How to Get Quartz in Subnautica 2

TL;DR

• Quartz is found inside orange Coral Domes on the seafloor — look for white crystals on the inner walls.
• Coral Domes are scattered all over the shallow starting area, especially northwest and northeast of the Lifepod.
• The Spider Dome (~220 meters southwest of the Lifepod) is the single best early farming spot — nearly 100 Quartz nodes, all pickable by hand.
• Large Quartz deposits in caves and trenches require the Sonic Resonator to mine.
• Best mid-game farming trench: 350–400 meters north of the Lifepod near the Old Habitat.
• Quartz is used to make Glass and System Chips — both used in dozens of base and crafting recipes.
• The Scanner recipe requires Quartz directly — it is your first crafting priority after the Lifepod.

Quartz is one of the most important resources in Subnautica 2 and one of the first you will need. You cannot craft the Scanner without it. You cannot make Glass without it. And without Glass, you cannot build the Habitat Builder, Solar Panels, or half of your base. Getting a reliable supply of Quartz going early is one of the best things you can do in the opening hours of the game.

This guide covers exactly where to find Quartz from the very first minute, the best farming locations at every stage of the game, and everything Quartz is used for. New players should also check our Subnautica 2 beginner tips before heading out.

What Does Quartz Look Like in Subnautica 2?

Quartz appears as a white or off-white crystal cluster. Small nodes are attached to the inner walls of Coral Domes and cave surfaces. They are easy to spot during the day because of their pale colouring against the orange and green coral. At night, Quartz has a faint luminescence that makes it even easier to locate in dark areas.

There are three sizes, matching the standard resource node system:

• Small nodes — Picked up directly by hand. No tool needed. Give 1 Quartz each.
• Medium nodes — Smashed with any tool, including your Scanner. Give 2 Quartz each.
• Large deposits — Cannot be broken without the Sonic Resonator. Give 1–5 Quartz per deposit. These are found deeper in trenches and caves.

In the early game, small and medium nodes from Coral Domes are enough to craft the basics. Large deposits become your main supply once you have the Sonic Resonator unlocked. For a full guide on mining large nodes, see our guide on how to harvest large resource nodes in Subnautica 2.

Where to Find Quartz in Subnautica 2 — All Locations

Coral Domes Near the Lifepod (Earliest Source)

The fastest way to get your first Quartz is to look for Coral Domes on the seafloor near your Lifepod. These are large, rounded structures made of orange-coloured coral. They are hollow inside, and their inner walls are lined with Quartz nodes.

You will find Coral Domes at depths of roughly 10 to 30 meters in the shallow starting waters. There are large clusters of them to the northwest and northeast of the Lifepod. There is even one directly beneath the Lifepod itself. Swim inside any of them and pick the white crystal nodes off the walls by hand.

Each dome has multiple Quartz nodes on its inner surface. A few domes can fill your inventory with enough Quartz for the Scanner, the Flashlight, and early Glass production without going far at all.

Spider Dome (~220 Meters Southwest — Best Early Farming Spot)

The Spider Dome is the single best Quartz farming location in the entire early game. It is a massive hollow sphere of coral — much larger than normal Coral Domes — with nearly 100 pieces of Quartz growing on its inner surface. Every single node is a small one, meaning you can collect all of them by hand with zero tools needed.

To find the Spider Dome from the Lifepod:

• Face your compass to between 240 and 245 degrees (directly between southwest and west).
• Swim straight ahead for 220 meters.
• Look for a gigantic mass of orange coral with leg-like structures extending outward from a central sphere, anchoring it to the seafloor.
• Swim through any of the openings in its surface to get inside.

The Spider Dome is close to the surface, outside any hazardous zones, and accessible from the very start of the game. One run here gives you more Quartz than multiple Coral Dome trips combined. There is also a circular hole underneath blocked by Bloom Biofilm — that is part of the Wander Blackbox story mission — but the dome itself is completely safe to farm before you even have the Sonic Resonator.

Under and Around the Lifepod

There is a Coral Dome directly beneath the Lifepod. This is literally the closest possible Quartz source. As soon as you release the clamps and start exploring, swim straight down and check inside the dome below. It will not hold as much as the Spider Dome, but it requires zero travel time and is always worth checking on your way past.

Need help releasing the clamps first? See our guide on how to release the Lifepod clamps.

Northern Trench Near the Old Habitat (~350–400 Meters North)

Once you have the Sonic Resonator, the best bulk Quartz farming shifts to a large trench near a water current located roughly 350 to 400 meters north of the Lifepod, close to the Old Habitat colony ruins. This is a multi-resource zone — alongside Quartz, the trench also contains large deposits of Titanium, Copper, Silver, and Lead.

The upper section of the trench and the area around it have large Quartz deposits on cave walls that the Sonic Resonator can blast open. One charged shot per node yields multiple Quartz pieces at once. Because it overlaps with so many other resources, this spot makes for the most efficient resource run in the mid-game — you can fill your inventory with Quartz and three or four other materials in a single dive.

Camp One Tunnel (~300 Meters Northeast)

The tunnel near Camp One, which also contains large Titanium deposits, has large Quartz nodes in the area above the current channel. If you are already heading here for Titanium runs, grab the Quartz at the same time. Two birds, one trip. For more detail on this area, see our Titanium farming guide.

Caves Throughout the Starting Biome

Large Quartz deposits are consistently found inside cave systems across the starting biome. Any time you enter a cave during exploration or on a mission, keep your eyes on the walls for the characteristic white crystal formations. They appear frequently alongside other ore nodes, especially in the deeper sections of seafloor caves.

Silver caves north of the Lifepod also often contain Quartz nodes on the walls and floor. Multi-resource cave runs are one of the most efficient ways to stockpile materials early in the game.

How to Identify Coral Domes Quickly

If you are new to the game and struggling to spot Coral Domes, here is what to look for:

• Shape: Large, rounded, dome-like structures on the seafloor — like upside-down bowls or spheres resting on the ocean floor.
• Colour: Orange on the outside. Bright blue or luminescent on the inside.
• Depth: Usually 10 to 30 meters deep in the starting biome. Easy to reach with starter oxygen levels.
• Quartz inside: Once inside, look for white crystal clusters attached to the inner walls and ceiling. They stand out clearly against the blue interior glow.

The north-northwest direction from the Lifepod has a particularly high density of Coral Domes. If you head that way and look at the seafloor, you will spot several within a short swim of each other.

What Is Quartz Used For in Subnautica 2?

Quartz feeds into a huge number of recipes throughout the entire game. It is involved both as a direct ingredient and as the source material for Glass and System Chips, which then feed into even more recipes.

Direct Quartz Recipes

• Scanner — 2x Titanium, 2x Quartz, 1x Basic Battery. This is your first crafting priority in the game. The Scanner unlocks blueprints for every major tool including the Sonic Resonator, Wakemaker, and Tadpole. See our guide on how to craft the Scanner.
• Flashlight — Requires Quartz. Essential for exploring dark caves and nighttime diving. See our Flashlight blueprint guide for locations.
• Hatch — Requires Quartz. You need a Hatch to enter your base. Non-negotiable for base building.
• Solar Panel — Requires 1 Titanium and 2 Quartz. Your primary early power source. You will build several. Every Solar Panel on your base costs 2 Quartz.

Glass (Crafted from 2x Quartz)

Glass is one of the most important processed materials in the game. Two raw Quartz at the Fabricator produces one Glass. Glass is used in:

• Habitat Builder — You cannot build your base without one.
• Fabricator (base version) — Needed to craft tools and materials at your own base.
• Vehicle Fabricator — Required to craft the Tadpole submarine.
• Floor Lockers — Useful for storage organisation inside your base.
• Biobed — Used to unlock Biomods and increase inventory capacity.
• NOA Terminal — Part of story progression.
• Scanner Station — A vital base upgrade that tracks resource deposits within 300 meters.
• Dive Elevator — Allows vertical movement between depths near your base.

For a detailed look at what to build first with all this Glass, see our guide on what to build in your base first. And to set it all up, check our Habitat Builder guide.

System Chips

System Chips are crafted using a Wiring Kit and Quartz. They feed into advanced electrical components and mid-to-late game crafting recipes, including some base facilities and vehicle upgrades. Because they sit midway in several crafting chains, Quartz demand does not drop off after the early game — it just shifts from tools to electronics.

Quartz Farming Tips

• Go to the Spider Dome first. It is 220 meters southwest of the Lifepod, requires no tools, and holds nearly 100 Quartz nodes. One trip here sets you up for hours of crafting. It is the fastest and most efficient early Quartz run in the game.
• Craft Glass as you go. Two Quartz makes one Glass. If you are hauling a full inventory back to the Lifepod, convert your excess Quartz into Glass at the Fabricator. Glass takes up the same inventory slot but is already processed and ready to use. This essentially doubles your effective carry capacity per run.
• Always bring a Portable Locker. Quartz runs, especially inside the Spider Dome, fill your inventory fast. A Portable Locker gives you overflow storage so you can collect the full dome without cutting the trip short.
• Combine Quartz runs with other resource trips. The northern trench near the Old Habitat and the Camp One area both contain Quartz alongside Titanium, Silver, Copper, and Lead. Plan routes that hit multiple resources in one dive.
• Build a Scanner Station early. Once placed at your base, the Scanner Station tracks Quartz deposits within 300 meters. It turns every future Quartz run from a search into a targeted sprint. Use our guide on how to use the Scanner to understand scanning mechanics before building it.
• Get the Sonic Resonator for bulk farming. Once unlocked, large Quartz deposits in caves and trenches yield 1–5 Quartz per blast. The jump from small-node hand-picking to large-deposit mining is massive. See our guide on how to harvest large resource nodes to get the Sonic Resonator.
• Nighttime diving is easier for Quartz. Quartz has a faint glow in dark conditions. Heading into caves at night makes white crystal nodes stand out more clearly against dark rock surfaces.
• Increase your carry capacity. Interact with Biobeds when you find them to expand your inventory size. More slots mean more Quartz per trip.

Summary: How to Get Quartz Fast

1. Swim directly beneath your Lifepod and check the Coral Dome there for your first quick Quartz.
2. Head 220 meters southwest (240–245 degrees) to the Spider Dome for a nearly 100-node farming run — no tools needed.
3. Use the Quartz to craft Glass (2 Quartz = 1 Glass) and build the Scanner and Habitat Builder.
4. For ongoing supply, farm the Coral Dome cluster to the northwest and northeast of the Lifepod.
5. Once you have the Sonic Resonator, mine large Quartz deposits in the northern trench (~350–400 meters north) for bulk amounts alongside other resources.
6. Build a Scanner Station at your base to track Quartz deposits within 300 meters automatically.

Quartz is one of those resources that seems scarce until you find the right spots. After your first Spider Dome run, you will have more Quartz than you can carry — and you will know exactly where to go every time you need to stock back up.

For more help with resources and crafting, check our guides on how to get Fiber and Fibrous Pulp, how to get Rubber, where to find Silver, how to unlock blueprints, and our full Subnautica 2 co-op guide. Pick up the game on Steam or Xbox Game Pass.