Angel Comb Puzzle Guide in Subnautica 2

TL;DR

• Angel Combs are large biological structures that grant permanent Adaptations when interacted with.
• Infected Angel Combs are sealed shut. You must destroy all Bloom Cankers with the Sonic Resonator before you can use them.
• There are currently 4 Adaptations in the game: Pressure Tolerance, Digestion, Heat Tolerance, and Axum Vision.
• The Heat Tolerance puzzle is the most complex — it is a three-stage, multi-location quest that unlocks the lava biome.
• The final Axum Vision puzzle requires the Reflected Wave Resonator, not the standard Sonic Resonator.
• In Creative Mode, all Adaptations are unlocked from the start. In Survival Mode, you unlock them through exploration.

Angel Combs are one of the most important systems in Subnautica 2. They are the only source of Adaptations — permanent DNA upgrades that let your character survive increasingly hostile environments. Without them, entire biomes are locked off and key story moments cannot progress.

Some Angel Combs are simple to use. Others are puzzles that span multiple locations, require specific tools, and put you in the path of aggressive enemies. This guide covers everything: what Angel Combs are, every location, every Adaptation reward, and a full step-by-step walkthrough for the complex puzzle sequences.

What Are Angel Combs in Subnautica 2?

Angel Combs are large, tree-like organic structures found across the ocean floor of Proteus. They look like oversized purple jellyfish or coral formations with glowing pink bulbs at their core. Interacting with the pink bulb permanently alters your character’s DNA and grants a new Adaptation.

Some Angel Combs are clean and ready to use. You simply swim up and interact. Others are infected by a viral organism called the Bloom. When infected, the Angel Comb seals itself shut with Bloom Cankers — glowing, parasitic growths on the plant’s roots and tendrils that block access to the bulb entirely. Touching the comb does nothing until every Canker is destroyed.

Bloom Cankers can only be destroyed by the Sonic Resonator. No other tool works. This is mandatory equipment before attempting any infected Angel Comb puzzle.

What Are Adaptations in Subnautica 2?

Adaptations are permanent character upgrades that change how your character interacts with the world. They are not gear you equip or items in your inventory. Once earned, they are always active.

There are currently four Adaptations available in Early Access:

• Pressure Tolerance – Lets you breathe highly pressurized air at depth. Earned during the prologue, cannot be missed.
• Digestion – Lets you eat and digest the alien fish and food sources on Proteus. Without this, raw alien food makes you ill.
• Heat Tolerance – Lets you survive extreme underwater temperatures. Unlocks access to the lava biome, gold, sulfur, and major story progression.
• Axum Vision – Lets you perceive and interact with alien Axum technology. Required for late-game story and exploration.

Earning all four Adaptations is essential for completing the story in Survival Mode. Do not skip them.

Adaptation 1: Pressure Tolerance (No Puzzle)

This is your first Adaptation and the only one the game gives you for free. During the opening prologue sequence inside the habitat ship, before you escape via the Lifepod, you are guided to an Angel Comb. Interact with the pink bulb to receive Pressure Tolerance automatically.

There is no puzzle here, no Bloom Cankers to clear, and no tools required. It is a mandatory story beat that every player completes.

Adaptation 2: Digestion (Simple Interaction)

The Digestion Adaptation is found at an Angel Comb located approximately 250 meters northeast of the Lifepod, directly next to the Anita Blackbox signal. It is one of the earliest Blackbox signals you can follow in the game.

This Angel Comb is not infected. It is clean and ready to use. Simply swim up to the pink bulb and interact with it to permanently unlock the ability to digest alien food sources on Proteus.

Getting this early makes a big difference. Without Digestion, eating the fish and alien food you find underwater makes you ill. With it, those same food sources become a reliable nutrition supply. Our guide on the best early food sources in Subnautica 2 covers what becomes available to you after getting this Adaptation. Also make sure to scan any colony supply items sitting on the nearby workstation while you are in the area.

If you are dealing with Digestive Incompatibility issues before getting this Adaptation, our guide on how to cure Digestive Incompatibility in Subnautica 2 explains your options.

Adaptation 3: Heat Tolerance (Multi-Stage Puzzle)

This is the most involved Angel Comb puzzle in the early game. Heat Tolerance is locked behind a three-stage infection-clearing quest that takes you to multiple locations. Many players reach the main Angel Comb, try to interact with it, and think the game is broken. It is not. You need to clear the juvenile Angel Combs first before the main one will open.

Heat Tolerance is one of the most important upgrades in the game. Without it, the lava biome instantly drains your health. Everything behind that barrier — gold, sulfur, lithium, and critical story objectives — is locked until you complete this puzzle. Our guide on how to get the Heat Tolerance trait in Subnautica 2 goes into full detail on why this matters for progression.

What You Need Before Starting

• Sonic Resonator — Mandatory. This is the only tool that destroys Bloom Cankers. You cannot craft it at the basic Lifepod Fabricator. You need a proper base Fabricator first. Our guide on how to fix the fully functional Fabricator requirement in Subnautica 2 covers this if you are stuck on setup.
• Full air tank — The cave systems are winding and you will spend a long time inside. Top off before every stage. Our guide on how to increase oxygen in Subnautica 2 covers upgrades that extend your dive time significantly.
• Flares — Strongly recommended for the final stage. A large predatory fish patrols the main Angel Comb chamber. Tossing a flare distracts it while you clear the last Cankers.
• Wakemaker tool — Helpful for speed through cave passages. See our guide on how to make the Wakemaker in Subnautica 2 if you do not have one yet.

Step 1: Follow the Blackbox Wander Signal

The entire puzzle is triggered by following the Blackbox Wander signal. Head approximately 200 meters northwest of your Lifepod, at around 300 degrees on your compass. You will come across a large coral structure. Look for a tunnel entrance underneath it blocked by Bloom tissue. This is the infected cave system you need to enter.

Use the Sonic Resonator to break through the Bloom tissue blocking the entrance if it is sealed. Once inside, you will find the first juvenile Angel Comb.

Step 2: Clear the First Juvenile Angel Comb

Inside the cave entrance, you will find a juvenile Angel Comb surrounded by glowing Bloom Cankers on its roots. These are the white or blue-glowing orbs attached to the plant’s tendrils. Aim your Sonic Resonator at each one and fire. There are approximately 3–4 Cankers to destroy here.

Bloom Parasites — hostile creatures that protect the infestation — will try to attack you while you work. You can stun them with the Sonic Resonator to buy time, but do not waste too much oxygen fighting them. Focus on the Cankers. Once every Canker is cleared, the juvenile Angel Comb is healed. A message appears prompting you to find the adult.

Look for oxygen bubbles in the cave if you are running low. You can also hack away Bloom Sap from any sealed funnels using your Survival Multitool to release trapped oxygen.

Step 3: Follow the Tendrils to the Main Angel Comb Chamber

After healing the first juvenile, follow the large purple tendril leading out of the cave. It guides you to the main Angel Comb chamber. Do not interact with the main comb yet — it will not respond until both juvenile combs are healed.

When you reach the main chamber, you will see the adult Angel Comb in the center and a large predatory fish patrolling the room. Ignore both for now. Head north from the chamber, following the second tendril to the next juvenile Angel Comb.

Step 4: Clear the Second Juvenile Angel Comb

The second juvenile is located north of the main Angel Comb room. It has 3 Bloom Cankers to clear. Use the same process: aim your Sonic Resonator at each glowing growth and destroy them. Watch out for the Marrowbreach enemy in this area — it is infected by Bloom Parasites and will attack you while you work. Stun it with the Resonator when needed and stay focused on the Cankers.

Once all Cankers on this juvenile are cleared, return to the main Angel Comb chamber.

Step 5: Clear the Main Angel Comb

With both juveniles healed, the main Angel Comb is now ready to be cleansed. This is the most dangerous part. A large predatory fish patrols the chamber and will interrupt you if it gets close.

Here is how to handle the final stage:

• Throw a flare to distract the predatory fish and pull it away from the comb.
• Work quickly while the fish is occupied. Aim at each Bloom Canker on the main Angel Comb’s roots and tendrils.
• There are approximately 4 Cankers on the main body. Destroy all of them.
• Once the last Canker is gone, the Angel Comb opens.
• Interact with the pink bulb to receive the Heat Tolerance Adaptation.

You can now enter the lava biome without your health draining from ambient heat. This unlocks gold, sulfur, the Cicada Wreck area, and the next major story objectives.

Now that you have Heat Tolerance, our guide on how to get gold in Subnautica 2 and our guide on how to get sulfur in Subnautica 2 are the logical next steps for resource farming in the lava zone.

Adaptation 4: Axum Vision (Late-Game Puzzle)

Axum Vision is the final Adaptation in the current build and the most difficult to reach. It allows your character to perceive and interact with alien Axum technology, which is required for story progression and accessing advanced alien structures.

This Angel Comb is located roughly 1,800 meters east of the Lifepod, well past the Alien Base. The game naturally directs you here after you complete the objectives at the Tadpole Pens, so do not try to rush it early.

What You Need Before Starting

• Tadpole vehicle — The distance alone makes swimming by hand unrealistic, and multiple leviathan-class enemies patrol the route. The Tadpole is not optional. Our guide on how to build the Tadpole in Subnautica 2 covers everything you need.
• Tadpole Depth Module — This Angel Comb sits below the standard 250-meter crush depth. You need the Depth Module upgrade before your Tadpole can dive that deep without taking damage.
• Reflected Wave Resonator — This is the key difference from earlier puzzles. The Bloom Cankers on this Angel Comb are shielded. When you approach them, they close up and the standard Sonic Resonator cannot damage them. You need the upgraded Reflected Wave Resonator to hit them from a distance before they detect you.

How to Clear the Axum Vision Angel Comb

• Travel to the Angel Comb location, approximately 1,800 meters east of the Lifepod, past the Alien Base.
• Locate the infected Angel Comb and its tendrils.
• Find the shielded Bloom Cankers on the tendrils. Stay at a distance — approaching too close causes them to close and become immune.
• Use the Reflected Wave Resonator from range to destroy each shielded Canker before they detect you.
• Clear all outer Cankers on both tendrils first.
• Return to the central bulb and destroy the remaining Cankers around the main body of the Angel Comb.
• Once fully cleansed, interact with the bulb to receive Axum Vision.

With Axum Vision active, you can now read alien inscriptions, operate Axum devices, and proceed into the final parts of the current story content.

Tips for Solving Angel Comb Puzzles

• Charge your Sonic Resonator before every dive. Running out of charge mid-puzzle is a frustrating waste of time and oxygen. Our guide on how to recharge tools and batteries in Subnautica 2 shows the full process.
• Follow the tendrils, not your instincts. The large purple root systems radiating from each Angel Comb lead directly to the next stage or chamber. If you are lost inside a cave system, find the nearest tendril and follow it.
• Manage oxygen actively. Look for oxygen bubbles and Bloom Sap funnels throughout cave systems. Hack sealed funnels with your Survival Multitool to release trapped air when you need a top-up mid-dive.
• Do not interact with the main Angel Comb early. A common mistake is interacting with the adult comb before clearing the juveniles. It will not respond. Clear the juveniles in order, then return to the main comb.
• Use flares against patrolling enemies. The main Angel Comb chamber has a large predator. Throw a flare away from the comb to draw it off while you destroy the final Cankers.
• Expand your inventory before long dive sessions. The cave systems take time to navigate. More inventory slots mean more time before you need to surface and return to base. Our guide on how to increase inventory space in Subnautica 2 covers the best upgrades.
• Set up a nearby base before tackling the Heat Tolerance puzzle. A simple corridor with a Biobed gives you a respawn point close to the cave system if something goes wrong. A powered base also refills your oxygen while you are inside. Our guide on how to add power to your base in Subnautica 2 explains every power source option if your base oxygen is offline.

Frequently Asked Questions About Angel Combs in Subnautica 2

Ending Note

Angel Comb puzzles are the backbone of your progression in Subnautica 2. Every Adaptation you earn opens a new layer of the ocean to you — deeper dives, hotter biomes, alien technology, and story content you simply cannot access without them. The Heat Tolerance puzzle in particular is a real turning point in the game. Once you clear it, the world opens up dramatically.

Take your time with each puzzle, prepare your oxygen and tools before entering cave systems, and follow the tendrils. They always lead where you need to go.

If you are still working through the early game, our Subnautica 2 beginner tips and tricks guide covers all the survival basics. And when you are ready to plan the best order to tackle upgrades after Heat Tolerance, see our guide on the best early upgrades and progression path in Subnautica 2.

Subnautica 2 is available now in early access on Steam and Xbox Game Preview.