.
Pages to keep open
Related pages
Sources
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