- Last Updated on
Survival on Planet 4546B means getting your hands on the vital resources that lie beneath the waves. Some of these resources are pretty easy to obtain, Titanite being chief among them. Others aren’t so easy, at least not in the early game. Magnetite can be one of these difficult resources.
Despite not being terribly straightforward to get, Magnetite has a variety of applications, many of which are incredibly useful. Upgrades to the Scanner Room are some of the best uses of Magnetite, enabling you to mark on your HUD the locations of a resource of your choice. Problem is, you need to acquire some Magnetite first. So, where should you look?
💥 Don't Miss These Latest Deals 💥
- 27 inch QHD (2560*1440) display with the DCI-P3 90% wide color gamut brings what you’re watching to life in over 16.7M colors
- Nvidia ampere streaming multiprocessors
- 2nd generation rt cores:
- 3rd generation tensor cores
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti GPU
- 12th Gen Intel Core i7 14-Core CPU
- Next-Gen Vapor Chamber Cooling
Where to look for Magnetite
Magnetite can be found in small quantities in most of Subnautica’s biomes. You can collect it off the bed of the Lost River, find it readily in the Mountains, and take it from the various flooded caves. However, some areas can be quite dangerous, while others, like the Lost River, won’t be reached until later in the game. Instead, you’re better off searching certain areas that blend a degree of safety with a large quantity of Magnetite.
Jellyshroom Cave
Arguably the best place to find Magnetite in the early game is the Jellyshroom Cave. It’s fairly safe, provided you keep your wits about you, and you’ll be able to obtain quite a few resources down there, including Magnetite. To access the Jellyshroom Cave, you can choose between four entrances; one southeast of Lifepod 5, over in the direction of the Aurora, with the other three off to the west. Each entrance is in a Grassy Plateaus biome, fairly close to rocky outcrops or small hills. You’ll know an entrance when you see one; it’s a small opening that goes pretty deep, with a bunch of mushrooms lining the walls on the way down.
While not strictly necessary, you should bring a Seamoth for a portable oxygen supply and a bit of defense. Most of the Jellyshroom Cave is around 200m deep, so you won’t have long down there if you dive, especially if you don’t have a Rebreather. You’ll probably only have a few seconds down there without the proper equipment. While that can be enough to find some Magnetite, you’ll be doing yourself a favor if you bring a Seamoth down with you.
While resources can be found all over the Jellyshroom Cave, they seem to be concentrated by the bases of the Jellyshrooms. This means you’ll need to brush up against the predator of this area – the Crab Snake. These guys aren’t that tough; your Seamoth will provide more than enough defense against their attacks, and they won’t pursue you for long. They are highly territorial, tending to stick close to their particular Jellyshroom and only leaving to patrol for threats. If you can sneak past them, or better yet, find an unguarded Jellyshroom, you’ll have access to a good supply of Magnetite.
Also Read: Where To Find Nickel Ore
Mountains
If you’re looking for a little more danger, you could search for Magnetite in the Mountains instead. While perhaps not as suitable in the early game as the Jellyshroom Cave, and definitely a lot more dangerous, this biome has much more to offer in terms of resources. Magnetite can be found readily all over the Mountains, lying on the seabed and clinging to the walls. Near the geothermal vents that can be found in the biome, you can find a good chunk, too. However, if you choose to explore the Mountains, you’ll have to deal with much more than mere Crab Snakes. Reaper Leviathans call the Mountains home, so you’ll have to contend with them if you want to obtain Magnetite.
Needless to say, a Seamoth is vital for traveling in this area. If you’re spotted by a Reaper, you won’t be able to outswim it without one. If you venture into the Mountains for your Magnetite, you should explore stealthily. Reapers are loud, so you’ll probably hear them from quite a distance away. Problem is, if you’re close enough to hear it, it’s close enough to see you.
Mountains cave system
Further into the Mountains biome is a cave system that holds a lot of resources, including Magnetite. If you can make it past the Reapers, you’ll be able to slip into these caves and come away with an inventory full of valuable materials. In addition to Magnetite, Ruby, Uraninite, and Shale Outcrops can be found inside, making this area a generally good location for resources, if you can withstand the ever-looming threat of the Reapers. Before leaving the cave system, you should take care that no Reapers are lurking nearby your chosen exit. The Reapers in the Mountains are quite mobile, so you’d best be cautious whenever you’re in the area.
What can Magnetite be used to craft?
Magnetite is a pretty versatile resource, one that is needed to craft all kinds of various items. Some items, while not strictly necessary for progression, will be invaluable to you, making it a resource worth collecting. Here’s what you can craft with Magnetite in Subnautica:
- Stasis Rifle – One of your only options for self-defense. Effective at ensuring a Reaper’s jaws don’t get too close, with each shot locking a creature in place for a few seconds.
- Repulsion Cannon – Another tool for self-defense, the Repulsion Cannon is a modification to the Propulsion Cannon that can be used to repel things, unsurprisingly. This includes leviathans as well as objects.
- Thermal Plant – One of the best ways to passively generate energy. If you plan to build a base in a hot area, or in a location with thermal vents, Thermal Plants are a must.
- Prawn Suit Propulsion Cannon – The Prawn Suit Propulsion Cannon is essentially an upgraded version of the standard Propulsion Cannon, but made for the Prawn Suit. You’ll be able to lift pretty much anything, including larger structures like the aforementioned Thermal Plant.
- Seamoth Vortex Torpedo – Vortex Torpedoes are ammunition for the Seamoth’s torpedo tubes, capable of dealing damage to a creature and holding it in place for a few seconds. They’re good for pinning a Leviathan, giving you a head-start to escape, but you’ll need a whole lot to kill one.
- Seamoth Depth Module MK2 – Unsurprisingly lets you descend deeper in the Seamoth. You’ll probably want to make one of these early for an easier time exploring.
- Seamoth Sonar Upgrade – This upgrade allows you to expend a portion of energy to ping your surroundings, mapping everything nearby. Great for dark areas, especially ones with lurking threats.
- Cyclops Sonar Upgrade – The same as above, but for the Cyclops You’ll probably want one if you’re heading into the Lost River.
- Scanner Room Range Upgrade – Especially good in the early game, and when you enter new areas with new resources. Extends the range of the scanner room, locating more resources for you.
- Scanner Room HUD Chip – While the Scanner Room marks scanned resources on its map, the HUD Chip shows their exact location on your HUD. Very useful when searching for particular resources.
That’s everything you need to know about Magnetite. Almost all of the items you can craft with Magnetite are incredibly useful at some stage in the game, so you should make an effort to collect a good amount.
