How to Find Diamonds in Subnautica (& What They're For)
Diamonds can seem elusive in Subnautica. Learn which biomes to check first, and some of the important tools that will require diamonds.
Subnautica is an open-world survival game where finding rare components is often key to progress. Collecting these components can be difficult, as some only spawn at the deepest of depths and require tools to reach them. Diamonds are a raw material required to make some of the advanced equipment available at later stages of the game. Players looking for diamonds will need to visit specific biomes to find them, they have a 38.5% chance to drop from shale outcrops or can be spotted and collected in their raw form.
Diamonds can be found in some biomes that are relatively accessible in the early stages of exploration. These biomes will be close to the randomized location of Lifepod 5, the player's starting base, and won't have many forms of aggressive fauna. Jellyshroom Cave will spawn shale outcrops and should be the closest option for beginning players. The Jellyshroom Cave entrances can be found in the Grassy Plateaus biome, west or southwest of Lifepod 5. If the player has not built a compass yet the Aurora can be used to navigate, as it will always land on the eastern edge of the map with the bow pointing northeast. Another place to look for diamonds during early gameplay is the Mushroom Forest. This biome can be found northeast and northwest of Lifepod 5 due to its shape, with the northwest section being the safer option. Shale outcrops spawn less frequently here but can be found on the giant mushroom 'trunks' that grow in this biome.
Two of the best late-game zones for collecting diamonds in Subnautica are the Grand Reef and the Sea Treader's Path. Both biomes line the very southeast corner of the map and are pretty deep, with diamonds available around 300-500 meters down, so be sure to bring a vehicle. Finding a Sea Treader in either of these two locations will be the quickest way to stockpile diamonds. As they walk along the ocean floor they have a chance to spawn as many as three shale deposits from the sea bed, though these will disappear if not grabbed quickly enough. Regular shale outcrops can also be found and harvested from these biomes.
The first tool players will want to build with their diamonds is the laser cutter, as this will allow access to sealed doors in wreckages the player may come across. Gathering two diamonds will be required to craft this device at the fabricator. The modification station is also very useful and is capable of upgrading specific tools in Subnautica, it requires one diamond among other materials to build. Additionally, players hoping to build a reinforced diving suit or a prawn suit will need to reserve two diamonds for each.
If searching for diamonds the old-fashioned way isn't fast enough, Subnautica players may decide to invest in finding 3 scanner room fragments. These can spawn in a few biomes including the Grassy Plateaus, Bulb Zone, Grand Reef, and around large pieces of wreckage from the Aurora. To create a scanner room with the habitat builder players will need five titanium, two copper, one gold, and one table coral sample. This handy module will save the player's time by searching the nearby area for desired materials. The scanner room will mark the locations of the resource, allowing the player to simply fetch.
Subnautica is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.