Subnautica 2 Tadpole Fragment Locations

In Subnautica 2, the Tadpole is a vehicle players can craft and pilot to explore the vast depths of the ocean with ease. A successor to the Seamoth vehicle from the first Subnautica, the Tadpole can only be crafted after players find and scan a certain number of its Fragments scattered throughout the sea.

See our Subnautica 2 vehicle and traversal guides for more mobility upgrades.

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By Ollie Tuscarny

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

Tadpole Fragment #1 is found directly next to Blackbox - Ruby, right next to where you pick up the recording. The Blackbox - Ruby signal is unlocked automatically as you progress through the game, but if you haven’t reached this point yet, you can still find and scan the blueprint fragment if you arrive at the right location.

To reach this Tadpole Fragment, face the Lifepod and orient yourself so that your HUD compass is positioned between the NE and 30 markers while the Lifepod is in your view. From here, swim in a straight line for exactly 400m and look down. You’ll see a small island-like formation below you with the skeletal remains of a large fish creature half-buried in the sand on top of it. Approach these skeletal remains, and you’ll find Ruby’s Blackbox and your first Tadpole Fragment.

Tadpole Fragment #2

From Tadpole Fragment #1’s location, face South so that your HUD compass’s marker is on the “S” symbol. Then, swim straight past the Cicada wreck, through the natural tunnel formation as shown in the screenshots above.

Turn right when you’re past the second arch, and you’ll arrive at a colonist outpost that has a few scattered pieces of technology. The Tadpole Fragment #2 will be on the ground next to the metal platform.

Tadpole Fragment #3

Tadpole Fragment #3 can be found inside the Colonist Bunker (Unauthorized NoA Modification), a hidden base that’s located 280m SW from the Lifepod, near the Blackbox - Wander signal. From the Lifepod, face your camera towards the SW symbol on your compass HUD and swim straight for roughly 250m.

Observe the seafloor when you’ve crossed the required distance, and you’ll find yourself at the edge of a large chasm, with a large metal piece of a Cicada wreck hanging off the cliff’s edge. Swim downward, along the surface of the metal until you’re at about a depth of 60m. Here, you’ll find a smaller shipwreck on the ocean’s surface, and right behind it, built into the cliff’s face, will be a hatch leading into the hidden Colonist Bunker.

Enter the Bunker, and you’ll find Tadpole Fragment #3 on the shelf nearby. Scan it to complete the Tadpole Blueprint.

Don’t forget to scan the other items in the bunker and activate the biobed to unlock the inventory expansion.

How to Build a Tadpole

Before you’re able to build a Tadpole in your base, you’ll need to build a Moonpool, a Tadpole Dock, and a Vehicle Fabricator. The Blueprints for these base modules are unlocked automatically when you complete 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

Titanium, Copper, and Silver Ingots, vehicle crafting resources, can be made by placing the raw materials in the Processor. Scan the Processor Fragment in the Old Habitat to unlock its Blueprint.

The Tadpole Dock and Vehicle Fabricator can only be placed on the edge of a Moonpool in your base. If you’re having trouble finding the correct placement, widen the area around the Moonpool by expanding your base.

Make sure that there is enough empty space underneath the Moonpool for your Tadpole to dock. If there are any obstructions, you will have to move this base module to a different spot.

Building a Tadpole

After the Moonpool, the Tadpole Dock, and the Vehicle Fabricator are ready, you can start building the Tadpole by interacting with 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

After you’ve built your Tadpole at the Moonpool, you can enter it by selecting the “Pilot” prompt that appears when facing the vehicle. The Tadpole has the following abilities:

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.

The Tadpole can be equipped with the Scout Ray Chassis, which increases the Tadpole’s speed, and the Tadpole Haul Chassis, which gives the vehicle a built-in inventory space and the ability to carry passengers. Only one chassis can be equipped at a time. The blueprints for these chassis can be unlocked by scanning their Fragments, just like the base vehicle. You’ll find them through exploration.