Where to find necrolei cysts for strong acid in Subnautica 2

You’ll need to find a handful of necrolei cysts in Subnautica 2 to make strong acid, and you’ll need strong acid for an essential part of the tadpole vehicle. Necrolei cysts are rare compared to other early-game materials, and if you don’t know what you’re looking for, it’s easy to swim past them entirely unaware.

Below, we show you where to find necrolei cysts in Subnautica 2.

[Ed. note: Before you dive in, be sure to open the character menu and enable all landmark signals. This will make it easier to spot the locations mentioned in this guide.]

Where to find necrolei cysts in Subnautica 2

Necrolei cysts grow inside green, spherical-ish plants that trail long neon-pink tendrils, and we only found one such cluster of plants in the area between the Lifepod and Tadpole Pens. It’s near the first mandatory Angel Comb, not far from Wander’s Blackbox. Specifically, it’s about 90 meters north of the Angel Comb signal and 300 meters north of Wander’s Blackbox.

Approach the plant, get your survival multitool out, and whack the sphere to open it. Then you can collect the necrolei cyst from inside. Make sure to grab all of them. While you only need two cysts to create one container of strong acid, the plants’ rarity means it’s worth stocking up while you can before moving on to the next area.

Image: Unknown Worlds/Krafton via Polygon

Strong acid is a necessary part of creating power cells, which you’ll use to power things like the tadpole and, later, other energy-hungry devices. You can build a power cell terminal in your base to recharge existing cells, which cuts down on having to make more acid to make more cells.

However, you’ll need to get the processor blueprint and craft that machine before you can make strong acid. The fabricator only lets you craft mild acid.

If you’re starting out in Subnautica 2, we have a plethora of guides to help you navigate the deep blue sea. Our Subnautica 2 beginner’s guide will set you off in the right direction and our base building tips will assist in planning out your sprawling base. Don’t forget to stock up on food and water, too. (And if you want to get fancy with your food, you’ll want salt!)

If you need help finding materials, we explain how to get the sonic resonator, which you’ll want to mine tons of materials. We have guides on where to find these resources, like lead, sulfur, copper, quartz, and gold.