Quick answer
On your first passes through shallow routes, scan fragments and useful prompts before filling the bag with common materials. A single blueprint step can change the next hour. Loot is still useful, but scan first when oxygen is safe, the exit cue is clear, and your inventory has room for the one item you actually came to confirm.
Field notes from the first-run video
A messy bag makes bad decisions
If your inventory is already full, you start judging the route by what fits instead of what matters. Store common materials before a scan loop.
Fragments beat random rocks
Copper and Titanium matter, but early blueprint progress changes your options. Scanner, oxygen, storage, and mobility upgrades should beat blind looting.
Do not scan yourself lost
The scan animation is a small pause. The bigger cost is turning around afterward and realizing the room no longer looks familiar.
Gameplay stills for scan routing
These stills come from the Bilibili first-run video. They show route habits and inventory timing, not exact spawn coordinates.
Start with a clean bag
A scan-first route works better after a storage pass. If the bag is already noisy, every fragment stop turns into inventory sorting.
Source: Bilibili BV1zh5d68Eft, around 02:31
Scan before the room becomes a shopping trip
This is the core habit: read the prompt, scan the useful object, then decide whether the nearby materials are worth the oxygen.
Source: Bilibili BV1zh5d68Eft, around 17:43
Keep the scan loop close to the route
Early fragments are only useful if you can repeat the path. If the scan pulls you away from landmarks, leave the room and reset the route.
Source: Bilibili BV1zh5d68Eft, around 10:07Visual notes and source media
Original route art
Abyss Guides uses original chibi deep-sea art for page visuals instead of copying wiki screenshots or fan uploads.
Source: Abyss Guides original artwork
Official Subnautica 2 gameplay trailer
Use the trailer for mood, vehicles, and biome context. Do not treat trailer scenes as exact farming coordinates.
Source: Official Subnautica YouTube embedHow to run a scan-first route
Empty the bag before the route
Start by dumping common materials at base or storage. Keep enough room for one planned resource and one surprise scan reward. This keeps the run from turning into a backpack puzzle.
Scan the prompt before looting the room
When you enter a small resource room, check the prompt first. If it is a fragment, scan it. If it is only common material, grab what fits your current craft plan and leave.
Count the scan as a stop, not a free action
Scanning inside a cave or wreck-like space should move your oxygen line earlier. If you stopped once, leave earlier than you would in open water.
Separate fragment runs from material runs
The first route should answer: what can I unlock? The second route can answer: what do I need to build it? Mixing both too early makes the route slower and less safe.
Return with a route note
A good scan loop ends with one useful note: where the fragment was, what the first landmark looked like, and which material blocked the next craft.
Scan loop card
First
Prompt
Read the object and decide whether it changes progression.
Second
O2
If you stopped to scan, move the turn-back line earlier.
Third
Loot
Only take materials tied to the next craft or storage plan.
Scan-first priority table
| What you see | Priority call |
|---|---|
| Fragment prompt | Scan first if the exit cue is still clear. |
| Unknown tool or station object | Scan before looting common rocks. |
| Common Copper or Titanium | Take only what matches the current craft plan. |
| Rare material in a dark room | Mark the room mentally and come back with more O2. |
| Full inventory | Leave and store. Do not delete useful route memory for random loot. |
| Low oxygen warning | Stop scanning and follow the return cue. |
Blueprint progress is easy to hide under busy looting
A full inventory feels productive, but it can hide the fact that you skipped the fragment that would have changed your route. Scan-first does not mean ignore materials. It means do not let common loot interrupt the thing that unlocks better tools.
FAQ
Should I scan or loot first in Subnautica 2?
Scan first when the object is a fragment or useful prompt and your exit is still obvious. Loot after the scan, based on the craft you are actually working toward.
What should I bring on a scan route?
Bring a charged Scanner, enough oxygen margin, and an empty enough bag. If the route goes through a cave, pair it with the shallow cave oxygen rules.
Is it bad to collect common materials early?
No. Copper, Titanium, Rubber, and storage materials still matter. The problem is filling the bag before checking nearby fragments.
Are the Bilibili stills exact fragment spots?
No. They are practical examples from a first-run video. Use them to copy the habits: store first, scan first, leave with a route note.