Subnautica 2 Tadpole Fragments Location: How to Unlock It
Tadpole fragments are found inside shipwrecks and abandoned facilities on Proteus — scan 2-3 fragments with your Scanner to unlock the blueprint, then construct the sub at a Vehicle Bay. It is the first submersible in Subnautica 2 and the single biggest mobility upgrade in the early game.
Last updated: September 5, 2026
Where to Find Tadpole Fragments
The Tadpole — a fast, one-seat, battery-powered scout — is locked behind the fragment system. Like all big blueprints, you must scan 2-3 fragments before the blueprint unlocks. Fragments spawn in two kinds of locations:
| Location Type | Reliability | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shipwrecks | High | Fragments sit among the wreckage, often near crates and Portable Lockers. Watch for poison spores inside wreck interiors — bring health items. |
| Abandoned facilities | High | Ruined Alterra structures frequently hold big-blueprint fragments. Some need power restored — carry a Basic Battery. |
| Black box sites | Medium | NOA terminal waypoints always lead near blueprints, mechanics, or Adaptations — follow them and scan everything nearby. |
The Lifepod NOA terminal is your fragment-finding engine. Black boxes are always near blueprints or mechanics, so each waypoint chain is effectively a guided tour to sites worth sweeping with your Scanner.
Scanning Strategy
Before you hunt Tadpole fragments, make sure your kit is ready:
Craft the Scanner first. It costs Titanium x2, Quartz x2, and a Battery (Copper x2 + Acidic Raion Pouch x3). Nothing on this page works without it.
Bring light and oxygen. Wreck interiors and caves are pitch black — unlock the Flashlight by scanning 2 broken flashlights. An upgraded air tank (Silver x2, Titanium x2, Rubber x1) gives you the bottom time to search interiors properly, and an Air Bladder (Titanium x1 + Lucifer Rotsac x1) is a cheap emergency ascent option.
Scan everything, even after unlock. Re-scanning fragments of blueprints you already own yields raw materials — a passive resource farm. Extra Tadpole fragments are never wasted.
Mark sites with Beacons. There is no traditional map on Proteus. Drop a Beacon at every wreck you clear so you never sweep the same site twice and can return for leftover loot.
You start with only 20 inventory slots, and wrecks overflow with loot. Drag any Portable Lockers you find (+15 slots each) back toward your base, and drop cheap Titanium before you leave rare finds behind. See our Inventory Upgrade Guide for permanent capacity increases.
Building the Tadpole: Vehicle Bay Requirements
Unlocking the blueprint is only half the job. To actually construct the Tadpole you need a Vehicle Bay, and the Vehicle Bay requires a large room — which means a powered base built with the Habitat Builder.
The build order looks like this:
1. Unlock the Habitat Builder. Scan 2 broken Habitat Builder fragments — the Habitat Builder Location Guide covers the Welcome Center ruins southeast of the Lifepod and the Gene Donor site. Craft it with Titanium x2, Copper Wire x1, and a System Chip.
2. Build a powered base. A Room, a Hatch, and Solar Panels (they only work above 200m depth, and are weaker at night). Remember: no power means no oxygen inside your base. Our Base Building Guide walks through the full starter layout.
3. Add a Base Fabricator. Titanium x1, Copper x1, Quartz x1. It removes the Lifepod's crafting limits and produces the Wiring Kits and System Chips that advanced construction demands.
4. Build the Vehicle Bay and the Tadpole. Budget Titanium heavily — vehicles and bases both consume it in bulk.
After Unlock: Docking, Charging, and Upgrades
The Tadpole is battery powered, so build a Docking Station at your base — the sub recharges whenever it is parked. Always carry spare batteries on long expeditions; a dead engine in a deep biome is a long swim home on limited oxygen.
Once mobile, three things should be on your radar:
Chassis modules. The Tadpole accepts upgrade modules (Depth, Storage, Engine Efficiency, Hull Reinforcement, Torpedo System) in limited slots. Our Tadpole Upgrades Guide ranks all five and gives three mission loadouts.
Resource runs. Pair the sub with a Scanner Station ping and gathering becomes trivially fast — fly out, fill the hold, dock, repeat.
Deeper biomes. The Tadpole's crush depth is displayed on the HUD, and exceeding it damages the hull. Respect it until you install a Depth Module, and turn around when you hear leviathan roars — they patrol specific deep biomes and can attack parked vehicles.
A large multi-seat submarine — Subnautica 2's Cyclops equivalent, a mobile base with interior modules — is confirmed in long-term development and expected in a major update after EA 1.2. Check the roadmap for the latest Early Access plans.
Tadpole Location FAQ
Tadpole fragments are found in shipwrecks and abandoned facilities across Proteus. You need to scan 2-3 fragments with the Scanner to unlock the blueprint — following NOA black box waypoints is the most reliable way to reach fragment-rich sites.
Like other big blueprints, the Tadpole requires 2-3 fragment scans before the blueprint unlocks. Re-scanning fragments after you own the blueprint yields raw materials instead, so never skip extra fragments.
You need a Vehicle Bay, which requires a large room in a powered base, to construct the Tadpole. Build a Docking Station nearby so the sub recharges whenever it is parked.
Yes. The Tadpole is fast and battery powered, dramatically expanding your safe exploration range compared to swimming on limited oxygen. Prioritize it after your Standard Air Tank and first powered base.