How to find diamonds fast and easy in Subnautica

They might be pretty to look at and, well, might even be a girl’s best friend, but diamonds can be the key to progress and updates in games. That is definitely the case in Subnautica since those shiny stones are essential to upgrading your vehicle and getting the tools necessary for your survival.

Naturally, they are not easy to find at all, but we have a list of tips for you so you can hunt for diamonds fast and easily.

How to find diamonds in Subnautica

There are two main methods to gather diamonds in the game. You can find them freely floating around the seabed or you can break open Shale outcrops to reveal diamonds.

Diamonds can usually be found in several seabeds, even in places where no Shale outcrops are around. They can be found in the following locations:

• The Grand Reef
• The Bulb Zone
• The Inactive Lava Zone
• The Underwater Islands

Naturally, these are not the only locations, but you should be able to find a fair share to begin with. While you might be able to create your laser cutter by simply stumbling upon a couple of diamonds, you don’t want to spend hours scouring around the seabed.

To avoid spending hours looking for diamonds floating on the seabed, instead, look for Shale Outcrops to break. These can be found in the Sea Treader’s Path, revealed by the Leviathans, the Mountain Island and the surrounding caves, the Mushroom Forest, and the Jellyshroom Cave.

Let’s look in more detail at all these different places and break down how to find and gather diamonds.

Screenshot by Destructoid

Where to find diamonds in Subnautica

As opposed to diamonds randomly floating on the seabed, you should be able to easily find shale outcrops in several deep biomes. These outcrops usually also contain lithium and gold, so you have about a 33% percent chance of finding diamonds. Locating these outcrops will require the appropriate equipment, so we would not recommend it if you are only a few hours into the game.

Not only are these biomes quite deep, but they feature several dangerous creatures as well. Be ready for a fight or, at least, a swift escape. The biomes we would recommend exploring are:

• The Jellyshroom Cave
• The Mushroom Forests
• The Lost River
• The Mountains

If you are just starting in Subnautica and don’t want to head toward a dangerous place, the best location of these would be the Mushroom Forest. You should find quite a long series of outcrops on the side of the forest. You can use Lifepod 4 as a landmark if you are unsure of where to look.

If you don’t want to venture too far from your Lifepod, you can also head to the caves near Lifepod 17. You’d have to be careful as it is not a very friendly area, but you should find plenty of shale outcrops to farm. If you are not looking to endanger your life, try scouting on the vertical face of the cliff beneath Lifepod 4, between the northwest mushroom forest and the shallow, safe, gently sloping part of the Crash Zone close to the Aurora. While the area is not as rich, you should be able to get back with a few diamonds nevertheless.

Where to find diamonds in Subnautica: Below Zero

In the Below Zero expansion, you will probably still be looking for diamonds, but luckily there are several ways to acquire them. While some methods involve scouting for them on the surface, as they are hidden in places that only the Spy Penglings can reach, we would recommend looking for them as resource deposits instead.

There are two places in particular we would recommend exploring, the Tree Spires and Koppa Mining Site. But since these two are quite deep biomes, if you are still early in the expansion the easiest way to find diamonds is to explore the Deep Twisty bridge, even though this is still quite a deep area so be careful with your oxygen level. You should find several deposits here, but there are fairly aggressive creatures lurking about. so be careful.

If you are not looking for a fight, we can also recommend heading inside the Thermal Spires Caves and looking for diamond veins near the lava geysers. Still, this is not a safe place either, as you’ll have to be careful when around geysers, contact with them can lead to an untimely death.

Destructoid is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy