Subnautica 2 Tadpole Fragment Locations

In Subnautica 2, the Tadpole is a craftable vehicle that lets players easily explore the deep ocean.

The Tadpole is the next-generation vehicle after the Seamoth, and players need to collect and scan several of its scattered pieces before they can build it.

All Tadpole Fragment Locations in Subnautica 2

In Subnautica 2, players need to scan 3 Tadpole fragments to unlock the full recipe.

Tadpole Fragment #1

You’ll find Tadpole Fragment #1 right beside the Blackbox – Ruby, immediately after picking up the recording. The Blackbox – Ruby signal unlocks as you play, but you can still locate and scan the Tadpole Fragment even if you haven’t reached that part of the game yet, as long as you’re in the correct area.

Okay, so to get this Tadpole Fragment, I had to stand facing the Lifepod and line up my compass so it was between the northeast and 30 degree markers – basically, just a little to the right of straight ahead while looking at the Lifepod. Then, I swam in a straight line for exactly 400 meters, and I kept looking down. I finally spotted this tiny island with the skeleton of a huge fish sticking out of the sand! I swam over to the skeleton, and there it was – Ruby’s Blackbox and my first Tadpole Fragment! It was a bit of a swim, but totally worth it.

Tadpole Fragment #2

Starting from where you found Tadpole Fragment #1, turn to face South – you’ll know you’re facing the right way when the marker on your in-game compass points to the “S”. Then, swim directly ahead, past the wrecked Cicada, and through the natural tunnel shown in the pictures.

After you go through the second archway, turn right. You’ll find a small settlement with some broken technology. The second Tadpole Fragment is lying on the ground near the metal platform.

Tadpole Fragment #3

You can find Tadpole Fragment #3 inside the Colonist Bunker (Unauthorized NoA Modification), a secret base. It’s located about 280 meters southwest of the Lifepod, close to the Blackbox – Wander signal. To get there from the Lifepod, turn to face southwest on your compass and swim straight ahead for around 250 meters.

After swimming the necessary distance, look down at the seafloor. You’ll see a big crack in the ocean floor with a large piece of wreckage from the Cicada hanging over the edge. Swim down along the metal until you reach a depth of 60 meters. At that level, you’ll find a smaller shipwreck, and just behind it, built into the cliff, is an entrance hatch to the hidden Colonist Bunker.

Go inside the Bunker and locate Tadpole Fragment #3 on a shelf. Scanning it will finish the Tadpole Blueprint.

Make sure to scan everything else in the bunker, and then turn on the biobed to get more storage space.

How to Build a Tadpole

To start building Tadpoles at your base, you first need to construct a Moonpool, a Tadpole Dock, and a Vehicle Fabricator. You’ll automatically unlock the blueprints for these structures after completing the Tadpole Blueprint.

Tadpole Prerequisites

Base Module	Builder	Materials
Moonpool	Habitat Builder (Standard Elements – Base Pieces)	Titanium x5
Tadpole Dock	Habitat Builder (Standard Elements – Vehicles)	Titanium Ingot x2 Silver Ingot x1 Copper Wire x1
Vehicle Fabricator	Habitat Builder (Standard Elements – Vehicles)	Titanium Ingot x2 Copper Ingot x1 Glass x2

You can create Titanium, Copper, and Silver Ingots using the Processor. To get the blueprint for the Processor, you’ll need to scan the Processor Fragment, which is found in the Old Habitat.

You can only build the Tadpole Dock and Vehicle Fabricator directly next to your Moonpool. If you’re struggling to place them, try building more of your base around the Moonpool to create more space.

Okay, so when you’re building, just double-check that there’s plenty of room under the Moonpool for your Tadpole to connect. Seriously, make sure nothing is blocking it, or you’ll have to relocate the whole base piece. It’s a pain to rebuild, so plan ahead!

Building a Tadpole

Once you’ve built the Moonpool, Tadpole Dock, and Vehicle Fabricator, you can begin constructing the Tadpole by using the Vehicle Fabricator.

Vehicle	Crafting Station	Materials
Tadpole	Vehicle Fabricator	Titanium Ingot x2 Glass x1 System Chip x1 Power Cell x1

The materials needed to build the Tadpole can be crafted using the following recipes:

Item	Crafting Station	Materials
Titanium Ingot	Processor	Titanium x3
Glass	Fabricator	Quartz x2
System Chip	Fabricator	Wiring Kit x1 Quartz x2
Power Cell	Fabricator	Basic Battery x2 Strong Acid x1 Salt x1

Strong Acid can be crafted at a Processor using Necrolei Cysts, which can be found roughly 280m NW of the Lifepod.
Salt deposits, on the other hand, start appearing in the biome located 220 SE of the Lifepod.

How to Use the Tadpole in Subnautica 2

Once you’ve constructed your Tadpole at the Moonpool, you can get inside by choosing the “Pilot” option when you’re standing near it. Here’s what the Tadpole can do:

The Tadpole has 100 Power, which depletes over time as you use the vehicle. This can be recovered by replacing the vehicle’s Power Cell with one that is fully charged. Newly crafted Power Cells are always fully charged, and depleted Power Cells can be recharged by placing them in a Power Cell Terminal.
The Tadpole has 100 durability, which decreases when the vehicle takes a hit from something. Durability can be restored by using the Repair Tool.
The Tadpole can dive down to a maximum of 250m depth without any upgrades.
The Tadpole has a flashlight that can be toggled on and off (much brighter than the Flashlight tool).
The Tadpole has a hardpoint on its back where items like the Habitat Builder, the Scanner, and other metallic tools can be attached. The best use of this Hardpoint that I’ve found so far is to attach a Portable Locker to it, giving the Tadpole a makeshift inventory that will help you carry back a lot more materials when you go out on supply runs.
In co-op, players can grab onto the yellow railings on the side of the Tadpole to ride alongside their friends.

You can customize your Tadpole with different chassis. The Scout Ray Chassis makes it faster, while the Tadpole Haul Chassis adds storage and lets you carry passengers. You can only use one chassis at a time. You unlock blueprints for these chassis by finding and scanning their fragments while exploring the world, just like you did with the Tadpole itself.

2026-05-14 22:10