Best Biomods - Recommended Active and Passive Biomod

Best Biomods in Subnautica 2. See our priority reference chart for the best Biomods, recommended setups, and complete evaluations for the best Active and Passive Biomods.

Best Biomods in Subnautica 2

Best Active Biomods

Biomod	Priority	Description
Dash	★★★★★	Dash in any direction to avoid predators or hazards.
Electric Discharge	★★★★★	Emit an 800 volt electric shock to deter medium and large predators.
Sonic Echo	★★★★•	Emit a sonar pulse to highlight nearby resources.
Chum Cloud	★★• • •	Release a cloud of delicious bait to distract predators
Pathfinder	★• • • •	Release a trail of pheromones you can follow to find your way

Best Passive Biomods

Biomod	Priority	Description
Oxygen Control	★★★★★	Slows oxygen consumption when not moving.
Slow Metabolism	★★★★★	Your microbiome becomes more efficient making food loss slower.
Camouflage	★★★★•	Become invisible to predators when not moving.
Dermal Garden	★★★★•	Slowly grow nutritious algae on your skin.
Water Retention	★★★★•	Gain more water from all sources with enlarged, orca-like kidneys.
Threat Sense	★★★★•	Detect nearby threats with specialised hair cells.
Water Secretion	★★★• •	Slowly fills a water packet by filtering fresh water from the sea.
Sea Skimmer	★★• • •	Swim faster when close to underwater surfaces or the seafloor.
Homing Sense	★★• • •	Detect nearby bases with electrical power.
Bioluminescence	★• • • •	Glow in the dark.

Best Active Biomods Evaluation

Dash

Biomod	Recommendation / Description
Dash	[Recommendation] ★★★★★ [Effect] Dash in any direction to avoid predators or hazards. [How to Get] Available by default.

Dash is an essential Active Biomod in Subnautica 2 and stays valuable throughout the entire game. You can use it to quickly evade predators, avoid environmental hazards, or move around faster while exploring. It also has a short cooldown.

Electric Discharge

Biomod	Recommendation / Description
Electric Discharge	[Recommendation] ★★★★★ [Effect] Emit an 800 volt electric shock to deter medium and large predators. [How to Get] Bio Scan: Electric Geordie

Electric Discharge is an excellent defensive Biomod for dangerous biomes. Activating it releases an 800-volt shock that instantly repels medium and large predators, including Leviathans. This creates a valuable opening to escape during dangerous underwater encounters.

Sonic Echo

Biomod	Recommendation / Description
Sonic Echo	[Recommendation] ★★★★• [Effect] Emit a sonar pulse to highlight nearby resources. [How to Get] Bio Scan: Collector Leviathan

Sonic Echo makes resource gathering much more efficient by replacing random searching with targeted scans. Tracking materials in deep caves or dark biomes can take a long time, but this sonar pulse highlights nearby resource nodes to speed up farming runs.

Chum Cloud

Biomod	Recommendation / Description
Chum Cloud	[Recommendation] ★★• • • [Effect] Release a cloud of delicious bait to distract predators. [How to Get] - Bio Scan: Toxic Sponge - Bio Scan: Houndgar

Chum Cloud releases bait that distracts predators, giving you time to escape dangerous situations safely. While it can help in certain encounters, it is more for the early game until you obtain better Biomods.

Pathfinder

Biomod	Recommendation / Description
Pathfinder	[Recommendation] ★• • • • [Effect] Release a trail of pheromones you can follow to find your way. [How to Get] Available by default.

Pathfinder creates a pheromone trail that helps you navigate through large caves and avoid getting lost. While it can be useful early on, its value drops significantly once you unlock better navigation tools. Since markers and beacons already provide reliable navigation, using your Active Biomod slot on Pathfinder is usually inefficient compared to stronger alternatives.

Best Passive Biomods Evaluation

Oxygen Control

Biomod	Recommendation / Description
Oxygen Control	[Recommendation] ★★★★★ [Effect] Slows oxygen consumption when not moving. [How to Get] Available by default.

Oxygen Control is extremely useful during long dives, especially while scanning creatures, looting wrecks, or managing inventory underwater. Lower oxygen consumption while stationary greatly improves exploration efficiency, though pairing it with upgraded Oxygen Tanks is still highly recommended for deeper biomes.

Slow Metabolism

Biomod	Recommendation / Description
Slow Metabolism	[Recommendation] ★★★★★ [Effect] Your microbiome becomes more efficient making food loss slower. [How to Get] Bio Scan: Nibbler Mango

Slow Metabolism provides excellent survival value by keeping your hunger meter stable for longer periods. Improving hunger efficiency reduces how often you need to stop exploring just to gather food, making it one of the most reliable passive Biomods for long expeditions.

Camouflage

Biomod	Recommendation / Description
Camouflage	[Recommendation] ★★★★• [Effect] Become invisible to predators when not moving. [How to Get] Bio Scan: Bullethead

Camouflage adds strong defensive utility by allowing you to hide from predators while remaining still. It works especially well as an emergency escape tool during dangerous encounters, though predators can still damage you if they physically collide with you.

Dermal Garden

Biomod	Recommendation / Description
Dermal Garden	[Recommendation] ★★★★• [Effect] Slowly grow nutritious algae on your skin. [How to Get] Bio Scan: Needler Mango

Dermal Garden helps manage hunger during long expeditions by growing edible algae directly on your skin. It is especially useful for players who want to spend less time returning to base for food, giving you a reliable emergency food source during deep exploration.

Water Retention

Biomod	Recommendation / Description
Water Retention	[Recommendation] ★★★★• [Effect] Gain more water from all sources with enlarged, orca-like kidneys. [How to Get] Bio Scan: Coral Crab

Water Retention significantly improves hydration efficiency by allowing your body to absorb more water from nearly every source. This reduces the need to constantly monitor your thirst meter during long exploration runs.

Threat Sense

Biomod	Recommendation / Description
Threat Sense	[Recommendation] ★★★★• [Effect] Detect nearby threats with specialised hair cells. [How to Get] Bio Scan: Hoverthorn

Threat Sense is highly valuable in dangerous biomes because it warns you about nearby predators and environmental hazards before they become immediate threats. The extra situational awareness makes risky exploration much safer overall.

Water Secretion

Biomod	Recommendation / Description
Water Secretion	[Recommendation] ★★★• • [Effect] Slowly fills a water packet by filtering fresh water from the sea. [How to Get] Bio Scan: Water Slug

Water Secretion provides decent utility by slowly generating drinkable water over time, helping reduce the need to constantly carry extra hydration supplies. However, Water Retention is usually the stronger overall option since it provides better long-term efficiency for the same passive slot.

Sea Skimmer

Biomod	Recommendation / Description
Sea Skimmer	[Recommendation] ★★• • • [Effect] Swim faster when close to underwater surfaces or the seafloor. [How to Get] Available by default.

Sea Skimmer grants a helpful movement speed bonus when swimming near underwater surfaces or the seafloor. While it feels strong during the early game, its value drops later once you unlock advanced swim gear or vehicles like Tadpole.

Homing Sense

Biomod	Recommendation / Description
Homing Sense	[Recommendation] ★★• • • [Effect] Detect nearby bases with electrical power. [How to Get] - Bio Scan: Surge Jelly - Bio Scan: Hammerhead

Homing Sense helps locate nearby powered bases, making navigation easier in large or confusing biomes. However, once you establish proper beacon placement and become more familiar with the map, its passive slot value drops compared to stronger survival-focused Biomods.

Bioluminescence

Biomod	Recommendation / Description
Bioluminescence	[Recommendation] ★• • • • [Effect] Glow in the dark. [How to Get] - Bio Scan: Sandspear - Bio Scan: Electric Geordie

Bioluminescence improves visibility in dark areas and during nighttime exploration. While the added lighting can be convenient, its overall utility is fairly limited since tools like the Flashlight already serve the same purpose without taking up a valuable passive Biomod slot.

Recommended Biomod Setup

All-Rounder Setup

Active Biomod	Passive Biomod
Dash	Oxygen Control

This is the most versatile setup for general exploration. Oxygen Control gives you more time to scan blueprints and loot wrecks while staying still, while Dash acts as a reliable panic button whenever aggressive creatures get too close.

Resource Farming Setup

Active Biomod	Passive Biomod
Sonic Echo	Slow Metabolism or Dermal Garden

Perfect for long farming trips where you need to gather large amounts of crafting materials. Sonic Echo instantly highlights nearby resource nodes, reducing downtime while searching, while Slow Metabolism helps keep your hunger stable so you can stay out exploring longer.

High-Threat Exploration Setup

Active Biomod	Passive Biomod
Electric Discharge	Threat Sense or Camouflage

Recommended for dark, unfamiliar, or high-risk biomes. Threat Sense warns you about nearby predators before they ambush you. If dangerous creatures like Leviathans still catch you off guard, Electric Discharge gives you a reliable way to stun them and escape safely.

How Do Biomods Work

Equip Biomods in the Bio Lab

Biomods are powerful enhancements unlocked by using your Bioscanner on specific flora and fauna. To unlock a Biomod, you simply need to locate and scan the required creature. Once unlocked, these traits can be equipped safely through any Bio Lab.

Equip 1 Active and 1 Passive Biomod

You can only equip one Active Biomod at a time, alongside one Passive Biomod. Active Biomods require manual activation and are limited by cooldowns, while Passive Biomods remain active permanently with no cooldown. There is currently no way to unlock additional slots.

More Biomod Updates Planned

According to the Early Access Roadmap, additional Passive Biomod slots and further Biomod system improvements are planned for future updates. Based on the roadmap, these changes may arrive during Early Access 1.1, so for now, players can only equip one Active and one Passive Biomod at a time.

Related Articles

Recommended Guides

Walkthrough (Early to Late-Game)	Plant Farming Guide	Cooking and Recipes Guide
Best Biomods	Best Tadpole Upgrades	Metal Farm Guide

Progression & Priorities
Early Game	Mid-Game	Late Game

Lists

All Leviathans	All Items List	Biomes & PoI List
Blackbox List	Recipe Data Cards (Blueprints)	Vehicle List
Buildings & Facilities List

Notable Items

Salt	Silver	Copper
Lead	Lucifer Rotsac	Conduit Crystals
Creature Enamel	Enameled Glass	Troilite

Guides for Beginners

Multiplayer Guide	Drinking Water Guide	How to Craft Air Tank?
Scanner Station Guide	How to Manage Your Oxygen?	Base Guide
Alien Ruins	How to Use Coordinates	Tadpole Guide
How to Get More Storage	How to Get a Rebreather	Bioscanner Guide
Night Survival Guide	How to Heal

Pre-Game Guides

Specs Requirements	New Game Features	Is There Crossplay?
Supported Devices	Update & Roadmap	How Long to Beat?
Can You Play Subnautica 2 on PS5 and PS4?